Insight Out Theatre Collective
September 23, 2005; closes October 1, 2005
Simple story could be told more simply. Muddled, bloated, often confusing book, score lost innocence, naïve charm from earlier incarnations. Needs to distill its message. Unhelpful staging, cluttered choreography. Fervent ensemble had conviction; Baladi band fine; Mars top-notch; Waller naturally charming even without acting; Jaffe underutilized powerhouse. Interesting new space.
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6 comments:
I have to say, this is one of your best 50 word reviews. You packed a lot of stuff into this one, and it covers a lot. Sometimes Oregonian reviewers write 500 words mostly outlining the plot of the story and then provide less critical analysis than you did in one breath. Huzzah!
Arty and different...but good. Overall I enjoyed it although it needs a few tweaks here and there before it is a really smooth, clean play. Staying in theme, you could say this caterpillar of a musical is very close to becoming a fabulous butterfly. Good music performed by great singers. I wonder what I would have thought in a different venue, I didn't really enjoy sitting in a plastic folding chair.
For those who've seen this: How do you think it will be received in LA? NYC?
I would think it would need a little more polishing before hitting LA and NYC, otherwise it might be dismissed as a hippy Oregonian thing.
I'm no longer certain how this would fly in L.A. or NYC for that matter...
It's refreshing how this piece of work has been appraised thus far: in a relatively even-handed, fair-minded way. Until recently It had seemed to me that the certain elements of the print media had decided they would function as the gifted Wade McCollom's personal PR firm. Promulgating a "cult celebrity status" of any perfomer -- regardless of their obvious talents -- may earn advertising dollars, but can only degrade the spirit of the work itself. So kudos to you on deviated from the starry-eyed norm.
I've heard the show evolved quite a bit during the run, and that Wade let himself take the starring turn more in later performances, which probably help give some focus to the show.
Even so, I wonder if his talent -- and I agree that he does have a lot of talent -- really lies in character roles (Hedwid, Batboy, etc), rather than a bland Everyman like Sid.
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