So much theatre, and so little time to write about it. Working backwards from this weekend, No Foreigners was quite interesting, though it was basically a high-tech puppet show. It was mostly about a Chinese-Canadian who gets turned away at a Chinese mall and wants to prove he isn't a foreigner, even though he doesn't speak any Chinese dialect. He eventually meets up with a sifu, studies Chinese through pirated Chinese DVDs, eats nothing but Chinese food at the food court. After three years, he is Chinese enough to tackle karaoke (and some ninjas). There is another thread about a man talking to the ghost of his grandfather at the mall. That one was a little less satisfying. The audience was probably 60% Asian, and they really got into it, which kept the energy in the room pretty high. I overheard two young women talking about being involved with the theatre, and I almost gave them a business card, but felt somewhat cowed by their mother. I suppose it is pretty unlikely I will put on Corporate Codes of Conduct anytime soon, and as for the one that was into technology, I try to put on plays as simply as possible, i.e. with no projections. However, I did drop a line to the actor in the show itself, as she might be able to play a teenager in Final Exam, if she isn't too busy during Fringe (and will work for Fringe rates!).
Jerusalem. In some ways, this is a deeply, deeply cynical play. Everyone in the village is basically a closet drug user, which is why Rooster Byron is so outraged that they are trying to turf him now, ostensibly because he is selling drugs and booze to teenagers (when he remembers selling it to their parents). Rooster is such a low-life, but when played by someone with real charisma, he's pretty compelling. I'm glad I went to see it, despite the three hour running time. If nothing else, the set is amazing. That said, there are some parts of the play I don't care for, particularly when he tells his son that his blood is so valuable. I'm sorry, but even if he had the most valuable blood in the world, it would be completely unusable, given all the drugs and booze he pours into his system. (Plasma is a bit more forgiving and can be stripped of impurities, which is why winos used to give so much of it, but blood is not.) Also, there is this time when he appeared in court for locking someone in a shed for a week, nearly killing them. I know that the UK courts (and Canadian ones) are far too lenient for crimes against property, but an attack on an official that didn't actually land Rooster in jail? It seems unlikely. Still, a unique experience. It has been extended through March 17 if interested.
I'll have to circle back to write more about The Humans. So much going on in that one. I believe it has closed, so you'll just have to travel to see it if you didn't catch it here.
I actually don't have a lot planned right now for this weekend. There is a chance I'll go see Fierce by George F. Walker at Red Sandcastle, though I have to say the reviews I have read make it seem even less plausible than The Catch! I'm just not sure I can deal with that right now. On the other hand, Walker really knows how to ramp up the tension between characters, and I could use a bit more of that for the last section of Final Exam. Hmmm. But I also promised my son to take him to Black Panther, and I may go catch Brown Girl in the Ring (or not).
I do have a Fringe meeting this Tues., so that's kind of exciting. In other news, I believe the script changes have convinced one actor to come on board, though he hasn't signed or anything. I am still waiting to hear back from one other actor, who would play the second teacher. I have two of the students lined up, and I just reached out to a potential third one. I will be going to SFYS next Monday, and I may be able to find actors or even a director, so I really have to make it. I decided that since SFYS is back up and running, I would skip Open Open Open, and just write my K-Pop piece for SFYS. However, I have to hop to it, as I only have another day to finish that! So tonight, no more fooling around. With that, I'm off.
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