B

My old theater group (WhAT) takes on a big ol’ musical.

Hoo-rah!

  • They had the audience in the palm of their hand from the moment the show started
  • A few incredibly talented singers– a couple of the songs gave me goosebumps
  • Surprisingly excellent lighting design in the Schine Underground
  • Good blocking

Blech…

  • Acting wasn’t up to the heaviness of the material
  • The ending felt way more bla than I was expecting

Tales from Before and After the Show:

I was invited up by Syracuse University this weekend (December 12, 2015) to be a guest critic for finals at the School of Architecture. A real honor! And even better was finding out that the theater group I cofounded back in 2006 was putting on a show. What joy! The new head of the group was very sweet and invited me on stage for a quick hello before the show got started. I have to say– I had very mixed feelings throughout the weekend after seeing the show. On the one hand, it’s a far more popular group than it was when I left school in 2010. The singing was a thrill and everyone in the audience seems to have really enjoyed themselves. On the other hand, the ethos of WhAT (back when it was Warehouse Architecture Theater instead of WhAT Theater) was to put on well-acted, off-the-beaten-path shows suited to the schedules of busy people. A big fluffy musical seems a little against that sentiment. Still! It seems like they’re settling into splitting the year between a musical and a standard play (just like my high school!). And next semester’s production of Almost, Maine is sure to be great– I saw that show at Syracuse Stage back in the day and I think it’s a very good show for WhAT. Or What.