At the suggestion of a good friend, I spent this afternoon in line for returns for Veritas, the much-hyped fringe play about students at Harvard who were expelled in 1920 on the basis of being gay. Whenever something comes with a large amount of hype I usually try to take it with a grain of salt. Probably because theatre doesn’t often live up to my expectations. I found this play compelling and very well-acted, but I also found its earnestness grating and its use of meta-theatricality uneven. The costumes were lovely, the lighting was nice, the use of live music was fine. All in all, I would say it was an above average Fringe play that could definitely have legs elsewhere, but would need a cutthroat dramaturg in the meantime. I’m very aware of plays that are too clever for their own good, partly because it’s something I’ve been accused of. And maybe it sounds snobbish, but when I feel like the literary and Shakespearean allusions are going over my head, chances are 75% of the audience feels the same way. And I couldn’t help but wonder, if a play like this were written about, say, lesbians at Wellesley, would it get the same hype? I’m going to go with no. If I were to grade it, I would say B+.
All was not lost today though, I also read Apologia, a terrific play by Alexi Kaye Campbell (I’m on the hunt for a contemporary British play for NyLon to produce, if anyone has any ideas), and went to a reading of a very odd, yet fun, musical that a friend has been collaborating on.
