May: ASU Kerr in Scottsdale was the destination for seven Matinee Friends on Sunday, May 24, to see “Love Letters”, the Pulitzer Prize finalist for Drama in1985 by A.R. Guney. Most of us had heard of this non-traditional play but none had ever seen it. Though it has been performed by many famous acting duos (all listed in the program), the two local actors we saw were quite wonderful in their roles. This play is simply a man and a woman each sitting at a desk with a few personal items arrayed on the top, reading their letters to each other over 50 years. They grew up together, then went their separate ways, married other people, and had very different experiences in life, but they always corresponded through happiness, disappointments, success, failure, sadness, wartime, and family issues. Some of us (including me) liked this play very much, some of us did not feel a connection with the characters or the lack of action. But we were all open for a new experience, and it was a real bonus to have this experience in a building with a rich history (which we could read about on an informational leaflet). If you are not familiar with the Kerr Center, I recommend you look it up.
June: Eleven Matinee Friends took a trip “Over the River and Through the Woods” on Saturday afternoon, June 6. This was the name of an Excellent play at our favorite small theater, The Don Bluth Front Row Theater in Scottsdale. We enjoyed plenty of laughs as Nick crossed the river to New Jersey for his weekly dinners with both sets of his Italian American grandparents. This older generation just couldn’t understand why he would want to leave his “famiglia” to take a new job in faraway Seattle. So they tried to induce him to stay by setting up a blind dinner date with the whole family; surely if he finally found a wife he wouldn’t leave them. In addition to all the laughs, there were tears and deep feelings as Nick and his grandparents discovered the true meaning of “Tengo famiglia”. All the actors were absolutely perfect for their roles, and many of us were drawn to recall our own grandparents by the actions of Frank, Aida, Nunzio, and Emma. There was a serious side here too– how do we weigh the love and connections with family against our own personal dreams and plans. So much to enjoy and think about with this wonderful play!
