Women Missing in Body and Mind

Do you remember the "Calgon, take me away" ads from the '70s?   Sometimes you just need to escape from your world for a little while.  For me, a great thriller is the best way to escape (although combining it with a Calgon moment doesn't sound like a bad idea!)  Here's where I've been hiding out recently.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn takes us into the lives of a young married couple, Nick Dunne and Amy Elliott.   The first section of the book--Boy Loses Girl--is told alternately from Nick's perspective in the present when he comes home and discovers his wife is missing and from Amy's perspective in the past through a journal in which she recounts her relationship with Nick.   We learn not only about the search for Amy but about the type of people Nick and Amy are.

Nick is an ordinary guy who grew up in North Carthage, Missouri, where he has moved with his wife to help his twin sister care for their dying mother.  Both he and his wife had been working in New York as magazine writers, but found themselves unemployed and at loose ends when the call came about Nick's mom.  Amy had a more exotic childhood as the daughter of the writers of the "Amazing Amy" series of books.  When she meets Nick, her parents have just published "Amazing Amy and the Big Day", which Amy says "[gives] their daughter's namesake what they can't give their daughter:  a husband."   Amy has not found the transition from New York to Missouri an easy one.  She tells us what a novelty she is there as Nick's mother introduces her as having been "born AND raised in New York City, at which point [her mother-in-law's friends] immediately suffer some strange Tourettesian episode:  They repeat the words--New York City!--with clasped hands and say something that defies response like, ''That must have been neat!'  Or, in reedy voices, they sing New York, New York, rocking side to side with tiny jazz hands."  Suffice it to say that the marriage is under a bit of stress.

I'm struggling to figure out what to tell you about this book without giving the plot away.   Going with the better safe than sorry approach, all I will say is that it is one amazing ride.  Nick and Amy's story has more twists and turns than any roller coaster you can imagine, and the book actually left me breathless as I read faster and faster to find out what was going to happen next.  It is as good as thrillers get--and I consider myself quite an aficianado in this regard.  Gone Girl is the third book by Gillian Flynn, and I can't wait to get my hands on Sharp Objects and Dark Places.  If they are half as good as Gone Girl, I'll be one happy reader.

Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson asks the question, "What are we, if not an accumulation of our memories?"  For Christine Lucas, the story's protagonist, the question is not a rhetorical one.  Christine suffers from a rare type of amnesia.  She has lost both most memories of her earlier life and the ability to retain new memories.  The only thing she can remember about who she is and the people around her is what she learns from the moment she wakes up until the moment she goes to sleep.   In the opening scene, Christine wakes up in an unfamiliar bedroom.  "A dressing gown hangs off the back of the closet door--suitable for a woman, but for one much older than I am....I am not alone.  I see an expanse of skin and dark hair, flecked with white.  A man.  He has his left arm outside the covers and there is a gold band on the third finger of the hand.  I suppress a groan.  So this one is not only old and gray, I think, but also married.  Not only have I screwed a married man, but I have done so in what I am guessing is his home, in the bed he must usually share with his wife..."  When Christine slips into the bathroom, she is stunned to look in the mirror and find a face and body that are 25 years older than she imagines.  She then sees the photographs taped to the mirror with labels.  "Ben, your husband."  "Christine."    Her screams wake up the man in the bed who calmly tells her that he is her husband, that they have been married for 22 years, and that she suffered head injuries in an accident that resulted in her amnesia.

The story takes off from there as Christine struggles--daily--to remember her life's experiences.  We find out that, unbeknownst to her husband, she is meeting with a neuropsychologist and that she has started keeping a journal to keep track of the things that she learns about herself.   Dr. Nash calls her each day to remind her about the journal so that she can retrieve it from its hiding place and read about her own life.

Before I Go to Sleep takes some interesting turns as we travel with Christine on her journey.  The story maintained my interest throughout although I did keep wondering why it was classified as a thriller.   As I reached the final chapters of the book, it came together in an extremely creepy (yet satisfying) way.

Both Gone Girl and Before I Go to Sleep will keep you guessing until the end.  If you enjoy a smart thriller, don't miss out on these two great reads.  Trust me--you won't be disappointed.  

And The Winner Is....

