a busy wednesday

A good friend of mine hates theater.  Recently her husband surprised her and took her to a big Broadway musical.  I get an email at 7:52 pm;  the play hasn’t even started. The subject line is this:  why I hate theater.  She then writes only this:

1. Seats are brutally uncomfortable.
2. Many seats have obstructed views. No seats in movie theaters have obstructed views.
3. Intermission. Just plow through for cripe's sake.
4. Over-the-top acting HA! HA! HA!
5. The food   No popcorn.

A few minutes later she texts me with another reason.  She is seated near a couple of annoying young women, giggling as they share something hilarious on their phones.  Theater to her, like Alexander, is a form of punishment.  And that’s true even when she ends up liking the play, as she did that night.

I do understand, sort of.  I love theater, but there are deterrents.  My friend doesn’t even mention price.  Broadway tickets for non-musicals now top $120.  But when everything comes together — excellent acting, a strong story, great staging, and a comfortable theater — it’s my favorite form of entertainment.

Today I see Orphans, a play with Alec Baldwin, Ben Foster, and someone else.  The someone else (Tom Sturridge) steals the show.  It’s an exhilarating two hours.

Meredith and I meet later for dinner at a restaurant neither of us has been to, Pascalou.  It’s a tiny but popular French restaurant on upper Madison, and it’s excellent.  I get the prix fixe for $28, including crab dumplings in a peanut sauce, duck breast with a hoisin glaze, and a chocolate mouse cake.

Meredith and I don’t often eat out together, as both of us are not working.  But tonight we do, to belatedly celebrate our March birthdays.  We both leave wanting do this more often.