Theater in Santa Fe — better than people think

What is the state of theater here in Santa Fe? Unfortunately, too many of our citizens might say, “Theater in Santa Fe? I think I heard about it, but I’ve really never been.” And that’s really a shame, because we actually do have a fairly vibrant theater scene here in a city that is much more focused on art, music and movies.

First, to accentuate the positive. We have too many terrific actors and actresses, not to mention set designers and directors, to list here. I would say that many of them are as talented as the best that Broadway and Los Angeles have to offer. But, as in any good drama, there has to be a negative side, and that comes from the quality of plays produced.

I try to see as many plays and staged readings as I can, and only a few stood out in my mind. One was last year’s The Good Doctor by Neil Simon based on the short stories by Anton Chekhov, a winning combination if there ever was one. Again, the acting was first rate. And the Passion of Ethel Rosenberg ,a one-woman performance by the terrific Talia Pura, was so powerful in its humanity and true horror — Ethel Rosenberg was executed with her husband on espionage charges in the early 1950s — that the warning to the audience to have a box of tissues handy was more than justified.

This doesn’t mean that there isn’t room for lighter fare. But I think there is a hunger here — at least to satisfy my personal appetite — for more serious, meatier plays such as Death of a Salesman, which played to sellout audiences at the Santa Fe Playhouse.

All things being said, there aren’t that many better ways to spend a Friday or Saturday night or Sunday afternoon than in the company of flesh and blood, breathing actors bringing real characters to life only a few yards from where you are sitting in our intimate theaters. It may not be perfect, but to quote the old Gershwin song, “Who could ask for anything more?”