Via Culture Monster
So, you have never been to a Tyler Perry’s play?
THEN DHHALLING . . .THIS is a “MUST READ” FOR YOU.
Attending a Tyler Perry play is unlike any experience in mainstream theater. The actor-writer-director has an established fan base and seems to thrive on audience connection. If this means frequently breaking character, then so be it.
Perry’s latest stage production, “Madea’s Big Happy Family,” is playing as part of a national tour. (Future venues include Madison Square Garden in New York and the Fox Theatre in Atlanta.)
The production, which features Perry in his signature role as Madea, the silver-haired, plus-sized force of nature whose disciplinarian attitude often sends her relatives running for cover. The play tells the story of Miss Shirley (Chandra Currelley), an aging single mother who has just received a diagnosis of terminal cancer. With the help of Madea, she assembles her grown children (and their significant others) for one final reunion, during which loyalties are tested and unpleasant truths are spilled.
Those who have attended Perry’s plays in the past know what to expect in terms of the actor’s seemingly spontaneous inclination to break the fourth wall and directly address the audience. Perry’s production company invited Culture Monster to their performance at the Kodak but requested that we not review the show.
For those who are new to the game, here are a handful of Perry pointers.
Get to the theater on time: The curtain will rise at the designated hour whether you are in your seat or not. And if you’re not, be prepared for a scolding from Madea herself. During a recent performance at the Kodak, she singled out latecomers as they scurried to their seats. “Sit the hell down!” she said. “People pay good money not to have you crawling all over them in the dark.”
Read more . . .
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2010/01/tyler-perry-kids-around-with-fans-during-madea-play.html
