Theatre of the Absurd

No, not Beckett and Ionesco.

I just got my latest mailing from Proctors, which is a great old vaudeville-era theater in downtown Schenectady. I've been there a few times, and it's a great venue that harkens back to a time when going out was actually kind of pleasant. They have some cool things coming up: Avenue Q, which I've heard good things about, and, even better, a revival of Sweeney Todd. Might have to look into that... Of course, the way things are going in Hollywood (and on Broadway), the recent movie Sweeney Todd will likely be adapted into a musical, then re-adapted back to a movie, and over and over again. (Speaking of which, I'm waiting for Mel Brooks to turn his Silent Movie into a musical.)

However, there are also some really disturbing things coming up at Proctors. CSI: Live?!? Ooh, and with audience participation. Come and get autopsied live on stage! I swear, the poster literally says "Fun for the whole family." ("Daddy, what's all that DNA evidence in that hotel room?" Shudder...) A One Man Star Wars Trilogy?!? Even I'm not that nerdy. (Shades of George Michael Bluth from Arrested Development.) Legally Blonde: the Musical?! Oy. Now, does that mean it's going to be re-adapted back into a movie? Awesome 80s Prom? That sounds utterly horrifying. Heck, I didn't even go to my own prom in the 80s (they weren't happy when I suggested "Teenage Lobotomy" as the prom theme). And, good grief, Mark Russell is still around? Yikes.