It has a name

After perhaps one-third of the writing of the new (third) play has been put behind me, I now also have a name for it: "The Good Life." Surprisingly to me, I did not find any other plays with this name by searching Samuel French, Dramatists Play and other play publishing services. Go figure.

Anyway, it's about this young couple living the high life in New York City, but it's a little hard to figure out where the money's coming from ... until it all falls apart.

Work continues.

In good "Company" on TV

What a pleasure on Wednesday night to come across a TV listing for "Great Performances" on PBS, and that they were showing the Broadway revival of "Company," starring Raul Esparza. I had the great good fortune to see the revival production twice when it was in NYC, so it was like nostalgia watching it on TV. But with all the cranes and different angles and close-ups, at times it was like seeing it a third, different time. And for once, the show was run in its entirety with only an intermission break -- not the usual PBS trick of showing the most interesting stuff during a Festival fund drive. Loved it!

Anticipation ...

Carly Simon created a great song with so many possible thematic uses when she wrote "Anticipation" back in the '70s. And that's pretty much my theme for this week. While I am carrying on with my work and various projects, the mind is more or less turned towards this coming Sunday afternoon. A group of actors whose work I have enjoyed in the past have agreed to read the script of "All About Faith" out loud for me. I'm chomping at the proverbial bit with anticipation.

Back when I wrote the first play, in the summer of 2006, Kathy and I were eventually able to gather a group in a similar fashion (finding a hole in the schedules of active actors isn't the easiest thing in the world). Those folks were extremely helpful to me -- I can read lines out loud, and give them MY interpretation, but some of the problems of having someone ELSE interpret those same lines can be evened out and sanded off with this kind of private reading.

And that's just what I look forward to happening on Sunday, along with the chance to chat, dine and talk theater with other folks in a casual setting.

Then, I have about a week to sand and touch up the script before sending it north with Andy to see if a theater company in Washington, D.C. might be interested in producing the play, presumably as a world premiere. That would be an exciting moment! (This previous sentence should be interpreted as a vast understatement.)

Meanwhile, the four-month wait will commence, until October 1, to see whether or not the Regional Arts Project Grant comes through to help finance a production of "Conversations in a Cafe." More excitement, should that happen!

And while I'm on the topic, work continues on play #3, still unnamed, but getting closer to a working title, anyway.

The Greensboro Monthly magazine article on Triad Stage and "Bloody Blackbeard" should be hitting the stands any day now as well. A pretty good concentration on the theatrical right at the moment for me. What fun!

Saving the best for last

We wrapped up our Charleston stay for 2008 today (Monday) with a viewing of Spoleto's "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea," perhaps the most inventive fun I've had in a theater for a while, and also caught "Lobby Hero," a Piccolo Spoleto presentation, on Sunday evening. Patched together with Paula West's lovely jazz singing and the amusing duo with a Piccolo "I Live Next to Horses," we saw some really good stuff. The rest left something to be desired in one way or another, but still, 4 for 9 ain't all bad.

We had an uneventful drive home and now back in K'vegas getting ready for the short week ahead. Gotta love it -- Spoleto in Charleston. A fine way to spend a few days if you can.

A few personal notes from Charleston

One of the highlights of our Charleston Spoleto visits -- this is our fifth year in a row, started by when our son, Andy, first started working here -- is, of course, getting to visit with Andy. That has not always been possible due to his work schedule, but this year, we sat down with him for a late lunch on Sunday afternoon and then chatted during intermission of the opera, "Amistad," in the space for which he is master electrician. That space is shared with the Chamber Music performances this year, as the historic Dock Street Theatre is down for renovations. Which makes Andy's life more interesting due to the changeovers from the opera setting to the Chamber Music set-up, which takes 2-3 hours each time it happens.

Anyway, it is always fun for us to get the inside story on some of the activities of the festival, and then go to see them first-hand. Such was the case last night, when we saw "Amistad." About which the most I can say fairly is that I believe I have now done my duty by seeing two operas, at least one of which was highly praised. Therefore, I feel I will no longer be hypocritical when I say, I do not like opera. I can say that fairly, based on direct experience, instead of just a general feeling that I would not enjoy it. I will save my $$$$ in the future.

We have also enjoyed, as often is the case, several fine meals in the various Charleston eateries, including Circa 1886 -- very stylish, and our second visit -- MUSE, and Poogan's Porch. Good choices all.

And the sleeping has been good, too. This is our second stay at the King's Courtyard Inn, right near the Market, and this time we literally walk off the courtyard where breakfast is served and into our room. How convenient is that?

Ah, the magic of outdoor jazz

Finally, something we could agree was outstanding. The Wachovia Jazz Series at Spoleto presents, if the weather cooperates, its jazz performers outdoors at the Cistern on the College of Charleston campus. We've enjoyed the performances we've seen here since we first came to Spoleto. Tonight's Paula West presentation was as excellent as the ones we've seen before. What a voice! What a setting! And even though as seems to happen more often these days, there are idiots who will sit there and talk through even the sensitive songs, as if they were still at home in their bleeping living rooms, it was magical, as it often is. Definitely the highlight to this point in the 2008 stay.

So far, so not so good

We've now been in Charleston since 3 p.m. Friday and just returned to our room from the fourth of nine performances we'll catch during the 2008 Spoleto Festival stay. Unlike most of our Spoleto and Piccolo Spoleto marathons past, we haven't really hit a good one yet.

Perhaps it was good that we started with what we hope was the worst, a play called "A Devil Inside." This should in no way denigrate the young actors of College of Charleston who attempted to pull it off, but this may be the worst play I've encountered since "Debunked" at Triad Stage 4-5 years back. Oh, my goodness. I really hated it, and since most of the characters wind up dead at the end, they could have hurried that along and I would have been happy. Dismal.

We then caught some "long-form" improv by a group called the Reckoning, from Chicago, starting at 10 p.m. Maybe I was just tired, but it was merely ho-hum.

Today (Saturday) at noon, we saw "God's Trombones," which told the story of early black preachers and gospel, and how they related the stories of the Bible. It was a good hour and a half show. But it lasted two hours and five minutes.

And finally, we saw "I Live Next Door to Horses," which was sketch comedy by, it turned out, two of the females from the Reckoning troupe. At about 50 minutes in length, so far the best thing we've seen. They were both very versatile, talented, a joy to watch. Fun!