The Current War (Quantum Theatre Musical)

Waiting for The Current War to start. I haven’t seen live professional theater in a long time. I saw lots of good video theater, but it’s just not the same.

[Addendum]

I really enjoyed the show. I knew a bit about Edison and Westinghouse, but I was surprised (and delighted) at how skillfully the writer, director, and cast embedded the story of William Kemmler, the first man to be executed by electricity.

That subplot alone, launched by a powerful number that used tabloid journalism as a plot point (with punny headlines and nonverbal physical action that was funny, and brutal, as the story demanded), was powerful theater that launched a powerful story arc.

That story didn’t feel like a side story and it didn’t “steal the show” because it was so well integrated, but because the Kemmler storyline was so rewarding, it felt like a surprise gift.