Birds and the Curiosity

What I liked

All of the actors are So talented. This is a Star Studded Cast.

Stylistically, I greatly enjoyed the medley of acting styles from the different characters, whether that be naturalistic leaning towards on-camera style, or a more over the top cartoonish musical theater kind of acting. All of the work was grounded and worked so well in the context of the piece.

The detail work of these older actors to play children was remarkable. Of course when I see taller actors, or those in their later 20’s who I know wouldn’t pass on screen as kids, I’m afraid to see their imitation of a child – I get ready for something that probably going to be cringy. This was not that At All. All of the actors in “Birds and The Curiosity” worked diligently to bring a childlike spirt and play to the characters to the point where I was beyond convinced that these are real children. You know the actors are doing a superb job when you forget you ware watching them act, or even a play at all, and all you see are real characters.

It was beautiful to see the integration of languages on stage and I enjoyed the top of show message that addressed the diversity in the cast.

The structure of the show kept me on my toes and engaged, and any questions I had where answered by the end of the play.

I think this piece is a great introduction (and revisitation) to the theater for families and people of all ages because it has multiple generations of characters, so there is someone for every age to identify with, and the themes are applicable to every walk of life. Get ready to laugh, cry, and rediscover your inner child in this brilliant piece.

What I didn't like

I recall the sound does being a little loud and the voice over to be a little foggy. I think there was some kind of vocal effect on the voice over and I’m not sure it really added anything other than making the narration a little bit hard to hear/understand.

I am a stickler for fast scene changes. While the team had a stripped down set where everything on stage felt intetional and was used (there was no exorbitant fluff for aesthetics) the moving between scenes was not exactly seamless. As the show went on I feel like they tightened up the changes but in the beginning was not as clean or as quick as it could have been – which would only further serve the storytelling if they could move quickly between scenes! Stylistically, towards the end of the show ,the actors would freeze as the lights faded and then move in the blackout out of their character biography to move set pieces and I liked this a lot. It clearly marked the end of the scene and the beginning of a transition (because the show does have set scenes and not one long phrase) where as the beginning of the show actors would enter and exit out of scenes, out of character, while the lights were still up which kind of took my out of the story and I think drew unnecessary attention to the scene changes.

Writing-wise, I wish that the time setting of the play was just a little bit clearer. While jokes about the Nokia phone and Billie Eilish were delightfully discordant, sometimes I was unsure as to what time period the younger characters were in. This is a small thing, but if another version of the script is drafted up this is one thing I would love to see clarified. But don’t lose the comedy! Because the grounds for intergenerational jokes are so fertile!

I would also love if somehow Hamsta could be introduced earlier? I don’t know, I just LOVED this character and the actors portrayal, and I feel like he was gone too soon! Pacing wise, the song is placed at a great time to bring back the audiences attention and give them something unexpected, but I wish I could have seen more of this beyond lovable character!

My overall impression

AMAZING CAST!!! This show is well constructed for audiences of all ages.