Watched the school play. Some was good, some bad. Same as usual.
Saw “Arsenic and Old Lace” yesterday. I found it very amusing.
…It is hard to fairly critique a production when you know many of the people in it. Some of the actors were very good. Others… well, the usual complaints are
- some people recited lines or shouted, instead of acting;
- some too obviously showed their anxiousness to hit the cues;
- the motivation of some characters were obviously unexamined;
and anything more specific and I'd be naming names.
But you find this sort of thing when you have people who aren't so much interested in being better actors as they are interested in being involved in a spectacle. It's the difference between, say, Anthony Hopkins and Shaquille O'Neal.
It's why I did plays. I'm a lousy actor because I like to get attention too much. Some would say that therefore I'm in no position to critique other actors; which is baloney. Having talent and recognizing talent are two different things; you don't need to have both.
Some of it I found unintentionally amusing. The all-female police force, for example. I know; there are always more women trying out for parts than men (especially at Bethany College, where there are more women in general). This is the sort of thing that makes it obvious how male-dominated most plays are.
Then there were the anachronistic music selections played before the play and during intermission; but I'm nit-picking.
But to end this positively: Most of the prominent parts are played by good actors, and that largely makes the play worthwhile. And, from what I hear by those in a position to know, they get better with each performance. So if you haven't seen it yet, do.
A side rant: It's too bad that school productions limit themselves to three or four productions; I think they should perform for at least two weekends, just in case one weekend or the other is poorly timed. Why go to all that work for such a brief payoff when you can extend the payoff?