Song and Dance

The Imaginary Invalid was a pleasant surprise to me. I didn’t know what to expect or what it was about, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I was really surprised that PSU was able to use the PCPA building to hold their show. All the college shows I have been to have been performed at their school, and PSU isn’t even known for its theatre. So that was really great for them.
The stage space for The Imaginary Invalid was sort of a thrust and it worked really well. The seating was very modern yet old fashioned looking at the same time, with the box like seating feel to it.
There weren’t really any set changes because the play happened all in the one room the whole time. The only time it changed was when the whole cast would come on stage and do there little song and dance, which was very funny. The size of the cast and the size of the stage worked very well together. It didn’t seem too crowded; the cast size fit the stage and set perfectly.
I think comedies are better in intimate spaces because you can catch everyone’s facial expression and side improvisations. Facial expressions are really important in comedies and when they are overly done and exaggerated on stage, they suddenly become cheesy and not as funny. And yes, a lot of the show was cheesy, but it was on purpose and everyone did it so well that it worked and was really funny. But being close and intimate really made the fun experience.
The show was a lot of fun, the set was great, and the theatre area was amazing to be in.