Today was Valentine's Day, and tonight my spouse and I had a lovely dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant, where for an hour we enjoyed each other's company without the distraction of our fabulous children.
But first, this afternoon my daughters and I went to see "She Loves Me" at the Second Story Repertory theater in Redmond.
What a w
onderful valentine of a musical! My older one commented it was the perfect musical to see on Valentine's Day, intentional of course. SSR is in a shopping mall, and a small theater that seats 200. When you sit in the front row, you feel like you are at a private performance. There are seats on three sides, the stage on the floor (play goers have to walk across it to get to their seats), with no need for mics, and very little makeup. I expect the actors are careful not to spit when they talk, or sweat when they dance.
onderful valentine of a musical! My older one commented it was the perfect musical to see on Valentine's Day, intentional of course. SSR is in a shopping mall, and a small theater that seats 200. When you sit in the front row, you feel like you are at a private performance. There are seats on three sides, the stage on the floor (play goers have to walk across it to get to their seats), with no need for mics, and very little makeup. I expect the actors are careful not to spit when they talk, or sweat when they dance.The play itself is from the Hungarian play, "Parfumerie" from which sprung three American films: "The Shop Around the Corner" starring Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullivan, "In the Good Old Summertime," a musical with Judy Garland and Van Johnson, and most recently "You've Got Mail" with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. Sometime in between the last two, "She Loves Me" appeared on the Broadway stage and stayed long enough to earn a Tony. Each version is somewhat different. "She Loves Me" sticks close to the original story.
Of course, as is always true at SSR, the acting and singing was outstanding. Jon L
utyens, who does everything from Shakespeare to contemporary to musicals in Seattle theaters, was a faceted, Tom Hanks-ish (without being Tom Hanks-like) leading man, and Anne Kennedy was a strong, funny, unsentimental leading lady, who even in her wallowing in misery was defiant. The supporting cast was, to a person, outstanding. I love the live theater.
utyens, who does everything from Shakespeare to contemporary to musicals in Seattle theaters, was a faceted, Tom Hanks-ish (without being Tom Hanks-like) leading man, and Anne Kennedy was a strong, funny, unsentimental leading lady, who even in her wallowing in misery was defiant. The supporting cast was, to a person, outstanding. I love the live theater.The family consensus? Everyone loved it. Older daughter wants to see it again, with her own money. I'd say that's a definate approval.
So that's how I spent my Valentine's Day. Perhaps it is not cliche or typical, but the only thing I would have wished for today was to have my spouse along to complete the family unit and enjoy it with us. But someone had to stay home with the dog.
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