Day 10

I went to see a reading of Anne Washburn's adaptation of Orestes produced by Red Bull Theater (a really great group that produces 'heightened language plays' with a special focus on Elizabethan and Jacobean plays).

I have to say, while I appreciated Ms. Washburn's way with language and her sense of whimsy, I didn't much care for the show. It was played for laughs and I just don't think tragedy works when the audience has ironic distance. It was cute and clever (in the original sense of that word), but it was more like a spoof of Orestes than an adaptation.

That being said, two of the actors, Jennifer Dundas as Elektra/Tyndareus and Thomas Jay Ryan as Helen of Troy/Menelaus/Pylades/Trojan Slave, were amazing and had a wonderful way with the language and a dramatic flair. I also thought it was very well directed by Johanna McKeon.

I'm glad I saw it and it gave me some ideas for a play I've been working on, so it certainly wasn't a waste of time.

Since I've been seeing lots of theater and not writing much, I'm going to write tonight.