After picking up tickets, we looked for a place to eat. The closest restaurant was pizza, which was just right. Jessi was craving pizza and I haven't been able to eat any pizza yet on this trip.
Anja and Jessi waiting on our pizzas to arrive at the table.
We walked back to the theatre and I asked the woman working at the ticket window if I could stash my bag in the back of their workroom. She was very kind and said it wouldn't be any problem at all.
We picked up our programs and waited for the doors to open. While waiting, we noticed we were at the younger end of the age spectrum for this performance. Much of the audience was older than we were, although as the time went on, we saw some folks that were in our age.
The doors opened about fifteen minutes before the performance was to start and we found out our seats were in a very good location. We were on the second row, right up front. It was maybe ten feet from the stage.
It was finally showtime and the entire theatre was packed full. The theatre holds about 250 seats and every single one was taken. They even pulled out a few extra chairs for the overflow.
The play stared with Jakob walking out on stage and sitting at the piano, then the nurse came in to help the other characters into the living room of the nursing home. She had them sing songs that were easy and simple. A bit like children's songs. As soon as she felt they were ok, she left the room and that's when things got fun. The cast would chat with each other, sometimes argue, but always break out into song. They would use props such as a cane and the cover for the piano keys to create rhythm. Much of the music was with Jakob playing piano, the characters singing, and sometimes using a prop to add rhythm.
Their first song was "I love Rock and Roll" and it set the stage for the rest of the play. Many of the songs were current or new classics (Light My Fire, Mr. Tambourine Man, I Will Survive, Barbie Girl, Forever Young, Smells Like Teen Spirit, etc).
Each character had their own strong personality and sometimes they would conflict with the other personalities. Some of the humor was based upon this. Much of the humor was based around aging and getting older, with a lot of physical humor. There were many jokes about the physical sides of aging and the mental decline that comes with age.
The audience was laughing so hard at many points, the actors had to pause to let the laughter die down before they were able to continue their dialogue. The songs were placed at just the right moments in the play and delivered the proper feeling at the right time. The songs were funny, mellow, powerful, thought-provoking, jovial, and moving.
The play was mostly lighthearted, but there was also a serious side to this very funny performance. We are all getting older, and as we do, we lose some of our physical abilities. We may also lose some of our mental abilities with time. But we don't lose who we are. We don't lose our zest for life and our desire to live life to the fullest. We don't lose our memories and our stories. We don't lose our need to love and be loved. We will get old, but it doesn't mean we become useless or lose our need to hear and be heard, to love and be loved, to need and be needed.
The play is a funny way to remind us that we're all alike, regardless of age.
The play lasted an hour and fifty minutes but it felt like five minutes. The actors received a standing ovation, twice. The entire cast came out on stage twice after the play was over to receive thanks from the audience.
I was quite impressed with a part of the play that turned Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" into a moving, almost heartbreaking ballad about the fear of letting others see the effects of aging.
The entire cast was very talented in both singing and acting and it was a pleasure to watch them work. I really haven't laughed this hard in a long time. There was a funny bit every other minute, it seemed.
An excellent way to spend an evening. I can understand why it was sold out and why they are running the play again in the springtime. It's just too good to only have one season of performances.
We were not allowed to take pictures during the play, but Jakob met us for a few minutes after the play was over to take a few pics. Thanks Jakob!
Anja's picture didn't turn out well on my camera, but there are a few pics of her and Jakob as well.
Jakob on stage after the play was over, in character.
A pic of me and Jakob.
Jakob and Jessi
No comments:
Post a Comment