Straight Talk
Curtain Call
The lights dimmed and almost immediately silence fell upon the room. I rummaged around in my bag frantically trying to find my mobile phone to put it on silent. I would hate to be the person whose phone goes off when the actors are in the middle of a complex soliloquy or a tragic death scene and have the rest of the audience shake their head in disdain. Success! Phone on silent (actually on vibrate), a bag of M&Ms in my hand and the heavy curtains part to reveal a dimly lit stage resembling a reception room in a manor house. All I have to do now is settle in and enjoy the show.
Going to the cinema and immersing yourself into other people's lives or worlds or adventures is a great form of escapism but there are times I would far rather spend an evening watching a theatre production. There may not be any special effects, CGI or surround sound but there is something magical about watching a group of actors enthral you with their dialogue and transport you to places with just the creativity of the sets on stage. Theatre is a platform where actors get to prove their mettle. We see stars on the silver screen dazzle us with their performances but strip away all the paraphernalia and put them on a stage in front of a live audience and it's a completely different ball game. Living in London with the abundance of theatre shows being shown on a daily basis has given us the opportunity to see some outstanding acting as well as some that have left us slightly underwhelmed. It is always interesting to see how famous film actors fare in the world of theatre and we have found that on occasion those who have achieved notable stardom in movies just don't have stage presence whereas others you might not have expected to, just blow you away.
The first play I remember going to was one my parents took me to see when I was about eight or nine. It was called 'Stevie', starring two time Oscar winner Glenda Jackson and it is an experience that has stayed with me ever since. I loved the ambience of the Vaudeville Theatre with its ornate gilded ceiling, the red and gold almost gaudy wallpaper, the plush velvet chairs and the heavy brocade curtains. There was a sense of gravitas and grandeur that appealed to me even at that early age. The combination of my surroundings and the superb acting instilled in me a lifelong love of theatre and the dramatics.
I am always amazed at how ingenious the stage sets are these days. Some are elaborate and magnificent and others are minimalistic and frugal in their use of props but in most cases the stage is transformed. Whether it is a medieval castle, a rundown country mansion, a roman villa or a two storied house, it never fails to impress. Even with just a little change in lighting or sound, a different scene is set.
We once went to watch 'The Woman in Black', a gothic horror story at the theatre and I had wondered how they were going to achieve the intensity and excitement that you experience at the cinema. I need not have worried as not only was the set disturbingly eerie and spooky but the story was chilling as well. At one point in the show the tension was so great that quite a few people screamed out loud. I might have been one of those people and yes I was mortified but was told later on that it happened in almost every performance and was a sign that the show was doing exactly what it was supposed to --- entertain and scare!
Over the years there have been shows that have had the audience, including myself, on our feet giving the actors a well deserved standing ovation, there have been some that have left us somewhat perplexed by its ambiguity, others that have reduced everyone to tears from laughing too much and a few that have just bored us silly.
One of the most entertaining performances that comes to mind is one that I saw years ago called 'The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)' by the Reduced Shakespeare Company. It was an irreverent, fast-paced caper going through all 37 of the Bard's plays in 97 minutes and performed by a three man group. What was novel was that despite it not being a pantomime where the audience is expected to interact with the actors, the entire audience was made to participate in their performance amidst much laughter and cheering.
As with everything, with the good comes the bad and theatre is no exception. There was one time and only one time when my husband and I went to watch a play and to our embarrassment, managed to fall asleep within the first half hour while sitting in the front row. In our defence, we had both gone straight from work and despite having a stellar cast, it was a mind numbingly slow paced story. However, I still cling to the hope that the lights were low enough for us to avoid detection by the actors who were directly in front of us. Highly unlikely but one can only hope.
A few years ago we went to watch the famous Monty Python production 'Spamalot', a smash hit musical based on Monty Python's Holy Grail and true to form, it was immensely entertaining. However, I must admit that my enjoyment was slightly diminished by a lady who sat next to me. I acknowledge that it was a very funny show but she obviously found everything funnier than the rest of the audience as she giggled throughout the musical without pausing for breath. That in itself would not have been an issue except for the fact that her giggles were so high pitched it made me and those around her flinch every time she laughed which was the duration of the entire show!
Talking about irritating fellow audience members, sadly I too, have been guilty of committing this offence. In this case I had a bag of wasabi peas to keep my hunger at bay until we could get a bite to eat after the play. Wasabi peas are crunchy little morsels coated in deliciously hot Japanese mustard. As you can imagine it can become very quiet during a performance and for those of you who have tried eating wasabi peas silently, you will confirm that it is nigh on impossible. So there I was trying my best to eat as quietly as I could but obviously failing as my husband kept nudging me and telling me to keep it down. I even tried timing my crunching to when there was a bit of background noise or the actors were speaking particularly loudly. I finally gave up and put away my bag when the man next to my husband leant over and gave me a disapproving look! Why sell them at the theatre if you can't eat them!
Whether it is a comedy, drama, musical or even a horror story, I still feel the thrill and excitement I experienced when I saw my first play. It may not be everyone's cup of tea but even if at times you have to forgo your wasabi nuts or endure giggling females, it is definitely worth it.
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