(no subject)

[pensnest]

Beast and I went to the theatre yesterday!

It was an outdoor production of 'Alice in Wonderland', presented on the lawn outside a nice manor house (they had provided the nicest portaloos ever!). The audience were socially distanced by groups ("no closer than a flamingo" as indicated by a flamingo-onna-stick) and brought our own chairs or rugs. Weather-wise I was a bit worried, as it rained quite hard in the morning, but although there was Tupperware-style cloud cover all afternoon, it did not rain again, and in fact it was rather nice to be a bit cool, after the sultry days we have been having.

It wasn't one of the memorable performances of my life, and I think the script could have been improved upon. But the cast worked really hard (five players, many roles) and were quite inventive with props, and PROJECTED LIKE MAD so that nobody missed a word. The audience did the Caucus Race and the Lobster Quadrille (which looked a lot like the birdie dance but with lobster claws). It was so nice to be able to go out and do something like this. Normally Norwich would be awash with so many activities, there wouldn't be time to do everything, but these days, well.

Comments

[sperrywink]

Sounds like fun! I'm glad you managed some theatre!

[pensnest]

It made a very pleasant change.

[dine]

that does sound like a good change of pace! how cool that there was audience participation, too. how is your Lobster Quadrille?

[turlough]

Hi fellow Cherryh fan! I love your icon!

[dine]

oh thank you! yours is great too :)

I've loved Cherryh's ability to write such *alien* aliens. the Faded Sun trilogy has long been my fave of her works, and I got a wild hair to icon this cover art

[pensnest]

My Lobster Quadrille is... passable, I guess! It was basically the Birdie Song, but with waving 'lobster claws' instead of flapping wings, so not too challenging!

[frausorge]

That sounds like a great time! What a charming unit of measure, and good for the performers for making the outdoor venue work.

[turlough]

It didn't rain, yay! Sounds like you'd a good time even if it wasn't the best performance ever. And yes, just getting to go out and DO something is worth a lot these days.

[pensnest]

I think my mind is shrinking, so yes, it's worth a lot to be able to go out, as you say.

[oldtoadwoman]

Oh that sounds like fun!

[pensnest]

If times had been Normal, I wouldn't have been particularly impressed (except with the PROJECTION) but as things are, it was definitely fun!

[oldtoadwoman]

Sometimes it's just about the experience.

Years ago, a friend and I went to an outdoor play at an arboretum. The conceit was that for scene changes, the audience would get up and walk down the path to the next point, so you saw a play and toured the garden at the same time. I barely remember anything about the play (Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe) but I still remember that it was fun.

[turps]

That sounds fun, and I feel every distance should be measured by a flamingo--onna-stick.

[pensnest]

It would liven up the Olympics, wouldn't it! Long-jump, four flamingos-onna-stick, pole vault, high jump etc.

[sylvaine]

Oooh, I'm always impressed by good projection! Especially in These Times, where masks make it SO bloody hard to understand people in day to day.

[pensnest]

Legend tells of a Star Trek: TNG convention in the Albert Hall, where Patrick Stewart put down his microphone and managed to reach everywhere. Alas that I was not there!

In my theatre group days, we went from just expecting people to be able to reach the back of our not-very-big theatre to using mikes. It was a more 'professional' sound, but I think for music hall and revue shows, it would have been entirely reasonable just to expect people to be able to project. I mean, I don't have a big voice, and I could do it... Also, I've been to enough professional shows where the sound was dreadful, to wish that more of them would rely on the actors' skills instead!