The Play's the Thing...

This weekend, Cyn and I indulged in some theater with some members of the writing community at two of our favorite central Texas venues: the Kleberg Stage at the Zach Scott Theatre and the Barn at Winedale. 

Photo by Kirk Tuck, courtesy Zach Scott Theatre

First up -- with Salima Alikhan, her husband Sam; Nikki Loftin and her husband Dave -- was XANADU, an absolutely hilarious spoof on the Olivia Newton John film.  I haven't laughed that much in a long time.  The acting, singing, costumes and sets were absolutely spot-on.  A terrifically fun jaunt back to 1980 and the era of roller disco.  Check out the official photo gallery here.

Next up was A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, one of the three plays being presented this season by the students at Shakespeare at Winedale. (It's been a while since Cyn and I have been out there -- it used to conflict with Cyn's VCFA residencies; this time, we went with a gang from the Austin children's writing community).

The performances were, as always, outstanding, especially since the performers are non-theatre majors.  (If you've never heard of the program, in a nutshell, every summer, fifteen non-theatre UT students go and live at Winedale and learn three Shakespeare plays, and then perform them in July and August.  The program's been going on for 42 years and still going strong). MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM has never been one of my favorite Shakespeare plays, but the troupe was engaging and funny and brought a nice verve to the play.  Afterward, there was a chance to have lemonade and chat with the performers.

   

WONDROUS STRANGE

WONDROUS STRANGE, by Lesley Livingston (HarperTeen 2009)(12+). Seventeen-year old Kelley Winslow is an aspiring stage actress recently selected to play Titania in an off-Broadway production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Sonny Flannery is a changeling human sent by the faerie king Auberon to guard the Samhain Gate from incursions by the faerie realm into ours.

Their paths meet as Halloween -- the one night of the year the Gates swing open -- approaches. And they find there are secrets to Kelley's past that could provoke the Fae into unleashing the all-out destruction of the Wild Hunt into our world.

Part action-adventure, part romance, WONDROUS STRANGE is a thrilling, fun ride into a world of intrigue and dangerous bargains and where Celtic mythology (and Shakespeare's take on it) might be all too real (Part 2, DARKLIGHT, is forthcoming).

NATHAN FOX: DANGEROUS TIMES

NATHAN FOX: DANGEROUS TIMES, by L. Brittney (Feiwel & Friends 2008). Thirteen year old Nathan Fox is an acrobat/actor in the same theatre company as young Will Shakespeare. Unbeknownst to him, Will and Nathan's sister, Marie, are employed by Sir Francis Walsingham, the Queen's spymaster, who also wants to recruit Nathan. After a period of training, soon Nathan, his sister, and one Sir John Pearce are off to Venice to try to forge an alliance with the Doge against the Spanish.

There they encounter the famous general Othello, his new wife Desdemona, and his sinister ensign, Iago. Forced to accompany the general to Crete, the three are soon caught up in treachery and mayhem.

DANGEROUS TIMES is terrifically fun, clever, and accessible. Nathan himself is well-developed and the use of Shakespeare's Othello is fascinating. Full of, but not burdened by, period details, DANGEROUS TIMES should appeal to fans of both historical and spy fiction (and, of course, Shakespeare!).