Must....Blog.....

I gave up denial a long time ago, and I'm now in acceptance:

These specialists estimate that 6 percent to 10 percent of the approximately 189 million Internet users in this country have a dependency that can be as destructive as alcoholism and drug addiction, and they are rushing to treat it. Yet some in the field remain skeptical that heavy use of the Internet qualifies as a legitimate addiction, and one academic expert called it a fad
illness.

...But other users have a broader dependency and spend hours online each day, surfing the Web, trading stocks, instant messaging or blogging, and a fast-rising number are becoming addicted to Internet video games.

...On a list of 15 symptoms of Internet addiction used for diagnosis by Internet/Computer Addiction Services, Mike, who is unemployed and living with his mother, checked off 13, including intense cravings for the computer, lying about how much time he spends online, withdrawing from hobbies and social interactions, back pain and weight gain.

...And the prevalence of other technologies - like BlackBerry wireless e-mail devices, sometimes called CrackBerries because they are considered so addictive; the Treo cellphone-organizer ; and text messaging - has created a more generalized technology addiction, said Rick Zehr, the vice president of addiction and behavioral services at Proctor Hospital.

The hospital's treatment program places all its clients together for group therapy and other recovery work, whether the addiction is to cocaine or the computer, Mr. Zehr said.

"I can't imagine it's going to go away," he said of technology and Internet addiction. "I can only imagine it's going to continue to become more and more prevalent."

...Dr. Orzack said she got the idea after she discovered she had become addicted to computer solitaire, procrastinating and losing sleep and time with her family. When she started the clinic, she saw two patients a week at most. Now she sees dozens and receives five or six calls daily from those seeking treatment elsewhere in the country. More and more of those calls, she said, are coming from people concerned about family members addicted to Internet video games like EverQuest, Doom 3 and World of Warcraft.

Still, there is little hard science available on Internet addiction. "I think using the Internet in certain ways can be quite absorbing, but I don't know that it's any different from an addiction to playing the violin and bowling," said Sara Kiesler, professor of computer science and human-computer interaction at Carnegie Mellon University. ...In her view, she said, television addiction is worse.

Energizer Bunny of a Season

HURRICANE Epsilon! A rare December hurricane!

Epsilon strengthened into a record 14th hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean on Friday -- two days after the 2005 season officially ended. Forecasters said it posed no threat to land. Epsilon had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph at 10 a.m. EST, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. Its top sustained winds had been near 65 mph earlier in the day.

...Epsilon was only the fifth December hurricane recorded in more than 120 years, National Weather Service Hurricane Specialist Stacy Stewart said.

By December, upper-atmosphere winds are normally strong enough to keep storms in check, Stewart said, "but about every 20 years or so, the atmosphere allows it to happen."

The latest that a hurricane formed in the Caribbean was Dec. 30, which happened in 1954, he said.

...Forecasters say 2006 could be another brutal hurricane year because the Atlantic is in a period of frenzied activity that began in 1995 and could last at least another decade.

Gimme, Gimme, Gimme

Camille Paglia expresses with subtlety and detail what I experienced only as a vague discontent: Madonna doesn't quite succeed with her new dance album, "Confessions on a Dance Floor." Indeed, my first thought, before I knew it was Madonna singing but after hearing ABBA's 'Gimme, Gimme, Gimme' in the background, was that whoever was singing 'Hung Up' had to be a major star, in order to afford the astronomical cost of the rights to ABBA's song, but whom among the major stars would be foolish enough to kidnap this song? Can't Madonna afford original material?

I need to listen to the rest of Madonna's album, but I'm in no hurry.

Gimme, gimme, gimme Kylie Minogue!

Toxic?

(left: picture from That Nikon Fella on B3ta)

Andrea says Britney won't succeed Christina Applegate as "Sweet Charity" on Broadway. I wonder why? She is a great dancer, so-so singer, and terrible actress, but that hasn't stopped other celebrities from moving onto Broadway.

Ah, maybe it's just as well - Charity should convey vulnerability, but somehow I've never gotten that sense from Britney.

(for male game players and Britney fans, try out Britney's Naked Cat-a-Phone)

"Rent"

(left: Wilson Jermaine Heredia as 'Angel': more pictures at Yahoo!)

I went and saw "Rent" and was very pleased. I sat right up in front, just below the screen, so the film would overawe me. I spent most of the time with tears in my eyes (it had been a long time since I had heard the music from "Rent" and it hit me with full-force).

Since the movie adheres to standard movie musical convention, people who don't like the idea of actors breaking into song at the drop of a hat will have trouble with this film (I pity these people, though - haven't they ever seen and loved the innumerable movie musicals of the 1930's through 1950's?)

My main quibble was with Idina Menzel's performance-art protest: it is all about performance, and the protest part almost disappears altogether. Protest requires anger, after all, and Menzel couldn't seem to convey that emotion, or at least not to my satisfaction. You can hear the anger on the CD, but not see it on film, which may be because Menzel is performing as well as singing, and there's a lot she has to do. Menzel makes up for it later, with emotional intensity, in the chaotic wedding reception, though, so no hard feelings (that reception is apparently a latter-day add-on, and wasn't in the original stage version).

I loved the Baz-Luhrmann, Moulin-Rouge inspired fantasy tango sequence ('The Tango Maureen'), and indeed, I wondered if an old ballroom dance teacher from Tucson days, Rick Valenzuela, was there (Rick played the nasty, awkward third leg of the love triangle in the movie 'Dance With Me'), but none of the tango dancers were listed in the credits, and I suspect they might have been an uncredited specialty Argentine tango dance team, and Rick probably wasn't there at all.

Most considered criticism of the movie "Rent" focuses on the self-absorption of the characters. Ce'st la vie. That is a common characteristic of many creative communities, though, and why this one should be different, I don't know. Transitions between songs are sometimes a bit awkward, but that is the inevitable price of following standard movie musical convention (the transitions are certainly easier here than in a standard Astaire-Rogers musical).

I will write more later, but I will list minor observations:

• in the cemetery scenes, the prominent names on the headstones (e.g., Kline, Coleman) are prominent members of the crew (as listed in the credits);
• having grown up in NM, the Santa Fe, NM scenes made me smile. It's strange to hear that place just up the freeway described as a form of paradise. I'm sure there are people in Santa Fe who dream of New York.
• That 'Welcome to NM' sign isn't actually at the NM border, but rather close to Santa Fe (it just helps to story move along). The Santa Fe bus depot is not directly across the street from St. Francis Cathedral, the most important 19th-Century structure in the entire state (but putting it there helps move the story along). But the Palace of the Governors and Santa Fe Plaza were as big as life, and Adam Pascal fit in there with his guitar just fine.
• Wouldn't Jake Montoya make a fine 'Angel'?

DMTC's current problems with Varsity Theater 'Overtime Fee', and our strident protests against it, kept springing into mind with the overture, "Rent" (which crescendoes):

ALL
what binds the fabric together
when the raging, shifting winds of change
keep ripping away

BENNY
draw a line in the sand
and then make a stand

ROGER
use your camera to spar

MARK
use your guitar

ALL
when they act tough--you call their bluff

MARK & ROGER
we're not gonna pay

MARK & ROGER & 1/2 THE COMPANY
we're not gonna pay

MARK & ROGER & OTHER 1/2
we're not gonna pay

ALL
last year's rent
this year's rent
next year's rent
rent rent rent rent rent
we're not gonna pay rent

ROGER & MARK
'cause everything is rent

Here's a relevant quote from Chris Columbus about his desire to keep the original cast together as much as possible for the movie. Apparently Columbus wanted the experience of the original cast to work for the project, and I think it did. For example, having the characteristic voice of Mark (Anthony Rapp) somehow seems very important for tying everything together. It would be noticeably different with someone else in that role:

“There was a blip in Entertainment Weekly about me hiring some of the original cast members saying that they were too old," said Chris Columbus. "Well, they’re not too old. They still look like they’re in their ‘20s. Tom Collins, who’d be played by Jesse, could be older than the other cast members. It’s part of what Rent is. So I wrote them a letter which will be in the next Entertainment Weekly and it’s basically about the fact that these people created these characters and lived through Jonathan Larson’s death. And as a result, that show was a memorial to Jonathan for the 18 months that they were all in it together. And they’ve tried to recreate it with other cast members and sometimes they’re successful. They’ve taken it on the road. But it’s never had the emotional honesty or integrity that it did when those people were in it. So we looked at a lot of people and then I met individually with each one of these cast people. I needed to meet with the people I haven’t seen on screen. So Taye and Jesse, I haven’t met with but I see Jesse on Law and Order every week and I see Taye on his show so I know that they can still do the roles. But I’ve met with Idina Menzel and Adam Pascal. Daphne is seven months pregnant, so… We’re not going with Frenchie. I found someone new, a woman named Tracy Thoms, whose had a lot of experience, is a fantastic Joanne. Anyway, so these people have been through it and I wanted to capture that emotion on film, so I thought it would be great to get them all back together. I just felt that they bring something to it that you rarely get to see on screen, that experience. And I think it’s going to be interesting. If you have people too young, you have people that are 21 playing those roles on camera, on screen, I don't think you’d buy it. I think you have to believe that they’ve lived a little bit of a life. And anyway, they all look like they’re in their ‘20s and it’s going to be a remarkable movie just because of the sheer power.”

