When the first word you think of upon wakening is "dread," when you're feeling so down about what's happening to our country and our ecomonmy you wake up in pure fright with a pit deep in your stomach, it's definitely time to go out among em and find as many diversions as possible. Well, that was me this weekend, and divert I did.
Yesterday we saw/heard the LA Opera’s production of Wagner’s "Das Rheingold." This was probably the opera’s most creative productions ever. The set, the costumes, the acting, the colors, the whimsy were like ear and mind candy. I wasn’t sure at first whether to like it or not. And in the end, I knew I loved it. I wanted more. Now though I want to see this same opera as it was intended by Wagner. I guess I’ll have to wait to see a more classic version in Vienna or Berlin or Munich.
By contrast we saw “Pippin” on Saturday night at the Mark Taper Forum. It was awful. There was not one memorable song in the production, the singing and dancing were mediocre, the people were mostly unattractive and plain, and though this was a modern production, it just didn’t come off. What a colossal waste of time -- except for the diversion factor. I generally love the theater and will give most productions the benefit of the doubt. But, this production of "Pippin" just didn’t cut it. However, it did have one redeeming feature. It was a performance by and for the deaf so the characters were played by deaf and a hearing actors in most cases. That aspect gave this play at least a glimmer of interest.
Then to end the weekend, I did some brain rot in front of the TV and watched "Positively, Maybe," a movie that's cute, predictable, and just that, brain rot. But, it was just what I needed to round out my need for diversions.
Got any diversion ideas out there? Bring them on, PLEASE!
No comments:
Post a Comment