Amber Benson's Play - "Albert Hall"

[urnofosiris]

Hmm yes, red hair, the early stages of lesbianism*, soon to be followed by the evil stages of lesbianism where ones hair and eyes turn black...

Oh hi Xita, you look lovely.







*obligatory disclaimer: this is so not speculating, so don't start, this is just Dutch humor, you'd have to be one to still not find it amusing

[Pipsqueak]

I noticed the red hair too! Was it really that color, Xita, or was it just the lighting? Thanks so much for posting the pic, BTW! Can't wait for your review.



And noooooooooo, Amber cannot be a Noles fan, the Noles are EEEEEEEEEVIL!!! Someone send her another Kitten shirt so she won't have to wear the Florida one anymore.

~~~~~~~~~~
"Nothing in the world is the way it ought to be. It's harsh, and cruel. But that's why there's us. Champions.
It doesn't matter where we come from, what we've done or suffered, or even if we make a difference.
We live as though the world was what it should be, to show it what it can be." -- Angel

[Denial Queen]

oh cool! you guys look cute together xita!



so how was the play? spill pliease.

[hellcat]

Hi Everyone,



My girlfriend and I were at the play last night as well. It was a full house and Amber looked great as usual. We enjoyed the show and I recommend if you can get out tonight to see it you will be entertained! Believe me the review will be interesting but we can't ruin it for people who attend the show tonight.



Big shout out to Xita and Enid. It was nice to see you both again. Nice picture Xita!

[Warduke]

Great pic xita

---

Mozilla : One Browser to Rule Them All.

[sparrow]

Nice going z with Amber attached to you. Red hair very nice. Bummed couldn't see the paly, work calls and it is a tough task master.

And yet, I just can't seem to care
What no hug

[helpful information perha]

for those who saw it - you can give us a review - just put spoiler at the top and bottom and leave spoiler spaces/or use the magic letter thing.

[Avern1]

Nice pic !!! And about hair - somewhere I posted that Amber go to red hair. I say it

[technopagan78]

Is anyone else planning on going to tonight's performance (Tuesday's). I've reserved a ticket, but I'm still not entirely sure I can make the 8 p.m. curtain.



Technopagan

[emma peel]

Awww, xita you guys are so cute together!



xita, it's sheer torture waiting for your review.Then again, it's not the really bad kind of torture I would have put myself through had I watched tonight's ep of Season Severed!



I'm really glad Amber is busy and doing so many really good things.



Thanks to kay for taking the photo.

Janice

[dabri99]

I went to the play last night and it was freaking awesome. The person I dragged with me wrote a little review and summary of the play you can go to her blog link to see it. www.dole_endorsed.blogspot.com/

I'm the roommate she refers to in it.





Lates

DaBri

chapmanradio.com

brilife.blogspot.com

djdabri.blogspot.com

[xita]

Ok I assume if you were going to the play, you've left. If you haven't don't read.











I'll describe what happened in the play.



When the play started the director informed us that one of the actors was running late. They had no idea where he was, but they hoped he showed up by the third act when it was time for him to appear. The first part was about this guy named Albert Hall. He had suffered a break down and was staying with mom. He had major mommy issues and issues the shrink he had who was conspiring with his mom. He kept talking to the audience and they sort of played that as part of his illness. The mother and the psychiatrist were both very cartoonish characters. There were some lots of jokes that for the most part worked. By the end of the first act, he jumped off and committed suicide.



The second act was a flashback to his childhood, to the day of his father's funeral. This was a kind of crazy segment with lots of zany characters and every imaginable stereotype, jews, latinos, women. It was uncomfortable but there were some jokes that worked. I am still not sure what the point of it was other than to show how messed up Albert's life had been.



Then came the third act, and in came this clown sitting on a chair, wearing sad face. He had issues with the right side, everything had to be on the right, including the drive through. He despised the left side. He spoke in a high pitched clown voice and was weird. The other actors sat in the back wearing black clothes. Then his ex gf came out. It was mostly to say how they just could not get along. He retold a story of how one time he found out her left boob was bigger than the right one. They were having having sex and he was so grossed out by the left lean that he threw up on her. Then the actor starts talking to the audience, which seemed ok since the first guy had done it. He starts saying how stupid this is, how he's playing a clown. He makes fun of the voice as he comes in and out of it. He goes on to say he could be doing other things. The other actors start looking uncomfortable. His rants gets more serious and it's starting to become unclear if it's staged or not. So then he gets up on a chair and starts saying how it doesn't matter, everyone there came to see amber fucking benson. And they just came to kiss her ass or something and he pulled down his pants. Then the other actors tackled him back stage. But he kept coming back and yelling at the director. Then the director said the part of the clown would be played by this other guy since they read the play anyway. Now I am not sure what to think, it's confusing to say the least. As the other guy begins the clown monologue, The first actor came out the side and threw up. Now I am thinking this guy is high probably and hates his life. Another round backstage and he comes out with aluminum foil and puts it on the ground. He takes down his pants and squats over it and says this is shit or something, and tries to ... well defecate. Amber suddenly comes running down crying and all telling him to calm down and takes him to the back.