Columbus is right, experience does count for something!

Uh-Oh

My work has involved a lot of Calpine stuff, since 1998. So, this worries me:

Calpine, which made millions of dollars during the energy crisis and has lost millions ever since, announced the departure of Chairman and Chief Executive Peter Cartwright and Chief Financial Officer Robert Kelly. A "merchant" generator that sells its electricity to retail utility companies, Calpine said the shake-up will allow it "to better address Calpine's financial challenges and to provide a new direction for the company."

Time to pray to the Utility Gods for help, the ones who actually run your toaster and set your alarm clock off in the morning.

The Worst Song?

The competition for this honor is incredibly stiff, and I'm sure we all have our own opinion, but readers of Australian Musician have made up their minds:

AUSTRALIA'S musicians know a good song from a bad one and have voted the annoying Crazy Frog ringtone Axel F as the Worst Song Of All Time.

The inescapable novelty tune finally deposed the line-dancing soundtrack Achy Breaky Heart and the plain bad Macarena from the top spots in the Australian Musician magazine readers' poll.

51 Years Ago, Today

This story still amazes me. There was a Time-Life book about Space in the house next-door when I was a kid. When I visited the kids next door, I'd sneak off and read it. The book featured a picture of this woman in her hospital bed, showing off the incredible, painful bruise that covered her hip. The meteorite punched a big hole right through the roof, and into her kitchen. Think of the odds! Just amazing! Chicken Little was right - the sky really is falling! (from the Daily Rotten):

Nov 30 1954

At 1 pm, an 8.5 pound stone meteorite falls from the sky and strikes Elizabeth Hulitt Hodge from Sylacauga, Alabama. The housewife was seriously bruised but survived, although the meteorite destroyed her radio.

Got Anti-Venin?

Now, this is bad for foreign relations, of course, but it also strikes me as just plain dumb. North Queensland's Outback has plenty of critters with a mean, homicidal streak, starting with insects and snakes. Running around out there in the boonies with your privates exposed just seems - well - unusually ill-advised, even granting that it was July, the coolest month in Australia:

NAKED army officers posed for photographs wearing head dress and brandishing firearms in the latest shameful episode to rock the defence forces.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal the tasteless prank - which included male officers from Randwick Army Barracks in Sydney - is now the subject of an Defence Department investigation.

The episode occurred during a joint training exercise between Australian and US troops in July. The huge joint exercise, dubbed Talisman Sabre, was a mock training run between the Australian armed forces and their US allies. But for a group of soldiers seconded to the Shoalwater Military Base near Rockhampton, it became an opportunity to ridicule Arab men in front of the cameras.

...RSL bosses were appalled by the pictures, which depicted officers wearing head dress associated with men in Middle Eastern countries.

The case is similar to the Ku Klux Klan scandal revealed in November last year when soldiers at Townsville's Lavarack Barracks wore KKK-style hoods to intimidate black comrades.

Baby Solar System

Forming now!:

Astronomers have discovered what they believe is the birth of the smallest known solar system. Peering through ground- and space-based telescopes, scientists observed a brown dwarf — or failed star — less than one hundredth the mass of the sun surrounded by what appears to be a disk of dust and gas.

Tropical Storm Epsilon

It's like one of those 1950's space dramas, where the intrepid space explorers keep getting battered by asteroids, or something:

The Atlantic hurricane season ends Wednesday, but Tropical Storm Epsilon could still cause dangerous surf conditions in Bermuda, forecasters said.

Epsilon, the 26th named storm of the busiest hurricane season on record, formed Tuesday in the central Atlantic. It was not expected to hit Bermuda or any other land, according to forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

Blog Spammer Meditation

Nice thoughts for the Christmas season (or any season, really). Click on the link to discover what the writer feels should be done with the advertised products:

Consider: how much actual business do you draw with you spamming? Has anybody EVER been moved to spend large amounts of money on crap that sought them out on the internet? DO you create more goodwill for your product than you do contempt or wall punching fury?

Can't Please Everyone

A clerk I know said she went to see "Rent," but walked out of the movie. I was aghast. "Really? Why?"; I asked.

She said, "I mean, I liked the concept of "Rent", but there's one thing I can't stand in movies, and that's when people start singing!"

Ah yes, that would be a problem, wouldn't it?

Gruel - Yummy!

Gruel gets a bad rap, but, like just about any food, some imagination helps:

Gruel was served to orphans as an economic necessity. You certainly couldn't feed hundreds of children steak and eggs on city funds. Unfortunatly, Dickens and his ilk often used gruel as a metephor for cruelty. The thin porridge has had a bad reputation ever since.

Gruel can actually be quite tasty. As far back as Medieval times, they were making sweet variations. A dish called Gruya (or Gruyau) was basically gruel -- barley boiled in almond milk. In Korea today, gruel is often considered a delicacy. Take for instance Jat-juk, or Pine Nut Gruel -- finely ground rice swimming with pine nuts to make a nutrious (protein, iron and vitamin B) and delicious soup.

Invasion of The Body-Snatchers

Stories from the trade:

And everything—every little part—has a price tag. According to 2004 estimates, heart valves were fetching upwards of $5,000, and skin was being stripped off at about $1,000 per square foot. Whole corpses can go for anywhere between $1,000 and $10,000, depending on the condition of the body and who's doing the buying.

Human life may be pretty cheap, but on the open market the average body could be worth about $150,000, should you strip it for parts, and sell each individually, the way a chop shop might do with a stolen Toyota.

Mall Nostalgia

You just knew it was going to happen eventually. We all grow attached to the things and places of our youth. And not just any mall - Albuquerque's Coronado Mall!

I remember Coronado Mall. I remember the pall of Albuquerque winter wood smoke entering the mall, masking the perfume scents and Cinnabon aroma. We were fashion gods in Albuquerque: everyone wore blue jeans. I fondly remember the big set of escalators, and shopping for Christmas presents, and waiting for 'Jay' to punch out from his job of harrassing Sear's deadbeat credit-card customers. That's where I bought a set of kitchen knives, thinking it romantic (apparently it's not).

Nostalgia!

Feats Of Strength

This is deliberate, and I would think, potentially harmful. Careless shaking alone is enough to cause me occasional injury.

Inspiration For Musicals

Everywhere you look, there you are:

The high-tech babymaking that he and his wife, Amy, were enduring—the sperm specimens, the hormone shots, the egg harvesting—wasn't only agonizing, it was pretty darn funny. So when Amy finally got pregnant, Chris started crafting little ditties. Nine months later, Amy delivered twins, Garrick and Olivia, and Chris, a writer and composer, delivered a script: "Infertility: The Musical That's Hard to Conceive."

Particulate Matter, and Health

Wasn't it Gwen Verdon, the fabulous Broadway dancer, who suffered mightily, by inhaling a feather? Ah, the perils of particulate matter in the air! From The Onion:

The Occupational Safety And Health Administration released figures Monday indicating that record numbers of elementary-school art teachers are falling victim to pneumosparklyosis, commonly known as glitter lung.

