A Journey into Darkness

Our time at our fourty acre property in a State Forest, along a stretch of pristine fresh water river, is coming to an end. Daughter and Son and most of their children are coming for Christmas, after their parties and school outings, all quite a way from here.
Before they came Patricia and I decided  that we must also go out and celibrate ourselves and  thus started an extraordinary journey into an unexpected world of Dark Theatre - In the dark literally.
This is my story, so please,if you will, imagine you are walking down a small town street and there in a window is an almost frightening poster, advertising a local Theatres adaptation of Charles Dickens 'A Christmas Carol'   I hesitated, but Patricia purchased the tickets anyway and said it would be a nice outing. On Saturday 14 December 2013 at aroun d 7.30 my 'Journey into Darkness' began.
Here is the  Poster. Sorry I have tried to paste a poster image but age defies me, there must be a right click somewhere.
A word picture of the poster-----

 
IMAGINE IF YOU WILL, A BLACK DOOR WITH BLOOD RED WREATH, SURROUNDING A DOOR KNOCKER OF GARGOYLE IMAGERY. THE SWINGING KNOCKER IS HELD BY THE TEETH OF A WHITE SKULL LIKE FACE WITH ONE EYE NORMAL AND THE OTHER QUITE LARGE AND ROUND INSANE STARING STRAIGHT AT YO U.
  


As with our little outings at our town at the mouth of the River Clyde before it hits the Tasman Sea, we had a lite meal of Fish Chips and Salad plus a glass of wine and we were off to the Theatre.
It began with people dressed as Dickens would have known well, singing carols. It was odd because they sounded rather wooden, without any sign of joy. They came into the venue and we all ventured to our seats, having said hello to freinds and aqaintances.
The lights went out to very very dim stage, made up of three small very lowly lit sets with black fly net in front of each one. Ha I thought the figure THREE , the prime number with a 'beginning', 'middle' and 'end' as the  life Before; Present and Future of Dickens classic tale. Any moment now I thought the Spot lights would go on one of the sets and the nets would go up, but this was not to be. The first was Scooge sitting at a desk  and Hum- Bug in a dimly lit set ,behind a black fly net screen.
The two hours was spent mostly in the dark with dim lit three sets. The occasional bright spots with "Lighting" to traditional theatre standards was Ok. What was the problem or was it me, just maybe it was Briilliant and possibly Avant-Garde, suitable for the Edinburgh fringe theatre or a New York alternative audiance.
I just could not get rid of the horrible feeling of a Journey into Darkness and a too close a look unto a very disturbed mind or minds or theatre. I have tried to clear the feeling, but it follows  me  everywhere.
This a short blog for Christmas 2013. O'Dear 13 another Prime and the notoriously unlucky number and for many, was linked to the 13 who sat at the Last Supper. Starting medieval times I believe.
I am sure I will cheer up on the birthday of the year---------Happy Christmas.
Malcolm E Mason.Sitting amongst happy children and mother and daughter discussing the Christmas day dinner. Oh yes, come on 2014, 14 a good steady  number.     
Bye for now.The poster was frightening to me. The show was frightening to me and the memory is still frightening to me ------ Goodness I ,must be getting old, or there is something in my past that prompts this terrible feeling of mine.  Enough enough Mason, about this Journey into Darkness and move on -  Yes?. 

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