the dog ate it!!!

That had to be one of the top new plays for me tonight!

I was at the 8th Annual Young Writers Night Finalists Announcement, an evening that included the talented folks of Savannah Stage Company enacting these pieces by middle school and high school playwrights.

Yes, that's correct: not adults, but children authored these multi-actor plays!!!

Quite impressive!

Front Porch Improv had graciously provided their space for this event, so kudos to them.

However, I'm reserving all my huzzahs and hoorays for the young writers.

I've been haphazardly catching these over the years, with the first one in 2017 at a shop on Bull Street in the Starland District.

At least, that's what Jayme said when we spoke during intermission.

My distinct recollection was sitting with my back against the plate-glass window of the store as the students' pieces were performed on a tiny makeshift stage.

I'll have to do better about my attendance in the future!

I had two definite favorites tonight.

As it so happens, one was in the first half of the event, and the other post-intermission.

 

That means the first one to truly spark my funny bone was "The Ring", by Ellie Range of Esther F. Garrison School.

As it began, Jane and Sara were retracing their steps from last night.

You see, Sara woke up missing her engagement ring!

She had to find it before her man found out she lost it!

So, in this scene, Sara (center) is asking the owner of the karaoke bar (right) if anyone had possibly turned it in.

Nope!

On Sara went, her trusty bestie Jane reassuring her that they'd locate it.

But it wasn't at the Asian restaurant, either, nor in the taxi they used afterward.

Back to the apartment they went, downhearted, and found the pet dog choking.

What on Earth was wrong???

The man had placed the ring on the coffee table and the dog ate it!

Hahahaha!

I'm sure that's when Jayme heard me laughing and knew I was there!

(smile!)

The one I loved in the second half of the event also was penned by Garrison students.

This time, it was a pair, Olivia Gosden and Dante Ellison, who coauthored "Catastrophic Vows", a piece which would have given a soap opera a run for its money.

So, working right to left, that blonde shortie is the bride's mom; the brunette beside her is 'Debra', the groom's mom; and she's standing beside Jared, the groom.

The man in the middle is the preacher, with 'Dahlia', the bride, to his right.

Then comes 'Emily', the bride's BFF, and the twins, though I don't recall whose siblings they were, but I think they were with the bride.

Got all that straight?

Well, it all got scrambled during the ceremony!

The groom's mom had the hots for the bride...

the bride's mom had the hots for the preacher...

and the bride's best friend wanted to marry the groom!!!

Hahahaha!

That was such fun!!!

Yes, I'll have to watch for this in the future...

and try to catch more events at Garrison, too!

forever young

"That's not quite right, you know." 

What's that you say?

"In the play tonight. Drinking the spring water didn't make them forever young. It made them forever the age they were when they first drank it. That's why when 'Jessie' saw that 'Winnie' was about to drink from it, he stopped her."

Oh, you're talking about "Tuck Everlasting", the play at Savannah Children's Theatre.

"Correct. Is that not what your post title referred to?"

Kinda sorta. I actually took that phrase verbatim from retired police officer 'Arthur Dales'. When speaking to 'Mulder', he said, "Baseball keeps you forever young." I took that as a fitting reason to have watched "The Unnatural" when I got home last night from the play. That made it not a coincidence that I chose to finally watch that episode I'd recorded a couple of months ago.

"Right place, right time. Yes, I see the correlation, but the play posed a deep question. That's why you decided to see it after all, as you've had some serious health issues with your heart since you last saw it in October of 2018."

That's right. That was 6 years ago and all was well and I was recently retired. Savannah Stage Company performed it then, with Taylor Rigsbee as the 10-year-old 'Winnie' and Carson Schem as 'Jessie'. I remember it well, even though I never wrote about it.

"How odd. You seem to write about everything now!"

I know it must seem that way. It wasn't until fb reminded me of a post I left there about it that I realized I had no written record here of having gone. That's not to say I don't recall the play, though. I have definite memories of that story and the questions it raised. Would I choose immortality, knowing it meant I would see all who I loved age and die? My answer back then had been a resounding "No". If I were to become immortal, it would be because immortality was thrust upon me, as it was for the Tucks, as it had been for the title character in "The Age Of Adaline". None of them had the option to choose that path in life. None of them even knew they were immortal until they realized that years had passed and they were not aging.

"Yes, the townspeople actually brought it to the Tucks' attention, accusing them of sorcery. Sure, they were up in the home of Adirondack bluegrass, and the year was 1793 when they drank the spring's water. That meant it was early 1800's when folks around there noticed none of them changed. 'Miles' was a 22-year-old husband of two small children; they changed and grew, but he remained the same. His oldest was only 7 when his parents moved away from that town, taking their sons, 'Miles' and 'Jessie' with them."

That's exactly what I was saying. The immortal ones had to leave ones they loved who had remained mortal.

"Well, they could have taken others to the spring, let them drink, too."