...Characterized by a lack of creative energy and shortness of breath, and accompanied by sneezing or coughing up flakes of twinkly, reflective matter, glitter lung typically strikes teachers between the ages of 29 to 60 who spend 20 hours per week in an art-class setting during the school year.

"When art teachers spend so much time in confined quarters with inadequate ventilation amid swirling clouds of glitter, it's only a matter of time before their lungs start to suffer negative effects," said Dr. Linda Norr, a specialist in elementary-school-related respiratory diseases. "Those sufferers who are not put on a rigorous program of treatment often spend their last days on respirators, hacking up a thick, dazzling mucus."

...Until heavier, less toxic forms of glitter are developed, physicians recommend using alternative media to enhance children's artwork.

"Cheerios, cotton balls, and popsicle sticks are considered very safe," Norr said. "Avoid colored string, however, because some studies show that it could be high in yarncinogens. And if glitter is absolutely essential to the craft project, try using a glitter pen, as the particles are less likely to become airborne."

Glitter guidelines established by OSHA in 1970 allow for no more than 0.4 flakes per cm3 of the substance in the air. Yet critics say the standards were developed to protect children, who typically only spend two to three hours in art class per week, unlike teachers, who spend as many as 40 hours per week in the toxic, high-glitter environment.

...The medical community has been slow to recognize glitter lung as a public health threat. A 1993 epidemic of sequin fibrosis, which primarily affected dancers in the Las Vegas, NV area, was seen as an isolated case. Now, however, the disease is being re-evaluated, and many doctors believe it may be the most serious occupational health hazard to hit educators since the outbreak of gold-star syndrome in the 1960s.

Epidemiologists note that the increase in glitter-lung cases is occurring simultaneously with a general rise in other classroom-related diseases. Macaroni elbow, modeling clay palsy, crayon flu, and googly-eye are sidelining thousands of teachers each year.

But despite growing medical alarm, efforts to provide adequate safety measures and health care continue to be hampered by bureaucratic red, blue, green, and yellow tape.

Can The Jews Save Christmas?

Meaning this year's Christmas holiday shopping season, since Hanukkah doesn't start until December 25th this year. Reasons for skepticism:

Every year, forecasters debate the possible impact of Hanukkah's timing on Christmas sales. But I'm skeptical it will make much of a difference this year. In New York and other regional markets with large Jewish populations, the fact that Hanukkah falls late on the Christian calendar this year could affect the pace and timing of shopping. But given the numbers, Jews would have to perform superhuman feats of consumption—out of all proportion to their population, number of children, and income—to have anything but the most marginal impact on nationwide sales. Over the centuries, anti-Semites (and less frequently, philo-Semites) have endowed Jews with the ability to perform mystical feats. Saving the Christmas holiday shopping season isn't one of them.

The Coming Withdrawal

After having his goons denounce John Murtha as a near-traitor for advocating a withdrawal from Iraq, President Bush prepares to announce - a withdrawal from Iraq.

And so it appears (assuming the forecasts about the speech are true) that the White House is as cynical about this war as its cynical critics have charged it with being. For several months now, many of these critics have predicted that, once the Iraqis passed their constitution and elected a new government, President Bush would declare his mission complete and begin to pull out—this, despite his public pledge to "stay the course" until the insurgents were defeated.

The worst President - ever.

Tsunami Stories

A year has passed since the great south-Asian Christmas tsunami, and the New York Times Magazine has published stories from some of the survivors in Banda Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia, one of the hardest-hit places (since 9/11, the New York Times has made almost a specialty of the tales of disaster survivors).

Scary stuff! What do you do when your world is abruptly destroyed by titanic waves? Who lives, and who dies? I was impressed with the guy who, when he heard a big wave was coming, thought he was OK because his house was on 6-ft-tall stilts. He had no idea!

Asian Dust

It's quite impressive what some of those Asian dust storms can do, stripping dust from the loess plateaus of the Takla Makan, and other desert areas of China and Mongolia, and transporting it across eastern China, and from there, across the Pacific. The April, 1998 Asian storms caused PM10 concentrations to rise as high as 100 ug/m3 in British Columbia, with much of that being Asian dust: that's impressive! That's enough to affect the breathing of sensitive folks.

In New Mexico, sometimes we saw some impressive dust storms. I remember a big storm in April, 1974. Driving from Socorro to Carlsbad for Easter holiday on that murky day was pretty disorienting - surrounded by mountains, yet not a single one was in sight. Nevertheless, New Mexico storms don't amount to much compared to these Asian spectacles!

The Cat In The Hat

I've got a cold at the moment, the first in a long time. Last night, I was looking for something like a sleep stocking for my head, and settled on a multi-colored 'Cat In The Hat'-style of hat. That's the nice thing about doing theater: just happening to have such things laying around the house from which to choose.

Which reminds me, "Suessical" is starting soon at the Woodland Opera House.

Will It Never End?

Tropical Storm Delta menaces the Canary Islands.

More on Melody Davi

Folsom newspaper article
San Bernardino review
Underwhelmed reviewer (review already posted on this weblog: 10/16/05 archive), but also including comments by readers who are underwhelmed by the reviewer

Asteroid Touchdown

This is so cool, but I hadn't heard anything about it until now:

During its descent, Hayabusa captured images of its shadow looming over the marker (circled) that it dropped onto the surface of asteroid Itokawa (Image: JAXA/ISAS)

Michael Newdow's Atheist Musical/Lecture

Well, the Sacramento Bee's reviewer was less-than-impressed. It's harder to do musicals than you might think, particularly if a lecture is sandwiched in-between. Yet, I'm curious about the dinosaur dance - there's a lot of potential in dinosaurs. Imagine, a velociraptor chorus line!:

His singing was so-so, his lyrics inane, his rapping just plain ridiculous, his stage presence saved only by a brightly colored shirt. He rushed his lecture. And his lecture, essentially about the history of civilization, was way too long by biblical proportions.

As a performer, Newdow committed his first sin by showing up late to the theater at Sheldon High School. Sure he's a busy guy, but a one-man show can't go on when that one man is stuck in traffic.

...Yet, true talents can win back a disgruntled audience with energy and enthusiasm. Newdow took it in another direction. In his first number, a song about equality, the recorded music drowned out his singing voice, prompting one helpful heckler to shout: "We can't hear you. The music's too loud."

...Outside it was a different story.

"What is he? A lawyer, a doctor, an atheist and now he's a singer?" said protester James Musgrave. "What is he going to do next, remodel bathrooms?"

Indeed, grout work might have been more entertaining, given Newdow's second song, about dinosaurs. Newdow and four students did a dinosaur song-and-dance. Only a man who paid $1,700 to rent the theater could get away with such a thing.

...It said something about his speaking skills when this listener wondered when the next song would begin. It eventually did.

Which leads to the big question many believers and nonbelievers might pose after seeing this one-man disaster: If there really is a merciful God, how could he have stood by and allowed this to happen?

Into The Woo?

She's A Star! "42nd Street" Comes to Stockton, With Melody Davi

Tony and Kathy Davi issued the invitation months ago: their daughter, Melody, touring with Big League Theatrical's revival version of the quintessential tap-dance musical, "42nd Street," would come as close to Sacramento as Stockton in its national tour. Would I like to come see her perform? Absolutely! Melody has always been among the strongest performers I had ever seen, and she was only getting better as she got stage experience. I eagerly looked forward to November 22nd, the date of the performance.

Melody succeeded her sister Mara as the lead actress and dancer, Peggy Sawyer, in the national and international tour of "42nd Street." It's quite unusual that sisters succeed each other as the lead, but then, great musical talent sometimes flows in families (veteran Mara is instead doing 'White Christmas' in Boston this year).

The venue was the Bob Hope Theatre in downtown Stockton. I got lost trying to locate the theater, so I stopped at a pizza joint for directions. The fellow behind the counter said the theater was only a few blocks away and that I couldn't miss it because it was all "litted" up (I like that word, "litted.")

