Tuesday, May 09, 2006

Play-time

It's nice having a blood relative in the theatre business. That's because she can me free tickets. And everybody knows how the theatre was my first love.

The only hitch in this scenario is that to get the free tickets, I usually have to with my sister Sue and her husband Greg. That's not quite as bad as it seems--they're actually very good company and often help me understand the plot of the play.

A couple weeks ago we saw a play that the undergraduates in the UW's Drama Department (where Sue works) put on. It was the rock-opera "Tommy" and what a rousing production it was. I enjoyed every minute of the musical and was very impressed with the play's professional production values and the skill level of the players.

Two nights ago (Sunday), the three of us went downtown to the Intiman Theatre at the Seattle Center to see "Rounding Third," a two-man, one-set play depicting a season in the life of two Little League coaches, ala Felix and Oscar in the "Odd Couple." The team's veteran manager, who lives to coach baseball, acquiring the fleeting perks of his delusional importance along the way, is joined by a naieve, first-time coach from the neighboring city, who's the father of the team's most incompetent player ("Frank"). Along the way, each coach gives into his personal demons, and the actual team, once so important, takes its rightful place as just a diversion. It's an inspiration little comedy and I enjoyed it very much.

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