At The Reunion

AT THE REUNION

At the Reunion follows the recipe to the letter: upon entering the Stephen A. Douglas Memorial Dining Room for the Carrollton College reunion of the class of ’73, we are directed to the registration table to pick up name tags and souvenir booklets. The booklet explains that the preponderance of the number 17 in the life of the school’s founder led to the custom of celebrating reunions every 17 years. The school mascot, naturally, is the cicada. (“You can stomp us, you can squish us, kill us by the pound,” goes the college fight song. “In another 17 years, we’ll be back around.”) The college motto is “Carpe Diem Ante Meridian [sic]” (literally, “Pluck the day before it’s half over”). The waiters, uniformed in the school colors, introduce themselves as members of the High Sci Fi fraternity, the secret handshake of which I promised not to reveal, but which will be easily recognized by Star Trek fans.

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At the Reunion is not for everyone, and theatergoing purists may object to this kind of bread-and-circus approach to dramatic appreciation. But given the general trend in our culture toward one-stop convenience in all matters, the Set Gourmet Theatre represents a logical and innovative concept in entertainment, and At the Reunion is a pleasant and innocuous accompaniment to an excellent dinner (credit to chef Rich Ladd and his staff).