By Ronald B. Hellman
September is here, and a lot is going on. Less than two months to go before the presidential election, now is the time, and many of us believe that the fate of the country is hanging in the balance.
With somewhat less dire consequences, baseball's regular season will soon reveal the eight teams to make the playoffs — if there's any justice the Mets will be among them. For those of you with much shorter attention spans who like to see big guys pile on each other, the football season is underway. And for all you cultured readers of this column, and for those who appreciate the finer things in life, local theater is back in action.
Every so often I get a call or an e-mail from someone looking to hook up with a theater company. In Queens and nearby Nassau there are a lot of them, and most of them welcome newcomers, especially if you have some talent and want to lend a hand. You can check out the local papers for audition listings, but perhaps the easiest way to find a local theater group is to go to your computer and get online.
Among the leading resources is www.SpotlightonStage.com, maintained by Charlene Greenberg. This site includes information about some 40 companies and links to individual Web sites.
Another is www.DebsLiWeb.homestead.com, known as Deb's Web, which recently celebrated its eighth anniversary. Predominantly for Long Islanders, it's managed by Debbie Starker, who, now that she has retired, is a full-time theater person.
The newest one can be found at www.CommunityTheaterNY.com. Run by Roger Gonzalez, this site features reviews and opinions, as well as other newsworthy details.
In proof of the political adage that negativity pays off, Roger recently published a reviewer's harsh comments about a local musical production. No punches were pulled and no adjectives were spared. And did that get a lot of attention! Readers were given the chance to comment, and about 20 did, followed by a blog from Roger discussing the review, which in turn elicited many more comments. Deb's Web got into the act when it reported the brouhaha, and that elicited another round of pros and cons.
Now that Roger's site is the hottest in town, in Queens anyway, let me offer my own not-so-humble opinion. I like to think that when it comes to theater that I can distinguish between the good, the bad and the ugly. I'm aware of the level of artistry and economic backing of a production, what it's trying to achieve, and that just about everyone involved is doing the best they can. But when it comes to taste, for which there is no accounting for, who really knows?
Let me remind you of my appearance some years ago at a performance of “West Side Story” — one of the great musicals, but to do it well, you better know what you're doing. This group didn't. It was a Wednesday matinee at a theater on the Nassau-Suffolk border, and the audience was even older than average.
The Jets, Sharks and the orchestra were missing a few members — other obligations apparently kept them from showing up — and on the whole it was a dismal effort.
But the audience didn't seem to mind. In fact, on the way out, I heard several people saying how much they enjoyed it, and that they could hardly wait to come back for another show. They didn't really see “West Side Story,” but they had a good time. The lesson for all us critical types: Don't get carried away with your own opinion, and if you can, keep it to yourself.
