Go Figure

 

I must make a confession.   I am a snob when it comes to theatrical productions.  Since I became a denizen of the Great White Way, I've seen the best of shows and the worst of shows and all other productions in between.

For me, it's Broadway or bust.  And now residing in Los Angeles, I have opened the ground rules to include the Ahmanson Theater and the Pantages.   

So, it was simply my desire to see good friends Leo and Connie that resulted in me accepting their invitation to see local community theater.   Some theater company called the Aerospace Players south of LAX was putting on a production of "Shrek the Musical," a show I originally saw on Broadway and the contents of which had barely remained with me.   For a musical, the songs were not memorable and the show was overly laden with special effects.

But I had a curiosity.   And besides live theater is...well...live theater.   There is nothing better than that energy connection of an audience and some live actors.

What I ended up seeing was astounding.   Oh, the content of the musical itself is mediocre whether it be on Broadway or just around the corner from Redondo Beach.   But the production itself was amazing, especially for a show that is largely populated with non-actors.

The sets were terrific.   The orchestra didn't miss a note.   The special effects featuring a large dragon puppet were Tony-worthy.  Oh, there were several moments where you could see tech people on stage.   But, otherwise, this was the west coast version of the Winter Garden.

Who knew?

I counted perhaps 200 people in the audience on a Saturday night.   Applying the ticket price of $24 to the head count told me that, once they paid for the play rights, nobody in this theater company was making a nickel.  Yet, there they were on stage staging and acting their hearts out.

Now, one of my favorite things to do post-theater is to devour the cast bios in the Playbill.  For this show, I couldn't wait to see who had performed for me.  In my next jaw dropping, I realized that 98 percent of the production were not...as it were...professionals.   Most of the credits listed told me that a lot of these folks were employed in...wait for it...the aerospace industry.   

This was clearly Mickey and Judy putting on a show in the basement.   It was a family affair.   The last name of the Shrek director was attached to about five other people on or back stage.

It was an eye opener for me.   But maybe it shouldn't be.   I made a declaration that I would gladly see other productions that are put on by a community outside of Manhattan.

As the title of the blog announces...go figure!

Dinner last night:  Cheese and crackers.