August 10, 2004

Luck Be a Lady Tonight

Right now, I'm recovering from a really busy (and slightly traumatic) weekend - had to work a huge conference, and I limped through it. Literally - twisted my ankle badly coming up from the MetroLink station, and it just went downhill from there. Not much I can report without risk of job loss, but I can always discuss it offline.

Anyway, one of my job duties was to chaperone one of the alternative activities for Friday. Like my good friend, the witty and perpetually sweaty Ajay, I enjoy musicals. (Although, dude, I have to draw the line at Annie - my mom played it way too many times during my childhood). So seeing Guys and Dolls at the Muny was, well, quite a treat.

First, the Muny itself - we were lucky enough to get a tour of the theater (followed by a buffet!), and it is really impressive. Standing on the stage in front of all the empty chairs...quite an experience. Plus, the sound system - it was so crystal clear, you would have thought you were listening to a CD.

When live music "sounds like" a CD, you're living in a very jaded age.

Anyway, the performers were spot-on, and were even able to turn the most minor of mistakes into semi-scripted gems. And, of course, the actor who played Nicely-Nicely Johnson was superb. It ain't Guys and Dolls unless you have a great Nicely-Nicely Johnson. I know these things.

The weather was nice, the show was outstanding, and the atmosphere was...it was worth it. An oasis of sanity in an otherwise busy weekend.

Oh, and the shocker - a 17 year old girl was familiar with the movie starring Frank Sinatra and Marlon Brando, and didn't ask, "What else have they done?"

All in all, a gem of an evening.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

glad to know you had a great Muny experience!

ajay