Love Letters

I saw this show last night as part of the Alberta Culture Days, which ran September 26 - 28, 2014. It was playing in Okotoks at the Rotary Performing Arts Centre, and my daughter was part of the show.

Downsides
There were about 8 or 10 vulgarities thrown out during this performance. Everything above the first 4 was not needed - it didn't add anything at all. I noticed several audience members cringe at the sound of the few F bombs that were dropped. The context of the first few fit into what was being portrayed in that scene, and it worked there. Pretty much every swear thrown out in Act 2 could have been eliminated and the show would have been better for it.

I also think the different actors all having very different accents was distracting. Making the jump back and forth, trying to decide if this was set in the USA or England, or somewhere else, made it a little difficult to follow at times.

Lastly, the technical side was lacking in the sound department. The first 5 performers had wireless microphones, so they could heard well enough, but everyone else did not. There were definitely parts throughout the show where it was difficult to hear what someone was saying, and the uneven sound balance didn't help. Either have all your actors wear mics, or none at all. The half and half is distracting. And if they are not wearing mic's...make them project!

Upsides
There were some great performances, and I want to highlight them here.

Maria Zimmermann - I liked that you presented each line with clarity, strength, and good volume. If each cast member could have been as concise in their speech as you were, most of the 'downsides' comments would not have been there. Excellent job - I was honestly impressed. Kudos!

Chloe and James Payton - easily my choice as the best "couple" for the show. Strong reading, making good choices in voice inflection, pauses in speech, and other small nuances that made each role believable. Very well done!

Stephanie Carter, Richard Carter, Jared McCollum, Jane Husband - for each of you, I felt you were a strong character presence, and I would have liked to see more if this wasn't a Reader's Theatre style show. I think giving you each some additional blocking would have brought out more of your talent, and enhanced each role. Next time! I'll be happy to see it.

Dean Goll, Shannon Thornton - a toss up for my second favourite "couple". Both of you have strong stage presence, and there was so much imagery you created from voice inflection alone at times, it painted a perfect picture for the audience to imagine. Great job!

Overall
The overall rating for this show is that it was very entertaining, a great night out to listen to the love letters between two friends, spanning their entire lives. I enjoyed it, and with some minor tweaking of sound, would give it two thumbs up! Just the right mix of laughter, sadness, and thought provoking dialogue. Thank you all for working on this show and performing for the Alberta Culture Days!