The Politics of Art & Authenticity

Once again out of my element seeing some off-broadway theater and once again trying to enter with an open mind. Wild With Happy was very unique in its plot as well as the way it was performed. The story of Gil and the struggles he faces with the passing of his mother was a touching subject that many can relate to. His Aunt Glo provides a comedic flare to the performance as she yells and trades sarcastic remarks with Gil. Though I did not much care for the majority of the dialogue I was very impressed by the sets. Throughout the performance the coffins from the beginning scenes transformed into a park bench, a closet and even the seats of a car. The innovation exhibited here reflects the versatility as well as the creativity of a the cast and the show as a whole. Even though I’m not the biggest theater buff as I’m sure you could guess from my house divided post,

my mind changed as I wrote this post. As I struggled to find things I liked so this post wasn’t totally negative, I found it harder to find things I disliked. So even though I didn’t love the show I think it would be unwarranted to say that I hated it.

The moment Wild With Happy started I was lost. It started so fast I almost didn’t notice.  The protagonist stood in front of the stage talking a mile a minute.  I became twice as lost when, I was sure, he started acting as a child and they had the church scene.  Yet when I finally figured out what was going on I was amazed, intrigued, and found myself trying to calm myself after laughing a little too hard.

At the moment I cannot find a better word to describe the set other than fascinating.  They seemed to transition from being a church, to a casket shop, to a bedroom, to the park, to two cars on the road, to a hotel room at Disney World with ease.  A lot of this was thanks to the coffins.  At first they confused me.  Gil stated he was leaving the casket shop, so where was he? He was in a room but there were still coffins there.  I thought they were slacking off in leaving the coffins lying around however I was completely mistaken.  I was surprised when the first coffin opened up to a dress, another to a park bench, and the rest to cars.

Without a doubt the acting was something else.  They all were able to portray the character’s emotions to the audience.  In fact, I almost hadn’t noticed that the woman who played Adelaide also played Glo.  I only noticed at the end when Gil was remembering a time when he and Adelaide went to Disney in the past and Glo turned around and stood beside him and her voice completely softened.

Overall I thought it was very humorous.  There were a lot of names dropped however I did not understand all the references.  Still, there were many other things to be cracking up over, most of which was thanks to two characters who gave more than enough comic relief to the play, Mo and Glo.  Aunt Glo at one point while telling Gil how much she hates when relatives come and take the clothes of the deceased directly after they die was taking all of Adelaide’s clothing.  After asking Terry for a glass of water she doesn’t return the water but just takes the glass.  Also what she said also seemed bizarre at times.  For example, at the very beginning she commented about scaling the side of the building just to get into the room.  Mo on the other hand had his own theme song when entering for the first time, he was always flirting with random guys somewhere off in the distance, and made many jokes attempting to cheer up his friend.

My favorite part of this entire play had to be the ending.  First the Cinderella came out and danced and Gil and Mo gained a Cinderella suite and were soon joined by Aunt Glo and Terry.  During the fireworks outside the ashes were released.  It was a beautiful scene, or maybe I’m just saying that because I naturally love anything that has to do with fireworks.  Then the greatest ending occurred. Terry got down on one knee to return Gil’s boot that he accidentally left behind.

At the end when they actually said “wild with happy” I felt like Peter Griffin.  In one episode I recall him saying something about loving when they say the title of something in the work.  However, it was a little unexpected.  The title Wild With Happy made me think this play would be entirely different.  Yet this does not change the fact that it was still an outstanding performance and well written play.

Source

http://www.playbill.com/images/photo/c/o/colmanopen200.jpg

The play, Wild with Happy, takes the viewer on a journey to explore the concept of death and funeral arrangements. The play depicts Gil, a gay man, struggling with grief about what to do to his mother’s death.

He lives paycheck to paycheck and cannot bear the costs of the expensive caskets the salesman is trying to sell him. He is faced with the decision of either shelling out the high cost for a casket or cremating his mother against the wishes of his other family.He chooses the latter, and infuriates Aunt Glo, his mother’s sister, because she feels like her sister isn’t receiving a proper burial.

The play is simply brilliant! It is hilarious and entertaining. It is by far my favorite performance that we have seen this year. I loved the witty humor and the jokes that Gil would crack. It has a very creative use of stage props. An example would be how the caskets would fold out into a bench or a car. Another strikingly unique thing about this play is that it only has four actors! I believe that these four actors did a magnificent job of portraying their roles.

I was surprised that the play had a happy ending because I was expecting conflict between Aunt Glo and Gil.  I thought Gil would be furious that Aunt Glo planted a tracking device on him, while Aunt Glo would be furious that she had to follow Gil for a lenghty journey down to Disney Land. Colman Domingo, the actor who played Gil and the writer of the play, does a wonderful job of making a serious topic like funerals a laughing matter. Aunt Glo did a brilliant job on acting out her part of going on tirades about things. She was hilarious and I loved listening to her voice. She has a distinct voice that is easy to listen to like Morgan Freeman’s voice.

Image Source: http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2012/10/24/arts/24wild/24wild-popup.jpg

When the curtains first parted on the set of “Wild with Happy,” I was surprised to see the backdrop of a funeral home. Wasn’t this supposed to be a play about happiness? But as the play progressed, I came to appreciate the subtle genius behind the characters and the set itself. I learned that any situation can be put

into perspective if you recall and relive a time when you were completely wild with happy.

