Young, Gifted & Spidey

Last night I was among the 100 lucky folks to see The Spidey Project at The PIT, which was a fully-realized one-hour musical based on the Spider-Man character. It was created in 30 days with a $0 budget by a troupe of extremely talented and spirited artists. 
Director Justin Moran collaborated with Jon Roufaeal on the story and book, and Doug Katsaros and Adam Podd composed the catchy songs. The cast of 9 played numerous roles and were all pitch-perfect.

How did Spidey fly? Simple. Cardboard cut-outs of buildings held by cast members swayed down and up stage as the limber, athletic, and lovable Travis Nilan "swung" from building to building. The audience went wild. Not just because SPIDEY was flying, but because of the ingenuity and cleverness of the direction.
The "set" consisted of painted cardboard panels that recalled the comics. Peter was bitten by an invisible spider, and we bought it. Villains wore simple masks with logos on their T-shirts. And when Peter finally appeared in his trademark costume, the audience cheered.
Special mention must be made to Ryan Nelson who played the bully FLASH, and sang a hilarious tune about having a date at Chipotle. A news reporter played by Jon Roufaeal kept us up to date on the crimes being stopped by Spidey, and he even had a backstory that kept us cheering for him. Claire Nuemann played BETTY, a secretary with a crush on Peter, with perfect comic timing, and Liz Bachman was utterly enchanting as Peter's love interest, GWEN. The rest of the ensemble dazzled with their clear character choices and smart delivery. At the end of the show, which literally flew by, the crowd leapt to their feet. Together, we rooted for Peter/Spidey and together we experienced a story with a beginning, middle and end. It was magical. 
I am not a theatre critic (although I always give my uncensored reviews of every show I see) but, I am a "tenacious" audience member. I love to be in the audience with a group of strangers, having a shared experience. I love the energy of people around me. This is why I don't rent DVD's ... I actually go to the cinema. 
As I sat on the steps of the new PIT (no seats available), listening to the chatter of the excited audience, I remembered when New York seemed new and full of possibilities to me. I recalled seeing brilliant improv shows at midnight with packed houses, edgy downtown shows in spaces that one could barely locate (and this was before GPS!), discovering new acts like Kiki & Herb at the Flamingo on the LES, and being totally inspired to create my own stuff. I used cardboard boxes to make sets, old table cloths for backdrops, and Salvation Army finds for costumes. I used every resource possible and made hundreds of phone calls to everyone in my book to personally invite them to see my shows. A show needs an audience! 
I am older now. Alot older. And it was a great treat to see the "kids" of today doing the same thing. Creating art out of a response to what's going on in pop culture and using every resource they could find to share their vision with the audience.
As I walked home, smiling, and thinking about my next show at the PIT, I wondered how I would transform the stark (yet functional) space into a suburban backyard with $0. I wondered how I could continue to entertain and bring my artistic dreams to life. And I wondered if it was worth it, now that all of my friends are married, with kids, broke, gone for the weekend, or just not that interested.
As I rounded the corner of 24th and 7th, I came across a pile of garbage with large cardboard pieces strewn about. I took a pause and looked closer, and much to my delight, I found 8 panels with images of flowers and trees that would work perfectly for my backyard set! $0! Magic.
I cannot wait for my next show. I look forward to creating something exciting. I encourage you all to live your dreams. Age is not a factor. Money is not an issue. All you need is a dream and the drive to make those dreams come true.
Dream big. Live large. Love often. Fly.
xo Pete