My Friend Roy

Shawn Luckey, author of He Said, She Said, likes to pun. He was fortunate he didn't lose his audience after the opening line. It began with a psychiatrist calling her patients by name, "Hope and Les ..." The play continued.

We were there to support Jane, the psychiatrist. The theater seated thirty to forty African Americans - and us. It was strange to hear audience members finish actor's lines and approve of dialogue with audible slang. "Word," a girl blurted and nodded her head. During the intermission I noticed two people kissing in the mirror-lined walls. It was hard to distinguish where the stage started and the actors ended.

Contrast this experience with the lights and glamor of The Little Mermaid, which was seen with some of the same company. It's hard to forget Ursala's beautiful evil and classic lines like, "Flounder, don't be such a Guppy," which reminded me of Spanky, my first pet. He was a guppy. He died and Spanky II and Spanky III followed. Next came Roy. His name was an honor of his colorful scales: red, orange, and yellow. They all suffered various deaths.

Anyway, Ariel bored me to tears. Jane was interesting but not worthy of ovation. Although, both shows were equally enjoyable in very different ways. Events, plays, musicals, jobs, illness, and life are opportunities to choose fun. And fun is a choice made easier by its company.