“…with every paper I’d deliver.”

(Sorry I couldn’t resist.)

It would seem a good way to spend an afternoon or evening in winter, or at least one would think so. Though my recent experiences have proven this to be chancy. In the past couple of weeks I was fortunate enough to have tickets to (in order) a community theatre production, a piano concert and a tour of a well-known Broadway show and a local professional production.

Community Theatre: I am often impressed with the quality of these shows. This one had its ups and downs. The two leads gave very good performances. Natural, believable and clear characterizations. It was a script that I didn’t particularly care for but the two good performances outweighed the poor script for me. The worst thing about the evening was the woman laced with perfume who was seated near us. Not quite next to us but near enough. Many perfumes give me a headache and this one was well on its way to that. By all means if one wants to wear perfume, that’s fine. But please, do not wear perfumes in large doses at the theatre.

Concert: A beautiful setting, good seats, excellent sound and a spectacular young pianist. The program featured of some of my favorite classical composers. An outstanding program and very well performed. What could possibly go wrong. Cell phone!! None that I heard went off but the tween in the row in front of us believed she could surreptitiously text, surf, without her mother noticing. Unfortunately mom did not notice but I was subjected to annoying flashes of light throughout the first half. I told my companion that if it continued after intermission, I was going to get it stopped. And, in the very first number here the flashes began again. So, I tapped mom on the shoulder with my request that it stop. Please, don’t just silence your phone, turn it off.

Touring Show: A well-known show in a equally well-known venue. The show was beautifully staged, very well acted and sung. It was a mesmerizing afternoon with neither of the two annoyances listed above. An attentive and receptive audience. Tickets much more expensive than those shows listed above and I hesitate to speculate about what that means in terms of audience behavior. It’s an unwelcome thought that we have to teach audience behavior so that all audience members can enjoy themselves regardless of ticket price. This isn’t a film, please, act as if you are a regular partron of live theatre.

A local production: Nicely staged, imaginative and engaging set design and very well acted. A long show – 3 hours from curtain to final curtain but so well done it didn’t appear to be unmanageable. Here we go again with the complaint – the gum chewing patron sitting directly behind us. Please, if it important for you to have gum for some physical reason, by all means have the gum. However, please be thoughtful enough to chew silently.

Hoping my future experiences (and yours) are without these preventable annoyances.

Coming up in February: Auditions, Equity shows and High School Musicals. Hmmm. Hope I don’t feel the need to tap anyone on the shoulder or ask for a change of seating due to overly perfumed, texting and/or gum-smacking patrons.

As the old song said: “Teach your children well”. . . and by example. bh

Time for those resolutions. I resolve to publish a new blog at the beginning of each month. That is the one I may be most likely to break. So far so good.

Are you wondering what the next spate of commercials might be? I can’t recall when the political commercials started in 2014. Might have been May or June for the November elections. Might have been earlier. Fortunately they did disappear after election day.  Ahhh. Perhaps we will have a little time before the money starts flowing to campaign coffers and ads for the 2016 election take over the television again. Of course, that election is 22 months away but no matter. What else do the politicians have to do.

Then, the airways were filled with Christmas (or if you prefer Holiday) ads. Toy stores to grocery stores – even a funeral and crematory service – all inviting you to spend, spend, spend. and use that plastic.  I was purchasing a gift in a well-known store and handed the clerk some cash – she was taken aback. “Don’t see cash too often, do you?” I asked. “No,” she replied, “almost never.”

The holiday commercials that made me laugh the most were those for fragrances. Hollywood stars pick up lots of dough as they ooze sexuality encouraging the use of expensive perfumes. Suggestive looks, glamour poses, the sudden appearance of someone of the opposite sex all designed to convey the message that you too can have this glamour and attention – if you smell right. One I found especially amusing was that of a GQ beautiful male at the beach, walking in the surf if I remember correctly. That made me think he might need a special fragrance when he came back to shore.  Those ads are gone as are many of the CLEARANCE DEALS on cars, furniture and other expensive items. Got to clear that inventory before tax time.

