BYU does it again...

I have to say that I am usually impressed with the caliber of performance that comes out of the theatre department, and this one was no exception. There were, as usual, things I liked and things I did not. Looking at it from a practioner's perspective, I tried to identify and understand what was going on in the creation of this show that made it successful and not so successful to me:

+ I loved the set. The cut away house was fun and added a sense of realism to the story, forcing the characters to really go upstairs a level (rather than platforms or otherwise).

- Not so sure that I loved the choreography. There was not a need for an ensemble in the show at all, and to be quite honest, they distracted me from the real story. The story seemed fairly grounded until random people had to dance the set on and off-- who needs that? In fact, it seemed more like a chance for all of those students who are aspiring MDT students to get to be in a main stage production. If the concept had something to do with it and that was more obvious- I think it wouldn't have bothered me as much as it does.

+ The acting was quite good. I thought each scene felt important and I was impressed to see how high the stakes were for each of the characters- mark of a fine director and some good directing takers. I thought the songs were better interpreted than I had heard on the CD. These characters understood the humor of the scenes so well and it was so enjoyable to watch the mini discoveries that took place throughout the show. The singing was all quite exceptional as well.

+ The way they chose to portray Beth's death was interesting as well. It is written to be sweet and tender, and I enjoyed that part of the scene, but I also enjoyed a little extra piece of interpretation that I don't know we would have gotten anywhere by here: A woman in white came on and danced with Beth's kite as Jo and her sang "Some things are Meant to Be" (again, I didn't need the dancing). After she died, the woman in white comes back on and pushes Beth's wheelchair off into a light. Before they reach the end of the stage, Beth gets up and walks off stage on her own. I think it was a neat way to throw an LDS stamp on the meaning of death and how it seemed more hopeful than destitute. I love that we can do that to a piece of theatre to tell our stories and to communicate to an audience.