Natural History, the play and the surroundings

Through the magic of synchronicity, Ron and I were invited to visit friends vacationing in what the local library calls the "hamlet" of Cragsmoor, set between the Catskill Mountains and the Hudson River, surrounded by the spectacular Shawangunk Mountains.   It's only a two-hour drive into upstate New York.  At the same time, Natural History, a play we wanted to see, was opening nearby.

Though we live on a high floor in a Manhattan apartment in an area known as Morningside Heights, our panoramic view of bridges and buildings is less awe-inspiring than this one from the porch of Mike and Mary's rented cottage.  Well, perhaps if you were very accustomed to natural history, our brick and steel scene calls up a "Wow!"  But there is something about hills and mountains and lake that speaks to that side of me longing for a more untouched environment.  Mike burst that bubble when he pointed out that  much of the landscape has been entirely changed from the time it was first encountered in earlier centuries.

Okay, but I'll stay with my fantasy.  And the quiet.  The City has become noisier over the ten years we've been back.  With greater prosperity there are more vehicles--so many tour buses in Harlem-- and car horns.  I am typical of very urban types who long for respite elsewhere.*

Cragsmoor is one of several late 19th century artists' colonies upstate.  (Sketchy Wikipedia link does not include painters and artisans for whom the area is famous.)  On our way into town, we visited its famous "Stone Church," a small, pretty structure (photo in above link) begun in 1895.  Even quieter within than outside, I especially admired this stained glass window from the Tiffany Studios.

Shadowland Theatre in Ellenville was our destination for Jennifer Camp's play, Natural History.  It's a compact downtown in what was once known as the "Borscht Belt." In the summer, early 20th century immigrant Jewish families took long bus rides for escape from the crowded tenements of New York City.  Abandoned, then revived, this former movie house showcases up and coming playwrights.

Imaginatively staged with a simulation of the American Museum of Natural History entrance lobby, the four separate scenes--three actors playing nine roles!--also effectively used video on large screens.  Each scene centered around romantic relationships-- hilarious, hesitant first meeting, anxious couple's struggle to conceive, youthful, tragic loss of a partner, and divorce.  The four of us were enthusiastic about the work.  I was struck by a dark undercurrent in each story that contrasted with comic moments and fast-paced very New York exchanges. 

The actor Anthony Blaha impressed me.  He projected convincingly in a wide range of characters-- a young man triangulated into his parents' dysfunctional marriage, a gay man who has lost his partner, and a romantic medical student in pursuit of a much older woman physician.   In that last one, "The Big Bang," all three characters were doctors. I'm not sure you'd be drawn to any of them for health care once you knew their personal stories!  A local reviewer offers more details about the play and actors. 

[Another disclaimer: Jen Camp was the excellent teacher who challenged me to finish my first one-act play .]

*Note:  Unfortunately these areas are not amiable places for older Americans.  Each year there are fewer doctors outside large metropolitan areas as this New York Times article makes painfully clear.

Comments

[doulicia]

It sounds like the perfect getaway. And the photos reinforce that!

[marianne]

I would thoroughly enjoy such a play. I, personally, need that underlying darkness, the mystery of human relation. Coupled with humor, it keeps me passionate. I'm going to look and see if it might be coming out our way. And then, I have to say, I LOVE the actor's name, "Blaha!" it sounds like a gleeful explosion of laughter to me. :) Sounds like a perfect get-a-way that was meant to be.

[Ann]

Couple of notes: I come from a parish in Buffalo NY that has several breathtakingly beautiful Tiffany stained glass windows; the one you show is equally beautiful. I agree about health care. My town in Tennessee is known as a "retirement capital," but the medical infrastructure is not there yet, and people often leave because they must travel an hour or more for specialized medical care. But I hope our generation will help get quality medical care where it should be.