July 4, 2009
There's no need to go far to enjoy live theater
By Dugan Radwin
With the thousands of entertainment options people have on their televisions, let alone their computers, it's easy to see how many of us fall into a rut and go years without seeing live shows.
When I was a child, it became a much-anticipated summertime ritual for my father and stepmother in Westchester to take me to a Broadway musical when I visited them after spending the school year in Idaho. For months afterward, I'd blot out the country western and rock music on the radio by obsessively listening to the soundtracks.
But as a student at Bard College, things changed. I found myself hardly visiting the Big Apple at all, let alone seeing Broadway plays. I was busy, and cash flow had become a big concern. After college, I watched and enjoyed a few Broadway shows, but the expense and the logistics made them rare occurrences.
In time I learned to seek out live music, but I had forgotten how much I enjoyed live theater until I moved to northern Dutchess County and discovered the Center for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck.
What this theater lacks in size - it seats only 165 people - it makes up for in impact. Not only are the performances top-notch, but the venue offers a more intimate setting: The actors are often so close you could touch them. Sometimes when they address the audience, they look right at you. Often they even go up into the audience while still in character.
All this dissolves the invisible wall separating the audience from the performers, making the experience more vital. You feel as though you're part of what's going on in a way you can't as part of an enormous crowd.
When I saw "Tommy" at the center last weekend, I was dazzled by the series of set changes that laid the foundation for the story starting during World War II, then advanced it through the subsequent 20 years.
A vibrant ensemble cast took on a variety of roles - singing, dancing and aiding scene transformations. For example, in one scene, as Tommy's parents seek treatment for his disabilities, a group of singing nurses dance as they wheel around doorframes depicting his movement from doctor's office to doctor's office in search of a cure. In other scenes, the ensemble cast moved other props onto the stage and took on other personas, such as a gang of bullies who helped Tommy's cousin torment him.
Tommy at various points balanced precariously on a small table and a pinball machine, repeatedly scaled the two-tiered set, and vanished mysteriously into a mirror only to reappear and exchange places with younger versions of himself -all while delivering a heart-wrenching rendition of the songs.
And to think I would once have stayed home and watched television instead.
For families who can't afford steep Broadway prices, let alone the cost of getting to New York City, local venues such as this center offer a more accessible and affordable option. The smaller settings also provide a greater degree of audience involvement, making them more rewarding to watch.
If you haven't seen any live entertainment lately, look around - it's all over the Hudson Valley. You'll be glad you did.
News & Auditions 