Bad plays, good meals, great friends

Esther and John and Mary Ellen and I saw "The Liar" at the Shakespeare Theater in May (tickets courtesy of Cassie and Roger). It was bad: A farce that wasn't funny, made worse by the fact that many in the audience guffawed every time they heard a rhyme. And since the play was in verse, there were lots of rhymes. People! If you're going to go out in public, grow up! Before the play we ate at a restaurant Esther knew of, Bistro D'oc, across the street from Ford's Theater: A very good 2-course dinner with a glass of wine for less than $25 per person. And lots of laughter and good conversation. All in all, a wonderful outing.

The four of us went to Shepherdstown at the end of July and saw "Breadcrumbs" and "Lidless." They were not bad. But neither were they especially good; the actors were far better than their material. (One of the acting standouts was Eva Kaminsky.) We arrived at mid-day on Sunday, spent the night at the Bavarian Inn, and returned Monday morning. Before the first play, we had a very good, very inexpensive lunch at the Blue Moon Cafe; after the second, a very good, very inexpensive supper at (believe it or not) Tony's Pizza, and next morning a very good, very inexpensive breakfast at, I think, Betty's Restaurant. Lots of laughter and good conversation on the ride out, while schlepping around Shepherdstown, and on the ride back. All in all, a wonderful outing.

Last night we all saw "The Importance of Being Earnest" at H Street Theater. It was bad -- another farce with all the humor drained out of it. Half of the cast had thin voices, made even more difficult to hear/understand by the upper-class British accents they were attempting. Even worse, the men's parts were played by women and the women's roles by men -- a silly gimmick that accomplished nothing except to distract from the story and the funny lines. Before the play we had a delicious, long, liesurely, outdoor dinner at a restaurant John suggested: Montmartre on 7th St. SE, a block from Eastern Market. Lots of laughter and good conversation. All in all, a wonderful outing.