BEDA 21: In which I drool about Spring Awakening
I'm a little bit amped right now.
Spring Awakening (the musical) is sitting in Providence right now. It was opening night tonight and to attract attention, a lot of local businesses were giving away tickets. Even the Performing Arts Center sent vouchers to a number of book sellers in the area to be redeemed only for opening night. I was not one of the lucky ones to get said voucher (most places they went in the first hour after being announced...while I was at work).
However, I figured that since it should be a decent sized house, and their opening night, it would be a good night to go. The Performing Arts Center has a deal for students - a $20 seat in the balcony which can be purchased, in cash only, starting half an hour before the show. While I may not technically be a student, I still carry that ID with me (don't we all for a while?) for situations such as this one.
I'd been thinking about this situation for a while. I knew a few people from the theatre were going tonight and wasn't sure if I wanted to go with them. However, all of them ended up with tickets through various means so I was on my own. I debated all day how I felt about this since it had been raining on and off since lunchtime and I would probably have to walk home after the show (roughly 25 minutes).
The weather seemed to have cleared up a bit after work, so I raced home to discover that I had about 15 minutes before I had to head out again to catch a bus back downtown. I grabbed a bowl of cereal to tide me over, changed out of my work clothes into something a little bit more appropriate and did a quick check of my email. Just as I was about to close my computer, rain started pounding on my window. I debated for a split second if I still wanted to go through with my plan. I then grabbed the 20 dollar bill I had received from my former roommate as a birthday present (to be used on something AWESOME) as well as my umbrella, and headed out the door.
I made it downtown with mildly wet socks and the bottom of my jeans fairly soaked, but was determined at that point that I was going to do this - I've wanted to see the show for a while now and wasn't able to when I was in New York City in December. I got myself into line for a ticket and waited...and waited...I hate waiting in line at box offices. I understand everything that's going on in front of me - I worked in a box office for a summer. But still....ugh...I hate waiting to buy tickets.
So...I'm standing in line and this older couple approaches the half dozen of us standing there. The staff person making sure that everyone is in the right place asks him if he needs to buy tickets. The gentleman says "Actually, I'd like to give some away."
Now, I'm not sure that anyone else in line was paying attention to this. The staff person turned his back (I'm assuming in a sort of 'lalala...I don't know what's going on...' kind of way).
Gentleman: (to me) "Do you need tickets?"
Me: "Yes?"
Gentleman: "Do you need a pair?"
Me: "Well, I just need one..."
Gentleman: (holding tickets out to me) "Here. Take these"
Me: "Seriously?"
Gentleman: "Yes. Seriously."
Me: (takes tickets) "Thank you so much!"
Gentlemen: "You're welcome. Remember Cardi's Furniture - that's where they came from."
...so I ended up with a free ticket after all.
I got into the show and found my seat - on the floor, about 3/4 of the way back, and just house right from center. Not bad at all. No one tall sat in front of me - I had a pretty perfect view of the stage. It was a little bit strange just because I was there by myself - I have never seen a show - movie or theatre - on my own.
...I may have fallen a little in love.
There's no way for me to completely explain why I enjoyed this musical so much. I'm not 100% sure why. I've enjoyed the music for a while now and have seen pictures of the set and light design. But...sitting there, seeing it all unfold in front of me...it was a complete pleasure to watch. The cast had AMAZING amounts of energy. The sound was...gorgeous. The lighting....oh man....don't even get me started. There was SO MUCH hanging in the air. Things lit up that had been around from the begining but you didn't really see until they were used. (I know that sounds incredibly vague and very not technical for me, but...oh well...) And the set...once you thought you had it all figured out, they did something new with it.
Now, some of you might be saying "But...the plot..." Yeah, ok, the show has lost some of it's plot since it went from play to musical. But...that's going to happen. You can't get the same thing. It's like taking a book and making it into a movie - something's gotta give. It's a different kind of medium.
So, yes, the plot was kind of weak. But it was all there. They covered their bases. And I really think that Duncan Sheik's music COMPLETELY makes up for it.
i wish that I could write a better review and really put into words how I felt about the whole experience, but I'm at a loss right now.
I'm thinking about going back tomorrow night (depending on how the day goes...it might be a long one for us.) and getting the student ticket I was originally going to get tonight. I mean...that was my initial plan...and why not go see it again while I've got the chance? Maybe then I can form some more coherent thoughts. We'll see...maybe tomorrow I can provide you with an actual review instead of garbled thoughts and drooling.
