Inner city theater, which is all about how tough it is to be a minority in America, or how the kid who guns down his history teacher is just a misunderstood product of povery and not a sociopath, or how “the Man” screws the little guys. These are seen by mostly by activists, who regard the lack of ticket sales as part of a bigger plot to “keep them in their place.”
Touring productions of major works (especially Broadway musicals) that were all the rage in New York and London twenty years ago and are just now getting around to some of the less significant cities that were completely overlooked by the last three or four nationwide tours.
Productions by companies entirely dedicated to performing works by a particular artist or in some specific genre. Generally seen only by family members of the cast (their friends never come), by the bored newspaper critic, and by the same bunch of Old World octogenarians who grew up on the stuff and can (and often do) recite every word (yes, I perform with a Gilbert & Sullivan company in El Paso – so what’s your point?).
:smack: Yeah, I missed those. I always figured you G&S types were really just doing it for yourselves and didn’t really expect anybody to show up, anyway. I mean, HMS Pinafore* hasn’t been funny for a good hundred years.
Thanks for your answers. Nope, it is NOT a homework assignment. I found a few other questions that certainly sound like homework assignments to me. Anyway, what I am trying to do is a little bit of research, and really only trying to see people’s opinions. I am not asking anyone to do a paper for me - sorry if I agitated someone. If you think you can help me, please continue answering, I would appreciate it. If not, that is OK too. Thanks.
Has theater changed my life? No, but I really enjoy it. I’d rather see a good play than a good movie. I’m very lucky in that my town has a number of local stage companies, some great, some not so great. I’m even more lucky in that my oldest friend is a professional actor, who can clue me in on what’s worth seeing and what’s not. (He’s currently producing Albee’s “The American Dream,” which is getting rave reviews in the local papers.) One of the things I like about theater is that I can see the same play several times, and each production will be different. That’s not the case with books or movies.
I’d argue that not many Americans enjoy cutting-edge, experimental theater. (I usually don’t). But plenty of Americans love “Oklahoma!,” “A Christmas Carol,” and “Hamlet,” especially if they can see their family or friends performing in them. And good for them! Even an old workhouse like “Fiddler on the Roof” will always be new to at least some audience members.
Boatswain! Clap that man in irons and assemble the grating! I’ll teach that insolent lout to question the comic value of century-old colloquial operetta that lampoons long-dead personages, institutions, and social conditions. Defaulters at the next turn of the glass, when the crew will assemble to witness punishment.
