"A Brave Vessel" by Hobson Woodward (2006)

Here is a story which I apparently missed, and it’s a good one. One evening in 1611, Richard Strachey was sitting in a theater in England watching a play by William Shakespeare, a new one called “The Tempest”, when he began to recognize portions of the dialogue as being overly familiar. It should not have come as such a surprise, as Mr. Strachey had written those same words; or at least ones very close to it; when he had written home during a voyage to rescue the colonists at Jamestown, in Virginia, about 2 years earlier. He had also written about his experiences for a few small publications, which had undoubtedly crossed the eyes of the Great Bard.

Although Shakespeare’s play is an allegorical one, the island depicted in it is decidedly based upon the real island of Bermuda, the place Mr. Strachey found himself stranded when his vessel broke apart in a storm while headed to Jamestown. From that island the survivors were able to reach Virginia and in some measure keep the colony alive during the first few winters.

The Sea Venture was one of nine ships which set sail on a voyage to establish connections between Jamestown and England. During the voyage across, every obstacle that could befall a ship and her crew was visited upon these nine vessels. The Sea Venture, with a compliment of 153, all survived and found them- selves aground in Bermuda. From there, going directly west, they could make landfall near the colony of Jamestown. But first they would have to survive themselves, as well as repair their ship.

Author Hobson Woodson really got my attention with this story, which was unfamiliar to me. It delivers just the right hint of scandal, without compromising the accuracy of the real history. Had the Sea Venture failed in her mission, the history of the colonization of America might well have been written differently than it turned out. 

The book was released in 2006, and it sits in the “stacks”, apparently seldom read, of my local library. This is what I love most about libraries. You can wander the aisles and sometimes there is nothing there at all. But then; on another visit; a book which you passed by hundreds of times, catches your eye. 

And, for some odd reason or another; perhaps the cover, or the weather; you pick it up and take it home. That’s when you find something which enriches your life with some new found knowledge, seemingly unimportant in the past, but which you just couldn't live without knowing about now.

"To Dance With The White Dog" with Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy

This is an absolutely stunning film starring two of the world's greatest actors, Hume Cronyn and his real life,off screen wife, Academy Award Winner Jessica Tandy. The story takes place at the time of the couples 50th wedding anniversary in 1966 Wisconsin.

When Cara (Tandy) passes away, Sam (Cronyn) has a hard time adjusting to the over attention of his chidren, all grown and married with children of their own. He encounters a brillant white dog one morning, which only he seems to be able to see. This convinces his children that the old man is nuts. But gradually, the dog reveals itself to all. It accompanies Sam wherever he goes, even on a trip to his High School reunion in Madison, Wisconsin. During this journey Sam gets hopelessly lost and begins to relaize that he is losing his hold on the world. Comforted by this thought, he releases the white dog from it's obligations to him, promising that they will meet again. Obediently, the dog goes away, as quickly as it appeared.

Sam finds himself desperately ill and summons his children (amongst them Christine Baranski in a role cast against her usual type) and tells them the truth about the white dog. It was Cara, their mother, who had come back to look after him. The children, of course, don't believe him, but then again, maybe there is a reason that they should.

Outstanding performances by all, with special mention to Esther Rolle(of TV's "Diffent Strokes")as the maid, and Harley Cross as the grandson, Bobby. Mr. Cronyn and Ms. Tandy are, as usual, pure poetry in their demeanor and delivery. (Can you tell that I'm a fan?) And the outstanding photography actually captures Wisconsin in the fall adding to a rich and multi-layered production.

The story of a subject not often explored,the one of aging, and how it affects us all,is gracefully and poignantly examined in this screenplay by Susan Cooper as taken from the book by Terry Kay. It is really a film not to be missed.

A Night at the Opera - Love American Style

Sue and I went to see an unnamed theater group tonight. They performed a play which shall remain untitled. It was horrible. It was 2 of the longest hours I have ever spent in the theater. During the intermission I was forced to seek "libation." This had some predictable results. It is only fair, at this point, to let Sue have her say and let you in on what it is like to be my wife of 24 years. That alone, baffles science. Here is her side, unedited;

The play tonight was a bit out of my comfort zone, aside from the subject matter, it reminded me a bit of the old Jerry Lewis movies, which isn’t my type of humor. It was performed well, the actors had the parts down and the play had a lot of thoughtful insights. But I could tell, even before the intermission, that Robert was struggling to stay awake, but I had no idea until after the break, the extent of his 'pain' with this play. We have seen a play,(and I only remember one) that was so bad, we left at intermission.

But this wasn’t a bad play, just a bit loud which it needed to be to portray the characters. The lights came on and it was intermission, we got up to stretch our legs and exit out to the lobby. I stood in line to buy a glass of wine and Robert headed out the door for some fresh air. The lobby lights were dimming as we found each other and got back into our seats. The first thing I noticed was that he ‘reeked’, eech! I quickly dug in my purse as the play began and found a piece of Dentyne and slipped it in his hand. He looked at me dumbfounded and slurred, "I smell?" This was just the beginning!! About ten minutes into the second act, his shoes were off and he was spread out every which way across the empty seats beside him, occasionally with a "huh", as he woke up out of his stupor and to sit up and than fall forward into his lap.

This was bad enough, a "Nick Nolte" scene to be sure, but then the floss came out and he started flossing his teeth - and not discreetly. I edged toward the end of my seat, away from him, but surely the audience behind ,beside and in front of us must have thought I picked up an inebriated homeless person. My vibes – and they were not good - were certainly sending messages his way and then a very loud scene in the play, almost sent him over the edge. Awaking out of semi-unconsciousness, I thought he was going to stand up and start screaming at the actors to "shut up."

Thankfully the scene and the play was coming to an end and we high-tailed it out of there quickly. No lingering this time though I’m sure that we were the topic of a few conversations on the way home. Note to self; after all these years together, if Robert asks at intermission if I want to leave – it means he does – so don’t hesitate – go and don’t look back!