“The Front Page”
Four Matinee Friends returned to Fountain Hills to see “The Front Page” on Sunday afternoon, November 9. We were impressed by the beautiful scenery as we made the lengthy drive along Shea. The play is a comedy set in a 1920s newsroom in Chicago. The set made the press room seem so real, with several desks and many old phones the men were constantly using. Reporter Hildy Johnson wants to leave the news game to get married, but his corrupt boss protests. But then there is a jail break and the escapee (the funniest character) falls into Hildy’s hands and he can’t resist staying to write his biggest scoop ever. However, the sheriff and mayor (both crooks) and all the other reporters want to earn credit for the capture. The men rule in this play, but the few women in smaller parts add much interest. All the actors brought their characters to life. It was hard for me to really root for any of the characters since they were all so willing to break rules (and sometimes laws). It did make us realize that in the 100 years since this play was written, not so much has changed–our fake news today is just delivered differently.
“Looking Over the President’s Shoulder”
Four Matinee Friends met on Thursday evening, Nov. 13, for an “unofficial” (because it was not a matinee) outing to The Phoenix Theater Company. First we enjoyed a light meal at the theater Bistro, along with happy conversation. This was a fun aspect of our evening, since we don’t eat together before our matinees. Then we walked over to their Hardes theater–the smallest one at the complex–to see “Looking Over the President’s Shoulder”. This one-man show told the true story of Alonzo Fields, the White House Chief Butler who served four U.S. Presidents (Hoover, Roosevelt, Truman and Eisenhower) and witnessed some of America’s most pivotal moments. The majority of the time was spent covering Roosevelt’s four terms. The set was simple, enhanced by video “windows” at the back of the stage that showed a variety of scenes, seasons, portraits, and news stories. The actor was amazing, showing his own stamina as he told his story alone for two hours. This was a different type of show than we usually attend, no singing, dancing, romance, mystery, or other cast members. But we were really glad we were there, learning more about our history, as well as new interesting trivia about the presidents.
