cultured

I saw two plays this weekend. That meets my theater budget for at least a little while. I enjoyed and appreciated them both, for different reasons. The one on Friday night was a bit of a tragic love story, one that is not too uncommon, really. You know- the crying, loving, or leaving kind. Why we settle for someone we just shouldn't is sometimes beyond me, but I think most of us are guilty of it at some point in our lives. I took my two friends from Berlin and we saw it with my boyfriend's sister and brother-in-law, along with 2 other friends. It was hard enough to follow at times for those of us whose first language is English, but it was definitely a challenge for my German friends whose English is still quite good. It was a testament to the power of body language and vocal inflection/tone at communicating. There are simply certain themes and experiences that transcend most cultures.

The other play I saw tonight. Much less raw, much more comedic and lighthearted. It was entertaining no doubt, and at times just as difficult to follow as the other play, but more because the plot wasn't tracking that well. In some ways I think it would have been the better play for my German friends to see because the actors were expressing more simplistic emotions and themes, if there really was a theme to project. Yeah, that's probably the biggest disappointment with tonight's play is that I'm unsure what the playwright was hoping his audience would take away from it. I don't know that I came home with anything to chew on- it was simply entertaining. That's okay if that was it's purpose.

I also watched the Blind Side last night. I hadn't seen it yet, but had wanted to since some of it had been filmed in Atlanta. It was definitely a film that made me think. Would I be willing to take another person in need into my family? And even more important than that, would I identify that person as needing that kind of help or would I dismiss them, oblivious to their plight? It's nice that I can be cultured and see 2 plays in one weekend, but I was also reminded that there are those who can't appreciate the arts because they can't afford to- both monetarily and circumstantially. They have more pressing issues than sitting for a few hours, forgetting life's circumstances while enveloped in a work of art.