Reviewers On the Loose

San Francisco Theater Blog's Award Division has been busy this week, trying to figure out how to rate its three most recently seen shows. The first one, 'Brief Encounter' at A.C.T., was easy, since it is spectacular. The second show, 'South Pacific' at the Golden Gate, was mediocre, though it was of course loved by reviewers, as Rodgers and Hammerstein almost always are.

Saturday night Plot and Duck caught the World Premiere of 'First Day of School' at S.F. Playhouse, which is hysterical. It starts out jaw-droppingly insane, then grows and grows until the author throws in a perfect new monkey wrench at the end. Plot and Duck both loved it.

After Opening Night shows at SF Playhouse, there is always a party in the lobby and the little theater next door to the main stage. Reviewers and others hang around and talk shop with each other about the shows, while waiting for the actors to come out and shmooze (acutally, the actors are almost always shy people and tend to crowd into one corner bogarting their champagne flutes and then beat a retreat backstage as soon as they feel they can).

Plot is always amazed to realize other reviewers see the same show at the same time he does and yet it's as if they were all watching from another dimension. Which they are. Everyone takes out of a play what he brings into it. The best thing to bring into a new play is nothing. But that is very hard to do.

There are two older guys who always come together, one of whom does a Broadway review column. Plot always says hi when he sees them, and this time, before 'First Day of School' started, Plot asked the two men how they had liked 'Brief Encounter' at A.C.T. last week. He was amazed to hear the one fellow say he thought it was just so-so. Why? Because the reviewer was very familiar with the original Noel Coward movie and seemed to be caught up in why this 2009 stage production lacked a certain something that the 1945 movie had had. It was a ludicrous thing to consider, but the fellow -- who seems to be a really nice guy -- couldn't help himself. He had brought the movie to the play with him.

During 'First Day of School' Plot sat in back of a big time reviewer. The man didn't laugh all night, though his little blank writing pad was probably spattered with Plotnik's out-of-control belly laugh saliva raining down from above. Which show were the two reviewers watching?

(Plotnik does not like being rained on from above. Cf. the last ballgame at BrainDead Stadium. Saliva, or beer, no good.)

'South Pacific' is another example of alternate universes. Why bother having horse races, if you just award the favorite horse the prize before the race starts and then ignore the obvious result at the finish line? Anybody who loved this current production has to have brought the old production into the show with them.

Of course, Plotnik did the same thing with Spamalot, that he was determined to love because he loves Monty Python. The show was very funny but maybe it was not as good as Plotnik said it was?

*$&%^)X! reviewers. Don't listen to a word they say. But do go see "First Day of School" if you want to see lots of funny stuff about sex that will make you writhe in your seat and possibly produce moisture. You can read the San Francisco Theater Blog review of "First Day of School" here.