Cat soon out of the 'Crazy Bag'

There is a little secret in this county, and I am most certain the cat will soon be out of the "Crazy Bag".

I attended a new play at the Backstage Theatre in Breckenridge, and to my astonishment, it was the best play I've seen in over a decade. The name of the play is "Crazy Bag," written and acted by the stunning and sensual Murphy Funkhouser. This is a call to all women of Summit County to get the girls together to go see this play, which has already received the best actress, best direction and best set design at the Colorado Theatre Awards. This has serious potential for a national tour. I can not believe that we are fortunate enough to save on a tank of gas by seeing it in our own back yard!

Because of Murphy Funkhouser's powerful and hilarious outlook on life, we recognize a part of ourselves through her brilliant, giving, emotionally raw work - a magical validation given to us through her muse. How wonderful it is to experience a part of the female human spirit through the selfless giving of her soul to us on stage.

Witnessing not only women in the audience, but also men - crying like babies during several heart wrenching scenes in the play, it sends us on a roller coaster ride of charged emotions and dark places in which we normally don't psychologically travel. It invites us to explore ourselves and how we choose to hide from painful circumstances. It takes us on a rhapsody of devilish playgrounds as well as the starkness of "the morning after" ... and everything in between.

Ramifications of our own actions seem to come to the surface and swim along with the character as if we are drowning in the reality of our own regrets, then a life line appears in the sense of great humor and candor ... which makes us, like a Greek play, laugh and learn by her, and ultimately, learn by our own mistakes.

I highly encourage men and women in our community to come forward and support one of their own! Funkhouser has a talent to not only share her own Crazy Bag, but hauntingly opens up our own, as well.