Thylvethter here. Thylvethter
the Cat, the perpetual purthuer of the Tweedy Bird. Thith time each year, I am tranthformed
into the thlobberin’, thoccotathsh
thufferin’, fowlly fruthtrated feline of cartoon fame. [Editor’s note: For
your sanity’s sake, Sylvester asked that the rest of his column appear in its
human translation.]
Tonight I sit on my front porch, jack-o-lanterns warming my
paws, laptop warming my lap, tapping out words as the music of shrieks and
laughter rise and fall like waves across this lovely autumn eve. I’ve been
Sylvester for 15+ years, ever since my super-seamstress mom sewed this costume.
Initially, it was just something to wear on the Halloween trail with my kids.
But just as Jim Carrey’s character in “The Mask” became the character *of* the
mask, I found myself transformed behind the wacky visage of Sylvester. The
walk, the talk, the antics…the costume gave my “inner Sylvester” passage to my
outer life.
Sylvester opened up a new world to me. Among adults, I could
be an R-rated comic, full of racy puns and political punches. My best “bad
Sylvester” day was when an elderly co-worker led me for a lunch hour through the
plazas and restaurants of the Financial District. But the true magic is among
the children. Under a certain age, they withdraw in terror; above that age,
they take delight in the costume and the shtick. But for that certain pre-schooler age, I *am* Sylvester. Like Disneyland, but,
unlike mute Mickey and Minnie, I can *talk*. To see the look in their eyes and
hear the sound of their voice when they say “Hi, Sylvester”… well, there’s
nothing else quite like it. Too bad Halloween comes but once a year!
That must be a large part of Halloween’s allure, the
enchantment of the masquerade. Last weekend I attended what may become a famous
Petaluma tradition, the (third) Annual Spooky Chicken Halloween Ball at the
Phoenix Theater. That Saturday night the teens gave way to the adults, and a
wilder-looking group of adults I’ve never seen this side of The City. Not
enough space here to begin to describe some of the outfits; I’ll leave it at
this: if you get the chance to go next year, do it! (It benefits the Phoenix,
too!)
As a judge in the Phoenix costume contest, I was partial to
those who, like Sylvester, became their character. It makes me wonder, how
might the world be different if we routinely dressed up and acted like our
heroes and role models. I recall once having an awful surf session at Bolinas
when I got the idea to pretend I was long-board legend Joel Tudor. Snap! my
performance (and pleasure) immediately doubled, nowhere near Joel’s, but
pushing up on the limits of my skills.
What if we all imagined ourselves as Gandhi or Mother Teresa
as we went about our daily lives? What if President Bush dressed up and tried
to think like Jesus when he reviewed the proposed Federal Budget, weighing the
value of food and medicine for the young and aged versus permanent repeal of the
estate tax for billionaires? What if Dick Cheney were to don the garb of St.
Francis of Assisi and walk humbly, alone, in the wild quietude of the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge, contemplating the relative worth of delaying an increase
in SUV mileage standards. What if we wore the mask of our political adversaries?
Can you imagine David Keller acting as Mike O’Brien, and vice versa?
I enjoyed some really fine acting at the Cinnabar a few days
ago. Unusual, too… if you think that a dramatic operetta done entirely in intelligent
and intelligible rap, with tightly choreographed hip-hop dance, is not ordinary
opera fare. “Beatbox” is a vibrant, uplifting
performance by Felonius: onelovehiphop,
an Oakland-based music and theater collective. It’s “West Side Story” for 2005,
baring the aspirations and frustrations of life on the urban streetscape. Beatbox plays for the next 3 nights (see
cinnabartheater.org, call 763-8920.) If you want to hear jaw-dropping
percussive vocalizations (without excessive cussing) and world class turntable deejaysmanship, or if you just want an entertaining way to
round out your cultural literacy, check it out (y’all.)