Featured review from Vagabond

Saw a previous production here (Blythe Spirit) and was pleasantly surprised but this one was hugely disappointing. Lighting was terrible - can't see actors' faces in key dramatic scenes. The too simple monochromatic brown wood paneled set design limited its adaptability to transport the audience to different places in the story. Worst of all...the use of handheld microphones! Actors all of a sudden pull out a mic when they sing. Sometimes a stage hand (extra actor) would come out just to hand mics to actors. It was like watching an elementary recital. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Not only did it affect the singing quality due to sound issues it was distracting and less than amateurish! Then there was the inconsistency - sometimes they use them and sometimes not. The venue is a former church and have good acoustics (previous play I saw here did not use handheld mics and the sound was fine). It made no sense at all. A few people left after the first act. I wanted to leave but my friend felt bad. In the end we felt worse and felt duped by the positive reviews. I suspect they were given by friends and relatives of the production (which obviously comprised most of the audience that night). So I felt compelled to write this review. To true theater goers, consider yourself warned!