Monday, February 3, 2014

More theater.

Friday night I went to see a play with the friend I've been hanging out with. This is the best shot I could get of the program because he was holding it and kept moving his hand, claiming that he had no idea why that kept happening. Although we initially met on a date at the first of the year, we've settled into a friendship instead, and I've really been enjoying the company. It's almost a brother-sister sort of relationship - affectionate and teasing without any of the romantic part of dating.
During intermission, I tried to get a shot of this Einstein-like character in the audience by standing in front of my friend so I could hold my phone up surreptitiously. Which my friend immediately caught on to and jumped out of the way just as I took the photo so any hope of subtlety was lost. Yes, I hit him.
We sat on the front row of the small theater and, as it turned out, picked the perfect spot because much of the action happened on this side of the stage. There was no photography allowed during the actual play. The story had just three actors. It involved a Jewish Confederate solider who is shot in the leg after deserting this company. He returns home to his family plantation in Richmond and finds two of the family's slaves, newly freed by the war, still there. His wound in gangrenous and he can't risk going to the hospital, so the emancipated slaves agree to amputate his leg and tend to him. That was a grueling scene, as were scenes involving descriptions of the two men being brutally whipped on the command of the plantation owner. An interesting level of irony involved the celebration of Passover by the three, as the slaves had been raised as Jews, and the conflict between the Jewish owners commemoration of being released from slavery while keeping others as slaves. Parts of the play were funny, parts deeply moving and parts uncomfortably dark and sad. This was a case where I was happy to join the audience in a standing ovation - they did a beautiful job with it, and I am still mulling it over days later.

29 comments:

  1. "...This was a case where I was happy to join the audience in a standing ovation - they did a beautiful job with it, and I am still mulling it over days later."

    Don't ya just love when a play or a movie does that to you? You are so affected by the performances and story, that it stays with you days afterward. I felt that way about the movie, House of Sand and Fog. It's a very intense story, but the ending leaves you breathless.

    "so the emancipated slaves agree to amputate his leg and tend to him. That was a grueling scene..."

    Reminds me of that scene in Gone With the Wind, where they amputate a soldiers leg. Grueling scene to watch.

    Great shot of the set. And I LOVE that photo of the Einstein character. Hilarious!

    X

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    1. I really do - if it makes me keep thinking about it, they've done something right.

      You know, it's not like they even showed it in the play, it was just all the screaming made it easy to imagine.

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  2. wow...sounds like quite the story with that range of emotion...ha on the einstein audience member...interesting...its refreshing to have those kind of relationships as well eh?

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    1. In high school and college I had close male buddies and really enjoyed that.

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  3. That does sound interesting, could be very intensive indeed! I think we all need as many friends as we can get to go through life together; glad you found someone like him to share some times with!

    betty

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  4. He deserved to be hit. Sheesh. *eyeroll*.

    It sounds like a really moving play. Think they will go on tour to Montana?

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    1. Probably not! I think it's just a local production.

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    2. That's a pity, though I'll have to admit they'd be a lot more likely to go to Broadway in NYC, than here in town.

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  5. Sounds like quite a harrowing play, but then slavery was (and is) a pretty harrowing business. I wish our local theatres would tackle a few big issues like that instead of the rather parochial subjects they tend to dwell on.

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  6. That is an interesting premise for a play. I sort of assumed there were never many Jews in the south, esp. in that era. Sounds like a thought provoking evening.

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    1. The brochures said that there were Jewish family particularly in port cities.

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  7. Like you, I don't join a standing ovation easily, so your standing here does mean something. And your description gives me pangs--I want to go see some live theater now.

    Plus, the friendship with this guy? Sounds like more fun than dating!

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    1. I don't know about more fun than dating. Fun in a different way, though.

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  8. Wow! sounds like a great play, would love to see. I'm in the throes of finalizing a play at the moment and starting rehearsals shortly so this is of particular interest to me.
    Great pics, and hang on to this one, I'd choose friendship any day :)

    XO
    WWW

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    1. I hope that's not a choice I have to make - I need both in my life.

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  9. Sounds like fun. And, glad to see that Albert could afford some time off from that theory of relativity thing he has been knocking around.

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  10. Playing a little play reviewer and paparazzi (which I just learned is plural for paparazzo)

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  11. Good theatre is a great night out.

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  12. Sounds like a wonderful play.

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  13. What an interesting sounding plot! I also had not given any thought to the idea that there were Jews in the south until I read Beach Music by Pat Conroy. A great read by the way.
    I enjoy the theater but have not been in awhile. This rekindles my interest.
    I'm glad you found an unexpected friendship. It is my experience that they are the best kind and longest lasting.

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    1. I've read that one - good book.

      I hope so - he seems like a good person to have in my life.

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  14. Wow, I guess I'm really uncultured. I've never been to any theatre productions before.

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    1. Oh, you should - it's a very different experience than a movie.

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