The theater was very pretty: awash in neon outside, and very art deco inside, and, Tuesday evening, it was packed with an excited audience. The big problem for the show, however, was that the stage was quite small. According to Kathy, the stage was about the smallest of the entire national tour, so the cast would be doing its "C" version of the show - and a very cramped version of its "C" show too: many flys would be absent, and there would be no awesome dancing on steps at the end. (After the show, Tony remarked on how many changes to the ensemble dancing had been made, apparently with no noticeable problems, in order to adjust to the small space: a mark of true professionalism on the part of the cast.)

None of this really mattered to me, though. I was there to see Melody perform, whatever the drawbacks might be. In the lobby, I loaded up on the "42nd Street" CD, and the T-Shirt, and the souvenir program (I turn into an uber-consumer at emotional times like this). Sacramento musical theater folks were there: Andee Thorpe, Brian McCann, a number of RSP folks. A big contingent of Melody's friends and relatives from the Folsom area were there too.

What a glorious, glorious show! Strong, strong dancers and performers, with Melody leading the way! The first, big attention-grabber, for me, was the endurance tap sequence in Act I, Scene 2 ('Go Into Your Dance'). Very hard to do, but Melody and fellow dancers made it seem so - effortless! Just one of many, grueling, apparently effortless dance numbers ('With Plenty of Money, and You,' 'Montage,' etc.) Then, there were all the classic songs ('I Only Have Eyes For You,' 'We're In The Money,' 'Lullaby of Broadway,' 'Shuffle Off To Buffalo,' and, of course, '42nd Street.') Throughout the entire second act, tears filled my eyes, it was so beautiful.

Afterwards, a scrum of friends, fans, and relatives waited out back, where the trucks were being loaded and where the buses were idling, waiting to take the cast and crew to tomorrow's show in Bakersfield. Everyone wanted pictures and autographs, and to say hello. The avalanche of well-wishers and memories must have been a distracting, emotional experience for Melody.

I greeted Melody, gave her a bouquet, kissed her on the cheek, took a photo of her, and kissed her again on the cheek. I told her I missed her, and she reciprocated by saying likewise.

It wasn't until ten minutes later, however, when I was moving around on the periphery of the group, that Melody really saw and recognized me. Then I kissed her on the cheek again, took another photo of her, kissed her on the cheek again, etc.

How odd! It was like some kind of wacky science experiment. What can possibly push Melody Davi's facile brain into the "Red Zone?" Is it:

Q.) hours of white-hot tap-dancing with world-class professionals, on stage, in front of many hundreds of people?

A.) No. Not even close.

Or is it, instead:

Q.) dozens of life-long friends, relatives and admirers, armed with flashing cameras and clamoring for attention all at once in the dark AFTER hours of white-hot tap-dancing with world-class professionals on stage, in front of many hundreds of people?

A.) Yes, at least until the clamor dies down a bit.

Melody really IS a star these days, and Stockton saw the proof, last night! Try to coordinate your travel schedule with the national tour if you can: you will be amazed! Melody has posted the tour schedule at her Web Site.


Ray Fisher and Melody Davi.

Cool Border-Crossing Gear

I saw this the other day in the Bee, and I thought "hmmmm.... I should get a pair!":

These are no ordinary shoes.

A compass and flashlight dangle from one shoelace. The pocket in the tongue is for money or pain relievers. A rough map of the border region is printed on a removable insole.

They are red, white and green, the colors of the Mexican flag. On the back ankle, a drawing of Mexico's patron saint of migrants.

Neither A Lender Or Borrower Be

This sort of squabble creeps me out, mostly because Calpine has indirectly paid a substantial chunk of my salary over the years, and I don't want that gravy train to end soon. But then, why should I give Calpine any advice? I'm seriously leveraged myself, and I know I try to avoid paying that 'speculative premium' whenever possible!

Calpine used $139 million in sale proceeds to buy back some of its top-priority debt at face value of the notes, but other bondholders refused to sell at that price. Calpine, which claims some bondholders want a "speculative premium," then withdrew more than $300 million from the account to buy natural gas in storage, a move that angered some bondholders.

Can't Resist

Just a couple of pictures from "Victor/Victoria": Lauren Miller with Chris Scarberry and Marcy Goodnow.

Forbidden Thought

Are the torments of junior high school that close to my daily consciousness? How much of a mark did bullies leave, way back then?

I saw this headline:

Three-fourths of state kids not physically fit, test shows

and the first thought in my head was "at last, someone I can kick around and get away with it."

For my thought-crime, I'll do a hundred push-ups, in penance (it'll just make me more formidable, anyway, when I bust people up at recess for lunch money).

Bob Woodward, Pathetic Hack Reporter

He ruined his reputation - the best reputation in all of journalism! - all for 'access'. How sad!

Stryker

Vents.

Life Imitating Art, Imitating Life - "The Thin Blue Line"

Another interesting example of how the existence of the ultimate remedy - the death penalty - makes errors in sentencing more likely, not less: the very story line of that excellent movie from 1988, "The Thin Blue Line." Here's what the jury forewoman in Texas thinks now, AFTER THE EXECUTION:

"We did the best we could with the information we had, but with a little extra work, a little extra effort, maybe we'd have gotten the right information," said Miriam Ward, forewoman of the jury that convicted Cantu. "The bottom line is, an innocent person was put to death for it. We all have our finger in that."

Gotta Smoke

Sleepwalking, they say:

A WOMAN passenger tried to open the emergency door of a plane at 39,000ft so she could step outside for a cigarette.

Fellow passengers on the Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong to Brisbane were alarmed to see French tourist Sadrine Helene Sellies, 34, get up from her seat, holding a cigarette and a lighter, and grab the emergency door handle, Brisbane Magistrates Court was told yesterday.

A Year

A year (sigh....) What is a year?

What is that song from "Rent", 'Seasons of Love'? (lyrics from Let's Sing It:

Five hundrend twenty five thousand
six hundred minutes
Five hundrend twenty five thousand
moments so dear
Five hundrend twenty five thousand
six hundred minutes
How do you measure, measure a year

In daylight, in sunsets, in midnights,
in cups of coffee, In inches, in miles
in laughter in strife,

In Five hundrend twenty five thousand
six hundred minutes
How do you measure a year in the life

(chorus)
How about Love
how about love
how about love
measure in love
seasons of love
seasons of love

Well, I'm reminded by Frontier Touring Company's latest announcement:

Kylie's Australian tour promoter The Frontier Touring Company announced on Sunday evening that they are holding dates at the end of 2006 for the rescheduling of the Australian leg of Kylie's Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour.

The announcement coincided with TEN's airing of highlights from Kylie's Earls Court Showgirl concert. The special was aired at Kylie's request as a preview for the tens of thousands of fans still holding tickets to her Australian tour.

Promoter Michael Gudinski said Kylie's thoughts were still with her Australian fans.

"Kylie's touched that so many of her fans are waiting so patiently for the rescheduling of her Showgirl tour.

"She wanted fans to have a small taste of the concert that she will bring them in the future."

Michael Gudinski confirmed that The Frontier Touring Company are holding dates with venues for the end of 2006 and that the company hoped to make an announcement of exact dates in the New Year.

"Our aim is to give Kylie the time she needs to recover fully. We appreciate that the end of next year is a long time away for ticket holders and the option of refunding tickets will remain available to fans."

In some very exciting news The Frontier Touring Company also announced that Kylie has decided the 2006 version of Showgirl will be varied and updated from the original version seen overseas in 2005 as a thank you for the patience and understanding of Australian ticket holders.

"Fans that hold onto their tickets will be part of a tour that they won't ever forget. Kylie's been thinking about these shows a lot over the past months, and they're going to be something special," Michael Gudinski said.

"Charlotte's Web" - DMTC's YPT


Bows Sunday evening at "Charlotte's Web." Foreground, Nora Unkel (Charlotte) and Ed Bianchi (Wilbur). Between them, in the polka dot dress, is Camille Totah (Fern Arable). Immediately to the right of Wilbur is Chris Danti (Templeton), Cass Olson and Lisa Parente (Goose and Gander).

Nice show! I liked the costumes, particularly Nora's many arms (not easily visible here) which underline and emphasize gestures: spiders may thus have an advantage over humans as stage actors. The baby spiders were cute as well. Ed Bianchi was lovable as Wilbur. Camille Totah was excellent, as always.

I got confused regarding what distinguishes the Arables and the Zuckermans from each other: it's been a long, long time since I've read the book.

