The Tucson Thespians
We drove to Tucson to spend Saturday night with friends. It's a 105 mile drive but Phoenix and Tucson may as well be 1000 miles apart. Ask anyone from either city and they'll explain it better than I. I like Tucson but being a city boy born and raised in the northeast it's like Martian terrian for me. It's very country and I'm not. It's very Mexican and I'm not. I don't do C&W music, NASCAR? nope, no Western wear on me and most things country, expect the cooking, escape my taste. Don't get me wrong, I do have an appreciation for the down home Americana of many things country. It's just not me.
Back to Tucson. My dear friend of 33 years Tom, we went to high school together, lives there and we get together a handful of times per year. I asked his wife Sue to pick up tickets to a theatre they took me to years ago. I thought Cheryl would find this a hoot (there's a country word I don't use often). While this is very much a departure of what we normally consider entertainment, The Gaslight Theatre is a fun place to spend an evening if you remember where you are and appreciate the passion of small theatre troupes. I call this place 'Tucson Chic' because it's anything but chic.
The Gaslight thespians perform spoof musicals. That's all they do. A show will run for 8-10 weeks with several performances per week. When the run is over they start on the next production. The first time I went was a Christmas show that made me smile for two hours and laugh out loud many times. They've done parodies on Star Trek, Pirates, Superman and many other famous works of Hollywood and/or literature. The shows are low budget but impress you with their creativity and ingenuity on sets and costumes. The comedy is campy, corny and will make you roll your eyes as often as you laugh. The music is not going to win a Grammy.
The theatre is itself is 'country unique' and gives you little clues about what you're about to experience. You can order pizza, beer, soft drinks or ice cream sundaes to enjoy at your table. The show tickets and food are very inexpensive. A night out for two will not break $60 even if you have a few drinks. Try that in Phoenix or any big city.
With all it's flaws exposed for the audience to see Gaslight Theatre is one of the most genuine performances I have ever seen. What I love about it most is..... these people have day jobs. The theatre is their hobby, a part time job and it takes a very passionate, dedicated people to make something like Gaslight happen. They're not getting rich and famous on this gig but they probably work harder than the big stars. The passion is obvious as these Tucson locals strut their stuff, do silly routines and sing their hearts out. At the end of each performance they do a Follys medley that is often as good as the main act.
The current show is Beach Blanket Be-Bop. I know, I doesn't even sound appealing, does it? It's a spoof of the old Frankie and Annette B-movies set at the beach. Those movies were awful and so is this show, awfully entertaining, even for a city boy. Frankenstein starts in the fall. I plan on seeing it. If you ever find yourself in Tucson, Arizona and you want to have a fun night out that's cheap and suitable for all ages......you know where to go.