There are nerves, the audience can affect a performance, and ultimately if you haven't slept the night before, you better hope your brain catches up and gets those critical lines delivered! The last time I was pregnant with twins, I was on stage and the one thing the stage manager told me was don't trip. Nice.
If there is one thing about Saturday Night Live that hasn't changed is the love all the actors seem to share after a performance, love. They all hug, high five each other and what I hear is party until the wee hours. I myself would get invited to the after parties at Colonial Players and just think, I can't do that....I have to sleep!!!!!! Would I be able to turn down SNL cast parties? I don't think so!
These actors on SNL come back week after week and deliver performances that always surprise, the problem is they don't knock my socks off. When Will Ferrell was on the show, you just knew it was going to be special-it was going to be hilarious, it was going to go there. Taran Killam has that ability and delivers insightful performances, ones that are certainly memorable (Brad Pitt impression, funny).
In recent weeks, take the Charles Manson skit performed by Mr. Killam, albeit the subject itself, it was distasteful and we'll it just fell flat for me. It's obvious my opinion doesn't count, but I do know funny stuff and that wasn't it-that Charles guy took peoples lives-horrible. Those promo videos Taran participates in are hilarious so having those extra takes and cuts gives actors a lot of freedom.
Performing live is a crap
shoot. You can have hit nights and you can have bummer nights. I too also experience this in motherhood-my problem is that I like to turn on
Saturday Night Live after a long day of motherhood and see the hit nights and laugh hysterically. It makes me forget about my lost moments in mommyland, times where I should of, could of, didn't.
Jim Carrey was the host on October 26th
and I expected an amazing night but sadly I was left disappointed, although the
video shot of him impersonating Matthew McConaughey in that Lincoln commercial
was a gut-buster! Carrey sounded like Matthew, had his nuances down-pat
and Patrick and I fell over in the bed laughing hysterically!! He has no reservations. He just goes there.
My suggestions are sorta like this,
1) Bring back the old players as a favor and ask them to give acting lessons to the current players like a Saturday Night Live 101 for novices because the cue card reading is very distracting.
2) Even in community theater we didn't have cue cards and we weren't paid. I know it's hard but if you have lines to remember it's good to stay inside and practice, practice, practice.
Kenan Thompson is SOLID but writers could give him better opportunities and better one-liners. Tracy Morgan had this opportunity when he portrayed Brian Fellows. Those skits were insane. My sister-in-law and my husband knock those lines out of the park-that's what I'm saying, when something sticks, you remember it and it makes you laugh time and time again. You can actually make your family members who don't laugh often, laugh hard (even I can do this) when you retell these silly skits.
Listen, I'm hopeful for the Christmas show. I hope SNL cast members knock it out of the park (I keep saying that a lot don't I?) because I certainly couldn't go on stage like they do without a serious mixture of Red Bull and vodka, my liquid courage. I'm ashamed to say that...............oh well.
So on with the show.............but can Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd come back for the holiday show.........please?!!
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| At 30 Rock. We still Love you SNL! |
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