Louie’s at 1st and Main started out to be a disappointment to me, with a wide variety of performance levels and acting choices, but by the end of the show I noticed that I was questioning my judgment. At first I caught myself writing a lot of negative notes right off the bat on the acting ability. I found that some of the strongest actors were playing the smaller parts in the show, which baffled me on the decision of the director.
The mean hearted cop had his debut of acting in this show, and honestly I could tell. His expressions were very big; the huffs and eye rolls were very bold, enough to make an audience member uncomfortable. The lady who played the angel was refreshingly excellent. Her expressions seemed so real, as if she was having a conversation with one of her friends outside of the show. She was absolutely lovely to watch. The friendly cop also played his part very well. I felt that he was genuinely sorry for Dimitri. And for Dimitri, at first I didn’t like his character at all. I thought he was overdoing his role and was much too happy to be a bum. But as the play progressed, my heart melted for him. His spirit was wonderful and his laughs seemed so real. He made me think back to some very optimistic bums I have passed on the streets. The old cat woman also did a remarkable job as a crazy bum. I would have to say that I enjoyed her the most. She portrayed a mumbling, mad, yet passionate bum as well as any great actor could do. The only thing I didn’t enjoy was the fact that for one line, she made eye contact with the man in the first row. Despite the humor in it, the show was not one where the audience is involved or the “acting wall” is broken.
The biggest disappointment to me however was the young man playing the part of Louie. Louie was a very important role, but the actor did not live up to the significance of the part. His acting ability seemed to be that of a beginner’s. He looked very much like a stereotypical hippie, and acted like one as well. He was very laid back and quiet, talking as if he had maybe done a bit too many drugs in his lifetime. His acting did not appear real to me, with a permanent smirk on his face, and overdone eye rolls. But maybe that’s how a pigeon would act; quiet, and not very expressive. Maybe a pigeon would be faintly smiling all the time, if pigeons could smile. By the end I appreciated more the calmness of his part when the twist of him being a pigeon was revealed.
The acting wasn’t spectacular, though a couple of them were, the overall character performances did not blow me away. But the show itself was beautiful, and by the end of the show I fell more in love with the characters. I left very happy and touched.
Heather Harlan
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4 comments:
Heather I completely agree with you about the aspects of acting. At first, Dimitri's big booming laugh and slap of the knee seemed far too melodramatic for this kind of show. But as the story unraveled and it became clear that he was no longer of sound mind from his time on the street it all seemed to fit better. The crazy cat lady was great! Her frenzied rants about the Aztecs seemed just like something you would hear on the streets of downtown Portland! She did an amazing job!
I agree with you on the acting, the cat lady was the standout and it took me awhile to warm up to Dimitri. Louis was not very expressive, but it may be he was in character as the pigeon. N.P.
I got to hear some of your opinion during intermission, and I must say I'm glad you were able to get into the show by the end of it. It really was an experience, huh? But I did like Tessie's interaction with the guy in the first row. It added a light moment, and to me it just made her seem a little more crazy, talking to someone who "wasn't there" (or at least, wasn't supposed to be there).
The lady that played the roll of the angel did a wonderful job. She was very sweet and kind, I agree with that.
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