Legacy of LIght at Arena Stage

Clearly, something has gone awry since my last two visits. I was so upset after this last visit, I even wrote them a letter — a summary below.
I attended Legacy of Light’s opening night performance. We sat in front of a man in a plaid bow tie and dark suit, who was overheard to be a theater employee. During the performance, much to our dismay, he displayed forced and uncued laughter. This in itself would not have been problematic — except that it was heard by friends of ours who sat across the room. As an employee, we expected him to abide by basic theater etiquette and were very disappointed that we were unable to hear much of the show.
A breach of theater etiquette may have been excusable, but the laughter was often untimely and frequently began before the the actor/​actresses punchline. Once, premature laughing occurred in conjunction with the statement, «this is one of my favorite parts.» It was quite apparent that this gentleman had seen the show before and was familiar enough with the lines to expect jokes. However, this was our first viewing and it was highly disappointing that the suspense was ruined. So, we walked out of the show during intermission. My friends have noted that this may have been a tactical «plant» of employees for opening night, in order to cue audience reactions for the purpose of gaining favorable reviews. My prior visits have been extremely pleasant and hope this isn’t true.

Small theater, not unlike something you’d find in a high school. Come to think of it, I believe my high school theater was bigger. However it’s a decent space. The ushers were a bit intense – as he sat down to fill an empty seat, I overheard an elderly usher sternly warn two young adults to make sure their phones were silenced as if he were a headmaster and they were 13-​year-​olds who mistakenly thought they were at a Miley Cyrus concert. so yea.
However, that is not my beef with Arena Stage.
Dear Sir,
Yes you, young man in the patterned blue bow tie and plaid shirt. You who pretensiously spoke of your employment at Arena Stage before the show started, and of how you had reviewed the script and found it promising, and made fun of how a foolish young prospect incorrectly answered why he should be employed by Arena Stage. YOU are the reason I will never return to this theater again. YOU ruined this playwright’s work – not just for me, but for those around me (I confirmed with those sitting in front of me and several rows behind me). Kind Sir, you claim to have knowledge of the theater, yes? Then perhaps you are aware that deeper voices travel farther distances with less provocation. So while you may have thought that you were lightly chuckling to yourself, you were in fact, hee-​hawing throughout the ENTIRE venue. Yes, we understand that to call the young lover a «puppy» is to insult him, please stop laughing. Yes, Voltaire’s sexual metaphors are witty, please stop laughing. You laughed before punchlines were delivered. You laughed so loudly that I missed the following lines. If find it grossly negligent to affiliate yourself with a theater as you torturously sabatoge it. If I were the playwright I would sue you. I HAVE NEVER WALKED OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF A MUSIC VIDEO, A FILM, OR A PLAY. Yes, at intermission, we left and did not return because of your existence. If the tickets had not been complimentary I would have fought you. I have never despised a larynx more.
You should be ashamed of yourself.
I will never. Ever. Return to Arena Stage. If you happen to see a young man in a bow tie, RUN. Just get your stuff and leave.

What is understandable about Arena Stage is its subpar auditorium with uncushiony seats and cramped lobby quarters. Considering that this is a temporary location, it’s passable.
But there is no real logical explanation for the hokey pokey operation that was the disorganized ticketing and seating. Before getting passes to the Legacy of Light, I had to submit all of my personal information. This led me to believe that tickets would be held in my name at will call, which is how things usually go. Instead, I walked up to the table and was asked, «How many people do you have?» No checking of name, no asking of name — that would only make too much sense. Instead, the lady rummaged through a bunch of envelopes, pulled one with someone else’s name on it and said «Whatever, you can take these,» and handed them to me. So at least I got my tickets.
But then when we entered the actual theater, albeit about 5 minutes late, we discovered the tickets were essentially useless. The usher told us people were sitting in the seats listed on our tickets, but there were one or two random open seats somewhere else so could we just split up and sit in those seats until the intermission? Oh and by the way, don’t sit down yet. You’ll have to stand for 10 minutes.
So we stood in the aisle for a few minutes while other theatergoers told us to move out of the way, and at the next set change not quite 10 minutes later, we went to the random open seats. We were told that after intermission, we should go to the seats on our tickets. But foreseeing the awkward exchange that would be «Uh, hi. You’ve been sitting in our seats and we’re here to reclaim them,» we instead took the seats that were left open by our disgruntled friends who left early.
Which brings me to my next complaint: That guy. The loud, obnoxious, projection-​laughing, guffawing guy. From our pre-​intermission seats, I noticed this guy with the projection laugh and thought he must be friends of the actors because he clearly thought every single shift in facial expression was the most hilarious thing in the world. And he was clearly laughing to be heard by the people on stage. From those pre-​intermission seats, the guy was annoying.
But from the seats directly in front of him, it was more than annoying. His guffaws and heehaws were so loud that our ears were literally ringing for a second. On top of it all, the play wasn’t even THAT funny! It was amusing and enjoyable but not knee-​slapping hilarious. Considering that the guy was affiliated with the theater (as Bassey mentions) it is worth noting him in this review. I don’t know what your name is, guy, but if I were your boss I’d fire you pronto.
It’s unfortunate. The play was rather entertaining and cleverly written. But because of the heehawer and the unprofessional nature of the ticketing and seating system, I felt like I was going to an elementary school musical. Actually, elementary school muscials are probably better.

Arena Stage lured me to visit with free tickets to opening night of Legacy of Light. I +1’d my mom as a slightly belated mother’s day present — the play’s theme seemed fitting, and what better gift than spending time with me?
Finding the place was no problem, and we located metered street parking almost instantly. A helpful passerby pointed out that we didn’t have to pay after 6 — awesome! I’m deducting the fifth star because once we entered the building the lobby was cramped and a little chaotic, and the ushers were hell bent on scolding people about cell phone use. I get it, people, this is not my first night on the planet.
The theatre itself was a nice size — not too big, not too small, with airy ceilings — and there didn’t seem to be a bad spot in the house. Despite being seated towards the back, I had no problem seeing the stage. The chairs were cushy, and the leg room! Kobe Bryant would have been comfortable.
The sound quality was good, the lighting was well timed and creative, the 15-​minute intermission was the perfect length, and the best part of all? The audience was invited post-​show to a ballroom in the Mariott adjacent to the building to celebrate opening night. There were puff pastries, quiches, beef wellingtons, hand dipped chocolates, and free beer and wine. Whoever said the way to a person’s heart is through their stomach was right on ;).

Juxtaposing Newtonian physics, quantum mechanics, inter familial relationships, and the drive to reproduce and discover against a background of social and intellectual evolution is not an easy thing to do. Turning it into a cohesive whole that entertains enlightens and inspires is even more difficult. Karen Zacarias (Playwright) achieves greatness by pulling it all together and making it flow. Innovative set design speeds the story along as time and scenes shift. Great costumes and well delivered dialog from talented actors transfer the audience into an uplifting universe where «nothing is ever lost» and «what holds us together the most we know the least about.»
My guest and I really enjoyed the story, the acting, and the reception afterwards. The story is very funny, but also very touching and inspiring as well. Thank you arena stage for producing innovative work!