Human-sized Lizards in Boston
I have always imagined that I would like to write book reviews and theater reviews. I wonder how different they would be if written by a blind person. Well, here goes my first try.
I should start by saying that I might be a little biased. My husband and I have been invited to be on the board of the Boston theater company Zeitgeist Stage Company. David Miller, the founder of this theater company, has single handedly taken on the challenge of pulling me gently over the threshold of serious theater. I have always been one of those people who wanted to leave a theater singing a catchy tune and feeling good about life. I did not want to spend money and then leave feeling thoughtful about life. With tiny gentle little pulls and a few not so gentle shoves David opened my mind to serious and even fringe theater. I have had personal tours of many sets and lots of after theater discussions. I now feel like I can actually discuss serious theater and maybe even contribute real thoughts on the subject. So this may not be an actual review, it might be more of a description of my experience.
Zeitgeist Stage Company is currently presenting Sea Scape by Edward Albee. This is not the two act play that Americans are familiar with but the original three act play. This is a three hour adventure through the relationships of two couples. One is your normal middle-aged couple spending a holiday on a beach. Nancy is proclaiming how she would like to spend the next part of her life and Charlie is trying to read his book and answer when absolutely necessary. Another couple, human-sized lizards, happens upon their beach. The lizards are frightened off by an airplane and Charlie and Nancy find themselves sitting on the bottom of the ocean. The lizards rejoin Charlie and Nancy and the two couples begin to explore one another. All this exploring leads to everyone finding out more than they expect about each other. Nancy and Charlie try to explain evolution to Sara and Lesley, the lizards. The interactions and conversations make you think about yourself and your own relationships. The dialogue is real and helps you identify with the players. You find pieces of yourself in all four characters. The lizards try coming back on shore with Nancy and Charlie but things don't quite work out. All this lizard business has changed Charlie and Nancy and now they have to sort out their new outlook on life and each other.
The three hours are over much too soon. You want to stay on that beach and see what happens next. I didn't even need the coffee I fortified myself with before the show.
I had my tour of the beach complete with hundreds of pounds of sand spread over the stage, and I met Lesley the lizard and had the opportunity to explore the costume. David makes his plays very accessible to people who are visually impaired. As a member of his board I hope to help the low vision community expand their access to live theater.
Take my advice and visit www.zeitgeiststage.com to learn more about the upcoming shows and you still have time to visit the beach at the Boston Center for the Arts.
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