so,
one of the first ideas that came out of bill bragin’s mouth while sitting around the PS planning table..(ok, it wasn’t a planning table it was a bar table)…was “Let’s do a late night show of passing strange, invite a younger-than-the-average- theater-goer audience… and throw a party beforehand so everybody can grease their wheels a bit before sitting for 2 hours and see what happens.”
Well, it happened. And the “what” that happened was without a doubt one of the most electrifying experiences I’ve ever had on any stage: in this play or in any club we’ve performed at.
It really was the hybrid we always dreamed of!!! Joe’s Pub meets Joe’s Theater. I know Hedwig covered similar ground and is a deeply important work of art (without the groundbreaking existence of which, we wouldn’t have even gotten the opportunity to do this) but i don’t think Hedwig had a bunch of actors who weren’t in the band running around doing scenes, dancing about and carrying on while the band did their thing too.
In this play we’ve always talked about wanting to marry the rock club experience with the theater experience. What made this night different was that the ENTIRE audience behaved like members of the wedding.
They were as ready to party as we were.
And if i sound like i’m blowing my horn too much think again: i’m blowing the audience’s horn. You cant have a party without guests. Noel Coward said “i’ve been to a marvelous party” and told you all about it and i was at one last night and i’m telling your ass about it so switch to youtube right now and you can’t hang.
for the record, wednesday kicked ass too in a big way…as did saturday night and both sunday shows. But thursday I will always remember as the night we made our dream come true ON OUR TERMS…
have a drink, loosen your tie and nod your fucking head for chrissakes…what is happening right in front of you is actually happening…
/s
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