Ok, so I loved this play. Doubt: a parable I didn't know what to expect, because we were there to support a friend and I didn't research the play at all beforehand. It won the Tony Award for best play in 2005. And it also won the Pulitzer Prize. The theatre was so small and there were only 4 people in the cast, but it was so good. So many good speeches and statements about doubt, certainty, God, the church, racial relations, and the list goes on. They are turning it into a film with Meryl Streep as one of the main characters. It is being filmed in the Bronx right now. I can't wait until it comes out. She'll be cast as the head nun. I'm sure she will make a very scary head nun / principle of this catholic school. Our friend Jenny, who recently returned from New York, was the younger, idealistic, good nun. There was a priest who seemed good, but then you doubt his character as the play progresses. Actually, it's cool how the play ends. It's very open ended. I asked Jenny how she deals with that. She said it keeps things interesting. Every time they do a show, she has a different opinion on whether or not the priest is guilty. And she says she often bases this judgement on how he said a few lines or how he made her feel in certain scenes. That keeps things interesting for the cast. The script, of course, never changes.
Matt, Jenny and I then had lunch at the famous Polish Village in Hamtramck. I have heard of this legendary restaurant for like 6-7 years. I finally went. : ) Whoever thought dill pickle soup was so delicious? They had amazing pierogie too.
Yesterday I accomplished another first. As everyone knows, they serve wine and alcoholic beverages at Emagine. But did you know you can get 16 ounces of red wine in a clear plastic cup with a straw. Yes, you drink the wine with a straw. So fun ! : ) I want to do this at every movie I see now.
But the wine isn't as cool as the movie we saw. Juno. It's the best movie I remember seeing this year. With close seconds being August Rush and P.S. I love you. So Juno - Priceless sarcasm. Whoever wrote this screenplay has a divine gift for sarcasm. The movie actually is about how a young girl accidentally gets pregnant, contemplates abortion, but then finds a way to give it to another couple. It's not so clear cut though. Her decisions don't seem contrived, but like a natural progression like in real life. It's raw and gritty, which made it so real. Another part that brought it home for me, literally, was the fact that it took place in Minnesota. I don't think anyone would pick up on that unless they are from Minnesota. It wasn't obvious. But as I watched the film, they kept mentioning all these places I've been to in Minnesota. Places where I actually have memories, however fuzzy, from growing up: Stillwater, St. Cloud, Minnetonka, Ridgedale, etc. It's funny. I've done something in every one of those cities. They pretty much never reference Minnesota in important films. I think the last appearance Minnesota made in a feature film was Fargo. And that was a bloody mess. Dark. Reminds me of Macbeth. This film showed a story about how to do the right thing given a very messy situation.
