Queen for a Day

Do you remember that TV show "Queen for a Day"?   An array of "ordinary" women told their story to the studio audience who then voted on which woman would be awarded queenly status for the day and given a great prize--often a new washing machine or other household appliance that would make their life easier.  (It's actually pretty crazy to read about the show.  You can check it out at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_for_a_Day.)   After taking over for my sister Suzanne for a few days while she took her oldest child to college, I have a much greater appreciation for motherhood, and I would like to award all of you the status of "Queen," not for a day, but for a lifetime!

The child starting college is my nephew TJ, and he is off to study communications at NYU.  The typical stress and other emotions associated with bringing your first child to college were exacerbated by the threat of Hurricane Irene overpowering NYC.  Official move-in day for the kids was changed from Sunday to Monday in light of the storm, but my sister, brother-in-law and TJ headed to NY on Friday as originally planned.   What a strange experience it must have been to be in NY with public transportation shut down and most stores and restaurants closed since the bulk of the population can't get to work without access to subways, buses and trains.  On Sunday elevators were ordered to be shut down as well, leaving the fam stranded in their 12th floor hotel room until the all-clear sign was given.  (Tim actually ventured down the stairs to forage for some breakfast for them, trudging back up the 12 flights with NYC bagels in hand.)   With the storm being more or less a non-event in NYC, TJ is now ensconced in his dorm room and is set to take on college life.  Hopefully my sister is ready as well!

Back at the ranch (OK, it's actually a beautiful home in a lovely subdivision), I have been tending to their 16 year old daughter Elizabeth and their nine year old son Andrew.  As far as I can tell, being a parent these days consists primarily of driving kids places or waiting to drive them places.  How a mother finds time to exercise or get work done (especially on the week-ends) is totally beyond me.  Elizabeth started school on Monday, but this didn't mean that she had a light schedule over the week-end.  School of Rock, Drama Club, SAT prep and a visit from the boyfriend took up most of her time.  (I broke the "read on" rule in my sister's instructions and only realized on Sunday that she was actually supposed to be reading "1984" for school.  My bad.)   Drew's week-end included a sleepover (at a friend's house--way too much for this novice caretaker to handle!), a play date and a baseball practice.  His schedule got in full swing on Monday, though, when he had school plus a baseball game followed by football practice.  (He hit a grand slam in the baseball game--his first kid pitch game ever--and it was pretty darn exciting.) 

After four days (and nights!) of babysitting, I am thoroughly exhausted and a bit wired.  I had no sandwich meat for Drew for his lunch so today he is a vegetarian.  (I figure a kid can survive for one day on fruit, yogurt, a slice of cheese and chips, can't he?)  For some reason, the guard house no longer had my name on the "approved visitor" list this morning when I came back from my school drop off.  I have to admit that after telling the guards in a firm voice (OK, there might have been some yelling involved)  that I had been taking care of the kids for four days and my name had been on the list and it was certainly still there, I got in my car and drove the wrong way down the road so that I didn't have to crash through the gate to get back to their house.  My car is now hidden in their garage and I am envisioning helicopters circling the development looking for this rogue babysitter.   If you don't hear from me for awhile, you'll know that I am in the custody of rent-a-cops, waiting for my lawyer to come and bail me out.   Somehow I don't think that studio audience would choose me from the line-up as queen for the day, so I will happily relinquish the role to my sister upon her return. 

Touring the "Town that Died"

I've been pretty good about exploring the South Shore of Nova Scotia rather than just enjoying Chester summer camp as many CFAs ("Come From Aways") do when they come for their summer vacation.  I have been remiss, however, about learning about Halifax (which people refer to as the "City," which always cracks me up since the "City" is New York, isn't it???)   In one of those small world coincidences, the brother of one of the tutors from our adult literacy program in Florida owns an Ambassatours tour company in Halifax, and she arranged for me to go with some friends on a three hour tour of the City last week. (I can hear you humming the theme song to "Gilligan's Island" now!)   I thought I'd share some of the highlights: 

• Halifax was settled by Cornwallis and a bunch of city folks from London in 1749.  The City's name was changed then from Chebooktook (the Mi'kmaq Indian word for "big harbour" which had been used for the past 10,000 years) to Halifax after the Earl of Halifax. 

