I saw another play today at SCR. It was The Heiress, loosely based, the program said, on James' Washington Square, one of his novels that I have never read. I saw the marks of Henry James on the female lead, however loosely it was based on the novel. Apparently, it hews much more closely to the film, made in the byegone days, with Montgomery Clift (sp?) and Olivia de Havilland in the starring roles. I managed to miss that too, somehow.
It was a pretty rip-snorting drama, with interesting plot turns, and the audience was very involved in it, got very worked up. That is somewhat unusual, in my experience, at SCR, where audiences can be very cool, even blase, and sometimes have no idea what they will be seeing. For example, I met a woman a couple of years back when I went to see Hamlet (a very good production, by the way) who claimed to have no idea at all what it was or who Shakespeare was. Thing is, I believe she was telling the truth. She was American. It would be more understandable if she had been Turkish or Nigerian, but she was apparently brought up here, and has not been buried head first in a hole out in a cornfield for her whole life. I don't know how I come to be lucky enough to run into these unbelievable people. Maybe everyone does, and they are just not paying attention. I am.
Today I saw another bizarre thing: I was in South Coast Plaza before the play for the first time in years, and I went to the bathroom in the basement of Sears. There, in the middle of the children's department and right near hardware, there was a fully dressed bride with her bridal party. I have no idea what they were doing there. I didn't get a chance to ask.
5 comments:
Funny scene in Sears, though I can imagine scenarios that delivered the bridal party there. I think it's great when you get to see a live performance.
The play was good, and so was that other live performance--the wedding (sans males, of course, since it took place in the bathroom).
Maybe you'd like to come with me sometime to a play?
We took the children to a play last night in Oneonta. I was rather sad that the audience was only 20, several of whom came with one of the actors.
We did Washington square" as background reading for his book "Turn of the screw" for "A" Level English Literature (Aged 17/18) not a quick read, nor one for a teenager!
No, no, not offended
Hello Marly. What play did you see? I'm sorry to hear there wasn't much of an audience. The house was full at the play I went to. And there was a standing ovation, though I didn't stand--too lazy.
Hi Robert! I'm glad to hear you weren't offended. The incident with the student was unfortunate. Most teachers wouldn't even have noticed, but because of the neurological history of my family (and myself) I did. There just wasn't anything I could do about it.
The mental health situation in the States is a disgrace. As is the rest of the health system.
RE: Turn of the Screw, et al for teens, I have a hard time teaching it to college students! They can't see into James' sentences, get caught in their willful labyrinths.
That's what I like about him, of course. Yet I insist on teaching him. I'm going to read Washington Square next.
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