June:
The Phoenix Gay Men’s Chorus put on a country music extravaganza with over 100 performers, two hours of music (full chorus, solos, and ensembles) and plenty of dancing on Saturday afternoon, June 7, at the Tempe Center for the Arts. Three Matinee Friends were thoroughly entertained by the wonderful harmonies, the enthusiastic dancers, and the marvelous hostesses in sparkly drag. We loved it all!
The Matinee Friends are continuing to enjoy the theatrical events offered by the many performing groups in the Valley despite the heat of the summer. On Sunday afternoon, June 29, eight of us made the short drive to the Paradise Valley Community College Performing Arts Center to see the Arizona premiere of “The Clockmaker’s Daughter, An Original Musical Faerytale”. “Distraught after the untimely death of his daughter, Abraham Reed sets about capturing her image in clockwork, building a young woman so unquestionably real that even he “can easily forget she is a machine. Constance is beautiful and curious and kind and is determined to discover what is outside the walls of their cottage. A village boy falls in love with her, and there the story turns tragic. When the admiring villagers discover that she is a machine requiring a key for winding, their fear of the “other” and their prejudice take over. The set is impressive, the leads are extremely talented, the choreography is interesting, and the professional music is live. Our main quibbles with this show were the length (2 1/2 hours) and the difficulty in understanding the song lyrics when actors were singing loudly and the large group songs were largely unintelligible. Still, we enjoyed our afternoon with this sold-out performance.
July:
The west side was the destination for a few Matinee Friends and guests on Sunday, July 20. We made our second visit to a small theater we discovered earlier this year, Stage Left Productions, where we saw “The Miss Firecracker Contest”: a comedy by Beth Henley. I expected a fluffy, silly and amusing comedy, but while those aspects were certainly there, it also gave us some important ideas to consider as well–like how important appearance should be to us about ourselves and others, and can we fit in with others even if our personality traits are very different. Carnelle Scott (formerly known as “Miss Hot Tamale” is rehearsing for the Miss Firecracker Contest–hoping that a victory will salvage her tarnished reputation and allow her to leave town in a blaze of glory. Her cousins Delmount and Elaine are doubtful but try to be supportive. Many of the laughs come with Carnelle’s attempts to learn to tapdance and set off sparklers and rockets to “The Star Spangled Banner”. (No, she isn’t any good) But she gives it her all and all of her family come away with insights into themselves and her. I think the actor playing Delmount was terrific, but really everyone was very good with their quirky characters.
“The Sweet Delilah Swim Club” was the play thoroughly enjoyed by five Matinee Friends at TheaterWorks in Peoria on Sunday afternoon, August 3. This was a sparkling comedy about friendship that endures through the joys and trials of life. Every August, five women who were once college swim teammates reunite at a charming beach cottage on the Outer Banks. In four sections set in progressive time periods from 1992 to 2025, we shared their experiences with divorce, accidents, childbirth, marriage, devastating diagnosis, and death. The four wonderful actresses were just full of Southern charm. This was an afternoon full of laughs as well as touching moments and even a few tears. Performed in their smaller theater, the production provided an intimate experience. The set made us feel we were sharing their cottage (called Sweet Delilah) and we could even hear the ocean and jump at the nearness of the thunder and lightning. This was an absolutely charming and affecting show.
