Over the weekend, Mrs. E. and I were fortunate enough to be invited to see a premier at our Barksdale Theatre. The show was written by the man who won an Oscar for the screenplay adaption of “The Motorcycle Diaries.” Historically, our premiers go on to do fairly well in the big cities (“Red Hot and Cole” for example.) “Boleros for the Disenchanted”, I’m sure, will follow suit. At the intermission, the guitarist and the singer who were also a part of the play entertained us with boleros whilst The Latin Ballet of Virginia danced their version of the dance.
The title of this post comes from the opening to a Danny Kaye number from “White Christmas.” I like that picture. But I like escapist fare, a good production number or two, some witty dialogue and a happy ending. For those keeping score, “Boleros for the Disenchanted” did have a dance number, some funny moments, incredible performances and sort of a downbeat ending. It is, after all, “serious theatre.” There’s a lot of it out there, Drama.
Serious or not, I tend to dress for the theatre. That’s a live performance with actors working hard for your applause. Dressing makes it an occasion.
The house manager, the producer and I were in ties.
(N.B. clicking through to the photo attachment page will give you another photo that you may click to see a larger image. I’m working on getting a single click to do that. In the photo above: blue three rolls to two button worsted suit, blue spread collar, French/double cuff shirt, navy cashmere knit tie, navy pocket square with mini square pattern in red. Vintage broken coat Parsons Jack Russell Terrier in tricolour.)
I miss the days when people dressed for the theatre. Even in the big city I see people going to shows on Saturday night in jeans and hoodies!!!
I was on the subway in the city one evening and I saw an elderly couple all dressed in what would be considered vintage clothing – they would just call it clothing. They both looked exactly like how I imagine the height of elegance was. I had to chase after them to tell them how fabulous they looked!
I have been thinking about the same thing recently. I’ve been to the theatre three times in the past two weeks. When I see people dressing up it makes my heart soar. On the flip side, when I spot someone in shorts, flip/ flops and a t shirt (I kid you not- I saw this) I feel like crying. I think I am going to address this very topic on my blog soon. Sounds like the play was great fun!
I’ll be in suit and tie this Saturday for Richard III at Chicago Shakespeare.
Too cold for flip-flops and shorts but there will be plenty of ball caps and t-shirts I’m sure. I wear a coat and tie to our community theater’s main stage productions and a sport coat to the smaller theater’s performances.
At Hamlet on Broadway (starring Jude Law) this weekend, things were pretty good. I didn’t see any atrocities in the audience. Actually there was a young pregnant woman who looked stunning in a short, black blouson cocktail dress and a strand of knotted pearls. Classic.
AtM, Ah, New York. One of the few places people will dress. But we’re fighting the good fight in the provinces!
Love this lok. The monochromatic color palette is very elegant- just right for a night at the theater.
Like the Jack Russel accesorizing, too!