First off, let me apologize for reviewing two shows just as they are closing. You haven’t entirely missed out, but read this quickly so that you can go buy your tickets right away. Or, better yet, go buy your tickets and come back to read this.
It’s been a rough month and I haven’t been to my open mic at all, much less scads and scads of theatre, but the Fear of Missing Out is strong with me and so, in between shifts in the hospital with my dad I went to a couple of shows that I am sincerely glad I did not miss out on. The first was Hindsight (written by Morag Shepherd, directed by Alex Ungerman, and produced by a company called Sackerson in Salt Lake City). I’m a little stingy with my SLC theatre going because it’s just so dang far away but the concept for this one was unique enough that I knew I may never run across another show quite like it.
The audience was limited to six people and we all met at a bus stop in downtown Salt Lake City so we could wander around with three actors as they wandered backwards through a romance. We had headphones on so we could clearly hear what they were saying and so we could hear the soundtrack. The way it was explained was that we were the camera in a film and we got to choose what shots we included in the movie we saw (how close we were, what angle etc). I absolutely loved that concept! Even when we weren’t directly engaged with the actors it all felt like scenes in my movie. And, actually, directly engaged is too strong of a term. We were watching them from a safe distance. We were people watching. Except it was so much more enjoyable than people watching generally is because we got to hear all that they were saying, stalk them legally, and see the whole darn story. You don’t get that kind of closure on your average bus ride. Trust me. I am that person who looks like she is quietly reading a book but is actually listening to your conversation. I will admit that openly to the few people who read my blog. People are just so darn fascinating.
Beyond the concept, though, the writing did such a great job of subtly moving you through the story. I don’t want to give anything away (since you’ve gone and bought your tickets already) but at one point a seemingly tiny detail from one scene is further explained a few scenes later in such a way that everything you thought you knew about the scene you just saw is shattered. I usually see stuff like that coming (hazards of being a playwright) so I was pretty much gobsmacked to be so blindsided. I loved it!
This play was supposed to end in June but was extended through July due to how popular it had become and now they have added two more weeks in August. They will sell out quickly and you will pretty much hate yourself if you miss out on this one.
The second play I saw was How I Learned to Drive (written by Paula Vogel, directed by Liz Golden, and produced by An Other Theater Company in Provo). This play closes Saturday night so that’s why I’m up late on Friday writing a blog post. You have less than 24 hours to see this one. Hop to it. This is the first show I’ve seen at this theater. It is a new player in town, located in a store front at the Provo Towne Centre Mall (which seems to be transforming itself into a bit of an arts hub) and we are nearing the end of its first season. I wish I had walked through those doors a whole lot sooner. They did a fantastic job and I walked out of there so happy that a company like this exists in Utah County (if only to save me some driving).
I bought my tickets after reading a truly horrifying review of the play (one that has since been taken down due to how offensive it was). I’ve been off the grid for artistic endeavors since my dad became ill and I hadn’t even realized this play was being produced but when I read that review I knew I had to go support the theater that had taken on this particular show in a fairly conservative community. The cast was entirely women, which made it a little easier to sit through. The women playing men, especially the woman playing Uncle Peck (Chelsea Hickman), were very effective in their adoption of male physicality and unapologetic in the fact that they were women taking on the role of the male. Somehow that very clear message of “I am a woman. I’m going to now be the man in this story for a short time but I’m still a woman” kept the stage a safe place, despite the things we were seeing and hearing.
I also really liked casting an older actor (Cathy Ostler) as the main character because we had that juxtaposition of experience and inexperience, hindsight and lack of understanding, throughout the entire piece (even more so than we may have gotten if the role had been cast with a 30-something or 40-something woman as is often done). At the end of the play nobody stood up to walk out. I honestly thought there was going to be some sort of talkback session that I had missed the announcement of. When it became clear that people just weren’t standing up to leave because they didn’t want to stand up to leave I realized that I didn’t want to either. It felt like it would be breaking some sort of sacred space that had been created. I’d be there still if I hadn’t brought along my not-timid-friend (thank you, Allisan).
So there you go: my slap dash review of two shows that justify my crazy compulsion to See All The Things. Next time I’ll try to let you know a little earlier in the run.
Speak the Truth and Speak Out 