I am not going to lie. I hate phonies and people who put on airs. I hate everything about them. Perhaps this is why I loved the Bald Soprano.
I believe I fell in love with the play the moment I heard the first “cluck” from the gentlemen as the simpering women yammered on constantly. This is what I enjoyed particularly- all the yammering. The script, while albeit completely unconventional and at all times nonsensical- contained an artistic value that was too real to ignore. I felt that the inarticulate babble that spewed constantly from these people’s lips was extremely similar to inane chatter I find myself immersed in whenever I visit my extended family. These people in the show tried to put up the appearance that they were these lovely people in “the suburbs of London” when in reality they were nothing more than some people who were as lost as anyone else, and who were extremely replaceable as was illustrated in the end of the show. But what I especially loved was the set. The fact that the entire thing was upside down was marvelous and I think it really illustrated the central theme that these people were trying and failing to keep up the appearance of being normal. The infernal clock that kept chiming, a ridiculous number of chimes may I add, simply added to the effect that there was something really wrong with the whole scene. I enjoyed everything so much I didn’t even mind the awkward proximity the audience was seated in in relation to the stage.
This play was perfect to perform in New York. Don’t get me wrong, I love New York and I think it’s the best place in the world to be, but this play definitely related to those putrid Manhattanites that host their own pretentious dinner parties in their two million dollar townhouses. They are a dime a dozen, people seeking desperately to conform to society’s accepted doctrine. I think this play does an apt job of mimicking the language they use and how false it is.
So yes, I loved every confusing, muddled and garbled second of this crazy show. I especially loved the moment where everything broke down and they were screaming without any rationality. I believed that that moment was a true expression of humanity-we can all pretend to be something that we aren’t, but honestly how long is it until we all just break down and scream “cascades of caca”?
