"Here will we sit and let the sounds of music Creep in our ears." (Merchant of Venice)

.....Yesterday, Rho and I and a couple I've known for at least 50 years from East Meadow went to see the musical "Jersey Boys", the story of Frankie Valli's life. The theatre is huge and we sat in the last row of the orchestra. Suddenly, this guy about 6'6 plops down in the seat directly in front of me, so that took care of my ability to see anything--perhaps the performers' heads if they jumped up once in a while. The show began with a bang--I really mean a bang, and then the band began playing even louder than a band at a Bar Mitzvah--if that's possible. Then a number of actors made entrances talking and singing and moving props and furniture on and off the stage like greased lightning. I didn't see very much but I did hear the actors; besides the loud sound, I was wearing my hearing aids with the volume turned up. Although I heard every word, I wasn't sure what language it was because I couldn't understand anything they were saying--or singing. I did catch a snip or two from a couple of lyrics I remember from the 50s or the 60s--"I can't give you anything but love," and "I'm in the mood for love." The remainder of the many lyrics in the show was Greek to me.

.....Around the middle of the first act, I thought I had to go to the rest room, maybe so--maybe not. But I didn't take any chances and I went anyway, with the help of my cane of course. Before I went back into the theatre, I bought a big pretzel, salted--for $4 dollars! It was hot and very good--but $4? I got back to my seat and shared about $2s worth with Rhoda, and she shared her water. I brought my pills with me and after the pretzel I took the pills for dessert. As far as the show was concerned, the audience went ga-ga over it, including the woman next to me whom I married. The whole theatre stood up at the end, and I didn't want to be the only one seated, so I also stood up. But I still had the cane in my hand, so I found it difficult to applaud with one hand. If I could, you wouldn't be able to hear it anyway. Personally, the Jersey Boys were not from my time, nor my music. I'm for Glenn Miller or Artie Shaw or Tommy Dorsey, or Benny Goodman, etc. I glanced around, but couldn't spot anybody whom I though would agree with me. Because of this whole $80 non-experience, I vowed never to go back to that theatre again.

.....The show got me to thinking about the ones I'd been in since coming to Florida--and even before. I got a nine page letter yesterday from Jim DeMilt, a former student of mine who used to be a shot putter on my track team. He lives in Arizona now and he reminded me of the time we were in "Music Man" in the high school, a fact that I had forgotten. Before I got down here, I also played the lead in "The Fifth Season" and "40 Carats." There were one or two others, but the names of the shows escape me. No matter. Now, I prefer not going to a show unless I'm in it! After all, once in a while a person needs an ego massage, and I played in ten shows in our clubhouse theatre over the years. My favorites, though, were three Gilbert and Sullivan musicals. I've loved their music since I was in high school, myself. Every once in a while I ask a young waiter or waitress if they know about G & S, and they never heard of them. Where does the the lotto money go for education down here? I was fearful of asking them if they ever heard of Shakespeare.