"Butterflies Are Free"

June 23, 2011 — Whenever I go to a play at the Winnipesaukee Playhouse (the "Winni") in Weirs Beach, New Hampshire, I make an afternoon out of it and stop first in nearby Meredith and stroll around the picturesque bayside community, admiring the very expensive boats along the dock, and taking in the beauty of Lake Winnipesaukee on a warm summer day. After supper at Hart's Turkey Farm, I drive over to Weirs Beach and stroll along the boardwalk, and if the timing is right, see the M.V. Mount Washington, Lake Winnipesaukee's huge, popular excursion boat, arrive at the Weirs dock. But on this third day of summer, the temperature was a very unsummer-like 60 degrees and a cold rain was falling. That pretty much ruled out my afternoon strolling, so I had supper at home and drove directly to the Winni.

On this evening, the Winni was staging "Butterflies Are Free." I didn't see the 1972 movie, so this perfectly charming little play was all new to me. It's about a young man who, after a sheltered life, strikes out on his own and gets an apartment in New York City, escaping his domineering mother. The young man has a handicap I won't disclose in case you have a chance to see the play, although it's revealed fairly early on. A lackadaisical young woman with little sense of moral propriety in the adjacent apartment intrudes into his well-ordered life, quickly seduces him, and he just as quickly falls head over heels for her. When his mother shows up unannounced and finds the couple in their underwear, some very peppery dialogue ensues.

The play is a delight. Perky, cute Rebecca A. K. Turner is perfectly cast in the role of the free-spirited girl. Her performance is easily the best of the talented cast. Mostly humorous and lighthearted, with smart dialogue, the play has lessons on how emotional handicaps can often be more threatening to quality of life than physical disabilities.

The drive home was rather unpleasant over dark New Hampshire roads as the relentless rain continued. That was yesterday. This afternoon, as I write this, it's 58 degrees and still raining. Summer, where are you? Did we say something to offend you?

"This Verse Business"

June 18, 2011 — The Mount Washington Valley Theatre Company in North Conway, New Hampshire, presented "This Verse Business" by A. M. Dolan, a one-man show starring Gordon Clapp as poet Robert Frost. Clapp, a New Hampshire native, is probably best known for his portrayal of detective Greg Medavoy on the TV show "NYPD Blue," for which he won an Emmy in 1998. He was also nominated for a Tony award for his part in the Broadway revival of "Glengarry Glen Ross." He appeared in Clint Eastwood's World War II drama, "Flags of Our Fathers," and many TV shows.

Ticket holders were invited to show up at 7 p.m. for a buffet, drinks and entertainment outside the theatre an hour before the main performance. It was a comfortably warm evening, but the hour seemed overly long to me. With only ten chairs provided for over 100 people, most of us remained standing. Gordon Clapp, friendly and unpretentious, joined us for awhile, mixed with the crowd and posed for pictures. Several excellent vocalists sang Broadway show tunes. Finally, at 8, we were all admitted inside the theatre, but waited another half hour for the show to start.

Those unfortunate timing problems aside, Clapp's performance was superb. He was totally immersed in his characterization of Frost. Dressed in a rumpled, ill-fitting suit, wearing a shaggy white wig, speaking in folksy witticisms and puns, he was a believable Frost. The one-hour performance was often funny, sometimes poignant. He recited several of Frost's poems and talked about his (Frost's) rationale for writing them. He received a well-deserved standing ovation at the end of the performance.

"Straw Hat Revue"

June 9, 2011 — The day was sweltering, mid-90s with storm clouds building, when I left for New London, New Hampshire. Violent storms were roaming about the state and power was out in many areas. Radio bulletins were advising people to seek shelter and keep away from windows. I was wondering if this trip was foolhardy, but I had a reservation for the 54th Annual Red Hat Revue at the New London Barn Playhouse, and after the second day in a row of temperatures in the 90s, I just wanted to get away for a few hours.

About five minutes from home, the weather caught up with me. The wind picked up, lightning flashed and thunder roared and the rain was coming down almost horizontally. The temperature dropped from the mid-90s to mid-60s in minutes. I eventually rode the storm out, and by the time I got to New London, the rain had stopped, clouds had thinned and it was refreshingly cool. I had time to kill, so I strolled around the picturesque college town for awhile. I had dinner at my favorite New London restaurant, Peter Christian's Tavern.