Why would 'Miles' want his children to remain their ages forever? Because that's the way it would work. Their minds would grow and change with their new experiences, but their bodies and appearance would be forever that of little children. That's like that movie last month with the little girl who was turned into a vampire. Not being able to grow into a woman made her become bitter and even turned her against her Sire.

"Oh, that's right! And she had been about the same age as 'Winnie'. Come to think of it, 'Winnie Foster' was the same age as your twin great-nieces."

Correct. So, even forever-17 'Jessie' knew that it would be wrong to just let her drink from the spring without first letting her know what that would mean for her life. That's why he took her to his mom. 'Winnie' had not believed him when he said he was 104, because he still looked 17. She would not accept that 87 years had passed with him not aging.

"In her defense, it was 1880 when they met. She lived in a small mountain town where life moved slowly. She met 'Jessie' when she ran away to the nearby copse of woods near her Granny's home. She thought he was just a teenage boy until he started throwing all that math at her. She didn't know he was being honest with her. Then she met his parents and brother and realized they were telling the truth. The Tucks knew that she was too young to drink that special water, as she would be trapped forever in the 10-year-old body she currently had."

Yes. But, before the Tucks left town this time, 'Jessie' gave the girl a vial of the water. He wanted her to drink it when she turned 17 so the two of them could live out eternity forever young. At the time, she promised him she would.

"Yes, but did she keep that promise?"

Again, in her defense, she was a 10-year-old girl in 1880. Her best friend was a toad that lived in the garden. She used the vial of water to save its life when it was attacked by a neighbor's dog. I can certainly see Leila or Alyssa doing the same thing to save the life of a pet or another animal.

"Point made. But why didn't she refill the bottle from the spring?"

Who knows? Perhaps she couldn't find the spring again. Perhaps she simply forgot about it. Perhaps she had intended to refill the bottle when she got older, but was unable to do so. Perhaps she fell in love and forgot about 'Jessie'. We don't know. And the Tucks did not return to that little town for 70 years. They missed seeing her again by two years. They would not have known what happened in her life had it not been for the tombstone, which proclaimed her as a beloved "wife, mother, and grandmother".

"Oh, poor 'Jessie'!"

I'm sure he was fine. I know the actor, Trey Wilner, gave me a big hug after the show.

"Is that him in the two photographs? Wearing the overalls and hat?"

Yes, it is, and that's 'Winnie', played by Isabel Hollingsworth, there with him. I told him I was very impressed with how well they captured the joy of life, as well as the responsibility of knowing they had to protect others from their immortality. I should have asked if he was already 17 or not.

"That would have been interesting. I'm sure none of the others would have had the chance to play their age in this piece."

That's true. This was done with no adults, just students. Lila Allen and Eli Chapman did beautifully well as the parents, who would have been forever in their late 30's or early 40's, well aware of the immensity of being suddenly immortal. Hailey Morris played the other brother, having once known the responsibility and joy of being a parent. I thought Hailey did well at incorporating that loss into 'Miles'.

"Indeed he did. They all had that extra depth that you wouldn't expect from teens."

Not true. I know that well, as I see it with every performance there at the SavChTh, as well as at the other schools where I go for theatrical entertainment. I've posted this show, as well as the one from SavArtsAcad, on my fb page, to encourage others. I've even recommended the musical from SavStageCo in that post! I do hope folks will see all three, as I have. Nothing like hearing others' stories to bring understanding to your own.

like reindeer bells

The difference is this: "New Music" affects just adults.

Unlike the bells on reindeer harness in "Polar Express", which most children lose their ability to hear as they age into more responsibilities, the tune played by "Coalhouse Walker" causes different responses in the grown folk who are exposed to it.

Some hear the "New Music" and cannot help but dance to it, accepting its different tempo and the different source of its maker.

Some hear "New Music" but are unmoved by it, preferring to ignore it.

And some cannot even hear "New Music", mired as they are in the past rhythms of their lives and those of their ancestors.

That was the beauty of the Savannah Stage Company's latest production of the musical, "Ragtime", first performed in 1996, about 15 years after the movie.

The show allowed us to fully appreciate the different affects of American music on people of the early 1900's, whether they were wealthy and white Americans, middle-class and black Americans, or poor immigrants from Slavic countries.

Contemporary images were used on the background scrim to draw parallels between today and the social attitudes of that time more than a century ago.

To paraphrase Shakespeare, people are people, now as they were then.

The difference is this: the number of enlightened ones has grown.

That's progress towards equality for all, slow as it is.

Depending on one's definition of generation, only 4 to 5 generations have elapsed between 1906 and 2024.

Only 6 to 7 generations have elapsed between the end of the American Civil War and today.

That adds a bit of perspective to the slow evolution of social change in society.

Social change does occur, though perhaps not at the pace some would like.

Some think that type of change is too fast, hence the election results this year, which will, in turn, lead to different changes for some parts of society.

We shall see.

Meanwhile, it's been good to see how far America has come, through the eyes of the characters in this musical, from the citizens of the time, all of whom were once immigrants, to the newcomers in search of a better life here.

