The Plays:
Our entertainment began with Is He Dead?, a long lost Mark Twain play. It starts off kind of pokey and eventually tilts into an elaborate French farce. Completely enjoyable. Beautiful sets. Not that well developed. Acting is truly phenomenal. In fact, there is so much good acting on the stage these days, one should just avoid filmed matter at every turn.
Conor McPherson’s The Seafarer has a silly plot that centers on a man playing cards against the devil for his soul. Why anyone would write this at this point in our cultural evolution is beyond me. However, the cast is so strong, so completely realized, I am glad I saw it. And you know how the Irish can be, so lyrical and funny and sad all at once. Worth it at half the price.
August: Osage County was a slog. Again, fantastic acting. But the incest and the pedophilia and the suicide and the drug withdrawal all in one play? Really? Whatever for? Steppenwolf can sure put on a show.
The Movies:
Tim Burton’s idea of Sweeney Todd was ghastly. It was kabuki. It was poorly sung. It made me long for a time machine so I could travel back twenty-seven years to watch the original.
Charlie Wilson’s War was smart, fun, extremely well acted, even if Julia Robert’s accent did not hold up, and quite a piece of propaganda for the “Can Do Spirit of a Democrat from Texas” who fought this war to save the children, even though it was funded by those who simply wanted the downfall of communism. I think this movie was made in order to show the voting American public that Democrats are not afraid to fight a just war. It ends portentously, with a wagging finger toward a job unfinished. And our good friend, Michael Spellman, is in it. Worth seeing, for sure.
The City:
New York City is quite enjoyable. There is much to eat and drink and at the end of the day a subway or a cab will whisk you home. What a set up!
No comments:
Post a Comment