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Last night was entertaining. Went to a talent show for my department at school. The high point involved professors in tutus. Although there were a few people who read excellent poems and short stories, most of the fun performances were actually people who did music (everything from rap to experimental electric-acoustic guitar), not "English"-related things.
Then I went with Summer and Patrick to the Valley of the Moon. I highly encourage those who are unfamiliar with it to click the link. The website is a bit early-nineties, but it's a fascinating story, involving an eccentric millionaire who built a fairyland in his backyard. There's even a poignant bit about how the property was "rediscovered" in his declining years, as he lived in the cave and subsisted on condensed milk.
We saw their spring show, which was The Princess Bride this year. The actors were mostly children - only the two leads and Humperdinck were adults. The kid who played Vizzini eerily channeled Wallace Shawn. He looked and talked just like the kid who plays Shane Botwin on Weeds. Although he flubbed a lot of lines, it was still delightful. The guy who played Westley had some hilarious improv moments, including when he yelled at Summer, in character, for taking photos. The only off note was the actor playing Prince Humperdinck, who was not only older than the rest of the cast, but also wearing a full-length leather robe replete with rings and spikes. It was tailored to his rather odd proportions and he was completely comfortable wearing it, so Summer and I couldn't help but suspect it originated in his personal collection. The whole cast, even the little kids, had obviously seen the movie and read the book many times. I'd rather go to a cheesy play at Valley of the Moon than do almost anything else in the world.
Then I went with Summer and Patrick to the Valley of the Moon. I highly encourage those who are unfamiliar with it to click the link. The website is a bit early-nineties, but it's a fascinating story, involving an eccentric millionaire who built a fairyland in his backyard. There's even a poignant bit about how the property was "rediscovered" in his declining years, as he lived in the cave and subsisted on condensed milk.
We saw their spring show, which was The Princess Bride this year. The actors were mostly children - only the two leads and Humperdinck were adults. The kid who played Vizzini eerily channeled Wallace Shawn. He looked and talked just like the kid who plays Shane Botwin on Weeds. Although he flubbed a lot of lines, it was still delightful. The guy who played Westley had some hilarious improv moments, including when he yelled at Summer, in character, for taking photos. The only off note was the actor playing Prince Humperdinck, who was not only older than the rest of the cast, but also wearing a full-length leather robe replete with rings and spikes. It was tailored to his rather odd proportions and he was completely comfortable wearing it, so Summer and I couldn't help but suspect it originated in his personal collection. The whole cast, even the little kids, had obviously seen the movie and read the book many times. I'd rather go to a cheesy play at Valley of the Moon than do almost anything else in the world.
