Generally it wasn't very good. However, first let's talk about the building and neighbourhood we were in. The Folger Theatre is in the Folger Shakespeare Library, which is just about a block south of the Capitol Building. It's a beautiful pseudo art deco looking building on the outside, and inside the library (well the one exhibit hall I saw) and the theatre are made in an Elizabethan-esque style. Which actually means the theatre has terrible sight lines and huge blocky pilers throughout the balcony - it's an awful design truthfully. I'm sure it looked very artistic an authentic in the architectural drawings.
The library houses the largest Shakespeare collection in the world (that's their claim anyway) and I did see a first folio of Romeo and Juliet which is pretty cool I have to say. They have an electronic version next to the real thing so you can scroll through the book on the computer page by page if you wanted. It's a bit contrived really but neat I suppose. (somebody rich paid for this to happen, so I should be more complimentary of their financial efforts, but honestly I just thought it was weird)
This part of Capitol South is neat. It's really formed by the interns and others who work in all the Senate and Capitol buildings which expand through five blocks or so in every direction. The buildings are beautiful in that American federal building sort of way. Large and impressive and well lit. There were police or road blockades on every corner so I'm thinking it's likely one of the safer neighbourhoods to be in!
We had dinner at the Good Stuff Eatery which was opened by someone from Iron Chef or Hell's Kitchen or one of those Food Network programs. It was pretty darn delish. I had an absolutely amazing chocolate milkshake (and salad was my main course in case anyone is calorie counting!). Anyway, back to the theatre...
I found it very strange to be at a dress rehearsal I wasn't working and to be the person sitting in the balcony. I'm thinking the talent pool in DC is pretty shallow as once again, this cast was mediocre overall with three standouts of quality. The direction was god awful. Blocking (a basic) was poor. I would say 90% of the balcony was obstructed view - now some of this would have been unavoidable in this space, but you do not have to have major scenes happening in the far upstage corner under an overhang. Just saying. They played for laughs, many of them couldn't handle the language and added this whole Caribbean reggae thing but then didn't make any effort to have it make sense to the story. Anyway, despite all this, I kind of enjoyed it. Or maybe I was just enjoying my evening...who knows.
Oh, the Clintons were in the building today. There was a memorial service for a woman who had worked for Jimmy Carter and so it was like the Democratic convention in the foyer. I was greeted by a K9 unit of sniffer dogs when I entered through the stage door. Yup. But at least I know I passed a certain level of security clearance! Just another day at the office; me, the secret service and the dogs...
I went to a show at the Folger years ago, my cousin was in it, her first professional show. It was Macbeth - one of the better Macbeth's I've seen, actually. And I do remember thinking the building itself was 'important'...
ReplyDelete