• Four hilltop forts were established in Halifax so that the British could protect the City. The fort on Citadel Hill has been preserved in its 1869 iteration, complete with a guard at the entrance and soldiers marching in the courtyard. The fort includes a bunk room, kitchen, dining room and a school. Soldiers were encouraged to attend school in their non-working hours and all children of soldiers living at the Citadel were given free education, which was a big deal at the time. The teacher used a projection device known as the "Green Lantern" to give slide presentations that were used both in school and for entertainment.   There is also a tailor shop where tourists like us can try on uniforms, which of course I insisted we do.  (To my eye, the hats make us look like the flying monkeys in The Wizard of Oz!)
• Sam Cunard ran his start-up cruise line business from Halifax.  What he should be best known for, though, is his invention of the universal navigation system of using green lights for starboard (right) and red lights for port (left).  
• Halifax was only 700 nautical miles away from where the Titanic went down and consequently served as one of the major recovery centers.   Haligonian searchers recovered 328 bodies from the disaster. 
• In December of 1917 SS Mont-Blanc,  a steamship chartered by the French government to transport munitions to Europe, collided with the freighter Imo and caused the largest man made explosion in the history of the world until Hiroshima.    The impact of the explosion was quite gruesome, with people within 100 yards of the explosion being totally vaporized.  The aftermath of the explosion included a tsunami that was over 50 feet high and fires that raged throughout the City for over a week.   Over time, the City was rebuilt, but it thereafter became known as "the town that died."
• On a happier note, Halifax is a popular location for shooting movies and TV shows.  Not surprisingly, some scenes from Titanic were filmed there.  When we went on our tour, Pearce Brosnan was in town filming a mini-series of Stephen King's Bag of Bones.  This was not news to me, since I had run into Pearce at the pro shop at Chester Golf Club earlier in the week!  (Not to burst any bubbles, but he looked very old and wan, wasn't friendly and his group was so slow on the course that people played through.) 

The guide for our tour was quite the raconteur and, as we found out at as we headed back to our starting point, a singer as well.  He ended the tour by serenading us with Farewell to Nova Scotia, a popular folk song that is believed to have been written around the time of the first World War.   The chorus goes:

                                      Farewell to Nova Scotia, the sea-bound coast
                                      Let your mountains dark and dreary be.
                                      For when I am far away on the briny ocean tossed,
                                      Will you ever heave a sigh or wish for me?

As my time in Chester has drawn to a close, I too say my farewells to Nova Scotia and my wonderful friends there (although I will definitely not sing--that would be entirely too painful!)   It is truly a special spot, and I am already plotting next year's adventures.  For now, though, it's back to sunny (okay, hot and incredibly humid) Florida and what passes for my "real life."   Already on the calendar for September are the first Peace River Film Festival and a kayak outing to Sanibel Island so there will be plenty of fun mixed in with my adult literacy work (which is fun in a different way).   Watch this space for updates! 

Shakespeare by the Sea Presents The Comedy of Errors

Chester's environs are just full of little gems if you take the time to seek them out.    Having enjoyed the outdoor production of Beowulf so much, I was keen to check out Halifax' own outdoor theater, Shakespeare by the Sea.   The bar had been set a bit higher for this production than for some of the other shows I've seen this summer, both because Beowulf was so terrific and because I've had the opportunity to see Shakespeare performed outdoors in the past.   Years ago when I was living in New York, I went to a couple of shows at Shakespeare in the Park put on by Joseph Papp's Public Theater.  Since the cast of these productions often include big names and the shows are put on by, well, Joseph Papp, they are pretty spectacular.   Then there was Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, Massachusetts.  While it was a larger and more permanent venue, I remember the experience as being quite special. 

Cut to the Cambridge Battery at Point Pleasant Park in Halifax.  For those of you with a historical bent, Cornwallis founded Halifax in 1749 as a strategic settlement for the British.  Seven "batteries" (fortifications) were established in order to protect the harbour from enemy ships and Cambridge Battery was one of these fortifications.  Cambrige Battery is now the home to Shakespeare by the Sea, and I can only imagine that the actors occasionally channel some of the history of this place when performing Willy the Shake's darker plays.   No such channeling would have been required for the production of The Comedy of Errors, though, Shakespeare's first comedy and one of his earliest plays.    

