NO DAY BUT TODAY

Last night was the closing night for this year's Kentucky Classical Theater Conservatory (KCTC) SUMMERFEST, one of my favorite parts of summers in Lexington. 

Summerfest is a series of plays and musicals set outdoors each July in the beautiful UK Arboretum.  For its 4th season, this year's lineup included Merchant of Venice, Pride and Prejudice, and RENT!  I have been waiting months since the lineup was announced to see these shows.

The best part about Summerfest is the outdoor venue.   The center of the audience is reserved for blanket seating only.  You get to bring your own blanket and have a picnic while enjoying the show.  Each performance starts at 8:45 p.m. so the weather is perfect...right at sunset on a warm summer night.   Left and right of the blanket area are the reserved chairs.  The atmosphere is casual, fun and relaxing.  Did I mention tickets are only $10?!?!   This year, my sister, Alan (bro-in-law), Mike and I bought reserved blanket season tickets and got a front row seat to every show.  Fantastic! We laid back in our Crazy Creek chairs (one of my favorite things) and had the most amazing time.

So back to last night.  The season came to a glorious close with one of my favorite musicals of all time, RENT.  I love the music of this show (I know almost every word), but more importantly, I love the message.  The show uses several non-traditional relationships to portray the importance of true love and living for the moment.   The couples are: Joanne and Maureen (the fiery, battling lesbians), Roger and Mimi (former drug addict and current drug addict; they both have AIDS), and Angel & Tom Collins (Angel is a drag queen who helps Tom after he's beaten in an alley--they also both have AIDS).

I'm so impressed that our community could produce such a powerful version of my beloved RENT.  I was near tears at several points in the show.  Kudos to the actors to bringing such passion and honesty to these characters that I love so much!  The story truly came to life and I feel so lucky to have seen it front and center. 

Here's one of my favorite songs from RENT.  "Another Day"  Mimi & Roger from the Original Broadway Cast