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The Gallery Players<\/a> in Brooklyn celebrates its 41st season this year – 41st! – Bravo!!<\/p>\n Last night I made the trek to go see my dear friend Jen in one of her dream roles Aldonza (or: Dulcinea) in Man Of La Mancha<\/i><\/a>. Kind of a neat thing: Jen’s mother has played the role of Aldonza four times, in various theatres – and it was in a production of Man Of La Mancha<\/i> that Jen’s mother met Jen’s stepfather. Jen’s stepfather has a boat called “Dulcinea”. Sniff, sniff. So Man of La Mancha<\/i> is a real connector<\/i> in Jen’s family, so it is just so so awesome that she would eventually get that same role. Passing on the torch.<\/p>\n Believe it or not, I had never seen a production of Man of La Mancha<\/i>! I knew the story, and knew a couple of the songs (you know, the famous ones) – but had never seen it. So what a fun experience it was, to see it for the first time. I was mopping tears off my face at the end.<\/p>\n But! I also loved how funny it was! I mean, Spanish Inquisition? Prisoners? Funny? Well, frankly, yes. I loved the spirit of the company, and I loved the kind of improvisational feel that they brought to it (which is totally appropriate, if you think of the set-up – with Don Quixote assigning roles to prisoners who have to just jump up and begin “acting” … ) Everyone was terrific.<\/p>\n Jen and I were roommates for nine years. Nine. Years. That’s more successful than many marriages. We have since parted ways, as roommates, but she’s one of my dearest friends.<\/p>\n Watching her at the end of the show, staring up into the lights, with tears on her face, a scarf over her head ….<\/p>\n Fuggedaboutit. I was toast.<\/p>\n It runs through May 18th. If you’re a New Yorker, you can buy tickets here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Gallery Players in Brooklyn celebrates its 41st season this year – 41st! – Bravo!! Last night I made the trek to go see my dear friend Jen in one of her dream roles Aldonza (or: Dulcinea) in Man Of … Continue reading