This was one of my first ventures down to our Capitol city to witness the healthy arts community they enjoy there. What a wonder to behold! There are so many good reasons for us to travel in the future down to Olympia.
Harlequin Productions occupies a remodeled old movie house on 4th Street. It is a warm and welcoming space for both an actor and the audience. Not a bad seat in the house and just the right amount of room on stage to put on a story set in multiple locations at once.
This evening, they were putting on a show that is a West Coast premiere by playwright Israel Horovitz. Apparently this is a part of an established collaborative relationship between theatre and playwright.
"Six Hotels" is a series of six short stories all taking place in hotels somewhere in the world. The evening was a mix of comedy, drama, love, politics, art and delightful irony. (I like the irony the best.)
I am not sure if this production is part of Mr. Horovitz' workshop process for this play. No one was asking for our feedback or reactions, so I guess this play is in its "final form." Too bad.
If I were to speak to Mr. Horovitz, I would tell him that his individual stories were all interesting and engaging....but not complete. They would all make good first scenes for a full-length story, but they must not end there.
What happens to these people after the lights go out? How could some of those characters be intertwined with the lives of the characters in one of the other stories? Wouldn't that make for a fascinating tale?
But, he didn't ask me, or anyone else in the theater.
So, as it stands, Randy and I spent an evening at the theater watching six incomplete stories, loosely strung together under the theme of "hotel."
It made for an interesting time at the theatre, but not the most memorable one.
But that's okay. I did learn one valuable thing, that I want to experience more live theatre (and more of those wonderful restaurants!!!) in Olympia, especially at Harlequin. Our state capitol is truly a treasure.
Production graphics courtesy of Harlequin Productions
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