VictoriaWorld: Alec, Patti, and You

Since The 8th Avenue Observer is quickly on its way to world domination of theatrical journalism, it seems like now is a good time to debut one of everyone’s favorite parts of any publication: the op-ed section (some of you thought I was going to say product placement, right?). It’s with great excitement that I introduce my first column.

Recently, I’ve had slightly too much free time during the day. It appears that New York has gotten too hot for the ladies of The View, and so while they’ve fled to the Hamptons, I’m left without a distraction. Seriously, you know things are dire when you’ve watched the same episode of Rachael Ray three times and have yet to grasp how any of the meals she makes are simple (which is really just as well since any attempt to use my oven would result in me having to find another place to store all the junk that’s in it). Anyway, I’ve had a lot of time to play on the Internet, and since there are only so many times one can refresh GawkerStalker I went to read some articles on The Huffington Post. What caught my eye was an article by Alec Baldwin called What The World Needs Now is Patti LuPone. Now, we can all imagine the various voicemail messages that Patti and Alec could leave each other, but there’s something more intriguing about this than that.

I’m not actually sure what the point of Alec’s article was other than Patti is good and everyone should go see her, but what I assumed the initial premise of his piece was going to be (and this is what got me thinking) was something about how going to theatre and being moved by what one sees can lead to positive change in the world. With the upcoming election and the current state of the country now is an important time to think about what effects us, and how we can contribute. I don’t know how many times I’ve read or heard an interview with an actor where they state that what they do isn’t important or that they feel ashamed by their job. However, isn’t telling stories important?

Storytelling is important not only as a way to remember history, but also as a conduit towards increased tolerance. The impact of storytelling can be much greater when it’s being done live in front of an audience, and the people in their seats forget that they’re watching actors, and instead feel like they’re watching real people. If one empathizes with a character in a play who is different than they are then aren’t they more likely to empathize with a character in real life that is different than they are? Plus, there are a number of productions currently playing on Broadway that make one think and ask questions, and anything that encourages people to ask questions is a positive force for change.

It’s hard to make general statements about every show on Broadway, since for every show that’s designed to be thought-provoking there is also one that is designed to be entertaining (and, of course, those two things do not have to be mutually exclusive). However, they all should make the audience care. Whether one leaves being moved by the social issues that were explored, or one leaves having become completely enamored of one of the performances; the point is one leaves caring and engaged, and having citizens that are those things is exactly what the world needs.

It’s much harder to not care about the world off-stage when one is invested in the world on stage.

By Victoria Myers