Triple Play

This weekend, I did something I have only done one other time in my life.

I saw three plays in three days!

The stars aligned and it was a banner weekend for this girl who loves a good show. A few weeks ago, Brad's school hosted a fundraiser/auction. After being mercilessly out-bid by a sweet old school marm for play tickets and a gift certificate to the famous Higgen's restaurant, I was bound and determined to walk out of that auction with at least ONE of the many sets of theater tickets up for sale. I set my sights on two tickets to "Romeo and Juliet," put on by the Northwest Children's Theater. Watching the bid sheet like a hawk until the final second of bidding, I pumped my fist in the air and did a little happy dance when time was called and my auction number was highlighted on the bid sheet. My daughter and I planned a girls night out for Friday.

Thursday night, my good friend Jennifer called saying that she had an extra ticket to the visiting Broadway production of "The Light in the Piazza" and would I like to go. Would I? You betcha! Two plays in two days - I was practically giddy all day Friday looking forward to the shows.

But the clincher - my good friend Wendy was playing a lead role in one of our community theater productions of "The Merry Wives of Windsor". Because I'll be at a conference next weekend when the show closes, Sunday was really my only chance to see her, so . . . a matinée today made it a theater trifecta weekend!

All the plays were great in there own ways. It was really enchanting to see real 14-year old actors portray Romeo and Juliet. They did really well, carrying the humor, the tragedy and even the "love" scenes. Some of my favorite lines from the night came from my daughter though. "Mom - I think Romeo has braces." And I'll never forget, "Man, there's a lot of kissing in this play!"

The leads were strong but the two supporting roles of the Nurse and Mercutio were my favorite. They were played by adult actors who were so skilled in their craft. They played their roles superbly without overshadowing the young leads. It was a great company production and just hearing the poetry of my hero's words for two hours made my heart go pitter-patter and I fell in love with the Bard all over again.

"The Light in the Piazza" was just a delight for the eyes and ears. Fabrizio Naccarelli, the handsome Florentine falls in love with the lovely American, Clara Johnson, but of course, there are many obstacles standing in the way of their happiness. Mainly, Clara's very overprotective mother and disconnected father. Fabrizio's colorful family throws in its share of drama threatening to keep the young couple apart but like all great musicals, there is a happy ending for this one. I loved the fact that though the play was full of farce and silliness and glorious eye candy (the costumes, especially the women's dresses were spectacular - 50's style straight pastel suits and gloriously colorful cinched-in-at-the-waist "poofy" skirts) there were some really poignant themes going through the show. The mother character sung two haunting songs; "Dividing Day" that mourned the day when she and her husband became estranged (one line asked, "did it happen on the church steps after the ceremony?" - ouch). The other, "Fable" was a tribute to the "happy ever after" theme that ran through the show. Loved it, loved it - any show with a handsome young stud singing in Italian can't be too bad! Jennifer and I agreed that the Fabrizio (a.k.a. David Burnham) could split his free time between us. We thought about how nice it would be to have him sing in Italian to us as we folded our laundry!

Today's "Triple Play" finale was great. I had never seen a production of "Merry Wives" and even had to go back to my Riverside Shakespeare volume from college to read the brief synopsis and character list to prepare. It was a fun afternoon of watching the comeuppance of the very lecherous character of Sir John Falstaff. This playboy made the mistake of propositioning two Windsor Housewives that happened to be best friends. What ensues is a complicated plan of revenge combined with a whole bunch of people trying to marry off the lovely young maid, Anne Page. The talented actors in this little show gave great performances. Again, some of the better ones were the supporting roles. I'd encourage all of you to give your community theaters a try - there are some incredibly talented folks out there that choose to perform for pleasure, not for pay.

Well, that's what kept me busy this weekend. I do have a bit of a stiff back from sitting so much, but it's a small price to pay for all of the incredible inspiration I felt from watching so many people working in their passions. It was a powerful boost to the inspiration I've been feeling lately to press on with some specific writing projects. The calendar already looks tight for the week, but I'm committing to post more entries and to write at least one article this week. I'm heading to a conference this weekend, but will be sure to tuck my journal in my bag and if those speakers get even the least bit boring, I'll be pulling out my notes and sneaking in as much writing as I can.

(Thanks for all of your very kind comments about my writing lately. Next month I'll be starting a writing group for friends at my church who have expressed an interest in working on their writing. It will be a place where anyone, no matter what their skill level or experience or religious affiliation, can receive tools, encouragement and writing prompts to practice their writing. It will be a place to nurture one another's creative souls so we don't become our own stumbling blocks in the creative process. Do I need another activity? Not really. But I do this to honor my God, the ultimate writer and creator of the most wonderfully detailed of life stories, and to honor you - my blogging friends - who daily encourage me to keep going when I feel like quitting. So if you're in the area and interested in this kind of group, please let me know!)