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Last night was Judith Black's concert as part of Telling Moments Storytelling Theater. She got an okay turnout, including several people I know from the Virginia Storytelling Alliance, a few of whom are not particularly local. The first half of the evening was her hour-long story Esau My Son about coming to terms with her son's strengths, weaknesses and desires, which culminate in him becoming a Marine. It was both humorous and moving. I particularly liked her line about the local high school football team facing a team from a neighboring town, which she described as like "squirrels facing the Massachusetts Highway Authority."
She started the second half with a short story about her son's return from Iraq. Then she did some pieces on women and aging (part of which I'd heard before as she developed some of th.is material in a fringe show at the National Storytelling Conference a few years ago). She closed with an excellent story about unlikely angels. All in all, it was a very enjoyable show and I hope the series continues.
I spent much of today catching up on sleep. In the evening, I went over to the movie theatre at Fairfax Corner for the closing night of the Northern Virginia International Jewish Film Festival. The film was Circumcise Me, about Yisrael Campbell. Campbell is an Israeli stand-up comedian, who started out as a Catholic boy in Philadelphia (named Christopher), became a drug and alcohol addict, and eventually converted first to Reform, then Conservative, and eventually Orthodox Judaism. The story is interspersed with bits from his comedy routines, which are very very funny. However, I would have liked a stronger narrative line, as the film left a lot of gaps in his journey. For example, shortly after his Reform conversion he married a non-practicing Islamic woman and he never really says anything about the ending of that marriage. So it was an interesting and entertaining, but not entirely satisfying, movie.
Just as I got home, the oil pressure light on my car came on. I'll have to stop and buy oil tomorrow and find some place to take it on Tuesday, sigh. (The place I used to take it to closed a few months back.) I have a couple of recommendations, but it's still a pain in the neck.
She started the second half with a short story about her son's return from Iraq. Then she did some pieces on women and aging (part of which I'd heard before as she developed some of th.is material in a fringe show at the National Storytelling Conference a few years ago). She closed with an excellent story about unlikely angels. All in all, it was a very enjoyable show and I hope the series continues.
I spent much of today catching up on sleep. In the evening, I went over to the movie theatre at Fairfax Corner for the closing night of the Northern Virginia International Jewish Film Festival. The film was Circumcise Me, about Yisrael Campbell. Campbell is an Israeli stand-up comedian, who started out as a Catholic boy in Philadelphia (named Christopher), became a drug and alcohol addict, and eventually converted first to Reform, then Conservative, and eventually Orthodox Judaism. The story is interspersed with bits from his comedy routines, which are very very funny. However, I would have liked a stronger narrative line, as the film left a lot of gaps in his journey. For example, shortly after his Reform conversion he married a non-practicing Islamic woman and he never really says anything about the ending of that marriage. So it was an interesting and entertaining, but not entirely satisfying, movie.
Just as I got home, the oil pressure light on my car came on. I'll have to stop and buy oil tomorrow and find some place to take it on Tuesday, sigh. (The place I used to take it to closed a few months back.) I have a couple of recommendations, but it's still a pain in the neck.
