All in the Timing

So I went to see All in the Timing on October the 15th. It was a pretty funny show, very entertaining. Everyone involved in the show did an awesome job. Seeing a live theater performance is a completely different experience than watching a film. Using the performance of All in the Timing I would just love to explain the differences between the two in detail.

When viewing a play there is a strong connection between the audience and the performers, while in a movie there really isn't much of a connection at all. Watching a film is just you staring at pictures, but in a play you are observing real life, what the actors are portraying to you as their characters real life. In The Universal Language, I really had no clue what they were saying, but that didn't matter because the audience could feel their energy and understand how the actors were feeling. They sent their vibe into the audience and the audience could then interpret what exactly was going on with the actors. Also, in the scene Variations on the Death of Trotsky Ramon made very distinct connections with the audience. He winked at us and made eye connections with select members in the audience. The audience can influence a play, which is impossible to do with a movie. There were some girls sitting behind us that were commenting loudly on certain parts of the play. In the scene Sure Thing, they spoke out about the circular way the scene was going. This distracted me and my date from the actual play, we turned and looked at them. Also during the scene The Universal Language, these same girls repeated testicles after the performer had stated it. This made us laugh even more, and forced the actors to hold off on their next lines until the audience was done so we would be able to hear what they were going to say next. In a movie you don't get that kind of actor/audience connection.

In a play the audience has the freedom to choose their own focal point. In a movie, the director pretty much chooses where he wants the audience to look and puts the camera there. During the scene Words, Words, Words at a point I was watching Swift because he had caught my attention, while my boyfriend had his focus on Kafka. I guess she had eaten a banana apparently off the floor, or that's what it seemed to my boyfriend. Well because we can choose where we set our focus, I missed that part. In a movie it's pretty hard to miss most things, but in a play one has to choose their own focus point and can miss little details.

Finally, a play is so much more interactive then a movie could ever be. A play is happening right then and doesn't have the option of redoing anything like a movie can. Whatever happens, happens. During the scene Sure Thing, it sounded like something fell backstage. Also, in the scene The Philadelphia, the lights went off and we were in complete darkness for about a minute. At first the actors kept going with their lines then stopped after a line or two were spoken in darkness. If either of these things had happened during a movie they would have yelled cut and just shot it again. In a play; however, you can't just redo the whole thing. The actors must cope with whatever happens, and work around it.

As clearly shown here, there are distinct differences between watching a play and a movie. A play is a live performance where anything can happen, while in a movie the actors don't have to take the same risks as live performers do. Once again the play was awesome and everyone did an amazing job. It was totally worth the 10 bucks in gas to get there, but I'm glad I didn't have to pay for tickets though.