In my opinion, theatre is one of the most magical things in the world. A theatre is a hallowed space, and anyone who has ever been in one knows just that. Plays transport us to other worlds. They make us laugh, they make us cry, and everything in between. Sometimes we go in not knowing what to expect. Sure, you can read blurbs on plays. You can read Wikipedia pages and articles about more famous ones. Some stories we know well, and some stories are new to us. That’s all a part of the magic. Of course, this means that part of the magic might result in something that is hard to watch and experience. Some plays are just painful.
I’m not saying this is a bad thing by any means. Honestly, I think hard to watch plays evoke so many emotions that they mean that much more to me than something that’s going to be easier to watch. Where could we be without both? There’s a reason the sign for theatre is the comedy/tragedy masks. But in this post, I want to specifically address the plays that are harder, more painful. And just the general idea of what we’re getting ourselves into when we end up at one of those shows.
Over the years, I’ve definitely seen some heavy hitters. I’m going to be completely honest…I’m a very emotional person. I cry at a lot, and that definitely includes plays and musicals. Maybe especially at plays and musicals. I love a show that brings that up in me, though. There’s something very cathartic about it. There are so many reasons out there to cry, and shows can run the gambit on that one. What is hard to experience in one show is completely different to another hard to experience show. That doesn’t take away from either, of course.
Shows that are hard to watch also teach us a lot. There’s a certain way they make us look inside ourselves. We learn from what we’re watching. Shows that are hard to watch can teach us a new perspective on things. They can bring to light things about ourselves and those around us that we might not have seen before. It’s one of the things I really love about shows that are hard to watch or experience. I’m usually walking away having learned something new. It can hurt in the moment, but nothing can beat when that lesson kicks in.
Looking inside yourself can be so important to an introspective, hard to watch show. When I saw Next to Normal, I thought I was going to be fine. I knew the music and the storyline. But the musical was so much harder to actually watch. I started crying halfway through Act 1, called my therapist at intermission, and sobbed through Act 2. This was a combination of learning, looking inside, and having similar experiences to characters in the show. It was super hard to experience, and I loved every second of what that show had to give to me. Enough so that I saw it again a few years later. And believe me, I will see it again, I’m sure.
A show that’s hard to experience isn’t right for everyone. Obviously, everyone goes to the theatre for a different reason. Some people just want comedies. Some people just want classics. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. Theatre is all encompassing. But I think it’s very important to point out the shows that are difficult to watch and experience. They are a type of theatre on their own.
Not everything is so black and white, though. I think, more often than not, shows that are hard to watch aren’t completely that. Most of them have lighter elements to them as well. It’s like watching RENT. For me, it has always been one of the hardest shows to watch. It’s emotional and heavy, and there’s quite a bit that punches you in the gut, including the death of a main character. But it also has beautiful music, love, and a happy ending with a message of hope. Just like life, there’s the good and the bad, the beautiful and the ugly.
Which is one of the most important things to remember. Theatre is supposed to be a reflection of life. Sometimes this is more direct in a show than other times, but in the end, we’re watching something that is reflecting something about our own world. And life in general isn’t always easy. We all have our “hard to watch” moments, just like shows. Sometimes this is more prominent than other times, just like it is in a lot of harder to experience shows. It was like me watching Next to Normal, feeling it was truly reflecting my life experiences. Hard to watch shows can bring out the life in us.
Maybe I’m a glutton for punishment, but these are the types of shows I cherish the most. I want to be brought to tears and question life and the things around me. I want to see the darker parts of myself on stage, being talked about in a way they aren’t always in real life. I want emotions, and reminders of how bad things can get. I guess in a way, it makes me feel reassured about my own life. These shows may be hard to watch and experience, but I think that’s also truly the beauty of them.
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