I Don't Get It

On Friday night, I took a break from novel-reading, poetry-writing, and creating a forumla to solve world hunger (Comcast has yet to hook up my TV) to view a critically-acclaimed play in which a good friend from high school and college was one of the starring actors.

The play was fantastic for a number of reasons, but it stood out on two accounts:

The language of the play was fast-paced and intelligent, and made no attempt to ensure the entire audience was "in on the joke". The result was personalized humor, as I understood most of the jokes, but I am sure there were many quips that I didn't get. I hold in high regard any production/piece of media that does not go to great lengths to ensure that everyone understands everything. The effect was a personalized account of the unfolding events, rather than any mass-produced effort that is lacking in insightful humor.

Sadly, most successful endeavors, while appearing intelligent, are easily understood and generally liked. In addition to all TV, books (did you meet anyone who didn't like The DiVinci Code?), and plays (Mama Mia, a musical, I realize, content poor) now cater to the lowest common denominator, to reach a broader audience, which offers a greater chance for success. I value a work that allows for personal interpretation, at the expense of being received with head-knodding approval.


The play was good because it simply appeared real and made me want to know what was going to happen next. I could care less if the acting was critically acceptable, it made me believe what was being depicted.

While the last sentence sounds stupid, it is not something I take for granted. As a result of all the movie critics, sports radio personalities, political analysts, I had started to view movies/sports/tv from an abstract view where "I disliked the movie because the acting was poor", rather than "I disliked the movie because it was a bad movie". Everyone expresses their opinion about everything, and what receives any airtime are ideas that are unique, to the point of absurdity, which has become the norm. I guess it is more prevalent in sports, which require an opinion on every subject, but to say "I just liked it" comes off as lacking thought. Ultimately, I have no problem saying I liked the play because it was funny, and it made me believe the story.