Fundamentally Happy

Now Playing : I Wish You Love - Rachael Yamagata

Watched a couple of good shows recently, one of which was Fundamentally Happy.

Heard rave reviews about the play’s first showing and went in with high expectations. Wasn’t disappointed… but wasn’t terribly impressed either.

I like it, and I don’t.

I like it for the surfeit of emotions and the questions and feelings it digs up within us and the fact that it doesn’t give simple answers. It doesn’t give any answers at all. It doesn’t paint a pretty picture and there isn’t any right or wrong. The playwright laughingly commented that we could even see the play as “morally evil” and in its twisted way, we can.

It shows the truth the way it is. Complex.

I also like the clarity defined in the neatly boxed setting of the new Gallery Theatre.

I don’t like it for the slightly erratic writing, the start of each act seems contrived somehow and the about face turn in the frequent change of emotions is too abrupt to be believable, making the acting seem over the top at times when the actor tries to make up for it. The play didn’t ring true at times.

The ending music was hauntingly perfect but I didn’t cry and didn’t even feel like crying, and that says a lot. I wasn’t drawn in to feel for the characters and somehow that says it all. It’s a pity because I felt there was so much potential and so much more that could be wrung out from this story.

I can see why so many people liked this piece and I do recommend it when it shows again (there’s another run scheduled I think). I’ll even see it again… perhaps in a different mood and changes, it’ll stir different reactions…