The Play's the Thing

Until last week, it had been about a year since I went to "see a show": a stage production of Beauty and the Beast.

I was reminded then, as I always am when I go to the theater, how much I love plays and how I really ought to see more of them. And more regularly.

And then another year passed before I found myself happily—luckily—invited to see Cirque du Soleil's Immortal Michael Jackson tour. Not your traditional stage play by any stretch, but still theater to be sure.

The intersection of story (a loose bio of Jackson), tribute to his life and loves, and spectacular performance-art-as-music-video certainly ranked this production in the "like nothing I've ever seen" category. The astronomical production value, the astonishingly ornate costumes, the interpretations of history and the music that ranged from the wildly creative and abstract to the literal,  the pyrotechnics (!), the acrobatics, and the sheer awesomeness of the music heard in a different context all left me slack-jawed, starry eyed, and one million percent dazzled.Contrast this with the show I saw over the weekend: a radio play of Wet Hot American Summer, originally a cult-hit film that came out back in 2001.

I wasn't really sure what to expect from a radio play of a movie, but it was pretty straightforward: the original cast assembled on stage for a reading of the script, replete with sound effects and the occasional props.

Not only was I gobsmacked to be in the same room as the likes of Amy Poehler, Molly Shannon, and Paul Rudd. But the comedic value of a live reading of a script—and its many mess-ups, foibles, riffs, and improv moments—made this an utterly unique experience that was even more enjoyable than watching the actual film, funny as it is. As an audience member, I got to observe the writers and performers from the original work interact with and react to the material in a way that you'd never see in the film. My favorite part of the whole show was watching the performers react to their colleagues' delivery of their lines.

I am fascinated by the juxtaposition of theater and art in these two shows: an acrobatic performance of Michael Jackson's music and his life in one; a live stage reading of a film script in the other.

It also got me thinking about inventive and unusual subjects to tackle for Script Frenzy. (At my fiancé's urging, I had to abandon my plan to write a rock-opera script for our upcoming wedding.)

What artistic intersections or reinterpretations have you witnessed recently? Any Script Frenzy plans that involve the melding of media?

– Lindsey