There are a few nice touches along the way: "Tateh" jumping up and clicking his heels as he sang and danced; "Coalhouse" and "Sarah" leaning into each other as they began to dance; the shadows of "Coalhouse" and "Sarah" on the backdrop, with the flag waving beside them, as the story came to an end.

Very nice touches of grace.

I'll have to make sure and tell Jayme about those.

halloween party? dance? art show?

Yes, yes, yes, and more!

"Kick And Scream Savannah: A Graveyard Smash" had intrigued me with its title, just as Tomasz' vampire film had last week.

That's why I've had my ticket to it since September 19th.

For real!

Of course, it helped that it was free!!!

I didn't know just what to expect, but I knew it would be fun, so that was for me!

Plus, the phrase "a graveyard smash" made me think of the song "Monster Mash", so I expected to see some dancing... and that's my jam for sure!

What it turned out to be was a celebration of the different classes taught there at the Savannah Cultural Arts Center.

Yes, there was dance!

But there were also charcoal drawings and sketch comedy and even a couple of women keeping up with it all via sign language for anyone hard of hearing!

 

The highlight, and star of the show, was "Boris", which happened to be the nickname of the guy who wrote "Monster Mash" in 1962.

Coincidence?

Perhaps!

I'll have to ask Cameron Frost about that.

He's the one who designed and sculpted "Boris", using ceramic for his head and hands, with three people operating the puppet behind its black cape.

He told me about it when he greeted me while I was in the line of folks waiting to get in.

What a treat to see my former student again!!!

I always enjoy our encounters so much!

 

He even came up to me after the show, too! 

Isn't he such a sweetie!

I just loved that he gave me that great grin and thumbs-up while posing for that photo!

(smile!)

So, here's the plot: "Boris" has commanded that his minions - Winston with the purple head, Paul with the green head, and Cynthia in the tutu - to gather a crowd for his feast.

 

They enlist the aid of a Brazilian drum corp, who lure us in with their "Skeleton Samba".

Very nice, with different tempos to satisfy everyone!

 

Then came a series of dance troupes, with a variety of moves to entice us.

First came a bit of musical theatre about "The Whole Being Dead Thing" - very funny, with shades of Beetlejuice in their clothing!

 

Next up was a hiphop group, having a "Monster Block Party" right onstage!

I very much liked that!

A ballet followed with a "Requiem For Forgotten Souls", then came a contemporary set that proclaimed "I Am Human", before another ballet brought "Me And The Devil".

A former Hospice nurse came after all that activity and told us the story of one of her clients from a few years back.

That had been the case of the woman who would not die, taking a breath every four or five minutes for over four hours, before finally expiring.

That had been very startling for the nurse, as she had not encountered such behavior yet in her career.

It had certainly been startling for many in the audience, too, but not me.

(I had remembered when Mother Pat was dying that she'd resisted going until her son and I had departed to a shop for a book of poetry to read to her.)

A jazz dance version of "Conga" followed to liven things back up.

Then... surprise!!!

Jayme Tinti, of Savannah Stage Company, was on the stage!!! 

That's her, in the middle, between the bearded man and the trio of others.

I later found out that was her mom and her brother and two others up there with her, for a sketch called "Electric Chair".

How electrifying it was, too, with a great light show!!!

 

Another series of dances followed: "Play With Me", involving acrobatics; a pair of "Mummies", doing amazing tap dancing; and a risque troupe in high heels and not much else for "Call Of The Coven".

Wow!

That's when I understood the PG-15 rating for the show!

A delightful skit followed, featuring Jayme's mom as a soothsayer with an "Eye Into The Future", as she helped her gold-digging son land a wife.

I laughed and laughed at that one!

 

Next was another hiphop number, "Succubus Frenzy", before a comedian came out.

What is a skeleton's favorite jazz instrument?

A trom-BONE.

Where is a skeleton's favorite place to go?

Anywhere that's a real HIP JOINT.

Hahahaha!

He had two "knock knock" jokes, too, but I can't remember them.

 

That was all designed to buy time for the final number, "The Bloody Feast", with all of the dance troupes on stage together!

How magnificent!!!

And Jayme came right up to me and gave me a huge hug!!!

She'd heard me laughing and had searched me out!!!

(smile!)

Then Cameron came right up to me and posed with "Boris"!

(smile!)

And I was amazed to find that two hours had gone by in a flash!

Time does fly when you're having fun!!!

Ken, what are nerf guns, cowbell, armadillo, and knishes?

"Who is Ken?"

 

He's the new host of "Jeopardy". Well, most of the time, anyway.

 

"Okay. That clears up one question I had, but not the other."

 

Wondering about that post title?

 

"Oh, you betcha."

 

"The 24 Hour Plays: Savannah" was held tonight and so the answer would have to be "Items which appeared onstage at the Savannah Children's Theatre".

 

"Whoa. There was an actual armadillo???"

