Doing the unnatural naturally in 5959

I have been to Broadway shows and Shakespeare in the park performances, but never really to a small theatre production. Honestly, I thought it would just be a smaller version of a Broadway show (I was even expecting some dances).  As soon as I saw the small stage (and thought “Oh well no dancing”) and the seats (which were really all good) I figured this was going to be very different, and I wasn’t sure I understood what the whole point was.  Then it started and I got it.

There were few characters, no side stories, and hardly any variation of scenery, yet the acting (or most of it) was real, emotional, and raw, in a way that a popular Broadway blockbuster can never be.  The connection the actors made with the audience was very clear as they created an atmosphere in the theatre of suspense, fear, sadness, love, and humor all mixed together.  They got the audience hooked on the storyline and made them invested in the characters feelings and lives.

This experience shed some light on the artistry of good acting.  I found that since we were so close to the actors, I not only heard how they said their lines, but also saw their face expressions and body language.  This gave me the chance to notice the difference between good acting and bad.  It also made me appreciate the good acting all the more once I saw what it entailed.  The actors who seemed like they were not acting, the ones who showed their emotion and conveyed feeling effortlessly (like Tony and Joey) were the ones I felt were the best.  Others, seemed a bit stilted and stiff, their tone was off in certain scenes or their vocabulary was not natural enough, those were the actors that fell short.

What have I got out of this theatre outing? I think I figured out one of the main components of a good actor – doing the unnatural naturally. And now I know that its a lot harder than it looks.