Theatre Review - BlogMas Day 2

 

Sunday afternoon treat

Generally on the weekends, I like to take time off to spend with family at home. This usually involves at least 3-4 hours of TV, then a homemade meal before either some more TV or blogging. However, as a special pre-Christmas treat for this year, we decided to watch a local play just last Sunday. The show had received positive ratings and almost had a full-house (in terms of audience numbers) when we got there. And seeing as it was only in town for 3 days, it was definitely something we ought not to miss!

So for day 2 of BlogMas, here's my review of 折翼天使 (aka. Angels Pslam):

Flawlessly spectacular

The plot itself was simple but filled with strong messages about the unexpected challenges in life and how to deal with them positively. It circulated around the true story of a 23-year-old woman who had lost her legs, along with her 10 month old baby girl and mother-in-law, during the tragic Sichuan 7.9MW earthquake in 2008. What made matters worse was that the main character was originally a dance instructor for children. Without the key physical feature needed for dance, the protagonist was unable to make a living initially and had to rely on her parents. To top it off, her husband broke off with her as her injury reminded him too much of his mother and daughter's deaths.

 

Devastatingly horrifying basically summarises the first part of the play.

 

However, the situation starts to get better as the second act progresses. The protagonist first meets a group of missionaries from abroad, whom had come to help hospital patients that had suffered the physically from the earthquake. Through one of them, she managed to get in touch with a foreign prosthetist of prosthetic legs. Although slightly reluctant to try them at first, the main character eventually gathered enough courage to do so. She mentioned on countless occasions that they weren't at all comfy, and it took a long time for her to get used to them. However, with lots of practice and support from her family and friends, she eventually managed to walk and even dance confidently in them. Having mastered these skills, she later decided to volunteer in another earthquake-hit town, called Ya'an, not too far from her own in 2013. Today, the protagonist continues to dance and travel to different parts of the world to share her story and the lessons she learnt through her journey.

 

From a critic's POV, the play's story was portrayed perfectly by each and every actor and actress that stepped foot on the stage. The emotion they manage to convey through their actions and speeches was unbelievably powerful. Whether the scene was about laughter, joy or sadness, all were easily portrayed by the performers and felt accordingly by the audience. A big thumbs up to all the children that performed, their singing was particularly wonderful, and to those that had created the amazing backdrop.

 

Would a different crew have been better? Absolutely not. The entire drama was flawlessly spectacular just the way it was already.

Angels Pslam autograph board



Lessons learnt

As mentioned, the play was meaningful as well as memorable. I think the clearest message presented was definitely that about persistence and optimism. In short, no matter what life throws at you, even if it is an extreme tragedy, always remember that there are more solutions to them than the problems themselves. We must always hope for a brighter future, and believe that one does exist as well. 
 

As for the optimism part of the play's core message, that simply involves smiling (lots of it). Smiling through the toughest of times definitely helps you feel better (trust me, I've tried it before). In addition, always look at both sides of the coin. Although it may feel as though there is nothing positive about the situation on hand, if you look just a bit more closely and patiently, you may just find several bits of happiness that can change the gray skyline a bit (even if it only lasts temporarily).
 

Persist in being and thinking positively, for the answer you're looking for may just be around the corner - that's my new year's resolution for 2016.

Constellations (theater review)

My kind of Friday night entertainment

When it comes to Friday evening, most people I know tend to head out to the pub for a drink or two with friends. I think it’s important to socialize, but it’s not an alcohol-based atmosphere that I personally desire. I’d much rather go out for a casual dinner or movie. So, I think that the topic of this particular blog post will be of no surprise to any of you. Out of all the shows available last week, Constellations was the one that stood out to me the most. The combination of quantum physics and romance in a play sounded intriguing. I was keen to find out if this was the reason behind the countless amount of stellar reviews critics had offered.

Plus it was raining horridly outside so an indoor form of entertainment was a definite must.

The sweet shop

Parallel universes

The acting and backdrop were both nothing short of phenomenal. However, what fascinated me the most was the theme the plot brought up. From start till finish, the story tended to be made up of a series of repeated scenes, although there was a slight difference in emotion, attitude and atmosphere in each one. If I recall correctly, this setting was based on the concept of parallel universes. It’s essentially the idea of having another one of you in an alternative realm, only he/she experiences the situation you have in an alternative way (positive or negative). It kinda got the anthropologist in me thinking about whether this phenomenon is applicable to people living in contrasting cultures.

