A Mixed Bag

As fun as it has been - and at times it has been a great deal of fun - I'm welcoming the end of our Woy/Ubu run with open arms. The final performance is sold out, so hopefully we'll go out with a bang. Response has been generally good, and attendance has increased over the course of the run. The Buffalo News ran a favorable review, and comments I've seen on Facebook (shout out to Elizabeth and Annie!) have been glowing. Then there was a review in UB's Generation Magazine (where, I might add, I slaved away for three years) that was absolutely scathing, comparing us to a middle school play, and not favorably at that. Part of the reason I'm not cut out for performing is that I don't like to be criticized, and I'd heard people talking about "the Generation piece" in tones that made it very clear this was no rave review. Still, I wanted to read it, partly to see if there was any constructive criticism (there wasn't) but mostly to make sure I wasn't singled out for particular scorn (I wasn't). So I read it. And... there wasn't a whole lot there, to be honest, other than "I didn't like this" expressed in a variety of ways. I had mixed reactions. I mean, the lack of constructive criticism made the negative review more personal. He just didn't like us. Yet at the same time it also became less important. He just didn't like us. Meanwhile, Elizabeth knocked off an insightful note on Facebook that I much prefer, not simply because it's heaped with praise but because it says more in a few sentences than the review did in a page. See? This is why I shouldn't be performing. I take everything way too personally. Oh, and the whole lack of talent thing, too. Ha ha. Just kidding. Sort of.