Celebrating 50 Years of Marriage and Other Events

Last Friday, on the 19th of June, Bill and I celebrated 50 years of marriage! If you count the two years we spent hanging out together before the wedding day, you could call it 52 years. Wow! Who’d a thunk it! How did it happen and where has all that time gone?

When I told folks about this major landmark event, they wanted to know how we planned to celebrate such a feat. In January we considered having a big party, perhaps at one of the nearby vineyards. But as the list of those we wanted to invite grew to include well over 100 people, we stepped back and figured out that the cost and the fact that we could better enjoy our friend’s company in smaller gatherings, we nixed that idea.

Instead we spent four nights the week before in New York City enjoying the theatre. And what an amazing trip it was. I wasn’t sure it would go very smoothly with Bill still having pain from his recent knee surgery and his use of a cane. But it worked out well despite the fact that we didn’t walk the High Line as planned and our trip out to the New York Botanical Garden was cut short due to the walking.

But we did see Helen Mirren, in The Audience. Having just won a Tony for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in that play, it was an amazing evening. I was filled with awe that this actress could change costumes and go back and forth in time with the necessary changes to her body within seconds.

We also saw, Skylight, which won a Tony for the Best Revival. Both Carey Mulligan and Bill Nighy, one my very favorites, were nominated for Tonys. A love story, it’s about the reunion of two lovers who had an affair years ago and split up when the wife of the cheating husband found out about it. Now after the recent death of his wife, he tries to renew his relationship with his former lover. Both actors shine in their roles as they maneuver through the differences that time and changing norms have made to make it more difficult to come together again. It was sad and funny with reminders that life as a couple can be difficult and fraught with hazards whether marriage is involved or not.

We also saw and enjoyed, An American In Paris, the recipient of four Tonys. Both Gershwin fans, the music provided us with deep emotional connections to early musical entertainment as it was back in the day when musical giants like these brothers were at the top of their game. However, we both agreed that while everything about the show including the songs, dance, set design, lighting, and all thing technical were lovely, their was something missing. Perhaps it was Gene Kelly who starred along with Leslie Caron in the 1951 film.

But the show that blew both of us completely away was, Fun Home, based on the best selling graphic memoir by, Alison Bechdel. With music by Jeanine Tesori and book and lyrics by Lisa Kron, this show ran away with five Tony awards including Best Musical. It also ran away with our hearts. Being in the audience at Circle in Square, where the show took place surrounded by what I liken to a ball park crowd was thrilling. It was almost impossible to not join the shrill whistling of the roaring crowd, celebrating the actors, musicians, and the story of a girl who comes out of the closet as a lesbian only to discover that her dysfunctional father was also gay. Just as Bechdel’s graphic memoir sets a new bar for memoir writers, the show also sets a new standard for what musical theatre can be like in the future. Don’t miss it.

This past weekend we were delighted to spend time with our kids and grandkids. Not only were we celebrating our 50th, it was Lisa and Deena’s first LEGAL anniversary on Saturday, the 20th. They’ve been together for 18 years now and with that new event thrown in, it can be confusing as to when to celebrate their union.

They along with grandkids Zoe and Noah, shared the tab with our son, Mark, for dinner on Saturday night. The good times continued on Sunday, which was Father’s Day and the first day of what looks like it will be a hot and steamy summer.

It was a week and more filled with remembrances of times past and looking ahead into the future as both Zoe and Noah march into their 12th and 15th years over the next several months.

I don’t know where the time goes, but we sure have had fun celebrating. What big events will you be marking this year?