Just Like the Good Old Times

I know that all of us lost something, or someone, in the pandemic. In the great scheme of things, the loss I’m going to share might not seem significant, but all losses are relative to an individual and every loss is cumulative.

I’ve always loved to attend live theater. Daveen and I have season tickets to many Los Angeles theaters — the Ahmanson, the Mark Taper Forum, the Geffen, Noise Within, and others. Over the years we have often flown to New York or London primarily to see plays, and we love the annual Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August where, over the course of a week, we can see a dozen or more theatrical performances.

Ever since 2019 all of that was taken off the table by Covid-19. Until last week.

On Wednesday we flew to New York, and by Saturday evening we had attended four Broadway plays.

Thursday evening was “Our Town,” a play I first enjoyed when I was in high school. (That seems like a few centuries ago.). Although, the N.Y. Times review of the play was excellent,  I was disappointed. The lead actor is well known on television, but, to me, his artistry did not translate to his stage performance. Fortunately, we greatly enjoyed the three other plays .

Friday night Daveen and I held hands all the way through a new play, “Maybe Happy Ending,” about two robots falling in love. The leading couple recently graduated from the theater program at the University of Michigan, and they were outstanding. Bravo, U of Michigan!

The Saturday matinee of “The Great Gatsby,” a new musical, was filled with special effects and quite entertaining.

Last, and perhaps best, was the two-actor play, “The Roommate” that featured Mia Farrow and Patti LuPone. Both are well known actresses, and each is in their mid to late 70’s. Go, old folks!  (And it’s okay to smoke a little pot).

I’m happy to report that Times Square was as busy as ever.

Now I just hope that Covid-19 was not attending the theater with us. I had a slight tickle in my throat this morning. But, for better and for worse, I also have an active imagination.

Alan