City Crasher: The Show Must Go On…Just Where Is the Show?

It is extremely humbling when a 15-year-old tells me, hands on hips, “You don’t know Wicked? Do you live under a rock?”

Well, not exactly, but I’m not up to date on my Broadway musicals. I never read the book, nor have I listened to the soundtrack. I know the premise, and that’s about it. Some call this sacrilege, but I live several hundred miles away from the next performance of Wicked, to my knowledge. I’m not going to see it. I’m sorry.

What this conversation did accomplish, though, was remembering back to when I used to frequent the theatre circles. I was a stage crew gal in high school. I’ve been to Shea’s and Studio Arena. I’ve seen Shakespeare in Delaware Park. This conversation reminded that we really do have a strong theatre pulse in Buffalo. When I lived out of state, I went to the local theatre. Why did I ever stop? What is wrong with me? Buffalo has the best arts than any town I’ve been in. It’s one of the greatest communities out there. I’m proud of our theatre. So, perhaps I need to return.

I’m really excited about upcoming events in TOY (Theatre of Youth) on Allen Street. Yes, its for kids, but come on! The Secret Garden. I mean, I still have a tape of it around my house. In fact, I might watch it today, and at TOY.  They also need some help with a concept production. It’s a new series called The Secret Life of Girls. It’s for teenagers, about bullying in person and through technology. I work with a lot of youth, and they have to deal with a lot of bullying. We might shy from that issue, ignoring it, or telling a youth to get over it, but remember this: Teenagers have no tact. They can be quite cruel. A lot of the torment in highschool can affect them for the rest of their lives. Besides, adults who roll their eyes were merely teased a lot and had no one to help them. THey’re bitter. They wish they had a production like TOY’s The Secret Life of Girls. It runs February 11-19. Spread the word on this one folks. Also, parents… stay with me, I know it might be shocking, but perhaps this is something you could do WITH your child.

So this search of mine, has brought me through a bunch of places. I’m thinking Studio Arena. They’ve got a musical based on the life of Bat Boy. My inner geek and B-movie fanatic just did a happy jig for the Weekly World News spinoff. Bat Boy. Amazing. There’s also the classic To Kill a Mockingbird, one of the greatest books of all time in play form. I’m most excited about David Hare’s The Vertical Hour. It’s a play about sexual politics in Iraq and America. It’s controversial and political. I’ll be elbowing to the front of the ticket line. I’m not kidding. I’d knock someone over for good theatre. It runs March 11-30.

Shea’s Theatre. It’s not just theatre. It’s a performing arts center. It’s huge. It’s likely to be the most well known of the theatres in Buffalo. Probably the most expensive as well. Then again, when a venue gives me Tori Amos, Lewis Black, Harry Potter, Phil Lesh, OctoBEERfest and Frog and Toad, it might be worth it. I’m most excited about Frog and Toad. It might be because of Lobel’s story. This is his daughter’s vision. It’s a musical on her father’s tales of Frog and Toad. It’s starting soon, October 19-21. Maybe I’m a sucker for good childhood stories.

So, here’s my predictament in Buffalo theatre. There are so many places to go to and so little time. There’s a theatre group in Snyder Square called O’Connell and Company. There’s the Lancaster Opera House, and a players group. There’s the Alleyway Theatre. Our entertainment district is phenominal in Buffalo. We’ve got the Market Arcade. There’s BUA (Buffalo United Artists). The Irish Classical Music Theatre. Buffalo Night’s Theatre. Buffalo Ensemble Theatre. The Fredonia Opera House. New Phoenix Theatre On the Park. The Reg Lenna Civic Center. Palace Theatre. Kavinoky. Starry Night Theatre & the Ghostlight Theatre (NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD!), Artpark, the Jewish Repertory Theatre, the Olean community theatre…

I haven’t even scratched the surface of theatre in Western New York. Have you supported your local high school productions? They work hard and it shows. I haven’t even mentioned community productions that aren’t a part of a business or organization. Community, spontaneous theatre. Suberversive, underground theatre. Street performance…

So I tip my hat to drama in buffalo. I’ll be a patron of one of the oldest traditions of mankind. I’ll keep you all updated on what I see.

Fast Facts:

Oh just Google the names, for the love of Pete. I dropped 21 names. Consider it a challenge. Or take this challenge: I’ll see you when the curtains go up.

Posted by on 10/09 at 02:21 PM