Are you in the play, Jim?

The answer, of course, is - yes.

This weekend and next, the Motor City Youth Theatre and Grantland Street Players and putting on two different productions on alternate nights. The Youth Theatre are performing Hamlet on Friday night and Sunday afternoon this weekend (July 10 and 12 - with a final performance the following Sunday afternoon, July 19). The Grantland Street Players (the adult wing of the Theater - with whom I will be performing) will be presenting The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen's Guild Dramatic Society's Production of Macbeth on Saturday, July 11 and again the following weekend on Friday, July 17 and Saturday, July 18.

The version of Hamlet done by the youth will be an edited version of the full play - but the production is true to the spirit of the drama and tragedy of the original. I have both watched and performed in other productions done by the MCYT kids - and they are very talented.

The Farndale Avenue...Macbeth is a comedy about a group of British ladies trying to put on Shakespeare's Macbeth - with some difficulty. Imagine Monty Python doing Macbeth in drag - that'll give you an idea of the spirit behind this comedy. But we have real women performing most of the roles.

Anyway, either one of these productions would be a fine night out for you and your family. Particularly if you live somewhere near southeastern Michigan. You can go to the Motor city Youth Theater website (http://mcyt.org/) for more information (you may even find a picture of me there somewhere from a previous production) - or leave me a comment, if you need me to send an email with details.

Vacation update: We went on a nature trail hike today (everyone but the Middle-Aged Woman; if you want an explanation, bug her) outside Harbor Springs. And watched Episodes 4 & 5 of The Civil War (1863). And took a walk into Petoskey State Park after dinner and strolled along the beach there. And watched Gran Torino (everyone but the Middle-Aged Woman; if you want an explanation...) - which was great.

So it was a good day. Hope yours was too.

Take care.