One of the things I enjoy about going out of town to see something is the opportunity to eat at different restaurants. The Brockport Diner was conveniently on the way to the Tower Fine Arts Center at SUNY Brockport, so we decided to stop there for dinner. While waiting in line to be seated, I scanned the specials board and saw macaroni and cheese. I'm not a huge mac ‘n cheese fan, but I just had a feeling that here it was going to be really good. And the fact that it was a special and already made sealed the deal. It came with a salad and bread and served in a huge bowl. Thick real cheese smothered elbow noodles that were so soft you didn't need teeth to eat it. It was what Brits call nursery food. Extremely yummy stick-to-the-ribs comfort food. And the leftovers were my lunches for the next two days. My friend's beef stroganoff, also a special, was just as good on all counts.

Disclaimer: I had a special reason to go see SUNY Brockport's "Dancing at Lughnasa." My son, Spencer Christiano, plays the part of Michael, the narrator of the play. In the play by Brian Friel, Michael recalls a summer spent with his mother and her four sisters leading up to the Gaelic holiday of Lughnasa.

It seems that many theatetgoers expect a lot of flash. They want the story to move at a sprint, for sets and scenes to change quickly, and for lights to be a production. "Dancing" is not like that. It's more like a leisurely stroll down a memory lane that quiets you inside and leaves you feeling completely fulfilled.

The set, designed by John Haldoupis, was stunningly simple. The muted colorings were warm and comfy, and there wasn't anything on stage that didn't need to be there, yet nothing was lacking. It drew me in and I felt like I was sitting in as part of the family.

Having seen many a play as a stage mom, one of the things I noticed about this production was that my attention was directed only to where it was supposed to be. There was no superfluous busyness happening on another part of the stage that pulls you away from the action. That's a very good thing, since the script is intelligently written and I didn't want to miss any of the subtleties.

Nikki Trombley as Rose, the "touched" one, was delightful. When I saw Amanda Charlebois (Kate ) after the show, I didn't even recognize her as she seemed impossibly young to have played someone so old. Kenan Bloom (Gerry) reminded me of Alistair in the Britcom "As Time Goes By." Vroom, vroom vroom! And Andrea Macy played a perfect Maggie, tying the family together. Of course, my son was flawless. Really.

Footnote: I don't know who the costume designer was - I gave my program to Johnny of the titular Irish Pub - but I want all the woman's shoes. At the very least, Kate and Agnes'.