Sunday, April 02, 2006

The Full Monty

I spent Friday night with my Mom. She had tickets to The Full Monty in Carmel and needed a date. Always one for theater and spending some QT with my mom, I agreed to accompany her even though I had my reservations. My take on community theater is that it is generally painful to watch. . .not as painful as, say, Community Access Television but that's another blog post entirely.

So we find our front row seats and I am thinking, "I might get an eye poked out when they disrobe." We are that close. The curtain goes up and the play begins and about 2 minutes into it, they break out into song.

Hold up. This is a musical!?

I nudge my mother and whisper, "You didn't tell me this is a musical." She kind of shrugs her shoulders and smiles. I have been tricked into seeing a musical! No. Let me amend that: a community theater musical. I thought I would see naked guys not naked singing guys. Oh, the horror.

(Side Note: Opera is not musical theater to me because they sing everything, not break out into song at odd moments. Opera makes sense. And sure, I have a shameful love of Fast Forward and Grease 2 but those are movies. I don't have to sit in a community theater and feel embarrassed for the actors when I watch them. It's different. At least in my mind it is.)

So the play continues and I try to overlook that there is so much singing. (That is really hard to do when it is a m-u-s-i-c-a-l mind you.) It isn't that it is necessarily bad singing but the scenes where it is supposed to be poignant and moving just makes me squirm in my seat with discomfort. I can take campy, frivolous singing. I can take singing in a play for the sake of humor. I can. Really. Just please hold the sap.

I will admit though that the play was a hoot. The acting wasn't bad and the ending was wild and fun. They really did go the full monty. Sure, they shut the lights off at the exact moment they all ripped their red g-strings off but I could see. Oh yes, I could see plenty.

Seeing naked singing men on a Friday night with your mom. How many people can say they've done that?

(Thanks for the date mom!)

10 comments:

Anthony S. said...

I agree; musicals lose their poignancy whenever they start singing about serious issues such as poverty and AIDS. It just loses that serious tone, and I can't really get into it.

It's even worse when they start singing about everyday things, such as bathing or clipping your toenails; by then it's time to stop. I had to watch a musical version of the writing of the Declaration of Independence in high school (I think it was called 1776) and while they were writing in a big stuffy room, the song started with, "Somebody open up a wiiiiindooooooow!"

Been scarred ever since.

Bre said...

So did you get poked in the eye? Or close? because really, I'm always up for community theater....

Melissa said...

I'm with you on the musical front. I've never understood their appeal; that being said I know all the words to all the songs in Fiddler on the Roof...

Seriously, who doesn't love If I Were a Rich Man?

JustRun said...

I'm a sucker for a good musical. (Emphasis on the word GOOD though).

And by seeing naked singing men with your mom I believe you've now earned the right to say you've done it all.

Nihilistic said...

What about Annie? I LOVE that movie! The one with Carol Burnette (SP?) in it. She does an awesome part in that movie!!

Where was your camera when it counts? ;)

Mrs. Ca said...

Sounds like fun! I actually like musicals, and the best I've seen so far (it's a tie) are Spamalot and Avenue Q. I think those two plays may change your mind about musicals.

Anonymous said...

I just can't say no to Singin' in the Rain. Love it!

However, I pretty much hate all other musicals - exceptin' Grease, of course.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, that's something I'd prefer to NEVER be able to say I saw with my mom.

You really had no idea it was a musical?

hannahhas said...

Sizz- you would do anything to see some nekked men wouldn't you? AND you didn't invite me... I'll try and get over it.
:)

Sounds like it was fun, but I get what you mean about the musicals... you really do have to change your mindset about the entire thing, less your mind override every note sung with the desire to yell "Corny!"

(Please never let me use the word "corny" ever again.)

B Merrick said...

I really don't think I will ever understand your complete aversion to musicals. Makes no sense to me and I am not even a musical fan. But you hate them without even giving them a try. Reminds me of your disdain for country music...

hmmmm

i guess it's safe to say you won't be seeing the musical version of 9 to 5 with me in New York...