Catching Up

I've been bad at posting, and Kevin's posts just reminded me of that. Here are some of the shows I've seen over the past few months that Kevin didn't mention:

King Hedley II
- Great production, and the last of the August Wilson season for the Signature Theatre. Really shocking ending that I wasn't suspecting. Amazing performance by the lead, Russell Hornsby.

Jack Goes Boating
- The show got some good reviews, and especially the cast. I thought you really couldn't go wrong with Phylip Seymour Hoffman and one of my favorites, John Ortiz. Daphne But I tell you, this was not my favorite show. I guess the subject matter, a bunch of loser friends just trying to get through life, just didn't hold my attention.

Tall Grass
- Quite possibly one of the worst shows I've seen in a long time. If only there had been an intermission, I would have bolted out of the theatre. C'est la via... It was a spoof on bad horror theatre - using and overusing the deus ex machina technique. Never again..

All the Wrong Reasons
- A one man show from New York Theatre Workshop (my favorite). Funny, cute, uplifting at the end, but looking back at it now, I didn't take that much away. I'm still in the camp of one-person shows not being so awesome.

Essential Self Defense
- Why, Adam Rapp, why? So excited for this show, all season I was looking forward. Maybe it was a bit over my head - or Rapp was trying to be more forward-thinking than I can take. But the lead actor's accent alone was enough to drive me insane! I say to Rapp stick to the Red Light Winter style and I'll still adore your work. Any more of this nonsense, and I'm out.

The Accomplices
- A terrible account of the troubles and plight of Jews in America during the Holocaust. It could have been really intriguing, and certainly the subject matter is pertinent. But this play, written by a former report, seemed awkward at best. Direction was unbelievably poor.

Legally Blonde
- Yes, I saw Legally Blonde...and yes, I actually liked it. I'm a big fan of the movie (a woman from my university wrote the screenplay, yeah JMU) and can watch it over and over again. I saw this on a rainy Sundy (noreaster, anyone?) and it certainly brought up my mood. Christian Borle was my favorite as Elle's love interest. Orfeh and Andy Karl are adorable as the real-life couple playing the hairdresser friend and UPS man. Laura Belly Bundy - no Reese Witherspoon - but she does a fine job.

Next up, I'll be seeing Crazy Mary at Playwrights. Hope they pull this one off, it's been a weak season so far for them..