Incorruptible (Performed Version)

I went and saw Incorruptible at Saginaw Valley and I have to say it was very good and made me laugh throughout the entire play. This was a play that many people in our class probably knows I did not completely enjoy. I thought the story was forgettable and the importance just seemed a little shy of real. But when the play is performed, it turns into a much different medium: straight phsycial and witty humor. There were a couple things that I want to point out to be the reasons why this performance of the play was so exquisite.

            First, the actors were spot on. The actors playing Martin and Charles played perfectly off each other, timing their back and forth jokes perfectly. There were a couple times when I caught one of them messing up a line, but their improvisation was so good that the rest of the audience probably didn’t even notice. The Peasant Woman, who I quite honestly forgot about when reading the play, played a much bigger role in the stage version. She accounted for a lot of laughs, even making some jokes I was surprised to be told in a fairly tame play. The old woman made a couple sexual innudenos and while it seemed a little much for the lightness of the play, it made the crowd laugh harder than a lot of other tamer jokes. I went with a friend and she said that Olf was her favorite because he was the dumb, but lovable character. That just shows that this play has a different character for everyone, and it was impressive that almost all of the actors were fun to watch.

            Secondly, being in the audience instead of reading it alone in my room made a whole lot of difference. I don’t have the opportunity to go to many plays and I was very impressed with the way the play flowed. The intermission was no more than 15 minutes long, the set changes were quick and the play started right on time. The jokes were just plain funnier when the crowd was involved as well. There was a scene were Jack’s girl is being dragged away by Olf, and shes trying to get his attention as she’s sliding away. The crowd was roaring at this point and in turn, so was I. It also was interesting to be able to see the entire scene the whole time. There is a scene were Jack and his girl are speaking and Felix comes around the side of the stage and hides to listen to them. That worked well, because at first I almost didn’t see him out of the corner of my eye. It is the act of picking up on the little things they plan out that makes a performed play a much more richer experience than watching a movie or just reading the script by yourself.

            Thirdly, it was nice that I had read the play before hand. It was much easier to just sit back and enjoy the play since I had already discussed it full length in class. I didn’t have to worry about keeping plot lines straight or wondering which character was which, I could just sit back and laugh consistently. It’s nice when you can just enjoy watching something and not have to worry about finding a larger meaning.