A little history of past playgoing

My personal involvement behind the scenes with community theatre is a relatively new phenomenon; my undertakings as a novice playwright are newer yet. But I have long been a supporter of and enthusiastic participant in the live theater experience.

I've dredged my memory, and as far as I can recall, the first play that qualified as memorable for me was the production of the musical "The Sound of Music" done by the orchestra and the choir members of my high school in Mt. Lebanon, Pa. when I was a tenth grader.

(We'll set aside the fact that my fourth grade teacher picked two newcomers -- me and Lynn somebody -- to play the King and Queen in a school play at Markham Elementary, made immensely more stressful because the two of us had to kiss on-stage. And oh, yes, I was Francis Scott Key in a patriotic historical play in sixth grade. Later, at church, I got to play Ebenezer Scrooge for two years running.)

I think "Sound of Music" stuck not only because it was a good production, but because though I was a member of the chorus that year, I was forbidden due to the alleged load of homework to participate in the play. I enjoyed it from the audience, but there was probably also that feeling of "I'm supposed to be up there somehow."

Fortunately, my parents lightened up and not only allowed me to get active with a barbershop quartet for junior and senior years, but to be involved with the chorus' "variety show" junior year (the budget only allowed a full-blown musical every two years) -- and then, because the director had always wanted to do "Music Man" and had a built-in quartet, I was on-stage senior year to continue my theatrical education.

After that, however, I have rarely been on-stage. I enjoyed being a member of the "jury" in Gilbert & Sullivan's "Trial by Jury" while attending Allegheny College in Meadville, Pa. But it was my experience when I was drafted to play a bartender in a student's directing project that I learned how little my brain was attuned to the concept of memorizing and repeating lines. Like so many other things in my life (like plumbing, for instance), I have since decided to leave that kind of work to the professionals.

By this time, however, I was sold on attending the theater, and remember several excellent shows at college and immediately after graduation, including "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" when it was still new. And then, my girlfriend, then fiance, then wife in shows such as "Romeo and Juliet" and "Same Time, Next Year." It was for her birthday one year that we made our first venture into mid-town Manhattan to see our first Broadway show, the original cast of "Annie." In later life, we have been there many a time.

We have seen so many shows since then, and my wife has the large box full of programs to prove it. So I am not going to give an exhaustive list of everything, but will try to hit the highlights -- the most memorable or influential events we've taken in during 30 years of playgoing.

Though we saw many plays during our time in Pittsburgh from 1978 to 1986, and Kathy acted in quite a few as well, two particular shows stick in my mind as being the ones that suggested to me that plays could have a power to unsettle you, challenge you and remind you long afterwards that you had been impacted. One was a Pittsburgh Playhouse presentation of Sam Shepard's "Buried Child," and the other was a much smaller production of Amlin Gray's "How I Got That Story." I like sweet, warm stories or even a well-done dramedy as much as the next guy, but every now and then, one should have the guts to get shaken up.

The list of good-to-great Broadway viewings is long, but given that in high school and college, I was a diehard Eugene O'Neill fan (to the point of writing several plays in the style which were fortunately lost in the sands of time), it should be no surprise that three of my favorites were revival productions of his works.

There's only been one time I can recall in my theater going when I literally cried at the end of a play not so much because of the material in the play itself, but because the production came so close to a long-nurtured vision of how that play might be done on stage. That would be O'Neill's "The Iceman Cometh," which starred Kevin Spacey but possibly had the greatest ensemble of characters I've seen until the recent "August: Osage County" (and New York magazine keeps saying Letts' play is 'what O'Neill would be writing if he was alive today.')

"Iceman" had a great set on a raked stage, actors including Paul Giamatti, Robert Sean Leonard, Tony Danza and the less-known but nonetheless fine Katie Finneran and Tim Pigott-Smith. From top to bottom, it has not been overcome by anything else I've seen ... yet.

Later on, Spacey revived "Moon for the Misbegotten" and brought it from the Old Vic to Broadway, along with the awesome Eve Best as Josie. Once again, wow.

And then there was "Long Day's Journey into Night," which offered Brian Dennehy, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Robert Sean Leonard and the amazing Vanessa Redgrave. Long, intense, and again, meeting up well with my expectations.

