I went to see the play Harvey written by Mary Chase on Friday, in previews until June 14th. Jim Parson plays Elwood P. Dowd and Jessica Hecht plays his sister Veta Louise Simmons. This play was written and first premiered on Broadway in 1944. This comedy is stylized and reminiscent of an older time but the comedy still plays well today. Veta is trying to institutionalize her brother because Elwood believes he sees and talks to a 6-foot rabbit. However, a misunderstanding ensues and Veta somehow manages to get herself institutionalized. Underlying this premise is the notion about how one treats those individuals that are odd or who don’t conform to the social norm. Elwood chooses to live his life in this “pleasant” surreal fashion to the dismay of his family but he does it without apology. Jim Parson as Elwood works so well for me. He manages to reinvent his persona so that he’s leagues away from his television alter ego, Sheldon Cooper from Big Bang Theory. He was both compelling and curious to watch as Elwood. So very glad I caught him in this play. And I love, love, love Jessica Hecht playing opposite Parson. Her comedic timing was brilliant and there were a few moments that left me unable to breathe, I laughed so hard. The secondary characters played by legendary actors Carol Kane and Charles Kimbrough were delightful to watch but really this play revolved around Hecht and Parson for me. I understand that there was a movie made back in the 50s and I may check it out to see how the film handled the material.

I also went to see Potted Potter: The Unauthorized Harry Experience by Dan and Jeff. My sister scored some free tickets so we checked it out on Monday night with my 16-year old niece. It was so silly that I couldn’t help but laugh. Some of the material fell flat on this NYC audience but Dan and Jeff recovered beautifully. The funny bits for me had to do when they accidently cracked each other up, i.e. the kiss from the dragon or the very melted chocolate cake that Dan Clarkson spread on his face or even the 11-year old skinny kid who took down Jeff Turner when he played the part of the snitch. They had a hard time recovering from those moments which cracked me up. It reminded me of Tim Conway and Harvey Korman from the Carol Burnett show. I know that not every one loved it, in fact a couple from our row left in a huff after 25 minutes. And if we had paid full price for the show, I might have gotten my panties in a twist about it. But free tickets allowed me to let go and enjoy it for what it was. I have to say that out of the two I thought Daniel Clarkson held up a lot of the show. I get that Jeff was more the straight man in this comedy bit but I really wish he had taken on more of the roles to off-set how one-sided the show seemed to sway. This is a funny show, just leave your up-tight ego at the door and enjoy it for the silly fun it’s meant to be.

Let’s see what else have I been up to? Oh yes, I started my very own twitter account and after several weeks of not knowing how to either read tweets or post them, I opted back out of it again. Yes, even I have my limitations with technology. Not to mention that I happen to read a very interesting article on the internet and privacy. It alarmed me enough to pull back from both Facebook and Twitter. Although, I have enjoyed social media for the time-suck that it is, my tolerance for it has been diminishing by leaps and bounds. I will keep to my blog but I’m going to make a concerted effort to keep the personal bits down to a minimum.

Peace,

L~


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