That's Entertainment
The past two nights I've had the pleasure of attending two great shows here in my home town.
The first was a production of Assasins put on by the 3rd year students of WAAPA. I went with my buddy shammymacc and this was our first time experiencing this particular musical. We both agreed that it felt far more like a play than a musical. It was very monologue heavy and though there was a definitive theme or concept running through the show, it lacks the defined storyline I would expect in musical theatre. I'm lost for words to really describe how I felt about the show itself. Interesting comes to mind, though I didn't really love it and probably wouldn't see it again.
In contrast, the production was outstanding. Like previous performances we've seen by WAAPA, the high calibre of the actors, staging and musical production are indistinguishable from professional companies. I guess that's to be expected from one of the world's most prestigious performing arts schools. It will be wonderful to see these graduating students in a few years as they pop up in other productions we see.
My other night out was to see one of my favourite Australian bands - The Whitlams were performing with our state symphony orchestra. Experiencing live music backed by a complete orchestra spoils you for other concerts, I think. It's amazing how so many bodies on the one stage can combine their talent to create a sound that blends so purely and seamlessly. It was a real treat :)
Sadly, these two nights have left me without any theatre tickets. That's a pretty rare occurrence, and one I'll have to correct soon!