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It makes it sound tempting. It's too bad they didn't mention (or know?) that Lifeloop was written long before reality TV. Though I don't know if it came before "An American Family" and Albert Brook's parody "Real Life."
Posts: 11017 | Registered: Apr 2003
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I'm sure that although the original short story came before reality TV, the adaptation to the stage was influenced by recent trends in entertainment.
Of course, I say this having not seen the plays Posts: 1539 | Registered: Jul 2004
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I liked the Lifeloop soundbites, I'll have to try the others again now that I know more about the stories. I've read the story the third one is based on. I don't recall reading the story of the first one. What is it called? P.S. And where is it found?
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Maybe this has already been mentioned, but I really must protest the fact that there are not more pictures of Emily either on this website or in the review.
Posts: 196 | Registered: May 2003
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yeay, the review from backstage west is up now, and apparently posing as people is one of the most memorable plays of the year or something along those lines
I just got back. After some trouble in traffic (damn LA!) we got there just after Clap Hands and Sing had started. A woman who looked suspiciously like a certain hatrack moderator let us in (thought I recognized her from Endercon but I'm not sure). and we stood at the side until the end of the play, completely enrapt, especially the last half of the play.
But despite the shame of getting there a bit late (and seriously kicking myself for missing three of my favorite Janis Ian songs from my favorite album (okay its the only one I own, but it's all the good ones!) in the pre 'curtain' music) we saw Stefen Rudnicki dominating the stage in all his glory. Then I noticed Scott Brick playing 'Jock.' Both were just delightful to watch, the dialogue sparkled and I had to contain myself to keep from laughing too loudly and embarassing myself (I learned the hard way in middle school to not fall into hysterics while reading one of my books). The opening with the channels was quite nice, I loved the 'Lucy channel!' The flashbacks to Emily were breathtaking and then the heart of the play, her and Scott's scene together just took my breath away with their perfection. Actually it started with a scene with her mother when she leaned her head over onto her shoulder and sighed out "the first ten minutes don't count anyway" Her Juliet and Pyramis (or is it Thisbe!) renditions were just wonderful to watch. The relationship between them was so delicate, cautious, hopeful and yearning... considering the final revelations I REALLY want to see to the play again. Their big scene together had me in tears for the first of many times tonight. in the heat of summer pleasure, winter fades--Janis certainly got it right.
Lifeloop had the best dialogue of any of the plays. It really nailed the opening moments with the Julia Roberts bit--completely got you into the spirit and idea of the play without any seeming effort, which means it must have been very hard to get so right. The dialogue between the two girls was just so real, in the "tell me" sequence of the play that I was cracking up almost nonstop--actually the personality of the 'friend' was pretty much exactly like the roomate of the person I was with, so it was doubly funny to me. And just as you're really getting into the spirit of the comedy it turns into an all out satire by letting the melodrama suddenly jump over the top. It's a perfect moment because it suddenly lets us in on another level to the play we've been suspecting and it also leads right into the heart of the play when Ham comes in. If we hadn't been let in on it by the sudden escalation of soap operatic melodrama just prior to this, the sudden shifts in the play's meaning and tone would be too abrupt, but its perfect as it is. Eric's performance as Hamilton was wonderful.
but of course Sepulchre of Songs is the centerpiece, and what an incredible piece of work.
My companion (who sees several shows a month) said that people who can hold a stage while completely immobile are very rare. But Emily is amongst them. She said the only time she'd see it done better was by a grand old actress who was placed in a wheel chair, had a solo six minute number and died at the end. Emily's work as Elaine is nothing short of stunning. Completely breathtaking. By the second time we hear the keening/singing I couldn't bear to look at her, it was just too much. I've heard that kind of wailing wwwwwwwwwhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii before, and it was too much for me for a time to remember my own experiences with it. The whole story is just so heartwrenching, so painful, honest and true. There's a powerful range of emotions in the story, it's hard to discuss my full reaction to it, or I'll probably start tearing up again and writing incoherent babble. The ending blocking was from my perspective just such a perfect film shot that I was practically pained with the desire to shoot it that same way. and Emily's final expression practically had me in tears again.
But yeah, Emily = radiant, Scott, delightful, Stefan, a joy to watch, Eric, painfully honest, and Lara and Kelly were lots of fun.
Overall, highly recommeded... heh, I have a feeling in the next two weeks I'm going to end up dragging as many friends as I can bribe, dupe, convince, drug, kidnap or coerce to get them there at some point before it closes. I've already got sort of promises from two people and my ride/companion was also agreeable to going again, she said it's the only black box show she's ever liked, and the only one where she actually forgot about everything else (well except for the occasional ooh nice lighting...)
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well, if you missed the beginning of clap hands and sing then you missed my entire part in the play since i am essentially part of the exposition- HAHAHAHAHA- *sigh*
Posts: 3936 | Registered: Jul 2000
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Murphy's law prevented my returning with five more people in tow tonight. Hopefully most of us will be able to make this coming friday's show.
Posts: 622 | Registered: Oct 1999
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Porce, it was wonderful seeing you (and Emily, too, if you want to tell her), and we greatly enjoyed all the shows. If anyone has the opportunity to see them this (their last) weekend, I'd heartily recommend that he/she take that opportunity.
Just a little story, too -- I recognized Aaron from his picture at Nauvoo (Back Bench), and had commented on it to him (I said I'd read his columns and with a smile he said, "Oh, I'm sorry"). I asked him (since he was out front) if the cast came out after the show, since we were hoping to get to see Porce and Emstar, and he said he'd go let them know we were there and asked our name. When told to tell Porce that "Papa Moose" was waiting, he recognized my name (from The Crystal City), which I thought was really cool.
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Hopefully most of us will be able to make this coming friday's show.
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