Tuesday's Election Victories

 Bode very well for Democrats in a world where election are fair.  Here's a little tutorial for my Republican Friends.  Did you know?

Did you know that all of the people who voted in the red and pale blue portion of the state of Virginia--the majority of whom voted Republican are 10,000 voters less that those living in the dark blue clip in the northeastern edge of the state.  The area of red maybe many times larger than the area of blue and still contain fewer voters.

Happenstance Theatre: Death and the Fool

 Created in the style of the traditional medieval morality play, "Death and the Fool" is a carnivalesque manners play that subverts the natural fear of death into farce through comedy, puppetry, song, dance and pantomime.  The five player ensemble is a resident company that has performed together as "Happenstance Theatre" not for many years.  They, very much like the troubadours they are portraying in this play have no set home.  Instead they pop-up! at the behest of other companies, venues for limited engagements.  This one at Woolly Mammoth's rehearsal studio is a two day affair with 4 performances (matinee and evening).

With little to no overhead, the five member ensemble also charges a pittance for their entertainments--$25 in this case.  But don't let the price fool you--these Merry thespians are endowed with myriad talents.  Vocally, instrumentally (Many medieval replicas of horns, recorders, harps, lyres, drums, timbrels, whistles and what-nots!  The play opened with a marionette scene utter spellbinding using marionettes that the actors had carved and assembled!  

At one point a pair of soothsayers arrived and opened up the floor to audience questions.  One particularly cheeky audience member asked when our current "Monarch" would meet death?  Presumably the scythe wielding black robed specter in the show.  After entering their trace in call and response fashion, they replied: "not...soon...enough."  And the audience was in an uproar of laughter and delight.

And Delight is the perfect word for such an historically inspired, yet contemporarily relevant production! 

Dinner: Spinach Pie

        READY FOR THE OVEN

READY TO CUT

 

                                                                                      READY TO EAT!

Tee-shirt Approved Sellers

 Here are some of the Tee-shirt sellers I have patronized and can vouch for their quality, customer service and overall value.  100% satisfaction all around.

T-Shirt Obsessed.

 It all began with my back surgery and a pair of T-shirts.  One to wear to the procedure.  A pre-op statement.  And one as my mantra post-op.  And now I'm enamored with some amazingly comfortable, beautiful T-shirts.

My post-op T-shirt

My latest--my 2025 Christmas T!

Round House Theatre: The Inheritance, Part 2

 How to describe it?  "The Inheritance" is a monumental work of theatre by Matthew Lopez intended to represent the complexities of Gay Life over two generations; The AIDS Plague survivors and the contemporary Post-AIDS generation, that no sees HIV as an inevitable lethal virus, but something we live with.  There a certain allegory between the way gay men (and others) have made peace with HIV and the need to make peace between ourselves as generations.  In two parts, with six total acts, the entire commitment to the experience is 6 hours and 50 minutes.  It is inspired by E. M. Forester's novel "Howard's End."

As a thing, you can imagine, this is a rare opportunity.  In many ways, it's the younger gay generation's "Angel's In America."  Unfortunately, it's no "Angels."  It's, in my humble opinion, too preachy, too salacious, and too tedious.   I struggled to be more diplomatic with my review of the first part back in August when I saw it.  In the interim, my subconscious has spent a lot more time digesting the experience.  I was better prepared to take in the saga's conclusion with a critically prepared mind.

Generally speaking, the acting again was fine.  We pick-up the story of the lives of the younger and older gay couples where we left them:  Eric Glass has just been betrayed by his lover of 7 years after Toby Darling's play is a sudden smack hit.  Toby is a drug-addled user who men find charming, but whose presence is toxic.  Eric's friendship with his elder neighbor, Walter Poole has also come to an abrupt end at the sudden death of Walter.  Walter's passing has left his partner, Charles Wilcox a billionaire real estate mogul alone and a flirtation begins between Eric and Charles.