The Barn's "Red Hat Revue," an admission-free performance that launches their summer show season each year, was excellent. It featured songs and dance numbers from Disney, Broadway shows and Gershwin, performed by a very talented young cast of twelve. The orchestra was also excellent, better than average for summer stock theatre, but a little overpowering at times. Overall, a great evening's entertainment, and the price was certainly right. A bonus: the New London Barn is air conditioned for the first time this year.

Evening in Southwest Harbor

May 31, 2011 - I'm comfortably ensconced in my room at the Seawall Motel in Southwest Harbor, part of the Bar Harbor area in Maine. I just had supper at Scotty's Dockside down the road a piece. I came here to check out the Seal Cove Auto Museum, almost a five-hour drive. It was well worth the trip. The museum, inconspicuous on a rural road, houses some of the most beautifully preserved and restored brass-era cars in America. You can view my photos of these stunning automobiles at this link:

http://www.linwoodstreet.com/sealcove/

Tomorrow, I'll start wending my way home after spending a little time exploring Bar Harbor and Mount Desert Island; that is, if predicted thunderstorms don't interrupt my sightseeing.

Memorial Day Weekend

May 30, 2011 — I'm enjoying a quiet, albeit hot and humid, Memorial Day at home. I made a reservation at a motel in Bar Harbor, Maine for tomorrow night. I'll be heading there tomorrow morning to visit the Seal Cove Auto Museum. There will be a full report on that in my next post.

Yesterday, as has been our tradition, my sister and niece and I met and visited cemeteries, placing flowers on the graves of the parents and all the grandparents. Following that, we had dinner at Joe Fish, a favorite restaurant in the area. My haddock Florentine was absolutely delicious.

" 'night, Mother"

May 13, 2011 — For its last show of the season, Theatre Kapow presented Marsha Norman's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, " 'night, Mother," at the Stockbridge Theatre at Pinkerton Academy in Derry, New Hampshire. This is not an uplifting play. In fact, it's fairly devastating. After spending some time carefully laying things out in her aging mother's house, making arrangements for grocery delivery and other things she'll need when she's left alone, the daughter matter-of-factly informs her mother she's going to kill herself. There's some humorous dialog up to this point between the two rural southern women, before the mother accepts the fact her daughter is serious.

Carey Cahoon as the daughter and Donna Goldfarb as the mother give masterful performances as the mood of the play turns from lighthearted banter in the early going to denial, recrimination, anger and grief as the mother realizes her daughter is on an irreversible course. Tonight was the first of three performances of the play. I usually avoid a first-time performance, not wanting to witness first-night jitters, but I needn't have worried. The performances by the two actresses were emotionally shattering and the direction by Matthew Cahoon perfect.

Following the play, the actresses joined representatives from the Center for Life Management, NAMI-NH, the Connect Project and the Support Group for Survivors of Suicide Loss for a question-and-answer session about suicide prevention with the audience.

"The Pillowman"

March 13, 2011 — The Players' Ring is near the waterfront, on the edge of historic Strawbery Banke in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Housed in an unpretentious brick building, seating only 70, it provides an intimate theater experience. There is no stage as such. The seats surround three sides of the small, square performance area which is at floor level.

I'm having trouble finding a way to describe "The Pillowman" by Martin McDonagh. It breaks many taboos, making the blackest of black humor out of mental retardation, child abuse and murder, religious tradition and ethnicity. With its profanity-laced dialog, subject matter and violence, it's strictly for mature audiences.

A writer is being held for questioning in some unnamed dictatorship. No Miranda rights or lawyers here — he's completely at the mercy of two sadistic interrogators, one a detective with a penchant for playing cruel mind games, the other a thuggish police officer prone to violent outbursts. At first, it's not clear what he's being held for, but it's gradually revealed that a series of child murders have occurred which bear stark resemblance to stories he has written. He vehemently denies any connection, but when his retarded brother arrives on the scene, everything changes.

The performances by four male actors are excellent, as are the direction and production values, remarkable considering how little there is to work with in the Ring's limited space. A couple of slideshows illustrate parts of the story. The audience was spellbound throughout by the alternately shocking, violent, humorous presentation. If you're into black humor and the trashing of social values, you'll love it. If you have a more sensitive nature, you might want to avoid it.