So... it was a mad, mad, mad, mad, mad, mad weekend. But it was LOADS of fun.
Since Erin and I didn't have fencing on Friday (she needed a break), I swung by and picked up my Xbox Live gear as well, and blew much of the afternoon/evening on it (until Firefly/John Doe, natch) playing both Mech Assault and Unreal Championship. Both are quite fun, although I prefer Mech Assault. (Oh, I'm gametag: Devinoch, like you couldn't have guessed...). Firefly was great as was John Doe (although Joe and I called this episode a mile off...) Oh, and I got my hair cut on Thursday. Back to being shorter again.
Saturday, however, was the grand fun day. Worked out a little in the morning, wrote a little in the early afternoon, then headed down to Santa Cruz to see Erin's show. There were three Stoppard plays -- The Real Inspector Hound (which Erin was in), Boundaries and After Magritte. Pardon me while I kick into critic mode for a moment.
Of the three shows, Inspector Hound was clear and away the best of the three. The actors all had kind of an odd chemistry about them, which was great. I rather like watching acting in the state of collapse (in case you aren't familiar with the show, Inspector Hound features a play within a play, and the play within the play is supposed to be AWFUL, so the actors are encouraged to have a field day with it). Although there were a few technical mishaps, I personally only think they added to the performance. All the actors did excellent jobs. Erin was blissfully over-the-top, with enough melodrama to fill three or four high school productions (intentionally, of course), and she did an excellent job. If you haven't seen the show yet and are remotely in our area, I recommend going and seeing it. Other performances that were quite good in that play -- Ronald Raymond (who plays Moon, one of the two critics) was dead on solid, Kyle Wood (Simon Gascoyne) was excellent during his shining moments and not too bad when it seemed his energy was out of synch, Shanelle Robertson (Felicity Cunningham) played the part of a terrified and out of place starlet with pinache, and quite frankly, seeing Bodhi Woodsorrel (Mrs. Drudge, yes MRS. Drudge...) deadpan lines with a headset on facing straight towards the audience like he'd never had an acting lesson in his life was great. I think that at the beginning it wasn't quite manic/chaotic enough, but it rolled into its frenzied conclusion quite well. I must confess, however, that Kenneth Rudnicki (Major Magnus) lost me at the very conclusion of the play -- are we still in melodrama or are we in fine acting again? I think he tried to straddle the line and play it both ways, which left me a little unsatisfied. Still, it's most definitely worth the price of admission.
On the contrary, I didn't much care for After Magritte, although I think much of it has to do with the script itself. It's a much more surrealist play and while I think it would probably read well on paper, it just doesn't flow well in performance, and seems, well, forced for lack of a better word. On top of that, one of the actors (Johnathan Whittinghill) swallowed some of his lines and they weren't audible, despite the fact that I was only four rows back. I dread to think of what the people in the back where trying to make of it. It wasn't a bad show, but it just wasn't a good show either. I can understand what Stoppard is trying to do and I can appreciate it as art, but I didn't enjoy it all that much. Again, maybe it's me, I've never been much for surrealist work in the long form.
Of the three, Boundaries is the hardest to comment on. I liked the dialogue and the flow of the show, although I'm not sure that Kyle is quite as suited for the part here as he was in Inspector Hound. Richard Reilly (Johnson) was absolutely convincing as a lexicographer and carried himself well, although the interaction between him and Kyle (Bunyans) seemed, well, off-pace ever so slightly. There were moments where it seemed like they were in perfect synch and then there were moments where it seemed that one was simply either a step behind or a step ahead of the other. Since Joe, Lara and I are going down to see all three again on Saturday, I'm looking forward to seeing how this show plays out a second time, as I think they may just have been having an off night.
After the shows, Erin invited me to go out drinking with the cast, and Sherrie and Erich popped in a little later. Loads of fun was had, mad stories were told, and I had a little too much to drink, so I ended up crashing on the couch and driving home the next morning. (Man, it's incredible what a change in weight does to your tolerance. Or maybe it's just the fact that I drink so rarely... hard to say.)
Yesterday, I went out and acquired something of a new wardrobe. I bought several pairs of pants, because when I had been down visiting last Monday, Christy (who LIED when she said she had no interest in my pants) remarked that I needed smaller pants, because it looked like they were way too big for me. So I went out and bought several pairs of jeans, a few pairs of slacks, a couple of shirts and some other odds and ends for the apartment and myself. Trying on the new jeans and finding out how many inches I'd dropped off my waist was a nice surprise. It's just a reaffirmation that this whole "losing weight" thing is a good idea.
Anyhow, I really shouldn't chat TOO long today, as I have to bang through work at a manic pace to run a few errands before I head down for Erin's place for fencing today. Thanks to everyone who's given me feedback on the first part of the novel thusfar, be it in the comments, to my face or in IMs. I appreciate it all. So you know, I do realize the beginning is a little description heavy, but I wanted to paint an accurate picture of the city itself, as I think it's an important image to get. But you'll all be pleased to know that the next section has quite a bit of action in it and should grab you by the ears and drag you through some excitement, whether you want it or not.
