Friday, October 20, 2006

The Ride Down Mount Morgan - Take 2

First of all, I am up in the middle of the night with yet another bloody nose episode, so this is probably going all over the map and will not make much sense. I don't write reviews, I write about my experiences. After all, isn't it always all about me?

My friend and I saw the play on Wednesday night. The Playhouse was all boarded up and I thought, what the hell is this? But there were bills on the outside saying to go across the street to 533 Sutter - the Jean Shelton Acting School. Once inside that building, it was even more confusing. Through a narrow hall, you had to walk to the back of the building and then climb a steep flight of stairs. At the stop of the stairs was a little reception area with a sofa, a couple of benches, etc. and the additional benefit of a nail salon with an open door from which emanated the most noxious fumes. Those fumes really got me from minute one.

Our tickets were for secondary assigned seating (whatever THAT meant) due to a foul up on Goldstar where I chose ASSIGNED SEATING over GENERAL SEATING (even though the price was cheaper for the former and I wanted the best seats I could get). But upon presentation of the receipt from Goldstar, we were given tickets in the second row (turns out once again, no bad seats, theatre has only eight rows and if I had paid the higher price we would no doubt have been right under the actor's noses) (as it was, we were maybe three feet from the stage). Ah, the better to see you with, Mr. Talmadge!

Did I ever mention that a few years ago, I went to see the first Pirates of the Caribbean film and during the previews of coming attractions, they showed a trailer for Hidalgo? Anyway, I was not with Lyn (which is only relevant when I make my point). All of a sudden, I see this striking, exotic looking man in a top hat, asking Viggo Mortensen if he had ever heard of some race in the Sahara Desert. I screamed out loud "That's Victor Talmadge!" and most of the audience told me to shush but I am sure some of the people were wondering, "who the hell is Victor Talmadge." (for some reason, many actors who catch the attention of my little circle of friends are listed somewhere to the bottom of the credits, if you get my drift). Later, I called Lyn to see how she liked the Pirates film (she saw it in another theatre that same night) and then I said, "That was a blast from the past, seeing Victor Talmadge." She had not even recognized him! And his name did not show up as a cast member on IMDB for some time. Hah! I spotted him and she did not. After all those trips to see him as Best King I Ever See At Funeral, first with Hayley Mills as Mrs. Anna and then with (choke) Marie Osmond and her bad English accent, I was surprised that Lyn had not noticed him or at least, recognized his very distinct voice. Back to the play. So, when Mr. Talmadge walked into the lobby before the show on Wednesday, a little part of us wanted to hum March of the Siamese Children, but we behaved ourselves.

Meanwhile, back at the play. Lyman Felt is a bigamist who has gotten away with two marriages and families for some time, until he crashes his car coming down Mount Morgan and both wives show up at the hospital. Victor Talmadge brought a lot of depth to the character, who because he genuinely loved both women, did not really come off as a cad or a caricature. Karen Grassle was great as the first wife who, although a little prudish had a very wild side to her nature which unfolds during the play. Wife # 2 was good, too (but my playbill is in the car and I don't know her name). Also, the actor who played Lyman's attorney was really, really good. I will find my playbill (after daylight) and update this with their names.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

ssHi Michelle......sorry to hear about the bloody nose.....AGAIN. Dang, I worry about you still having those. It is the nurse in me wanting to fix everything. I sure do love reading your blog and the pictures are so much fun to see. I was just thinking......gee, I wouldn't know who Michelle is even if she comes to Portland cuz I've never seen her (or at least knowingly.) You failed to put your own picture in with the group shots from the tour. And then your picture magically appears on your blog! I know it's from a few years ago but I'm sure you look the same.......just like the rest of us.....we haven't aged a bit. I was a real GH junkie back then.Seems like yesterday. Take good care of yourself and hope to tip a few with you if you make it up! Be forwarned that Lefty's is a little different...the crowd is a a bit stiff until the ETOH hits, then they let their "guard" down. I imagine a lot of them work for the state of Oregon since that is our capital. Sheree

Mizshely said...

Hi Sheree! First of all, I have been to Portland several times with the DNB, including the Visions Under The Moon Sessions. Second, I deliberately failed to include myself in any photos because I am easily double the size of my old self and it ain't pretty or comfortable looking at myself that way. I was in one of the group photos in the restaurant but I begged that it not be shared and thankfully, it has not.

What is the ETOH?

As for General Hospital, I am still a junkie. I love Anthony Geary (even if he is gay). That man has oodles of sex appeal. So I still watch. Between him and Rick Springfield (both of whom had on camera time today - whoopee!) I am in hog heaven.

I may try to get to Oregon, cannot promise anything, but I will definitely be there for the DN shows in Willits and Forestville.

With regard to the nosebleeds, these are getting old and probably mold related sinusitis. I have a dehumidifier running 24/7 in my home and am putting colloidal silver and antibiotic ointment in my nose several times a day. I just wish the damn lesion would heal. The doctors have said it is not cancer, which is not a comfort because I cannot tell you how many cancer patients I have as friends who were initially told "not cancer." But so far, so good!

Thanks for the good wishes!

Anonymous said...

Hi Michelle.....ETOH is ethanol, the abbreviation we use for charting in nursing if one imbibes too much! That could be me sometimes (hee,hee)...but, thank goodness only when occasion calls for such, and not on a regular basis. Don't worry about the weight thing. I am in that same boat and approaching 50 in May. Fat and fifty. Oy, I don't want to do that. I would prefer to be fun and fifty. It's harder work to stay skinny as our metabolisms slow down. In fact, I hesitate to dance now like I used to cuz I can always "feel" something behind me....another person? NO, it's my own ass! I try to remember that fat bottom girls make the rockin' world go round. I'm working on it though, one day at a time. David sure looks good..... I remember when he got a little chunky.Let's not wait til heart issues catch up with us. We can rock it off! Daily workouts to DNB & NRPS.....we can do it! So sorry about the nose problem. You all have such top notch medical people down there. Someone should be able to figure it out. Just keep bugging them. BTW my DHs best friend from HS (and best man in our wedding)lives at 30 Acorn Way......not too far from your old flame! Small world. I don't know if we'll have the time or $ to come to Forestville. We'll be with you all in spirit if not. I'll never forget the time we went to Honeydew.....me saying "look on the map, it's not very far (for road warriors)...just a few miles from Eureka.....ha, we had no idea. It was well worth it once we were there. But, now I always ask those who know before we journey out. I've rambled enough. Will continue to send good thoughts. Long live the DNB and family! S

Mizshely said...

Hi Sheree,

Thanks for the encouragement. With me, the weight has become a real issue - I have some knee problems and cannot walk too well if I am going down stairs or a ramp or something. Going up is easier. I am just always afraid my really bad knee (thanks to two separate incidents resulting in tears and severed tendons) will give way and I will land on the ground without warning.

I think David looks perfect right now. For awhile there, he got really thin and haggard looking and that was pretty scary. I'd post those pictures but they are really frightening (well, if he pisses me off again I might do it). But he is really good about sticking to the Atkins diet, which works for him (and actually, it worked for me when I stuck to it).

Forestville is much easier to get to than Honeydew - it really is only about 15 minutes off of 101 outside of Santa Rosa. And there is always McKinleyville. which I cannot do this time out so I will go up to Willits and then down to Forestville. I am so excited - we are getting MOOKIE!

By the way, do you have trouble with this verification thing? I always have to enter the letters twice before it takes my comments ON MY OWN BLOG!