This year, because I've won tickets and was gifted with tickets and offered a discount by a friend, I've been to three plays so far. A friend and I attended each one together. Each time we did, we planned to go out afterwards to drink, eat, and talk about the play. The first one was a one-woman show called "My Mother Has Four Noses" and was such a tear-jerker that we cried so much during it and didn't want to talk much about it when we left. We were emotionally exhausted. We did eat and drink though.
The second one was written by someone we know and like. He offered us the opportunity to see it at student prices. We like him a lot but had a very hard time liking any character in the play. Yet it was riveting, never boring, and had us wanting to know what happens next the whole way through. It felt disturbing though. Each character felt void of humanity. In that sense, it was the total opposite of the first play we saw.
I've been fortunate to have a continuing relationship with the woman who provided the tickets for the original contest. From time to time, she offers me the chance for my readers to win a pair of tickets to a play. I find it so exciting. It's an experience so many of us cannot otherwise afford. Sometimes she's able to give me a pair of tickets for myself as well.
The last contest was for tickets to see the sci-fi musical called "The Anthem." I was also given a pair of tickets to see it. I went with the same friend on a Friday night. We were tired from the week of work. So we both had mixed feelings about sitting for a play. I told her that it was good it was a musical as that would keep me awake. Well, the set, the costumes, the movement, the singing, and the energy of the cast kept me very awake. It was more a play done in song rather than a musical. I guess when I hear 'musical,' I think they'll break into song every ten or fifteen minutes. This was more like every one or two minutes. When we left, we compared the story to what is happening on the jobs -- the rules, the uniformity, common core standards, attendance policies designed to throw people out rather than help them stay in, the going backwards before independent thinking was seen as evidence of having a mind and that being a good thing. In the play, there was a rebellion against that by those who risked independent thought. Then we discovered that we both have a favorite place to eat and drink -- the Olive Tree by West 3rd Street. It's right above the Comedy Cellar where Louis C.K. tapes his stand-up for his sitcom. The tables are blackboards and they serve up chalk. We had lots to talk about while drawing and playing word games on the table.
A couple of Long Island Ice Teas and I slept the whole way home on the D train. Once home, I wanted coffee, the dog wanted one more walk, and it continued to be a happening night.
A couple of Long Island Ice Teas and I slept the whole way home on the D train. Once home, I wanted coffee, the dog wanted one more walk, and it continued to be a happening night.
Luigi, 14 years of loving so far...
It was a trip from the Bronx to my sister borough, Brooklyn, and it was snowing and the wind blowing, but I'm glad I went. I enjoyed hearing the others, and I definitely enjoyed reading my poem. I got more done on the train than I would have at home. Almost finished a proofreading job, and on the way home, I napped. In response to a woman's interest at the reading, I reached into my pocket to give her one of my new cards and though I had put a bunch in my pocket, they weren't there. As it turned out, I had put them in the pocket of a jacket that was under my coat on the back of my chair at home. These are the moments I question how much I stand in my own way.