Have you ever wondered how new plays get from the page to the stage?   I got a glimpse of the process last week-end when I went to the New Play Contest Fundraiser at Theatre Conspiracy in Fort Myers--and I got to vote on which of three plays I thought should be produced!    Theatre Conspiracy has been putting on its new play contest for fourteen years and has it down to an art.  The parameters for the competition are straightforward.  The submission must be a full-length play with no more than eight characters and modest technical demands.  No musicals, please.   The winner of the contest receives a whopping $700 and a full production of his or her work.  This year 311 plays were submitted for consideration.  A group of readers pared the pile down to a manageable number for artistic director Bill Taylor to read.   Taylor winnowed the list down to three, and excerpts from each of the three were read by actors (who may or may not be cast in the play that's ultimately produced) at the fundraiser.

The first play was Tower of Magic by Tess Light.  The set-up is that a woman has gone home to announce her engagement to her family.  This is a bit of a delicate task since she hasn't even mentioned that she's dating anyone despite the fact that she's been in the relationship for four years. By the end of the second scene, we've been introduced to all of the family members--as well as the fiance--and to say that the family is quirky would be the understatement of the year.  The readers/actors were terrific, and I was definitely engaged.  When the reading was over, I wanted to know what was going to happen next. 

The second play was Language of Flowers by Gavin Kayner.  In the opening scene, two sisters have just hidden a dead body in a refrigerator.  Each sister lives in her own weird little world.  Maria escapes into faux motherhood with a doll whose needs she cares for.  Emma escapes by writing romantic/pornographic letters to "gentleman" pen pals, never expecting to meet them in real life.  There's a knock on the door, and the sisters find themselves entertaining an escaped convict who exchanged letters with Emma.  The readers/actors for this play were also great, but I found the characters strange rather than quirky and was more than ready for the reading to come to an end.

The final play was Picture of Dorian Gray by Marsha Lee Sheiness.  Since we only saw a couple of scenes from this play, it's unclear whether it is an adaptation of Oscar Wilde's book by the same name or just uses Wilde's book as its inspiration.  I haven't read the book (nor have I seen the 1945 movie) but I did know enough to recognize Dorian's wistful comment that he wished his portrait could age in his place.  The readers/actors in this reading were not as strong as in the others (although the actor reading the part of Basil was great), but I still felt that this play had a lot of potential.    

Once the readings were over, ballots were handed out to the audience to vote on which of the three plays should be produced.   In deference to the tradition of the secret ballot, I won't disclose which play got my support.  The winner was TOWER OF MAGIC, and it will be produced at Theatre Conspiracy  in October.    It will be great fun to see the play in its entirety, especially having had a peek into the process of getting it onto the stage.   Maybe I'll see you there!    

   

Democracy in Action, Part 1

You would have to have been living under a rock to have missed the hanging chad disaster in Florida during the 2000 Presidential election.  Chads, of course, are the little bits of paper that are created when you punch holes in a data card (or, in this case, a ballot).  If the chad didn't totally release, the ballot could not be counted by the tabulating machine.   It's a bit of a problem for some votes to count and others not to (reference the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment), but the Supreme Court decided in Bush v. Gore that no alternative method of counting the ballots could be implemented within the statutorily prescribed timeframe and that Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris' certification of George Bush as the winner of Florida's 25 electoral votes should stand.   These 25 electoral votes were pretty important because they resulted in Bush eking by Gore in the electoral count and becoming the President of the United States.

I mention this debacle not because it's a nice piece of history to remember in this political season but because I've signed on to work this year's election as a poll worker.  You'll be happy to hear that Florida no longer uses either the infamous punch ballots or touch screen voting (which apparently had its issues as well).   Voters will complete their ballots by hand in a privacy booth and then take them to a scanning machine to be recorded.  (The paper ballots are retained for 22 months after the election in case a question arises.)   I learned about the current method of voting and much more at the training session for poll workers that I attended earlier this week.

The conference facility at the Cultural Center was filled to the brim with volunteer election workers.  (We actually do get paid something for our service but I don't think it's enough to compensate for the long day, which will start at 6 a.m. and run until the polling location has been tidied up after the polls close at 7 p.m.)  My team will be working at the Event Center (one of 35 polling locations).  I was told that the most important thing to remember is to bring lots of layers since the site gets icy cold.  The poll workers at the last election apparently were wearing hoodies and drinking coffee out of a thermos.  You can't leave once you get there so if you don't have what you need with you and there's nobody at home to bring you extra layers (or food!), you just have to tough it out.

