Funny how it always comes as a shock to me when I see a straight play on Broadway and realize the cast is not body mic-ed. Everyone's always mic-ed for musicals, but what is it? "Tradition" that plays go unmic-ed?
I believe 'HARRY POTTER' is mic-ed. But of course that's practically a musical, with 40 people running around on the stage, in that very large theatre. And yes, I saw it, from a seat rather far back, and I could hear everything perfectly.
But after sitting through two parts of 'ANGELS IN AMERICA' recently, and also 'THE BOYS IN THE BAND,' both from front-row mezzanine seats, I do wonder how long this tradition will last.
I have pretty good hearing (especially for my age), but the actors who appear on Broadway today (many from television backgrounds) don't seem to project their voices like they were trained to do years ago.
And then there are great stage actors, like Cherry Jones, who I remember having difficulty hearing in some scenes of 'DOUBT' a while back. But, again, I was rather deep in the mezzanine, as I recall, at the Walter Kerr (945 seats.)
I don't think this hearing thing is necessarily an "age" problem, though, for aren't younger people today going deaf from the loud music they plug into their ears?
Anyway, I had difficulty hearing some lines spoken in the plays mentioned above recently, yet - to the good - it does require the audience to focus and pay close attention to everything being said.
Still, some of these theatres aren't that small, like the Neil Simon where 'ANGELS' is playing and where musicals often play and, according to IBDB, seats 1,467.
It's fine for 300-seat regional theatres to present plays un-miced, I think. But isn't it time Broadway houses mic-ed their straight plays, too?
Maybe it's just me, in my old age. |
