Scribbling in the Dark
Sep. 16th, 2004 02:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mrdreamjeansI'm nearing the end of my stay in Seattle. As I posted previously, I attended the cross country race of a friend's daughter yesterday, visited with friends backstage at "Hairspray" and saw a production of "Jumpers" by Tom Stoppard.
To update this info a bit: Bevin won her 5K race in 19.35. The final time put her at a pace of six minutes per mile over the tough 3.2-mile course. The only person within a mile of her at the finish line, was the second place finisher, Bevin's freshman protege!
Backstage at "Hairspray" was a hoot! They're playing the 5th Avenue Theatre where I've performed several times over the years. I was able to surprise my friend Joy who heads the hair department; I hadn't seen her in 6 years... that is until we crossed paths in SF this May, attended a wedding together in Boston in June and then here last night. She's a goddess to me... my West Indies goddess:)
The company manager, Quinn, and I go way back. We met 14 years ago in Toronto when he was with "Phantom". I was on vacation and we hooked up due to a love of two-steppin'. Over the years, we've managed to go dancing in several cities when our touring paths crossed.
Quinn showed me pictures of his beautiful new home in Toronto and introduced me to the show's new leading lady, the actor playing Edna. Bruce Vilanch has been taken to the Broadway company. I believe John (who's last name escapes me) was on Mad TV.
He's a very sweet guy and heads a long list of replacements in the tour. This week alone 12 performers were integrated into the existing company. That process is very hard on a company, as it requires extensive rehearsals, as well as the performance of nightly duties! Quinn said they are very happy with all of the replacements.
Finally, I attended a performance of "Jumpers" at ACT. The play is typical Tom Stoppard... jam-packed with ideas. The piece really asks a lot of its audience, as the topic is the philosophy of intuitionism.
From the playbill: "Intuitionism proposes that although abstract moral concepts can't be scientifically proven or defined with language, they nevertheless possess simple properties that are intuitively recognized and acknowledged by everyone through an unexplainable common understanding that evolves from our experience of being alive."
The leading character, George Moore, is a professor of Moral Philosophy who is about to give a lecture titled "Man - Good, Bad or Indifferent". The cast of characters includes his wife Dotty, a singer of some reputation and questionable sanity; Bones, a police inspector with a soft side; Archibald Jumpers, a man of many titles and skewed view of the world; Crouch, a cleaning man with a surprising grasp of philosophy; several gymnasts (the jumpers) and a secretary with a secret.
Of course, the point is to puncture the conceit of academia and to solve (or not) a murder. It is very talky, but ultimately rewarding and entertaining. Two of the leads, David Pichette and John Patrick Lowrie are peers and long time friends. I was excited to see how wonderful they were in difficult roles. My young friend Matt made a memorable debut as a dream Tarzan:)
As I was viewing the play, I couldn't help thinking that lowfatmuffin, abearius, nashobabear and handlebear would particularly appreciate the show's topic and sly/wry humor. I called Bob at intermission and then proceeded to jot down a few of my favorite lines.
SO - Scribbled in the dark and pondered in the light of day:)
* Telling lies isn't sinful, it's simply antisocial.
* Nothing can be created out of nothing.
* Out of all of the philosophies, humanism demands the most sympathy.
* It is usually better to be kind than cruel.
* The human body is an imperfect machine.
* If there is a God, surely he existed before religion.
* What is so good about "good"?
* What is better?
* I belong to a school that believes that all sudden movement is ill-bred.
* All exhibitionism is a cry for help.
The rain is falling here in Seattle. I'll be on my way tomorrow morning, back to Texas, family concerns and the Texas A&M-Clemson football game on Saturday. I've been gone for four out of the past five weeks, so I plan to stay close to home until the end of September when I head north.
However, don't be surprised if you continue to hear from me. I'm always somewhere... scribbling in the dark:)
To update this info a bit: Bevin won her 5K race in 19.35. The final time put her at a pace of six minutes per mile over the tough 3.2-mile course. The only person within a mile of her at the finish line, was the second place finisher, Bevin's freshman protege!
Backstage at "Hairspray" was a hoot! They're playing the 5th Avenue Theatre where I've performed several times over the years. I was able to surprise my friend Joy who heads the hair department; I hadn't seen her in 6 years... that is until we crossed paths in SF this May, attended a wedding together in Boston in June and then here last night. She's a goddess to me... my West Indies goddess:)
The company manager, Quinn, and I go way back. We met 14 years ago in Toronto when he was with "Phantom". I was on vacation and we hooked up due to a love of two-steppin'. Over the years, we've managed to go dancing in several cities when our touring paths crossed.
