Inspired

It's been a while since I wrote an actual blog that is less an essay and more a ... log. Well, I've seen and read lots of great stuff and lots of crap, so I figured it was time for a "what's been going on in the world of Mel" edition.

First off, Theatre. My baby, what keeps me going, what floats my boat. Holy crap it was a disappointing start to the season. The Tempest, need I say more? A very pretty show with very pretty music (including a mid-show operetta ...?). No risk, no message, no real point (isn't the play about forgiveness? Did that get lost between Miranda's-3rd-costume-change-into-a beautiful-gown even-though-they-were-marooned-on-an-island and the sailors who look like they were auditioning for the next role as "dark and dashing leading man" even though they were supposed to be kind of freaked out by all of the weird stuff going on in this strange place?) . The drunks saved the day, thank the gods. It just ticks me off when a theatre that has the ability to produce great theatre just doesn't because it's too risky. *shudder* The first few shin-digs at PTE and the Warehouse were better, but nothing to be crazy about. Wonderful performances in both Apple and Retreat, and Robb Patterson managed to find the funny in a play that could have been a long painful trudge through the trenches of divorce. Good, but ... meh.

Thankfully the smaller companies are around to keep me interested. Theatre Project's The Monster Trilogy and Hana's Suitcase at MTYP were great. I also just got home from Summer of My Amazing Luck at the Warehouse. For those unfamiliar with the Mariam Toews tale, teen mom Lucy lives in the Have a Life (or Half a Life) housing project with the other welfare moms and working poor. Then, her and crazy neighbour Lish decide to hit the road to find Lish's long lost street performer love one day, and Lucy discovers that this might be the summer of amazing luck.

It was a great show to see with the MTC crowd - you could sense when people were a little uncomfortable when being confronted with "the system" and how it's pretty crappy for those stuck with it. The whole "they're just happy living off of my tax dollars" is a little harder to swollow. Chris Craddock is brilliant. The show was hilarious, simple, full of life and ... it just had a point. It's so great to see a show that has a point.

Mel's latest must-read: The Time In Between by David Bergen.

Finally, film. I can't believe how few movies I've seen in the past year. Seriously, I've been to the theatre maybe 4 times in 12 months. However, with an unexpected cancellation from work, I got the chance to see Babel. Awesome, well done, bravo all around. Also, incredibly scary - how we're so globalized and yet have no ability to communicate to one another. Frightening.

I think I'm just bursting with opinion because I'm so excited about season 2 of Theatre by the River. We took care of all the messy crap from last year, trimmed the fat, reformed and are now starting off into an exciting season. Plus I'm getting the chance to write more, I've found an awesome audition piece. Ah, life is good.

Well, I'm still working too many jobs for not nearly enough money so that's kind of crappy. You win some, you lose some. C'est la vie. As I learned from Lucy tonight, you can find happiness and luck in the most unlikely of places. Eternal optimism it is.