Hope this finds you well.
Since Erin and I didn't have fencing on Friday (she needed a break), I swung by and picked up my Xbox Live gear as well, and blew much of the afternoon/evening on it (until Firefly/John Doe, natch) playing both Mech Assault and Unreal Championship. Both are quite fun, although I prefer Mech Assault. (Oh, I'm gametag: Devinoch, like you couldn't have guessed...). Firefly was great as was John Doe (although Joe and I called this episode a mile off...) Oh, and I got my hair cut on Thursday. Back to being shorter again.
Saturday, however, was the grand fun day. Worked out a little in the morning, wrote a little in the early afternoon, then headed down to Santa Cruz to see Erin's show. There were three Stoppard plays -- The Real Inspector Hound (which Erin was in), Boundaries and After Magritte. Pardon me while I kick into critic mode for a moment.
Of the three shows, Inspector Hound was clear and away the best of the three. The actors all had kind of an odd chemistry about them, which was great. I rather like watching acting in the state of collapse (in case you aren't familiar with the show, Inspector Hound features a play within a play, and the play within the play is supposed to be AWFUL, so the actors are encouraged to have a field day with it). Although there were a few technical mishaps, I personally only think they added to the performance. All the actors did excellent jobs. Erin was blissfully over-the-top, with enough melodrama to fill three or four high school productions (intentionally, of course), and she did an excellent job. If you haven't seen the show yet and are remotely in our area, I recommend going and seeing it. Other performances that were quite good in that play -- Ronald Raymond (who plays Moon, one of the two critics) was dead on solid, Kyle Wood (Simon Gascoyne) was excellent during his shining moments and not too bad when it seemed his energy was out of synch, Shanelle Robertson (Felicity Cunningham) played the part of a terrified and out of place starlet with pinache, and quite frankly, seeing Bodhi Woodsorrel (Mrs. Drudge, yes MRS. Drudge...) deadpan lines with a headset on facing straight towards the audience like he'd never had an acting lesson in his life was great. I think that at the beginning it wasn't quite manic/chaotic enough, but it rolled into its frenzied conclusion quite well. I must confess, however, that Kenneth Rudnicki (Major Magnus) lost me at the very conclusion of the play -- are we still in melodrama or are we in fine acting again? I think he tried to straddle the line and play it both ways, which left me a little unsatisfied. Still, it's most definitely worth the price of admission.
On the contrary, I didn't much care for After Magritte, although I think much of it has to do with the script itself. It's a much more surrealist play and while I think it would probably read well on paper, it just doesn't flow well in performance, and seems, well, forced for lack of a better word. On top of that, one of the actors (Johnathan Whittinghill) swallowed some of his lines and they weren't audible, despite the fact that I was only four rows back. I dread to think of what the people in the back where trying to make of it. It wasn't a bad show, but it just wasn't a good show either. I can understand what Stoppard is trying to do and I can appreciate it as art, but I didn't enjoy it all that much. Again, maybe it's me, I've never been much for surrealist work in the long form.
Of the three, Boundaries is the hardest to comment on. I liked the dialogue and the flow of the show, although I'm not sure that Kyle is quite as suited for the part here as he was in Inspector Hound. Richard Reilly (Johnson) was absolutely convincing as a lexicographer and carried himself well, although the interaction between him and Kyle (Bunyans) seemed, well, off-pace ever so slightly. There were moments where it seemed like they were in perfect synch and then there were moments where it seemed that one was simply either a step behind or a step ahead of the other. Since Joe, Lara and I are going down to see all three again on Saturday, I'm looking forward to seeing how this show plays out a second time, as I think they may just have been having an off night.
After the shows, Erin invited me to go out drinking with the cast, and Sherrie and Erich popped in a little later. Loads of fun was had, mad stories were told, and I had a little too much to drink, so I ended up crashing on the couch and driving home the next morning. (Man, it's incredible what a change in weight does to your tolerance. Or maybe it's just the fact that I drink so rarely... hard to say.)
Yesterday, I went out and acquired something of a new wardrobe. I bought several pairs of pants, because when I had been down visiting last Monday, Christy (who LIED when she said she had no interest in my pants) remarked that I needed smaller pants, because it looked like they were way too big for me. So I went out and bought several pairs of jeans, a few pairs of slacks, a couple of shirts and some other odds and ends for the apartment and myself. Trying on the new jeans and finding out how many inches I'd dropped off my waist was a nice surprise. It's just a reaffirmation that this whole "losing weight" thing is a good idea.
Anyhow, I really shouldn't chat TOO long today, as I have to bang through work at a manic pace to run a few errands before I head down for Erin's place for fencing today. Thanks to everyone who's given me feedback on the first part of the novel thusfar, be it in the comments, to my face or in IMs. I appreciate it all. So you know, I do realize the beginning is a little description heavy, but I wanted to paint an accurate picture of the city itself, as I think it's an important image to get. But you'll all be pleased to know that the next section has quite a bit of action in it and should grab you by the ears and drag you through some excitement, whether you want it or not.
Hope this finds you well.
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