A Spanish Play

I read some dismal reviews right before I saw this which scared the heck out of me. I was prepared to walk out half-way, but it was (of course) a one-act. I believe one acts exist because directors and writers fear exactly that situation. Well, for the record, I would not have left given the opportunity.

The play was about the purpose of theater, or more precisely about the role of acting in theater. If you are going to do a play about theater, you may as well present it as cleverly as A Spanish Play: practicing a play within rehearsals of a play within yet another play. Clever and difficult to pull off (if self-absorbed), and yet this was effective.

Good plays don't give an audience answers all the time; sometimes they give questions. Here are some of the questions:

• Where does acting begin and the person end?
  
• What is the difference between movie acting and play acting?
• Is there a difference in the talent required between movies and plays?
• Is luck integral to that difference?
• Do more lines equal the greater part, actually?
• Why do we love it so much?
• How does the theater compare with real life, what is the relationship?

This was a complex play and this is only the tip of the iceberg. The directing probably simplified the play which gave me the patience to sit through it, but it may have put some others off if I read the reviews accurately. The acting was amazing, and I don't think anyone would argue with this cast. The space was pleasant, if a little bit awkward to navigate occasionally.

Here is the hard part, though. If a typical play or theater piece only marginally relates to real life, then this piece barely touches it. A play about plays and acting can only do so much for audiences who do not participate.

This play reminded me of something I noticed years ago while playing music. Some pieces feel great under the fingers, are truly magnificent fun to play, but sound horrid to an audience. Others are boring as hell, terribly awkward under the fingers, but sound marvelous to your audience. There are other permutations of this truth, but I'll leave it simple. This play may well have been the best part an actor could ever have, but it did make it through the fourth wall, no matter how many times the actors broke it. Marvelous to be the one on stage, not nearly so sitting on the sides.

I would not discourage anyone from seeing it, but I would not say you have to see it, either. I think you would find it brilliant if you act yourself. Also, if you want to see Zoe Caldwell--by all means, this is your chance. Also, it is regularly a chance to catch John Turturro in an audience/director seat a few rows away--as I think he believes this play one of the most exciting ever written, but he is an actor--so it all makes sense.