The session started with a surprise visit by Ben Franklin (played quite handily by Lou Spacco).   We heard a bit about Ben's life both before and after he "invented" electricity by creating the lightning rod.  Of course we know that he is one of our Founding Fathers and signed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution (which makes him an appropriate historical figure to address a bunch of election workers), but did you know that he also invented bifocals and established the first lending library and volunteer fire department?    Franklin's presentation is part of the Great American Comeback Tour that the Supervisor of Elections Office takes on the road to Charlotte County schools.  Franklin is joined by George Washington, Betsy Ross, Thomas Jefferson, Lady Liberty, and Abraham Lincoln.  If Spacco's role playing was representative, it's a fun way to teach kids a bit about American history.  (Here's a link to a recap of one of the presentations if you're interested.  http://www.charlottevotes.com/index.php?id=144)

Supervisor of Elections Paul Stamoulis ran the training session, and he did a nice job of instilling us with civic pride while explaining our responsibilities.  (We also were given a reference manual which outlines the various roles.   The most unexpected poll worker responsibility is to be able to lift 42 pounds with a co-worker.  I was happy to hear that my weight training might come in handy.)  I am going to be handing out ballots after voters have gone through the identification process.  There will be two people distributing ballots for each precinct, one for registered Republicans and one for registered Democrats.  It was suggested that we alternate parties during the course of the day in order to split the workload.  (I think this was code for "there won't be many Democrats voting in this election .")  

Some people will help out with early voting in addition to working the primary.  Three polling places will be set up across the County to accommodate voters who can't make it to the polls on August 14th.   These locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on August 4th through August 11th.   Stamoulis estimates that the cost to the County per early voter runs between $10 and $12 (depending upon the number of people who take advantage of this option.)  It's a small price to pay for giving people the ability to exercise their right to vote.   And here's something neat.  If you go to the Supervisor of Elections website (http://www.charlottevotes.com/), you can preview what your ballot will look like by clicking on "View Your Sample Primary 2012 Ballot" and inputting a small amount of information.  You can also request an absentee ballot through the website if that's the easiest way for you to vote.  (The favored term these days is "vote by mail.")  

The long day aside, I'm kind of looking forward to serving as one of the "gatekeepers of democracy."   I'll report back on the experience once the day is over.   Don't forget to vote!

Kidding Around at the Isles Yacht Club

My buddy Bruce recently shared a somewhat horrifying statistic with me.  The median head of household age in Charlotte County is 62 1/2--the highest in the entire United States.  (He then thanked me for helping to bring the age down.)   So it probably isn't surprising to hear that I immensely enjoyed helping out at the annual kids' camp at the Isles Yacht Club.  After all, it's a bit of a novelty to see children around here!

Twenty-four kids ages six to 14 piled into IYC on Monday morning for orientation after being slathered with sunscreen by their parents and grandparents in the parking lot.   After a quick overview of what the week would hold, the kids were broken into two groups (port and starboard) and headed off to their respective activities.   All I can say is that I wish that I could go to camp at IYC! 

The kids played tennis and water volleyball and kayaked and swam.  They painted picture frames and played ping pong and had a pizza and movie night.  They even raced the little dinghy sailboats (with assistance from adult sailors, of course, and two safety boats along in case of emergency.)  (Having sailed in these boats and spent some time in the canal as a result of my expert helmsmanship, I was impressed to hear that not a single boat tipped over!)  

My specific contribution to the week was to act as Ms. Manners (which seemed to make everyone laugh, although I'm not sure if it's because I don't seem the most logical choice for the job or because it's not exactly the most popular topic for the campers.)   When I first moved to Florida at age 11, my mother had the bright idea of sending my sister and me to what was then quaintly called charm school.   I remember being humiliated when she forced me to wear white tights (which I considered quite babyish) with my dress and being quite bored by the program.  So it was my mission to try and make the topic of manners fun for our campers. 

