I took the trek out to Waukesha in heated Friday evening traffic to lay my eyes and ears on Ernesto Cardenal, respected poet, priest and political activist of Nicaraguan origin.

I was accompanied by my husband, Julio, also Nicaraguan, in whose eyes Cardenal holds rock-star status. Cardenal got a gracious welcome at Caroll University (until recently Carroll College) in the Stackner Ballroom at the Student Center.

Cardenal offered brief commentary and then his poems were read first in English by a translator, and then read by Cardenal himself in his native Spanish. It was the first time I had heard work by a foreign author offered in this order, and I really liked it. It enabled me to get really clear on what was being said, and then to have it reiterated with the beauty and cadence of the native tongue.

In the past it seems it's always been the Spanish first, followed by the English translation. Cardenal himself clearly understood English and probably speaks it just fine, though he chose not to. And I guess when you're 83 and as well respected internationally as he is, you don't have to do anything you would rather not do.

Notably, he made reference to resisting the all-too-world-dominant American culture and government by refusing to learn English in one of his poems -- so his refusal to speak it may been his personal demonstration of resistance. Nonetheless, Cardenal did seem to get a bit frustrated during the question and answer period by the subpar translation offered to the predominantly English-speaking audience.

Listening to his poetry, I discovered that I was more in tune with Ernesto Cardenal than I ever imagined. His poems centered on themes of evolution without violence, what we have in common with extraterrestrials, Gaia the Earth Goddess, revolution to create a better reality, and the power of love. The words were beautiful and brave, and I was honored to be party to their company.

Cardenal spoke highly of the Nicaraguan…

"Well" opened the season Friday night for the Milwaukee Chamber Theatre at the Broadway Theatre Center's Cabot Theatre. It was a strong start for the new season, each play of which will examine some aspect of "family."

The play is really a "multi-character theatrical exploration" of health and wellness within individuals and a community ... or at least that is what sets out to be. It ends up cutting through the pretext, however, and getting a little more personal.

The work speaks to issues I currently explore within my own life. Adult daughters and their mothers -- I think we all have conversations we need to have but somehow manage to avoid. I, for one, know just what I have to say, but I just don't want to go there. It can just be so intense. Certainly, there must be a way around it. Yet I know I would feel a lot better if I could just put the cards on the table. Sound familiar? It is personal -- but it is also universal.

"Well" gets into the grit of family -- the beliefs, values and habits that are passed to us from our tribe and that mold and form us. We accept them until we realize we can actually choose what to keep and what to toss. The wild card, however, is that sometimes folks get stuck with things that they do not have power over. They did not choose it, but they cannot loose it.

It makes me think of that serenity prayer: "God grant me the power to change the things that I can, the courage to accept those that I cannot and the wisdom to know the difference."

At one point, a character expounds upon the fact that healthy people think that being sick is like being healthy, but you are sick on top of it, and that if you just try hard enough somehow, you can regain health. She continues to explain that being sick is actually the lack of being healthy, which is actually an entirely different state of being. Healthy people cannot imagine what they do not have, because they have always had it. Which makes it difficult to be compassion…

I took in the touring musical show "Spamalot"; last night at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts.  It razzled, it dazzled, it sparkled and popped. It also tooted (in my general direction), and definitely entertained.

It has been many years since I last watched "Monty Python and the Holy Grail"; but it all came back to me as I watched the show. How could I forget the charge to "cut down the largest tree in the forest with a herring?";

The castle of Camelot twinkled, the voice of God boomed, a sorcerer named "Tim"; hung mysteriously in midair. No cost was spared on the set, dry ice, fireworks or costuming -- indeed, lots of eye candy. Plus, there were scads of fabulous dancing, hearty singing and sword fighting. Once the tweaks got worked out with the sound in the space, the true quality of the performer's voices was able to shine through.

For a moment there, I let my feminist undies get in a bundle about women being merely cast as extraneous playthings -- but then I reminded myself that the men in the show were not really the sharpest tacks in the box either. It is just not that kind of show. So relax. It's a silly bunch of fools showing us how to have a good time -- and ultimately, it really is the lady of the lake that has all the power.

"Spamalot"; is part of the Broadway Series at the Marcus Center and runs through Sunday, May 4.

I had the honor of being in the first audience to ever enjoy Charles Randolf-Wright’s new play “The Night is a Child” this week at the Rep’s Quadracci Powerhouse Theater. The energy and feeling in the room for this final tech rehearsal was amazing, and it was fun to witness the interaction of playwright, tech crew and actors in the final stages of the “birthing process” of this amazing play.

The play was successful in portraying a mix of cultural viewpoints and what transpires as people different life experiences come together. The Brazilian setting of much of the play gave me leverage in convincing my husband to join me, as he felt he may be able to relate to it given his Latino heritage. Indeed, the play was filled with ample spatterings of Portuguese, which enriched the experience for both of us.

The play overflowed with dance, music and the mysterious workings of the devotees of Candomblé (a religion based on African traditions similar to Voodoo), providing a much-needed exotic escape from a cold Milwaukee day.

That said, the major theme of the play was that we cannot escape from the sadness and pain of life no matter how far we go, how much we drink or how hard we try to explain it away. Logic cannot account for everything, despite our strong desire for it to be so. But we can get through it. At some point we have to let go.

The play challenges stereotypes, is thought provoking and addresses difficult issues which have become the reality of our day. It is timely, relevant and accomplishes its direction in an artistically rich way.

The setting alternated, perhaps a bit too readily at times, between Boston and the aforementioned Brazil. A well-chosen closing song integrated the locations nicely with a hip-hop overlay on a Brazilian melody.