 

Of course not, silly rabbit. It was represented in balloon animal form, in several colors, in the third play, "Escape The Drama". That was written by the Kamerons' neighbors, Chris and Molly Bass. Chris even played the Clue Master of the escape room. 

"That sounds like it was a lot of fun!"

I think I would have liked it much better a couple of weeks ago, when life was not smacked so hard by the deaths of two I knew.

"What death did it have in it??"

The death of a childhood pet, Skippy the armadillo, when the two women in the escape room had been teens and were close friends. The animal's death had sundered that friendship.

"That's a far cry from what happened with Barbara and Kal, though. So, you should cut that play some slack."

Here's the thing: it wasn't the only one that dealt with death. The play festival opened with "Bird's-Eye View" about death and funerals, and closed with "Elephants & Flowers" about death and suicide. Plus, the two to either side of the escape room had guns in them.

"Really? Why were those plays all so dark?"

I don't know. And, try as I might, I could not determine what the plays had to have in common. This isn't my first time around 24 Hour Play Festivals, as I've been supporting them since 2011. My favorite is still the one from 2017, when all of the plays had to include the line, "Thank you, JinHi" - totally awesome! For the five tonight, though, I could not pluck the unifying thread.

"And you're an analytical chemist, so finding a pattern is your thing."

Exactly.

"Did Ryan McCurdy have a play involved? I know he's the one who invited you to this."

No, he did not. He is with Savannah Performance Alliance, which includes folks from SavRepTh, SavStageCo, SavCabaret, and SavChTh. Those are the troupes that survived the pandemic, so it's heartening to see them working together. Thomas Houston wrote one, as did Rick Garman. Jayme Tinti directed one. So, it was good to see some carryover of talent from the previous play festivals.

 

"Garman? He's the "p is silent" guy, right?"

 

Correct. His play was the last one, "Elephants & Flowers", with a guy perched on a 20th-floor ledge of an apartment to commit suicide. The crazy old lady neighbor manages to talk him in with a promise of fresh knishes. It was actually pretty nice.

 

"That's good to hear. You thinking of giving his Club One productions another try?"

 

Maybe, we'll see. Money's a bit tight, right, since the vacation and I have house insurance coming up due with AllState.

 

"Yes, dear. What did Thomas write? You've always liked his stuff."

 

Yes, and I laughed several times during "His Dark Secret". That starred Rayshawn Roberts as a man who has taken his g'friend to his "cave lair" to tell her that he is the 'Golden Gun'. That's when he shows her this huge nerf gun than turns things into gold! That was funny. Then the Mistress Diablo surprises them, and she has an even bigger nerf gun. Seriously, you would have had to have been there.

"I would have greatly enjoyed that! What about the one with Jayme?"

Well, she directed it, as was really obvious, given the fast pacing of so many of the SavStageCo performances. That was "The Case of the Tenacious Thief" which featured a London apartment owned by a guy named Moneybags, who loved his cowbell and could talk like Christopher Walken. I kid you not! He's entertaining a lady friend when McThief comes in, with lots of pratfalls, and steals that cowbell. Really funny piece, it was! But everyone had a gun, even though they were nerf guns. I know, I know, the timing for this playfest was just not the best for me.

"Trust me, things will get better. It just takes time."

Don't I know it. I have far too much experience with grief and loss adjustment.

many thanks to jayme tinti of Savannah Stage Company!

Without you, mi amigas y yo would have missed out on "The Prom"!

Fortunately, I saw your post on fb.

"#TheatreInSavannah has something for everyone this weekend!
 

Looking for classic #musicaltheatre? The Savannah Theatre has got you! FiddlerOnTheRoof has been playing to packed houses all month!

If it’s a more modern musical you’re looking for, no worries, Savannah Arts Academy Theatre is on it! Go see students stand up for themselves and what they believe in, on stage and off in The Prom!

Speaking of contemporary pieces, Savannah Repertory Theatre has got a few tickets left for Lifespan of a Fact, but don’t sleep on it because they’re mostly sold out!

Or bring it back to where it all started, at a time where it’s never been more relevant! We’ll be out at Tybee Post Theater all weekend serving a twist on the classic Greek story of #Antigone!"

 

What joy filled my heart at your words!

I had already seen the SavRepTh last weekend, and you had redeemed the last play on my 2023 Season Pass to see "Antigone" last night...

plus, I'd had double doses of "Fiddler On The Roof" already this year, first from Savannah Country Day School in February, then during God On Broadway last month at Asbury Memorial, so no desire to see that a third time...

but I'd heard naught about a production of "The Prom"...

and it was high on my list of plays I wanted to see!!!

So, I contacted Barbara justthatfast and she, in turn, contacted Sandy and Kaye, who all wanted to see it as much as I did...

and this was its final performance!!!

Fortunately, we all got tickets, so we also got to see their new performance center.

Very nice!

Plus, we were able to talk with some of the actors afterward!

They were thrilled to find that we weren't parents or grandparents or any kind of family to anyone associated with the musical.

Nope!

