Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Whatever a Spider Can

I’m assuming my infrequent posting has reduced my readership to just the 4 or 5 of us. Or maybe everyone is just busy commenting over on the Style site. The comments in response to this week’s reviews have been particularly intriguing, I think. The Amadeus comments make me sad that I’m going to miss the show (see details below) and not just because I’ll miss Ms. Blake’s underwear. The Children of a Lesser God comments make me wonder who is so close to Ms. Siegel and yet so spiteful. Hmmm…

Anyway, I’m taking the drop-off in readership as an opportunity to be more freewheeling with my commentary. Or maybe just a little more up-close-n-personal with what I post.

To whit: here’s a personal tidbit I’ll throw in: my wife and I are leaving town for a while. We’re trading our stripes as theater-lovers for one of the other sets of stripes we sometimes wear: music-lovers. Starting Saturday, we’ll be aboard the Norwegian Dawn for the Cayamo Cruise. While touring the Caribbean, we’ll be treated to concert performances by the likes of the Indigo Girls, Lyle Lovett, and Shawn Colvin as well as some of our favorite smaller bands like Girlyman and Over the Rhine.

Feel free to hate us if you like but it’ll be the longest vacay the lovely Mrs. and I have taken alone since before our first little one popped out more than 15 years ago. I’m a little tenuous about the whole enterprise – particularly given the state of the economy and the scary drop in the value of our savings. But I’m weighing that against the costs – both emotional and financial – of estrangement and divorce and thinking prevention is the best medicine and in fact a relatively prudent course.

The trip will mean I’m going to miss opening nights for two shows I am particularly curious about, “Rabbit Hole” at the Firehouse and “Mona’s Arrangements” out at Hanover Tavern. But I will make it to both of these shows eventually, as should every other responsible theatergoer in town. I mean, Jan, Audra and Scott in one cast? How can you miss that? Unfortunately, I will not be able to see Amadeus before it closes.

Missing shows I want to see is always disappointing – sometimes downright tragic – which is why I may just go ahead and make arrangements now to go see the planned Spiderman musical. Whether it is wonderfully good or spectacularly bad (I’m kinda betting on the latter), this seems like the kind of cultural event that it’d be just criminal to miss.

Speaking of which, I will be back in town for the opening of “Watchmen.” I’m pretty psyched about that one.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

The new Bow Tie movieplex on Boulevard has Watchmen at 12:01 Thursday night/Friday morning. Can't wait!
Give Holly a big birthday hug'n'kiss for me, since you'll probably be out of cell range.

Annie's Blogs said...

Oh my gosh, we know someone going on that cruise, too! It sounds amazing! She's been on in it before and said it's so cool, they have jam sessions all night and stuff.

Have so much fun! Take lots of pics. Don't gamble away all your money!

Anonymous said...

We're here Dave, just quiet.
I hope you guys have a great time! And at least it's not hurricane season! But, alas, speaking of shows you'll miss - looks like you won't make it to the "Gilligan's Island" show over at the Cultural Arts Center....Maybe if it comes around again.....

Rick St. Peter said...

Dave-

Have fun on the cruise, I'm going to be in the area this weekend and seeing Steal Away at Sycamore Rouge...on a different thought...I'm curious about how people feel getting to leave comments on website reviews and such. I find the practice to be ludicrous and self-defeating. If you ever read ESPM.com articles and then check the comments section, it is like the lowest form of knuckle dragging around. Good review/bad review, good critic/bad critic...who cares? I think it is a terrible practice and I wish websites would stop doing it. It encourages ridiculous comments like the one's left on the Amadeus and Children reviews on Style's website and it happens here in Lexington and pretty much wherever the practice is allowed. Anonymous people with axes to grind, either against the critic ("How dare you, I thought it was a great show with perfect execution in its acting, directing design and you critic are stoopid!" Says anonymous who turns out to be a theatre staff member or the husband of a board member or what have you) or against the show ("Actor A's performance was terrible, they are so inept I can't believe they can get arrested in this town, much less cast in a show" say anonymous poster who turns out to be frustrated talent free actor who can't get arrested in this town much less cast in a show).

There is no conversation, there is no value added and this blogosphere notion that everyone with a computer can be a critic is a ridiculous fallacy, in my opinion. And yes, there have been times when I have wanted to leave my 2 cents on something related to me or my theatre and thus far I have been able to avoid doing so...But if you want to pop off about Andrew Hamm or complain about someone's ability with ASL, get your own blog, state your opinion or shut the fuck up!! The fact that those comments are somehow tacitly approved by Style does a tremendous disservice to both Barksdale and Richmond Shakes and it also undermines Style's own critics...everybody is entitled to an opinion...not everyone is entitled to be a critic and I am sorry it is allowed to happen...

Peace
Rick

Anonymous said...

Rick,
Speak it brother! I say amen! Testify!!!

Unknown said...

I just went on The Rock Boat, sponsored/run by the same people who do Cayamo. You're gonna have an amazing time. :)

Andrew Hamm said...

My thoughts on the subject of anonymous posting are well-documented on this blog and others. The "Style" blog posts regarding "Amadeus" and "Children of a Lesser God" are among the worst examples of such faceless spite I've ever seen. How many actors does it take to screw in a light bulb? One hundred: one to actually do it, and 99 to bitch because they think they could have done it better.

And really, Dave, the underwear again? Can you at least have the class to mention in passing that you might be eager to see Miss Blake's PERFORMANCE, as well?

Jeffrey Cole said...

I agree with Rick.

Dave T said...

I would be thrilled to see Ms. Blake's performance and I have been outspokenly impressed with her acting and singing abilities in other productions. Is it classless to say that I also wouldn't mind seeing her underwear? Maybe. It's also honest.

For my take on the posting of comments, see my latest post.

Dave T said...

PS: Just to be an equal opportunity offender, I should say that I'm also disappointed that I won't get to see Elliot Lau in his underwear in "Altar Boyz" as well. He is in his underwear for that one, isn't he?