We’re getting a late start to “P” month but better late than never. Because we’ve been lazy, we decided to do something first that gets us out and about… so we went to two plays. Unfortunately, our track record with local theater has not been particularly good recently – mostly due to being disappointed in the quality of the acting. However, the most recent two we’ve seen this month did not disappoint in the acting area.

We both went to see a performance of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. Before going, we read a synopsis of the play Hamlet, since those were two characters from that play and we had not recalled with their role was. The play was performed by a troop of youths, and we were amazed at what good actors they were and how much they had to memorize and spew out in language phrasing that was not commonplace for modern youth (or for anyone nowadays for that matter). The main negative about the play was that the dialogue went so fast and again, spoken in old English language, that made it hard to understand what they were really talking about.  What sayest thou oh brave readers? Wouldst thee agree this play hast a five for acting and alack a two for understanding thy speech?

Barbara: I went with a group to see the play Inherit The Wind at the Irving Art Center. I had seen the movie years ago with Spencer Tracy and it was pretty powerful. In contrast, I found the play a little hokey in the first act but the second act made up for it in that the main characters – prosecutor and defense attorney -were played by really good actors  and very professional so by the end of the show, I had given it about four out of five. 

New art exhibit: POPUL VUH

Barbara: While at the Irving Arts Center, I was introduced to the Guatemalan myth of creation called Popul Vuh or Book of Community, in which a pair of hero twins must descend into the underworld to save the next and final generation of humanity. The pictures by Jaime Arredondo were quite interesting and I wish I had had the time to read all the descriptive plaques to learn the whole story.