Rum-induced Recap

Friday I went to a musical. I adore musicals really. Even the cheesy ones; or perhaps especially the cheesy ones. I have a special fondness for ones with sailors in them, so I absolutely adore "Anchors Aweigh" and "On the Town." (Not a lot of pirate musicals, so sailors are the next best thing to a pirate in uniform. And a little more hygenic.)

I saw Camelot. Now normally I'm not a Camelot sort of person. I find people who can't make up their mind who they're in love with to be a royal pain in the ass. Yes, yes, Guenivere, that icon of Chivalry and Middle Ages Original Soap--I think she's a twit. Here she is married to King Arthur, who clearly adores her and isn't that bad to look at. I mean, he's not Larry the Cable Guy or anything, which if he were, would certainly explain her fixation on Lancelot. But he's not. He's good looking, he's strong, he's heroic! And what's wrong? She wants this twit over in the corner, whom she can't technically have. Lancelot.

I find Guenivere to be a product of her youth, who is constantly yearning for things they can't have and totally oblivious to the things they do have. And Lancelot is younger, more her age, and looks really good in his armor, maybe. Whatever. It's like making a decision between Brad Pitt and George Clooney. If you're married to George Clooney, what the fuck are you arguing that you can't have Brad? Who cares? I assure you no one else feels sorry on your behalf. Hence my problem with Ginny. She falls "in love" with Brad. Come on. And this leads me into a whole other argument about what love really is. Is it some fleeting passion that is a love at first sight sort of thing, or is it a choice? You choose to love someone, at least to some degree; and since people fall in and out of love quite a bit, you have to choose to continue loving that person even when you're not so enamored with them at the moment--because eventually it'll come back around. It's cyclical. Hang in there.

But no, I'm at this musical, watching Ginny fall in love with Brad, who is as conceited as he could possibly get. Enough to where you're laughing hysterically at just how arrogant he really is. I mean, sure he really is THAT good, but it's still pretty funny. He's so clearly...20 or 22 tops. Young, young, young.

All in all, the musical told the story as we've always known it. Camelot falls due to this doomed love affair. Ginny goes to live in a nunnery; Lancelot goes off to do his thing; and Arthur dies in battle. The story lives on.

Of course, it reminds me much of Tristan and Isolde, or the Helen of Troy saga. In fact, this is a common theme. Young girl marries older guy, has a pretty good marriage and all is well, then falls in love with hot young stud--and the world goes to hell in a handbasket. I'm thinking, maybe the older guys should stop dating all these young women. They're too young to know what they want. No, George Clooney, don't reach for Scarlett Johansen--she's but 22 or so. You need an older girl, one who knows clearly what love is...and won't go roaming off with the nearest Brad. Someone who is say, 31 or 32, drinks rum, and has a fondness for musicals--who can see the sad, sad patterns for what they are!