A Reprieve for Desdemona

Tea: Chrysanthemum

Music: The Who, "Won't Get Fooled Again"

Time: Night

On the spur of the moment this evening, I hied myself to Southmoreland Park in KCMO to see "Othello," as presented by the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival.

(Sometime before I die, I will see every Shakespeare play live (and I seriously want to see some of them in Central Park). Before tonight, I had seen:

"King Lear," with Anthony Hopkins in the title role;

"Macbeth" (yeah, yeah, so jinx me), starring Jonathan Pryce;

Heart of America presentations of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and "Much Ado About Nothing" (the latter twice);

A high school drama performance of "A Midsummer Night's Dream;" (By the middle of the play, we were all snickering at the dirty parts. The kids in the cast, of course, began emphasizing them.)

And a version of "The Tempest" seen at Kansas State University (I cannot, for the life of me, recall the traveling troupe's name) -- presented by a cast of five players, dressed in white and without props or scenery, using only their voices and body languages to indicate the shifts.

Anyway ... as said, tonight was "Othello" -- or most of it.

(Warning: Spoilers follow.)

There was a brief shower in the second act, before Othello strangles Desdemona (but not in time to save Roderigo, which was fine by me. He was portrayed as such a whiny wuss -- which he was, admittedly -- that I was rooting for Iago to run him through and put him out of everyone's misery.)

I really wanted to borrow one of those stage swords and use it to shut up the guy yapping behind me, too. (I wouldn't have stuck him with it, really. Not too hard, anyway.)

Anyway ... check the forecast, if you're in town, and go see a performance before it closes (last night is July 6). And if you see a bald guy scowling at you because you're talking ... wave hi and zip it until the play is over.

(Okay, so go ahead and laugh at the naughty parts ... you know you want to.)

Words and Music

Tea: Assam Melody with wildflower honey

Music: Ronald Sell, "Fear No More"

Time: Night.

Tonight's music (on the last night of my first visit to New York) is from the musical "The Frogs." I'm still more a Bob Walkenhorst guy than a Stephen Sondheim guy, but who can go wrong with Aristophanes or William Shakespeare?

See, Will's the lyricist here, although Sondheim did the music. The words are from "Cymbeline." It's the second time I've heard them tonight.

The first time, they were read by John Lithgow, who has edited a solid book of other people's poetry. He read from the book (and did a great recitation of "The Deacon's Masterpiece or The Wonderful 'One-Hoss Shay' " by Oliver Wendell Holmes). It reminded me of Dr. Seuss, which is never a bad thing.

My point? Do I need one? Can't it be enough sometimes to get lost in words and have that be the point?