Keane at the Strathmore

The fact that I'm about a week and a half late in reporting this is somewhat telling. My friend really wanted to go to the Keane concert at our favorite concert hall, the Strathmore, and needed a buddy to go with her.

I know nothing about Keane, though she insisted I probably had heard their music at some point in my life. There's a pet food commercial that has licensed one of their tunes, I believe.

Anyway, the opening band was louder, but Keane had better production. The lead singer was a cutie, there was a backbeat, and the place was packed. Everyone stood except for us little old ladies. We slid over to a side section to rest our backs.

The show was enjoyable. Glad I went. I still haven't picked up the "Thank You" download from the little postcard, though. Amazon link to the album Strangeland

Since I wasn't all that into the music (no objections to it), I spent my time experimenting with the settings on my camera, in preparation for the next Clay Aiken tour. *biggrin*

As you can see from the results below, the high-sensitivity setting on my old Lumix is very noisy. I bought a new camera yesterday and hope for better results at the next event I need to cover in low light.

KEANE at the Strathmore (Bethesda, MD), June 14, 2012
Click to enlarge. All photos by C. G. Wagner / Hosaa's Blog. Please credit if used!

   

  

    

As Read by Edward Duke

Happy Birthday to Edward Duke, who would have been 59 today. Your voice will live on in my heart and continue telling me stories.

As luck would have it, copies of the long-out-of-business Buckingham Classics "Jeeves Takes Charge" audiobook are still available on the resale market.

And a special treat for all Edward Duke fans, a Hosaa's Blog exclusive excerpt:

For love alone,
hosaa

Doubled (over) Indemnity

A day or two late in posting my recap of the Thursday night preview performance of Round House Theatre's rendition of the noir classic Double Indemnity.

First of all, I was absolutely thrilled to open the program and see that the production would star one of my all-time favorite RHT actors, Mr. Marty Lodge.

Marty Lodge, via IMDb

I've been a fan of Marty's since RHT's 2001 production of George F. Walker's Problem Child, and my admiration was cemented with his tour-de-force performance in The Drawer Boy (2003). Marty has a sly, wry, hangdog overcoat covering a sincerely sinister underbelly.

The problem with this production is that its surprises invoked laughter. I'm not sure why. The sexual tension between Marty and co-star Celeste Ciulla never sparked for me, so the mutual seduction between the characters Huff and Phyllis erupted too suddenly. Rather than taking our breaths, it punched out  a surprised rumble of laughter in our audience.

The obvious comparison is to the classic film version of Double Indemnity, which grips you by the throat and never lets go. There is not a single laugh in the picture, though the exchanges are incredibly witty. Sample dialogue (not occurring in the RHT production; and ignore the name change, Huff/Marty Lodge versus Neff/Fred MacMurray):

Phyllis: Mr. Neff, why don't you drop by tomorrow evening about eight-thirty. He'll be in then.

Walter Neff: Who?

Phyllis: My husband. You were anxious to talk to him weren't you?

Walter Neff: Yeah, I was, but I'm sort of getting over the idea, if you know what I mean.

Phyllis: There's a speed limit in this state, Mr. Neff. Forty-five miles an hour.

Walter Neff: How fast was I going, officer?

Phyllis: I'd say around ninety. 

Walter Neff: Suppose you get down off your motorcycle and give me a ticket. 

Phyllis: Suppose I let you off with a warning this time. 

Walter Neff: Suppose it doesn't take. 

Phyllis: Suppose I have to whack you over the knuckles. 

Walter Neff: Suppose I bust out crying and put my head on your shoulder. 

Phyllis: Suppose you try putting it on my husband's shoulder.

Walter Neff: That tears it. 

(A side note from the audience: I'm pleased with myself for being the one in our area who, during intermission, could answer the question of who starred in the film: Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck. I even remembered Edward G. Robinson as the insurance guy, Fred MacMurray's supervisor, investigating the case.)

So I'm not sure what to tell you about this production. I liked it, but don't go in expecting a live, 3-D recreation of the movie. The ending is even different, though I don't exactly recall the movie's ending. I just know this wasn't it.

Double Indemnity plays at Round House Theatre in Bethesda through June 24, 2012.

Written by James M. Cain
Adapted for the stage by David Pichette and R. Hamilton Wright
Directed by Eleanor Holdridge

Cast:
Marty Lodge as Huff
Celeste Ciulla as Phyllis
Todd Scofield as Nirlinger and Keyes
Molly Cahill Govern as Lola and secretary
Danny Gavigan as Nino, Jackson, and Norton

ETA, Happy 10th Anniversary, RHT-Bethesda!

photo by C. G. Wagner - permission to reproduce is granted provided credit is given