The Crab Chronicles

Memphis (the musical)

Really busy, frenetic day, but the highlight was Michael and I got to see a stage show called Memphis at the fabulous Fox Theater. Wow, what a fun show! (You can see a sneak peek of it here.) I am writing a review of it, hopefully sometime tomorrow. Stay tuned for more...

A Different View

The world is a vastly different place now than when I was Michael's age, and it's changed a HUGE amount since the late 1940's when Mother was a teen.

Attitudes are more open now. There's more tolerance for people who are "different." [I put that in quotes because it's such an ambiguous term...]

I am getting tickets to plays and having a great time taking Michael, and I'm even enjoying writing the reviews. We've seen two wonderful shows at the Fox, Fiddler on the Roof and Come Fly With Me.

Well, yesterday I got offered some last minute tickets to see a much less conventional show at Onstage Atlanta, called Designing Women Live. I was a huge fan of the TV show Designing Women. Now I get to see a spoof of it, starring men in drag.

I told Mother this afternoon I was taking Michael to the show and there was a long pause. "Are you going to tell him it's men wearing dresses?" she asked.

"Well, yeah, but he won't care. He just likes comedies," was my reply.

"I don't know. You better talk to him about it first," she replied, cautiously.

I flashed on the fact that if anyone had taken her brothers to see such a show when they were fifteen, they would've been VERY uncomfortable, to say the least. When Mother was 15 it would've been unthinkable to see such a show in suburban Atlanta. She was also worried Michael might be freaked out if there are a lot of gay people in the audience.

I didn't think he'd care. Nonetheless, as soon as he got home and we finished his homework, I showed him a photo from the website, and explained a little about the show. This was his response:

"Guys in dresses?! Cool! Now THAT will be funny!"

Thank God I am raising a child who is not judgmental.

I will supplement this later and give a little mini-review...

ADDENDUM

Well, it was a dramatic evening. I almost didn't find the theater in time. It's in a shopping center just off a 5 way intersection. We got there just in time, though.

The show is HYSTERICAL. The characters were tasteful, the comedy mostly tasteful, and VERY funny. Mike had never seen the old TV show Designing Women, but he thoroughly enjoyed himself. It will be an easy review to write.

Mom asked me if everybody in the audience was gay. This is not something I am qualified to determine. In my experience most gay people look just like everyone else. If I had to guess I'd say it was perhaps 50% gay. Great audience, though. Good energy. When you perform you sense the energy and enthusiasm of the audience the moment you step onstage, and it will either be a breeze or an uphill battle, rarely in between, in my experience. The audience tonight was terrific.

When we got home I showed Mike about 5 minutes of a Designing Women episode on YourTube and he was intrigued. The actors tonight were awesome mimics of the great actresses on the show.

GROWING

We get in the car to come home and Mike says he's HUNGRY. Really hungry. I was surprised, since he ate a good dinner - meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and salad. Nonetheless, we whipped through the McDonald's drive thru and he got a quarter pounder. He ate it in 3 minutes flat. We pulled in the driveway and he threw the empty box on the dashboard and I just laughed.

Fly Me to the Moon

The day was amazingly long, and HOT as chicken-fried hell, but the end of the day was wonderful. I took Michael to the Fox to see Come Fly Away.

I was a bit afraid that Michael would be too tired to go because he spent all day at Whitewater, riding rides and having a blast, thanks to his friend Bart and Bart's grandma, who was game for taking 4 boys to a water park for an entire day in 98 degree heat. I guess if you have to be outside a water park IS the place to be - the only place safe from heat stroke, too, I bet.

Michael came home and told me he didn't eat lunch until 4, but he had a foot long corn dog and hot wings. He wasn't hungry.

I insisted he eat a bite of fritatta before we go to the theater. He ate a bite. Then he finished the entire thing.