This is the first time I've seen Chris Danti perform. Something about his performance reminded me of something, and it took awhile to figure out what it was: he reminds me, a little bit, of Marlon Brando. Picture Brando as a lovable but opportunistic rat, constantly looking for food, and that's something like Danti's performance.

"She Loves Me" - Woodland Opera House


Andrea St. Clair (who plays Ilona Ritter in 'She Loves Me'). Clever, unexpected lyrics in her songs (e.g., "I must stop thinking with my skin: I will not be a mandolin"). I've never even thought about thinking with my skin before (...this is your brain ...this is your brain on hand lotion)

Went up to the Woodland Opera House last night to see "She Loves Me." Met people I half-expected to see (J.P. Villa, light board operator; Meg and Tom Stallard, longtime WOH supporters; actors Matt and Chris Taloff), but also people I did not expect to see (Peter William Wagner, Davis bicycle maker and fellow player in WOH's 1997 "Fiddler..."; Jason McDowell and Kelly Daniells, and her parents), and also failed to meet others in the cast I wanted to say hello to (isn't that how it always seems to go in the chaotic post-show rush?)

Nice production. Fine set and costumes. I found the show itself to be a bit puzzling, which made me wish I understood its genesis better. For example, the characters have Hungarian names, which suggests an urban, ethnic origin (think, say, Chicago), but then locating the show in a high-class parfumerie, catering to the well-to-do, just opens more questions, like, did I miss a Jewish subcurrent that was supposed to be there (these aren't Catholics, are they?). My head is full of wool - I had trouble following several patter-type songs (particularly 'A Trip to The Library')- so I know I was missing valuable clues to helping my understanding. I guess I should investigate the show and the lyrics further, or even see the show again, tonight or tomorrow.

According to Wikipedia, the origin is European - Budapest - not American at all, which begins to make more sense. But then, why don't we have more central European musicals in the Anglo-American musical theater repertoire? I also found it strange that Ilona Ritter's love interest, the optometrist, never even arrives on stage, when Mr. Kodaly is already available and apparently underemployed: kind of a 'Waiting for Guffman' quality there.

Nevertheless, it was fun to see everyone perform. I had tended to forget just how well Beth Monet Nilsen is as an actress and a singer: just fabulous! Andrea St. Clair and Tony Ruiz also put in excellent performances, but I felt they needed to be used even more (bring on that optometrist!) Tony is a wonderful singer, and I love watching Andrea perform and sing: she has a lapidary quality that I like: precise, swift-flowing movements; an economy of movement and expression.

Most of the men I hadn't seen perform before. Don Draughon was a fine singer. Jeff Nauer, who played Ladislav Lipos, was excellent throughout. Bob Cooner, the fellow who played Georg Nowack, is a real find - a superb performer and singer (he did 'She Loves Me' justice). The only problem he had is that, early on in the show, he is supposed to be something of a martinet, but that didn't quite come across. He's a very amiable fellow, and early-on martinet-ness was sacrificed for later-on amiability. Which is fine with me!

Someone, nearby in the audience, was wearing perfume, and that olfactory sensation added to the parfumery ambience. Scents are underemployed in the theater, in general. Perhaps the air-conditioning systems of theaters can be rigged to suit: pine-scents for forests, a parfumery for this show, etc. Wait: ("Guys and Dolls" 'Luck Be A Lady' - ah, maybe that's a bad idea after all....)

Choice Sophie

My bad: I misspoke when I said Kelly Daniells would arrive in town NEXT weekend! Here she is, with family and Jason, at the Woodland Opera House last night.

Serotonin

Researchers at Yolo County's leading institution for applied neurochemical research (aka, the Capay Valley Institute for Osmotic Analysis; aka the Cache Creek Casino & Resort) believe they have unlocked the key to understanding human motivation, impulse and desire. Synaptic electrochemical potentials appear to be most implicated. Film at 11.

Survival Of The Thinnest Possible Rationale

The evolution of creationism, under selection pressures generated by the Supreme Court.

A Triumph For Kelly Daniells!

Talented, long-time Sacramento community-theater performer Kelly Daniells hits the big time (and by age 20 no less!) It's hard to overemphasize the impact such a high-visibility role will have on her career. A thousand congratulations to her!

Kelly will play 'Sophie' (the lead) in "Mamma Mia," at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas (rehearsals begin in January, and she assumes the role in February).

Kelly's first musical theater experience was as 'Fatima, The Dancing Doll,' in DMTC's Young Performer's Theater production of "Aladdin," in April-May 1994.

My understanding is that Kelly will be in the Sacramento area next weekend, and she's supposed to come out and see the New Theater.

We'll all have to make a trek to Mandalay Bay early next year! That's one strange (but interesting) place!

Sprung Floor


The anti-crack crusaders: Robert Coverdell, Steve Isaacson, Ryan Favorite, *fellow in a green shirt*, and Molly Olson.

Last night, installation of the sprung floor commenced at the New Theater. A sprung floor yields better to impacts than a conventional floor, gives a little return spring, and thus is easier on dancers' knees, ankles, etc. Last night, installation was getting bogged down due to alignment problems - the plates have to fit almost-seamlessly together, and there were seams. Since "Into The Woods" performs tonight, these issues have to be resolved today.

It's time we had a better floor for dance rehearsals. If we had such a thing in the past, a few problems could have been mitigated: that time, for example, when Kyle Hadley hit his head on the concrete floor ("Tommy," 2001), or when Dian mashed her toe during recent "Cabaret" rehearsals.

I remember when I was nearly rendered a vegetable during the first "Grease" rehearsal, in 2003. David "Turtle" Akona and I stood back-to-back, and we interlocked arms. Turtle then tried to flip me over his back, but I didn't tuck properly, and so then we were stuck, me on his back, both our heads pointing downwards to the concrete floor, with Turtle staggering around under the weight, trying to regain his balance. That was close!

Speaking of Kyle Hadley, Jan recently gave him a tour of the New Theater. I was cleaning bathrooms, but I'm not sure what it looked like to Kyle. When he first saw me, I was coming out of the backstage women's restroom. Then, when Jan showed him the main women's restroom, she opened the door, and bingo!, there I was, apparently just idling. I think Kyle thought this - strange.

Policeman Down

Uh, oh - west of Woodland. I wonder if this is collateral damage from the impulsive casino crowd heading into the hills, or if it's something else altogether.

A California Highway Patrol officer was fatally shot Thursday during what is believed to have been a traffic stop west of Woodland at about 2:30 p.m. on County Road 96 near State Route 16, CHP officials said.

... John Christy of the Yolo sheriff's Department said there were several witnesses to the crime, and that hundreds of officers from several agencies have fanned out in the area in search of what is believed to be a single suspect.

Reviews of DMTC's "Into The Woods"

For the first time in two-and-a-half years, the Sacramento Bee (Jim Carnes) came out to review "Into The Woods" (wish we could open a new theater every month, just to catch the Bee's attention!)

In addition, The Davis Enterprise (Bev Sykes) also reviewed the show.

Here are those reviews....
----------------------------------
The Sacramento Bee


Review: 'Woods' needs work, but off to a good start
By Jim Carnes -- Bee Staff Writer

Construction isn't complete - walls haven't been painted, the wood has no finish, the floor is bare concrete, and the water fountain isn't in place - but the Davis Musical Theatre Company couldn't wait any longer and, on Friday night, opened its Hoblit Performing Arts Center with the dark and challenging James Lapine-Stephen Sondheim collaboration, "Into the Woods."

Truth be told, it seemed - a lot like the building itself - still a work in progress, but one with potential. The orchestra, playing in a real sunken pit beneath the stage, sometimes overpowered the frailer voices onstage. A couple of false starts and sour notes by singers didn't help, but, gosh, some of those Sondheim lyrics are complicated and not that easy to sing. The acting was generally very good, though, and the costumes (by Jeannie Henderson) were fairy-tale perfect in looks.

The theater has a contemporary, industrial look. Its 240 seats rise in rows that start at stage level. A metal and wire railing frames the staircase down to the orchestra pit and separates the audience from the stage. It takes a little getting used to. When the action is down front, you look through the railing at the actors' lower extremities. High above the audience hangs the lighting, and exposed ducts carry the heating and air conditioning. During Friday's opening performance, it seemed a little loud when it kicked on.

