Go see this show

Last night I had the privilege to sit in a very intimate theatre and witness really great theatre. It was one of those rare occurrences where the show, the space, the director, the performers all come together in perfect unison and you realize you are witnessing something very special.

I walked into this performance knowing very little, but I had heard and read a lot of praise. I tried not to let that bias my experience. I hate going into a show that has been hyped, only to be disappointed that the hype didn't match the performance. I also tried to open my mind as two of the three performers are friends, dear friends, and the third is someone I have known/seen for many years. When you know people, it tends to cloud your experience because you find yourself seeing your friend, not the performance. Well, that was not the case here -actually quite the opposite. From the first moments the actors take the stage I realized - wait - this is different - I don't think I have ever seen this "character" before. There is an incredibly artful poetry and prose in which the play was written that all of a sudden you realize you have been swept up on this magical ride, wandering lyrically through the story and it is so comforting. It is so subtle that you don't even realize you are being sung to - words that are gently rocking you like a hammock.
But this show was not just roses and babies - the subjects get ugly - and hard - and then beautiful - and then miserable - and then so touching your face is wet from uncontrollable weeping. It is one of those shows where you think you are going in a certain direction, but you are focusing so hard on the conversation that you don't even realize they took a left turn awhile back and you are now in a totally different place than you thought you would be - but that is okay - because this place is awesome!!!

And it stays with you - there are waves of recognition that keep coming the more you think of the show. Like just now - I went to the website to grab the promotional pic to post here and when I looked - I started weeping again - "Oh, my gosh - it is all there - I didn't even see it before - but now I see it - it is all there in that beautiful picture!" What an amazing gift... to continue to get that warm fuzzy feeling for something the more you think about it. Most times you walk out of an experience on the high of the performance and it starts to fade from there. This one has grown for me.

"There Is A Happiness That Morning Is" - at the Catastrophic Theatre's micro theatre - directed by Jason Nodler, performed beautifully by Amy Bruce, Troy Schulze, and Kyle Sturdivant. Click here to get to the website to buy your tickets and I really hope you do!