The theater is located about a ten minute walk into the Park and we arrived just in the nick of time for the performance, armed with chairs, blankets and fleece jackets.  We set up our chairs and joined the ranks of what I'd estimate to be a crowd of 100 or so theatergoers.   Despite my good intentions, I hadn't read anything about the play and we didn't have time to read the program, so I was a bit apprehensive as the show started.  After all, it can sometimes be a bit hard to figure out what the heck is going on in Shakespeare.   I realized I didn't need to worry too much when the opening scene was overseen by a would-be executioner wearing sunglasses and sporting a farmer's tan!  The potential executionee was a gentleman who told a sad tale of two sets of twins separated at birth (Antipholus and Dromio of Ephesus and Syracuse, respectively) and his search for one of his sons.  The Duke took pity on the man and granted him a day long reprieve if he could come up with the cash to buy his freedom.   This was the set-up for a day of confusion and hilarity as Antipholus and Dromio of Syracuse visit the village and are confused with Antipholus and Dromio of Ephesus (or was it the other way around???) 

Despite the executioner's get up, the play was done straight up for the most part (or at least as straight up as a farce can be done!)  The director did include some unexpected updates that added an extra level of fun to the performance.  My particular favorite was when one of the Anitopholuses (Antipholi?) was trying to escape from a lunch with the wife of the other Antipholus and sneak away--back to the wall, rolling on the ground as necessary--humming the theme song to "Mission Impossible!"

Antipholus of Ephesus (rear), Adriana,
Nun and Driomo (of Ephesus?) (L-R)

I found the acting quite good, with particular kudos to Carly Chamberlain, who played Adriana, wife of Antipholus of Ephesus, and Tom Gordon Smith, who played Antipholus of Syracuse.   Both of the actors who played Dromio were great as well, and they looked so much alike that I thought at first they were the same actor.  (The way that you could distinguish one Antipholus from the other was that the colors on their shirts were reversed (brown on one side, white on the other); for the Dromios, it was which sleeve on their sweaters hung down below their hand.)   As with Two Planks and a Passion, it was great fun to be so close to the actors.  This shot was taken during intermission as the actors relaxed at picnic tables behind the audience.  I wasn't brave enough to ask for a real photo opp but suspect that they would have been more than willing to accommodate. 

While The Comedy of Errors wasn't my favorite theater experience of the summer, it was definitely a fun night out and well worth the $15 voluntary contribution.   The great thing is that you don't have to choose between going to the Chester Playhouse or Two Planks and a Passion or Shakespeare by the Sea.  They are all readily accessible and just waiting for theatergoers to enjoy their offerings.   If I weren't heading back to Florida this week, I'd check out one of Shakespeare by the Sea's other productions this season--Measure for Measure and Robin Hood (I guess they branch out a bit beyond Shakespeare, which is probably smart marketing).    The bottom line is that if you find yourself in Nova Scotia, get thee not to a nunnery, but to some of the excellent theater that is being put on in this magical province! 

  

Defending Jacob by William Landay

I have to admit that, while my reading horizons are broadening, thrillers are still my "go to" genre.  My personal opinion is that one's reading tastes develop early, and Nancy Drew and the Bobbsey Twin mysteries were among my favorites growing up.   So, when I was at the Book Expo and came upon a book that proclaims itself "the most buzzed about thriller of the year" and has endorsements from Lee Child and Lisa Gardner (two of my favorite thriller authors), how could I resist? 

The book opens with a former assistant district attorney's testimony in front of a grand jury.   The context isn't immediately clear, but you soon learn that the DA was involved in investigating the murder of a middle school boy and that his involvement and some of the decisions that he made have come into question.  You see, it turns out that the DA's son, Jacob, was indicted for the murder. 

The book has lots of twists and turns and I can already see it as a smash feature film.   You can feel the parents' pain and confusion as defending their son against these charges becomes the sole purpose of their lives and as they come upon the occasional piece of information that makes them question his innocence.  Jacob himself is the focus of the story but in some ways is a peripheral character.  He is, after all, a 14 or 15-year old boy who is still growing up.  

Despite the fact that the book is a thriller, Landay raises some thought provoking questions.  Can a tendency towards violence be inherited?  How far would you go to protect your child against a murder indictment, and at what price to your own integrity and to your marriage?  What is the appropriate balance between stark reality and "confirmation bias" (the tendency to see things in your environment that confirm your preconceived ideas and ignore things that conflict with what you believe)? (And is this really just a glass half full/glass half empty issue?)  

The publishers are promoting Defending Jacob as the next Presumed Innocence or Anatomy of a Murder.   From this reader's perspective, their hopes might be realized.  If you're a reader of thrillers, be on the look-out for Defending Jacob when it comes to your local bookstore next February.