"Into the Woods" is an intriguing musical that does for fairy tales what others - Anne Sexton in poetry, Della Davidson in dance, among them - have done, and that is interpret them for adults, exploring their cautionary nature through their gruesome, scary, ambiguous elements. These are Grimm fairy tales at their grimmest.

Whereas fairy tales, being for children, end with "happily ever after," these tales - of Cinderella (Rosie Babich) and her prince (Bob Olson); Little Red Riding Hood (Jocelyn Price) and the wolf (Olson again); Rapunzel (Jessica Hammon) and her prince (Ryan Favorite); Jack, of the beanstalk fame (Steven Ross); and a childless baker (Ryan Adame) and his wife (Kristen Wagner) - hit "happily" before intermission. "Ever after" is another matter entirely.

With the help of a narrator (Steve Isaacson, who also portrays the Mysterious Man), "Into the Woods" intertwines all these stories. A witch (Marguerite Morris) who has cursed the baker and his wife with infertility because his father had stolen from her garden years earlier, offers the pair a chance at parenthood - if they can complete a scavenger hunt for items that will remove a curse she is under. They must bring her a cow as white as snow, a cape as red as blood, hair as yellow as corn and a slipper pure as gold.

The pair gathers the items and everyone's wish is granted at the conclusion of Act 1. In Act 2, the admonition of "be careful what you wish for" really comes into play. Sondheim's songs are quite specific to character and plot (which may explain why there are no breakout "hits" from this play), but they are intelligent and often ironic and funny.

This production's best singers, Olson and Favorite, also have one of the best songs, "Agony." "It Takes Two" features a nice duet between Wagner and Adame, who is the most engaging actor among the cast. "No One Is Alone," sung by Babich, Price, Adame and Ross is lovely, as is most of the ensemble work.

About the writer:
The Bee's Jim Carnes can be reached at (916) 321-1130 or jcarnes@sacbee.com
------------------------
The Davis Enterprise

'Woods' enchants in its new theater
By Bev Sykes

Enterprise drama critic
Published: November 15, 2005

The smell of fresh paint hovered throughout the building, and places still needed to be painted, stained or carpeted. The curtains had been hung just the night before, and the wrinkles still were falling out of the grand drape. The acoustic designer won't get to work until everything is in place ... but the show must go on, and go on it did.

The Davis Musical Theatre Company selected "Into the Woods" to open its new theater at 607 Pena Drive. Steven Sondheim shows aren't necessarily easy under the best of circumstances, and I fully expected lots of glitches during this particular opening night performance.

I was pleasantly surprised. If glitches occurred, other than a couple of faulty light cues, I was unaware of them. The set, designed by Woodrow & IvyMoss — with its stark, spiky trees for the forest and the traditional wagon sets for Cinderella's home (later the palace); the home of Jack (of Beanstalk fame); and the bakery, where the baker and his wife long for a child — are perfect for the Hoblit stage. And the scene changes from houses to forest are great!

The DMTC orchestra, under the direction of Erik Daniells, now has its own pit; the difference is amazing. I've never heard the music sound better.

Some adjustments will need to be made, as performers learn how to project out over an orchestra, rather than one that was backstage on a platform, as it was for years. Some of the actors handle this change better than others, but most could use a bit more oomph in their delivery.

That said, this is a good production.

Act I weaves together the stories of many familiar tales from our childhood. Cinderella (Rosie Babich) sits at home with her stepmother (Monique McKisson) and two stepsisters (Dannette Vassar and Stacia Truesdale), longing to attend the Prince's ball. Next door, Jack (Steven Ross) and his mother (Jannette Kragen) argue over selling Jack's beloved cow, Milky White (playing herself).

The Baker (Ryan Adame) and his wife (Kristen Wagner) are disappointed that they have not yet conceived a child. Little Red (Jocelyn Price) appears, on her way with goodies for Granny (Melissa Tolley).

DMTC has a solid cast with few weak performers. Those who rise above the rest are Price, whose Little Red is energetic and cute as a button. Babich gives an outstanding performance as Cinderella, as do Adame and Wagner, as the Baker and his wife.

Morris gives her usual first-rate performance. She's at her best while singing, although she needs to project more with her spoken lines.

Melissa Tolley is the offstage voice of the wife of the giant that Jack killed. Sadly, this voice required amplification; it should have sounded more scary.

In Act II we discover that there really is no "happily ever after." Many characters meet horrible ends ... although, for the purposes of this production, they all die gloriously.

Director Jan Isaacson beamed in the lobby after the show ended, saying, "I just can't believe we're finally here." After all this time, she must feel like she's living her own fairy tale.

I fondly hope that DMTC finally has found its "happily ever after": one that can be enjoyed for years to come.

Call 756-3682 for show information.
Copyright, 2005, The Davis Enterprise. All Rights Reserved.

Dave Lack's Blog

I shouldn't fail to mention Dave Lack's blog over on MySpace. He has a slide show of "Victor/Victoria" pictures that looks really interesting (I'm most evident on slides 1 and 14). Somehow, when you're up there on stage, in the rush of activity, you tend to forget that what really counts is how the audience sees it, and it's fun to see their view!

Vengeance

The Dutch take their sports too seriously:

A sparrow knocked over 23,000 dominoes in the Netherlands, nearly ruining a world record attempt before it was shot to death Monday, the state news agency reported.

Cloud Nine

Watch that fog!

A teenager driving a stolen car died early yesterday after he jumped into a dense fog from a Rancho Bernardo freeway bridge in an attempt to flee from police. He fell more than 10 stories.

A passenger who jumped with him was critically injured, Escondido police Lt. David Mankin said.

The fog was so heavy on the bridge that the two likely didn't know the danger that jumping posed, said Mankin, who looked over the side of the freeway a short time later.

Is That You, Ted?

On Wednesday, October 5th, there was a special Board of Director's meeting at DMTC's rehearsal space, which unfortunately coincided with a rehearsal of "Victor/Victoria" at Runaway Stage Productions. Forced to choose between the private humiliation of not knowing what was happening at DMTC with the public humiliation of not knowing the words of the songs in "Victor/Victoria," I chose the private humiliation, and remained in Sacramento, at RSP, for vocal practice. Afterwards, I raced over to Davis, and found the Board meeting had adjourned, but several of us regrouped at Applebee's, where we relaxed, and told risque stories.

This strange story from my college days seemed unusually popular with the folks at both DMTC and RSP, and so I thought it was time to write it down.
-------------------------------

In the spring of 1978, I was living on the second floor of Coronado Hall, a large, multi-winged dormitory on the campus of the University of New Mexico, in Albuquerque. Early in the semester, I had a roommate named Ted, but round around midterms, Ted got an off-campus apartment with some friends and moved out, leaving me with two beds in the dorm room: one bed mine, and the other, formerly Ted's, now completely bare.

One random day, about two weeks after Ted moved out, I took out a hunting knife and used it for some purpose. I left the knife in the middle of Ted's empty bed. I went out in the evening and eventually returned. I lay down on my bed and immediately fell into a deep sleep, but unaccountably, I had failed to lock the door of my dorm room.

About twenty minutes after I fell asleep, the door of my dorm room opened. Fluorescent light from the hallway spilled in. Confused, and struggling to wake up, I said, "Is that you, Ted?" The stranger said, "What?" Squinting against the light, I could see the stranger was thin and had curly hair, much like one of Ted's best friends. I addressed the stranger as if he was Ted's friend, even though, at some sleepy level, I KNEW he couldn't be the same person:

"Ted's not here anymore. He's gone, he moved out."

The stranger responded:

"I'll be Ted if you want me to."

With every incentive, I sat up and struggled to awaken. The stranger closed the door and walked decisively over to my bed and sat beside me. I could smell alcohol on his breath. The stranger grabbed the covers on my lap and with a single motion, swooped the covers down to my ankles. I reached to my ankles and pulled the covers back to my lap. Again, the stranger grabbed the covers on my lap and swooped them down to my ankles, and again I reached down to my ankles and pulled the covers back to my lap. I asked the stranger, "OK, what do you want?" He said, "What if I told you I was a flaming faggot looking to get &*%$#@?" I said, "Then I'd say you are in the wrong place."

