Why theater?

This question posed quite the trick for me. Generally, I don't watch that many plays. For that matter, I don't watch much in the way of movies or TV, either - just what my friends happen to be watching when we're in the same room.

I think that, for me anyway, the draw of live theater would have to be the difficulty of it. Here are these people who, in many cases, get paid very little (if anything) to go onstage, as opposed to famous actors who make millions off of each movie they do. They drill day in and day out, having to perfect their lines not one scene at a time, but be able to recite every line, sometimes for every character in case one actor misses a cue. Mistakes will be made, and nobody can yell "cut!" and order a redo. Everything that is done is done for keeps - at least until the next performance.

Another draw is the immediacy of seeing a live show. When I was younger, I wanted to see the Phantom of the Opera so badly. I would have killed to see it. Naturally, when it came out in movie form, I pounced on it. A year later I finally got to see it onstage at the Providence Performing Arts Center. The voices weren't as good, I couldn't see facial expressions as well, and obviously there was no water in the Phantom's lair like there should have been, but the second the chandelier came sailing over my head, I was sold. This wasn't a simple celluloid (or laser-disc) reproduction of actors who had finished this months ago; this was happening now, and I was a part of it. The actors wouldn't receive my appreciation in the form of money alone; they would hear my applause.

What I find especially interesting is the impact of film adaptations of plays (mostly musicals more recently) on live theater. Rent was a smash hit, as were Hairspray and Mamma Mia, and I'm sure it's only a matter of time before Wicked hits the big screen. Apart from musicals, the most popular adaptations seem to be of Shakespeare plays - Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Much Ado About Nothing. Will seeing the movie prevent audiences from watching the play, or urge them to do so? My current passion is a movie that came out recently, Repo! The Genetic Opera (and when they say opera, they mean opera - almost every line is sang). Here's an interview with Terrance Zdunich - co-creator of the show who also plays the Graverobber.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m82c24F0CSs

As he states, the production was really made to be a movie. Originally, however, it started out as a two-man show with a much more basic plot. This interview does go on about the many advantages of film, but it does mention one important aspect of theater: the potential for change. Once the final product of a movie is made, it cannot be changed. A play, even when its writing is finished, is always a work in progress.

Okay, so I've yelled about this long enough. I hope you enjoy!