Anyway, I still had a THEATRE (with an R-E) filled weekend!
Romeo & Juliet 
Synetic Theatre ($15-$35)
The timeless story of the star-cross'd lovers doomed by love and fate.
I. Love. Synetic. It is the only theatre that I can remain entirely involved through the entire show, sometimes feeling tingles of JOY for how awesome the choreography and direction are. The stage is comprised entirely of cogs with a large pendulum hanging center stage, like you're inside a clock, which is amazing part 1. Part 2 is how much of Shakespeare's language, like the really important quotes come across SIMPLY BY MOVING. My favorite was "Then I defy you stars." Part 3 was just how involved each actor was. This is why this is a higher art form than ballet and straight theatre, because these actors are dancers and the dancers are actors and are great at BOTH. Just like with all their shows, though, you should come with at least SOME knowledge of the story or the linguistic poetry so you don't ask yourself awkward questions in the middle of the show. Come for the beauty, the fantastic storytelling, or at least come for the awesome (and raunchy) piece between The Nurse and Mercutio.
Synetic Theatre ($15-$35)The timeless story of the star-cross'd lovers doomed by love and fate.
I. Love. Synetic. It is the only theatre that I can remain entirely involved through the entire show, sometimes feeling tingles of JOY for how awesome the choreography and direction are. The stage is comprised entirely of cogs with a large pendulum hanging center stage, like you're inside a clock, which is amazing part 1. Part 2 is how much of Shakespeare's language, like the really important quotes come across SIMPLY BY MOVING. My favorite was "Then I defy you stars." Part 3 was just how involved each actor was. This is why this is a higher art form than ballet and straight theatre, because these actors are dancers and the dancers are actors and are great at BOTH. Just like with all their shows, though, you should come with at least SOME knowledge of the story or the linguistic poetry so you don't ask yourself awkward questions in the middle of the show. Come for the beauty, the fantastic storytelling, or at least come for the awesome (and raunchy) piece between The Nurse and Mercutio.
La Cage Aux Folles Toby's Dinner Theatre, Baltimore ($46-$51.25)
The Transvestite club owners (a gay couple) deal with their young son's engagement... to the daughter of the most conservative politician in France!What fun! I've never been to dinner theater, so I was pretty excited. First of all, the waiters (of which Johnny D was ours) greeted us in their tucked in shirts and slacks... and drag makeup. "Hi, my name is John and I'll be playing the part of Apache Chief tonight in Superfriends: The Musical." They all have a sense of humor about it. Dinner itself was ok. Not great, and not very satisfying, but the show drink (a frothy pink frozen concoction: Strawberry Daquiri with champagne and raspberry liqueor) was FAB-u-Lousssss. The show itself was pretty fantastic. Really nice costumes and sets, a well-budgeted sound system (albeit a tad TOO loud), and amazing performances. It got to the point that Andrew and I would MISS Zsa Zsa/Alban if he was offstage too long. Some of the dance numbers got scary given the size of the stage, but overall a really FUN show!
Oh, and we sat one table away from biggots. First of all, they came in picking a fight. They came in JUST as their table was called to get their food (all 4 of them must have been in the restroom for that to have happened) so they blamed John for not having their drinks, and for anything else really. Then during dinner Andrew leaned over and whispered "They're not going to make it." I gave him a shrug, so he explained, "They've been talking about Wile E. Coyote's GOOD ideas for the last 10 minutes."
Sure enough, all through Act I we peeked out of the corner of our eye and saw the rudest of the men sitting slumped over, clutching his mouth in his fist, and one of the women leaning back on her husband trying not to watch. The showstopper near the end of Act I allowed the Cagelles to enter the audience (John, of course, came to us). As they re-entered the stage to dance the man said (preactically yelled) "If I wanted to see this shit I coulda gone to a queer bar and seen this fer free!" And kept going. All this might have sufficed, they might have stayed on til the end, but the intermission began and the cagelles/waiters came out in their pink frillys and tights and it was like watching four Road Runners escape the anvil. Cloud of smoke where they had been, stiffing John in the process.
I mean, come on. Clues abound! It tells you in the program that it's what The Birdcage is BASED on. The Birdcage! Which was a pretty popular movie. Your waiter is in HEAVY makeup. Everyone's slyly telling you to get ready for a VERY different kind of show. The Show drink is PINK and FROTHY. And, come ON, one of the cagelles is ACTUALLY a drag queen and posted his/her Drag Headshot in the program!!! I mean COME ON HOW DO YOU NOT REALIZE?!?
Baltimore redeemed itself, however, when at the end of the show a man in a Nascar baseball cap and a few others STOOD and whooped for Zsa Zsa/Alban. That's inspiring right there.
No comments:
Post a Comment