pres.umptuo.us

First the basics: I caught the last performance of Theater of the New Ear tonight at UCLA’s Royce Hall. New Ear began in London, played in New York, and finally in Los Angeles which should be it’s final stop. The performance is of two radio plays, which in LA was Anomalisa by Francis Fregoli (A pen name), and Hope Leaves The Theater by Charlie Kaufman.

I’m not gonna say too much about Anomalisa. Funny, well-written, and entertaining. Nothing too out of the ordinary and very much what I thought a radio play would be.

To try to write a review of Kaufman’s Hope Leaves The Theater would involve a lot of confusion and inadequate praise. I think it’s safe to say that it was the best play I’ve ever seen and ever will see. Kaufman had so many things going on, working on so many different levels, with his trademark “play within a play within a play within a play…” style. His script used the best of his cast (notably Meryl Streep playing a conceited and arrogant version of herself) and both made fun of and praised himself.

I need to learn to write like Charlie Kaufman

Reviews: Daily Bruin, Ain’t It Cool News, Margo Channing, SimplyStreep. Being Charlie Kaufman is also saying they’ll have an mp3 of the play posted up shortly.