We were just ordinary Savannah locals familiar with the school, ordinary Savannah locals who love musicals and loved having this one fall into our laps for a Saturday night!

Believe me, I have the website bookmarked and will add it into my rotation of information sources for future outings.

They have several choral and dance performances next month and I hope to see all!

I especially want to see "The Nutcracker"... it feels like ages since I've been!

So, Jayme, thank you for making our night sparkle and shine!

(smile!)

friday fiesta with greek tragedy on the side, please!

"That sounds like a pretty mixed bag!"

For sure, but what great fun! The evening began at Jalapenos, naturally! This week, we even had a birthday celebration for Betsy!

"Very nice! And just how old is she?"

Ah, she wasn't sayin'. Remember, these folks are a bit cagey about agin'. Still, I'd say she's late 50's.

"So, between Smitty and Tony in age?"

Yeah, I think so. I know Jimmy, her husband, is at least Smitty's age, so that would put him at 63, minimum.

"She certainly doesn't look quite that old."

Well, it helps that the photo of her isn't quite in focus, giving a bit of softening to any smile lines and such that she has.

 "Whoa. Not so with the photo of Dood. Extreme close-up there!"

Hahaha! He was right there beside me and just held that pose, so I snapped it. The bfe had texted, so I sent him the photos of my brothers to let him know where I was.

"And Tony is 56, right?"

Right. And I'm saying that Betsy is older than him, but maybe not as old as Smitty. Like I said, she wasn't forthcoming with that info.

"Hey, her choice, ya gotta respect that."

For sure. I am really glad that her daughter, Addison, drove down from UGA to surprise her for her birthday. Good job!

"How very nice! And you were still there when she arrived?"

I was! The Savannah Stage Company production was not to start until 8 PM, so, even with me riding to Tybee with Barbara, I still had time to stay for the entire Smiths & Kamerons Friday Fiesta. Woohoo! Even so, I'm glad I was home when Barbara pulled up just after 7 PM. We got there early, but that gave us time to pick out our seats on the stage.

"Another theatre in the round performance?"

Truth to tell, all of their plays are in that format, and I rather like it. Much like the Black Box theatre of the Masquers, it allows an intimacy between the actors and audience. For this Greek tragedy, in which nearly everyone dies - the group at Jalapenos got a kick out me branding it that way! - the setting lent an air of urgency to the story of a sister trying to bury her brother, and the uncle who had forbidden her from doing so.

"That's what "Antigone" was about? Such serious subject matter."

Well, we are talking about Oedipus' family, so those would all be children of incest, with muddied blood lines from him wedding and bedding his mother. Yikes, right? And I had tried to find out the birth order of the two sons and two daughters, but could not. What we know is Eteocles was given first rule over Thebes, then he was to allow Polynices to take the next shift on the throne. But that other son decided to mount an army against his brother to seize the throne. The two sons ended up killing each other. Antigone, who had to be the older of the two sisters, didn't think her uncle had been fair in lauding Eteocles but leaving Polynices to rot on the field, so she wanted to bury that brother. Ismene, the younger of the two girls, didn't want to buck the uncle, who was now playing king. And then there's Haemon, the uncle's son and the girls' cousin, who was to wed Antigone, his love since childhood. What a tangle!

"Yeah, that guy was so cursed! I bet it was fun, even with all that death."

It truly was! And of course it was fast, fast, fast!!! I'm really glad I had reacquainted myself with the story and the genealogy beforehand. Some of the actors had multiple roles, so it was vital to stay in tune the whole play, or just get lost in the mix. I'm glad we had the chance to talk with them afterward at the opening night celebration!

"Oh, wow! How long has it been since you were at one of those? That's so cool!"

It was, and I loved getting the chance to talk more with Jayme Tinti. You know what she did? She posted on fb about the plays that other troupes were doing this weekend! She's all about sharing the love of theatre. I also applauded her on the spread of minimalist plays here in Savannah. You know, works that, like gypsy jazz, are very portable and can be performed in limited spaces. So I spoke of seeing "Backpack of Power", now touring in schools, as well as "For The Love Of Three Oranges" with David Poole's students. She was quite touched that I recognized that they owe their audiences to SavStageCo.

"For real. You could have also thrown in SavRep's "Empanada Loca" as well as the Armstrong Masquers' "Lethal Lecture" as examples."

I could have, but we were talking about Savannah Arts Academy and that's why David Poole came to mind. I thanked Jayme for having mentioned their latest musical, which Barbara and I will be attending tomorrow night, and how surprised I was that David had not said anything on fb about it. Without her post, I wouldn't have known!

"I do hope others will follow her example. Getting folks out of their houses and into the playhouses is good for the troupes and for the community."

Preach!!!

backpack and backtrack

"Backpack? Well, I know you aren't talking about hiking... right?"

 

You got that right! I'm talking about that musical, "Backpack of Power", over at the Savannah Children's Theatre.

 

"What? They're doing it again? Didn't you see that last year?"

