Dean and I just got back from seeing "Coco's Diary" at the History Theatre in St. Paul. I highly recommend it. It's only playing two more days, Saturday and Sunday. Writer Peg Meier had found a copy of the diary at the History Center and had it published by the University of Minnesota Press under the title "Through No Fault of My Own." I went to her author talk at my library in December, where she was passing out flyers about the upcoming play. It's the story of Coco Irvine, who grew up in the house that is now the governor's mansion, told through her diary for 1927, when she was thirteen. She was a lively girl who loved jokes and pranks and was interested in boys, especially Him. There was a nice write-up in the Strib about it. The acting really brought it to life, with just three actors. Young Coco was a charming little ham, and the actors playing adult Coco and brother Tom also played all the other characters mentioned in the diary. Tom even played several women. Both also played the piano, and all three sang songs of that era. Dean and I recognized most of them from our piano rolls. Dean realized that his mother was almost exactly the same age as Coco. In our program book, they say that if we give our ticket stubs to friends, they will get $10 off adult or senior admission. So if you'd like to go, contact Dean. First come, first serve.
