Between the ages of four and eight, my son was enthralled by the adventures of Bill and Ted, one excellent, one, as in 1980s American lingo, ‘bogus’, like so:
These comedy/adventure/sci-fi films were the YA cult favorites of their time, and Niko was so onboard with them too. Can’t remember how many times we watched those films together, nor how many times he repeated the dialogue, mimicked the air guitar playing of the two lead characters, and declared pretty much everything in his life, from his grandmother’s pastitsio to his but-I’m-not-sleepy bedtime, as either, “excellent!” or “bogus,” just as those characters would.
“Bill” S. Preston Esq., and Ted “Theodore” Logan ,were portrayed by Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves, respectively, still early in their Hollywood careers. They were two metalhead slacker friends who were co-founders and guitarists (who couldn’t play guitar) of the rock-group, Wyld Stallyns. After an excellent adventure through time with “Rufus”, played by George Carlin, and a bogus journey through the afterlife with “Death”, played by William Sadler, Bill & Ted’s Wyld Stallyns eventually became known as the greatest rock group to have ever been formed, and their music becomes the basis of all society, inspiring universal harmony.
The plots to the films are convoluted, silly fun, genuinely heart-warming, and – dare I say it – educational. I confess I enjoyed them almost as much as Niko did. When the talented Reeves and Winter, who’ve maintained a life-long friendship, revised those same roles more than thirty years later in Bill & Ted Face the Music, for us that was a hit, too. It remained just as clever, just as much silly fun, with the leads still as appealing and ‘every man.’
My son and I bond over a variety of films, and over our shared reverence and delight in music and books as well. I would have loved him just as deeply and forever had we not shared that reverence and delight, but if you have a child with whom you have a likemindedness, you know there’s nothing quite as joyous. It’s like being in a fun secret club, with just the two of you. It got us through the toughest years, the years when parent and teen inevitably butt heads; there was always a film, a book, a song, to bring us back together. We’ve both grown, matured, continue to expand our individual horizons, and that bond remaining strong, through thick and thin.
Decades later, here we are, back in New York, our old stomping grounds. Bill and Ted have also matured, the actors Winter and Reeves also still bonded, also expanding their horizons, going from a franchise of silly sci-fi films to … Beckett, on Broadway.
When Niko forwarded the announcement to me, I knew we had to go, we had to share this experience with them, as they are connected to our lives in a way they’ll never know. I made a spontaneous decision: I bought two tickets.
That might seem like a little thing, but it entailed us flying across the USA from Sacramento to New York, an arduous trip that took longer than it should have with weather delays. It entailed a switch to a rather pricey hotel, a hotel which we had no choice but to book after having chosen a more frugal option, a decision we regretted immediately. (That’s another story.) So in short, a Bogus Journey.
Ah, but then Manhattan, the Hudson Theater, the darn good seats, and of course, the play. Waiting for Godot, with Winter as “Vladimer” and Reeves as “Estragon.” Our latest (and possibly final) adventure with Bill & Ted pulled us away from a busy work schedule and ran us in the thousands. And yet, it was another Excellent Adventure, with the boy who will always be the heart of my heart.
It’s been said it’s a play about nothing. For Niko and me, it was a play about everything.
(P.S. The Playbill advertised the Cunard line, the line of the RMS Queen Mary, the magical ship that inspired three novels for me. Coincidence? I think not.)
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