Art in the Boonies

Last night my husband and I attended a play put on by local actors in a local theater. I guess that goes without saying, since what else could it be here in Maine? Big name celebrities do not come here often, if ever. And certainly no production heading to Broadway does a trial run in Portland for a few months in order to work out the glitches.

So we take what we can get, and it's often hit or miss. Last night was a little of both. The play was "A Doll's House, Part 2," which according to the program notes is the most-produced play in the country right now. It starred nobody at all and was pretty good, although afterward we lamented how much better it must have been on Broadway starring Laurie Metcalf, winner of three Primetime Emmys, two Tonys and a nominee for several Golden Globes and Oscars, and Chris Cooper, winner of a Golden Globe and an Oscar for Best Actor. Oh well.

But then this afternoon we attended the Portland Symphony Orchestra and heard guest violinist Jaime Laredo perform and conduct the selected works of Bizet, Bach and Mendelssohn. It was nothing short of glorious. I'm sure nobody, anywhere, could have done it better.