What to do? I was worried about the hunting knife, left out on Ted's bed. Did the stranger see the knife? Apparently not: with darkness restored when he closed the door, even a big knife was hard to see. Could I get to the knife first? Very risky. Not only would I have to jump over the stranger, from sitting in bed (a position of weakness if there ever was one), but there was no reason he couldn't get to the knife first, or wrestle it away from me even if I managed the feat. Violence wasn't the answer for this problem. The fellow was clearly living out a fantasy of some sort. I had to pop his fantasy bubble, and fast. But how?

So, I began talking to the fellow in a dull, drab monotone, about all manners of tedious, picayune things. I can't remember my dull monologue anymore, but I can imagine - U.S. Gross National Product under the Nixon Administration, the importance of well-written car repair manuals, the recent spread of standardized testing into the high schools, the advent of new computer-card-punch machines - you get the picture. After a while, I noticed the stranger's shoulders slump in drunken fatigue, his stubbly jaw slacken, the tension slowly disappear. Suddenly, the stranger stood up, went to the door, opened it, and left.

A dullard needs friends. Maybe I should have pressed my luck, and invited him to be my special pen pal. We could have recited the telephone book to each other, or the classified ads, or perhaps read deconstructionist literature together.

I don't often fight, but when I do, I fight dirty.

Auditions - Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

And so, the process begins again!


Monday evening, November 14th at the New Theater. Michael Miiller (left) leads the dance audition. Various people are evident, or kind-of-evident (left to right): Julia Spangler, Linnea Lampinen, Dian Hoel, Jabriel Shelton - is that Kaylynn Rothleder in the white dress? - Rachel Pinto, J. P. Villa.


Meanwhile, paint hits the lobby's walls.....

Last night, I swept construction dust and lined up dust bunnies and made them do tricks until after midnight. I discovered that the painters had left, and that I was utterly alone in the theater. As the raging winds outside made all kinds of thumping, creepy noises inside, I found I could do anything I pleased on stage, to a wild, sustained, standing ovation (of spirits!)

"Victor/Victoria" Final Show and Strike


Marcy Goodnow, as her radiant 'Victoria' alter ego.

We had our final performance of "Victor/Victoria" today! There were a few minor problems (the stunt grand piano toppled over backstage; a mirror wasn't able to be placed properly in the last scene, the setup for second Chez Lui seemed confused, etc.), but the performances were spot-on, and we had lots of fun.

Strike went quite efficiently, considering the amount of set that had to be removed. Dave Lack took the lead in dismantling the set, as he did in building it. Mischievous as ever, and suitably armed, Dave swaggered up to me as I helped coordinate lumber removal from the stage, and stated, "there are two kinds of people here - those with screw guns and those who carry" (echoing two famous lines from Sergio Leone's "The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly":

There are two kinds of people in the world, my friend: Those with a rope around the neck, and the people who have the job of doing the cutting.

and;

You see, in this world there's two kinds of people, my friend: Those with loaded guns and those who dig. You dig.

So those with guns unscrewed, and those with strong arms (or in the case of Robert, at least one strong arm) carried. I left strike at 9:30 p.m., but those who went with the truck to the warehouse will, no doubt, finish later (maybe 10:30 p.m.), but much sooner than Mike Mac's initial, considered forecast (midnight).

Many thanks to everyone involved: Bob and Lillian Baxter, Dave Lack, Kimberley Negrete, Dave Hushbeck, Nora, etc., etc. I'm reminded of something Bill Trainor said a week ago, as he spoke in admiration of the company and the way it tackles the new and unfamiliar problems presented by any show - something to the effect of: "they're really not afraid of taking risks." For a theater company, the philosophy of play-it-safe is paradoxically the riskiest course of all. Runaway Stage Productions is a vibrant asset to the Sacramento theater scene!

Here is picture gallery from the last show:


Burning with that edgy, Parisian passion: Brett Bachmann, Scott Griffith, Kaitlin Flint, Jason Parsons, Jake Montoya, and Marcy Goodnow pose for pictures.


Anticipating the thrill of the show: Bob Roe ("simply do what you do when you're YOU!") and Lauren Miller ("out of my way, pheasant!").


Jake Montoya, in a moment of reflection....


Not afraid of the bourgeosie, even as they sing 'La Marseillaise': Wendy Young Carey, Scott Griffith and Angela Yee relax prior to 'Louis Seize.'


Disoriented by doppelgangers in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles: Jason Parsons and Wendy Young Carey, backstage, just before 'Louis Seize.'


Chicago moll (Kaitlin Flint) favorably compared Clam (Chris Scarberry) to that famed French ladies' man, Napoleon, and Clam misunderstood....


Chicago doll (Monica Parisi), with her Chicago-inspired solution to bad musical theater....

Chicago, Illinois
Is Like A Shiny Toy
The Prairie State
Is Proud To State
That It's Its Pride An' Joy!

Titillation

(Pun not intended):

KYLIE Minogue may not make her usual trip home to Melbourne for Christmas this year. But she still plans to tour Australia next year. Industry sources say an announcement on the rescheduling of Minogue's Australian tour is due this month.

Theater Weekend - DMTC and RSP

Friday, November 11, 2005: Opening night of "Into The Woods" at the brand-new Hoblit Performing Arts Center, at 607 Pena, in Davis. Rich and Julia Kulmann prepare the stage (Chis Neff just out of sight, on the lift).

Vision in the dark: Jake Montoya prepares for his flamboyant entrance in 'Paris By Night,' the first number in "Victor/Victoria," Saturday night, November 12th, at Runaway Stage's 24th Street Theater in Sacramento.

Man in motion: Michael McElroy leaps upon the stage shortly after Saturday night's performance of "Victor/Victoria."

Such a beautiful set (and cumbersome at times)! On Sunday evening, it becomes a legend! Long may we remember it!

A few problems on Saturday (Angela got bonked on the head by the 'Le Jazz Hot' sign), but mostly, a fine, excellent show: our best so far!

The Show Must Go On

Wow!

Maria Friedman, the star of the new Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, "The Woman in White," stood at the center of the stage of the Marquis Theater on Thursday night, accepting a sustained standing ovation for her performance as the show's plucky Victorian heroine.

While the applause was no doubt for her performance, the fact that she was onstage at all was more remarkable. Just 10 days before, breast cancer had been diagnosed in Ms. Friedman, 45. Since then she had undergone surgery to remove a malignant lump the size of a marble from her left breast.

Aphorisms

Gabe has been reading Plato's 'Republic' lately, and has taken to waylaying me with aphorisms (called 'dichos' in Spanish) expressing timeless, eternal verities; e.g., "a stitch in time saves nine" (whatever that means).

"Into The Woods" (now showing at DMTC) has two sections, called 'Midnights', where Stephen Sondheim's various characters also express aphorisms, some eternal, some contingent (Gabe, isn't the last one straight from Plato?):

First Midnight

No knot unties itself.
Sometimes the things you most wish for are not to be touched.
The harder to get, the better to have.
Never wear mauve at a Ball...Or pink...Or open your mouth.
The difference between a cow and a bean is a bean can begin an adventure.
Slotted spoons don't hold much soup.
The prettier the flower, the farther from the path.
The closer to the family, the closer to the wine.
The mouth of a wolf's not the end of the world.
A servant is not just a dog, to a Prince.
Opportunity is not a lengthy visitor.
You may know what you need, but to get what you want, better to see you keep what you have.

Second Midnight

Wanting a Ball is not wanting a Prince.
Near may be better than far, but it still isn't there.
You can never love somebody else's child the way you love your own.
The greatest prize can often lie at the end of the thorniest path.

"Victor/Victoria" - Friday

We're into our last weekend now. 'Le Jazz Hot' was my weakest number: the suspenders sprung in multiple places and distracted me, to the point that I did the 'ass slap' facing the wrong way. Brad also had suspender issues going on in the same number, and felt dissatisfied. The rest of the evening seemed to go OK, though. Bob Roe was back after last weekend's cold, at about 85% full volume.

