After I saw PETER PAN with Mary Martin on Goodtimes Video, my life changed.
"The Spectacle has, indeed, an emotional attraction of its own, but, of all the parts, it is the least artistic, and connected least with the art of poetry. For the power of Tragedy, we may be sure, is felt even apart from representation and actors. Besides, the production of spectacular effects depends more on the art of the stage machinist than on that of the poet."
--Aristotle
Shockingly, despite what many think of it, Jane Eyre ~ The Musical had sincerly impacted my life, mostly of course with the Helen/Young Jane/later Second Act with Jane stuff, but still did impact my life for the better. Suprisingly, I just got really back into it with these bad times :o!
Since the question did say plays, here are some plays that I consider defining parts of who I am:
Angels in America Venus by Suzan Lori Parks Cloud 9 Kindness by Ping Chong Lion in the Streets by Judith Thompson Fefu and Her Friends by Maria Irene Fornes How I Learned to Drive and Baltimore Waltz by Paula Vogel A Doll's Life A Streetcar Named Desire Doubt
"Winning a Tony this year is like winning Best Attendance in third grade: no one will care but the winner and their mom."
-Kad
"I have also met him in person, and I find him to be quite funny actually. Arrogant and often misinformed, but still funny."
-bjh2114 (on Michael Riedel)
3 specifically: August: Osage County- Wow. Just, wow. Topdog/Underdog- I didn't see it on B'way but at a tiny little theatre near me and they had onstage seating. I sat onstage and I have never left the theatre feeling like I did that night. Hair in Central Park- The pure euphoria I experienced those two hours in that theatre was amazing. Dancing with James Rado after: Priceless
"TO LOVE ANOTHER PERSON IS TO SEE THE FACE OF GOD"- LES MISERABLES---
"THERE'S A SPECIAL KIND OF PEOPLE KNOWN AS SHOW PEOPLE... WE'RE BORN EVERY NIGHT AT HALF HOUR CALL!"--- CURTAINS
The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby in 1981 changed me, and not just by sitting for 9 hours. It made me think, changed the way I perceived life. Things aren't always as they seem, and it made me see those who are less fortunate with more compassion. So much of the imagery that the RSC used still haunts my mind to this day. Out of over 300 professional productions, this one was my ultimate favorite. Angels in America as well as Love Valor Compassion also impacted my life. For musicals...Chorus Line defined me in my adult life. It opened and I was literally homeless, living in the woods in Maryland. I saw the show (still homeless believe it or not), and the the show ignited a survival mode in me. I soon had my first apartment and moved on and am now in my third home. Theatre has definitely more than sparked my life over the years.
For personal reasons, Shining City and Spring Awakening definitely had an effect on my life.
Butters, go buy World of Warcraft, install it on your computer, and join the online sensation before we all murder you.
--Cartman: South Park
ATTENTION FANS: I will be played by James Barbour in the upcoming musical, "BroadwayWorld: The Musical."
"I can not imagine a life being impacted by something as inconsequential as a play."...ok, so why don't you read some of these posts where people are describing how plays changed their lives and then maybe you can imagine it?
Back to the OP's question, one of the plays hat really changed me was Amadeus. It made be think about talent, competition, motivation, it really moved me. Updated On: 12/24/08 at 11:07 AM
I was more emotionally moved by "The Guys" than any other play I've ever seen. Did it impact my life? Not really. It was just an incredibly moving and sad play.
The one theatrical event that did impact my life more than any other was "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels". That's because I made a couple of very good friends through that show and I'll love them forever.
www.thebreastcancersite.com
A click for life.
mamie4 5/14/03
Up until then, I was just your average run-of-the-mill theatre-goer who loved musicals but found that Shakespeare fella kinda dull. Now I simply can't get enough of him (plus I have vastly improved knowledge of a certain period of English history). No, it didn't profoundly alter my outlook on reality, but I've seen over twenty different Shakespeare plays this year (including eight over a single weekend and more Hamlet than I would care to shake a stick at) and there's NO WAY that would've happened if I hadn't fallen for Henry V the way I did.
At the very least, we're talking at least £450 spent on tickets in a single year that otherwise would have gone towards CDs, books, take-out food, repeat trips to Avenue Q, whatever, and that's before travel costs, programmes, the RSC Open Day, and the books, CDs, and DVDs I've bought since becoming a fan. If you're incapable of believing in the intellectual or emotional impact of a play on a life, then perhaps you'll be more inclined to take note of a financial impact.