Can Do! Plays on the Bright Side

On Saturday I went to see my cousin Cynthia perform in one of a series of short plays written by children and directed/performed by professional actors and directors. It was for a group called "The 52nd Street Project" and it brings kids from the Hell's Kitchen area into the world of the arts. Great project, presumably great kids. All good stuff.

And the show was fun. The plays were hit or miss,* but the acting was generally silly and adorable (Cynthia was great, of course) and there were a couple of famous people in it (Billy Crudup!).

The only beef I had was that my secondary reason for going (primary being Cynthia) was that it was supposed to be all positive, happy plays. It's called "Can Do!" and if there's anything at all that I need right now, it's positive reinforcement. I'm like a lost, wandering puppy on a street corner and all I want is for some friendly person to give me a behind-the-ears scratch and a new home. And yet the two arguably best, well-written plays were about
1) child abuse, and
2) divorce
That doesn't sound very bright-sidey to me! Don't get me wrong, they were very good and mature, especially for twelve-year-olds. But I had gone to see Billy Crudup dress in plastic armor and defeat a stilts-wearing Cyclops and giant snake (even more hilarious than you can imagine). I had not gone to watch a poor girl get abused by her father and only barely make it out alive (with the shadowy specter of the father chasing her in closing moments). I got both.

Again, it was great, but I think a more appropriate title would have been: "Can Do? Plays Straddling the Fence of Bright and Terrifying." Although, I guess that wouldn't have made for great marketing.

*Some hilarious miss's in the following post.