What I liked
What I didn't like
My overall impression
The songs and choreography were fantastic, the characters are well-drawn, and the story structure is really solid. The themes and situations do a wonderful job of highlighting the problems of technology in our day to day lives, it’s effect on us as a society and as individuals, and does a good job of telling both sides of the story, creating real conflict and emotional tension. I was totally in for the ride.
The show abounds with incredibly well-done and synced video footage. Ironically, this becomes a huge detriment to the show. NARSOCITEY shines a spotlight on the fact that we are all drawn too much to “the screen” and then implements a huge screen onstage which draws the audience’s eye. Whenever something was on screen, I watched – and missed all of the acting, choreography, and singing happening live on stage.The video effects were fantastic, but I felt pulled out of the character’s lives.
NARSOCIETY does an amazingly good job of exploring both sides of a debate, exploring people and society, and has important things to say about how we treat one another and how we can change society for the better. It stirs real emotions. But the final number, obviously intended as a joke, rips all of that good will away, slicing of the characters back into caricatures and destroying the point of everything that so effectively filled the previous two hours. Cute for a Fringe run, but using the same great melody and changing the point of the final number in future iterations can increase the good will and really make the show soar.
Overall, a very quality show worth seeing, with a great group of actors, some stand-out performances, an engaging script, and truly terrific songs and choreography! Check it out!
