The Lady’s Not for Burning

Set in an anachronistic fifteenth century — no no no, stay with me, it’s good, seriously! — it’s about a soldier who comes to a town and asks to be hanged.   The mayor and townspeople are toothlessly small-minded folk, unwilling to disturb the precarious order of their lives to handle such an unfathomable request.  A woman soon arrives to seek asylum from a gathering mob that has named her for a witch.  The solider, the witch, and two others form a quartet of strangers to this seemingly innocuous town, who soon discover they must either escape with their lives, or die.

There is so much I want to write about this show.  More about the play, which pulls off the remarkable feat of choosing optimism without denying cynicism.  More about the playwright Christopher Fry, who in the 1950’s was the hottest thing since sliced bread until John Osborne came to town with his kitchen sink.  More about Parenthesis.  About the nuts and bolts of producing on a showcase code budget in New York City.  About striving to attach one’s personal goals to something greater than oneself – both to create sustainability and meaningful service, and to avoid drowning in one’s own reflection.   About fear.  And empowerment.  And growing up.  And on and on.

So that’s what I – and hopefully you – have to look forward to for the next six months on the Parenthesis Blog.  Hope you have a happy new year.