you know what we'll do? we'll write some reviews.

Issue no. 12: The Keys are too damn high

May 11, 2024

This issue contains many theater thoughts.

Synopsis of Issue no. 12

Reviews
- Things I’ve seen
  - Water for Elephants
  - Invasive Species
  - Appropriate
  - Lempicka
Musings
- Vibrations
Unnecessary Extemporaneous Funky Fresh and Fun Findings, Wanderings, and Ponderings

Things I’ve Seen

It’s been a busy week of theater. Thank you to our unofficial sponsor, the Theater Development Fund (if you are under thirty, it is $50 for the year and very worth it for ticket deals.) I am embarking on trying to see as much theater as I can. I’ve been reading reviews and thinking a lot about criticism (over the past year but especially during this intensely full season of openings) and reflecting on the significance/role of criticism today. After seeing Lempicka I realized just how strange the state of criticism is. I don’t think that Lempicka should be closing. Because of reviews and headlines I went in expecting something very different from what the experience actually was; this was very disjointing. Anyhow, below are brief snippets of thoughts from each production I saw this week.

Water for Elephants

The swinging stallion scarf dance was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen on Broadway. It was a moment of storytelling that physically shattered the energetic fourth wall and I will think about it for the rest of my life. The way they established the idea and built the eventual elephant was brilliant. There was too much tumbling and the score was weak. There were too many times where tumbling sequences would start happening during a song and it did not feel necessary to the story at all. There was a distinct moment in which a song built up to a feat that had been done two numbers prior and the audience clearly was confused. Strong use of puppetry and circus as tools of musical theater storytelling, but I felt that the methods could have been more cohesive throughout. Some of the things that would reoccur did not feel essential whereas the strongest moments would be one-off ideas that could have been more integrated. Significant inroads though as far as developing what circus and circe du soleil merged with musical theater as a unique genre means, and I think that this show will serve as a solid foundation from which to continue developing the new ways the unique circo-musical genre can go. Excellent performances. Paul Alexander Nolan is one of the most incredible performers on Broadway and it was remarkable to see Greg Edelman again.

Invasive Species

I saw the first preview of this (I’m sure Paloma will be excellent). It is a one-person narrative with a small ensemble embodying characters, memories, voices, and dreams. Many thoughts. Hoping to go back and see it again once opened.

Appropriate

A lot of screaming. The play is great. Seems to be very in the twenty-first century vein of plays commenting on/building upon previously established conventions. Contemporary southern gothic. I understand that the actors are interpreting the severity of the situations and responding in the way that they find appropriate ( :) ), but the level of fatigue on their bodies and voices was apparent enough to a degree that they seemed tired which took me out of the story. It was a good reminder of the fact that in real life individuals express emotional intensity through a variety of methods; not just screaming. There was a sequence at the end that felt like a psychedelic trip. It reminded me of how important and brilliant the practitioners of theater tech are. Seeing something supernatural (word intended to mean beyond reality) occur in the real world (not on a screen) upon the conclusion of such a beautifully real and naturalistic story was a glorious moment of recognition that theater can (and should) balance the capturing of reality with the rawness of surreal spectacle that can only be done in the theater.

Lempicka

I don’t understand why it is closing so soon. It was a good show. Perhaps not great, but considering the cast size, the appropriate theater choice (the Longacre is not an overly cavernous space by any means), and the quality of the supporting actors’ performances, it was a very stimulating and enjoyable experience. Lower the keys. The keys are too damn high (planning on creating t-shirts with this slogan and selling them to the Broadway community. Let me know if you want to join.). Eden Espinosa is very talented, I would have enjoyed it more if her songs were lower. Amber Iman, Andrew Samonsky, George Abud, and Beth Leavel were all incredible (so were Natalie Joy Johnson and Marriott favorite Nathaniel Stampley but they did not have great/enough material). I don’t understand why the show did not promote the fact that it is full of some of the best written and most impressive supporting performances seen in any Broadway show (possibly ever as far as I am aware). The supporting actors were all engaging and complemented each other masterfully. The scope of the story didn’t bother me. I know it is a lot of material but the pacing was handled very well. After reading the New York Times review I thought that the Sunday homages would be heavy handed, but I left feeling that if that wasn’t an attempt that was at least commendable maybe no one should ever write a musical that connects visual art and musical theater again because it will be slashed. It was courageous, well-intentioned musical theater. (TLDR final thoughts - the direction was unclear and the choreography did not strengthen the story or the aesthetic. The set was lovely but the costumes did not seem cohesive.)

The show opened with revealing Lempicka alone on a park bench in Los Angeles, dressed extravagantly with a giant hat. The show ended back on the park bench where we began except this time there was no hat. This bothered me greatly and I think that it is an apt metaphor for the show: a circle that is just shy of making it all the way around.

Shouldn’t be closing.

Musings

Vibrations

I popped into a Ripley-Grier studio the other day (38th street ‘til I die) and found a perfectly tuned piano. After spending a lot of time playing a keyboard lately it was a [complete-existence] experience. Playing it brought my body and mind together in the intoxicating way that only live vibrations can. I’ve been having many conversations about vibrations and patterns and waves (oh my!) with friends lately, and I am grateful to have had this experience to synthesize with these conversations. Upon reflecting on a grieving process with a wise individual, said-individual shared the notion that carrying on is muscle memory. Even though the mind takes its own time to move with the grief in its own way and the heart takes its time to work with it, our spiritual muscle memory enables us to carry on and forward even without making the conscious decision to do so. The grieving process will happen on its own if we let it. Playing the piano added a new light to this. I let myself feel the inexplicable joy of tension and release and of finding balance from one moment to the next and did my best to let myself learn, grow, and let my muscle memory carry me on.

Tangent: Idea of whiteboard wall calendar that lets people keep track of where they are in the grief process. It has the the different stages and there are little magnets that people can write the thing they are grieving on and then keep track of where in the process they are with that said thing. Any product designers out there wanna help?