Birthday outing
Went to nonstrvngartist 's Four Play last night. It started off kind of odd, since I'd timed myself to arrive before 7:30, which I thought was the start time for the show and was instead somehow not. So there was some waiting outside the venue and looking suspiciously at the other attendees who were also lurking in front. I read my programme a few times and then misslynx and lgbtech arrived with amusing tales of their trip north.
Once inside I set the programme on the chair next to me. At some point a man arrived, scooped up my programme, sat on the seat, and took the programme for himself--I assume, thinking it was on the chair for latecomers. At first I was just dumbfounded. I wanted to say something, but wasn't really sure how to broach the "you took my programme" thing. Then I just let it go. The play's the thing.
The first play wasn't my thing. I didn't get it (although it's since been explained) and thought some people just couldn't get in sync with the other actors. It was too cerebral and didn't feel it was really audience friendly for a first play. The other were much better. I really enjoyed the short play about the mermaid girlfriend, and the Tower of Babel sketch. Parts of Welcome To The Moon really stood out for their humour. I was bent over laughing.
The quality of acting was much higher than I expected. I'd never seen nonstrvngartist act before, so I didn't realize he was actually very good. I know lots of people who talk about things they do, but they don't always walk as good as they talk. And I have some friends who just lie for entertainment value. A lot. So I've learned to take everything with a grain of salt. I didn't know any of the names on the programme, so I didn't know how good they'd be. I was expecting a mishmash of acting skills: some tentative acting, maybe some highschool quality acting, some CBC drama people-yelling-in-a-Newfoundland-kitchen acting. But I was pleasantly surprised. nonstrvngartist was damn good. I though he was perhaps the second best, but I've since revised my assessment in light of having the premise of the first play explained to me. He was the best actor there. Totally knew his lines, and delivered them as if he were just thinking of them in the moment, not as if he were waiting to recite his bit. There was a realism to his characters, and every character he portrayed was different. It's no wonder he's getting auditions and roles. Two other actors were also very sharp. One reminded me of the kind of acting they did on Nero Wolfe, the series. So nicely done, man.
The party at Rhino afterwards was fun, although the service was SLOOOOOwwww. I waited at the bar for ten minutes before anyone acknowledged me. It took another four before I got my drink, and I began to wonder if I were going to get my change returned to me at all. The beer, however, was awesome. They've got a ton of beers, and if they can find them (it took a while to track mine down) they're yours for the drinking. I'm told the food was also good, but I'd eaten too much before leaving the house and wasn't in an eating mood. The cast was friendly and sociable. I enjoyed chatting with Ryan, lgbtech and misslynx. Having people I knew there made the whole thing more relaxed. The latter two were dressed in 1940s style theatre wear and looked amazing together. lgbtech graciously gave me a lift home. I'm always amazed how mr_pugh stays up until i make it home safely, but never makes me feel as if he's some angry parent. That's appreciated.
Once inside I set the programme on the chair next to me. At some point a man arrived, scooped up my programme, sat on the seat, and took the programme for himself--I assume, thinking it was on the chair for latecomers. At first I was just dumbfounded. I wanted to say something, but wasn't really sure how to broach the "you took my programme" thing. Then I just let it go. The play's the thing.
The first play wasn't my thing. I didn't get it (although it's since been explained) and thought some people just couldn't get in sync with the other actors. It was too cerebral and didn't feel it was really audience friendly for a first play. The other were much better. I really enjoyed the short play about the mermaid girlfriend, and the Tower of Babel sketch. Parts of Welcome To The Moon really stood out for their humour. I was bent over laughing.
The quality of acting was much higher than I expected. I'd never seen nonstrvngartist act before, so I didn't realize he was actually very good. I know lots of people who talk about things they do, but they don't always walk as good as they talk. And I have some friends who just lie for entertainment value. A lot. So I've learned to take everything with a grain of salt. I didn't know any of the names on the programme, so I didn't know how good they'd be. I was expecting a mishmash of acting skills: some tentative acting, maybe some highschool quality acting, some CBC drama people-yelling-in-a-Newfoundland-kitchen acting. But I was pleasantly surprised. nonstrvngartist was damn good. I though he was perhaps the second best, but I've since revised my assessment in light of having the premise of the first play explained to me. He was the best actor there. Totally knew his lines, and delivered them as if he were just thinking of them in the moment, not as if he were waiting to recite his bit. There was a realism to his characters, and every character he portrayed was different. It's no wonder he's getting auditions and roles. Two other actors were also very sharp. One reminded me of the kind of acting they did on Nero Wolfe, the series. So nicely done, man.
The party at Rhino afterwards was fun, although the service was SLOOOOOwwww. I waited at the bar for ten minutes before anyone acknowledged me. It took another four before I got my drink, and I began to wonder if I were going to get my change returned to me at all. The beer, however, was awesome. They've got a ton of beers, and if they can find them (it took a while to track mine down) they're yours for the drinking. I'm told the food was also good, but I'd eaten too much before leaving the house and wasn't in an eating mood. The cast was friendly and sociable. I enjoyed chatting with Ryan, lgbtech and misslynx. Having people I knew there made the whole thing more relaxed. The latter two were dressed in 1940s style theatre wear and looked amazing together. lgbtech graciously gave me a lift home. I'm always amazed how mr_pugh stays up until i make it home safely, but never makes me feel as if he's some angry parent. That's appreciated.