The camp organizers knew that the kids' attention span for etiquette lessons would not be very long and wisely allocated Ms. Manners only ten minutes or so before lunch on three days.  Dorrit gamely agreed to help out, and found herself functioning primarily in the role of Ms. Anti-Manners.   One day we focused on making a good first impression, with the campers shaking hands with Dorrit and me (making good eye contact and saying how nice it was to meet us) before lining up at the grill to get their burgers.  (They did a remarkably good job of keeping their eyes on us rather than on the food.)  The next day we did a little skit of two friends sitting down to lunch when one of the women (that would be Dorrit) gets a call on her cell phone and rudely proceeds to turn her back on the other woman to go over a grocery list with her husband.  (The kids didn't have any trouble understanding why that wasn't very nice.)  The final day we did a skit imitating a child (that would be Dorrit) ripping open birthday presents, only to be quite vocally confused and disappointed by what the boxes contained.  Of course, she had no idea who had given her the gifts since the cards had been lost in the process.  I had an extra present that the kids vied to open to see if they could come up with something nice to say about what was inside (a box of Christmas lights--how seasonal!)  My impromptu assistant was a seven or eight year old boy and he was terrific, reading the entire box to make sure that all of the features of the lights were mentioned in quite an enthusiastic voice.   We talked about table manners and treating people in a considerate fashion, and the kids actually participated a lot.   I was delighted when I received a thank you note from one of the campers at graduation saying that she had fun with Ms. Manners.  Success!   The note also contained a picture of someone exhibiting bad manners (that would be Dorrit) and someone exhibiting good manners (that would be me!)

It was lots of fun to help out with the camp and to spend time with the kids.   I give a huge amount of credit to Joyce Tilden and Skip Mansfield, who organized the camp, and kudos to the many, many volunteers who worked to make the camp a success.   I have no doubt that when our campers get back to school and go through the "what I did on my summer vacation" routine, they will talk about the camp with big smiles on their faces.  And--like the hokey pokey--that's what it's all about.       

Memoirs of An Imaginary Friend by Matthew Dicks

My little jaunt to the Redneck Riviera required a thousand plus miles of driving.   What I needed to help pass the time was a great audio book.  Luckily, I picked up an audio version of Matthew Dicks' Memoirs of an Invisible Friend when I was at the Book Expo.   It was an amazing "read" and made me want to get in the car and go so I could find out what happened next in the story.

Budo is the narrator of the story.  He is the imaginary friend of a boy named Max.  Budo has been alive for five years, which is an eternity in the world of imaginary friends.  Although the story doesn't come right out and say, "Max has Asperger's syndrome," it's clear from Budo's insights into Max's world that this is the case.  Max has no friends and, as Budo tells us, "lives on the inside," so Budo is his only companion.  As an imaginary friend, Budo has only the characteristics that Max envisioned for him.  Fortunately, Max has a good imagination and conceived of Budo as more or less a real person. (Budo is quite lucky in this regard.  Some imaginary friends are one dimensional; some are the size of a pop bottle; most don't have eyebrows as this is a feature that slips the mind of the human friends that create them.)   Budo can learn and reason and help Max navigate difficult situations.  Max did not imagine Budo as needing sleep, so Budo is free to wander during Max's night time hours.  This allows Budo the opportunity to hang out with Max's parents (who of course can't see him), watch a lot of TV (crime shows are Max's father's favorites), and even roam the town (the local convenience store and the hospital are two of Budo's favorite spots).  It also makes Budo wise beyond his years, which turns out to be quite important.

Budo tells us what it's like to live in this world:

 "I live in the space in between people.  I spend most of my time in the kid world with Max, but I also spend a lot of time with adults...except they can't see me.  Max's mom would call this straddling the fence.  She says this to Max when he can't make up his mind about something, which happens a lot.

'Do you want the blue Popsicle or the yellow Popsicle?' she asks, and Max just freezes.  Freezes like a Popsicle.  There are just too many things for Max to think about when choosing. ...'Which one is colder?  Which one will melt fastest? ... Do different colors taste different?'

I wish that Max's mom would just make the choice for Max.  She knows how hard it is for him.  But when she makes him choose and he can't, I sometimes choose for him.  I whisper, "Pick blue," and then he says, "I'll take blue."  Then it's done.  No more straddling the fence.

That's kind of how I live.  I straddle the fence.  I live in the yellow and the blue world.  I live with kids and I live with adults.  I'm not exactly a kid, but I'm not exactly an adult, either.  I'm yellow AND blue.  I'm green. I know my color combinations, too."

