Review: A Play in One Act
With three characters: Dude 1, Dude 2, and Mr. Roommate:
Dude 1: Whoa, dude, that Sippy Cups song is deep!
Dude 2: Totally, dude!
Dude 1: I mean, it's about, like, life.
Dude 2: Totally.
Dude 1: It's like... a... uh... simile!
Dude 2: Simile? It is so not a simile, dude.
Dude 1: No, dude?
Dude 2: No, dude. It's a metaphor.
Dude 1: I'm not sure I agree with you, there, dude
Dude 2: Why not?
Dude 1: Well, look, there's this song, and it's about "Magic Toast," right?
Dude 2: Right.
Dude 1: And it sounds just like the Mamas and the Papas, maybe, or some psychedelic band from the late '60s, right?
Dude 2: Right.
Dude 1: So when they're talking about the magic toast and how it gives the boy a "lift," they're clearly making the analogy that breakfast is like life. And the toast is, you know...
Dude 2: Yeah, but what you're describing is a metaphor, dude. They're not using the word "like" or anything.
Dude 1: Hey, what you know about grammar, dude, could fit inside my...
Dude 1's Roommate, dressed as always in suit and tie, walks into the room.
Roommate: Oh, it's you again... dude.
Dude 2: Hey, man, what's your problem? You're always bringin' me down!
Roommate: Well, every time I come home from... what's that place called... oh, yeah, work, you two guys are sitting here eating grilled cheese sandwiches and having these abstract philosophical discussions.
Dude 1: We were not!
Roommate: Oh, really?
Dude 2: Yeah! We were having an abstract grammatical discussion.
Roommate: I don't believe it. What were you guys discussing?
Dude 1 explains the crux of the dilemma.
Roommate: Much as it pains me to say it, dude, your friend is correct. A simile is a figure of speech that expresses a resemblance between things of different kinds and is usually formed with "like" or "as." A metaphor, on the other hand, is a figure of speech in which an expression is used to refer to something that it does not literally denote in order to suggest a similarity.
Dude 1: Ah. Righteous, dude. You bring clarity.
Roommate: What I can't figure out is why you're spending the evening listening -- repeatedly -- to an album that is targeted to kids aged 2 through 7. I know, I know, it's appealing to a lot of adults, and the band's from San Francisco, but "Magic Toast" is neither simile nor metaphor... it's about TOAST! And while that song is OK (I confess to a weakness for the kazoos) and the "Snail Song" has a pretty awesome power pop finale, that's all the EP is. Two original tracks with the other two tracks just being the first two tracks overlaid with spoken word narrative.
Dude 2: Dude, you're just cheap.
Roommate: Uhhh... maybe you're right. Pass the grilled cheese sandwiches.
Dudes 1 and 2: Right on, dude.