Although the entire play uses just four actors, each one has such a unique and powerful presence that any more would be overwhelming. I found myself continuously laughing out loud at the antics of each of the characters. Because all the actors were so strong, the minimalism of the set worked perfectly to allow them to do their thing. The prop coffins were hilariously reconfigured to signify location changes. They were turned into everything fromclosets to park benches. This also conveyed the sense that although death itself is a serious thing, there is a way to view it as an opportunity to remember the things that are really important.

The main character, Gil is in a rut. He has no job or boyfriend, and his mother, who raised him single-handedly, has just died. However, over the course of the play, by realizing that all his mother wanted for herself, and for him, was to be wild with happy, he reconnects with his aunt and his friend, and allows himself to appreciate life again.

I think that’s all we really want. Just one single moment when we can forget our insecurities, our frustrations, and our grief. When we can lose ourselves and feel utterly, and unashamedly, wild with happy.

This summer, I went to War Horse in the Lincoln Center Theater. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend Wild With Happy tonight, and after reading the reviews, I really feel like I missed out. 🙁

On the bright side, War Horse was a really great production. It is about a horse who finds his way back to the boy who raised him, despite the war he was enlisted in and the evil drunkard father. In short, it was the classic fee good story about a child and his animal, remaining together through every possible deterrent.

What was incredible about the play was how the stage brought the horse to life. In the beginning, it was a little pony, with four men controlling each limb and one man standing in the back swishing the tail.

But then, in a flourish, the horse grew up. And all of the sudden, there was this massive magical wooden phenominon trotting across the stage. It was breathtakingly beautiful, second only to an actual majestic horse. And that would not have been possible.

It was so clear how much love and care went into each movement. Every step the horse took throughout the entire show had to be perfectly choreographed between the 5 men, every shudder that went down the horses spine took three people moving the right fraction at the right second. Literally every movement a horse would make was mimicked, all “t”s crossed and “i”s dotted.

To me, there is a common denominator between all of the productions we have seen, and that is the amount of effort that goes into them. It is so obvious to me that the more work that gets put into something, the more natural, simple, and beautiful it becomes.

Its like my grandmother says, the best makeup is when it doesn’t look like your wearing any.

Maybe this is soppy, but it is an inspiration for me to work hard. Because in the end of the day, hard work pays off. And War Horse proved that to me.

I really didn’t know how to react at first, after watching “Wild With Happy.” It took a few minutes to process what I had just watched for ninety minutes. The play is written by Colman Domingo, who also stars in it as Gil. It was awesome and cool, yet also interesting and strange. I’ll admit I was confused at some parts, but in retrospect, I understand and appreciate the play much better.

The show felt different from others we’ve seen, and a lot had to do with the theater. It was small and intimate, as opposed to the large theaters with hundreds (or thousands) of seats we’ve  been to and sat in the top seats, binocular-view away from the stage. It was that type of play, where you feel like the actors are looking at you in the eye. The theater was so small that Gil went running off the stage and screaming in middle of the audience.

My favorite part of the play was definitely the abundant humor and jokes. From the beginning to the end, the audience did not stop laughing at the witty comments. I also loved how there were only four actors, and they were superb. I mean, I really felt bad for Aunt Glo – her throat must be killing from all that screaming. I felt Gil’s pain like it were mine, and I sympathized with his woes. The actors’ emotion and gestures was what made the difference. Gil’s facial expressions said everything; Aunt Glo’s manic behavior defined her character.

The unexpected ending was the only part of the play that was wild with happy, but it tied up the play very well, and left the audience with a good happy feeling.

Wild With Happy is simply brilliant. From the timely jokes, long-winded monologues, and impassioned speeches, every aspect of this play was perfected. Written and starred in by Colman Domingo, Wild With Happy depicts the months leading up to and the days following the death of, the main character, Gilbert’s mother. The production focuses around the ideas of dreaming, hoping, happiness, and experiencing life, interestingly, all illustrated in the face of death.

The theatre was small, which made the play feel intimate. At first I was taken back by how close I was to the actors (I’m used to the “nosebleeds”), but after about ten minutes I felt right at home. Probably the must intriguing aspect to Wild With Happy was the set design. The set for most of the production contained several coffins, even when the setting was in a home. It was as if O’Hara, the director, was suggesting when you lose someone you love, everything reminds you of death. The coffins turned out to be very versatile as the play progressed. They broke down into dressers, drawers, benches, and even car seats. They were used appropriately as scenes changed. The projection of maps, quotes, and the use of lighting made the scenes lively. Particularly worth mentioning is the Disney scenes, where quotes were drawn across the backdrop. This gave the scene a magical feel.

The acting is also definitely worth mentioning. Glo’s long winded retorts and comments provided timely comic relief as well as playing an important role in delivering the play’s themes. Gilbert’s opening monologue was fantastic as were all of his soliloquies. In particular I liked his opening monologue where he appeared out of nowhere.

All in all, a phenomenal play. Possibly the best I’ve ever seen.

courtesy of publictheatre.org