Miss Abigail's Guide stars Eve Plumb, the actress who played Jan Brady in The Brady Bunch, as Miss Abigail, and Manuel Herrera as Abigail's sexy sidekick, Paco. Plumb and Herrera brilliantly and hilariously play off of each other to dispense advice on "dating, mating and marriage," reviewing tidbits from antiquated books and play-acting recommended techniques on flirting. Several audience members are called up on stage during the act, and my friend was one of the lucky ones to go on stage. The interaction with the audience was a nice little touch to the show, making it feel especially intimate in an already quaint setting. (The play takes place at Sofia's Downstairs Theater and the set design made it appear as though we were simply in an extended living room.)
(photo credit: Carol Rosegg)Miss Abigail and Paco even provided cute little wallet-sized cards of advice, "Miss Abigail's 10 Commandments for Couples" and "Miss Abigail's 'Am I ready for School today'?". The former card features such advice as "Women, remember a man is only a grown up boy. He needs mothering and enjoys it if not piled on too thick" and "Men, don't take love for granted. Remember your wife wants to be treated as your sweetheart always. She wants you to woo her." And there's also: "Men, remember, marriage is a fifty-fifty proposition and you are not the majority stockholder" and "Women, don't try to boss him around. Let him think he wears the pants". Compromise, appreciation, respect and humor are all nicely intertwined as key features in these 10 commandments. The latter card, meanwhile, stressed the importance of dressing neatly and maintaining one's appearance. Personally, I take this as a given, especially in NYC, but then again, Miss Abigail did have a point when she had Paco display photos of people improperly dressed, with a "muffin-top" showing through and a "plumber's crack" on display.
All in all, while I wouldn't say that Miss Abigail's Guide was particularly revelatory, it was a nice hour and a half of old-fashioned dating advice that reminds us why old-timey values can be so important and helpful to not only remember but to practice.
Woody Allen's "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger," meanwhile, examines the lives of several family members and how their love lives seem to gradually go askew. As one of the leading characters states, yes, "You will meet a tall dark stranger" but it might be that stranger that we are all fated to meet one day: death, that is. The movie reminds us of how we all yearn to find that special someone and to have our lives neatly fall into place, while also reminding us of how unrealistic such romanticism often is. Starring such actors as Antonio Banderas and Naomi Watts, the movie is definitely well-cast and captivating, even if you may feel it's a bit dark and your strings are pulled a bit too concertedly.
After these two extremes, I would be inclined to see something like Cheek'd tonight, "a panel of single New Yorkers as they share their secret sexual behavior and and personal sex stories". As the website reads: "Cheek'd (noun): 1) a fun and non-intimidating way to meet that intriguing stranger who just sparked your interest 2) a deck of 50 cards, each bearing a flirtatious comment to pique the curiosity of your intended and a unique code linked to a private online profile that you create. With card in hand, the object of your affection can enter your code at cheek'd.com, learn more about you and send you a message. Privacy protected. Missed connection averted." It sounds like a fun, intimate evening.... but sadly I have class tonight.
And so I continue with my reality, somewhere in between Miss Abigail's fun little universe and Woody Allen's absurdist, cynical one.
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