Theatre--Review

This is the first blog review for Gabe Ortego. Gabe has been performing on stage for the last 12 years. He is a board member at the Opelousas Little Theatre where he has performed in and directed over 15 productions. He is also active in the Eunice Players' Theatre, where he has performed in Fiddler on the Roof, Never Get Smart with an Angel , and The Last Night of Ballyhoo. He also directed The Last Night of Ballyhoo, which performed and won the Audience Favorite award at the Hub City Theatre Festival.

I just finished working on a show about a college professor with ovarian cancer. Throughout rehearsal, the director kept saying “Cancer is universal”. While I believe that is true, it made me think about what else is universal. I instantly thought of love. Love is universal. This is why I cannot recommend strongly enough to get to Cite Des Arts and catch Committed before it ends its run Saturday (August 30th) night.

Committed: Gay Marriage and Other Nightmares Plaguing Middle America (Woo! That is a title to write) is one of the most honest pieces of theatre that I have seen in this area. Committed is a solo performance written and performed by Cody Daigle (Cara Hayden directs while Duncan Thistlethwaite provides the scenic design). And there is no topic of gay lifestyle that Daigle doesn’t address. I promise you will laugh at the hilarity of his early years which were spent obsessed with a certain Karate Kid. I also promise you will feel the load of his struggles as he explains his desire to be married. It is in these moments where, without the audience realizing it, Committed works its magic. Imagine living in a world where the thing you want more than anything is deemed wrong by the people who are supposed to fight for everyone’s freedom. Can you? This sadly is the world we live in. Daigle acknowledges all this throughout the course of the show and makes one of the strongest arguments for gay marriage this side of the Mississippi.

I was in the audience when the show was first performed as part of the Hub City Theatre festival this past summer. I have since seen it a total of three times (I know but I really like this show). One thing that has struck me each time is the audience reaction to the piece. On Saturday when I attended the show, the audience definitely a wide array of people. The heterosexual couple sitting in front of me caught my attention. I could tell from the boyfriend’s body language that he was dragged there by his girlfriend. Throughout the first act he was slouched in his chair with an air of disdain. Then during the second act something happened. He sat up and zoned in on the man with a dream on stage. By curtain call, he was on his feet. That ladies and gentlemen is no small feat for anyone in theatre. Kudos, Cody!

Your religion, nationality, or sexual orientation doesn't matter; get yourself to Cite des Arts and see Committed before you miss out on a show that proves the power of theatre.
--Gabe Ortego