Forever Plaid

The latest show in the Mount Washington Valley Theatre Company's (say THAT three times fast...) repertoire for their 39th season opened tonight...And I was in it!!

The other performers did very well, I thought. There weren't any dropped lines that I can recall that weren't my fault or else covered adequately. The sound was, as I take it, good and clear. Nobody complained - well, that I happened to ask - that we couldn't be heard.

I had a hard time gauging the audience's enjoyment of the show, but I assume that, because of the laughter from the crowd and the applause afterward, they liked us. I thought that we sounded good. Our blend was pretty good and our diction was also pretty good. Not perfect, but pretty good. The soloists were excellent, barring my last solo for the evening. I'm not kidding; it sounded horrid. It was too high for me and I had to belt out all those high notes right at the end and I think the audience heard my strain. See? Horrible!

My bass solo - Sixteen Tons - was pretty damn good, if I do say so myself. Not to inflate my ego, but I enjoyed singing it and they liked hearing it. Maybe I should stick to the low notes and leave the high shit for the tenors.

Despite the fact that this show has a small number - comparatively - of performances and those dates are somewhat scattered, I think this show will do well. Especially since we have another week to play around with it and make it better.

So, if any of you are in the area on a monday in the next month, check and see if we're playing and come and see us perform! It'll be great!

-S.

The Producers

I like this show. The script is hilarious, and because of it's national acclaim, any theatre that does this show can't really flop it.

...

Did I use that phrase right? Oh well, whatever. Anyway, Our show wasn't as horrifying as I was expecting it to be. This a very good thing, because I'm a spot operator for it and I have to watch the show intently for it every night. Three more weeks of Producers every night, except Mondays. This is going to be fun.

The best part is that I'm learning a new skill for technical theatre: Follow Spot Operator! My hand isn't all that steady and my fade-in aim is awful, but I am learning. And my hands are getting slightly calloused from the handle on the instrument. I guess that last bit is a good thing...? Maybe, maybe not I suppose.

Anyway, brief review: The musical numbers are fairly solid, with a few dropped/fumbled lines here and there. The characters are decent and the set is incredible! What the designer did in such a small space is nothing short of a miracle, but considering it's David Dywer, I'm not exactly surprised. His sets are usually pretty awesome, in my humble and uneducated opinion. Favorite player for this show is the actor playing Max Bialystock. Tremendous energy and great presence, not to mention a decent (at least - remember my opinion doesn't count for much) sense of comedic timing. Worst moment on stage: the fals Irish accents during the arresting scene. Really bad - in general - in the worst possible way.

If you're in the North Conway area in the next three weeks, come and see it; it's good, I promise!

-S.

Newsflash!

Well, it's about two days late, but still. Better late than never!

I got a part this summer in the last show they are doing here. The show is Forever Plaid and I play the part of Smudge. Fortunately for me, he's a bass and the music is good enough that it's relatively easy to pick up for me. It opens at the end of July and I'm kind of stoked about it because this is the first time I'm doing something professional in my career! Yay for hope for the Future!

That also means, however, that the little time I had off from work and shows is now spent either unwinding from said work or memorizing lines and music. I also get paid a little bit more too!

The good things I've gotten are worth the price right now.

-S.

High School Musical - the Musical

The show is utter tripe. I said as much in FaceBook. But here's why it's utter tripe.

The characters are singing songs that they don't mean, they are saying lines that they wouldn't say and the story flows in a way that makes very little logical sense at all. I short, utter tripe.

Now, if the focus of the show was put on the rivalry between the cliques and it featured Gabriella having to choose between the various social groups at the school - a la 'Ten Things I Hate About You' or 'Clueless' - and then you added in the blossoming romance between Troy and her, coupled with Sharpay's jealousy of Troy's affection and his own desire to be a performer, and THEN...you could have a decent musical.

But there's a number of songs that are not necessary. For example, every time the characters are not singing a song relative to the plot - like 'Bop to the Top', the audition song that Ryan and Sharpay sing, and the karaoke song that Gabriella and Troy meet with - the entire song should be cut and described, rather than actually done. Barring possibly Sharpay and Ryan's duet because I like the vanity, arrogance and disdain Sharpay shows towards Kelsy's music followed by the real duet being sung - with the appropriate subtext - by the romantic leads. Also, using the pop style for a musical works only (in my opinion) if you vary it a little bit. For example, not every effing song HAS to be a full ensemble fast paced nightmare. But that's more a matter of opinion than prescription.

After rewriting the songs, the dialogue needs a lot of work too. The characters too often state their emotional obviousness without actually saying what they would really say. If that makes any sense at all, which it probably doesn't.

So, like I said, it could be so much better than it is if somebody - not me because I'm not that good - revamped the plot and music.

-S.