Austin360 blogs > Out & About > Archives > 2009 > September > 20 > Entry
Two kinds of plays on Longhorns game day
Austin streets fairly vibrate on big game days. As early 9 a.m., locals and visitors were out and about. They perked up sidewalks downtown and destination districts like SoCo. While burnt orange peeked out from here and there, it was a feeling not reserved exclusively for Longhorns fanatics.
I was not headed to the sold-out game during any of my Sunday walks. I saw, instead, two bracing theatrical productions. Meanwhile, I TiVo-ed the game and, luckily, avoided any leaky news about the score. (No social media, for instance.)
Attendance was light at Penfold Theatre Company’s “Three Days of Rain” at the Hideout and St. Ed’s “bobrauschenbergamerica” at the Mary Moody Northen Theatre. Too bad. Both proved special treats. I’ve met both playwrights, Richard Greenberg and Chuck Mee, respectively. Interestingly, each piece deals with an iconic, creative and sometimes controversial American of the late 20th Century.
The first play is a witty psychological mystery/drama about a Philip Johnson-like architect, his business partner and his wife, and, in Act 1, their three offspring. Three superb actors play both generations.
Regarding Penfold, its three founders hope to build a theater in the under-served northern sectors of our metropolis, perhaps in Round Rock. It would be Austin’s loss. Their three micro-productions so far, “Art,” “The Last Five Years” and now “Three Days of Rain” have demonstrated extraordinary skill. (I missed “Art,” but heard nothing but praise from some pretty tough customers.)
St. Ed’s artistic director, David M. Long, took a big risk with the associative, counter-narrative “bobrauschenbergamerica.” Long, his team and the audience were rewarded with a performance as big-hearted and imaginative as the Texas artist who inspired them.
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