Bossy, Bemused and Bleached

North Miami Beach, FL March 26, 2001 Aaron H.
Schectman

THINKING ALLOWED
Essays on issues, ideas and reflections on the times. Published now and
then, Opinions pro or con are welcome.
BOSSY, BEMUSED AND BLEACHED
We like to get to the theater early because of the availability of free
parking. We bring books along in order to pass the time and if we have
lunch there is still much time to fill. We also like to people watch.

The audience drifts in about an hour before the doors open and then a
steadily increasing stream of patrons pass in front of the lucky ones like
us who found comfortable seats in the lobby. I was engrossed in the Cokie
and Steve Roberts' book when Carol nudged me. Then, up until the doors
opened, we watched the passing parade.

Since this is South Florida and it was a Sunday afternoon the bossy,
bemused and bleached denizens flocked to the theater in Coconut Grove by the
busload. Immediately evident was the bossy type. She, the inevitable
widow, urged and directed a small group of which she had taken charge to go
this way and that and to dispute a great many counter offerings by the
bemused and bleached who were in her wake.

The Coconut Grove Playhouse is actually two theaters in one. The main
theater was showing a musical by Sondheim while the smaller "dinner theater"
place was playing "Karen" a three-actor mystery plotted in England. We
attended the latter.

Actually, we were all of a type. I would guess that 98% of those attending
were retirees, mostly Jewish and all living communally in condominiums. The
bossy ones were probably bossy all their lives and used to giving directions
to the bemused who went where they were told to go when they were told. The
bleached were most of the ladies who were at least 90% of the attendees who
fought off admitting their ages despite canes and achingly difficult steps
from the buses into their seats.

The men were all of a piece too. They were acting parts played all their
lives. Joking, taking the center stage and mostly talking to the other men
they were a small eddy in the swirls of ladies going to the theater - the
bossy, the bemused and the bleached. Carol's Evaluation: 10 out of 10.