The Play's the Thing

[Peg Herring]

I ditched work last week and visited one of my favorite places on Earth: Stratford, Ontario, Canada. In two days I saw three plays, and like the theater geek I am, two of them were pieces I'd seen many times before. I don't mind a bit watching Tony and Maria struggle against Fate one more time or seeing Bottom made even more of an ass than Nature made him at birth.

Plays are different than novels. (Duh!) For me, seeing a play again is a treat, while reading a novel again has little appeal in most cases. Rereading a book always makes me feel like I'm wasting my time--there are so many others out there that I should be discovering. Good plays abound too, of course, but I have my favorites and don't miss the others much. I like seeing what this director, this actor, this choreographer does with a familiar piece. It will be the same yet different. Tevye may be fat this year, skinny next. The costumes may be updated in one production, traditional in another. The play is there, but I like to see what comes to light this time along with the familiar lines, the often-repeated songs, and the inevitable ending. Judging from the number of revivals and repetitions theaters present, I think a lot of people feel the same way.