Donald V. Calamia (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} critic_don) wrote,@ 2009-10-29 15:45:00 |
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WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?
Every time I think I've seen (or heard) it all, something happens to prove me wrong. And that's what happened last Friday night when I was at The Box Theatre in Mt. Clemens to review "I Ought to be in Pictures."
The Box is a new, really cool black box theater in the city's downtown entertainment district. It's a great location, and the second floor space can be configured in all sorts of ways. So for its sophomore production, they've placed the action on the floor, with seating on three sides of the "stage."
When I walked into the theater, I chose a seat in the middle section, on the end of one of the rows. People wandered in and took their seats - but what happened next surprised the heck out of me.
The play takes place in the 1970s, and one of the characters is a writer. Sitting downstage is a small table with a typewriter on it, and there's paper in the cartridge. On the floor next to it - towards center stage - is a wastebasket.
I could hear people comment about the typewriter as they came into the theater. But a handful of people took it a step beyond TALKING about the typewriter - and actually went on stage to look at it.
And touch it.
And push away a pre-set chair in front of the table so they could get a better look at it.
And handle the paper and the catridge so they could try to read what was written on it.
But that's not all. A few of the people who bought popcorn in the lobby crumpled up their empty bags and tossed them in the prop garbage can.
What was MOST surprising to me wasn't so much the behavior I observed, but the age of the people committing these acts: They were middle aged or older - and therefore should have (theoretically, at least) know better than to act in such a boorish manner.
At one point, someone from the theater noticed the errant chair and went onstage to re-set it. But that didn't stop a few others from repeating the previous actions.
Which made me wonder: How would these people react if guests in their homes wandered about the house opening drawers, looking at correspondence sitting on a desk and touching the various knick-knacks on their shelves?
I suspect they wouldn't be happy...
Every time I think I've seen (or heard) it all, something happens to prove me wrong. And that's what happened last Friday night when I was at The Box Theatre in Mt. Clemens to review "I Ought to be in Pictures."
The Box is a new, really cool black box theater in the city's downtown entertainment district. It's a great location, and the second floor space can be configured in all sorts of ways. So for its sophomore production, they've placed the action on the floor, with seating on three sides of the "stage."
When I walked into the theater, I chose a seat in the middle section, on the end of one of the rows. People wandered in and took their seats - but what happened next surprised the heck out of me.
The play takes place in the 1970s, and one of the characters is a writer. Sitting downstage is a small table with a typewriter on it, and there's paper in the cartridge. On the floor next to it - towards center stage - is a wastebasket.
I could hear people comment about the typewriter as they came into the theater. But a handful of people took it a step beyond TALKING about the typewriter - and actually went on stage to look at it.
And touch it.
And push away a pre-set chair in front of the table so they could get a better look at it.
And handle the paper and the catridge so they could try to read what was written on it.
But that's not all. A few of the people who bought popcorn in the lobby crumpled up their empty bags and tossed them in the prop garbage can.
What was MOST surprising to me wasn't so much the behavior I observed, but the age of the people committing these acts: They were middle aged or older - and therefore should have (theoretically, at least) know better than to act in such a boorish manner.
At one point, someone from the theater noticed the errant chair and went onstage to re-set it. But that didn't stop a few others from repeating the previous actions.
Which made me wonder: How would these people react if guests in their homes wandered about the house opening drawers, looking at correspondence sitting on a desk and touching the various knick-knacks on their shelves?
I suspect they wouldn't be happy...