Spring Awakening (the musical) is sitting in Providence right now. It was opening night tonight and to attract attention, a lot of local businesses were giving away tickets. Even the Performing Arts Center sent vouchers to a number of book sellers in the area to be redeemed only for opening night. I was not one of the lucky ones to get said voucher (most places they went in the first hour after being announced...while I was at work).
However, I figured that since it should be a decent sized house, and their opening night, it would be a good night to go. The Performing Arts Center has a deal for students - a $20 seat in the balcony which can be purchased, in cash only, starting half an hour before the show. While I may not technically be a student, I still carry that ID with me (don't we all for a while?) for situations such as this one.
I'd been thinking about this situation for a while. I knew a few people from the theatre were going tonight and wasn't sure if I wanted to go with them. However, all of them ended up with tickets through various means so I was on my own. I debated all day how I felt about this since it had been raining on and off since lunchtime and I would probably have to walk home after the show (roughly 25 minutes).
The weather seemed to have cleared up a bit after work, so I raced home to discover that I had about 15 minutes before I had to head out again to catch a bus back downtown. I grabbed a bowl of cereal to tide me over, changed out of my work clothes into something a little bit more appropriate and did a quick check of my email. Just as I was about to close my computer, rain started pounding on my window. I debated for a split second if I still wanted to go through with my plan. I then grabbed the 20 dollar bill I had received from my former roommate as a birthday present (to be used on something AWESOME) as well as my umbrella, and headed out the door.
I made it downtown with mildly wet socks and the bottom of my jeans fairly soaked, but was determined at that point that I was going to do this - I've wanted to see the show for a while now and wasn't able to when I was in New York City in December. I got myself into line for a ticket and waited...and waited...I hate waiting in line at box offices. I understand everything that's going on in front of me - I worked in a box office for a summer. But still....ugh...I hate waiting to buy tickets.
So...I'm standing in line and this older couple approaches the half dozen of us standing there. The staff person making sure that everyone is in the right place asks him if he needs to buy tickets. The gentleman says "Actually, I'd like to give some away."
Now, I'm not sure that anyone else in line was paying attention to this. The staff person turned his back (I'm assuming in a sort of 'lalala...I don't know what's going on...' kind of way).
Gentleman: (to me) "Do you need tickets?"
Me: "Yes?"
Gentleman: "Do you need a pair?"
Me: "Well, I just need one..."
Gentleman: (holding tickets out to me) "Here. Take these"
Me: "Seriously?"
Gentleman: "Yes. Seriously."
Me: (takes tickets) "Thank you so much!"
Gentlemen: "You're welcome. Remember Cardi's Furniture - that's where they came from."
...so I ended up with a free ticket after all.
I got into the show and found my seat - on the floor, about 3/4 of the way back, and just house right from center. Not bad at all. No one tall sat in front of me - I had a pretty perfect view of the stage. It was a little bit strange just because I was there by myself - I have never seen a show - movie or theatre - on my own.
...I may have fallen a little in love.
There's no way for me to completely explain why I enjoyed this musical so much. I'm not 100% sure why. I've enjoyed the music for a while now and have seen pictures of the set and light design. But...sitting there, seeing it all unfold in front of me...it was a complete pleasure to watch. The cast had AMAZING amounts of energy. The sound was...gorgeous. The lighting....oh man....don't even get me started. There was SO MUCH hanging in the air. Things lit up that had been around from the begining but you didn't really see until they were used. (I know that sounds incredibly vague and very not technical for me, but...oh well...) And the set...once you thought you had it all figured out, they did something new with it.
Now, some of you might be saying "But...the plot..." Yeah, ok, the show has lost some of it's plot since it went from play to musical. But...that's going to happen. You can't get the same thing. It's like taking a book and making it into a movie - something's gotta give. It's a different kind of medium.
So, yes, the plot was kind of weak. But it was all there. They covered their bases. And I really think that Duncan Sheik's music COMPLETELY makes up for it.
i wish that I could write a better review and really put into words how I felt about the whole experience, but I'm at a loss right now.
I'm thinking about going back tomorrow night (depending on how the day goes...it might be a long one for us.) and getting the student ticket I was originally going to get tonight. I mean...that was my initial plan...and why not go see it again while I've got the chance? Maybe then I can form some more coherent thoughts. We'll see...maybe tomorrow I can provide you with an actual review instead of garbled thoughts and drooling.