A Trip to Chelsea

to the Purple Rose Theatre for the Jeff Daniels play Panhandle Slim and the Oklahoma Kid.  The play is popular enough to be extended through the end of the month.  Daniels says he worked on this play for at least ten years and has rewritten it at least seven times.  Well, this rewrite was a success.   Slim is shot, hogtied, and left to die in the desert where the Kid comes upon him.  The Kid is a singing cowboy with a wit, something Slim lacks.  Slim is willing to have the Kid "shoot me!" but the Kid refuses and leaves him hogtied.  They have lengthy discussions about their lives, the good and the bad.  They finally come to grips with each other and we learn of the connection between the two.  And then they ride off into the sunset.

Fine acting includes one of our favorites Tom Whalen playing Panhandle Slim.  Tom is hogtied the entire performance.  How he does it for an hour and a half is amazing--and he does it performance after performance.  

Dinner after the play at the Common Grill.  Good food and a good play.  All in all a fun day.