Two Planks and a Passion Theater Presents Beowulf

For the past couple of years, I've wanted to see a production at Two Planks and a Passion Theater.   The theater is located in Canning, though, which is over an hour away from Chester, so it hasn't been easy to decide on the spur of the moment to go.  Plus their productions haven't been overly enticing to me.  Last year they put on "The Crucible" (which I've seen on numerous occasions) and the year before it was "Our Town" (again, been there, seen that). This year's production was "Beowulf," which on its face sounded like it would be about as enjoyable as going to the dentist.   Nonetheless, I floated the idea to my gal pals and we decided to make it part of our week-end away.   

You might be wondering why I've been so keen to see a production at Two Planks if the shows haven't sounded that interesting to me.  The reason is simple:  the "theater" is in the great outdoors.   I've been to outdoor theater a couple of times in the past, and I am always amazed--and thrilled--at how creative directors can be at using the surrounding environment as their set.   It  adds something incredibly special to the performance, and this production was no exception.  We arrived a few minutes before the 6:00 curtain and took our seats on the second row of stadium bleachers (quite similar to what you would find in a gym).  There were four sets of bleachers, and the entire "theater" accommodated only about 100 audience members.  Talk about an intimate venue!  We had come prepared with bug spray (which we happily did not need) and blankets (which we did).

The audience silenced as the actors started coming onto the (dirt) stage from the surrounding woods to meet around a fire pit and talk about the ships that were in the harbor gathering their forces for an attack.  Were they willing to send their sons to battle?  Should they flee the lives that they had built and head to the mountains?  Enter Beowulf, the reigning warrior and leader of Geats for the past 20 years (and, I might add, quite a striking figure).  As he is making an impassioned plea for their help, a foot soldier arrives with a golden pitcher that he discovered in the forest.  He suggests that they send a team to scavenge for more gold to pay soldiers to join their forces.  Beowulf and the town elders quickly realize that the pitcher came from a dragon's den that has now been disturbed and that Geats suddenly has two battles to wage--one against the soldiers seeking to pillage their homes and persons and another against the dragon. 

The story builds from there, with Beowulf's illegitimate daughter arriving to seek Beowulf's help in defending her homeland against the marauders who have been attacking it.  He agrees, so long as she first acts as a "peacemaker" in their current battle.  (Come to find out, the peacemaker not only becomes the face of the nation, but is also required to marry the head of the attacking legion if they win, thus binding the two forces and creating peace.)     I could say more about the story, but I don't think I can do it justice in the retelling.  Suffice it to say that it kept us all glued to our seats. 

The acting was top notch and the production was very powerful--moving and dramatic but with a good measure of humor mixed in.  There is an immediacy to this type of theater experience that is hard to convey in words.  The actors were literally right in front of us, and the audience became part of the conversation (which, I'm happy to report, was not in Old English!)  The costumes were great and the music was unique and haunting.   The fog rolled in about two-thirds of the way through the performance, adding an atmospheric element that cannot be created with a fog machine.  I'd be remiss not to mention the giant puppet horse and dragon that made appearances during the show.  The horse in particular was fantastic, and is just one indication of the creativity that went into this production.    All in all, a most enjoyable evening.

I wanted to share part of the letter from the Artistic Director of Two Planks and a Passion Theater (also known as "Theatre Off the Grid.") that was in the program for the show.   "... On a secluded farm far from the bustle of modern life, we choose to evoke a time when the theatre was central to the sharing of ideas, aspirations and emotions.  It didn't require computers, amplicification or electricity.  It only required that we come together and witness something passionate and true."    Lofty aspirations, but if "Beowulf" is representative of Two Planks and a Passion's productions, they are living up to them.

I heard from a friend that next year's production will be "Lysistrada," one of Aristophanes' eleven surviving plays.  The play was written in 411 BC and is the story of one woman's efforts to end a war by withholding sex.  Realizing that the play might need a bit of updating, it will be set in the era of the Civil War.   I can't wait!



 

Fun on the Bay of Fundy

Last week-end I had a little get-away with three of my women friends up to Annapolis Valley.  This is our second annual adventure, and it seems that we get in a week's activities in the 36 hours that we are gone! 

We started off bright and early and headed to the Wolfville Farmer's Market.    (I am feeling a bit like a farmers' market junkie these days!)   The market was full of the usual suspects--produce with dirt still on its roots, flowers and organic products galore.  I enjoyed a breakfast of fish cakes with chow-chow, a real treat.  (Chow-chow is a relish made of green tomatoes, pepppers, cabbage, onions, vinegar and more and is a much tastier complement to fish cakes than tartar sauce.)  Thus fortified, we headed out on our explorations.

