Last Plays

Another good breakfast was enjoyed this morning before we went to the Literary Seminars. At 11:00a.m. we had the Actor's Seminar where 2 of the actors joined us to talk about their careers and answer questions from the audience. These 2 were in this afternoons performance of Fiddle on the Roof.

For lunch we had apples, peanut butter, pretzels and a Snickers. After the 1:00p.m. orientation, we saw Fiddler on the Roof. This play is one of the most popular musicals of the last 50 years. It is a story of Jewish life and persecution in Russia in the early 1900's. It is the story of a Jewish community and highlights a family with 5 girls. Three of them are marrying age and the father, Tevye, wants them to marry according to tradition. The tradition is that they will be matched with Jewish boys that are acceptable to their father. Unfortunately for the father, love gets in the way and the girls end up picking a husband they love. The father would not have approved of any of them, but in the end gives his blessing on all three of the marriages. Near the end of the play the Jews are forced to leave their community and find homes outside Russia. They accept this persecution as part of their lives and move on to new lives in new locations.

For supper, we went to Cafe Orleans where Mike and I had a hamburger and Jo and Duane shared a seafood appetizer. It was OK, not great. In fact, we stopped at Mickey D's on the way back to the hotel for ice cream sundaes and milk shakes!

Othello, the night performance is one of Shakespeare's best known tragedies. It takes place mainly on the Island of Cyprus. As the play opens, Iago, an ensign in the Venetian Navy is passed over for promotion. Iago has dedicated himself to the destruction on the officer that failed to promote him. Othello a celebrated general is that officer. Othello is a celebrated Venetian general and is sent to Cyprus to protect the Island from an invasion from the Turks. He takes his new wife, the daughter of a senator in Venice. Once on Cyprus, the Turks are defeated and Iago begins his campaign of the destruction of Othello. He does this by convincing Othello that his wife is unfaithful. He becomes obsessively jealous and kills her. Iago is soon found out as the villain and is sentenced to death by torture. Othello, in his last action kills himself and the play ends.