Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Artsy Fartsy

I'm an art lover. Not the go-to-the-art-museum type of art lover. Not the eclectic dye-your-hair-and-wear-weird-clothes type of art lover. Just the curl-up-on-the-couch-and-enjoy-some-good-music/reading/movies/musicals type of art lover. I danced for years, I still sing in the shower, and I find my fingers often tapping like the airline counter workers when I have a Word document open.
So what's with the little artsy fartsy bio? A local playhouse by my parents, the Bucks County Playhouse, has now closed. This was my own personal Broadway, as I saw a number of performances there with my family over the years. It was special treat for us. A fancy dinner beforehand, squishing lots of cars in the tiny parking lot, waiting just outside the theater for the show, and being mystified by the performers who were so close you could reach out and touch them.
The "BCP," as known around my house, has never been a showy place. The seats were old and worn, the theater a bit on the chilly side. It wasn't about making money (at least, it never came across that way). It was about the love of performing arts.
Then recently, the playhouse was closed. My understanding (found through word-of-mouth) is that they showed up at the bank to pay their loan a little before closing time. The bank then told them to sit and wait, refusing to see them before the end of banking hours. Once banking hours had passed, they said, "Sorry, Charlie" and refused to process the payment. I don't know if this is 100% factual, but just the thought of that being reality is so Scrooge-esque. Bah humbug!
But there's good news. (Yay for a Christmas miracle!) Jed Bernstein is stepping in to save the day. The playhouse that featured Robert Redford, Alan Alda, Angela Lansbury, and Walter Matthau, to name a few, looks to be making a comeback. Long live (my own personal) Broadway!

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