Now in the in the midst of performance week, the reviews are coming in – – not exactly from the newspapers or the national press – but more likely from the hallways. They are usually quite positive as they speak about the work of their friends. They want to be there for their friends – just as they want they want their friends to be there for them. But then the wolves come. . .
One interesting and quite mean feature of any audience is that they can recite every mistake made on stage. They delight in noting every line that was flubbed. They savor each exit that was a tad too early or a tad too late. They love when the onstage phone rings but at the wrong time. They celebrate each time one of the stage walls inadvertently wiggles away as the stage door gets closed perhaps with a bit too much energy. Oh, how fun it is to see the rip in the dress, the hat falling off, the word mispronounced . . .
Ask someone about the play they say last night and they may barely be able to tell you the plot, but, bless their heart, they can recite a litany of any and all mistakes. “Did you see . . ..” Yes we saw. Thank you. I so cherish each reminder of the things that have gone wrong.
One comment on “Wolves at Play”
I don’t think anyone escapes this.
Sometimes if I want to watch a film, I visit IMDB to get a better idea of what it’s about, etc.
There’s an area where you see some of the mistakes and flubs that have been caught. These are major motion pictures with budgets in the millions with A list actors – and they still make mistakes.
I’ve read books written by well-known authors who had professional editors to perfect their work and yep, I’ve noticed mistakes in those too (even though they don’t ruin the experience for me).
We’ll never get rid of that. Hopefully, whatever ends up getting discussed will serve to remind us of the little things we can be more aware of.
I sure get frustrated when I catch mistakes in my own work (and even more so when others discover them first). It’s painful at times, but they’ve made me a better writer, so I guess it isn’t all that bad.
But of course, there are those who ONLY focus or see those things too. Gotta love them. 😉