The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?

Play The Moment Productions is staging a reading of Edward Albee’s, “The Goat, or Who is Silvia?” This one time reading is happening TONIGHT at the Lowndes Shakespeare Center (812 East Rollins Street) in the Goldman Theater at 8PM. There will be free wine and free admission. Any donations made will go towards a new stage production titled “Project F” which is being created and directed by Aradhana Tiwari and produced by Matt McGrath.

I went to the first table-read of the play by the cast at Matt’s home in College Park. When we all arrived, Matt offered several options on places to do the reading, and we all agreed that it was such a nice day we should sit out on the sun porch. I went into the reading cold, knowing nothing about the play. The play starts out with Martin, a successful architect, played by Frank McClain, joking around with his wife, Stevie, played by Marty Stonerock. Their intellectual and playful banter sets the stage for a long-standing loving marriage. Later, Martin is talking to his best friend, Ross, played by Mark Baratelli. Martin goes on about how great his marriage has been, about how good his sex life has been with his wife, how they always know how to please each other. He says he might have been groped a few times at parties, but he has always been faithful. Then he talks about how his wife wanted to get a place out in the country. On a trip to the country, his life was turned upside down when he saw Sylvia. This was love at first sight and could not be ignored. Ross ends up telling Martin’s wife about the affair.

What follows is an argument that challenges all of our societies’ moral values. The affair cuts deep and causes a rift which cannot be repaired. All of this hard-hitting drama is laced with bitter humor and I was laughing out loud uncontrollably. This reading will certainly make you think. It makes me wonder what might lurk in the hearts of any happily married couple.

I had two cups of white wine while doing this sketch and listening to the reading. If any lines are wobbly or a likeness skewed I blame the wine. When I got home that night, issues bought up in the play still haunted me. I also heard that my stepmom’s health had slipped. I went on a bender, drinking a bottle and a half of white wine and watching an old black and white Spencer Tracy film. At the height of my stupor, I went online writing messages on Facebook. A chat window popped up, announcing itself with a chiming noise. It turns out the person on the other end of the chat had a bit too much to drink as well, so they will remain anonymous. I am usually put off by the chat window, thinking I am not typing fast enough, but this time around it was fun and effortless. This chat refocused my attention and bought me down to earth with humor and understanding. I am writing this extra detail because “Project F” is about social networking as seen through the lens of facebook; about how this new group dialogue affects every aspect of our life. Even statuses that are not read, affect us subliminally. Facebook has done so much to fuel this blog, and now I find that newly discovered friends offer light when my mood turns dark. Terry called me from Miami concerned about me as well. Perhaps there is no such thing as drinking alone anymore.

If you know nothing about The Goat, you will be shocked, stunned and amazed. This is an evening that you should not miss. Prepare to be challenged, your moral codes shaken and stripped bare. Just go. Then send me a message on Facebook and let me know how it affected you.

Lotto Pool – Brian Feldman

I traveled to Miami Beach to see Brian Feldman’s first performance there. Brian sat in the lobby of the Carlton Hotel in South Beach 1433 Collins Avenue. There he sat at a small table decorated with Lotto playslips. The goal of this performance was to pool $1 from as many people as possible and then purchase the number of tickets corresponding to the number of people who entered the pool. The hotel owner had reservations about allowing Brian to stage his performance here. He was concerned that it might seem like Brian was selling tickets right in the lobby. Brian had to keep a low profile to keep from being booted out.

This same evening, there was a Pool Art Fair being held in the hotel in conjunction with Art Basel Miami Beach. Art Basel Miami Beachis a huge art fair with gallery owners from around the world displaying their wares. Much of the best art work in the world is flown into Miami for this event and it it almost impossible to see it all. Terry and I both gave Brian a dollar and had to sign a “Lotto Pool” agreement. If one of the lotto tickets purchased won then Brian would purchase a piece of art from the Pool Fair or a parallel fair of Art Basel Miami Beach and he would divide the work by cutting (if a canvas or paper) or breaking (if sculpture or mixed media) the purchased art into the number of pieces corresponding to the number of individuals in the lotto pool.

Part of me wanted to win and another part didn’t want to win. I didn’t want to be a part of destroying a great work of art and yet it might be fun to see some bad art cut up. A friend told me a parable about two women who went before a king both claiming to be a baby’s mother. When the king could not get to the bottom of the issue with just questions, he decided to cut the child in half and give each woman half. One woman pleaded and said she would relinquish her claim if he spared the child’s life. The king then knew she must be the true mother. With that in mind, I let out a sigh of relief when Brian sent me an e-mail informing me that none of the lotto tickets purchased had won. At least I got a decent sketch.