We went to the city this evening to see Arthur Miller's "The Crucible." Man there were so many scenes in the play that I would have loved to photograph, but of course that is not allowed. So I follow the rules. Instead I did this grab shot of intermission. Not the world's greatest shot but it does give a hint of the beauty of the Walter Kerr theater, which was restored on two occasions - the most recent in 1990. It is a beautiful theater. And the play was stunning as well. Wow!
When I was in high school eons ago, our class trip was to see The Crucible on Broadway. Farley Granger was starring and I had seen him on TV in a 1944 movie called The Purple Heart, so I thought he was a movie star and that made it exciting. As I age, what I choose to see is lighter material that makes me laugh or hum. I still appreciate wonderful acting, but if it has to be done in story plots that involve bullying, lying, persecution, helplessness, and historical mistreatment, prejudice or exclusion, I'd rather pass and save my money on a different kind of show. I understand the need to support the classics, but personally, I feel so pained when I see the injustices of the past re-enacted that I feel like crying and don't feel entertained at all. I guess my fun night out would be considered too shallow for many who are more cultured than I am, but coming away smiling or even laughing is my goal from now on.
ReplyDeleteFascinating story, and thanks so much for posting it. I was surprised to read yesterday that 75% of performances on Broadway are musicals or of lighter entertainment fare. I had no idea. When our daughters were younger we attended a few musicals but that's not my favorite thing to watch. For some reason, we really enjoy a powerful story and find that when we leave the theatre we find we will talk about what we saw all the way home. But that's just us. Interestingly, Phantom of the Opera was playing across from the restaurant that we ate at, and now we are thinking of maybe going to see that again. So there may be hope for us! :-)
ReplyDeletePhantom is a wonderful show. I've seen it a handful of times because out-of-towners always want to see it and I'm more than happy to tag along. The music is enthralling, haunting and make me feel so glad to be able to experience beautiful voices. I believe that's the difference between those who love musicals and those who prefer drama or other non-musicals. If music has always been a part of your life, it's fascinating to hear the different ways composers and lyricists can mold simple notes into moving scores that we remember long after the show has closed. I hope you'll go to see Phantom and post your reaction to seeing it.
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