Fall

Have you driven down Monument Ave. lately? It seems like all of a sudden, fall is here. The leaves have erupted into their annual cacophony of color and there’s a crunch underfoot when you walk along the sidewalks. The temperature is still all over the place but I’m loving those mornings that emerge with a bracing chill in the air. Fall is just a yummy time of year.

Speaking of beautiful sights, I caught a sneak peak of the upcoming premiere issue of “Richmond Marquee” (this job does have SOME perks) and it looks smashing. There are profiles of ubiquitous Lighting Designer Lynn Hartman and expatriate Rodney Hobbs, several other interesting articles plus listings of auditions and show openings through December. There’s a website up now too; check it out and be sure and subscribe. The price can’t be beat.

This weekend will see another production by a company that specializes in abbreviated Shakespeare, the Reduced Shakespeare Company’s “Completely Hollywood (abridged)” at U of R’s Jepson Theater. Just as a head’s up for next week, there’ll be a dramatic staged reading of selections from “Nickel and Dimed” at Jepson; it’s a great book worth checking out if you have a chance.

Also, there’s been a fair amount of press about the ComedySportz anniversary. This leads me to a gray area I’m not sure whether I should cover on this blog or not. There’s been plenty of interplay between actors and improvisation in the past; Jeff Clevenger and Jennifer Frank come to mind. I’ve written about stand-up before. And some stuff that is actually theater – the Mystery Dinner Playhouse shows, for instance – really skews more toward improvisational, or at least interactional, comedy. I’ve got to think about this and, if I have a spare minute, maybe I’ll add those folks into the blog in some way.

In the meantime, there’s a new Mystery Dinner Playhouse show opening this weekend called “Fashion to Die For!” Have a great weekend!