Budo loves going to school with Max, and they both love Mrs. Gosk, Max's teacher.  She is funny and caring and shares her own life with the kids.  (I didn't realize it when I was reading the book, but the author is an elementary school teacher, and I bet he's a good one.)   School is hard for Max, though, since he sees the world in black and white.  He doesn't understand nuances.  He doesn't get puns.  He knows the rules, though, and follows them to the letter.  When Tommy Swinden, the school bully, brings a knife to school, Max knows that this is a terrible rule to break and tells on him.  Max doesn't know how to do this in a discrete way, though, so Tommy Swinden is now out to get even with him.  Budo helps Max level the playing field--at least a little.

Tommy Swinden is not the worst of Max's worries, though.  I don't want to ruin the story by telling you what happens, but Max ends up in a very dangerous situation that he has no idea how to extract himself from.  Budo has to call on all of his powers--and the powers of some of the other imaginary friends--to help him.

Since I listened to the book rather than read it, I don't have all my usual flags of passages that I want to share to give you a sense of the writing.  (Happily, I did pick up a hard copy of the book at the Expo also, but I haven't sat down to read it yet.)   All I can say is that this is an incredible book,  In fact, I'd go so far as to put it towards the top of my list of all time favorites.  It's a wonderful story about a friendship between two characters who don't quite fit into our world.   Jodi Piccoult says that Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend is "a novel as creative, brave, and pitch perfect as its narrator...It has been a long time since I read a book that has captured me so completely, and wowed me with its unique vision."   I couldn't agree more.

Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend hits the bookstores in August.  Read this book.   It will stay with you long after you turn the last page.

Celebrating America with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra

Kathy Hollinger, Francis Wada and
wife Donna

News flash:  The Charlotte Symphony Orchestra is alive and well after Toshimasa Francis Wada's departure as conductor.   I have to admit to a bit of apprehension about the CSO's Fourth of July concert since I have only seen the CSO perform under the baton of Maestro Wada.  In my mind, Francis and the CSO are inextricably linked.  Once the Orchestra started playing, though, any concerns I had quickly fell away.  It was a vibrant and exciting night of music, with Scott Lavender as guest conductor and Michele Amato as guest vocalist.

Vocalist Michele Amato

The music was so much fun--and so varied--that it's hard to say which piece I enjoyed the most.  American Salute was composed by Morton Gould during World War II and is an homage of sorts to the well-known Civil War song When Johnny Comes Marching Home.  Lavender encouraged the audience to count how many times we heard the tune.  (I was enjoying the music so much that I lost track after the fifth iteration.)  From there it was on to some jazzy numbers featuring Michelle Amato on vocals.  Who knew that the CSO can swing????   The musicians were smoking during George Gershwin's S'Wonderful, and special kudos go out to David Edwards on the sax and Mic Smith on the trumpet.  Amato is no slouch either, and she segued from Gershwin to a medley of Judy Garland songs (including "Over the Rainbow") with ease.   The first half of the concert closed with Symphonic Portrait, a medley of Irving Berlin songs such as "There's No Business Like Show Business," "Alexander's Ragtime Band," and "White Christmas" (which seemed particularly fitting on a hot July night!)

Whether you recognize the title or not, I'm sure you've heard Aaron Copland's Hoe-down from Rodeo which was included in the second half of the concert.  It's the song that's featured in the "Beef.  It's what's for dinner" ads, and it was an inspired selection for a concert on a holiday known for its barbecues.  When Amato rejoined the CSO after the piece, she commented, "I'm in the mood for some steak."  (Leo Burnett should be proud.)   Amato then showed that she's not just about jazz by singing Summertime (from Porgy and Bess) and Somewhere (from West Side Story).  She did a great job, and I give her enormous credit for taking on Ella and Barbra Streisand in addition to Judy Garland.   A portion of the 1812 Overture  (sans an actual cannon) was of course in the program, and it was as exciting as always.  The evening ended with a rousing rendition of God Bless America led by the Veteran's Chorus.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention how terrific Scott Lavender was as guest conductor.   Lavender has an eclectic resume, but he currently works as Johnny Mathis' conductor and pianist.  Mathis performed in Fort Myers earlier this year and CSO principal trombonist George Mancini was part of Mathis' band for the show.  Mancini  identified Lavender as a potential guest conductor for the CSO, and his instincts were spot on.  Lavender immediately developed an easy rapport with the audience.  He shared tidbits of information about the composers and works that added to my enjoyment of the music.  (Katherine Caldwell gives a similar talk before each of the classical concerts, and I always find it enormously helpful.)  Did you know that John Philip Sousa, master of the marches, aspired to be an operatic composer?  Or that the 1812 Overture, which has become synonymous with Fourth of July concerts thanks to Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops, has nothing at all to do with the United States?  Tchaikovsky's inspiration for the composition was the French invasion of Russia.  At the beginning of the overture, Lavender conspiratorially turned to the audience and said, "The French are coming."  As the music got louder, he told us, "They're getting closer!"  It was a nice touch.

