Skip to main content

Okay now you know what it was like in Louisiana.

06/11/2016
Yes, it's true, from the shores of Lake Michigan to the shallows of Lake Maria the air temperature is hovering around 90 degrees and, more importantly, the dew point is in the upper sixties. This climate is similar to a day in Mandeville Louisiana. Hot, sweaty, clammy, pick your  adjective. The difference? Tomorrow, in Wisconsin, it will be in the seventies. The dew point will be in the fifties, at worst. In Louisiana, it will be like today, every day until September. I do miss Gordon.

Ah the theater, Goodness knows I love the theater.

Maria and I went to an Attic Theater performance at the University of Wisconsin, Fox Valley. Attic Theater has been an active group regional players since the 1950's. We used to go to their performances when we lived here before moving to Milwaukee. Their schedule is medium to light. Last night's offering was a comedy "Vanya and Sonya and Masha and Spike." Three siblings are facing the last part of their lives. Vanya, am aging gay man, His adopted sister equally feeling that she has done nothing with her life since she shouldered the responsibility of taking care of their parents until they passed away. And Masha the world famous actress, five-time divorced and with her career in descent, she returns home with a young man in tow, the charming but scheming, Spike.
The play is driven by their Caribbean-born cleaning lady who is able to predict the future and her predictions for this bunch are not good.

With the possible exception of having to abandon the auditorium because of a tornado warning, the evening was enjoyable. I always enjoy and in fact envy these actors and behind the scenes people who labor for very little in return to put on these performances.There so much talent among us and it's gratifying to see them get a chance to display their craft. The only thing that bothers both Maria and me is that the major part of the audience is older people. Hopefully, live theater will start drawing a younger crowd.

After the Storm, Orlando, and the Tony Awards
Why I love theater. Live performance is tension in itself. There is no do-over.There is no oops. There is tomorrow, but that won't help the audience that is there tonight.

I dislike award shows. Yes, they are formats which allow us to see celebrities, but there is little to take away from the endless stream of those same celebrities thanking their parents. I am particularly critical of the Oscar Awards because I don't think they ever get it right. But I never miss the "Tony" awards. and here is why. This is the host, James Cordon, doing the opening number for the show.

https://youtu.be/PRVwHP__qMM

That's entertainment!

From the soggy and uncomfortable cool shores of Lake Maria, (oh yes we went from high's in the upper eighties and lower nineties to rain and high's in the mid seventies with frost warnings at night in 24 hours.) this is Grace and Eli's Poppa Jeff at Camp Jeff wishing you all well.



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Once A Young Man

 My late friend Jack had a saying that's lost on young people; it sure was lost on me. With his version of a Finnish accent, he'd say, " We are too soon old and too late, smart." I've never heard anybody answer the question about returning and reliving their youth that didn't include the covariate that they would know what they know now. Maturation and accepting the onset of the later years of our life goes a long way to mellowing our passions. Chicago Bear fans are less intimidating, and the members of the opposite sex who are age appropriate are far more appealing than we might have thought in our youth. Yes, I will admit some men still try to relive their youth in ways that defy logic. This facet of two late smart prevents athletes from realizing when their best years are behind them. More men than women seem to delude themselves into believing that members of the opposite sex half their age are suitable mates.  I'm not going to deny that some of us old...

Which Doctor Do I Call?

 It started with weepy, crusty eyes. Then my left leg started acting like it had a swivel for a knee. Suddenly, I was experiencing a lack of energy. To top it off, I wasn't getting a good night's sleep. Who do ya call? In my case, I'm calling my primary. My eye problem might need a specialist. Since I have CMT, my leg problem could be neuropathy or orthopedic. My cancer treatments might lead to my lack of pep. And despite using my pillows to attain perfect comfort, my aching legs and lower back keep me awake. I'm going to be cutting back a bit since my health seems to be melting before my weepy, crusty eyes. I've quit my tutoring gig. This hurts me. My student, six-year-old Aydn Collins, is a joy to be with. I had hoped my contribution to his education would be good for him. The biggest problem with the job is getting in and out of the school. Featuring long walks from and back to the parking lot and the mountain of stairs. The older schools are wonderful in almost ...

Watching the Oldies

Note: Last week's post was late. There is a reason. Read on.  Classic Film: From Here To Eternity The film opens in Hawaii in 1941. The film stars Bur Lancaster, Mongomery Clift, Deborah Carr and Donna Reed. It is before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The only scene I remember is a scene many people who never watched the entire film have seen. It shows Bert Lancaster and Deborah Carr lying on a sandy beach, kissing as an incoming washed over them. Given the popularity of that scene, it was amazing to me that that iconic image is only seconds long in the film. The story is about the innocence of army personnel with no idea what's coming. Lancaster literally runs the squad while his Captain lets him take charge so he can campaign for his promotion and cheat on his wife.  To make up for the disrespect he has for his commanding officer, Lancaster beds his Captain's officer's wife only to fall in love with her.  Clift's character suffers the humiliation of an offic...