Audience Perspective
I attended Lynchburg College Theater Department’s evening
show, Pajama Game, on Saturday March 2nd, 2013. It was an experience
within itself; I arrived about 30 minutes before the show started in order to
avoid the ticket window chaos. Apparently, more than 40 other individuals had
the same idea. I was surprised to see a long line for the ticket window;
I was also discouraged when I found out that I had to stand in the same long
line even though I had brought my tickets online. As I stood in line, I
observed around and I overheard an individual talking about how word had gotten
out that the production was amazing and thus many people decided to check it
out. I was surprised when I heard this and it gave me a good vibe, since prior
to this evening, I had no expectations of the play; I was just attending
because it was a class requirement.
As I stepped into the theater, I was taken aback to see the
theater almost completely filled. The seats in my row were almost
complete as the leftover seats were for my boyfriend and me. I sat close to the
wall, which did not provide such a good angle but nonetheless I was glad to be
able to sit down. There was an elderly couple next to me and they seemed
eager for the show to start. The elderly lady was talking to another lady about
one of the performers and how she was doing so well. I examined the audience
before the play started and realized that there was a strong generational gap.
Most of the audience members were older members of society, with the exclusion
of a very few young Lynchburg College students who were also in attendance.
The play started with the character Hines breaking the
fourth wall with his humor and commentary on the play which he continued throughout
the performance. In general, many of the comments he made broke the fourth
wall and satirized the very nature of musical themselves. For example, during the
song, I’ll Never Be Jealous Again; Hines
made a joke about how both cast members in that scene randomly broke out into
song, and mysteriously knew the exact same song and dance routine. Hines
provided an excellent comic relief as well as setting up the background for the
entire show.
I'll Never Be Jealous Again
Throughout the first act, the audience was great, attentive
and responsive. They were laughing at all the jokes, and their claps were loud
and powerful. As the play transitioned smoothly from one scene to the other
during the first act, the audience seemed to go right along it. During the
second act, however, the play did not seem to have the same energy and flow as
the first half. Each actor continued to perform well, but overall each scene
seemed disconnected from the one before. The play still ended well and the
audience cheered very loudly for the grand finale.
Thoughtful and complete. Well done.
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