Miracle Theatre Group
February 3, 2006; closes February 25, 2006
Andrés Alcalá is probably the most versatile actor on Portland stages today, transforming his ductile voice and body to fully inhabit new characters while keeping each deeply rooted in integrity. On top of that, Alcalá is just out-and-out funny. Exceptional set and lighting from Mark Loring and Peter West, respectively.
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8 comments:
what about the script? any thoughts?
Timely, funny, with an edge that made it personal, hopefully hinting of the playwright himself or, in this concept, the “artist” character that threads the monologues together. Characters had flesh to them, but I wasn’t always sure of the consequences. Two scenes tied by related characters made a nice segue.
So all these monologues, taken as a whole -- what are they supposed to reveal in the big picture, besides being funny?
I had the same question myself...and I've come to an answer: all this piece was ever meant to "reveal" was the actor's gifts. In other words, it's less of a play, or even a series of monologues connected by a theme, than an extremely lengthy advertisement for the product "Alcala," a deliberately crafted showcase piece, designed to do nothing more than serve as a vehicle for this one particular actor. As a piece of advertising, it's been pretty damn successful (if this review is any indication), and by the rules of advertising, it's integrity is intact...but as a piece of theatre, I'm not so sure. I come away from this kind of event feeling a little used.
This theatre company has produced beautiful timely funny poetic magical honest-to-goodness plays before (Eliot, Lorca, El Paso Blue, etc.), and I hope they continue to do so in the future.
mostly gay latino immigrants...huh.
oooooooh. versatility. gotcha.
Yeah, they're couldn't be any versatility in that population. Just like heterosexual white males. They're all the same, too. I can’t even tell them apart from each other. Muslim Arabs, too. All the same. That kind of thinking isn't problematic at all.
Did the anonymous poster above see the show?
He/she couldn't have possibly seen the show. But frankly, I wish he/she would have. It would have been quite a learning experience. The whole point of the show was to explore the many different facets of one aspect of society. We tend to lump people together or have an idea in our head of what a particular group of people look, sound, and act like. And even in the gay culture as we fight for our diversity among the masses, we tend to forget that our own marginalized group is made up of many unique parts, and that we have to take the time to celebrate them all and own them before we can "sell" them (and by that I mean advocate for them). You have to know your product before you sell it. You can't just be familiar with the main ingredient and expect to be an expert on it. If that makes any sense.
this show WAS more than just funny
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