"The Skin of Our Teeth," "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead," and "Waiting for Godot" (or My Year of Absurdism)

Technically, it was more of a "year and a half" of absurdism... but who's counting, really?

When I was a senior in high school, we performed the play The Skin of Our Teeth by Thornton Wilder. Personally, I was a bit disappointed by this decision; this was going to be my last play in high school, possibly my last play ever. And instead of doing something fun, we had to do an absurdist play, which frankly was very very very confusing. For those who don't know, absurdist plays tend to highlight the absurdity of human existence through various theatre techniques. For example, many plays contemplate existentialism, the concept of destiny, and free will. Characters are often forced into strange situations, and often have little or no control over their circumstances. Communication frequently breaks down, and plots tend to be absurdly grand in scale or infinitesimally unimportant.

The Skin of Our Teeth was my first experience with absurdist theatre. I played the Stage Manager of the show… I wasn’t the actual stage manager, but as part of my role I had to pretend to be the stage manager to the audience. I helped the crew move set pieces on and off stage (a stone wheel, a mammoth and a dinosaur costume, a boardwalk, and several pieces of broken furniture just to name a few), and in the middle of the play I had to stop the show entirely for an out-of-character discussion with the people on stage. We broke the fourth wall by interacting with the audience and arguing with actors and actresses while they were in the middle of a scene. The whole thing was totally scripted, but it was convincing, and helped point out how the audience couldn’t simply be passive viewers of the show. But it was hard for me to really pretend to be the stage manager. Instead of being an actor, I had to convincingly portray myself as someone outside the play… despite the fact I was actually an actor. With my headset on, a radio in my pocket, and covered in black clothing, I tried my best to be as removed from the production as possible while simultaneously remaining an important part of it.

Then in my English class the same year, we read the play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard. The play was profoundly strange and funny at the same time. I laughed as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern tried with all their might to make sense of their situation as minor characters in Hamlet, while our teacher pushed us to think deeply about some of the concepts presented by Stoppard. If these two characters are simply acting on their own scripts, what’s to say we ourselves aren’t doing the same? What exactly is our purpose in life? Do we even have a purpose at all? Or is thinking about such things futile, since nothing in life is truly “a sure thing” or for certain. I still have my copy of the book at home, it’s one of my favorite plays.

For a scene from a movie adaptation of the play, click the link below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-Sx4W2cKlU

The one thing I remember from both of these plays is exactly how confusing they both were. They were both left largely up to interpretation by readers and audience members, and the playwrights seemed to take extra steps to make sure everything was as ambiguous as possible. I was befuddled and bewildered at every moment, and just when I thought I was beginning to understand something… the entire play would change, leaving me in the dust. Surprisingly though, I did end up enjoying them. No matter how dark the material, or confusing the script, I have fond memories of these two plays.

Then, I went to college. And the very first semester at Purdue, I found another absurdist play: Waiting For Godot. So I decided to try and see this little gem; my mother had told me about reading the play while she was in college... she hadn't liked it. And frankly, after having seen it, I'm not sure I like it either. The entire play is based around two men who are waiting at a single, lonely tree for a man named Godot. They only meet a few other people in the entire play, and the rest of it is just them talking to each other. In the end, Godot never actually shows up.

Frankly, I felt cheated. I knew the play was simply meant to make us think, but at the same time... the whole point was to be waiting for Godot, and then he never shows up. Which makes the entire play pointless! And of course, that's probably what the playwright wanted us to feel, but it doesn't make me enjoy it anymore when it actually happens. The particular performance that I saw had the entire play set in New Orleans, after Hurricane Katrina. I have to applaud the actors for their performances; the play's words and hopelessness really take on new life when juxtaposed against the sad background of a flooded house.

