Foresight

(image copyright - Easily Distracted Theatre)

I went to see the Easily Distracted Theatre's production of FORESIGHT on Saturday night at the Fort Mason Center in San Francisco. Some of you may know that I was actually in the cast in the original production of FORESIGHT in 2006. 2006 may not seem too long ago, but I was promoting the show on my MySpace blog, which is something I wouldn't do today. I met writer/director and mastermind behind The Easily Distracted Theatre, Ruben Grijalva, back in 2003 when I was attending DeAnza College. I was introduced to him by my classmate, Adam Gonzalez, who was also a member of the group. So here I was in San Francisco to see a production of FORESIGHT as an audience member instead. I thought the production back in 2006 was pretty amazing - along with technology progressing and Grijalva rewriting parts and writing new parts, the play has become even more amazing. It is awesome to see how it has evolved to where it is now. Here is the synopsis of the play (from easilydistracted.com): The play tells the story of fictional Silicon Valley pioneer Victor Martinez and his wife, Lorena. Faced with a terminal illness and the approaching birth of his daughter, Victor crafts a software replica of himself, a kind of digital soul, represented as a disembodied likeness on a video screen. Victor's digital proxy, fully equipped to read bedtime stories, vacuum the house, and even make breakfast, is convincing enough to assist Lorena in raising their daughter, Shelley. Shelley loves and accepts her digital daddy, but Victor's physical absence takes a brutal toll on Lorena. The curtain rises on Shelley's thirteenth birthday, when Lorena decides it's time to finally move on. GreyWolf does an absolutely wonderful job as lead character, Victor Martinez. His voice is like that of great radio broadcaster which makes him pleasing to listen to.... which is a good thing because he is pretty much on stage in some way or another the entire show. I was also impressed with Luisa Frasconi as the 13 year old Shelley Martinez. She was full of energy and she acted very well even when it wasn't her turn to speak. I love actors who can be seen reacting to things going on during the play and aren't just waiting their turn to say their next line. There is a reason you have a line, so show it. Luisa did that well. When I was in the original production, I played the role of Allan Rodgers, the new man who enters Lorena's life and no one really likes. Of course I was interested to see how actor Jarrod Pirtle would do in the same role. I admit it was hard not to think "I can do better" or "My way was better," but Jarrod's approach still did the job. Even though he may have said the lines differently and in different tones than I did, it still worked. This is one of the reasons why live theatre is so amazing. In fact, Jarrod's performance Sunday will be different than his performance on Saturday.... no two performances will ever be the same. Ruben Grijalva's work has come a long way since I first met him and it will only get better. It is amazing that someone who is still a young 28 years old(like me!) has written a script as emotionally complex and appealing as FORESIGHT. Sunday, July 18th, is your final chance to see the production at the Fort Mason Center. Showtimes are at 2pm and 8pm. You can buy tickets here.