Derby Days

April 25, 2015

 

Derby Days

I must admit, as wonderful as it was being away in California, it was equally nice coming home to Key West. Sleeping in your own bed is really an under-appreciated exercise and it was nice to be home with my lovely wife and cats. You might think that being at home would give me an opportunity to slow down and relax a little, but there is so much going on in Key West, it wasn’t really all that relaxing. Enjoyable yes, relaxing not so much.

Part of the appeal of living on this beautiful island is that there is always something going on and Kathy and I enjoy participating in as much as we can to take advantage of all that is happening. This week has been a perfect example as some of our friends are starring in the two competing major theatre productions at the same time, a rare but ultimately enjoyable experience for us and Key West theatre fans.

The first show we saw was a production of “Venus in Fur” at the Red Barn Theatre.  The show featured only two actors with no intermission, our friend the amazing Erin McKenna and Matt Hollis Hulsey. The play by David Ives and directed by Murphy Davis. It was an amazing experience, quite frankly one of the best productions ever to grace a Key West stage. Both actors were incredible and Erin simply owned the stage. Watching her development on various Key West stages over the past few years has been quite a journey and now she has reached really unprecedented heights and it is a joy to witness.

Leading Ladies Erin & Carolyn

Erin, Murphy & Matt

The second show was at the Waterfront Theatre and was yet another two actor production, this one was “Me and Jezebel” which featured our friend Carolyn Cooper and Key West icon Christopher Peterson as Bette Davis. It was yet another fantastic triumph as both actors delivered in the funny and poignant drama/comedy about the true life tale of a visit of screen legend Bette Davis to the home of playwright Elizabeth Fuller.

In addition to local theatrical productions, occasionally National tours pass through town, mostly playing at the Tennessee Williams Theatre on the campus of Florida Keys Community College. This was the case when comedienne Kathy Griffin brought her national tour of her “Like A Boss” tour to Key West. Kathy and I had the good fortune to be able to meet her before her show and we are both big fans, mostly of her hilarious New Year’s Eve gig on CNN with Anderson Cooper.

 

Jean Carper and Kathy Griffin

She is one funny lady and her sold-out show was a huge hit for Key West. Riffing on current events like the Jenner/ Kardashian family or just poking fun at celebrity in general, Griffin was fantastic, funny and provided a great show to the Key West audience. It was a great night out and a ton of fun seeing and meeting her.

 

Finally I had the chance to see the hottest new sports team in Key West, the Key West Derby Dames roller derby team as they had their second match ever against a team from Miami at the roller rink next to Key West High School. A couple of hundred people turned up to watch the Key West girls mix it up against a much more experienced team from Miami. They held their own for a half, actually leading at the midpoint before the experience factor had them falling way behind before losing big. 

 

Still it was an exciting change of pace from the usual Key West fare and it was a fun afternoon for all involved. Our friend Hannah rolled for Key West, so it was cool to have someone to root for on the team. Hopefully this is something that can become an established part of the Key West scence.

Hannah 

http://www.kathygriffin.net/