A Fun Time

If memory serves me right, I would go to a movie, a play, or a musical in the theater or at school, and come home to act out the parts I had seen. Sometimes I would receive gales of laughter or a tiny tear would be shed. I would dance around doing all sorts of dumb gestures and get a roaring belly laugh which made me feel good. Did I harbor thoughts of being an actress some day? No, I really didn't but my desire to sing was always there. I've hummed a lot in my lifetime.

Last evening I came home from a play and the first thought was to 'show' my son what I had seen. I wanted him to enjoy what I had spent the last two hours looking and listening to. He really puts up with a lot from me, but he did smile . . . a grin . . . and even a chuckle.

My daughter Pat and I went to see the local emoters in "The Legend of Molly Malone" with the subtitle "The Pluck o' the Irish". Dori Blodgett our hometown actress and all around director, writer, children's play and dance instructor did a great job using a dozen of our local actors and actresses without a shy bone in their bodies. A lady by the name of Paula Steinhaus was the balladeer who sang the story of Molly between acts. Pop corn was passed to the audience to throw at the villain when the sign went up for audience participation and we 'hissed and booed'; when sweet Molly came out we "Aaaahed" and the hero had his fill of "hooray" . The actors were well chosen for their parts and did an excellent job. The father was a drunk and lost their fish monger business and the mother was a shrew with a sharp tongue and a wish to be noticed. Sweet Molly was being devoured by the mean and nasty villain until the hero saved the day. The melodrama was a first in a long time for me and I have to say I enjoyed every minute of it. I booed and hissed along with everyone else and even belted out a note or two. I haven't heard the old Irish song 'Peggy O'Neil" in years, yet the words and the melody came out like I sang it yesterday.

I've heard laughter makes the world go 'round and I believe it. I haven't had that much fun in a long time. Hooray to the cast , the fiddler (one of my Chetco writers) and the banjo player for their efforts. I didn't throw any popcorn but watched a little girl about eight or nine go through about fifteen cups of it as she got up out of her chair for a better aim at Seamus McRancid the meanest villain in town. I wanted to hand her my cup, but she was very busy taking aim and doing a very good job of it.

The fact that this was a fund raiser for the abandoned animals and a building of a new building to shelter them and to house the thrift store added pleasure to the evening. It was a success as there were no empty seats. A check for four hundred dollars was presented to the President of the foundation, from the highest scorer of a card players club. We didn't hear what was made for the night but I am sure they did well. A good cause.

I didn't nod or fall asleep as people of 'age' tend to do, but came home grinning and still recall a few of the events to make me laugh out loud today. I hope you will look up and see what your local artists are up to and enjoy their work, be it a school play, a local theater group or a chance to see a play like "The Phantom of the Opera", now that is worth a trip. I have seen the production in San Francisco and the one in Las Vegas and I would go again given the chance.