One of the things that Theatreworks shows are particularly good about is engaging a broader audience than just the "kids" for whom the show is initially meant. For every group of kids at a school of field trip show, there's at least one adult who must sit through the show with them. When we have a show that's open to the public, the grown-ups often outnumber the kids. And this week included our first slew of more-adults-than-kids shows, with an evening performance in Altoona, PA and two weekend shows near Princeton, NJ. Which, of course, changes things, as far as audience reaction is concerned.
Grownups generally seem to be afraid to laugh at a “kids show,” particularly if the audience is smaller. I say this because, when we have a preponderance of adults at a performance, it often takes about two or three stories (of six) before we start getting laughs. “Duck for President,” our first story, is littered with more advanced humor, but frequently our adult-heavy audiences remain silent for almost the entire piece. “Fancy Nancy” will often get a few cheers and some applause, but the responses are mostly from the kids. It’s not until we arrive at “I Have To Go” that everybody clicks in. Which leads me to my first large observation of the tour: everybody laughs at pee jokes. I don’t care who you are or how sophisticated you think you may be. When we talk about somebody peeing, in either direct or indirect terms, you will laugh. Guaranteed.
After the pee jokes have loosened up the audience, the rest of the show (and jokes) run without a hitch. Nobody can resist a musical disaster in “Babymouse: The Musical” or the silly baby costume in “Pirates Don’t Change Diapers.” And, while “Leonardo the Terrible Monster” doesn’t seem to be terribly joke-filled, the older the audience is, the more vocal responses we get to the highs and lows of the tale.
However, one of the reasons I love having adults in the audience is that, if they give over to being silly with us and laughing from the start, they can bring the energy we thrive on and make the show incredible.
And that leads me to “The 11th Show.”
Contractually, Theatreworks gets nine shows from us each week, and can get up to 12 if they pay us for each additional shows. Nine shows is an exhausting experience, and anything above that adds to the fatigue. Throw in a six-hour drive back to New York City (see previous post), and we were pretty much done. Our 10th show, near Princeton, NJ, was taped for posterity by Theatreworks/USA, and nobody was really feeling number 11, especially since it was scheduled only an hour after number 10. As David called places, we trudged to our spots, and it was all anybody could do to bring the energy. Yet, we had a secret weapon in the audience: Courtney’s family, two of Jonathan’s friends and Kristen’s “entourage” of nearly a dozen friends and family. And boy, were they ready for us!
From the get-go, we had a cheering section, and they laughed louder and stronger than any audience we’ve yet had. They were pretty far back (the front row is usually reserved for the youngest of the crowd), and their infectious energy crept forward faster than any I have ever seen. Soon every single audience member was cheering, laughing and crying along with us, and that was the energy that got us through the show. It was one of the most theatrically fulfilling performances I’ve had, and it’s all because everybody got into the act.
So, to all you Theatre for Young Audience-attending grown-ups out there: laugh a little. It’s good for you, and it’s good for us.
[I want to give a particular thank you to Granny (Courtney’s grandmother) who has supplied our van with a gigantic bag of sweet and savory munchies, and to Nana (Kristen’s grandmother), who is a regular reader of this blog. You ladies rock!]
Call tomorrow: 9:30am, Upper West Side garage. We’re traveling to Connecticut with a new cast member. What??? Details soon.
Kid Quote of the Day: Post-show, David asked a little girl in the front row what she thought. Wide-eyed, she gushed, “That was WONDERFUL!”
Adult Quote of the Day: When Courtney asked her mom what her dad thought of the show, she said, “He liked the one about the pee.” SEE!?!?
No comments:
Post a Comment