"Clyde's" @ PCS

 It was a wonderful respite from the grind of Spring Term, in my late-in-life return to college, to see a play. This is my reaction every time I intentionally "make room for art." It is always well-worth the effort. This was especially the case with Lynn Nottage's "Clyde's." The play is brimming with crackling,  rapid-fire dialogue. Sometimes it's almost musical in the mouth of the cantankerous Clyde of the title, (like a rap-battle with someone so skilled that their are no challengers.) 

That said, I found he ending to be quite abrupt and confusing. Particularly because the allusion in the beginning to a main-character's crime strongly suggested something far worse than what was eventually revealed. So much so, that I was waiting for it to be shown as a lie.

Regardless, Lynn Nottage has earned a place on my mental "Must-See Playwright's List." She deserves a spot on yours, too.

"A Few Good Men" @ Lakewood

 I am so glad I made time to see "A Few Good Men" at Lakewood. It was the best play I've seen in a very long while. Its reputation is rock-solid by virtue of the film starring Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, and Demi Moore. I'd consider the movie to be a modern-classic. I knew it had been a play first, the play that launched Aaron Sorkin's career. It is indeed a masterpiece. The performances  aare uniformly superb, and it was a particularly pleasant surprise to see my former Language Arts teacher David Sikking on stage.

Make time for this show. If there is one thing I've learned about managing the demands of being a late-in-life college student, it's this: Making time for art is absolutely essential for relieving-stress. Whatever your competing demands may be, do not neglect art, or you'll soon regret it.

"A Tomb with A View" @ Lakewood

 I just glanced at the date on my last review. Over 7 months! I can think of no better way to break my "fast" than a murder mystery show at Lakewood. "A Tomb with a View" is exactly the type of show by which I was introduced to Lakewood., long before the advent of this website. It is the kind of show that I would deem to be Lakewood's signature: A witty romp, with a liberal dash oof the macabre. What distinguishes "A Tomb with a View" is the family of eccentrics at its center. The comedy comes mostly from character rather than plot. My favorite of these was Dora Tomb, the batty winemakeress, whose vintages may or may not be deliberately poisoned, Lisa Knox's daffy performance makes either option plausible. 

If, like me, you consider the mystery-comedy Lakewood's specialty, you shouldn't miss it. In fact, I'm still a little disappointed to have missed "Arsenic & Old Lace" due to late-in-life resumption of college. Despite my newly busy schedule, it is quite gratifying-perhaps even necessary to make room for Art. I will endeavor to keep up with Lakewood, and I am already eagerly anticipating "A Few Good Men."