23 September 2009

"Oh, what a strange magic" --Electric Light Orchestra

This all transpired over the last week:

  • I was talking to my mother about different people having different senses of humor and she brought up a time back in the mid-80s that we had gone to see "The Foreigner" at the Olney Theater. I wouldn't have remembered the name of the play, but I remembered the experience of going. We had laughed uproariously at it, all of us except my ex-husband, who sat there, barely cracking a smile.
  • It got me thinking about my desire to see more live theater (the dead stuff is way overrated), which I mentioned to my current husband. He did a bit of research into what was playing and found a promising comedy at a local theater. He bought us tickets for this Sunday's matinee at the Little Theater of Alexandria for... (wait for it) ... "The Foreigner".
  • Then, I am watching a rerun of Becker and I recognize a bit player who is portraying the character of Mr. Richards. I look him up on IMDb & Wiki. Sure enough, he is played by Patrick Richwood, who won a Helen Hays Award for his portrayal of "Ellard" at the Olney Theater in the 1986 production of... (uh-huh) ... "The Foreigner."

From the movie
Repo Man:



Ever have one of those weeks? (Leaving the acid question aside...) Does this sort of thing happen to you?

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yeah, I dig plays, but not musicals. I cannot stand people singing dialogue for some reason.

The Maiden Metallurgist said...

I love when that happens, it always makes me feel like something big is on the horizon.

Kate said...

The Bucket List. I went with two of my AA friends. We laughed until we snorted and cried. Everyone else in the theater was staring at us because it was so "moving." Hahaha! Goes to show when you've looked death in the eye over and over, your sense of humor changes.

Cyndy said...

That kind of thing happens to me all the time. It feels like some kind of cosmic pun or something. Usually I enjoy it, but sometimes I feel smothered by it. Depends on my mood I guess.

AbbotOfUnreason said...

In the '90s, I tried to independently produce a play called The Nerd, by Larry Shue. It's a very funny farce. We all worked hard through a stormy winter to prepare for it, but a bunch of ice storms and other winter problems interrupted set building and rehearsal and we were running behind. Then in the final two weeks leading up to opening night, the play licensing agency wrote to tell me that they had given me the right to do Larry Shue's other famous play, not The Nerd. With that and the other problems, I had to shut the thing down.

The play we had been given the right to do: The Foreigner

Larry Shue was killed in a plane accident two years after The Foreigner premiered. I wish we had more plays from him.

Bowie Mike said...

Did anyone else get a chill up their back after reading Abbot's comment?

With regard to cosmic unconsciousness, what typically happens to me is that I might have, for example, a plate of shrimp for lunch, and then I come home and there is a plate of shrimp waiting for me for dinner. It happens a lot.

A said...

I think it would have been more appropriate to have picked a line from a Foreigner song.

f.B said...

I can't compete with Abbot's comment. But it definitely happens to me. I'm totally open to suggestion re: what it means in the grand scheme of things.

rachaelgking said...

Totes. It's strangely eerie, and yet comforting somehow.

Mike said...

I think things like that happen all the time but people just don't notice. You have to have a memorable starter event that you remember the rest of the week to pick up on all the other coincidences. - I know. Buzz kill.

Liebchen said...

I kind of love those weeks when everything seems mysteriously interconnected.

It's like a puzzle.

Barbara said...

Hmmm... Lots of coincidences.

As for theater, we have discovered that many local theaters have a pay-as-you-go period at the beginning of a run, where you can see a play for as little as $5 (or whatever you can afford to pay.) We just saw Taming of the Shrew for free. There are many opportunities!

Kate said...

Becker is still on in reruns?

Sean said...

A play about the band who produced such classics as Cold As Ice, Hot Blooded & I Want To Know What Love Is? Sounds like a comedy to me!

Rose said...

This does not relate to this post, but I feel like some sort of trick has been played, and I definitely like it.

mylittlebecky said...

all. the. time. spooky!

spleeness said...

There's a scene in a movie that I completely forget the name of, where a woman on a date is laughing uproariously at a movie. The camera pans to the date, completely deadpan. And then flash forward to another date where she was laughing uproariously only this time so was he. Nice!

Ibid said...

I love "The Foreigner". I saw it twice before high school and tried to get the drama teacher to let us perform it.

Little Ms Blogger said...

This happens to me a lot more than I care to admit. My only wish is that the winning lottery numbers were mixed into the conversation and I used them to win the major jackpot.

lacochran said...

justjp: I can't stand it but it is sort of hokey.

The Maiden Metallurgist: Yes! Now if we only knew what!

Kate: Funny is in the eye/ear of the beholder!

Cyndy: I try to tell myself that it's a good thing. :)

AbbotofUnreason: *cue Twilight Zone music* Speaking of a plate of shrimp moment...

Bowie Mike: Pretty good deal if you like shrimp. :)

A: I have failed you. Forgive me.

f.B: It's the lattice of coincidence that lays on top of everything. (Read: I have no idea what it means.)

LiLu: It *is* unsettling and reassuring simultaneously. Like there's just a tiny bit of a plan.

Mike: Right: Buzz kill.

Liebchen: It does make me pay more attention.

Barbara: There are so many amazing deals in this town. :)

Kate: We get WGN via Dish. Becker is on at 6:00 and 6:30 PM.

Sean: :) Absolutely.

Rose: Cool. :)

mylittlebecky: Maybe it means you're in alignment with the cosmos?

spleeness: If you can laugh at the same things, that's huge.

Ibid: Should have gone to the comedy teacher instead. (I heard that groan.)

Little Ms Blogger: You gotta play to win. :)

repliderium.com said...

Screw the question- i want to know if new hubby laughed at the play!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

lacochran said...

repliderium.com: We'll find out Sunday. :)

lacochran said...

repliderium.com: He laughed. I laughed. Good times. :)

repliderium.com said...

VERY glad to hear it!
;)