Mame

 "Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death!"

We went to see the musical "Mame" at the Ashe County Little Theatre.  All the parts were played by local actors, and they did a terrific job.  The play was set in the 1920's and Mame and her cohorts were hard drinking partiers.  When her brother dies, her nephew Patrick comes to live with her.  Not having much experience with little boys, she sends him to an alternative school where clothing is very much optional.  When his legal guardian finds out, Patrick is shipped off to a proper boys school.

Mame loses everything after the stock market crashes, but lands on her feet when she marries a rich southerner.  He later dies in an avalanche while they are vacationing in the Alps.

Patrick rebels in college and becomes engaged to a snobby, upper crust co-ed.  Mame manages to set him straight and he ends up marrying her decorator.

I loved the play so much, I ordered two "Auntie Mame" movies from Netflik.  I was surprised to see how closely the play followed the movie.  The movie with Rosalind Russell wasn't a musical, but was campy and fun.  My favorite was Lucille Ball as Mame and Bea Arthur as her boozy best friend.  Lucy has a wonderful singing voice and is always zany.  The best scene was when Mame visits the plantation of her southern beau to meet his family.  They hoodwink her into joining the fox hunt and give her the wildest horse on the plantation, Lightning.  The family is watching her run through the fields and someone yells, "She's passing the hunters, she's passing the dogs, she's passing the fox!"  She ends up falling off the horse, spots the fox in the bushes and brings it back with her.