Albuquerque Trip (cont.)

picture: l-r; me cozy on the couch, time to eat @ the 66 Diner, Sol Arts stage.

...with my luggage due to arrive, we headed back to the airport and I was saved from having to wear the same outfit all weekend! lol. The afternoon was spent back at Yo and Zac's cozy apartment just shooting the breeze and chatting. The evening's plans included dinner and two plays at the Sol Arts Theater near downtown Albuquerque. With so many choices of great places to eat...I just HAD to opt for the famous Route 66 Diner on Central Ave. I highly recommend it to anyone visiting or just passing thru Albuquerque. Since "great minds think alike"...both Yo and I had the delicious "Albuquerque Turkey" Sandwich. I'm glad that you are never in danger of being without the choice of red or green chili while in the Land of Enchantment! After dinner, we headed off to the Sol Arts Performance Space for 2 one-act plays by up and coming playwrites from the University of New Mexico. The first of the night was called "A Day at the Nighthawk" by Native playwrite Terry Gomez.

"Synopsis: The Nighthawk is a cafe' on the rez. What happens here reveals the hilarious fantasies of a Native American woman. Trapped in a diner world, the woman, Hope, challenges her real-life demons and makes a life altering decision. "


In the course of the day, Hope's internal struggle plays out before our eyes. She, like most women, dream about what COULD BE in life...but then the reality of WHAT IS made this play funny and quite intense at times. The dream sequences were good for a laugh. I enjoyed the following scene imparticular : Hope surrenders to her romantic notions about her short-order cook called "Pixel"... who comes out from behind the counter wearing one of those frilly,"pouffey" shirts like you see on the cover of cheap romance novels...and the other players fanning him with a piece of cardboard to create the effect that his hair and shirt are blowing in the wind as he stands tall and strong...ready to rescue Hope from her dismal circumstances. In a side note...anyone else notice how Mariah Carey is never without her wind machine these days? LOL...okay back to the play. I enjoyed it, but think it would have been better with real native actors... non-native people trying to "play" ndn's?...I think not...it didn't work in the John Wayne movies...and it still doesn't work today.

At intermission, Yolanda and I perused the creative renderings of local artists in the small gallery front of the performance theater. The "concession stand" was wheeled out on a busing cart that had a varied selection of candy bars and soft drinks along with a coffee can with a sign that simply displayed "concessions $1.00", "how quaint", I thought. I bought a kit kat bar and was ready to absorb the next show entitled: Secrets and Other Indulgences by Rebecca Orchant.

Synopsis: David and Ellis meet, fall in love, and the countdown begins; whose secrets will come out first? Do they sift through the debris and rebuild together? Or do they pack up the wreakage and load another bag into their smarte-carts of emotional baggage? A story about whether "who you are" is enough to jeopardize "who you are to become".

I thorougly enjoyed this performance! The actors were believable, the dialogue was clever, intelligent and engaging. At times, a monologue by "Ellis" almost brought tears to my eyes. You really have to admire the theatrical arts....and how a talented actor can pull you into the raw emotion of the moment...all of this with only the spoken word...no manipulative musical score, no mood enhancing lighting arrangements....just words, gestures, expressions and moments of poignant silence.