We were encount’red by a mighty rock – COMEDY OF ERRORS, I i

As is my wont, I’ve made another opening night mix. I don’t know that anyone else listens to these. I’ve long ago established that I do not particularly care. I am entertained and as far as pondering what My Life’s Meaning might be, so far that’s the nearest I can figure.

So enjoy, cast and crew of Kentucky Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors, and anyone else who might stumble across this and be fool enough to hit the wrong button.

A Mighty Rock Playlist:

1. “I Fought the Law” – The Clash: Seriously, Syracusian. “Against our laws,/ Against my crown, my oath, my dignity,/ Which princes, would they, may not disannul…”;
2. “Chains” – The Cookies: Symbolic? Literal? Both? Shackles, carcanets, and obligations abound;
3.  “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay” – Staple Singers: Poor Egeon. The lyrics to this one work surprisingly well;
4. “Duke’s Place” – Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington: “C-Jam Blues” with lyrics (barely), but I’m playing the Duke, so he gets a song;
5. “My Evil Twin” – They Might Be Giants: I know not which is which;
6. “It Takes Two” – The Four Sonics: I know, I know, I know what you’re going to say – Rob Base & E-Z Rock work, too (“Because I get stupid, I mean outrageous/ Stay away from me if you’re contagious” is nothing if not resonant with this text), but I like to shine a light into a forgotten corner now and again;
7.  “The Patience of Angels” – Eddi Readers: I lost count of how many times “patience” is (ineffectively) spoken in this play – the actress playing Adriana (who is also my wife) hears it as a trigger word by the time the Abbess uses it on her in Act V;
8. “I Wish I Were Twins” – Ella Logan with Adrian Rollini & His Ramblers: I also highly recommend Fats Waller’s take(s) on this, but I also love the sound of this band, so…;
9. “Little Sister/Get Back” – Elvis Presley: this is from That’s the Way It Is, 1970, fine early-Vegas Elvis. I’d’ve gone with the old RCA recording for Luciana alone, but “Get Back” is also a useful refrain for all the unwelcome refugees from Syracuse.
10. “Here Comes Your Man” – The Pixies: Luciana says this line & I hear it offstage & it always puts this in my head, so now, I put it in yours. You’re welcome;
11. “Brother’s Gonna Work It Out” – Willie Hutch: from The Mack OST. I remember when The Mack finally came out on VHS. I was working at a video store & there was serious excitement from multiple customers. So I figured I had to watch it, too, right? Anyway. Errors-wise, Brother does, eventually, (spoiler) work it out;
12. “Workin’ Girl” – Roger Miller: And one for the Courtesan, who seems to be self-employed, unlike some of the workin’ girls in The Mack. Good for her;
13. “Chain of Fools” – Aretha Franklin: Another obvious choice. I don’t remember not knowing/not being delighted by this song;
14. “You Can’t Love Two” – Dinah Washington: bad news, Adriana. I see that look when you find out. I see that option entertained. Sorry;
15. “Two Loves Have I” – Bill “Bass” Gordon & His Colonials: That is not a rebuttal, Adriana. Bonus points for quoting the gross Sonnet 144. (Enjoy the guitar solo by…time-traveling Marc Ribot?);
16. “Twin Soliloquies” – Keely Smith & Frank Sinatra: I mostly chose this because of the title, but I like to think it works as an Egeon/Emilia backstory of sorts (minus the “Frenchman”). I always wondered if there’s a finished version of this song in a trunk somewhere…;
17. “Once in a Lifetime” – Talking Heads: This is not, sirrah, your beautiful wife;
18. “Double Vision” – Brave Combo: nothing beats a good arrangement. There’s a lot of going from one to another extreme in this play. “I think you all have drunk of Circe’s cup.” Ergo;
19. “The Parent Trap” – Annette Funicello & Tommy Sands: I think there’s a way to play this whole thing as an elaborate infant plan by the Antipholuseses to help out their parents’ marriage. I’ll get back to you – see you in Staunton, VA;
20. “Double Shot (of My Baby’s Love)” – Swingin’ Medallions: Oh, frat surf rock, what glories you gave us in your brief life;
21. “End of the Rope” – They Might Be Giants: this is more or less asked non-figuratively by Antipholus of Ephesus. Other thoughts on this entire album as it might relate to Hamlethere…;
22. “The Laws Have Changed” – The New Pornographers: The Duke, like so many authority figures in the fifth acts of comedies, decide the fuss should just be over and the laws they were so keen to uphold in the first scene are with a blithe, offhand line cast aside, to everyone’s good, mostly. Why not?;
23. “Chains of Love” – J.J. Barnes: What, you wanted Erasure? It’s a comedy!
24. “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” – The Hollies: And let that be a lesson to us all.

Break legs, y’all!