I know my eyes aren't what they used to be (so much that I begin to wonder how stringent the DOT/DMV people are on the eye test), but explain this one to me:
How is it that I found I was having trouble reading roadside billboards last night, but tonight I am able to see Comet Holmes?
I can see it. I heard that it was best seen through binoculars, and so I figured that, what with the flood lights and street lights that got put in since we moved in last year, it wouldn't be visible from here. Lo and behold, a fuzzy blur appears where no fuzzy blur has a right to be.
Hale-Bopp was cooler.
This past weekend was a quick trip back to OldUni because they decided to produce two shows at the same time and both Cloud 9 and Midsummer Night's Dream were playing on Saturday. Two shows was definitely worth the trip back, so that's what we did.
I know when I went back to my high school, I had to admit that what we did was hardly a finished product compared to shows at uni. On coming to NewUni, it's been almost painful to watch the shows. I've seen two good shows, the rest of them looked good, but they weren't quality. I wondered if this was just experience on my part.
Nope. OldUni does an all around better show. If they don't look as professional, it's because that's just not where they're spending their money. The students can act and you can see a thought process and a concept has gone into the shows. The problem with OldUni was that the concepts were generally flawed, and without knowing what the flaws were, we managed to pick up on them anyway, but that's much better than here, where we have no idea, see no proof, and have to sit through painful acting too.
I've mentioned the C Montgomery Burns School of Acting Like an Old Man? All the undergrads at NewUni must've graduated from there with honours. Add to this the fact that they've had lessons from the Eliza Doolittle School of English Accents. Which is OK, until you move out of the gutters of London. Welshmen, for example, as Eddie Izzard will tell you, are totally different. (They sound more like Pavlov.) The shows must also receive funding grants from the Ministry of Silly Walks. Either that or the Voice and Movement prof is totally out of touch with the universe and bonkers on top of that. You know, whatever.
You can just imagine what one of their productions must look like. Especially when you contrast all that with the two actors who aren't thus afflicted. And they wonder why the same two people are always being chosen for Irene Ryan awards. That's called compassion for their situation: "Here, we will reward you for not giving into peer pressure."
Still, OldUni does good work, and I'm glad to see that this is really true. It was refreshing to see theatre, and a good reminder that even the stuff I saw in my four years there that I thought was total shite wasn't really all that bad, just not fully realised.