In part two, Charles proposes to Eric and Eric accepts.  Charles is sincere, but is looking at the relationship as a transaction; Eric, ever the romantic wants love, something Charles can't really do.  The whole production revolves around a house in the country that Charles had given to Walter after he surreptitiously turned it into a retreat for their gay friends to come to to die, back when that was the only option.  Walter's compassion is mirrored by Eric's.  Upon his death, Walter left the house to Eric, but Charles and his sons decided to hide this truth from Eric.  

As with the first half, the life of a younger man (played by the same actor), Leo interjects a tension between Charles and Eric (as it had as Adam between Eric and Toby in part 1).  Leo is a street prostitute who's life we've watch descend throughout the work.  He has contracted AIDS and without any support.  Like Walter before him, Eric takes his care under his concerns.  And once again, to the initial chagrin of Charles, the house in the country becomes a sanctuary.

Three observations: 1) The role of Charles given to the actor Robert Gant of Hollywood fame: a lead in the popular "Queer as Folk, American version" was played by his understudy, Eric Hissom, a local fixture in the DMV theater world and a tried and true member of any cast in any roll.  I enjoyed Eric's portrayal of the character far more than I did Robert's.  2) In the final act which takes place at the country home, we are introduced to Margaret (the only woman in the cast).  Margaret's son was one of the first of Walter and Charles friends to come to the country house to die.  It was there that Margaret came to accept her son's homosexuality on his dying bed, and she has remained in the community every since, a sort of de facto care-taker of the place.  Played by another local luminary, Nancy Robinette, she was such a moving and grounding presence as this ship finally decide to land.  3)  The principal cast contains 10 younger men.  In Part 1 back in mid-August, it's safe to say, all were of reasonable build, some much more muscular, but def to fatties.  Well, Jesus, Joseph and Mary!  They've all been working out at the gym!  During a Fire Island beach orgy scene (oh, come on, surely you expected one of those!) we got a hell of a lot of six-pack ab undulation action going on along with a call and response choral narrative that would have made George Carlin's 6 words look as quaint and ridiculous as "See Jane.  See Dick.  See Spot."  In its candor, it reminded me of my first viewing of the original British version of "Queer as Folk" when Stuart Jones (Aiden Gillen) goes down on Nathan Maloney (Charlie Hunnam)'s ass and rims him into ecstasy!   For someone (me) who has been to many fucking "rodeos," my prudish streak even confused me.  Chalk it up to coming from a closeted generation.

I am so glad that Round House has their Press Photos out now so that I can share some of the images with you. 

Standing [L-R]: Leo (Jordi Bertran Ramirez), Toby Darling (Adam Poss), Eric Glass (David Gow); croutching [L-R]: Tristan (Jamar Jones), Jasper (back, Hunter Ringsmith), Jason #2 (Jonathan Atkinson), #1 (John Floyd)

[L-R]: Jasper, Jason #2, Leo, Charles (Ben Bogen), Morgan (Robert Sella), Young Man #4 (Dylan Toms)

Morgan is the muse of E. M. Forster who appears to narrate portions of the plot.  Robert Sella also played Walter Poole.

Eric and Toby after some graphically narrated and choreographed love-making

In a simpler time: Toby, Adam (also Jordi Bertran Ramirez) and Eric

Robert Gant as Charles Wilcox with his two stones from a former straight marriage: Paul Wilcox (Hunter Ringsmith) and Charles Wilcox Jr. (Ben Bogen).  The paper holds Walter Poole's dying request to give the country home Eric Glass, and here they choose to ignore it.

Leo describes his sexual assault and emotional betrayal by Toby on Fire Island

Morgan returns to share his thoughts with Leo.  Morgan is Leo's muse.

Leo, Eric and Margaret (Nancy Robinette) sharing a photo album of Margaret's son, Michael, who died of AIDS in the country home.

Breakfast: Zucchini Fritters with Roasted Red Pepper Tahini and Fresh Fruit