September: Awe -- August: Osage County

Yipes, I'm still reeling from the psychological onslaught that was August: Osage County. At the Ahmanson, we had prepared ourselves for a 3-1/2 hour night. (Two intermissions? Was this Wagner?) I assure you, it flies by quickly. I really enjoyed myself, but as with any good dramas, was left to ponder and wonder about life.

I winced here and there at some of the language, as I wondered if some of the audience would prove unable to tolerate such saltiness. But the play takes place in rural Oklahoma. Real people can be puritanical and polite, and they can be vituperative and nasty. In this play, you get Jerry Springer redux.

When it comes to wincing, however, the language pales in comparison to the melodramatic, soap opera stunts in the plotline. These people do it all. We see dish-throwing, yes, but that's the fun part. We cover death, alcohol, sexual traumas, adultery, sibling rivalry, racism, mental impairment, battery, drugs, and Florida.

In many ways, the play is quite tough on women. Except for the housekeeper, all the women in this play have character flaws that create and sustain their misery. Yes, their weaknesses drive the play on all cyclinders, but one can't help but wonder why the women are held to such a miserable place in life.

Of course, Estelle Parson steals every stinking scene she's in. Everyone makes a fuss about her running about and down the stairs, and yes, 82 year olds don't usually do that. But I was amazed by her verbal agility. She was so in control of her character!

The eldest daughter was, to me, the most interesting character. She was strong but weak, in love but hateful. How conflicted she, as an everywoman, seemed!

The father and son character seemed genuinely open and caring. They wore their weaknesses on their sleeves and stood strongly against attacks from others. The other two male characters were weak, yes, but they seemed able to attribute their problems to the influence of drugs and alcohol. The women were left with nothing to blame but themselves.

The housekeeper was a fascinating character. She comes off slow and simple. She is here because she has no choice: she needs the money. But surprisingly, given the antics of the
families, she's the hare to the rabbits around her. She's attentive, caring and is the base of stability, with a wonderful heroic turn towards the end. She said all of 50 words all night, but the play would have been unbearable without her.

I admit that I thought that the soap opera elements would be most irritating. They were manipulative, yes, but unlike daytime dramas, the gimmicks aren't there to move the story along. They're in this play to give us an opportunity to peer into the minds and characters. It's the slowly exposing personalities that move the story along here.

And that's what makes this play so interesting. For all the yelling, cursing, blaspheming and insolence, the quiet pain and secret motivations are what speak most loudly to the viewer. The shock value of the profane is obvious, but that final, eerie scene at the top of the house - that was the most stunning and lasting image of all.

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Review - In the Heights

I've decided that I would start documenting the various plays and shows I watch, my thoughts, and so on, mostly because my memory fails me. So here we go!



What I saw: In the Heights (New York City)
When: Saturday February 21, 2009, 8pm

I was astonished. Admittedly, I had low expectations. I do love a good melody. My only exposure to "In the Heights" was not, egads, from the 2008 Tony awards. I way traveling that day and my DVR did not record the show correctly.

No, my only exposure was the Forbidden Broadway (Goes to Rehab) riff on the show this year. And it was all rap. So, predictably, I thought "Good heavens the Tonys have over-Rented and picked a totally rap 'musical' as its standard-bearer"... Thank goodness I was wrong.

I saw a gorgeous set. I gasped at the dancing. Was this indeed Broadway? It was amazing. Salsa, Marenge, and more! I had 3rd row seats and I belatedly think that everyone in the balconies and in rows 4 through 40 were watching my butt wiggle-waggle. I loved the music.

Now, the book as just "eh". It definitely good have been better. Maybe a good Sondheim injection. But oy, the lyrics and the insanely inversive, heck MALversive rhymes - - it was sheer magic! I loved it! When do you hear "business" and "hipsters" sung as though they actualy rhymed? Or "awning" and "morning"... And it worked!

Thank heavens I'm not a cynic. Cynicism is antithetical to my moral being. And this musical demanded that you stamp out cynicism because you felt GOOD afterwards. Bill Clinton couldn't wax sentimentally about his hometown of "Hope" like "In the Heights". This play, without ever saying hope, in English or in Spanish, practically screamed "hope hope hope" with every soaring note, with every shimmying hip, and with every aye aye aye.

So yes, it may be a bit sentimental about the plight of these good, hard-working people. But good heavens, you can't help but love these characters for trying.

For those who know how much I adore "Drowsy Chaperone", this play is not about a nod and a wink. It sincerely loves its characters and wants you to connect to them not because you feel like they do, but because you've struggled like they have.

I just wish I had a good Latin rhythm behind me my whole life. After watching "In the Heights", I can't help but feel that I could have survived my trials better if my toes were tapping to an infection tune.

Paciencia y Fe (Patience and Faith)!

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