This has been a long haul -- I'm in the middle of a twelve day stretch of working nocs (nights). The closest thing have had to a break was Saturday night when the boys and I went to the fundraiser for Wise Fool Shakespeare (currently working on what I believe is their first production, The Taming of the Shrew, to be performed in... March? I think...) -- which required me to get an expensive cab after the show to get to work since the last bus on a weekend evening is at 6:45 pm (I don't start till 10:00). I thought itould be good for my 10-year-old - it was, with trying moments. It turned out that despite the trying moments it was a much needed break for me as well - though it has taken me a couple of days to figure that out. I was excited to see the ball spinning of Ren-Faire juggler Tuey Wilson from the moment I saw his promo, but after seeing the promo for the teenage magician providing the opening act I was thinking it was just all they could get or they wanted to give the kid a break.
Never judge just by what you see on YouTube. I'm posting his more recent promo (not the one I saw in advance) but it doesn't do the kid justice. In fact, we all enjoyed the magic act much more than the juggling. Tuey's banter seemed lackluster after the suaveness of the young performer opening, and I think really his Renaissance Faire productions are much more entertaining as he can do other things like walk on a burning tightrope while juggling fire, which for some reason they didn't want to do in the Mason's Hall.
This also turned out to be a trying show in some ways. Prior to going, my 10-year-old Asperger's son was having a pouty fit because he didn't want his time wasted having to watch the opening magic act which was "stupid because everyone knows it's fake." Then he cried half the way home because we sat in the balcony (I had given him the choice) and he didn't get to to be one of the kids chosen to be as "assistant" for either act -- ironically, especially the magic portion. My 21-year-old is not at all understanding about the Asperger's/autism thing and as a parent it is sometimes really hard for me to try and keep doing nice things to be met with nothing but complaints, and honestly, the older boy's response makes it worse. I can't blame either of them, it's just one of the struggles for parents with special needs kids. I had really expected the younger one to be outgrowing the melancholic tendancy by this age, but then with his social skills not at the same level as his intellectual development maybe that's wishful thinking but still on the menu for a little ways down the road. All I can say in the end was at least he had the experience and didn't actually hate either part of the show.
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My roommate's favorite (only) ex-husband was chosen to go up as part of the juggling act - they balanced spinning balls all over him while he stood on a platform that Tuey pulled around in a circle by a rope.
<photo coming soon>
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