I know there is a certain element out there who would like to think of us in 'fly over country' as incapable of achieving the depths of either artistic expression or appreciation that big-city, coastal folks enjoy. After all, in a town like New York City or Los Angeles, isn't the idea of local, amateur community theater a misnomer? Isn't everyone who auditions there a semi-professional (or at least a professional wannabe)? Sure, such a pool of talent might make for a more polished performance, but what they make up in skill, they lack in another critical area of community theater - the community. And, know this, City Folks - when it comes to THAT area, we've got a corner on the market.
Take, for example, one of the leads in this play - Frankenstein's 'Monster'. (By the way, the preferred term these days is 'Creature'. I believe the ACLU assisted a group of Zombies - sorry, persons who are partially deceased - and their associates in a lawsuit, thus changing the acceptable terminology for most creatures of the nether realms.) Anyway, The Creature was played by the local band director. A veteran of the pit band, this was his first time on stage. Though it was challenging to see a beloved figure in the community 'kill' innocent characters, there wasn't even a hint of awkwardness to it. We felt compelled by our emotions, carried away by the scene, and not even remotely amused by the juxtaposition. It's hard for even veteran actors to pull of drama, and our band leader should be proud of himself.
Don't take me wrong - it's not that the performance was so commanding that we were able to forget who he was. It never escaped audience members that we were watching a bio-diesel plant employee, a proud new daddy, an insurance salesman, a pre-med student. In fact, in many ways that is what strengthened the illusion - made the ride all the more exciting. It is nothing phenomenal to have a professional or semi-professional actor be able to sweep us away into another land. That is no more spectacular of a feat than when my local propane truck driver fills my tank or when my mechanic fixes my car. In all of these cases, we rightfully expect a job well done by someone trained well trained and suited for the task at hand. This afternoon, however, we were truly treated to a show, not a performance. Those men and woman exhibited magic, not just skill. Now THAT'S community.
Tomorrow, they will go back to their daily lives. Frau Mueller (who was wonderful, by the way) will once again be swabbing and wiping, holding and fetching, saving lives and watching them fade as an O.R. nurse. Doctor Frankenstein's little brother, who was played by two different boys on different nights, (and Sunday night's William did a startlingly convincing death scene, by the way) will return to their respective elementary classrooms - perhaps as a bit of an outcast from the popular crowd, who probably won't fully appreciate the work they did or the emotions they evoked. The director will lay his script aside and instead lay a new retaining wall. The grave robber will hold the hand of someone's frightened grandmother at the local nursing home.
The sets have been struck. The party is over. The theater will be silent for another season. Our community has been made proud by our local celebrities, no matter what others with a less nuanced understanding of real skill might have thought. The standing ovation at the end of this afternoon's show was as genuine as the people who filled the theater - both on stage and in the audience.
And the Creature? Well, the leather lift boots are long gone, but I believe he walks taller than he did before. He has also shed his scary makeup, but will forever be viewed differently nonetheless. Well, with both a sincere love for his day job and an eye toward the June performance, he will ensure that the band plays on.
Interesting commentary on the place of the community theater in rural society -- of course, we have them here in urban/suburban society as well, and much the same sentiment applies. However, my comment is really about the terminology of monster vs. creature for the, uh, monster. I can't know what political correctness writer of your play was trying to achieve, but in the original, the term "monster" was generally used by Dr. Frankenstein to refer to the monster he created or to himself as the monster that he was becoming. The term "creature" is used in the vernacular of the time to refer to the creatures of God, not to the monster of Dr. Frankenstein. At one point, the monster is even referred to as "daemon". Actually, I don't know when/how/why "monster" would have fallen out of "PC" favor -- we still have monsters on Sesame Street, don't we?
ReplyDeleteSuch an academic and well informed comment for this blog. Drat - I knew I'd get busted at some point!
ReplyDeleteI believe that the current interpretation belies a lack of understanding of the deeper themes of Mary Shelley's original work. The exploration of a 'creator' and what is subsequently a 'creature' of God's' are indeed strong underlying ideas in the book, but are often overlooked by today's adapters.
I believe the original ACLU case does have a specific reference to this issue. One of the plaintiffs was an actual Monster (though his address had been redacted from the records, so I cannot verify if indeed he lived on Sesame Street). However, his reason for wanting Dr. Frankenstein's creation to be called a 'Creature' rather than a 'Monster' is actually tied to your main point.
In fact, Mary Shelley did refer to Dr. Frankenstein himself as the Monster. Actual Monsters take offense at being compared to a human being at its worst, saying the comparison is both grossly unfair and insulting. Since this piece of fiction is one area where less-informed readers have confused just who is the 'Monster,' they thought it best to distance themselves from it entirely by having the newly-un-dead protagonist renamed a Creature.
Thank you for your comments, though I am surprised that you would have to ask if we do, indeed, still have monsters on Sesame Street. Aren't you watching more and more of that these days? ;)