Christine Jorgensen Reveals/The Seven

It's Lydia here. This weekend was packed (!) with theatre. Three shows in three days. Kevin just gave his thoughts on Jersey Boys, so it's my turn to report on the other two.

On Saturday, I saw a show at Dodger Stages called Christine Jorgensen Reveals. So first you should know that Christine Jorgensen was one of the first people in the world to have a sex change operation - male to female. She apparently got tons of press when this happened - both good and bad. The show is an interview with Christine Jorgensen in its entirety. One actor is portrayed on stage (one is the reporter in a recorded video) and he lip-synchs the entire interview, posing as Christine. It's really quite a concept - but to be quite honest, the concept is a bit better than the execution.Most of the things that Christine has to say are really very interesting, and she's intensely well-spoken and often very witty. The theatre space is really appropriate for this show- small and intimate, giving the audience the feeling of being in the room while the interview is being performed.

Another show that Kevin and I saw on Sunday is called The Seven, at New York Theatre Workshop (I heart this theatre!!). To borrow from their description: "The Seven is a hip-hop adaptation of Aeschylus's Seven Against Thebes, which follows the struggles of Eteocles and Polynices, the two sons of the cursed King Oedipus, as they fight for the throne of Thebes. " So as you can imagine, this show is high-energy from the minute you walk into the theatre. It feels like a dance club, and the first person to speak on stage is the DJ, the tune-spinning narrator of the show. The show has tons of great choreography by Bill T. Jones, and the direction is pretty solid as well. Having a tiny bit of lighting experience in the past, I really appreciated the targeted lighting - emphasizing the movements of all of the actors.

One downfall for myself (and Kevin) were the two lead actors playing Eteocles and Polynices, the two sons. Their voices were certainly not up to par and their acting felt a bit forced. I did appreciate the Yoga moves that happen during the forest scene, however. The people of Thebes also play the Seven and every single one of them is really great - but they are best as a whole. Well - the piece seems to try to hit at something for a new generation - and as much as I would like for it to get there - it seems to fall just a bit short. But go see it, give it a chance, and if nothing more you'll have seen a unique theatre experience.