Pity the poor biker man beset by ‘brazen’ women
After yearlong hiatus, there’s some ‘Magic’ coming in our future
Dear Miss Manners :Afew years ago, I was riding my motorcycle and pulled into a parking lot. I noticed a woman coming out of a coffee shop and pausing to look at me. Yes, I looked at her for a brief second as I parked. I then pulled out my phone and looked up my destination, still sitting on my bike.
This woman came up to me and said hi. I said hi back, and then she proceeded to ask me if I could take off my helmet — she said she wanted to see how old I was because the helmet always throws her off. I thought, “You have some nerve!”
I wonder what you would think, Miss Manners, if I walked up to your car window and knocked and said, “Hi, could you roll down your window so I can see if you’re pretty or young enough for me?” I bet that would go very well.
This isn’t the only incident that I have experienced with brazen women, but it is the most egregious.
Dating in the U.S. is one-sided. The average woman has 100 messages in her dating apps and the average guy has seven.
It truly is a woman’s world and us average guys are left feeling like we are on display, or like we are back in elementary school, hoping someone will pick us in a game of
Red Rover, but never getting picked.
Please advise me where I can find a woman who values the content of my character more than the beauty that I have, which is only skin-deep.
Gentle Reader: The argument that this is a woman’s world — and that men are only regarded for their looks — is not going to gain much traction, Miss Manners is afraid. Nor make you any more popular.
However, it is true that no human, of any gender, should be treated as you describe. In your situation, you might have said, “I beg your pardon? My helmet is on for my own protection” and left the impertinent woman to ponder from what — or whom — you were actually being protected.
On many levels, “Magic” is about strength and perseverance.
The show, which will be the first in a year staged by the Muhlenberg Theatre & Dance Department, came together over Zoom rehearsals as the COVID-19 pandemic persisted in the Lehigh Valley.
“Everyone is happy to be getting back to what we do, even if it’s a little different than what it usually looks like,” said Scott Snyder, the department’s marketing manager.
“Magic” will make its debut on March 18 and will be a live performance, televised through a webinar format. It’s as close to watching it in-person as you can get without actually being here.
The production was written and directed by Kiyaana Cox Jones, with original choreography by Randall Anthony Smith, assistant professor of Black dance and choreography.
The play is about Magic, a young Black woman, who wakes up after an accident, unable to remember what makes her magical. With the help of Griots — Black women who tell their ancestral stories — and her own ancestors, Magic undergoes a quest to find her magic.
“The play is centralized around the Black female experience, but that is not to say that this encapsulates every female Black woman,”
said Smith, in a news release. “I know that there are a lot of Black, Brown, Asian, and Indigenous people — marginalized people — that will see themselves in ‘Magic.’ ”
“Magic is also a “Restorative Theater” production, which prioritizes the emotional and mental health of the performers. Jones — who is studying at the International Institute of Restorative Practice, in Bethlehem — asks the actors to undertake “self-character analysis,” in which the actors focus on discovering their characters’ wants and needs and examining how they intersect with their own.
The choreography for “Magic” will showcase Black modern and contemporary dance and feature videography by Muhlenberg junior Jill Smith. Costume designs will be created by resident designer Alexis Gurst.
“Magic” will use a range of multimedia elements for its storytelling, including news clips and the actors’ personal videos reflecting on the process. Music from Aretha Franklin, Lil Kim, and Megan Thee Stallion is also incorporated into the production.
“Magic” is the first production in the mostly virtual Mnemonic Theatre Festival at Muhlenberg, running through May.
‘MAGIC’
Staged by: Muhlenberg Theatre & Dance Department
Show dates: 7 p.m. Friday, March 19; 3 p.m. Saturday, March 20; and 3 p.m. Sunday, March 21. Register: muhlenberg.edu/ seeashow
Morning Call features reporter Jennifer Sheehan can be reached at 610-820-6628 or jennifer.sheehan@mcall.com.