What is it About the Theater?
I'm blogging live from the Utah Shakespearean Festival in Cedar City. We saw Much Ado About Nothing last night and Alfred Hitchcock's 39 Steps this afternoon. Both were excellent. Both were funny. I find I prefer funny to the dramatic—in general at least. This is true of pretty much any form of entertainment, from music to books to plays to movies. Deep is good, but funny is happy, which makes me smile.
So what is it about the theater that I love so much? When I was a kid, and we got the occasional chance to see a play live on stage, I admit that I had the dream of being an actress. This would last for about an hour after the play was over, when I would then go back to dreaming of being an astronaut, a fighter pilot, a super hero or a secret agent. The theater appeals to me, but only to watch it. Participating was never in my blood. I was in the pit one year for the musical at my high school, but that was as close as I ever got to the stage. Probably best for everyone. I can't lie to save my life—acting is out of the question.
Still, I love the stage. I love seeing the actors faces and the emotions that play across the scenes. I love to see how the stage is constructed and used to fire the audience's imagination. I love it when the leading man and the leading lady find love and live happily ever after. I even love a good drama, but I hate going away from the end of a story sad. I'll do it, but I'd rather have something funny to share when I get back home.
It's been a while since I've been here to the Shakespearean Festival, and I'm glad we're here.
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