Yesterday was the day of Cupid, hearts coupling and passion. One would think these ingredients make for the perfect excuse to see a play or a concert. I could think of a million productions that deal with the theme of love — a million concerts that could and should have run.
- Beth Dykstra
But surprisingly, I couldn’t find a single play or concert that ran on Valentine’s Day. This is huge because we hail from the University of Michigan, a university touting an impressive music school and an abundance of fine arts events. Every day there are productions, from Basement Arts to the University Musical Society.
Realizing the news of this sudden shortage of plays and concerts, I have to admit I was mad. For once, I actually had a boyfriend to share this decidedly Hallmark day with, and it was my honest and pure intent to culturalize him — whether he liked it or not.
And so now I make my plea. For one day a year, women — and I’m sorry to make the generalization for all females, but honestly when was the last time you heard your boyfriend beg you to see “Romeo and Juliet” or “Midsummer’s Night Dream” — get to drag our significant others to something we want to see. Oh, I’ve sat through “Scarface” a couple times, but on Valentine’s Day, I am endowed with the power of Hallmark to drag his ass off the futon and to the theater.
But alas, cruel fate, here is where we meet our match. The Kryptonite to our newly polished Supergirlfriend alter egos, this year there was nothing — not one play, one musical or one opera that ran on the celebrated holiday. Ughh. I guess I could just bitch, but instead I want to know why. I know it was Monday, and, believe me, I’ve had a case of the Mondays more than once. But, come on, couldn’t there have been even one exception. If Hallmark can make millions of dollars from this commercialized holiday, I feel as if the fine arts world can cash in as well — and I’m more than happy to help them out.
Maybe more than just a reflection of the holiday, this could be a farfetched reflection on society in general. I know I’m jumping to conclusions here, and I am admittedly a tad out there, so bear with me. Maybe we’re so set in our ways — so set in our mindset that Mondays are immediately equated with work — and in general, just sucking, that no matter what, the fine arts world feels that it could never lure people in on such a cursed day of the week — even if such a day happens to start with a “V.”
I don’t know about you, but this could have been one Monday when a smile would have graced my face. One Monday, where, after the tedium involved in school and all that it entails, I could have looked forward to cuddling up with my boy and being swept away by the magic enacted in front of me on a stage.
This could have been a Monday not cursed with a red stapler but blessed with a red curtain. And for all that this Valentine’s Day could have been, and, for what it stopped short of, I urge those inv olved in performances to widen their tunnel vision.
Yeah, Mondays are prone to suck, but when the Monday is correlated with a day meant just for lovers, then they need to run performances.
— Are you a guy who doesn’t like all this Fine Arts stuff on Valentine’s Day? E-mail Victoria with your complaints about the lack of football coverage at victoros@umich.edu.