Tuesday, September 21
7:00pm performance
Oh Lord, it’s already been a month since I saw Pitmen Painters and just haven’t had time to write about it. The details are a bit fuzzy now, but I did enjoy the play. The first act moves along quickly, the clever, laugh-out-loud dialogue milking the fish-out-of-water premise without relying too much on cliché. It felt like a cross between a very good American sitcom and an episode of Masterpiece Theatre (in a good way). Although I do remember thinking, “Why are they yelling so much?” The closing moment of act one is beautiful, and because of that, act two never quite surpasses the expectation it sets.
I especially identify with the idea that artistic ability and appreciation for art is something intrinsically part of human nature. Though wealth and class increase accessibility, everyone possesses the potential. Deep stuff for sure.
The play is by the book writer of Billy Elliott the Musical and in my opinion, Pitman is a far better piece of theater. I actually think Billy Elliott would work much better as a play. They should just scrap the second-rate score (sorry Elton) altogether or have Ahrens & Flaherty compose a new one. I think their stylistic mix of broad anthems peppered with intimate ballads would work much better with the material. I can’t believe I’m saying this about Elton John, but his BE score is pretty tuneless and forgettable.
No comments:
Post a Comment