a heavy play (lyn)

I meet Jill to see The Whale, a new off-Broadway play about a 600-pound man.  I send her a note beforehand: 

Should we just meet in our seats around 7:15 tonight?  

Or,are you up for a cheap dinner in the neighborhood of the theater.  

Let me know.  if yes, I can pick a place (unless you know one) and 

we should meet at 6.

She writes back from her new iPhone:  Seat. 

Jill is still adjusting to the transition from her Blackberry and finds the onscreen keyboard less friendly than what she’s used to.  But this is nothing compared to her switch, also this week, from Time Warner Cable to FIOS. This involves an hour and twenty minute wait to return a cable box, and then spending almost 8 hours in her apartment with a FIOS guy, who still needs to return the next day.  And then, also this week, she is forced to get a new computer when her screen turns black.  And that’s when she learns that transferring from Entourage to Apple Mail is not simple.  I think recovering from a root canal would be a less painful way to spend the week.

The play is not a happy one. At nearly two-hours, with no intermission, it is one of those plays that require a one-act to prevent people from leaving.  The continual wheezing of the gigantic man onstage could be off-putting to some, but the throwing up of a meatball sub is definitely unsettling to all.

The story, though, is a compelling one, and the lead character is sympathetic.  His mean daughter is not. 

As tough as our sons can sometimes me, they are both much kinder and nicer than the cruel girl on stage.  She has no friends, and blogs about all the people she hates, including her single mother.

We leave the theater grateful for our skinny waists and loving children.