"Something's coming. I don't know what it is, but it is gonna be great."

So I have had the recent opportunity to see three Broadway shows: West Side Story, Driving Miss Daisy, and Time Stands Still. I loved Driving Miss Daisy and Time Stands Still. I felt inspired to watch Laura Linney, Brian D'Arcy James, James Earl Jones, and Vanessa Redgrave work live. Their performances made me want to sit down and write the great American play (or musical) that would tell an equally profound story. I felt proud to be an actor. West Side Story, not so much.

West Side Story is a musical I have loved for quite some time and I was very much looking forward to seeing it. So many people think it might be outdated because gang violence does not exist in quite the same way it did when the show was originally written, but I disagree. The show is extremely relevant today and I wish I had felt that way during the production. The dancing was technically very strong, but did not tell the story. The dancers were too focused on making perfect turns and jumps instead of showing the characters and the fear and anger they were experiencing.

Not only that, but I was so disappointed in the vocal ability of the bulk of the cast. It is always frustrating to go to a musical when the singing is not good, but if the actors are at least communicating the story, they can make up a little for bad musicality. But that was not the case. If I see one more cliche grabbing the air movement on the line "Catch the moon, one-handed catch" in "Something's Coming," I don't even know what I will do. There is nothing worse than stock gestures and generic choices.

The most effective line of the play said by Maria at the end meant nothing, "You all killed him. And my brother. And Riff. Not with bullets and guns. With hate! Well I can kill too because now I have hate!"

It was pretty disappointing to see a musical that is so brilliantly written truly butchered. It was one of the worst musicals I had seen on Broadway....and this was something I actually WANTED to see. It is really unfortunate how there hasn't been much else I wanted to see. And if there is, chances are it is a play, not a musical. All the musicals seem to be revivals (and not even revivals of fabulous musicals) or juke-box musicals with no real plot. Or they are just shows like Spiderman that are a death sentence for the actors. Considering musical theater is my degree and my passion, it is frustrating. Are there going to be any new musicals that tell great stories?

I have been trying to take charge of this by brainstorming ideas for a musical or play, but it is so dificult to come up with ideas. And of course even if I come up with a brilliant idea, how to get it produced? New York City is a huge city and the arts are not financially supported.....or emotionally supported even.

There are very few shows that I have seen in recent years that I have loved that have had the success they deserve. In the Next Room, Superior Donuts, August: Osage County, The Drowsy Chaperone, Grey Gardens, and Ragtime were all shows that I did love, and none of them lasted long at all.

I'm not trying to just vent about theater is underappreciated these days, but I do wonder why there aren't unique stories being told anymore. It can't be that everything has been overdone since theater has been around for hundreds and hundreds of years.

But you know what I really think it is? I think all of our brains are so fried from technology so no one is coming up with any innovative ideas. I am a victim of this too. After a busy day, I come home and basically just go on facebook and surf the web for nothing. I do force myself to read The New York Times online everyday, and I know I am in the minority with my generation for doing even that. Humans aren't having real relationships anymore. We are afraid to be vulnerable and we use technology as a barrier.

Maybe THAT is what my musical will be about.