So I’ve been unemployed for a about a month and a half now and I’ve been sitting around doing nothing. It was really starting to get to me and I finally got fed up yesterday and decided to get off my butt and go visit my friend in the city.
After much debating we decided to go see a play on Broadway, we got there about a half hour before it started (I must have tried at least six times to plan in advance and of course the only time it actually works out is the one time I don’t plan ahead.) We managed to get student rush tickets to the musical Spring Awakening for $27 each (an amazing price.) Now I had no idea what the play was about but my friend informed me that it was amazing and I would love it. Of course she conveniently forgot to mention the sex scene and other sex related scenes, in fact that is actually what the whole play is based on, teenage self discovery. She claims she forgot about them. (Now if you think watching a sex scene in a movie theater is uncomfortable try watching it happen live.) There I was sitting next to my friend and rubbing elbows with the guy to my right all dressed up and out with his girlfriend and all of a sudden the two main characters start getting it on onstage. Now call me a prude but I really have no interest in seeing such a display and hastily averted my eyes looking everywhere but at what was happening onstage. I began to examine the decoration of the theater not an easy feat in the dark (and at this point it was quite dark with the only spotlight focused on the one thing I didn’t want to see.) After that I began people watching (one of my favorite pastimes); first I studied those sitting in the side boxes I wondered what the view must be like from that angle. (We had great seats on right in the middle of the front row of the balcony with an amazing view of the stage.) I then moved on to watch the people below us, there was the guy two rows up and to the left who was busy picking his nose figuring no-one would see him in the dark, then there was the couple passionately making out so much so that it almost matched what was going on onstage. In short I was looking at everything but what was going on onstage.
Embarrassment (and sex scenes) aside it really was a great play. The best part about it was definitely the music, I already ordered the soundtrack. The play takes place in the 1800’s yet is set to rock music and oddly enough it seems appropriate. The story is about a group of teenagers growing up in 1891 Germany. Young and naïve and not knowing the consequences of their actions the main female character gives into temptation without realizing that her actions can and eventually do lead to pregnancy. Another character ends up committing suicide, and yet another hides her abuse at the hands of her father. Even though this play was written in the 1890’s much of it is still very relevant to teenagers nowadays. In fact many parallels can be drawn between this play and the sheltered Jewish community. In fact this story can be used as an example of what can happen when a child is too sheltered. At the end of the play when the mother realizes her daughter is pregnant and yells at her the daughter answers but how is that possible I’m not married? (her mother had earlier told her that babies where born when a husband and wife loved each other and didn’t give her further details, this was actually a really funny scene.) I was having flashbacks to those BY girls who went through their lives knowing nothing until they attend kallah classes. It’s hard enough to deal with hormones when you know what’s going on and that it’s perfectly normal. I can’t even imagine how hard it must be for those that don’t know what is going on with them and don’t realize that everyone is going through the same thing. Anyways this play is definitely worth seeing despite the uncomfortable scenes and I’m glad I got the chance to see it (because if I had known before I probably wouldn’t have gone.) The beginning had a lot of very funny moments and I felt a real connection with the characters, the actors were great. There was also a really sad ending which I love I know it’s weird but I always enjoy a sad ending more than a happy one (maybe I’m just to skeptical but sad is definitely more realistic.) Sorry this post was so long but there was just so much to say (and this isn’t even half of it.)
outaline
As a frum single female living in Lakewood NJ I find myself outaline quite often
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April 10, 2008 at 6:53 pm |
Lets hope your shadchun and community don’t find out- if they do- you will banished to single dom in Washington Heights.
April 11, 2008 at 12:10 am |
It’s too late they’ve already tried to banish me for not looking like a BY girl, going to movies, using the internet, and actually greeting guys I know in public. It doesn’t work I don’t respond to threats. Besides if a guy has a problem with how I act he’s obviously not for me. I’m very open and honest about what I do, I look at it as a help in filtering out the inappropriate suggestions (I know it’s not something girls usually say but why would I want to go out with a guy only to have him freak out when I mention going to movies? yes this has happened.) But yes it would probably be the scandal of the year if shadchunim in Lakewood found out (right up there with Ted Larry Floyd.) People here tend to blow things way out of proportion.
On another note I wouldn’t be able to move to Washington Heights, I love visiting Manhattan and all but I’m really not much of a city person. I’d much rather a small little town in the middle of nowhere I like large open spaces and I’d go crazy in a tiny apartment with tons of people living right on top of me, the noise, the dirt, etc… I can handle it for short periods of time but all day every day, I’d go insane.