All Childish Things by Joseph Zettelmaier - 4m -1f
A group of life-long friends and Star Wars fans come up with the perfect caper: break into the Kenner warehouse and steal a treasure trove of Star Wars toys. Everything starts off as smoothly as a Jedi mind trick until the Dark Side starts to beckon. Will divided loyalties and greed lead their friendship to implode like the Death Star or will the Force be with them?
Labels: comedy, contemporary, small cast
posted by Larisa at 8:52 PM
6 Comments:
It was enjoyable. I like the idea of exploring fandom culture a bit in a play- that doesn't happen very often. It would work well on our stage.
That being said I didn't really like the heist-complete-with-mob-boss plot. I wish it was built on less over-the-top circumstances. The jokes about nerd/fandom culture were all too easy and cliche. Taking relatable characters and putting them into an un-relatable situation turned them into stock characters rather than deepening them.
But again, I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. It was fun.
Since I am not the demographic which would enjoy this play, it's hard for me to say. I think theatre goers of the right age and right context would probably find this comedy pretty enjoyable and programming for younger audience members is not a bad idea. Very male heavy and that is tiresome (and predictable) - women are geeks about fandom things too. One set that shouldn't be impossible to create, a big show for props. I would likely be bored out of my mind during this show but I think others would embrace the fun. I have no strong feelings about keeping it or abandoning it.
I thought it read like a long Fringe Fest show. That being said, I am not the demo or audience for this. The characters, to me, seemed very stereotypical and over the top. Yes, it would be easy to stage but I don't care to see it.
I have seen many of the Star Wars films and know the difference between Star Wars and Star Trek. I have known people who have purchased huge Star Wars models and have gone to Comic-Con. That being said, I guess I'm too old to want to sit through this. Not for me.
I must confess that I actually enjoyed reading this one - for a while. But it quickly stalled, and I stopped caring about the characters. I agree with Jean that it feels more like a Fringe show. Then I began to obsess about how we would come up with all the necessary props. After all, it would attract real Star Wars fans and they would know the difference between real collectibles and stage prop fakes (and they wouldn't be able to resist inspecting props onstage during intermission). So, it's no for me.
This was unexpectedly fun. I hate that it was a play with only one woman but I love that it basically mirrored Luke, Han, Chewie, and Leia in casting. I am not sure I would put it in our season, but I would put this in a season at some point. I feel like I'm the right age for this play and would definitely go see it if someone was putting it on. But I don't think that should be us.
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