Sept. 29th: Riding the Cyclone!

Tonight was the second show I have seen this week, and it was PHE-NOM-E-NAL!  I love theatre.  Everyone knows that.  And I can see the good in practically every show I see.  But it is rare when I see a show that I cannot find a single thing to dislike about it.  Atomic Vaudeville's RIDE THE CYCLONE was one of those shows for me!  The music, the script, the characters, the design, the direction, the stylization, the choreography, the performances, the singing - everything about it made me fall in love.

Now perhaps I am biased because this show falls into the dark comedy category which I thrive in.  The first show I ever saw that made me want to work in theatre was a dark comedy.  The favourite acting role I've ever had was in a dark comedy.  The most memorable and moving shows I have ever seen have all been dark comedies.  I even wrote a dark comedy. I once asked the question to a group of friends: Would you rather live in a world animated by Dreamworks, or Tim Burton?  My answer surprised everyone around the circle (and admittedly even me), but it was offered without any hesitation - Tim Burton!

I do not know why I became so in love with this genre, but there is something about it that I am completely drawn to. I presume it has something to do with the tragic beauty of the stories.  We all know that we should not take life so seriously, but I love the idea of not taking death too seriously either.  Death and tragedy in and of themselves are horrible and scary. But an opportunity to see the beauty and even the hilarity in these events, is one I will take with pleasure.  It might not be sensitive, and it might not be politically correct, but for some reason it always feels right to me.  Clearly the combination of feeling love, fear, anger, sadness, and excitement all at one time is a state of being that I really enjoy!

I am not suggesting that I wished that I were on that cyclone with those kids in the story tonight.  Far from it.  What I am suggesting is that those kids have the right idea of being able to reflect on the good around them and make the best of even their most tragic moments.  A big thank you to the cast and crew of Ride The Cyclone, for giving me one of the best nights of theatre in my life.  Also - thank you to Andrea for inviting me to be your date.  I owe you big time!