I won’t name the play because people Google for names, to find comments that have been made. Yesterday’s presentation on a small local stage was well acted, capably executed and even entertaining in spots, but it left me flat. I wasn’t the only one, from other reactions I heard. Too bad. What went wrong?
The author of the play did a good job of building characters, using dramatic devices and writing dialogue. All the parts were there, but they were not assembled into a whole. The audience was offered a lot of detail, but what was it for? There didn’t to be any substantial theme or meaning to reward us for listening to what sounded to me like a lot of whining.
When one of the characters, having drunk too much at a party, threw up in a sink, she said she was sick of listening to one of the other characters. So was I.
Live theatre is never a waste of time, in my opinion, and there was much to admire in the efforts of those who worked hard to put on a good show. I think the play itself was the problem, and I don’t know how the players could have made it good. Better luck next time.