The director is trying to get the play going and then you hear some shot, and this is where i knew for sure it was all an act for sure... cause they came out to ask for a doctor and this woman asked, "oh my god is this for real." We had spotted her earlier cause she moved to these bad seats we had just left, where you couldn't see. It was weird because she had a better seat before that. Right after she went in the play was over and all came out and bowed.



Given the third act, I can only imagine the second act had intentional stereotyping though I am not sure to what end.



Afterwards I asked amber about it. She said she felt small theater was so contrived sometimes. She said that the third act was mostly immprovisation. They had decided to go all out. She was really scared they couldn't pull it off. She had not written most of that stuff in the third act. It was more generic anyone could pretend to be the writer and director. The clown actor was really good, he was a big part of the reason it all seemed plausible. It was certainly different and not anything I was expecting. I think at the end everyone was just relieved it wasn't real.

-------------------------------

Buffy?

Let's change it, the Discovery channel has koala bears.

Edited by: xita  at: 11/26/02 7:50:06 pm

[Katharyn]

Thanks so much for that Xita... at least it made you think.



I love that Amber is being that bold with the work - and that also she is demonstrating the faith in the actors (since she is there) to let them do improv about the writer - her.



Plus... Amber, red hair, Xita...



Yum.



Katharyn

-------------------------




If I want a little pussy, I got my own to play with.
Chance in Chance.




------------------------

[VampNo12]

Oh thanks Xita for the recap ! Well that was definitely different, but Amber takes risks, and it "paid off". Really the play (with the improv) sounds quite entertaining. I would of loved to seen this myself, but I am happy for the kittens who were able to attend enjoyed themselves (not to mention being able to bask in the glory of Amber ).



Edited to add thanks also to dabri99 for the link to the recap of the play!

Edited by: VampNo12  at: 11/26/02 9:21:07 pm

[urnofosiris]

Well that sure sounds interesting alright. This is definitely something one should see unspoiled, heh, I am not sure what I would have thought of it. I think with this play one really would have to be there in person to know. I am curious what tonight's performance will be like. Seeing as that third part was mostly improvisation.

[technopagan78]

Hi, I just got home from Tuesday night's performance. The three acts came off more or less as Xita described in her post. At the beginning of the play, the director came out and explained that an actor was running late (and I thought nothing of it because I've yet to attend a Blank Theatre production that started on time, lol). Acts One, Two and Three unfolded. The theatre was about half full, I think. And the audience was somewhat quiet...but maybe that's me.



As it happened, the woman who "played doctor" on Tuesday night was sitting with, I believe, the actor who played Warren on BTVS. And, like me, those around could hear them chatting about acting, etc. When she jumped up to offer assistance, I think everyone near me pretty much assumed she was part of the show. But who cares about that, on with the discussion....



I really liked the play and the production. It reminded me of the "theatre of the absurd," a kind of twentieth century theatre in which characters move about in a world that is unfriendly, meaningless, irrational, disorienting, in short, absurd. The conventions of the theatre are overturned or disregarded all together. Character, dialogue, and logic become confusing, dreamlike, an imitation of a reality. We see a reality that is without foundation. The lynchpins by which we understand and know the world are missing. We are, in a sense, at sea.



Building off of Xita's description of the acts...it seemed to me that in Act One most of the conventions of the theatre are in place--or are they? There are three characters; they dialogue with one another--like in any well made play, but as the act continues we learn that Albert, the ostensible protagonist, is mentally ill. Moreover, we see the other characters, his mother and doctor, begin to behave in increasingly irrational ways. Albert's only "comfort" is the audience. They "see" and "understand" him in ways his mother and doctor do not.



Mothers and doctors can offer you no help, and when you decide to leave this plane of existence, as it were, the voice that calls you isn't God, it's some unknown man who is telling you to go to the lobby. For Albert, all the world's been a stage, and he has simply exited stage center.



In Act Two, stereotypes of women, Jews, Latino men, class differences, the aged and so forth are juxtaposed with references to religious and cultural responses to death. The audience, Albert's only friend, is made uncomfortable. Act Two is a flashback to Albert's boyhood. We see how everyone around him behaves: largely without regard for anyone else. The only "caring" relationship is between Albert's sexy stepmom and his ghost of a dead father. However, we also are told that Jews don't believe in ghosts, ghosts don't exist--and we are shown that the relationship between the stepmom and Albert's father is basically a sexual one. Sexuality, family, etc are ugly things, and so is life and aging and the relations between people. Again, we are at sea.



