In the last week, I attended Born and Raised and The Lily's Revenge - two productions by local Bay Area artists exploring the themes of love, marriage, and gay rights.
Born and Raised was a powerful and important production - while still managing to be magically entertaining. I thought it got to the core of what people don't seem to understand about gay couples, and exposed some of the cruel realities of what discrimination and misunderstanding can do. The performances were heartfelt and lovely, the costumes simple - and the writing and direction delivered through hard moments with charming segues keeping the audience and performers connected from beginning to end. I left the theatre feeling deeply moved by this intelligent and entertaining show.
The Lily's Revenge was an interactive and invigorating experience. Its message felt a bit scattered to me, and the story didn't seem to fully deliver what I felt it promised in the beginning... but, the performers were commanding and captivating throughout the show - and the intermissions! I loved the first and second acts, and the flowers fighting back in the 5th act - and the costumes and make up in this show were absolutely gorgeous. After the wild ride, the show ended with a question... which felt strangely in place of the fairytale-with-a-twist-surprising-yet-powerful-ending I was hoping for but, regardless, Revenge broke the boundaries of how we experience theatre and provided a night that will be remembered.
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