A night at the theater

Went to another show last night. My usual season tickets at Theatre 3. I did all my research. The play, Trysts in Toledo (http://www.theatre3dallas.com/t3/toledo.html), was written by a 17th Century Mexican nun and proto-feminist, Sor Juana De La Cruz. I was all prepared to watch the period costumes and farcical high jinks (I loves me some jinks, especially the high ones), but unfortunately I spent most of the show chain-sucking cough drops and willing my lungs not to launch into a coughing spasm. Is there anything more embarrassing than hacking your way through a performance?

I did notice a few things through my misery, however.

1. The rascally, noble brother had a really nicely shaped head. Think Miguel Ferrer, with more hair. And he could pull off a single-pearl dangle earring. Not every man can. Especially in pantaloons.
2. Even if you’re doing period costumes, you shouldn’t feel forced to do period hair. The one blond dude in the cast had a conspicuous lack of product in his flaxen locks, and it was starting to frighten the women-folk. Even if you want to be true to an era that did not have mousse, throw some bacon grease in the boy’s head. That wafty ‘fro was very distracting. Good actor. Bad hair.
3. This show may have contained the WORST song I’ve ever heard on stage. Really bad. But not so bad that I know it was supposed to be bad on purpose. It sounded like the 3 singers had read the lyrics off the back of an envelope 5 minutes before the curtain came up. I’d say they were off-key, but I’m not even sure there was a key to be off of. Just mouth-droppingly bad.
4. When we picked up our tickets, the box office person had said that this wasn’t a sold-out show, so if we wanted to move closer, we could during the opening remarks. Thank all the gods we didn’t. There was a scene where the wily manservant disguises himself as a woman, with help getting dressed from audience members. You know the drill: flirt with the girls, tell the men to keep their pea-picken hands to themselves. Luckily, for us, we were safe in the top row. Don’t get me wrong, he was very funny and obviously had experience working an audience. But I don’t do audience participation. And those people can just smell the fear on me. Sadistic bastards love making me sweat. But I was far, far away and behind a railing, where he couldn’t get me this time. Ha-ha!

All in all, a good show, and a good time had by all. And I got to go home and enjoy a nice, hearty cough in private.