Introduction
On Friday, July 31, 2015, I had the pleasure of watching the Not Mad show directed by Matt Hune. The event took place at 1210 Stanford Street, in Houston, Texas, the location of the Hune Company’s Living Room. It started at 8 PM and lasted for 50 minutes without intermission.
The Hune Company’s Living Room had begun to perform this show only a day earlier, on July 30, 2015, so it was still new to the public. Not Mad is only the beginning of the season, the first one of four plays that are going to take place in the Living Room. As far as I have liked this one, I am already looking forward to the rest of them.
Main body
To start with, the show had an impressive in-house set. It was not beautiful, pompous or even bright. Just the opposite, it was very simple, minimalistic and mainly black-and-white. The costumes were the same. However, such kind of decor was perfect for this show since it did not distract attention from the content of the play and its main ideas. It provoked the audience to think over every word and move of actors. So, I would like to notice the talent of designers, who were Jacob Ostdiek (scenic design) and Gina Cook (costume design). Besides, every scene had a perfect light, which completed the whole picture, either drawing the audience attention to important things or hiding something.
As for the cast, that night the following actors were playing: Emma Rae Hightower (Youngest Daughter), Elizabeth Martinsen (Middle Daughter), Regina Ohashi (Fool), Billy Rosenberg (Father), Kathleen Teodoro (Oldest Daughter) and Maggie Wintz (Estranged Daughter). From my point of view, all of them were pretty good and played at a high level. Nobody overacted. No mistakes were made. At least, I have not noticed any. Besides, the entire cast made a good team. They were not acting individually but as the one unit.
The plot of the play is well thought out. The backbone of it is Shakespeare’s King Lear. However, Not Mad is totally new and fresh remake of it, which is partly radical and slightly intimate. The story is changed and transformed to be closer to the present-day life. For example, the Father from Not Mad is diagnosed with the Parkinson’s disease and sane while the King from King Lear is just mad.
Not Mad tells about a modern family and shows that the problems and challenges its members face, in fact, are the same as a century ago. The main idea here is to show what it means to be an adult, to grow up. The story shows how complicated relationships between parents (Father) and children (Youngest, Middle, Oldest, and Estranged Daughters) can be. It examines the family in details (like under a microscope) and lets you make a conclusion about it. Not Mad made me think about the inheritance I had from my parents (I mean, immaterial one) and the one that I would pass to my own children.
The Not Mad story was told not only with words or actors’ performance but with choreography and songs as well. Matt Hune, the director of the play, describes the show as the combination of theater performance, dance, and concert. And I agree. Both choreography and music perfectly match the play, and without these two components, Not Mad would not be Not Mad at all.
As for the music, most of all I liked The Beatles, Nirvana, and Kendrick Lamar hip-hop song called Bitch, don’t kill my vibe. For the most part, I like it because it is funny and had a lot of sarcastic humor. Besides, the rhythm is pretty good.
The second song I liked was the one by Patti Smith called Gloria. It completely differs from the one mentioned before and even has another genre. By the way, Patti Smith’s version of Gloria is only a cover. The original song was written by Van Morrison and performed by the band called Them. However, Patti Smith’s lyrics is different. She has brought in new punk rock motives, leaving only the original chorus.
As for the original music performed during the show, Leina Betzer was fantastic! Before Not Mad, she had already worked on several projects (such as Inherited and The Lesson) with Matt Hune, and this show was featured with her song Dream Drunk as well. Leina has a charming and very musical voice, which can fascinate everybody! I was also surprised by the quality of sound and music that was playing.
Conclusion
The last thing I liked is that the performance was only for twenty people. Due to this, there was a unique atmosphere, and all members of the audience had an opportunity to see and examine every detail of the show.
The Mad Man play is going to last till August 8, 2015, and I would strongly recommend it for those who like the blend of excellent performance, upscale choreography, and incidental music.