The Matinee Friends saw two wonderful productions this summer!
The first production that our twelve Matinee Friends attended was the beautifully done play “The Last Romance” at the Don Bluth Theatre in Scottsdale agreed that it was well worth enduring the heat and the long drive. This was the story of Ralph Bellini, an 80-year-old widower who decides to take a different path on his daily walk. He is instantly smitten by the elegant, mature Carol, who he sees in the dog park. so he turns on the charm, hoping for a second chance at love. Carol is not so eager, and Ralph’s sister Rose is definitely not in favor. But Carol is gradually won over by his charm, humor, and love of opera. But will all be lost because of a secret that Carol has kept from Ralph? The humor was infectious, and the story drew us in completely. But I, in particular, was sad at the bittersweet ending. All aspects of this performance were stellar! The audience felt we were in the middle of the dog park with the actors due to the ivy and leaves on all the walls surrounding us in the theater-in-the-round.
The play opened with an amazing tenor singing an operatic aria–what a lovely surprise! and more arias enhanced the flow of the story. The talent just continued; all the actors were com- pletely believable in their roles– they looked, moved, spoke and acted as they completely be- came the characters they portrayed. Even the dog who took the stage near the end was per- fect. What a wonderful show to begin the summer!
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The scorching July heat did not deter four intrepid Matinee Friends from traveling to Peoria to see “Grease” at the Gyder Mainstage Theater. Even though our seats were one row from the top, we had a perfect view of the students at Rydell High who suffered the trials and tribulations (and find romance too) of their senior year. The T-Birds and the Pink Ladies sang and danced their hearts out, and they were really good at both. The actress performing Sandy looked nothing like Olivia Newton-John, but I think she sounded very much like her. There were pajama parties for the girls and plenty of hair oil for the guys. They even had a genuine car playing the part of Greased Lightning. Oh, and the Teen Agnel had a gorgeous, smooth voice! The cast was primarily composed of college students or very recent graduates, so they were very appropriate for their roles. I wanted to bop in my seat to all the familiar tunes. It was a very cool way to spend a hot afternoon.