Currently it’s all things football. Not only commercials for games, especially the Super Bowl, but also the “Game Day” shows. For hours before the games you are invited to watch 3 to 5 announcers and former players discuss strategies, statistics and player personalities. During the game plays are called along with (again) strategies, statistics and player personalities. After the game please stay tuned for recaps bolstered by strategies, statistics and player personalities. At this time you may also be treated to forecasts of the next game, the potential playoff positions along with the above mentioned strategies, statistics and personalities.

So, those are some random thoughts to start 2015. Put February 1 on your calendar to see if I have lived up to my resolution or fallen away already.

Whoops – it’s nearly half gone. Can’t imagine what I may have been doing since coming home from Abilene and the GPT production of Driving Miss Daisy.  Thanks to all who were able to attend the show. Our feedback was phenomenal.

Recently I have been lucky to see some wonderful productions in Kansas City. Spinning Tree Theatre’s production of Violet was very impressive. It’s a lovely story and was sung and acted beautifully. The Unicorn Theatre’s Bad Jews was a refreshingly different play (for me).  A fast-paced family interaction, funny and touching at the same time. The New Theatre’s production of Sheer Madness followed.  What can I say, the title tells it all. The antics were hilarious, lots of puns flying about along with timely references to people and events. Back at the Unicorn for Honey: I’ll Eat You Later. A one-woman show with the fabulous Donna Thomason portraying Hollywood agent Sue Mengers. One more to come before Santa. I love the many varied companies in this town and the variety of selections available to theatergoers.

The opinions above are mine and mine alone.

Merry Christmas and/or Happy Holidays. Here’s hoping that 2015 is a wonderful year for all…”Wait a minute!! Why SANTA, I am shocked!!  I certainly never asked for anything like that!!“

I have always loved that song. Whenever I spend a few weeks in Abilene, Kansas with the Great Plains Theatre that song comes to mind for the wind blows freely here.

While in the area I visited with one cousin and explored another’s family farm. We had a beautiful day of sunshine with temperatures in the 70s as we hiked around. By evening “Mariah” had arrived and the temperature had dropped to below 30 degrees. We were lucky to have had such a beautiful day.

Driving Miss Daisy at Great Plains Theatre was a marvelous experience. We were fortunate to have a wonderful venue at the Eisenhower Presidential Library. Fellow cast members Chris Dulay and Horace Smith were great to work with. The staff at GPT continues the tradition of delivering well-received, professional productions even after the devastating fire which destroyed their beautiful old building. Thanks GPT and Abilene.

Horace played the part of Hoke in the GPT Driving Miss Daisy production. Unfortunately, the part did not call for him to sing because he has a marvelous voice. If you are surfing around the web sometime, search on youtube for 11horace to hear him sing. Or CLICK HERE for his youtube page.

So, now it’s back home to prepare for a family Thanksgiving. And I am looking forward to reacquainting myself with flannel and fleece as I get ready for the winter.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

P.S. Here’s one more look at Miss Daisy.

Election, election, election. One of the greatest reasons to stop watching television.

But, I do have some comments and observations that I would like to pass along:

1)     “of the people, by the people and for the people”. A familiar phrase? It seems some politicians in both parties have forgotten.

2)  “Best for my constituency”.  In my humble opinion, that flew out the window years ago and was replaced by: a) best for me, b) best for my bank account, c) best for my party.

3)    “Vote the party line.” Some (not all) voters vote the straight party line. It makes me wonder if those voters did any candidate research or comparison. Maybe it turns out that straight party line is best because the research turned out that way. As long as the voter has made informed decisions.

4)     The saddest of all is the decision not to vote at all. “My one vote won’t count anyway.” That attitude has the threat of severely affecting elections. Of course, if the laws of your state make it difficult to vote, then the votes of others who can change that are vital, encourage them.

So, if election day hasn’t arrived yet – get out there and VOTE.

If election day has already passed when you read this then please make it a priority to support the elected officials whether your preferred candidate or not. Write them, call them, let your voice be heard. It is within your power to make a difference.

WOW, off the soapbox now. Come on back to the blog in a couple of weeks and we will have a lighter discussion.