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And we all shine on
May. 2nd, 2005 01:49 amTrip into the city today to see 'Lennon', the musical about the life and times of the man who helmed the Russian revolution. Or at least the part of it that he spent with Yoko Ono. My date was even more beautiful than usual, sky blue sweater and loose flowing honey colored hair complementing the lovely spring Northern California day. And even the passengers on the BART were less psychotic than usual. Bay area Beltane spirit was everywhere. Like Christmas but with more sun.
The show itself was fun, but not terribly challenging. When I heard Yoko Ono had taken a large part in creating the show, I was concerned that it would be all arty, but at least it wouldn't be another one of those shows where we have a large catalogue of AOR hits so lets write a few lines of dialogue that link them. And it was kind of arty. Lots of that modern multimedia stuff, with stuff projected on psychlotrons in the back and actors in the audience and all that, and seven different people playing John Lennon, including four women. When he said 'We are all one' I guess this group took him at face value. And it worked pretty well for me--I liked it. There was a subtle piece of business where whoever was playing John at the moment would get the glasses and put them on. Actors would pass them off as they moved in and out of the spotlight. The show moved quickly, which for me was unfortunate because (as with most musicals) the actors were undermiked and I couldn't hear a lot of what was said.
Seven actors multicast as the whole show also meant that a black woman instead of a white man sang 'Woman is the Nigger of the World' which was more comfortable for the audience. It also meant that the same large black man played a screaming teenage girl on the Ed Sullivan show and also J. Edgar Hoover. There was an amusing bit where one of the actors moved from playing David Frost to playing Mike Douglas by changing his tie.
The second act, I felt, didn't really go anywhere dramatically, despite having the big 'John gets deported' 'John and Yoko separate' and 'John has been shot' themes to work with. It didn't help that I was getting hot, and uncomfortable. But luckily I was not sitting next to the uncontrollably chatty and energetic small girl. Overall an enjoyable show but not terribly memorable. Two wags.
The show itself was fun, but not terribly challenging. When I heard Yoko Ono had taken a large part in creating the show, I was concerned that it would be all arty, but at least it wouldn't be another one of those shows where we have a large catalogue of AOR hits so lets write a few lines of dialogue that link them. And it was kind of arty. Lots of that modern multimedia stuff, with stuff projected on psychlotrons in the back and actors in the audience and all that, and seven different people playing John Lennon, including four women. When he said 'We are all one' I guess this group took him at face value. And it worked pretty well for me--I liked it. There was a subtle piece of business where whoever was playing John at the moment would get the glasses and put them on. Actors would pass them off as they moved in and out of the spotlight. The show moved quickly, which for me was unfortunate because (as with most musicals) the actors were undermiked and I couldn't hear a lot of what was said.
Seven actors multicast as the whole show also meant that a black woman instead of a white man sang 'Woman is the Nigger of the World' which was more comfortable for the audience. It also meant that the same large black man played a screaming teenage girl on the Ed Sullivan show and also J. Edgar Hoover. There was an amusing bit where one of the actors moved from playing David Frost to playing Mike Douglas by changing his tie.
The second act, I felt, didn't really go anywhere dramatically, despite having the big 'John gets deported' 'John and Yoko separate' and 'John has been shot' themes to work with. It didn't help that I was getting hot, and uncomfortable. But luckily I was not sitting next to the uncontrollably chatty and energetic small girl. Overall an enjoyable show but not terribly memorable. Two wags.