I had never made a fritatta, but I've read about them and wanted to try one for years. So when I finally got home [I worked extra today so I could take off tomorrow afternoon and get Mike registered for 8th grade] I knew I wanted to try one as a quick dinner.

I also was channeling the movie Morning Glory, in which Harrison Ford, his usual snarling, grouchy self, actually makes a fritatta. I couldn't find a photo of him doing it, dadgum stupid Google idiots...

Doesn't he look charming here, though?!

Anyway, I digressed. I am exhausted. It happens.

Michael wolfed down the fritatta like it was an appetizer. It was filled with zucchini, eggs, cheese, onoins, mushrooms, garlic - all great things. He was like a magician - it all disappeared.

Ah to have the metabolism of a 15 year old boy again...

Come Fly Away was such a treat. The music of Frank Sinatra, the choreography of Twyla Tharp. Filled with energy, humor, and drama, it will be one easy review to write.

I grew up listening to Sinatra. Both my parents were huge fans.

Without being able to admit it just yet, I am slowly and carefully exposing Mike to more music than just that crap on the radio. He likes Bob Marley. He likes some Journey songs. He asked me after the show, "Did they play "Fly Me to the Moon"? and when I told him yes he grumped "Crap! I missed it!" He didn't actually, he just doesn't remember. I think the dancing entranced him.. I don't know why he likes that song, except maybe I sing it when I'm cooking dinner if I'm in a good mood.

Tired? Grumpy? Need a lift? Listen to Fly Me to the Moon - you won't be able to stop smiling.Harrison Ford should listen to it every day.

If you get a chance to ever see the show Come Fly With Me, do it. Phenomenally fun show...

Fiddler At the Fox

Sometimes it's so nice to break out of the regular routine, and go do something fun. I had not been to a play in about 5 years, but I took Michael to a play tonight at the fabulous Fox Theatre, and we had a great time.

The play was Fiddler On The Roof. It was wonderful. I wasn't expecting it to be so good, but it was excellent. I am going to write a review of it for an online magazine. No pay, but free tickets.

The seats were wonderful, orchestra seats about 14 rows from the stage. The Fox is a HUGE theatre. I love to read about its colorful history.

Michael had been to a couple of plays at the Fox with school groups, but this was his first time there with me, seeing a grownup show. It was so nice for me, because I remember going to the Fox throughout my childhood, mainly with my grandparents. It was a regular movie theatre in the 60's and early 70's. Now it shows movies, but more often there are stage plays and concerts.

When we got to our seats, Michael looked up at the beautiful dark blue ceiling with tiny twinkling lights and said "Are we outside?" I had to chuckle. The ceiling is purposely crafted to resemble the night sky.

The bathrooms are down a huge carpeted staircase and they are vast areas - the lounges with chairs and sofas, bigger than most apartments, done in an opulent rococo style popular 100 years ago. I tried to get Mike to walk downstairs and see them, but he said he didn't have to go, thank you very much. He is too young to appreciate it.

I had forgotten that Fiddler has so many funny lines, and there is a lot of dancing. The production did a great job of seamlessly blending all those elements. The backdrops were even beautiful, resembling paintings by Marc Chagall.

Fiddler On the Roof holds a special place in my heart. When I was a freshman in college, I was in Fiddler. My character had about 3 lines, so not really memorable. I was in all the chorus scenes, though. I was the only Drama major in the cast - the rest were music majors and didn't know stagecraft - so I was drafted to be the Stage Manager. By the end of the production, everyone hated me. I had to run around hissing at people to be quiet backstage, get their costume changes done on time, hurry! etc. It was a real bummer.

I'll never forget the guy who played Tevye sitting backstage during a matinee, when he had a break, and saying "Oy! I shouldn't have eaten such a big lunch! I have to fart like a big dog!"

I can't remember a thing about his performance, but that fart line has stuck in my head for 30 years! LOL

Here is a view of one small part of the wonderful interior of the Fox:

If you ever have a chance to go to the Fox, go.