the final two?

As we theater aesthetes know, there is no specific formula for figuring out if a show is going to be a winner before you see it. It' s fairly easy to spot a dog from a mile away - a poorly written/cheesy synopsis, actors/writers/directors you think are lame and underachieving theater companies can save you from an hour or two of blah. But some shows remind me of that quote about a girl looking like a piece by a certain painter: cute from far away but ugly up close. (I'm thinking it was a Picasso, but wouldn't a painting by Seurat make more sense?)

Last week I went to see the last two shows I'm reviewing before pregnancy. They'll be the last two reviews I'll ever write for offoffonline, and, possibly, my last two reviews ever. While I wouldn't say that they were zeros, they weren't exactly perfect 10s, or even modest 7s.

offoffonline: review of Say Your Prayers, Mug!

offoffonline: review of The House of Yes

There was no guarantee that my last-ever review would be of a show that was phenomenal, but I guess I was hoping for that.

Now, this isn't to say that I won't see any more theater between now and whenever this baby decides to come. I'd really like to see Young Frankenstein, mostly because I'm a huge fan of the film rather than the fact that it'll be such a big musical to-do. Of course, with my upcoming emigration from Manhattan to Queens, and paying off debt before I stop drawing a salary, and what looks to be a month or two of griping about how huge I am and how much my back hurts, the cost of a ticket as well as the physical cost of a trip to Times Square is kinda prohibitive. (When am I gonna start getting comps to big shows already?! *jk*)

So, I'll be focusing on my Advertising Copywriting Class at NYU (through 11/8), and procrastinating about writing up a spec script for Scriptapalooza, despite the fact that I already have a great idea in outline form. I'll also read other people's reviews and miss writing them. Then I'll have to remind myself that being published means finding a show, setting aside time to see it, figuring out travel to the theater and dinner beforehand, keeping myself awake (especially tough these days), and forcing myself to write 500 words about it before too much time goes by. Laziness will beat down the pangs of nostalgia.

Happy Tuesday, everybody!