Cultured Pearls for a Cultured Girl

That’s my showgirl there, all dolled up and ready to go out with her guy. She’s got her new never been worn before outfit on and my mother’s pearls. My dad sent them to her, with the proviso that I post a picture of her wearing them on this blog. The necklace, earrings and ring [Not shown, I blame the photographer.] are all cultured pearls, purchased in Japan, almost sixty years ago, about ten years after the war. I did manage to get her pearly whites in the shot though. Dinner was at CJ Muggs one of our three favorite pre-Rep dining spots. The show, this season’s finale, was “Noises Off”:

Disasters abound as a frantic, sleep-deprived touring company of actors rehearses and performs their fictional farce, “Nothing On”. Too many doors, too many sardines and not near enough time combine to create a riotously funny situation on and off stage for both cast and crew. Michael Frayn’s intricately crafted mayhem is hailed as one of the greatest comedies ever.

We had seen or at least had try to see “Noises Off” years ago, when it was performed at Maplewood-Richmond Heights High School. This was back in the day when Dave was attending Rochester and as fate had willed, he was flying in the night of the performance. We figured that we could at least watch the first act, before we had to go to the airport. We enjoyed that act so much that it was with some reluctance that we headed off to the airport. We were halfway there, when a text arrived alerting us that his flight would be delayed. We turned the car around and caught the third and final act of the play, but missing that crucial middle act led to a lot of confusion on our part.

When we heard that the Rep would be producing “Noises Off” we were extremely pleased about that. It would give us a chance to fill in the missing act. As an aside, this production’s company includes Joneal Joplin, the hardest working actor in Saint Louis. The Rep structured the play as two acts, with one intermission. In addition to the play itself, the liner notes for the play within a play, “Nothing On”, are hilarious too.

Take back your mink
Take back your pearls
What made you think?
That I was one of those girls
Sung by Adelaide and her Debutantes
From “Guys and Dolls”