Dachs Thoughts

This afternoon I did something I rarely do. I had so enjoyed Cambodian Rock Band earlier in my visit that I decided to see it again. I rationalized that since one of the key roles was being played by a different actor this time it would be different enough. Regardless, it is a great play and I again was moved and enjoyed it very much. I felt the new actor (who is actually the more frequent one) wasn’t quite as dynamic as was James Ryen in the role, but it was still good. I’m glad I made the decision to see it again.

Tonight I attended my last outdoor play at OSF in the Elizabethan Theatre, Alice in Wonderland, and it was a challenge all the way. The forecast looked bad as there was significant chance of rain during the time of the performance. In fact, It started raining before I left my room. On the way to the theater, I nearly hit a deer crossing the road with its friend. Luckily I skidded to a stop about a foot before I made contact. I ultimately got to downtown, parked, and got on all my layers. After getting to the theater, I delayed sitting down till about 10 min before the scheduled start time as it was already raining in the theater and I wanted to try and stay dry as long as I could. People were acting a little skittish before the start, questioning the weather. The rain never let up all through the play. Sometimes it would lighten for a bit, then it would pick back up. Luckily I came prepared in layers and a stayed reasonably warm and dry. Lots of people peeled out and left during the first half, then at intermission many more in the uncovered area either left (as they were soaked and cold) or tried to move to a spot in the covered area. When the play restarted after intermission, the uncovered front half of the theater was mostly empty. The crowd really cheered on the actors as they were out there in it putting on the play.

The play was basically a series of barely connected fantastical scenes that are part of Alice’s dream, but there was never really a story there for me. The staging and costumes of the various iconic characters were good. And the actors winkingly acknowledged the fact that it was raining throughout the play. Also, a couple of the costumes with hats (e.g. Mat Hatter) or crowns had big plastic bags over them to protect them from the rain. Towards the end the crowd was really rooting for them. Even though I was sort of unthrilled with the play itself, the cast got a deserving standing ovation for carrying on though the rain.
Trailer

This evening I made my way back to OSF’s Angus Bowmer Theatre for my second play of the day, this time the musical Hairspray. It was fun and energetic with an upbeat story. The cast was great in terms of acting, dancing, and singing. The play kind of hung on the lead playing Tracy Turnblad, and Katy Geraghty was terrific. All the supporting characters were great as well. Good music with a couple of really stand-out pieces. A nice way to end the evening after a somewhat more serious afternoon.
Trailer

This afternoon I saw a new play by Octavio Solis at the Bowmer Theatre at OSF, Mother Road. It was like an echo of The Grapes of Wrath where a Mexican-American descendant of Tom Joad is located to return to the ancestral farm in Oklahoma. It dealt with the issues of class and the forces exerted on people by their fore bearers. The acting was great. Some very interesting staging, with the pickup truck they were traveling in, and in particular a gas pump played by Jeffrey King. Some of it was a little preachy and playing to victimhood, but overall it was an interesting and thought provoking production.
Trailer

Tonight I saw a surprisingly wonderful production of a modern play by Lauren Yee called Cambodian Rock Band in the intimate Thomas Theatre. It’s the most recent in a series of asian based plays OSF has put on over the last several years. It was funny, moving, and educational. It used the Cambodian’s enthusiasm for pop music to tell the story of the communist takeover of Cambodia and the resulting purges in the 1970s. It was one of those rare plays that opens my eyes to something I didn’t know a lot of details about, and left me wanting to go learn more. The cast switched between roles in a rock band — that actually played great — characters in the 1970s, then charters in the 2008. The actor who played the central character, a young musician, then a prisoner, the later a seemingly nerdy dad was outstanding. It would completely transform just by putting on some glasses and changing a shirt, and you almost wouldn’t recognize him as the same person. This play was just fantastic! I’m tempted to come back and see it again as a key role will be played by a different actor before I leave.

Prior to the play there was a little drama as one older lady tripped on the edge of the raised stage and took a serious header. Some lady from the audience came out and helped her and worked on her for quite a while (must have been a nurse or doctor). She ended up leaving the theater before the play started.
Music Video