 

Yes, I did, but that was during its premiere performances. This was a little different. They've streamlined it and shortened the stage because they're taking it on the road! Rather, they're taking it to the middle schools, since 6th graders are their target demographic for the lessons of being strong, powerful, bold, and brave. I think it's wonderful that they're following in the footsteps of Savannah Stage Company with that program.

"Most excellent! And how did it go today?"

Well, the actors were wonderful, with the same cast as before in some of the roles, like for Kevin, the new kid on his first day of middle school, and The Backpack, a family heirloom that allows him to travel back in time a few minutes and have a second chance at his response to a tricky situation. Like when a black girl in his class is hassled by a white bully, but the teacher misinterprets the altercation and blames the girl, as does the principal. It's up to Kevin, on his second time around, to stand up for the girl and tell what he witnessed.

"Good for him! I know those tween years can be tricky for kids."

Actually, those were good lessons for adults, too. Sometimes what we think we see is not what actually happened. That's the premise of a new show I've been watching, "The Irrational". Jesse Martin plays a psychologist whose powers of perception are repeatedly called upon by the FBI and the police. It's a very smartly written show.

"He's a good actor. I remember him from "Law & Order". He was partnered with Jerry Orbach, wasn't he? Yeah, good actor."

For sure. And the ones in this play were good, too, and will be even better once they've had more time in front of an audience. The three performances this weekend are all free, to encourage folks to come and to give them practice. I went to the matinee at 3 PM today, which was fairly well attended. I'm glad that Savannah Repertory Theatre have put up some money to take this show to the schools. That will be a big help.

"SavRepTh is helping with funds? Very good! I guess being in their new location on Broughton Street is helping their cash flow. Hey, how was their last play? You never did say."

Oh, I guess I didn't, did I? I was so overwhelmed about the damage to my car afterward.

"So... how was it?"

Actually, "Empanada Loca" was a one-woman show, peopled so descriptively that it seemed that they were right there with her. "Her" is Dolores, recently released from prison, doing time for her boyfriend, Dominic, and his drug trade. She was still in high school when she went in and she was still wrapped up in love with him, as made plain by her graphic sexual details of time with him. She felt sure he had waited for her, as she did the right thing and didn't rat him out - which is what she told the rat that had wandered into her space in the lowest level, dead end, subway station.

"She was talking to a rat?"

For real. At first, we all thought it might have been someone who was lost. We were all just along for the ride, listening intently as she poured out her story, nonstop, for almost 90 minutes. Talking about Tabitha, the inmate who taught her massage techniques; Luis, the boy who took her in after prison, giving her a place in his dad's empanada store; Jonah, the landlord who was schtupping the underage hired help there and threatening to evict them. So, "magic hands" Dolores tells us, she gave the landlord a massage, to relax him and make him chill... only she ended up killing the pervert. No worries, as Luis took the body out. Then, next thing you know, Luis is marketing "carne loca" and drawing in lots of customers!

"Oh, nice! Shades of "Sweeney Todd", right?"

Exactly. In fact, this play was inspired by that one. Ah, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street!

"All it needed was Johnny Depp to make it complete!"

Well, Diany Rodriguez was mighty fine as Dolores. So much energy she gave to that role! She never stopped moving during the play, and she never stopped talking, either.

"That makes two one-person plays, back to back, for you, doesn't it?"

That's true. "Every Brilliant Thing" was not quite two weeks before this one. That had been hard on me; this was not. I guess it's because I couldn't personally relate to a murderous masseuse providing meat for Mexican meals.

"Just like you couldn't resist a bit of alliteration there."

For real! Okay, got other things to do today and I'm burning daylight. Bye!

no mirth in this season of experimentation

"Just what season are you talking about? Whose?"

That would be Savannah Stage Company. Much as I love this troupe, their 11th season has been very hard on me.

"Oh, no. I remember that their last one caused you to actually tell Jayme that."

I did. "Spring Awakening" awakened memories of the two in my life who killed themselves by gunshot. First was David, after the loss of his dear Gwen to cancer. Then, my niece Jean Marie took her life after a long battle with depression. Very hard memories.

"I thought their latest play was about living with someone who had depression."

That's what I thought, too, and had even recommended it to some folks for that very reason. That's what the synopsis said. I do wish it had included that it was his mom, and that she attempted suicide several times during his life before she succeeded at it.

"Damn."

Damn.

"So. You want to talk about it?"

I do. I feel like I need to get it out so I can pull myself together before I get back to town. "Every Brilliant Thing" was performed at Tybee Post Theater, with the audience sitting on the stage. That's because the audience is part of the cast in this one-person play. There was a choice of going to the performances with a woman or those with a man. I had not known that before I selected. I went for the Sunday matinee. Thankfully, that was with a man, Christian Delcroix, which turned out to be best for me, as it kept me from identifying too strongly with his character. I cried and cried during the last part anyway, so it was good to have that little bit of emotional distance.

"That was good. So, what's up with these photos?"

