Necessary, of course. But why?
The curtain drops and the lights go up. You stand and stretch your arms like you just woke up. The dream is still vivid on your eyelids when they close against the brightness. You squeeze down the row, sorry, excuse me, pardon. Circulation finally starts returning to your legs. Pressure, pinpricks, then that rush of coolness. Hobble to the bathroom.
You've enjoyed the first half. At the sink, you wash your hands and look at the smile in your eyes. It's the show that caused that smile. You wink at yourself, just for fun.
A couple people in the bathroom heatedly discuss the third scene. Well, that's new, you think, as you begin to see the characters in the new light of your Comrades of the Loo. In the hallway, the fancy carpet is new. It has to be. Somehow, the show has started to change you. New eyes look at the world around you. Eyes with more perspective. You like it.
Settle back down snugly into your seat. It's still warm. A smile. Open the program, and your mind begins to dance around Act 1. A few more connections are made. Another smile. A prediction about this or that character springs up in your head. Yet another smile. You fondly remember that one musical number, and hope you hear her voice again in Act 2. Why so many smiles?
Lights dim. You move your shoulders back and forth to set yourself firmly to launch once more into a different world. You are ready now.
Intermission is not a break from show, but rather a necessary component of it. Through it the audience can decompress, loosen the tension in the legs and bladder, walk around and get a little oxygen to the brain. But this time is not a vacation from the show, since the scenes and characters and songs swirl around in your head, all of it connecting in new places and becoming ever more brilliant. Themes are discovered that were missed in real time. Real appreciation for the first act begins to settle in, and excitement sprouts in this garden bed of gratitude.
Yes, intermission is an essential part of the show, making the whole experience more profound and complete.
Now, for my next trick:
Intermission is to a stage show, as Winter Placement is to a Novitiate.
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