edge, bodies, etc.

Jerry has this new thing when it comes to general admission theater seating -- he loves being first row center.  We did that recently for True West and Neighbors, and being on the edge of the action in those cases added to the reality of the experience, especially in True West where beer cans and typewriters are being thrown around the stage.

Last night, the play was The Edge of Our Bodies at the Guthrie Theater.  Our tickets were complimentary once again because the Guthrie now generously lists me as a "blogger" (hence, a media presence?).  There are three theaters at the Guthrie, and this play was in the Dowling Studio, on the ninth floor of the building, a smaller space than the other two stages, focusing more on new or cutting-edge works.

The Edge of Our Bodies, written by Adam Rapp, is mostly a one-woman play, featuring Ali Rose Dachis (pictured above) as Bernadette, a "coming of age" 16-year-old.  The story is interesting, but what makes the show is her riveting and intense performance as we see the change in her...

..Which brings me back to us sitting in the front row.   The actress is literally ten or twenty feet in front of us, and I feel sometimes that she is making direct eye contact with me, and I'm sure other people feel that too.  I look at Jerry, and his eyes are closed... I nudge him several times.... Does he think she doesn't see him sleeping?  He tells me  later that he was not asleep, but how would this actress know if he is asleep or not?  Or do actors on a stage not really pay attention to what audience members are doing?  Despite nudging him and watching him fidget, I definitely enjoyed the play, though.  We just need to re-think the front row thing.