Setting aside O'Neill, I have to note several musicals for their impact, even if anyone who knows me would understand that as a general rule, I am not the biggest fan of traditional musicals. And there are certainly some I've seen that I either disliked, was bored by or (in the case of "Phantom of the Opera") were an expensive excuse for a nap. Even my wife, one of the world's greatest musical fans, agreed with me that "Mamma Mia" and "The Fantasticks" made one wish for an easy refund system. Though I enjoyed "Beauty and the Beast" and "The Lion King," I found a little bit of disappointment in "The Producers" and "Spamalot."

But for overall impact, the revival of "Cabaret" that was done at Studio 54 is that rare musical (for me) in which the music makes sense and the story isn't namby-pamby, cloying nonsense that tells you nothing. The stark, scary visual image created for the final moments of this production sticks with me to this day, as even the Emcee becomes one of those undesirables shipped to the ovens of Nazi Germany.

Other fine B'way musicals we've caught include the revival of Sondheim's "Into the Woods," and then the intriguing productions of two other Sondheim's shows, "Sweeney Todd" and "Company." For me, Sondheim has become an acquired taste -- but the idea of making the performers and musicians the same thing puts something new in the mix that I found entertaining.

We've also gotten a kick out of "Avenue Q" and the incredible energy of "Spring Awakening."

But perhaps the most influential play of recent years was "Rent." Seeing it for the first time on Broadway was the closest thing to a rock concert with a story I've ever encountered. Along with "Spring Awakening," I think it is also highly important to the theatre because, more than anything else in recent years, it has drawn the attention and affection of younger people -- without whom live theater is in some serious trouble.

And equally, perhaps the most wildly successful musical since "Rent" has been the immensely fun "Wicked." Though I rarely listen to other musicals, I have lots of cuts from these two soundtracks on my Ipod regularly.

Other Broadway highlights: "The Real Thing" (marking the first time we saw a show that later won Tony Awards); "The Little Dog Laughed"; and "I Am My Own Wife."

We've seen quite a bit in Washington, DC in recent years, especially after Andy moved there in late summer of 2006. I have been especially impressed -- and not just because of the lighting designer -- by both the plays and the productions of the Journeymen Theater company. "After Darwin" at the Church Street Theater, and "Getting Out," across the river in Arlington, made the very most of smallish theaters, in acting, sets and direction. Kudos!

Closer to home, I've already stated that we enjoy our season tickets to Greensboro's Triad Stage. They're not always winners, but they are nearly always well worth seeing. Among my recent favorites there are "Tobacco Road," "Master Harold ... and the Boys," "The Diary of Anne Frank," "The Rainmaker," and their production of "Moon for the Misbegotten." Among others.

We are also blessed with the National Black Theatre Festival, held every two years in Winston-Salem. Among many others, we would probably never have seen Avery Brooks as Paul Robeson in a one-man show, or a powerhouse production of "Topdog/Underdog" by Suzan-Lori Parks, without the NBTF.

The local North Carolina School of the Arts has presented us with a number of wonderful viewing opportunities as well, though none so impactful for me as two by Moises Kaufman: "Gross Indecencies: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde" (also produced in D.C.) and "The Laramie Project."

And then there was the awesome 50th anniversary production of "West Side Story." Ahhhh ... so special.

There's other theatre groups around, too, such as Theatre Alliance -- often challenging the audience --and Winston-Salem Little Theatre, Open Space in Greensboro and others. Perhaps the most fun event recently among these was the co-production of the musical "The Full Monty." And the most intriguing, Tracy Lett's "Bug" at Theatre Alliance.

Finally, of course, there is the group with whom we are most actively involved, the Kernersville Little Theatre. It is a pleasure to say that it is a rarity to see anything actually agonizing, which is more than some of the other groups we frequent can say. For the budgets and the tools and the all-volunteer "staff," KLT consistently does a fine job of involving community in plays that are worth seeing. Way more times than not, I leave the theater there with a smile on my face.

That being said, my favorite of recent years is the well-written and touching "Grace & Glorie." I so enjoy the intimate space of Korner's Folly each year, and this was perhaps the most pleasing overall production in several years. For me.