John Basinger, Book VIII

(Adam reclined, and so does John Basinger in his marathon performance of Paradise Lost at the Buttonwood Tree.)

I was finally able to find 45 minutes in which to witness John Basinger's incredible feat and performance of Milton's Paradise Lost, from memory, at the Buttonwood Tree this weekend.

Book VIII, is an important one, and one which Basinger has peformed frequently.

Surprising to me, he had an audience of 16 on a Sunday afternoon, two weeks before Christmas.

His performance is not about perfection, he occasionally calls for a line from Susan Allison, a circumspect prompter, who feeds Basinger a word or a line, and off he goes for another hundred lines. The hours of performance have taken some toll on the performer, but Basinger's interpretation of Milton is still filled with energy, passion and good humor.

Basinger occasionally interrupts his performance for an aside, an explication of the text, an anecdote about a previous performance, or to greet a newcoming audience member.

"Ed, welcome" he said, as he saw me sit. "Where are the boys," he asked referring to my twin sons."

"Home, reading Chaucer," I replied to a belly laugh from Basinger.

In the stretch of Book VIII, through which I sat, Basinger covered Adams discourse with the angel Raphael, for whom Adam recounted his conversations with God, his naming of all the creatures on earth, and the creation of his mate, Eve.

Whether Basinger would complete the final four books before day's end, was still a question, but Monday is reserved for any lines unspoken.