Turned Funny is an expression of somebody who has went off the edge so to speak… somebody that used to be sensible but now is nutty as a fruitcake, or you might say he or she lost their marbles. I am sure there is a more technical term. But that is the name of the play.
We got tickets for yesterday, Sunday for the matinée. The play is about columnist and news lady, Celestine Sibley who she had a desk at the Atlanta Constitution Newspaper.
The play was attended by mostly people of retirement age. That age would have known her writings the best.
In the lobby before the doors were opened I overheard several elderly women talking about pet dogs. One of them had a pet dog named Sherlock. Sherlock lived to be 13 years old. The lady who owned Sherlock said to the other ladies, “You know, dogs have the traits that we humans strive to have – they are always your friend, always by your side, they are humble, sincere, polite, and gentle.” The way she said it I almost choked up.
The play was great. The entire acting cast was made up of three people: one lady who did an excellent job playing Celestine Sibley and a man and a woman who played multi-characters – and all convincing. They also had sort of the classic chorus who would make kind of a folksy bluegrass music to put emphasis – they seemed to do their thing to separate scenes, when everything went back except a glow on the trio playing mountain instruments and singing.
Like many plays without elaborate stage abilities there is a game they enlist you without you knowing it to be a stagehand. Your imagination is your tools. If the leading lady sits in a chair, looks out at the audience and carefully apply lipstick or comb her hair, looking out the whole time, it won’t take you many seconds to think to yourself: – “Oh! I’m the mirror!”
They use your imagination rather cleverly, so I thought just mention it.
Another thing to mention – today in the lobby they had several architectural plans tastefully displayed on one wall showing their expansion plans. I think they are adding an additional theater and they also own one in neighboring Paulding County. It was not too many years ago they were almost broke. They were getting a rather large grant or endowment from the Cobb County Arts fund – and then a couple of conservative local politicians decided to play a little political football with Theatre In The Square. They announced the theatre company was supporting the gay life styles and therefore they were cutting off funds to them.
Those two politicians are gone now, only a bad memory… I think things have been restored to order and the theater apparently is doing great.
7 comments:
Great description of the audiences part in the production! Those are my favorite kind of productions. They can make even an iffy performance well worth the experience.
Gay people and theatre together? Nooooo way!
Hee Hee
Michael,
Audience bringing their own imagination as props remind me of the first play I saw of that kind, "The Fantasticks" (Soon its gonna rain, I can smell it - cha cha).
Steve,
Yes, way!
But as they said in Seinfield: "Not that there is anything is wrong with that.
Sounds like a great creative force for the community. Glad the idiot politicians are just a bad memory at this point.
Suzanne,
Hopefully, although one of them is planning a return to the political area - so, the local paper thinks.
I hope your citizens think better of electing him to office again, Eddie.
Judy,
He has a big inflated ego. The local paper pointed out some of his wrongs and he threatened to whip the publisher the next time he saw him downtown.
It is kind of funny because the politician is a little short guy about 5'5" and the publisher is at least 6'4" or so.
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