Charlie as The Pedant

It was eighty degrees at eight o’clock last night at the Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum as my son Charlie and several other actors came on stage to give a full house some last minute casting changes and remind us about turning off cell phones….  And then the play began.  Two and a half hours of a rollicking, acrobatic, somewhat bawdy interpretation of Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew.”

I knew that Charlie wouldn’t show up in his role as Pedant until after intermission, but I also knew that in the way of Shakespearean productions (usually more characters than the bodies in the acting company), he would show up in other roles.  And, sure enough!  Just as I became enthralled with Kate’s shrewish antics, there would be Charlie – in a group of onlookers here, singing with a troop of players there.  He seemed to show up when least expected.  Such fun!

Besides that, we were treated like visiting royalty.  “YOU’RE Charlie’s mother?!  We just love Charlie,” said person after person.  The House Manager, Victoria, took me into the theater before they ‘opened the house’ and had me show her where I would like “my party” to sit.  When the five of us came back at two minutes to eight (as instructed), the theater was full except for five seats down in front with special cushions and reserved signs on them.  And in we were ushered.  Wow!

It had been a long day.  We been driving “the five,” as they say in SoCal, since early morning, had actually had a slight accident (sideswiped on the grapevine but, thankfuly just an exchange of paint and insurance information), and hadn’t had time to get to our hotel to change into our theater togs.  Our neighbor Carol’s daughter, Betsy, met us at the theater for a special buffet dinner they were having.  It was grand to see her  — though it all seemed out of context.  Our common ground, up to now, has been Oysterville.  And the news of her mother, in the hospital, sounded grim.

Captain Stream House 1990

When we finally checked into our hotel and I took a look at my email, I found that the Oysterville Design Review Board hearing for Martie and Steven’s house remodel had been going on precisely at the same time as our theater experience.  And, according to all reports, it had been four and a half hours of a different kind of drama.  No details – just requests for historic information, documentation and photos.

Even though I slept like the proverbial log, I’m still a bit emotionally drained from yesterday’s events.  Mostly, I’m looking forward to a lunch date with Charlie and two more plays – a matinee and an evening performance.  And Victoria said “our seats” would be ready once again.  Double Wow!