Monday, August 26, 2019

Hairspray, or, Why Haven’t We Been Going to the Theater?

So last week we were passing through Ashland, OR, and stopped over for the night with friends (because it's a long way from Seattle to home). We were just going to stay the night and move on, but they suggested we stay an extra night and see if we could get last-minute rush tickets for one of the plays. If you aren't familiar with it, Ashland is the home of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, which puts on about 8 or 10 different plays every summer. Several of the plays are by Shakespeare, but the rest are a mix, some well-known, others written or adapted for the festival. On Tuesday, the one with tickets available was Hairspray.

I can't say I knew much about the show, but our friends assured us it was fantastic--and it was. Which is what led to the question in my title: why haven't we been going to the theater?

Well, okay, there are some good reasons. Theater in San Francisco was ruinously expensive, plus you have to deal with the hassle of getting downtown to see it (and back in the middle of the night). We were busy, and tired, and for years the cost and hassle of getting a babysitter just made it too hard. It's been 6 or 8 years since a sitter was needed, but we got out of the habit.

And now I want back in. It'll maybe have to be community theater, college shows, etc., but all the better: those are affordable. I just want the magic of the dark theater and the lit stage taking me away to another world.


Everything on offer in Ashland this summer.
Yes, the fat girl can dance. So can a number of actors with physical handicaps who were part of the cast and performed well.

6 comments:

  1. I always say the same thing after we've gone to a show - why don't we do this more often? We do have one or two plays on our radar but we'll have to see if we actually get there. :)

    Glad you all had fun!

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    1. There's a lot of inertia to overcome to get to the show most of the time. In this case, it was a two-minute bike ride from our friends' house, and the tickets were only $30. Hard to come up with a reason not to go.

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  2. I never used to go to the theater either until I met my boyfriend who is very involved in community theater. Now I volunteer and go to some plays. And community theater is so good and more affordable.

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    1. Yes! Community theater is a lot of fun. I spent one summer in the orchestra for a production of Oklahoma, which was even more fun than just going to the show (though I don't think I could watch that show again even yet).

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  3. There's a theater downtown where I live that puts on shows, but I have yet to go to one. ><

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    1. If it's close and not too expensive, treat yourself and go!

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