That's Entertainment...maybe

I'll leave the retail world behind for now, save for these: it's not as mad as I had thought it would be during this buying madness season; the slobs and campers are unaffected by the intrusion of real shoppers; and young people who have never had a retail job before don't know diddly about customer service.

I did a second show of my solo performance piece last week. An organization held a large conference not too far from here and had invited me to perform as the 'entertainment' at the end of the conference. I had to write up a description so people could have a good idea of what the performance is about, because what is 'entertaining' to one person sure might not be 'entertaining' to another, and that's really the case here.

I am one who is entertained by the full range of subjects and approaches. I'm entertained by jugglers and comedians, and I'm entertained by Chekhov and David Lynch. I can also use the phrase, "That was great," after watching Bill Irwin, Harvey Keitel, Janis Joplin or Noam Chomsky (and hundreds of other people or forms of entertainment). I consider any performance that touches my soul, evokes a response and engages me intellectually or emotionally as entertaining.

But, that's just me.

Over the course of my life for as far back as I can remember, I have had an inherent curiosity about what truly entertains someone, and, to this day, I am often intrigued by people who stay away from any form of entertainment that will make them uncomfortable, might make them question something about themselves, might make them squirm or might make them think. Those of you who know me also know that I am not referring to something like the Freddy Krueger movies; to be fair, there are aspects in that genre that have merit, i.e., if you have not seen the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre movie, you should give it a go. Keep in mind, though, that it sure as shit ain't suitable for kids, ain't suitable for many adults (referring back to those who might have a breakdown if they watch anything but The Santa Clause 1, 2 or 3) and that, upon watching, you should be cringing and laughing your ass off, sometimes simultaneously. With respect to Keitel, if you've never seen Bad Lieutenant, you'll never see a better performance of human depravity and self-destruction in a character who has no apparent reason to be so despicable.

But, again, that's just me.

My performance piece had its birth during my work in a Katrina shelter in Louisiana. This, in and of itself, doesn't necessarilly keep things horribly sad for the entire performance, but it does mean that the audience is not in for a nice walk through the park. And, as I say in an early stage of the show, it ain't all tears and despair, really. Therefore, I am reluctant to describe the show as entertainment, even if I consider it to be so.

The show went well, even though I still can't rate my performance at 100%, and I was surprised at some of the places where I was cruising on all cylinders, because they were in different places than the first performance. That's the way it should be in live theatre though, because the psychic environment, the vibe of interaction, trust, doubt and tension between the actor and the audience changes every performance.

I received audience feedback via the person who had invited me to perform, and he said it was all good, positive, yaddayadda, save for one person who had a problem when I took the name of her lord in vain. Considering the lengths the conference had gone to in letting attendees know what they'd be in for, I don't have much empathy for the criticism. There always has to be at least one.
If I couldn't get someone to be that uncomfortable, it wouldn't be entertainment, would it?

But, that's just me, I guess.