It's presumably a fairly safe guess that many, if not all, of you have gone to an event not necessarily out of enthusiasm for it, but sometimes more to say that you've experienced said event, i.e. the "been there, done that" phenomenon. That situation applies to self twice this summer, where the particular venue for the events is this establishment. It's not that I have any particular affection for said venue (although I'm in a distinct minority in that sense), but simply because I hadn't seen a live production of a particular show before. Plus, since 3CM is a cheapskate loser, there is the financial attraction of the free section way in the back. However, it didn't really dawn on me until recently how this is actually connected to my mixed feelings about said venue is tied to the free section. More below the flip....
First, in case it isn't obvious, this is another auto-post SNLC, and the subject here tells you where I am at this moment (but hopefully to be back in a few hours). The current production at the Muny is this one. For the very few of you who might be interested in some reviews:
(a) Post-Dispatch, Judith Newmark
(b) Riverfront Times, Dennis Brown
(c) KDHX, 88.1 FM, Tina Farmer
Just for the record, the other, earlier show that I saw at the Muny this summer is this production.
But the main point here is the free seats, of course. When you sit in that section, you're obviously quite far from the stage. All of the performers in a given production are miked, of course, to be able to be heard in the back, but also for the paying audience that is physically closer, in an outdoor setting with no roof and no side walls, and a large stage. I never bring binoculars (but then I don't own a pair of them, so never mind), although I've seen others with them. There's almost a sense of watching stick figures in action on the distant stage. Eventually, it finally dawned on me that sitting in the back section and watching the show, it had almost the same effect as listening to a good radio production of the show in question.
Of course, if one wants to be closer to the performers, then one has to pay. Fortunately for the Muny, many do, as the Muny is very much a St. Louis institution, dating back to 1919. It's very common to see families in tow, and I've no doubt that many of the current parents came to shows there when they were kids, so as adults, they pass the Muny-attending tradition on. So in a detached, intellectual sense, while I don't "love" the Muny, I can appreciate the place that the Muny has in the local community and why so many people love it. But I'm one of the very distinct minority who goes to see a show specifically, again usually because I've never seen a live production. I suppose it's a further reflection on how loser 3CM is that he's gone through life through this year without ever having seen South Pacific or West Side Story live.
With that, in self's current absence, 'tis time for the usual SNLC protocol, namely your loser stories of the week.....