Picnic

In lieu of my advise column this week, I want to talk about a show I went to see last night at the Old Opera House.

I went to see several friends of mine perform in, obviously, Picnic. It isn't often I get to just sit and watch a show over at the OOH, so this was a nice change of pace.

It is a drama, with adult themes, as any of you familiar with the play already know. But, unbeknownst to me (I had never seen it before) there are also some funny moments. I think dramas with funny moments sprinkled in tend to make for better drama.

All of my friends did well. In some cases I saw them performing against type, which is always exciting to observe, especially when it is done so well.

I also have to give some respect to actors who must kiss passionately on stage. I have covered this topic before here on Always Off Book, but it bears repeating. It is not often an easy thing to do, even if you know the person ahead of time. The lead man and woman did not know each other ahead of time, (the woman is a friend of mine, so I know this.) Given that, I must applaud the comfort with which they were able to convey it on stage.

The set was nice, too. For whatever reason, 90% of the time I am in a show, there is no, or minimal set. I usually do not get the chance to perform on complicated sets, but it is a treat to see them. This set was not overtly insane, but obviously took some extra time. So I give kudos to that also.

The show run tonight and tomorrow before closing. If any of you loyal blog readers resides in or around the Charles Town area, call and see if any tickets remain, and take in the show. My friends will appreciate it, and so would I.(You could tell them Ty sent you, but you would still have to pay, so, there is probably little reason to do so...except to sound cool...they know me over there.)