Nov 18 2012
Wild With Happy
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I’ve been putting off responding to Wild With Happy partially because I have so much work and partially because I have no idea how I felt about it. There were so many moments during the production that I saw everyone around me laughing hysterically and I just wasn’t amused. I understood the jokes but I just didn’t find them funny. Towards the end I was able to chuckle a little, but for the majority of the production I just wasn’t entertained.
The ending explaining the connection between the title and story was corny but almost cute. I wasn’t sure why Gil was so displeased with his mother and her fantasies. It’s probably because I can relate a little bit to her and I’m impulsive regarding all the things that make me happy. I also love Disney World and Cinderella’s castle so… I was glad to see Gil accept his mother for the first time even though it was too late for her to see this change in her son’s opinions.
The plot line was definitely interesting. The crazy aunt was hilarious. Her angry rants and hand motions were absolutely hysterical. The stage props and setup were beautiful as well. Especially the last scene recreating Cinderella’s castle… I could see all the time and hard work that went into making that happen. Even earlier on, the multiple uses for the coffins were impressive. They were regular coffins at some point, then transformed into closets, benches, and were they used as cars as well?? Regardless, whoever was in charge of making that all happen deserves an incredible amount of recognition. The time, effort, and creativity put into all the props almost made up for my distaste of the production itself.
It’s safe to say Wild With Happy wasn’t my favorite of the productions we’ve attended, but I’ve learned that I can always find something positive in these things even if I didn’t find them amusing. My reaction to the production probably also has something to do with my lack of sleep and cranky edge. At the time, I was naturally inclined to hate everything and everyone I encountered so maybe my judgment was slightly clouded.
First of all I think we all felt the same way that night. Second of all this post has Princess Jacky written all over it. And thirdly I completely agree with the jokes and set. The jokes were kind of obvious to me and deserved a chuckle at best. But the set was simply beautiful and creative in it’s changes.