Quinn showed me pictures of his beautiful new home in Toronto and introduced me to the show's new leading lady, the actor playing Edna. Bruce Vilanch has been taken to the Broadway company. I believe John (who's last name escapes me) was on Mad TV.
He's a very sweet guy and heads a long list of replacements in the tour. This week alone 12 performers were integrated into the existing company. That process is very hard on a company, as it requires extensive rehearsals, as well as the performance of nightly duties! Quinn said they are very happy with all of the replacements.
Finally, I attended a performance of "Jumpers" at ACT. The play is typical Tom Stoppard... jam-packed with ideas. The piece really asks a lot of its audience, as the topic is the philosophy of intuitionism.
From the playbill: "Intuitionism proposes that although abstract moral concepts can't be scientifically proven or defined with language, they nevertheless possess simple properties that are intuitively recognized and acknowledged by everyone through an unexplainable common understanding that evolves from our experience of being alive."
The leading character, George Moore, is a professor of Moral Philosophy who is about to give a lecture titled "Man - Good, Bad or Indifferent". The cast of characters includes his wife Dotty, a singer of some reputation and questionable sanity; Bones, a police inspector with a soft side; Archibald Jumpers, a man of many titles and skewed view of the world; Crouch, a cleaning man with a surprising grasp of philosophy; several gymnasts (the jumpers) and a secretary with a secret.
Of course, the point is to puncture the conceit of academia and to solve (or not) a murder. It is very talky, but ultimately rewarding and entertaining. Two of the leads, David Pichette and John Patrick Lowrie are peers and long time friends. I was excited to see how wonderful they were in difficult roles. My young friend Matt made a memorable debut as a dream Tarzan:)
As I was viewing the play, I couldn't help thinking that lowfatmuffin, abearius, nashobabear and handlebear would particularly appreciate the show's topic and sly/wry humor. I called Bob at intermission and then proceeded to jot down a few of my favorite lines.
SO - Scribbled in the dark and pondered in the light of day:)
* Telling lies isn't sinful, it's simply antisocial.
* Nothing can be created out of nothing.
* Out of all of the philosophies, humanism demands the most sympathy.
* It is usually better to be kind than cruel.
* The human body is an imperfect machine.
* If there is a God, surely he existed before religion.
* What is so good about "good"?
* What is better?
* I belong to a school that believes that all sudden movement is ill-bred.
* All exhibitionism is a cry for help.
The rain is falling here in Seattle. I'll be on my way tomorrow morning, back to Texas, family concerns and the Texas A&M-Clemson football game on Saturday. I've been gone for four out of the past five weeks, so I plan to stay close to home until the end of September when I head north.
However, don't be surprised if you continue to hear from me. I'm always somewhere... scribbling in the dark:)
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no subject
Date: 2004-09-16 05:29 pm (UTC)Your post made me homesick for Seattle. Haven't been there in 2 years. I so miss ACT...they always did such a great job. I'm trying to place 5th Ave and am having a hard time. Never went to the gay bars, so I will remember the places you talk about for future reference.
Favor to ask you: if you go to said Aggie game, would you pick me up a window sticker for my car? I got to go there as a guest of the Music Dept in 2000 and had such a wonderful time...even have an Aggie Bear in the apartment. Ate in the same restaurant as Bushes #1 and got to go to a huge tailgate party which served some of the best barbecue ever.
When are you coming this way? Des Moines would even qualify as close......
no subject
Date: 2004-09-16 06:17 pm (UTC)Here's my take on a few of them...
Telling lies IS sinful, in the sense that it separates everyone from what Is. If you spent any time in the closet, keeping track of what you told to whom, and the agony over being anything other than who you REALLY were is proof enough that lying is sinful.
On the subject of goodness, I refer to Li'l Abner: "Good is better than Evil 'cause it's nicer!"
no subject
Date: 2004-09-16 10:23 pm (UTC)I'll be glad to get you a window sticker when I'm up for the game. When I attended A&M there was no music department. I was a member of the Fightin Texas Aggie Band and then the Singing Cadets.... that completes my formal training:)
I'll be playing Chicago the last two weeks of November. Appleton, WI is on the schedule the third week of December. Des Moines and Milwaukee aren't on the schedule as yet. "Evita" plays Minneapolis at the Orpheum in October 2005.
no subject
Date: 2004-09-17 12:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-09-17 05:29 am (UTC)I'll email you my address....A & M started a choir last year!