that makes me sad about Fallen Angel, cause this show really looked really good, adn I'm going to see it during the fringe.
now for me, I saw another 2 shows today (well since its 12:37 i guess it was really yesterday now)
First was
T.L.C. It was an interesting look at the one character we see on stage (there are 3 other voices heard, but which are only recordings, and there is also Barney, the gold fish) but it tended to drag a little. The show would have worked much better, for me, had it been about 15 or 20 minutes shorter. It really just needed to be tightened up. The performance was good, at times a little over the the character she plays is over the top. The one really negative thing i have to say is that the claim of every venue being Air Conditioned is BULL SH*T. the Linhart was far from ACd, because a large square fan house left does not an AC make.
The second show I saw today so much potential it was disgusting.
Breeze Off The River could have been a great show, something that could have been moved to a larger market, but sadly fell victim to the ameteurity (probably not a word, but I can't think of anything else) of the Fringe. The story is an interesting one. A young man (i cant remember his character name right now and my program is in my room) and his wife Rebecca, who have an 8 year old son seperate. The young man, who has quit his job to stay home and take care of his son while his wife's theatre career buds has nowhere to go, so he moves in with a gay man (and practicially his 2 gay friends Alex, an amalgamation of effeminite gay stereotypes, but not to the point of insult or annoyance, and Joey, a lawyer with the ACLU, who both come and go from Sean's appartment at will) that he has met only days before. Everything seems to be going well, Sean is adjusting to living with people, the young man is adjusting to life, trying to find a job, the child is adjusting to the seperation of his parents and this new life when all of sudden Rebecca shows up and wants custody of the child.
The show questions a lot of things. the two major questions it asks are; What is a family? and, What are the bounderies of love?
Now, to my point about the ameteurity of the Fringe. The show needs rewritting, desperately. It isinnumerable the number times I wanted to get up and leave because the subject matter moved from being dealt with in a real, and interesting way to a heavy handed, melodramatic fashion. The writing is also very unfocused. The play has its core story and the goal of what it wants to say, or explore, but there a large number of side issues that it needs to resolve. These are sub-conflicts that just get in the way.
Next, the acting. I don't know if it was because it was the first performance of the show, if it was nerves, if there hadn't been enough rehearsal time, the melodramatic writing, a lack of directing, all of the above, or if some of the actors just had no business being on a stage, but, with the exception the actress playing Rebecca the acting was iffy. Now, it wasn't a constant thing, there were times when it was all good, there were times when it was all bad, there were times when it was good and bad, and then there were times where it was non-existant.
Finally, I am personally not a fan of children in live theatre. it never works out as well as you want it to, and this was no exception. They would have probably been better served to go with a kid who was a little older than the character.
Like I said. It had the potential to be great, and I think with the proper rewrites and changes it could be improved.
Tomorrow I'm seeing 5 shows (4 scheduled, gonna buy another ticket out of conieninece.) Girl Scouts of America, House, The Last Spoken Word, ...Categories, and The Armageddon Dance Party
when ducks grow thumbs then maybe my opinion will change.
