A few weeks ago, my boyfriend asked me what plays I had seen in London. Upon giving him an exhaustive list of the dramas, comedies, tragedies, and musicals we have seen — he paused.
“Do you think you don’t appreciate the plays as much because you see so many in such a short period of time?  As in — is it less enjoyable than seeing a play when you go to the theatre rarely?”
I had to think for a minute about my answer.  I tried to compare seeing plays to listening to music.  If I listened to a new song every four weeks, I don’t believe I would have more appreciation or enjoyment for these songs than for songs I listened to at a rate of four times a week.  Listening to more new music, rather, would allow me to expand my knowledge of music and give me more of an opportunity to choose precisely the kind of music that I like.  Thus, I believe that seeing more theatre on the London Program has given me more of a chance to find plays that I PARTICULARLY enjoy.

And here are some of my findings…

Musicals.  I have always known I’ve loved musicals, but after this program I feel as if I have a better understanding of why this is.  Music in a piece of theatre is powerful, but listening to someone sing is a unique experience.  As someone who sings, I feel myself empathizing with an actor when they sing.  I know what it is like to reach for a note, or to sing a melody that marches forward, or to sing a slow, quiet ballad.  I feel myself imagining that I am reaching these notes when the actors do, which generates a strong emotional reaction within me.  After we saw Sondheim’s Assassins, I noted that my emotional experience this show and the Scottsboro Boys stood out to me among the rest of the many plays we had seen.  Seeing so many plays allowed me to pinpoint the origins of this feeling, as I was able to compare so many distinct, lovely experiences.