Act One marks the end of Albert's "life" or possibly its beginning--who knows what will happen in the lobby. Act Two marks the end of Albert's father's life. Life would appear to be meaningless and cruel. The cycle is without end. Poor Albert was doomed from the start.



Act Three is disorienting and scary. The few theatrical conventions of Act One are abandoned and twisted beyond repair. At the end of Act One, Albert exits through the audience. At the end of Act Three, an audience member enters the stage--good luck to her. She'd have been safer if she'd stayed in her seat. And, the kicker is, of course, she enters the stage--becomes a part of the play--to give someone aid. Irony is kind of ironic that way.



In Act Three we learn that the playwright cannot control the play.



Mr. Sadface, the clown clearly needs mental help, but we already know from Act One that mental help will get you no where--or more precisely it will get you a doctor who plays giddy-up with your mom. Also, the audience, which was Albert's confidant, is now in Mr. Sadface's estimation filled with industry types ready to offer judgement.



Mr. Sadface has this compulsion which he cannot control and which is actually controlling him. He breaks all manner of social and theatrical conventions and then he dies--and, once again, irony is kind of ironic that way, there's someone out there that can be called on to take your place. Albert returns as Mr. Sadface. But the thin foundation of the play has dissolved entirely and the play ends abruptly and in chaos. We are drowning.



Life is chaotic, disorienting, troubling, without hope or meaning and then you die. And your death kills the show. Sorry, this is turning into quite the babble fest. One last point, in the end, there is this weird kind of hope. The playwright is freaking out, the audience is confused, and at some point the actors call for the playwright's mother. The wall between the theatre and reality has completely given way and now calls for real comfort can be made. Of course the curtain falls before we can know for sure...



Okay, I had a long drive home and probably too much time to think about it, but I thought the play was quite good. Yes, parts were uneven and some of the dialogue fell a bit flat--but WOW--Amber Benson is way smart, in my opinion. In the past year, I think I've seen three or four new plays of this genre and I would say Albert Hall was by far the best. I didn't wait around to try to chat with Amber, because I am far too shy and it takes me a while to organize my thoughts, and so I am speaking entirely out of turn here. But, hey, I liked the play.



Technopagan

Edited by: technopagan78 at: 11/27/02 11:22:03 am

[urnofosiris]

Well you organized your thoughts quite well in this review. Thank you as well.

[SJ]

Great pic! Thanks for the reviews.

[AmberEyedDragon]

Wow...now I'm really wishing I lived out there. I would have LOVED to see that. *le sigh* Ah well, the reviews brought it to life for me, and I got that picture What more could an east coast girl ask for?

We don't need their shallow popularity; we'll build our palaces in the dark and beautiful places they forgot to look.

[dekalog]

Great review of the play technopagan.



A few of my actor friends really get into this kind of theatre. To be honest it usually takes a little bit of this kind of analysis after I watch one of their shows for me to 'get it', but these are brilliant actors who really love theatre. I think alot of actors (and writers/directors) are really feeling confined by the 'traditions' and hoops that are in place today. Contemporary art has been codified and marketed to death. It is refreshing and liberating to break free of traditional constraints.



Dare I say that after Ms. Benson's recent experiences she felt the need to break free. I do wish her the best, and really hope her talents as a writer/director, and actor start to be recognized.

Edited by: dekalog at: 11/27/02 4:34:23 am

[xita]

technopagan, thanks for that review! We actually were curious to hear from people who knew more about theater and hear their take on it. Of note, on Monday the theater was packed. Small , small theater though.

-------------------------------

Buffy?

Let's change it, the Discovery channel has koala bears.

[technopagan78]

After reading my post, and blushing over the numerous typos, it crossed my mind that I never really explained why I liked the play compared to others I've seen. So here goes...



(Oh, and by the way, I'm no expert on this stuff).



Experimental theatre often explores relations--the relations between playwrights and actors and between actors and audience, but also the relations between the living and dying, the internal relations within families, and the cultural and social relations by which we live with one another. More specifically, experimental theatre often explores the violations of these relations. Where this type of theatre fails--for me, at least--is when the exploration becomes simply and only experimental. The play is "interesting," but without affect. I think but do not feel. Theatre becomes, in a sense, geometry, a study of the relations between points, angles, lines, etc. When experimental theatre succeeds, I think and feel. Usually, I feel loss, but that's another matter *g*.