At the end of the concert, I felt like I'd spent an evening with old friends.  I can't wait for the classical season to get underway in November.  Over the course of the season, we'll hear Gypsy Baron Overture by Strauss and Suite from the Firebird by Stravinsky and Symphony No. 5, Op. 64 by Tchaikovsky.   The baton will be flourished by a different conductor at each concert, each of whom hopes to be selected as the new maestro of the CSO.    It promises to be an exciting season.

NOTE:  This article was published in Florida Weekly.  

Vacationing on the Redneck Riviera

My mother doesn't know how to swim.  She grew up on a farm in Kansas--about as landlocked a state as there is--and just never had reason to learn.  By the time we moved to Panama City, Florida in the 1970s, there was no way that you were going to get her into the water.  And so, although we lived less than 30 minutes away from some of the world's most beautiful white sand beaches, I didn't spend a great deal of time   at the beach growing up.   Of course I went to the beach on occasion, but I've never thought of myself as a beach person and have never been particularly interested in a beach vacation, least of all in the Panama City area.

Fast forward a few years to today and you'll find me back in Punta Gorda having had a lovely family vacation enjoying the beach communities of Watercolor and Rosemary Beach just west of Panama City.  These communities are extensions of the model that was first established at Seaside (which is where The Truman Show with Jim Carrrey was filmed).  The rental homes are all of a type, with lots of wide porches for hanging out and decor straight out of Coastal Living magazine.  (In fact, Coastal Living's 2012 Ultimate Beach House is located in Rosemary Beach.)   Everyone travels by bike to the pools and the beach and the restaurants and the evening entertainment in the town squares.   Beautiful, quaint, and relaxed are the adjectives that come to mind to describe the area.    I've always thought my sister was a bit crazy to go there with her family each summer, but now I get it.

Suzanne, Jakie and Elizabeth

Having grown up in the same household as I did, Suzanne is not much of a beach person either.  And so she and her family have tended to spend their water time at the pools rather than on the Gulf.  I was itching to go the beach, though, and we finally made it there late one afternoon after 41 minutes of negotation with the kids (talk about herding cats).  Jakie was in tow of course; wherever Suzanne goes, Jakie goes.

TJ and Drew

We sat in the shade of an umbrella for a while and then I headed out to the water with the kids to do some wave jumping.  It was exhilarating!  The water felt great, and the waves were awesome with the aftermath of Tropical Storm Debby.  (Note to self:  Do not turn your back on waves.  When they hit you on the head, they pack quite a wallop.  Second note to self:  Keep your mouth closed when wave jumping.  Salt water does not go down smoothly or leave a pleasant aftertaste.)   When I'd had enough, I ran back to our spot and collapsed in the sand.  Suzanne informed me that I was not at risk of being mistaken for Bo Derek in 10 and that running in a bathing suit was not a wise decision.  (What are sisters for?)   Bathing suit self-consciousness aside, I was hooked and couldn't wait to get back to the beach the next day.

Jakie and me 

I spent two more days enjoying the sand and the surf and plotting my next trip to the Redneck Riviera.  It really is a great vacation spot, with lots to do both on and off the water.  On our last evening, we went to Seaside Repertory Theater and took in their production of The 39 Steps.   (Elizabeth calls the theater a "black box" because it seats only 60 people.)  I saw the show on Broadway and loved its humor and creativity and was curious to see how a tiny theater company would handle it.  It was terrific!  The acting was wonderful, with four actors playing over 150 characters, and the show is hilarious.  It was a real treat, and a great way to end our holiday.   Thomas Wolfe was wrong.  You can go home again.