The Arts in New York City

After a grueling 5 hour run-around in the city, I arrived at BAM (first one there, last one to be noticed). I had no idea what to expect from this play, other than the little theater in which it was performed was a little (understatement) run down. During the five hours I was running around in the city, I was thinking to myself, would this play be as good as the opera from last week? The fancy name was what gave me that impression, and this time, I kept my expectations a bit higher than usual.

Unfortunately, the play wasn’t as stellar as I thought it was. The plot wasn’t as well presented as it could have been. The actors were a bit difficult to interpret every now and then, and the stage was a bit minimalist compared to the grand showing at the Metropolitan Opera. But then again, how could I compare a multi-million dollar production to something at a small academic theater? The people involed managed to make good use of what was available to them, and the projections added a nice touch to the presentation. However, the set required excessive amounts of interpretation as to what represented which elements of the plot. The message that the producers were trying to convey got lost in the whole “modern-ness” of the performance.

In terms of music, I thought the selection was appropriate for the content. The song “What is This Thing Called Love” performed by the guy in the purple suit stood out especially. It was what woke me up and kept me awake from my periodic sleeping spells throughout the production.

All in all, I thought that the performance was far too modern and required a bit more interpretation that it should have. It really detracted from the overall presentation, yet the play was still relatively enjoyable. I think I’ll reserve my higher expectations for grander things from now on.