The Serpent: a subscriber’s review

This is from David Hood, one of our season ticket holders who was at opening night of The Serpent. You’ll notice I’ve even left in his biggest criticism because it’s a fair one:

I saw The Serpent tonight and found it to be quite a pleasant surprise. As someone who doesn’t particularly like dance, and demands a strong plot driven work I was surprised at how enjoyable the piece was. Everything worked together incredibly well, the direction, the sound design and the lighting to create an intriguing and entertaining work of art. The movement and dance were both evocative and clear at portraying the mood of the various scenes as well as being aesthetically pleasing and well-performed. The entire ensemble was strong and in particular the two main dance leads were very good(Adam/Eve).

Though a work of this type is never going to be as saleable as a straight play, you are definitely showing there is a place, and room for, this type of work. It is quite a nice change of pace to see something like this and enjoy thinking about the issues it raises and the thoughts it provokes. I think every audience member will come away with different thoughts, and even different ideas of what they just saw. Just as the work really defies categorization making it hard to describe to someone, it also makes reviewing it difficult. As is often the case for a Jobsite production, being an educated audience member will pay you back. Read the program, read the artistic directors notes. Get an idea of what it is, and what it is not. Give this different piece a chance and you will be rewarded.

That being said, there is really one big technical problem. Due to the amount of low movement in the show, those in the second row, which is not elevated behind the first row, are really obstructed and miss a fair bit.

Thanks so much for the feedback, David. Even bringing up the technical issue. So a word to the wise there – if you sit in the second row, sit behind people who are much shorter than you. Sightline issues in the space are unique from show to show, and we certainly do our best to keep them free and clear.

From what I understand opening night went well and as expected. I hear the paint was not quite even dry on the floor treatment when curtain went up – which was highly unusual considering the lack of humidity and the amount of time it had to dry.

It’s always something though, right?

There are still a few tickets remaining for Sunday’s show, and plenty for next week sans Friday night. We’d love to see you!

-dj