Pat, Jeannie and Pam at the Gardens

Our next stop was the Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens at Acadia University.   (Given the price of gas at the local Irving station, I'm glad to see that the family is giving back to the community!)   The gardens are open from dawn to dusk each day so that students and other Wolfville pedestrians can wander through them.  There was a beautiful pond with lilypads (in full bloom) and loads of blueberry bushes that we took a nibble from.  This quaint little bridge crossed over a stream and screamed out for a photo opp--we were more than happy to oblige!  The Gardens also have a conservatory that is adjacent to one of the most beautiful reading rooms I've ever seen.  Oversized leather couches and chairs, a huge fireplace and an incredible panelled ceiling made me want to curl up and read a while.  But we had miles to go before we slept so we carried on. 

After an afternoon of wandering the towns in the Valley, we made our way to the Farmhouse Inn to get settled before heading out to see the production of Beowulf put on by Two Planks and a Passion Theater.   (The show was great and will be the subject of a separate post.)     A lovely evening was had by all before we retired to our coach house accommodations to rest up for the next day's activities.

We generally like to build some physical activity into our get-togethers, and this outing was no exception.  Our first adventure of the day was a hike in Blomidon Provincial Park.  (Trust me, massive amounts of exercise were called for after our breakfast at the Inn of blueberry grunt--basically blueberry dumplings swimming in cream--and spinach and bacon quiche with some greens.)   We had hoped to have some great views of the famous Bay of Fundy tides during our hike, but the fog had settled in so we just had to apply our imagination to the look-outs.  We did, however, have other viewing opportunities during our journeys, including this dock with its working fishing boats "on the hard."  The Bay of Fundy has incredibly high and low tides that are on a six hour and 13 minute cycle.  When the tides are high, they are really high; when they are low, you can walk out onto the sand/mud beaches for quite a distance.   It's a pretty remarkable sight to see (although the smell that goes along with these tides leaves a bit to be desired.)  

From there we were off to Hall's Harbour, a fishing village best known for its lobster pound.  Amazingly, we had worked up an appetite during our hike so we split a couple of lobster rolls with fries.  (When in Rome and all that.)  It was actually my first lobster of the summer and it was quite tasty! 

The day had slipped away and it was time to head back home.  We stopped at another farmers' market and Guy's Frenchys (an indescribable chain of used clothing stores that are a fixture in Nova Scotia) on our way back to Chester where our husbands were eagerly awaiting our returns with open arms and lots of questions about our week-end.  (OK, not so much, but a girl can dream!)   Those of us with sailor husbands had one activity left before we could rest--a showing of the documentary "Deep Water" at the Chester Playhouse.  This movie chronicled the first single-handed round-the-world sailing race that took place in the late 1960s.  It was quite a sad movie, with one participant faking his coordinates rather than facing the financial ruin and humiliation involved with quitting the race.  The choice ended up driving him mad, and he committed suicide.  The high price of obsession.  

Needless to say, the week-end was fun and filled with lots of interesting and varied experiences.  The best part, though, was the luxury of spending time away with good friends.   We're already considering itineraries for next year's adventure.  An outing to Ship's Company Theater in Parrsboro?   Music and hiking on Cape Breton?    I'm already looking forward to it! 

Poetry Party

I received an invite a couple of days ago to a poetry party being hosted by my friend Lynne.  Her sister (an annual visitor to Chester) recently had a book of poetry published and Lynne was hosting a reading of her work.  Would I join them?  I have to admit that my first thought was, "What if it's really terrible and I'm trapped there?"   My second thought was, "Poetry?  That can be pretty intimidating."   The invite was so gracious, though, that I decided to throw caution to the wind and go to the reading.  

Anne Baber and Lynne Waymon

Anne Baber, our poet, kicked off the evening with a reference to CBC radio show talk host, Stuart McLean.  McLean has a show called "The Vinyl Cafe" on which he muses about everyday life.  He says that he finds himself writing down "marginalia" (what a great word!) and being on the look out for things that other people might not notice and that it is these morsels that often become the subject of his shows.  Similarly, Anne shared that she views the world through the lens of a poem waiting to be written.  This makes her mindful of what's going on in the world around her in a way that she might not be if she weren't a poet.

The poems that Anne read to us were often funny, always smart and just downright enjoyable.   Her presentation was terrific and I'm enjoying reading her poetry (because of course I bought the book!) with the memory of her voice and intonation in my mind.   I'm running the risk of a copyright violation, but I can't resist sharing some lines from her poetry with you.  The first excerpt is from a poem entitled, "Love in the Time of Twitter." 

