Who is wearing the steel toed boots..?

There is a reason that I am not keen to go see any Tennessee Williams plays.  While he is a wonderful wordsmith and his dialog is absolutely riveting, the plays are depressing as all get out.  Whenever I go to see one, it just feels like I am being kicked in the head with steel toed boots for two hours.  So while I appreciate the artistry, I am not a big fan.

Last night at Miller Outdoor, there was a production of the Vietnamese epic poem "The Tale of Kieu."  The production was simply mesmerizing.  What the producer did was to make a "Broadway musical" show out the the tale, complete with both Vietnamese and English dialog/translations.  The costumes, minimalist set design, and choreography were all very nicely done.  The visuals were quite frankly, simply beautiful.

However... remember what I said about being kicked in the head for two hours?  Here is a summation of the plot:
Beautiful girl falls in love with handsome boy.  Boy gets called away for a year and a half.  Father of girl falls into debt and girl sells herself to brothel to save family.  Forced into prostitution, beautiful girl attracts many men.  One man buys her freedom, but he is married to the daughter of Prime Minister who does not take kindly to having another woman in the house.  Girl steals two candlesticks and flees for her life to a Buddist temple.   Priest accept her until he finds out she carries stolen property... back to the brothel.

You get the idea.  She eventually ends up with her original love but refuses to have sex with him because of her past.  Oy!  My head hurts.

But man... the pictures sure were pretty.

All the world is a stage...

I know that I have rambled on and on about the Miller Outdoor Auditorium and this will be another one.  This time was to see "As You Like It" and "Antony & Cleopatra" which was part of the Houston Shakespeare Festival.  Before each show I would gather up some cheese, fruit, bread and a bottle of wine as part of my picnic.  Spread out my blanket, relax and enjoy.

Both shows were outstanding in their own right.  "As You Like It" was pseudo modernized in it's setting by placing it in Louisiana which was a master stroke on the director's part.  The story of a Duke who banishes family members to the woods worked very well using the swamp lands as a backdrop.  The ole' Kingfish himself would have been proud.

Antony & Cleopatra was with minimal set and terrific acting.  The story is the centerpiece and the actors carried the day.

Life is good with some culture...

Boots on The Bard

I would fit right in for "Antony & Cleopatra"

William Shakespeare is alive and well in Houston, Texas believe it or not.  Over the next week at Miller Outdoor Theater is the annual Shakespeare festival in conjunction with the University of Houston (I am now legally bound to say "Go Coogs!").  The repertory is presenting "Antony and Cleopatra" and "As You Like It" starting on the 2nd through the 11th of August.

I have heard people say that they are not going because of the heat, but I am here to tell you (and them if they are reading this...) that at 8:30 at night, when the show starts, it is quite pleasant.  There is a wonderful breeze that blows across Hermann Park at that time.   Plus, if you sit in the seated area there are a number of HUGE ceiling fans going that make for a nice, relaxing evening.

It is one of the most wonderful things about this city.  In the midst of one of the rather more (ahem) conservative states in the union is the fourth largest city in the United States that hosts events such as this.  There are a plethora of artistic events that range from the rather bizarre to hosting The Bard in cowboy boots.  Gotta love it...