Summer of Theatre

It has been another whirlwind couple weeks of theatre for me.  Why do these things come in such spurts?
First up was Rent, this year's American Stage in the Park production.  I originally had tickets for April 24th but it decided to rain that night.  My son was in town on the reschedule date of May 7th but opted not to go because "Rent is so dated."  Evidently, according to most 20 somethings AIDS doesn't matter anymore.  I guess that's a good thing, the stigma is gone, we know how to treat and prevent it, there may even have been someone cured.  I still enjoyed the show.  The talent in the cast was incredible. Light My Candle is a bit stilted but La Vie Boheme, Tango: Maureen and Take Me or Leave Me make me want to get up and dance. Seasons of Love still gives me shivers.
It may have been Friday the 13th, but it was Twelfth Night for me.  Groupon had an excellent deal a few weeks back to get $9 tickets for the show, it was a deal I couldn't pass up.  I did a quick google search to refresh my memory about the story (it has been a long time since my high school Shakespeare class).  At the start of the show we found out that the part of Feste would be played script in hand by a last minute substitution due to illness.  I'm sorry to say that I did not get this actor's name, but he did an awesome job! Brian Shea (Malvolio) stole the show.  It was great to see a nearly full house.  Can't wait to see more productions from this group.
The following night was 8 o'clock Theatre's The Drowsy Chaperone.  Before I left for the show my son asked me if I was familiar with the story.  "Someone gets drunk so kids can make out?" was my guess.  Boy, was I wrong!  It is an absolutely delightful story of a man in a chair (John Forgione) sharing his love of musical theatre with the audience.  Forgione was perfect in the role.
The final show in this week's adventure, was reasons to be pretty, Jobsite's latest production. I will take free tickets whenever I can get them (Twitter) but I was prepared to shell out my hard earned $10 for student rush tickets.  After their last production, Yellowman, I knew I would not be disappointed. The acting was superb and the fight scenes beautifully choreographed but I think I may be a little too.....ummmm....mature....to understand Steph's (Kari Goetz) reaction to Greg's (Dayton Sinkia) guy talk comment that she had a "regular" face.  I wanted to shake her and tell her to get over it, couldn't she see what a great guy Greg was???  I guess I've known too many Kents (Chris Jackson) in my day.  Grace Santos Feeney was achingly clueless as Carly.
I feel so blessed to live in an area of such great theatre.  Next on the radar Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune at American Stage,  I Hate Hamlet from 8 o'clock Theatre, Jobsite's The Taming of the Shrew and American Duet by Mark Leib, theatre critic for Creative Loafing and my professor for "Film and Literature" last semester at Eckerd College (I got an A).  I'm more than willing to scrounge around for deals and new venues in my pursuit of the "Summer of Theatre."  If you hear of a good deal or show please let me know!

Construction woes

Today I am working from home!  Thank you, Maria.  As a morning-get-me-going activity I decided to take my bike out for a spin.  It has been sitting patiently, waiting for me to stop making excuses and get riding.  So today I pumped up the tires, latched on my helmet and took off.  And that is where my woes begin.  I am currently surrounded by road construction projects.  To the east the FDOT is frantically working on US 19, long the bane of Pinellas drivers.  They are creating flyovers in order to reduce the number of stoplights on this congested highway in order to speed up traffic and make it less stressful and hopefully safer for drivers to get from Point A (somewhere up in Tarpon Springs) to Point B (Eckerd College or thereabouts).  Actually US 19 heads all the way up to Lake Erie, road trip anyone?  In the long run this will be great for most drivers in the county but right now, for me, it is a PITA.

Conversely to the west the City of Clearwater is working on a neighborhood traffic calming project to slow the cars down.  Evidently this was at the request of my neighbors.  Again, I'm not opposed to this project as it will beautify my normal ride, especially when I'm on my bike.  It is not currently possible to get through the intersection at Harn and Summerlin in a car, but with a little maneuvering it is possible on a bike.  Why was I leery about riding through the grass in someone's yard?  We did it all the time when we were kids.

So while various governmental agencies speed the cars up and then slow them down, bikers can go their own speed and their own way, ahhh freedom!

A good month for theatre

A month ago I headed to Tallahassee to see the play Art by Yasmina Reza.  Why would I drive 4 hours to see that play you ask, because it starred my son, a theatre major at Florida State University.  I was unfamiliar with the play but found out that it won the Tony in 1998 for best play.    Of course I'm a little prejudiced but I did enjoy the production.  The story centers around three friends and the tension that erupts when one buys a piece of art consisting of a white canvas.
A few weeks later it was time for the 8 o'clock theatre production of Bye, Bye Birdie.  I've had season tickets with three of my friends for about 7 or 8 years now and the productions are usually quite good.  The shows are staged at the Largo Cultural Center and the audience tends to the "silver" side.  The musicals are generally more popular with this crowd.  I had seen the 1995 TV version of Bye Bye Birdie and the wonderful Mad Men episode where Sal tries to recreate Ann-Margret's performance for "Patio Cola."  Back to 8 o'clock....the production was up to the usual standard with the exception of the decision to cast Trey Ryan as Conrad Birdie...WRONG!!  Now I realize that community theatre is limited by the talent that auditions, but there had to be someone, anyone, who would have made a better choice for Conrad.  Ryan has been in many 8 o'clock productions and has been perfect when he is playing characters such as Gaston, from Beauty and the Beast or Jack Manningham in Gaslight.  But to cast him as a teen idol?  Not so much.
The culmination of the month was definitely the Jobsite Theatre's production of Yellowman.  This, for me, is what theatre is all about.  Jim Wicker and Fanni Green gave spectacular performances as they deal with the prejudices of skin color within their black, South Carolina community.  Wicker and Green portrayed not only their characters at several ages but their own parents and grandparents.  The intimate setting reinforced the tension and both actors give brutally honest and powerful performances.  The final scenes are gripping in both intensity and desperation as we see the unraveling of promise.  Go! Experience it while you still can.

My Irish Underwear

Ok, so I’m not Irish and neither are my underwear but they are "green." Yesterday while everyone was wearing green on the outside I was wearing my new “green” undies. Now when I say green I’m not referring to the color: they are eco-friendly and sustainable
I had made a decision this year to only buy what I really needed and then with a certain set of criteria...used, local, handmade, or sustainable, in roughly that order. Now a girl needs new underwear once in awhile so I decided to do my research into sustainable undies because that was one thing I was not going to buy secondhand...and I couldn’t really knit them either.A quick internet search got me some possible options, American Apparel was one of my initial choices but let’s face it I am NOT and I NEVER was a skinny 20 something. While I admire their mission, the undies were not for me. I need a little more coverage. Another choice was Rambler’s Way:

Fabulous idea! Love the ethical and sustainable aspects, however, a little pricey for my budget. I understand that my shopping choices have an impact on the world and I am willing to pay more for things I feel will have a better impact, but I do still have a budget. My choice finally came down to CottonfieldUSA. Their garments are made in the US from organically grown cotton. Their mission fit my shopping criteria but better yet they fit ME. So I ordered a couple pair. They arrived in 3 days, no unnecessary packaging, and fit perfectly. They were more expensive than you what you get at Wal-Mart, but that’s the point. For some further reading on these subjects check out a recent post by a like-minded blogger I follow, a story on the clothing industry and the book that inspired me, "In the Presence of Fear" by Wendell Berry

Make everyday “green” not just St Patty’s!