Snacks galore

For a boy-meets-girl based performance, the use of the parallel universes concept meant a mixture of sweet and sour, hot and cold scenes. The amount of emotions radiating from the two actors was utterly indescribable. It was truly amazing how only two performers managed to captivate an audience of over 350 for longer than an hour, especially since there was very little music. I also recall them mentioning something about time, which got me thinking about the essay I wrote back in my first year at university concerning the culturally different understandings and experiences of time.

Arriving at the studio

An enjoyable evening treat suitable for those that enjoy a bit of humor, dancing, and thinking after work.

Oh and I also had a nice chat to the viewer next to me – Friday night socializing complete.

Connected the Musical - Edinburgh Fringe

First impressions are EVERYTHING (literally)

Waiting for the show in Pleasance Courtyard

I've never been to Edinburgh Fringe before, and with the amount of shows and acts on filling up a yellow pages sized booklet, it wasn't surprising that I was a bit overwhelmed and lost for what to choose to see first. I have a thing for musicals (I might have mentioned that a bit earlier when I reviewed Avenue Q) so, without too much of a second thought, I quickly flipped to the correct page. There were loads of musicals that caught my eye, but what really interested me was this one: Connected the Musical. From glancing over the blurb, I gathered it was a modern musical performed by an Australian group that focused on cyber bullying in a high school setting.

Well, despite being a immature adult now, I still feel emotionally attached to my teenage years. So, Connected it was.

And I have to say, I was deeply impressed. There were only four actors, all looking quite a few years younger than me (which simultaneously made me feel very untalented). The singing was incredible, and the acting was equally as brilliant, but what really topped it off for me was, quite honestly, the story itself. Without being overly complicated, the play presented the reality of the dangers that anyone, even the most innocent of all users, can face while surfing the internet. Once you upload something it can travel through cyberspace faster than the speed of light. Heard of the phrase "gone viral"? That's what happened here. And lies can quickly become the truth. Needless to say, it really does affect your image and what other people will think of you. The culprits may eventually get caught, but the damage they caused is irremovable, and the scars they leave are everlasting.

Moral of the story

Although the plot was based on online gossip within high school, I think its message can definitely apply outside of this context. There's no other way of phrasing it than using the old fashioned way:

Think twice before you speak - be cautious on the web when you're "Connected".

Review - Avenue Q

Monday night - Sunderland Empire

At the Theatre

I think one of the best things about living in the North East is that despite being far from the capital of musicals in England (i.e. London), there are still opportunities to watch top-class performances in one of the local theatres. On this occasion (Monday 14^th July at 7:30pm to be more precise), we (i.e. myself and my significant other) decided to go for the comedy/ musical, Avenue Q, at majestic and extravagant, Sunderland Empire Theatre.

Normally, I opt for shows that are more, shall we say, glitzy and more dazzling in terms of special effects. I also wasn’t sure if I was super keen on the puppet and human mix that made up that characters of the show. Plus I have a thing for songs that evoke Disney and other musical numbers that are slightly more geared for a younger audience. So in truth, I was a bit sceptical about the play at first.

What can I say? I’m still (and ALWAYS will be) a child at heart.

Despite my scepticism, I decided to give the show a go because I hadn’t seen it before (plus my significant other said he’d drive me home and buy me dinner << now who can resist that?).

And honestly, I couldn’t have made a better decision.

I don’t think there was a single moment during the performance that I wasn’t blown away by some aspect of it. I know that most theatre reviews commonly start with summarizing the main plot of the play. But I for one would like to begin by giving praise to the actors themselves. There weren’t many of them, so I thought that their ability to portray so many different characters, both human and puppet, and in so many different voices was truly incredible. The story itself was also admirable – with the theme of adulthood thoroughly reiterated throughout the play, Avenue Q provided the audience with a performance that addressed the many issues and troubles faced by individuals entering this period. A highly realistic show, it was simultaneously tied together by a stream of jokes and sarcasm, overall indicating that despite the hardship, there’s still hope and time for laughter at any stage in life.

Oh and did I mention that we got upgraded to better seats? Totally worth it.

Sensational and memorable – if Avenue Q is ever on tour in your town, be sure to watch it.