The first one is actually one of the last I took before the play started. I liked that the two koozies had the name of the site, and that the turntable was centered, but in the background, just as the talk of music had been in the play. The boy's father used music to let his son know what mood he was in and whether it was okay to disturb him. Just pure serendipity at work there, as I had no idea of the significance of that machine to the story!

"How very cool! Just like you use music as therapy, kinda sorta."

Kinda sorta! And the other photo is also before the show, with Christian giving the folks at the table their "lines" for the play. I had two lines myself! When he said the number 575, my line was "piglets!", to be spoken with enthusiasm! The other was in response to him saying 1010 and was much longer: "Reading something which articulates exactly how you feel but lacked the words to express yourself" - whew! I nearly ran out of breath on that one.

"So, that's what others got, too? Lines to say for the items on a list?"

Not exactly. Some folks had adlib parts. The guy at the table in front of me played the veterinarian who had to euthanize the boy's dog, Sherlock Bones. Gloria Rigsbee, of SavChTh, played his school counselor, who used her sock puppet to bring him solace after his mom's first suicide attempt. That had been when the boy was 7 years old.

"Damn."

Indeed. The attempt ten years later, when he was 17, was the one that made him angry at his mom. He actually yelled at her about how half-assed that attempt had been! But it did get him back to making additions to his list. He'd first started it after her first attempt, writing every brilliant thing that made life worth living. Ice cream! Kung fu movies! All sorts of things that I totally agreed with and have written about here. I must say that the first hour of the play was quite enjoyable, filled with a boy's attempts to bring light and joy into his family's life, and his own.

"Well, that's good to hear."

Truly, the young man on stage was excellent at portraying that unbridled happiness of a child! Then, he grew up, put aside the list, and went to college... and met a girl in the library. They connected over a love of books, sharing books with each other over a period of months. And one day, after lending her a book from his youth, she returned the book to him - and he discovered his list had been left in it! Chagrined, he thought of never seeing her again... but, she had added to his list five items of her own, about meeting someone special, about realizing that person was the love of your life... and they end up married! Very nice. Even though the first meeting of her with his folks was a bit odd, she hadn't run away, so she was definitely the one for him! Such happiness!!!

"Such happiness!"

But it scared him. He remembered his mom going through these moments of intense happiness, then falling into dark depths, and he began worrying if that might happen to him. It caused him to withdraw from his wife, to the point that she eventually left him, placing a note in a Daniel Johnson album, knowing he would eventually read the liner inside. But it was seven years until he found that note. Still, when he had contacted her, she had come back to him, so that was good.

"And when was it that you started crying?"

It was at some point after their visit to his parents that first time. He lost track of where he was in his story to us, asking us for cues. I couldn't tell if it was part of the play, or real, and I think that's when the line blurred for me. I know that's when I started thinking about Mama and David and Jean Marie and Brian... and I couldn't get back to the joy. After that break, every time he gave an ever higher number that he'd added to his list, it hit me as a desperate attempt to regain his own happy state. Perhaps it struck him that way, too, as he started crying, too. I overheard one person say afterward that the other person had not really cried on stage, but Christian was.

"I'm amazed that someone would see it more than once."

Me, too. However, not many people have had a loved one who committed suicide. That makes a difference in perspective. And I've had four who have. And who's to say that Daddy and Ronnie didn't also commit suicide? They knew they had cancer and chose to not treat it. Wouldn't that be classified as killing themself?

"Hold on, dear. You're clearly feeling bereft and need to not be trying to see suicide where it is not. Choosing to have a life with enjoyment until the end, which your father and brother both had, is not the same as suicide. You know that. You're just overwrought. It's a good thing that Jayme called Wesley over when you came back for a program."

You're right. A big hug from that gorgeous man did help. Talking with him about the paleontologist movie had helped, too. He seems to have a House Manager job there, as I see him almost every time I'm at Tybee.

"See? No coincidence that your program had dropped out of your pocket. One of your angels looking after your peace of mind. Just like you having a party with family to go to now."

i thank You, God.

jayme, this was a hard play for me

That's what I told her after the show was over.

Beforehand, I said I had seen this musical at least twice, but really couldn't remember much about it.

The first time would have been the SCAD performance around 2012; the second time would have been at Jenkins Hall with the Armstrong Masquers.

She said one of the things she liked was watching me sing along with the actors.

I told her I didn't think I'd be doing that this time... and I did not.

It was as if I had wiped all memory of "Spring Awakening" from my mind.

It certainly doesn't seem to have found its way into any of my blogs.

It won't be in any more of them, as this post will be its sole entry.

 

The first play from Savannah Stage Company's 11th year, with this season's theme of "experimentation",  is actually not this one.

It truly will be something different, as a murder mystery aboard a traveling, multi-person, bike-powered vehicle, and I hope to partake soon.

So, "Spring Awakening" is their second offering, a musical based on a German play that preceded it by a century, with added songs written by rock singer Duncan Sheik.

In the story, there are two sets of high school students, with girls and boys attending separate schools and expected to stay apart until married.

Yeah, like that has ever really worked.

