Tonight, I went to see Blackbird at the Studio Theatre in DC.

So the basic story: We witness the encounter of Ray (now Peter), a man nearing 60 who has served some time but now has a mediocre management position at a very unkempt office, by Una, now around 30, a young woman we discover Ray abused when she was 12.

The show starts out intense and unfolds the layers of each character’s past, their relationship, and how it came to a crashing halt. Blackbird is raw, rough and real, from the content of the show, to the storytelling by the actors, to the corporate break-room set (complete with harsh florescent lighting).

While there were several moments where the audience is so drawn and responsive to the piece, the first I noticed seemed to set the tone for the production: I saw the show with my sister and didn’t tell her much about the show other than as the lights were dimming that it might be a bit bold. So when Una asks something along the lines of “How many other 12-year-olds have you had sex with?” (telling the audience for the first time their relationship and how young she was), I hear this low quiet “woah” from my sister.

I would recommend everyone to see it before it ends, but I realized as writing this post that we saw the closing performance. C’est la vie. Another great show at The Studio Theatre.

Tonight, I went to see Grey Gardens at the Studio Theatre in DC.

So the basic story: American royalty, the family of Jackie O, has fallen from wealth, propriety, and personally hygiene. Interesting musical– a little peculiar and funny.

I would describe this production as the most beautiful failure I’ve seen in a while.

The visual qualities of the show were wonderful. The set was relatively simple, but there was a fantastic use of projections. So often the projections were more texture and color than defining actual shapes. They added the perfect extra something to the stage picture.

There was a particularly nice visual moment late in the show: there’s a number where the main character is feeding the cats, and the company (characters from act one) are fulfilling the rolls of the cats and there is the ghostly sense as they are relics of a former life. Really quite nice to see.

That said, the production really was a failure. The whole point of creating theatre is to tell a story and this one didn’t get told to the fullest. First, there was a sound issue: the performers were just hard enough to hear that the audience can get the gist of the story and miss every nuance in the writing. Second, and more importantly, the character arc wasn’t high enough. Intellectually we get it; but we never feel any of it. We’re still left on the outside looking in.

I left the theater feeling like the show was like a nice thing to put on a shelf. The pretty piece of art that never touches you.