The vase and the match striker needed to be placed elsewhere while the Christmas tree is up. They don’t look half bad on this little desk.
The pansies needed to be brought inside because I missed the fact that we’d had a very cold night and they were almost gone. To be honest, even though they’re better now, they’re still wobbly. I can’t ignore a plant in need. It must be in my DNA. Never say die until it’s truly gone. And they’ve been so valiant that I want to keep them going as long as I can.
We ended up going to another restaurant yesterday – one that’s known for serving breakfast. It’s my favorite local breakfast place but I hadn’t been there in a long time. On any given day, especially when the university is in session, there are long lines of people waiting to get a table. We went a bit later in the day yesterday and there was still a line, but we got a table pretty quickly. Oh my heavens, was breakfast tasty! We were running out of time, so we just made a flying visit to the bookstore and then headed back to the little theater. It’s a really nice black box space that’s made to be flexible according to the needs of the production. I’ve spent hundreds of hours in my teaching and coaching life in black box theaters. I know them well.
The production was interesting – a new play by a young playwright. A young director. A young, relatively new-to-the profession cast. Don tells me that the first play in the season had a couple of older, more experienced actors. But this script was about young millennials, so the actors had to be young as well.
It was okay – but just okay. Halfway through, I realized that it was like hundreds of acting projects I’d seen when I was teaching on an undergraduate level in Boston. I felt like I was back in Boston at a time when I was seeing countless projects on a weekly basis. The students at BU were very talented (many of them work professionally today and are names you would know) and they were always interesting to watch, but they were still students and it showed. That’s what this cast was like, even though they aren’t students any longer.
Since the theater is new and can’t afford to pay much to the actors, that level of actor is what they’re going to get until they can pay more and, hopefully, that will come with time. The play needs work, but it is imaginative and has promise. We’ll keep supporting what they’re doing but, having taught for so many years, I felt like I was back in the SFA building on Commonwealth Avenue watching an interesting student project, so I was a bit disappointed.
Then we came home, had dinner and finished watching Season 2 of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Heavens, I love that show. The first few episodes left us worried that they were going in a strange direction, but after hanging in there, we saw what the overall arc was and it all came together. Brilliant writing, acting, direction, art direction, and costume design. The best thing since sliced bread.
Now we’re going to watch it all over again, cause that’s how we roll.
Very cold out there but sunny. Something tells me this is going to be a very cold winter and it isn’t even winter yet!
Happy Monday.
sorry that yesterday’s play wasn’t exactly to your liking, but it’s nice of you to support and encourage the people involved.
glad you enjoyed breakfast and at least a quick stop at a bookstore.
i, too, don’t like to give up on plants (or anything, really). i have eight plants at home and despite my “less-than-green thumb”, they are doing better for having traded in last year’s move a northern exposure for a sunnier western one. my attitude is better, too (ha not ha).
here’s to a great week ahead for everyone!
kathy in iowa
Hear, hear!
Claudia, My local black box theater has been hit or miss also, but mostly hit. I recognize quite a few actors, as they make the rounds of local theater in the Bay Area. Some I enjoy watching, and some clearly have non-theater day jobs, but want/need to act. I appreciate their efforts, but sometimes it’s disconcerting when the rest of the cast is so marvelous and one or two stand out as not so marvelous.
I was going to water the garden today, since it hadn’t rained for a few days, and I wasn’t expecting rain until Friday. But it rained overnight so I don’t have to do that chore. However, back to the City today, this time to see my parents. Mom needs to go shoe shopping.
We had so much fun yesterday, especially at the Ferry Building, which has a few stores I really like browsing around. Prices are too steep for me, though! “The Favourite” was, uh, interesting…I felt pity for the Queen, hissed at the surprise villain, and felt the vanquished should have felt relief. There were quite a bit of debauchery, excess to the point of ridiculousness, and absolutely no characters who one would cheer on. However, the three leads did a fine performance, though Emma Stone was too much a contemporary woman in her line delivery so she was not convincing enough as an 18th century woman.
I like Emma Stone a lot but it’s hard to imagine her pulling off a period piece alongside British actors.
I did community theater for years and then I did semi-professional theater – a mix of union and non-union actors. That’s what this theater is, really – semi-professional, though they bill it as professional.
I do that too. If I like a Netflix series, or a movie or whatever really, I’ll watch the whole thing several times. It’s amazing what one can miss [or misinterpret in my case]. Watching multiple times really helps me sort it out. Have seen “The Crown” at least 5 times so far. It’s so interesting [plus it’s history which I love]. And it’s something else I love – a period piece. A real trip down memory lane – I love seeing the styles, hearing the music etc. And now I’m gonna have to check out “Mrs Maisel” – you’ve really piqued my interest! Good luck with the pansies – they’re so sweet I couldn’t let them go either. Peace.
#Resist
#ProtectMueller
For some reason, I haven’t seen The Crown yet. Don has – he watched it when he was staying in NYC. Mrs. Maisel is the most exciting thing I’ve seen since The Sopranos. Very different shows but equally groundbreaking.
I need to give Mrs Maisel another try. I only watched an episode or two and didn’t care for it. I am like you when I love a show I watch it numerous times. Rainy day but lunch with a friend, a few errands and a large donation to the thrift made it a good Monday! The Grands got their tree up and they are both so excited about Christmas. I love seeing it all through their eyes!
I love that show. I haven’t seen anything I was this excited about since The Sopranos.
I feel same re plants but this fall we had an early unexpected freeze and I lost most of them. They were big ferns and pots of everything…I would have had no place to put them, what was I thinking?
I am so happy you liked Mrs. M. I watched two episodes of this season and was disappointed, I was scared to go on…I hate disappointment.
We were a bit disappointed in those episodes as well but now we see how everything fits together in her journey from housewife to standup comic. It’s worth hanging in there, Gayle.
It sounds like you had a nice day…not perfect but nice…I fear that you are right about a cold Winter Claudia…I hate even the thought of it!
Me too, Nancy, me too!
Claudia you and Don have an excellent opportunity to give back to your community and local artists by volunteering to mentor these young actors and Directors. I can see why you feel you are reliving your teaching days but now you have a wealth of knowledge and skills that could benefit these young people in ways they can’t even imagine. Pay it forward
I don’t think they’re interested in being mentored, Karen. If they were, we’d be happy to help, but it’s not our place to offer. They might find it insulting. And, frankly, I’ve mentored countless actors over the years. I have definitely paid it forward!