                                                 In the interval between
                                                 "Once upon a time..."
                                                  and
                                                 "Happily ever after..."
                                                 electronic foreplay--
                                                 the tweeting of trysts,
                                                 abbreviation and interruption.....

The very last line is a catchphrase with which we have all become familiar:  'Sent from my Blackberry."  Love in the 21st century indeed!   And here are a few lines from a poem entitled "Singing Endlessly":

                                                 In my family, the slightest cue
                                                 evoked a song.
                                                 As in the old musicals,
                                                 one raindrop had us
                                                 sloshing through the puddles,
                                                 swinging 'round the lamppost,
                                                 singing in the rain.....

                                                 I like to think of our voices
                                                 somewhere over the rainbow--
                                                 strong, together always,
                                                 singing endlessly out among the stars.

As I was reading Anne's poems today, I remembered a session I attended at a literacy conference about incorporating reading--and writing--poetry into adult literacy programs.  Poetry is personal and there is no "right" answer about what a poem means.  This makes a carefully chosen poem a great conversation starter when working with ESL (English as a second language) students.  And since poetry doesn't adhere to rules of punctuation or grammar, working with a student to write a poem is a great way to help them get over the fear of putting pen to paper.  As I'm getting back into work mode, it's great to find a nexus between my work and such an enjoyable evening.   Who knows, maybe one of Anne's poems will find its way into one of my lesson plans????

Chester Playhouse Presents Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris

Each year the Chester Playhouse hosts a Summer Theater Festival, and it always surprises me to find such interesting and well-done shows in our small seaside community.  Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris is the first show in this season's line-up.   For those of you who aren't familiar with Jacques Brel (neither was I), he was a Belgian singer-songwriter whose songs were performed by the likes of Edith Piaf and Maurice Chevalier.  In 1968, a musical revue of his songs was created and performed at the Village Gate Theater in New York, where it ran for four years.  Since then, revivals have popped up periodically, including the one in Chester this summer.

I was captivated from the first song, "Marathon."   The music is upbeat and it's easy to get caught up in it and miss the kaleidoscope of historical events covered by the lyrics.  In fact, I didn't fully appreciate their depth until I came home and looked them up.  The song is about a dance marathon, and the dancers have to keep going.  As they dance, they cover the passing decades.   Early on in the song, they "must dance because the Twenties roar...The road to whoopee and a whole lot more, Charles A. Lindbergh, tons of confetti, Dempsey-Tunney, Sacco and Vanzetti, Black, black Monday and the market drops, But we keep dancing, dancing, We can't stop."  The lyrics for the Thirties cover everything from Orphan Annie to breadlines to Hitler to the Siegfield follies in one short stanza.  Then we get, "The Forties burn because the trumpets blare, Yanks are coming, coming over there...Manhattan Project, Robert Oppenheim, God makes mushrooms just as God makes time...."   Very powerful, almost sneakily so.   As I took a look at the lyrics, I wondered if Billy Joel's found his inspiration for "We Didn't Start the Fire" in Brel's "Marathon."

While there were a couple of numbers that were pure fun (like "Carousel," whose words are sung faster and faster as the carousel spins), many of the songs had a message, be it global or relational.   The song "Old Folks" was incredibly poignant, with its lyrics about a couple who have lived "too long". 

                             They just put down their heads and go to sleep one day
                             They hold each other's hand like children in the dark
                             But one will get lost anyway
                             And the other will remain
                             Just sitting in that room
                             Which makes no sound.   

In some instances, I knew the lyrics carried a message but I wasn't sure what it was since it was the first time I'd heard the song.    Three days later, I'm still thinking about the show and am considering going a second time.

Now that I've fawned over the songwriting, let me say a few words about the cast and production.  The singing was fantastic.   All four cast members were strong but Cliff LeJeune stole the show for me.  This is his third summer in performances at the Playhouse and I am looking forward to seeing him in the future.   The direction of the performance and choreography were outstanding as well, with nuances that gave life to the words being sung.  (Are you getting the feeling that I liked it???)

In the interest of full disclosure, I'll tell you that my review of the show was not shared by my companions. My friends' reactions ranged from lukewarm to intrigued.    That's one of the great things about art and theater (and life, for that matter!)  We all bring our own tastes and experiences to the table, so it's inevitable that we will have differing reactions.   For me, though, it was a great outing with friends enjoying a stirring performance.  My hat is off to the Playhouse for including this production in its this year's Summer Theater Festival.