04 April 2004
La Ronde
Oh, I'm so glad we went to this show! Keith Johnson and I took in an early (but delayed... due to technical difficulties that really only somewhat impacted the show itself) staging of La Ronde, set in the 1979 Studio 54 scene. Really cool take on the original script by Arthur Schnitzler, who wrote Reigen in 1897 Austria.
Just really well done.
One drawback was the, "but WAIT, there's MORE!" slant to every one of the scenes. Keith suggested that perhaps it was a convention of the original work and work of that era, but since there was adaptation done to the script in order to put this play up in this context, some of that could've been edited out for conservation of time (ours) and energy (the actors'). A really small gripe, though. This play was wonderful.
Lots of sex, lots of sex, lots of sex. Glad to learn the work of Etienne Eckert, Darcy Halsey, Brett Hren, Ken Arquelio, and of course Kim Estes, who invited us in the first place. Really great stuff and totally worth checking out, if you have the chance. Yes, even though there was on-stage smoking (and that awful kind where the actor lights the cigarette and then lets it smolder in an ashtray for ten minutes) in this play too, it still gets my seal of approval.
[Update: received by mail the headshot/resumé of one of the actors whose material was not in the SpyAnts package. Bowd Beal. He was a real pleasure to watch in this piece, as a non-speaking-narrator of sorts.]
La Ronde, at the Elephant Asylum, 6320 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood.
Just really well done.
One drawback was the, "but WAIT, there's MORE!" slant to every one of the scenes. Keith suggested that perhaps it was a convention of the original work and work of that era, but since there was adaptation done to the script in order to put this play up in this context, some of that could've been edited out for conservation of time (ours) and energy (the actors'). A really small gripe, though. This play was wonderful.
Lots of sex, lots of sex, lots of sex. Glad to learn the work of Etienne Eckert, Darcy Halsey, Brett Hren, Ken Arquelio, and of course Kim Estes, who invited us in the first place. Really great stuff and totally worth checking out, if you have the chance. Yes, even though there was on-stage smoking (and that awful kind where the actor lights the cigarette and then lets it smolder in an ashtray for ten minutes) in this play too, it still gets my seal of approval.
[Update: received by mail the headshot/resumé of one of the actors whose material was not in the SpyAnts package. Bowd Beal. He was a real pleasure to watch in this piece, as a non-speaking-narrator of sorts.]
La Ronde, at the Elephant Asylum, 6320 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood.
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