Here's a rundown...
The Fever Chart:Three Versions of the Middle East @ the Public Theater
3 stories that are presented to the audience on a minimal set that are thought provoking, heartbreaking and at times prompt you to want to make a call to action but then wonder...how?
Maybe by just walking away w/ more knowledge of what was and what is, is a start. The playwright, Naomi Wallace, listed recommended reading for her pieces and the theater had a table in the lobby w/ all the books available for purchase.
The first one-act consisted of a soldier "guarding" the zoo that had been wrecked by war and contained animals who's bones were showing, a mother who remembered the zoo as it used to be and went there to remember her daughter who had been killed and an architect who was sent to rebuild. The communication barrier was reflected most in this play and thruout all 3 one-acts a theme beyond the Middle East seemed to thread them together - we are all human, we all have a story, whether you understand it or not - we hurt like you hurt and we mourn our loved ones that have passed.
The second one-act was a father who had also lost his child and was looking for a person that received his son's lungs in a transplant operation. He yearned to connect w/ what was left of his son but wasn't totally prepared for the person's beliefs and actions that now housed them.
The final one-act/monologue was an amazing show of talent by Omar Metwally. His character describes an almost Eden-like Middle East before war broke out during the first Bush's presidency. His "land of dates" disappears and his beloved birds who he had shown @ competitions and cherished as much as a relative (although he warns never to name a pet after a relative because if the pet dies, that may not bode well for the relative...) would soon become his only source of income and someone else's meal. But he went back and requested the bones to keep - A memory of what was. He tells a story of his friend being shot when attempting to surrender to the U.S. soldiers and other stories that make you shake your head at what goes on during war and what (many times) is easily swept under the rug and forgotten about by those who weren't the victims' relation. Where does "reasoning" exist among this place - or does it anymore? His Eden had become a living nightmare and the horrible part is that this isn't fiction.
I left the show feeling emotionally heavy, sad and helpless. It was a well acted show, I just wasn't sure what to do w/all the info I walked away processing.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall -
I was tempted to wait til video on this one but I was going to another one-act show in midtown later that evening and had a couple hours to kill so I thought, why not watch a movie? And FSM's start and end time fit my time frame perfectly.
I had already heard about the full frontal scene w/ Jason Segal and was somewhat prepared but I hadn't thought about the general audience reaction. It was hilarious. EVERY time "too much" was seen there were yelps and squeals. The audience continued it's dialogue when Jason's character started to make a bad decision towards the end of the movie - groans and "What are you doing?!" could be heard. Sometimes an audience can kill the movie experience and sometimes they can make it much better - thankfully this time it was the latter.
A few other observations about the movie -
If Kristen Bell is that skinny on screen, how tiny must she be in real life?! Yikes! It was a little concerning to me.
Jason's SATC tribute of sorts while he drank a cosmo was a kick! "Hi, I'm Samantha."
And...what is up w/ boys and cereal? There were huge bowls of cereal being eaten in this movie,which reminded me of Adam Sandler eating cereal in Big Daddy which reminded me of how my brother used to eat cereal out of a large mixing bowl which reminded me that Jerry Seinfeld even has a cereal fetus of sorts. I mean, I like cereal but never so much that I dumped almost the entire box in a mixing bowl to eat in one setting.
Once Sarah Marshall was over I had to scurry out before I saw the bit playing over the credits because my timing wasn't as good as I thought. I had to get to...
Bent,Broke & Blessed @ Stage Left Studio-
My friend was in the show and a former co-star had produced the show as well as wrote the 5 one-acts, directed 2 and acted in 3.
Stage Left Studio is a great space run by Cheryl King who is the resident acting coach for All My Children. She was there selling tickets and is a great promoter of the shows that are performed in her space.
Once again, this show was not exactly filled w/ "feel good" fare. One one-act actually seemed a bit out of place when it had a somewhat upbeat ending. But overall I was just impressed by the overall accomplishment of someone I actual know in the acting community here pulling together a showcase for themselves.
Arcadia by Tom Stoppard - Phare Play Productions
This play uses 2 different eras to tell the story of love lost, discovered and all the mysteries in between.
It wasn't until the 2nd act that the actors and storyline seemed to gel and clip along but not sure if it was the production itself or the script.
Needless to say w/ all the the winks and tie-ins to past and present (and the accents) I know I missed a lot of things so eventually it is on my list of "scripts to read" as I'd like to see what it is I missed and gain a better appreciation for the the story. The friend I went w/ said every time she reads or sees the show she catches something new she hadn't noticed previously.
Iron Man
A good start to what looks like will be a promising franchise although I hope they figure out what color they really want Paltrow's hair to be. Did anyone else noticed the inconsistency?! I know, I know...minor details.
A scene @ "Edwards Airforce Base" made a pic my friend emailed a year ago who's husband is actually stationed there make sense. At the time she was asking who the celebs in the pic were and said they were there waiting on news of a potential NASA shuttle landing but in reality I'm sure they were doing research for the movie! Sly dogs.
I also had to email my myspace friend, Jon Favreau and let him know I'd be willing to be a reporter for the fictional TV station in the movie - KNKV. My initials are part of the call letters and I have an acting/broadcasting background how much more qualified could I be?! ;) So far he has not answered my note. Will keep you posted! lol
Stretch (a fantasia) at The Living Theare
I found this play while looking for auditions. The subject intrigued me - Nixon's Secretary's last days in a nursing home during the 2004 election in Ohio w/ flashbacks to her days @ the White House and the Watergate controversy. Even better - The Living Theatre/New Georges offered a "pay what you can" night so I was able to enjoy a $10 meal of Burger & Bottled Beer (w/ bonus fresh made biscuits) before the show @ Clinton Street Bakery w/out totally breaking the bank! :)
A side note on the area where the theatre was located - Besides Clinton Street Bakery there were a lot of little eateries and bars that looked like they were worth stopping @ in the future including The Cocoa Bar that serves chocolate w/ their drinks. :)
The show itself was fantastic. No special makeup was used to age the lead - just her face and posture. When she'd go into her flashbacks/dream sequences a small orchestra was revealed in a stage behind her and it was complete w/ a young woman "playing" the typewriter! Genius.
A parallel plotline dealt w/ the younger generation (one was a caretaker @ the nursing home). It kind of worked for me but not quite - and I can't put my finger on what would have made it better or fleshed it out more.
Out of all the plays I'd seen this seemed to have the most refreshing and unique presentation. I would like to see another show in this space to fully appreciate how much of the set was created for the show or just created based on the space.
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