Click here for a scene from the movie adaptation of the play, which shows the longest monologue I've ever seen performed in theatre.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uS5gU3-0giE

Legally Blonde: The Musical

Legally Blonde: The Musical. Even saying it out loud, I can't help but be skeptical. When I heard it was coming to Purdue, I decided quickly to not see the musical. Maybe it was what little amount of machismo I still possess that was violently retching at the thought of watching this musical, or perhaps it's just the overwhelming campyness of the premise and execution. But regardless of what caused it, I knew that this musical was definitely not for me. What better way to start off my blog than by watching a musical that definitely would challenge me to be more open and not write off musicals right away?

But going into this musical, I didn't have high hopes. A friend of mine from high school, a blonde herself, had forced the movie upon me as a junior. And as much as I detest saying so... I enjoyed it. Quite a bit in fact. But I was determined to not enjoy the musical version of this Reece Witherspoon nightmare.

And then I saw the opening song, "Omigod You Guys."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QqouXhaqng

Just... wow. Not even ten minutes into the musical, and my opinion has already done a complete about-face.

You can skip the first minute of that Youtube link. In fact, the entire musical can be found on Youtube, just follow that link and you can find the rest of the parts on that channel. (It's how I was able to see the musical, even though the tour had already come and gone at Purdue)

The song itself is so catchy its almost criminal, lodging itself in my brain for the greater part the day after finishing it. Not only that, but from a technical standpoint... I was floored with how technically strong the musical was; I had to rewind the video and watch some parts of it over again, just to be sure I had seen it correctly. "Did she really just do a quick change, WHILE sliding down a pole? And... all those set pieces... where are they all getting put? There's so much to store!"

Christian Borle and Laura Bell Bundy as Emmett Forest and Elle Woods

But no matter how good your songs and crew are, it's nothing if the casting isn't solid. And not only is the casting solid, it's spot-on. Laura Bell Bundy, the original Elle Woods on Broadway, already had some experience playing ditsy blonde poofs in musicals before coming to Legally Blonde; she was the original Amber Von Tussle in Hairspray and a standby for Galinda in Wicked. And in Legally Blonde, she shines in every number, portraying perfectly the legally minded, fashion conscious Elle Woods. I have no complaints about the casting of any character, and each added their own facet to the overall story with no detrimental parts.

The musical does have its flaws. I don't much care for the story; it's a hard pill to swallow that Elle would not only be able to get into Harvard Law School, but would in fact thrive there after having nothing more than fashion marketing classes. And as satisfying as the court case's ending might be, it's neither likely to happen, nor do I think any judge would allow a court to visit the scene of a crime (in this case, a bathroom). But this musical is about having fun, not over analyzing; suspend your disbelief at the ticket booth, and your experience will be much better. If you can get past its initial campyness and over-the-top nature, Legally Blonde: The Musical will reward you with entertaining song and dance numbers.

I may have initially groaned at the prospect of seeing this show. But, ohmigod you guys, it was like, totally worth it.

Practicing his bend and snap,
-Logan

Hello Internet! or What Happens When Logan Is Given Creative Choice On An English Project

Hello Internet!

So this is primarily a test post, to see if I actually know what I'm doing. Don't be surprised if I just randomly try new coding in here too, I'm experimenting, haha.

It's also a way for me to make a short post explaining what this blog is. As part of my English course at Purdue, I have to do a multimedia project for my final. I've got a journal started, and now I'm making this blog! The whole theme of my project is my experience with music, theatre, choir, musicals, etc. So I figured that a blog would be a good place to review music, plays, musicals, and the like. As such, it's all going to be subject to my opinions... but I hope to at least make myself seem like something of a knowledgeable critic.

...plus this is a good chance for me to broaden my musical horizons. And by "broaden my musical horizons," I mean "watch tons of Sondheim musicals and claim it's for homework." In the name of learning of course.

I don't expect that anything I say will be very interesting; it's difficult enough for me to be an engaging, entertaining person in real life, much less in a text based medium typing words that may or may not actually be read by anyone. But if you do stumble here by some chance, do try to enjoy yourself. Leave a comment if you've got the time! I appreciate feedback, even if it's just to tell me that my blog isn't interesting (which I assure you, I'm already aware of).

Thanks all, stay classy!
-Logan