Tensions in the Neighbourhood - Clybourne Park!

Sunday evening I took my husband and friend AM to see Clybourne Park at the Citadel.  I had seen it a week or so earlier at the Dress Rehearsal, but I was eager to see it again now that the cast had had a bit of time in front of an audience.  With the kinds of jokes in the piece, getting a feel for the audience is really important.  I imagine each night is dramatically different as it has jokes that are going to land a lot different on a Tuesday night as compared to a Saturday. 

I really liked it in the dress rehearsal. The first act made me cry and that completely caught me off-guard.  I was equally impressed with the second act, but in a very different way emotionally. But I LOVED it last night.  It's such a well tuned ensemble and the script is so, so sharp.  I love that everyone is so present, listening as well as striving to be heard. Some of my favorite moments are actually watching the characters when they aren't talking as they deliver a single look and you know exactly what they are thinking. When their characters are unlikeable, they don't hold back.  That takes courage and trust to do.  Also, everyone seems so perfectly cast, which is a challenge when you consider that they each play two very different characters in each of the acts.

It was also fun sharing it with Mark and AM.  As the house lights came up at intermission, AM says to me, "Ah, so nice to see such good acting." She, like myself, sees a lot of theatre and is perhaps even harder to please so that is high praise. We had fun dancing through the decades with the intermission music (both have requested that I try to get them a copy of the playlist).  Very clever choice of director James MacDonald to take us from 1959 to 2009.  We also talked of the act, and I was careful not to give away any spoilers of what is coming.

And then, after the explosive, hilarious second act, we spent a good 20 minutes talking about the play in the lobby afterwards. AM had a long drive home though, so it couldn't be longer than that. Mark and I however, talked about it all the way home.  Mark's claim, "I know every single one of those people!" (referring to the second act).  He was even talking about it again today.  Apparently he has convinced one of our employees to go check it out.  I have a feeling he will be talking it up with a lot of his patients.  I was glad that I could take him to it.  I wish the boys were a little older, as it was such a fine piece of work, but 12 is too young for it... in a few years...

Clybourne Park runs until February 16th in the Shoctor Theatre at the Citadel.  I would say this one is not to be missed... I might even have to try and see it a third time...