So, the show is still going remarkably well. The cast have gotten comfortable in their parts--comfortable enough to experiment with hamming every now and then--the pace is nice and fast, and perhaps most importantly, the audiences have been coming. Seriously: it's like the Tokyo subway in there.
Still, there's a part of me--albeit a small part, and it's shrinking every day--that wonders if this was the right thing to do. I mean, is mounting a white trash trailer park Chriskwaanzukkah musical responsible or respectful just three months after nearly everyone in the audience has endured the worst natural disaster in US history?
Luckily, the answer I arrive at every time is "Yes." In fact, "Hell, yes!" These days, New Orleanians are inundated (no pun intended) with information about Katrina and recovery efforts via TV, internet, radio, internet radio, newspapers, magazines, billboards, and broadsides. We see the storm's effects first-hand as we repair our houses and drive through neighborhoods still marked with high-water lines on our way to the suburbs for groceries. Sure, there's rebuilding going on, and the city's reinventing itself faster than nearly anyone imagined, but we've still got a ways to go before we move from our current broken eggs to the metaphorical omelette. An hour of theatrical escapism is clearly what many folks need right now.
Of course, that won't stop others from criticizing. I've already heard rumors that some theatre folks are bitter about our committment to comedy and our refusal to acknowledge Katrina onstage--to which I say, "If you feel so strongly about it, do it your own damn self." Me and the people I work with, we do funny. Drama--especially social drama--ain't in our bag of tricks. Sure, we could give it a try, but I can guarantee it'd be a load of junk. Besides, given all the horrendous theatre, dance, and other art we saw after September 11, I'm sure there'll be a similar load of Katrina-inspired crap on the market soon. Just give it a month.
