I'm So Glad, I'm So Glad

I'm glad, I'm glad, I'm glad...

I'm sitting outside Calibanco Theater (entrance on Garfield!), with a half-hour before showtime. Ticket in pocket, pen and notebook in hand: I'm going to try some virtual blogging this afternoon. Tonight I'll transfer it from this ephemeral hard copy to the permanence of the Web. :>) I hope I can read my own writing!

This day didn't start out so damn glad: I woke up too late (after a late, great night at Leslie Ball's Cabaret's Out-of-Towners' Fringe Showcase). (How's that for possessive?) Agonized over my obligation to dash off a blog, then decided that writing, for me, is a labor of love, not an obligation. I need to write when I'm moved to write, as I am now.

Temporarily mollified, I sat down to read the paper for a bit, then realized it was noon in St. Paul, and I had a date with a must-see show in Minneapolis. Shit!... Shit, shower, and shave, and run out the door. Let's see -- I wanna go from A to B to C to D (out, out, damn Left Brain!), and my bike would really help. Throw the bike in the back of the car. Where's the cable lock, damn it! Did I leave it in Jane's car? But she and her car are already at another show. OK. Just drive. Leave the bike in the car; deal with it later. Just as I approached the I-94 on-ramp, I checked my purs... Shit, and double shit -- I left my Man Purse at home, complete with wallet and Fringe pass. There's no WAY I'm gonna make the 1:00 show now. You bloomin' IDJIT!

... It's now Sunday evening, and I'm doing some REAL blogging from home. Just typed in the above, and left it pretty much alone, but Bowdlerized the last expression. But to continue: Even as I was writing this this afternoon, I realized that it was a good thing that I had forgotten my purse. When I went back to get it, I immediately found my bike lock cable. Then I got back in the car and realized that there would be more opportunities to see that 1PM show, and that I had a leisurely hour and a half to get to the 2:30 show. Halfway down Hiawatha, "I'm So Glad", by Cream, worked its way into my head, and eventually into this blog. Drove to a central location, parked, got out my bike and had a pleasant and leisurely ride to the 2:30 show. Go with the flow!

Saw an OUTSTANDING hour of multi-character storytelling done by two young women from out of town. The show was called "The Superbowl and Other Stories". I had seen a segment of it at the BLB Fringe preview. Donna, the author of three very different, very well-written short stories, brought them beautifully to life with the help of her friend Jo. They changed, even traded characters effortlessly during the telling, even moving from 1st person narrative to first person in-the-moment, in mid-sentence. They were just mesmerising. Go see it!

Yesterday I saw a WONDERFUL show at Pillsbury House -- "Please Don't Eat the Dogs" -- a solo, autobiographical show by Narcisso Lobo from Chicago. It was the story of his growing up, learning a love of music from his father, suffering through troubles, depression, and a not-very-meaningful job, and coming back to find himself as a musician and actor. EXTREMELY beautiful and heart-felt lyrics in several self-penned songs he sang and played on acoustic guitar, and an abiding love of family. Go!

Ari Hoptman was great in "Delaware and Other Lies". See his show, then re-read his self-penned capsule description. Ari in a nutshell!

Other shows I've seen and recommend:

"Mouth" -- warm, insightful, improvisational. Conversational jazz, good intro music, and tasty treats!

"Does This Monologue Make Me Look Fat?" -- beautifully done, with a great eye for detail. Funny, fascinating, and poignant.

"Escape, Dance Like No One is Looking" -- inspiring dance, from ASL-as-dance through tap and hip-hop.

"Tasteless..." -- riveting, emotional, raw modern dance.

"The Van Gogh Exhibit" -- blogger Matt F. as a fetching pin-up boy. Hilarious interplay between two brothers.

Others I've seen previews of and am looking forward to:

"Before Dark"
"Agog"
"Vision's Tale"
"Ludiker"
"Axis Mundi"
"Metamorphoses"
"Everything and Nothing All at the Same Time" -- inspired (and accompanied by!) the new music of David Byrne!

And finally, my musical high for today: "Whiskey Bars" -- The music of Kurt Weill, magnificently delivered by the deep, rich, raw, plaintive voice of Bremner Duthie, who, with his whole being, channels a washed-up cabaret singer. And he has a CD, too! Terrific singing and acting, both. And the final clinchers: A full and powerful rendition of "Mac the Knife", sung like Bobby Darin never imagined, and a brief yet provocative foray into "Alabama Song", which I first learned to love as rendered, bleakly and powerfully, by Jim Morrison and the Doors. (Omaha boys -- I said, don't be dissin' the Doors!)