Fabulous

So Wifey got an email from the U last week. Since I'm a member of the President's Circle, they offered us some tickets to see "Rent" at the Ring Theatre. We went last night.

The place was sold out, and it was Wednesday. The lights dimmed; the show started.

I have to say, "Rent" sisn't my kind of show. It's a rock opera, and, as far as I'm concerned, after "Tommy" they should have retired the genre.

The story, based on the Puccini opera, followed the lives of starving artists in Alphabet City in New York, as they died of AIDS and fought the gentrification of their squatters colony.

There were only 2 songs I liked, and the tale grew too melodramatic for my taste --dying transvestites, and miraculous recoveries for Mimi, found near death in the park. Oy.

Still --the young cast made it an enjoyable performance. They were so passionate, and enthusiastic. A few had star quality --beautiful voices and believable acting skills.

The Ring stage was the training ground for Sly Stallone and Ray Liotta, and as I watched the young performers, I wondered whether any of them would become famous.

After the show, Wifey and I strolled through campus, under an amazing full moon. We cut through the law school, which always brings a degree of queasiness to me, as I remember all of the boring lectures, and ponderous workload of those long gone years.

I also remembered some epic laughs, though. Wifey recalled our softball team, and watching us play with some of the other then-girlfriends, who became wives, and then, even ex-wives.

She remembered how young we looked, and how we were, like the performers, full of enthusiasm, and passion.

There's certainly something to be said for hanging out with the young...