Traveling the Old Globe

San Diego, California, Saturday, October 4th,

After signing off on my last post, I headed out into the wide world of San Diego, and I was slightly disoriented for a moment. Once I found the Old Town Transit Center, I stopped at a old-style diner for breakfast and then walked to the Old Town historical park to look around before my bus came.

Sea World was everything that I expected it to be. I enjoyed everything about it, except for the long line at the shark aquarium. My favorite thing was the dolphin show. It was my first time to Sea World, and it was just great. I arrived when it opened at 10 AM, and didn't leave until 5:30 PM. I came away with a stuffed Manatee and Walrus, both very soft and cuddly.

The San Diego transportation system worked extremely well for me. I was even able to take the trolley to Balboa Park for the play which set me in an excellent mood.

The Old Globe Theater was surprisingly small. The room was spherical, hence the name. And it had a small balcony as well, but I cannot describe that first hand, because my seat was almost dead center, in the second row! I had the perfect seat!

Since I left SW earlier than planned, I had time to stop for dinner at a ritzy place just a little ways from the Globe, called 'The Prado'. I enjoyed a mixed greens salad with avocado, a tortilla soup with a zesty flavor and several scenes of Julius Caesar. By the time I finished freshening up after dinner, it had decided to downpour. Right then I was glad of my waterproof coat that I had dragged around all day just in case this happened. So I arrived at the theater with everything dripping wet, besides my head and torso. It took me a moment to retrieve my ticket from my wallet with all my bags that I had with me from the day's festivities. My seat was between two older couples who were very kind and congenial. When I sat down and realized just how good a view I was going to have (Ms. Naughton would be only a few feet away) I admit that I smiled a bit. I was almost as excited as I had been at Owensboro, 3 and 1/2 months earlier, for the live, radio-theater Remember WENN play, but that excitement is hard to match.

(use this link to "The Women" for a synopsis and photos of the artists and the play)
[here is a review I just found]

There was a single microphone on a stage draped by purple curtains with a wall of glass behind it, giving it a flashy, glamorous, late 1930's look. I couldn't wait to find out how it would be used. And I didn't have to wait for long. One of the lead actresses entered from the back of the room and walked right past my seat (I was the third chair in from the aisle she used) and "The Women" began. She sang an upbeat opening number about someone in love with her, and then the entire stage rotated and we were introduced to other main characters, chatting about married life at a game of cards. Two of them were cynical and a little older, one was a naive newly wed, and to my delight, the other was Nancy Blake, a single, yet cynical, witty and experienced lady who wrote novels about the women she disliked. Her latest was entitled, "All the Dead Ladies". She had many clever, hilarious lines of dry humor that were greeted heartily by the audience with cascades of laughter. I do not say that simply because I admire Amanda Naughton, but because she was indeed a pleasure to watch. I was delighted when Nancy recited a line from Shakespeare in the very first scene. Unfortunately, I cannot recall which it was at this point, but perhaps I will be able to remember when I read the play.

[11-3-08: I bought a hard copy of the play (the library doesn't have it), and the quote was the famous "Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds" from Sonnet 116.]

After the plot erupted with the news of the good girl's naughty husband, I was disheartened to learn that Nancy was taking a vacation to Africa. She had many lines already, but I didn't want her to go. Her last line before intermission was, "Nobody ever misses a clever woman". I wanted to shout that I would miss her, in an effort to make her stay onstage, but I'm afraid that would have been to no avail. LOL

Right before intermission, we were left with a very sad main character, and to close the first half, the lady who sang the opening number (and also played one of the leading roles) came out and sang a sad song while the sad, "good-girl" character sat on her luggage as she was leaving her house. The lyrics went: "There are so many things that I'm dying to do, but darling, not without you." Her rendition greatly reminded me of Patti LuPone's singing of 'Remember WENN', both in her singing style and her physical appearance. One of the ladies sitting in front of me had removed her glasses to wipe her eyes.

The costumes and hairstyles were exquisite and so well put together. There was a really lush, 1930's look to the whole production, everything from the ladies hats down to their period shoes. It gave the excellent acting a great backdrop, and let you believe that these people were for real.

During the break I started writing out in my playbill what I wanted to tell Ms. Naughton, if I had the good fortune to meet her afterwords. The gentleman sitting to my right asked me if I was a critic. I successfully stopped myself before I laughed, and told him that I was really just star-struck.

The second half opened with another song, but I don't recall any of the lyrics. It was a sort of "don't push me around" type of song. The first scene was set in Reno, where all of the divorced ladies were vacationing. It turned out to be just as hilarious as ever, with a running joke about "L'Amour". Thankfully, it was set two years after the first half, and Amanda... I mean Nancy, returned with full force.

I was very pleased with the ending to the plot and the play. Instead of one mike, there were two, and the lady that had been singing all night started a more light-hearted version of the same song that had earlier been so sad. However, the whole cast came out to sing this one, a few at a time, and Ms. Naughton had her own turn. She was fourth to sing, I think. And what sweet joy it was to hear her sing in person!

I went to the play completely unaware of the plot (beyond the fact that it was about back-biting women), as I have never read it, nor seen either of the movies (I think I will only watch the 1939 version - I don't think I could bear any modern day actresses over the ones I just watched). I was very glad of my ignorance, however, so I could be surprised with such a performance.

As a young, single woman, I found the play not only exceedingly entertaining, but also a little educational about communication between husbands and wives. I loved the "good-girl's" mother, who came in and gave advice after she had found out about the betrayal. All the characters were widely diverse and were very likable in their own ways, excluding the two antagonists, of course. Besides who I've mentioned already, I really liked the wised-up character who still loved her first husband, but had made a mistake by walking out and had to move on with her life (she was the lady who sang all the songs). Not surprisingly, I really liked Nancy Blake.

Unfortunately, I did not get the pleasure of meeting Ms. Naughton. She either exited before I had the chance to get outside, or she left through a door other than the main one. No one else was hanging around to get autographs, and I was a little surprised at that. I saw several of the actresses leave, but not our Betty. I just wish the receptionist hadn't built my hopes up so far. She told me it was very likely that she would exit this way. I was disappointed, but still elated from the entire evening.

When waiting to ask the manager where the actresses come out, a couple were complaining about the use of real cigarettes in the play. The woman was furious that she had to fan herself because of the smell, and to try to diffuse the situation, the manager told her they were nicotine-free and that he would pass along her comments. I didn't mind them so much, because they added quite a lot of character to certain scenes. As Hilary said in episode four, "They're props."

For added pleasure (and a faster trip), I rode the trolley back to the transit station near my hotel. A perfect way to end a perfect day. Here's to three-and-a-half hours of sleep and a direct, early flight to Seattle. I can't wait to return to San Diego in March to watch my little brother (who is 6 foot 5) graduate from Marine Boot. I saw the Recruit Depot from my airplane as we taxied for takeoff. It gives me goosebumps.

Jp