What made Albert Hall "interesting" and "more than interesting" was the chaos of the third act, when the playwright tries to regain control of the play. The playwright hurdles herself through the theatre, pulling at the actors, trying to regain control of what's gone horribly wrong. She is cursing and crying and revealing the real stakes of art and artistic expression. Affect is found in the failure of communication. Just like affect was found in the failure of communication between Albert, the doctor and the mother in Act One, and the failure of communication between the various characters in Act Two. Act Three ends without resolution, and without the smirk that often ends bad experimental theatre. Life may be a joke, meaningless and absurd, but what we've just seen is not those things.



We are left bewildered, confused, but also with the sense that communication, however much it fails us, is important. Relations and understanding the relations between people and between things is important. Listening and paying attention is important. The playwright's distress is made real. The chaos that closes the show is horrible and sad and unsettling. The play ends with loss, and the loss is in some way "real."



So, now that I've blathered on this much, here's a question. For those of you who saw the show and felt a little pissed off, which bugged you more, Albert Hall or the BTVS ep Normal Again?



Technopagan



LOL, since no one took me up, to finish the thought on Albert Hall vs Normal Again. While not as "out there" as Albert Hall, Normal Again deals with some similar themes and is disorienting, although not to the extent of Albert Hall (and not quite as smart, but that's just me being snarky). In other words, while Albert Hall truly pushes the envelope, this genre of work is more familiar than we think.

Edited by: technopagan78 at: 11/30/02 9:55:17 am

[ruby]

Thanks for the reports. It's a lot to think about (!). I don't generally enjoy experimental theater, though I can appreciate it, if that makes sense. In this case, making the audience uncomfortable was part of the effect, and the actors accomplished that using the persona of "Amber Benson"--a risky but smart move, given the make-up of the crowd (friends and fans).



Kind of makes you love A.B. more for not being on an ego trip, being able to laugh at herself, and being this dedicated to her craft.

Wow, that was so close to being empowering. --"Same Time, Same Place"

[Puff]

Thanks for the play reviews and the photo xita, sure sounds like an interesting piece of theatre.

---

I could crap a better existence than this.

[hellcat]

Thanks for your explanation technopagen. That makes total sense to me. I saw the play on Monday and I could not even begin to write about it although my girlfriend and I are still talking about it. We thought it was so clever of Amber to put herself into the mix because seeing her really made you question whether what was going on was really part of the play or not. As an audience member I felt uncomfortable not knowing whether to get up and leave or get up and help. Amber really pulled the audience into the play, which I think was the best part. Very clever girl that one!

[VampNo12]

Thanks technopagan for those insights on experimental theatre in relation to Amber's play ! It really is fascinating when you think about the play in this context, which helps me understand (and appreciate) her play even more. Thanks again for your thoughts!

[LadyCallie]

It sounds just amazinf and I'm so PO'd that I couldn't even dream of seeing it. Thanks for the reviews...being a theatre major I was dying to hear all about it.



Xita, great pic, but I have to find a way to block it from my girlfriends comp...she already swoons over Amber (not that it's a problem.... I'm a Aly girl myself ) but see.... my love has this thing for red hair.......however I think my locks are a bit more red then Amber's curently. It's a fun look for her though.



-LC

~*~

RealLiveTara is my RealLiveGirlfriend! *swoons*

"It doesn't have to be a really frenchish french, I just wanna feel your tongue."- my girlfriend last night.

"I don't wanna come out of the closet. All my clothes are in there!" -Me

[the kat whisperer]

Yikes, just reading Xita's report about the play made me uncomfortable because I was unsure whether this guy acting crazy was real or not, I can't imagine what it must've been like to actually be there. The last thing I saw at the theatre was a Christmas pantomine about 5 years ago, and that was nice and safe...the most the audience got involved was when we shouted "he's behind you!" or "oh, no it isn't!"...so I've never experienced anything like Amber's play before. I'll say this much, she's certainly not afraid to take risks with her art.



Thanks for the analysis, Technopagen. Seems Amber really is a clever bunny...as if I didn't know that already.



kw

You always were a cunning linguist

[nepthys12]

Wow, what a great review! Thanks for telling us who can't get to see it.

[Repost Moderator]

Originally posted by ariadneia



Hi everyone, I hope this wasn't posted anywhere else.



It looks like "Albert Hall" will be running at the Complex Theater in Hollywood from April 17 to May 11.



All I saw was a casting call for the play, so there wasn't a whole lot of details about anything except that it is being put on by the Lone Star Ensemble which works out of Culver City.

As for the location of the theater, I believe the Complex is at 6470 Santa Monica Blvd. in Hollywood, and it looks like there's a few different small theaters within a bigger theater complex (hence the name, I guess ) If your planning on going, I'd suggest rechecking the theater info closer to the performance dates, just in case. Plus, yay, for a longer run. More dates = more kitten attendance. Take care, Ari