When You Comin' Back?

We arrived at SHAPE, the NATO base just in time for the special performance of When You Comin' Back Red Ryder?, directed by Dan LaMorte. The theatre on the base has been completely renovated with a beautiful new lobby and comfortable new seats in the theater (since I was here two years ago.) They have a lobby exhibit of past productions using four of those electronic frames to show the photographs (NOTE TO SELF: Steal this idea for The Barrow Group!)
The play takes place in a 60's diner in New Mexico, not far from the Mexican border. An assortment of local characters have their lives and relationships tested when a smooth-talking grifter comes into the diner and proceeds to have fun by humiliating everyone. As it happens, he is perceptive and brings to light the real disappointments of the characters in their own lives and in their relationships. The set was a precise recreation of the kind of diner that now lives mostly in romantic memories (the last one of this type in Manhattan recently closed and was moved lock, stock and barrel to Nevada or somewhere.) As the story progresses, and the characters find themselves face-to-face with their own inadequacies, we wonder what we would do were we tested in the same way. Could we fight back? How heroic are we really?
A wonderful production of the play was presented early on at The Barrow Group, when we used to perform at The Corner Loft on 12th Street and University Place. I'll never forget that production and the emotional wallop it engendered. That was about 20 years ago!
Our brief adjudication occurred right after the performance. (It was short because they had to strike the set.) I had been nervous about it (and so was Eva, she confided in me.) But it went smoothly. It's a challenge to say encouraging things while also giving constructive criticism. It's the epitome of being "on the spot" because they are all sitting there looking at you for some words of wisdom. In a way, it's a bit easier than it was when I adjudicated the one-act festival a couple of years ago because in that case, we were not allowed to hear what the other adjudicators had to say and here, we are like a panel, building on each other's comments.
After the performance, Dan took us to dinner at the Officers' Club on base. This being a NATO base, there are soldiers from many European countries. A long table of Italian soldiers were holding court as we entered the restaurant. (Ciao ragazzi!) While the place will win no awards for culinary excellence, it was comfortingly American (nachos, salads, steak, burgers, etc.)
This morning, I was sad to find out that one of our group, Eva, had spent the night feeling ill and it seems that she will not be well enough to travel with us today. Annette and I will likely go to Nuremburg and Aviano and Strabourg without her and meet up with her again in Stuttgart on Saturday.