The songs are ones of rebellion, of hormones seeking release, of youth wanting answers.

Still good reasons to sing, right?

Absolutely!

But the moment a gun showed up, the general restlessness became more focused.

The lack of knowledge about sexuality led to unprotected sex and pregnancy.

The incest between a father and daughter caused damage in other relationships.

Then the gun was fired in a moment of despair and the boy who wielded it was dead.

That was in the second act.

 

The stage was the front lobby of the new Savannah Repertory Theatre, a space with glass walls from floor to ceiling on three sides.

That meant the traffic going by on Broughton Street, whether pedestrian or vehicular, had a view inside that fishbowl, and the actors could all see that traffic.

Because the show started at 7 PM, full daylight gave a clear view of that busy street, as well as of the side street.

So, that was the scene at the start: bright, well-lit, with happy songs and happy young people learning in class and wanting to learn more at home.

No foreboding shadows would appear, on the stage or outside, until after that first act.

By the time the second act began, it was approaching 8:30 PM and dusk was settling in.

That's when the gun entered, that's when tempers flared, that's when despair deepened.

That's when I realized this was not subject matter for me.

The suicide by the teen solidified that message to me.

This was too hard, too personal, too close.

The death of Jeff's cousin, David, and the death of our niece, Jean Marie, had occurred due to the proximity of a gun when they were deep in despair and alone.

Afterward, I made my end remark to Jayme and left.

I headed directly to Columbia Square, hoping for solace there... and received it.

Only one other person was there, seated off to the side.

I chose the bench closer to my car, away from them, and sat...

listening to the burble of the pretty little green fountain...

listening to a frog occasional sing out into the dark...

letting the calm wash over me.

Perfect.

Loss adjustment accomplished.

By the time the tour guide led a noisy group into the square for a history lesson, I was right as rain again.

I left, getting home in time for "The Vicar Of Dibley" at 10 PM.

Wonderful!

Even better, it was the one with Frank and Jim and Hugo and Owen singing "Heigh-Ho, Heigh-Ho, It's Off To Work We Go", all in a line just like the Seven Dwarfs, with them going off to work at the radio station and hoping to win a trip to Disney Paris!!!

Jolly good fun!

Right place, right time...

i thank You, God.

SIX

When I saw the program, that's the image that popped into my mind.

The song from "Chicago", right?

With the six scantily-clad female felons doing the cellblock tango in backlit cages?

Yeah... only, this time, it's men...

and they're going for "The Full Monty"!!!

Ooh la la!!!

This is Jerry, recently out of work, divorced, with a son to support and no means of doing so short of being a security guard at a mall.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, no, he would not be doing that!

So what's a man to do?

Well, he gets to grousing about the situation with his best friend, Dave.

Dave was let go at the factory, too.

His wife is still working, at one of the clubs, and tonight she's the emcee for the Chippendales show.

Say what?

And those guys make how much money???

With dollar signs flashing in their minds, Jerry and Dave start making plans to cash in.

One day, while 'training', they come upon a former coworker, Malcolm.

He had been trying to asphyxiate himself when they found him, as he has a sad life living with his mom.

No worries, he could join them and jiggle his dangly bits!

Okay, so now they had a trio for the stage!

Maybe dance lessons were in order?

Good idea!

And who should they find at the dance studio?

Their old boss, Harold, the man who had canned them!

Only thing is, he got fired, too, but wifey doesn't know.

So they coerced him into teaching them some moves.

Still, three guys didn't seem like enough.

Auditions were needed to flesh out the squad.

So this guy, Ethan, answers the call.

He can't dance, he doesn't have a great body...

but he does have a "special purpose", as Navin R. Johnson would say.

Shake it, don't break it!

Yep, he was in, big time!

Pun intended!!!

Harold had agreed to dance, too, for a share of that $50,000 pot, so now they had five.

Enter the man called Horse...

who, even with a bum leg, had bodacious moves...

and hey, everybody loves a big, black, man, right?

He'd give them a bit of diversity of color, Malcolm was the young one, and Harold was the old man, so with six they should have sex appeal for everyone at the show.

Then it was a matter of practice to get some dance in their pants before they slipped out of them!

Oh, yeah!!!

Add a showbiz pianist who resembled a flashy Frances Fisher who was rich with talent and sass and they boys were ready to strut their stuff!

And the songs... oh how I loved them!

As I told Jayme, I found myself having deja vu moments and singing along during the play.

She's the director of this musical, and one of the cofounders of the Savannah Stage Company, who, one and all, always treat me like royalty.

During the intermission, she managed to catch my eye - her at the back of the theatre, me in the front row - to let me know that she heard me laughing and whooping!!!

I was so glad to see her after the show!

Big hugs!!!

Then she snapped this photo of me and "Jerry", aka Wesley Pridgen, one of the most versatile actors in town and a mainstay of SavStageCo for the decade they've been here.

Bravo and kudos all around, y'all!

This has been the best play all year... and I've seen a good many!

(smile!)