I’ve never been a theatre buff, but with the myriad of experiences just outside my doorstep in Key West I’ve been pondering a trial excursion. For purely the kitsch factor there was Gillian’s Island starring the original Mary Ann (ne Dawn Wells) as Ms. Howell and Greg Brady (ne Barry Williams) as Mr. Howell. Then we have Love Letters with Barbara Eden and Hal Linden. Um, hello? Jeannie and Barney? To avoid the emotional and reality conflicts presented by those two combinations, I think I’ll hold out for South Pacific, which bills no one from the television of my youth and conveniently overlaps with Chris’ business travel.

Not to be outdone, the Red Barn Theatre has an assortment of five options this winter ranging from serious in ‘The Exonerated’

…a deeply affecting documentary play that shares the stories of six innocent survivors of death row and their loved ones and jailers…told in their own words. Assembled from interviews from many people who spent two years to two decades in prison for crimes they did not commit…

to the ridiculous in ‘Bat Boy: The Musical’

a musical comedy/horror show about a half boy/half bat creature who is discovered in a cave near Hope Falls, West Virginia

And we must not forget the Waterfront Playhouse, where such delights as ‘Urinetown, The Musical’ appear. A revolution sparked by toilets could be entertaining indeed. Yet I’m still recovering from the review of ‘Dinner With Friends’ in this past weekend’s newspaper.

The soundtrack, with its samba versions of 1980s hits from Joy Division, Public Image, Ltd., and Echo and the Bunnymen, is enough to make theater-goers of a certain age feel downright sentimental.

Samba-zak? Samb-alternative? I like samba, and I am a child of the 80s, but I’m hitting a hurdle at the intersection of the two. I’ve seen two of these bands live, and recently reluctantly purged their concert tees from my closet where they had rested unworn for far too long. I believe I’ll be skipping this production.