And a Good Time Was Had by All...

My father always claimed that you could hand actor Paul Robeson a phone book, and he could make it sound dramatic.

Well, last Wednesday at  I witnessed something comparable: What's Strunk & White, and Read All Over? The Elements of Style (subtitled An Act of Love). Actors Brian Herndon and Ken Sonkin portrayed the venerable E.B. White and William Strunk Jr. reading aloud the classic reference book owned by every English major since 1918—The Elements of Style.

Rule 11—use the active voice 

The active voice is usually more direct and vigorous than the passive:

I shall always remember my first visit to Boston.

This is much better than

My first visit to Boston will always be remembered by me.

That's right—they took turns reading rules from a manual word for word. But they did it with such expression, purpose, and humor that it was quite entertaining. In addition, each took on an identifiable persona so that rather than merely relaying information, he created a memorable character who interacted with the other. One was the stuffier, stick-to-business type; the other, a bit more mischievous and playful. Occasionally one would stray from the text to  tell the other that he was "adorable," but they were faithful to the text 99% of the time.

Musical interludes were provided by Karla Kane and the Definite Articles. Wait, I mean Karla Kane and the Definite Articles provided musical interludes. (Use the active voice!) Although Karla herself was suffering from laryngitis, the band picked up the slack and sang ditties about parts of speech from the beloved '70s Schoolhouse Rock series. They saved my favorite for last: "Conjunction Junction."

Joe Christiano, who has worked at Pegasus since 1991, began this dramatic reading series in August 2010 and calls it First Person Singular. Christiano told the East Bay Express that his idea is to "bring something to the bookstore that was as compelling and cathartic as a night in the club or a night at the theater."

I found it funny and captivating. And it was free! I can't wait for the next one...

For info on future events from First Person Singular, go to 1stpersonsingular.com

For more thoughts on books and just about anything else, read For Words @ www.tanyagrove.wordpress.com.