A Show Biz Weekend

After my usual period of frustration when confronted with something new, I finally got the phone working.  It seems you have to put in the date and time first before you get a dial tone.  This is wisdom people in a lesser stage of decrepitude than I are probably born knowing so, of course, it isn't mentioned anywhere in the directions (mumble, grumble, curse, curse, curse).
Got down to Ventnor at 1:00 for the Players & Playwrights meeting.  As I had requested so I could leave early, John put Sondra M.'s on first.  It was--as all her plays are--autobiographical with, I suspect, whole speeches lifted right from life. Sondra seems not to have a strong imagination and acts more as a stenographer than a playwright.  However, it was fairly absorbing (concerned her diagnoses with breast cancer) and, at least, had the virtue of being short.
I stayed for Ernie's play, which was okay, but only slightly reworked from his last version, which I had heard before.  Left after that and my pal, Grey, walked me out.  Stopped at Produce Junction to get a dozen roses for Aline, got home, had a bite  of dinner, then Mary Ann Van O. called to see if she could come over early, as she had a "second-looker" to see her house.  She did, I changed, we took off, and got to Surflight wa-a-a-y early.
Sat in rocking chairs on the porch and Aline came out to greet us. Gave her the roses and she was very appreciative.
We had great seats, as it turned out: third row in the middle. Of course, eternal malcontent Mary Ann complained when people sat in front of us, but I was in a great mood and shrugged it off.  Show finally started and it was pretty good, with a few snags.
The major one for me is the insipid story line, a complete fabrication of the actual history of the Von Trapp family.  Add to that the uninspired dialogue, the undistinguished libretto, the cutesy-poo portrayal of the kiddies, the cartoon-character Nazis, mix them up with superficial religiosity, and you have the totally predictable Sound of Music, beloved of cliche addicts everywhere.
But I had a great time.  For professionalism, it beat the S. of M. I saw six weeks ago in Margate all hollow.*  I greatly enjoyed the sets, the costumes, the props, and especially, seeing Neil G. (who played my nephew in Arsenic), George and Julie S. (with whom I appeared in Our Town) and, of course, my dear friend, Aline, who was a guest at a party--no lines, but she looked beautiful in a long, garnet-colored gown.
Of course, we greeted and congratulated the players after and stayed to chat for some time.  Desi, Jim and Mary, and Tonya and Bob were there, and so was Bob S., a great guy, with whom Aline and I had performed recently in Tony and the Heiress.  Finally left and, after we dropped Aline off, I didn't get home until 11:30. That's ELEVEN-THIRTY AT NIGHT, incredibly for me.  I had told Susan I wouldn't walk this morning and good thing, as I didn't get up until 8:04.
I had messages from my friend and from daughter, Ellen, but thought I'd return them today.  I didn't realize they'd be worried until friend called just now (8:45); she said she'd text Ellen to let her know I'm not lying in a pool of blood somewhere (she didn't say that, though).
Today, I have refreshments for Musical Arts (we're seeing--or maybe enduring, it remains to be seen--Prince Igor, a Russian opera. So all this adds up to a show biz weekend, which is fine by me.
* I have no idea where that expression came from and what it means and I'm too lazy to look it up.