Yesterday was another fine weekend day. We slept in, and then did a few puttery things (I mowed while Mer went to the grocery store). We then had a nice light lunch together while listening to Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me, a favorite Saturday pastime. I then took a leisurely nap while Mer graded. We were planning on going to a graduation party in the early evening, but that was postponed due to an illness. We were also planning on going out to a play at Actors’ Summit with a friend (and former student) in the evening, so we made quick dinner plans and went to Aladdin’s restaurant, where we had a wonderful time laughing (Kevin, our friend, is funny as well as studying acting, so he is quite a character).

We got to the theater about 7:30 or so to see Born Yesterday, a play from the late 40s. We knew little about it, except it had been billed as a Pygmalion (think My Fair Lady) set in 1940s Washington. We also thought it was a comedy that would border on farce. It turned out to be a dark comedy, with the main character (a greedy businessman) being abusive to everyone around him, including the woman he lives with (which must have been eyebrow raising in th 40s). The ties to Pygmalion were very tenuous – the main character asks a reporter to make his girlfriend smarter so she will not be an embarrassment in Washington. That is about where the similarities with Pygmalion end.

The acting was fine as usual. We are getting to recognize many of the actors that play at Actors’ Summit, and it is great fun to see them playing different roles. The lead actress who played the ditzy girlfriend was the same actress we saw a few weeks ago play a major role in The Crucible. Needless to say, the roles were very, very different.

The set was very good – it was set in a luxury hotel room, and the set did a nice job suggesting a big room with two levels and several doors.

I liked the play well enough. It took a few minutes to recognize that the play was not going to be a farce. It was easy to strongly dislike the rude and violent main character. The girlfriend was funny as a ditz, and the reporter was well acted as well.

After the play, we all went to Cold Stone for ice cream. We continued to have a good time, and saw several CVCA students. On the way home, I was wondering how students see us when they run into us, so I asked Kevin (who has only been away from CVCA for two years) how he felt when he saw teachers in their civvies. Kevin asked an incredulous “What?!?” so I explained myself again. Kevin said that he had heard, “What do you think when you see teachers in their skivvies?” I think even the suggestion of that has scarred him for life. That was a good laugh for several minutes.

So, a very good Saturday with good company. Mer and I watched the 1994 movie version of Born Yesterday this afternoon, and it was about as good as the play (they did not mess with the plot too much). The movie spends a lot more time with the girlfriend than with the businessman, and that was probably a good move. As Mer put it, she is a dynamic character whereas the businessman is a static character, so it adds some more interest. I preferred the play because I like live theater and it was my first viewing.

We have one more play in the Actors’ Summit season, plus a chance to use a gift certificate to get to see The Nerd at another local theater. That may wrap up the theater season for us until next fall, or we may try to sneak some plays in for our anniversary in August. We’ll see!