Pam Kay Lourentzos was in the audience (I need to get back to her class). She's so much fun! Amy Salmon and Robin Weiner were having a girl's night out, and it was good to see them.

Two more shows!

Preview Night

Nice company! Excellent floral arrangements from K & M Florists in Woodland. Fine smoked salmon (Ryan and friends' choice). Superb production of "Into The Woods!" Opens tonight!







Oh yes, and don't forget Marcus Crowder's excellent article in today's Sac Bee Ticket section (including a little bit of zing):

Though the Isaacsons won't say so publicly, they might not have ever started on this journey if the city of Davis had shown them a little more love and appreciation. The DMTC produced more than 120 shows over 12 years at the downtown Davis Varsity Theatre, which the city operated.

When in 2002 it became clear that the Palms Playhouse, a Davis landmark and a revered live-music venue (despite the name), would have to relocate, the city expressed interest in hosting the Palms at the Varsity. Bringing the Palms to the Varsity would have had the domino effect of displacing the DMTC, and the Isaacsons realized how shaky their standing was.

The World Nods...

Courtesy of Bev Sykes (via Jean Henderson), here is the official ribbon-cutting picture!

Bev also has a real nice blog post regarding last night. She also put together a video of her tour of the new Hoblit Performing Arts Center.

Then there was Beth Curda's recent article ("What would be more nerve-wracking than opening night of a stage performance?": available for a fee) in The Davis Enterprise (I missed the hard copy because I live in Sacramento, but I'll go check their back copies office):

Much work is under way this week, but by this time next week, Steve and Jan Isaacson, DMTC's founders, expect to celebrate the completion of their long-awaited playhouse.

"I am so thrilled that everything is in one place," Jan Isaacson said Tuesday.

That has been seen as one of the biggest advantages since the project began a few years ago. For 12 years, the local theater group has been renting the Varsity Theater, the city-operated stage downtown.

It has been dividing rehearsals and auditions, set and prop building, costume creation, storage and performances into various sites throughout town. Once the new theater — which is one tenant in a new building at 607 Peña Drive — is finished, all operations will move under one roof.

"This way, you get to hear if the actors are loud enough," Jan Isaacson said of having auditions and rehearsals on the performance stage. In the past, it has been difficult to tell sometimes how performances would sound once the rehearsals were moved onto the Varsity stage, she said.

In July 2002, the city told the Isaacsons it needed to explore other uses for the Varsity Theater. The Isaacsons saw no other workable space for their performances and began a campaign to build a theater of their own, long a dream of the couple and of DMTC.

Then, Jeff Hudson at the Sacramento News and Review took note (with a minor error):

The opening of a new theatrical venue is an uncommon event, but that’s just what the Davis Musical Theatre Company (DMTC) has planned for this weekend. The new Hoblit Performing Arts Center is a 10,000-square-foot facility with a stage, an orchestra pit and 240 seats. That’s about 100 more than the B Street Theatre and almost as many as the Sacramento Theatre Company.

DMTC is leasing the space under a long-term agreement. Its old venue was the city-owned Varsity Theater, which was primarily designed for movies and later retrofitted to accommodate live performances. Backstage facilities at the Varsity are minimal, so DMTC’s rehearsals, costume shop, office operations and other activities were spread over other locations around Davis.

The new theater will bring everything together in one place, which is a huge logistical advantage. Because the DMTC isn’t sharing the new theater with other groups, it also will be able to leave its sets and gear on the stage between weekend performances, instead of clearing out and locking up (which was necessary at the Varsity).

The new venue has a total cost of about $1.3 million and has taken about three years to complete. DMTC received many donations but also took out a loan to finish the building. The theater’s name, the Hoblit Performing Arts Center, reflects a donation for naming rights by the Hoblit auto dealerships.

Plus, The Sacramento Bee has a brief blurb today in their "Scene" section.

Motel Seis, Y Mas

Have you ever stayed in any of these motels? I have. Sporadically, ever since I was a teenager. Amazing places. They've come down a lot from their heyday in the 50's, though:

Thirteen motel operators in suburban Mesa have been indicted on charges they rented rooms to federal agents posing as immigrant smugglers and coached them on how to conceal their activities, authorities said Thursday.

"Star Wars" Trivia

Just one bit of jetsam:

The word "Jedi" is derived from the Japanese words "Jidai Geki" which translate as "period drama." A period drama is a Japanese TV soap opera program set in the samurai days. George Lucas mentioned in an interview that he saw a "Jidai Geki" program on TV while in Japan a year or so before the movie was made and liked the word.

Cutting The Ribbon

There was a low-key ribbon-cutting ceremony today (Cut A Yellow Ribbon For D-M-T-C), featuring several representatives of the Davis Chamber of Commerce, and also The Davis Enterprise (including editor Debbie Davis, reporter Beth Curda, and reviewer Bev Sykes). The big scissors were a treat, and we wanted to keep them as a prop, but we all remembered what our mothers told us about running with scissors.

Is it a 30's-era microphone with a fancy grill, or is it the 'Millenium Falcon' from Star Wars sporting a parasail? No! It's a light fixture on the warm-colored walls (saffron in this picture) of the Hoblit Performing Arts Center.

Prior to rehearsal, "Into the Wood's" 'Milky White' was in the backstage women's restroom. That reminded me of an event in my childhood.

One hot late-summer's afternoon when I was a kid (about 1963), my mother left the French Doors to the living room wide open, in order to get some circulation. At the time, Corrales, NM was quickly morphing from a rural community with real farmers and actual animals, into a pretentious, expensive suburb where everyone felt they had to raise horses on postage-stamp pieces of land just in order to keep up appearances. Still, real animals sometimes escaped from their pens and pastures, and this particular summer day, I entered the living room to find a bull standing quietly there.

The kids on the school bus had said that if you made faces at a bull, it would charge, so I made faces at it, but nothing happened: the animal was not provoked. I eventually tired of the game and alerted my mother to the presence of the bull, and she chased it out of the house with a broom. My mother blamed the summer heat for making the bull want to escape the sun, if only for awhile.

'Milky White' in the restroom reminded me of that long-ago day, but instead of a real, overheated 20th-Century bull, she is a cool, sleek 21st-Century styrofoam bovine. I made faces at her, but same as 42 years ago, nothing happened.

Jason Hammond found a key to the Giant's Castle. Jason asked, "now, where is that hen?"

The Stepsisters (Stacia Truesdale and Dannette Bell-Vassar) are presented with the glass slipper, as the Stepmother (Monique McKisson) tries to help out. Jason Hammond looks on, and Cinderella's Prince (Bob Olson) waits.











People are coming out to help and convey support: Rich Kulmann, Michael Elfant, Andee Thorpe, two-and-a-half-month-old Brian Richard Sullivan, etc.

Young YPT veteran Rachel Pinto was running light board tonight. She said she hadn't entered the theater at all until two days ago, but already, she looked completely in charge up there in the light booth. Like everyone else, she's just amazed at the place.

Hardball

Liberal church approaches, but doesn't cross over, a bright line. Doesn't matter: IRS goes after them anyway.

Tuesday At The New Theater

On Tuesday, I half-listened to "Into The Woods" rehearsal as I dug hidden dust from behind the seats, and worked with Dian to clean bathrooms. Yesterday, the workers power-washed the concrete portions of the floor, helping a lot regarding dust, but still, there's a considerable amount left where the power-washer either didn't dally, or couldn't get.

Note: Regarding yesterday's blog post, Jan wanted me to make clear that Monique hurt her ankle on a stool she brought from home, and that Steve banged his foot on escape stairs for the show, and that neither incident reflected on safety in the New Theater. I'm sure this is true, but as in any theater, there is always the chance for accidents. Steve, in particular, has a penchant for finding the improbable accident - he could get splinters while sitting in a rubber room - and after the recent carnage regarding toes in Sacramento, I just get worried about us running loose in a new, unfamiliar building.

In any event, today at 5:30 p.m. is Ribbon Cutting!

Propositions Defeated

Arnold's pet measures crashed in flames! Even the least-badly defeated measure (parental notification for abortions) lost decisively. The great pendulum of American politics is swinging left again, and not a moment too soon!

I voted for Proposition 79, because the Democratic Party seemed to view it as a measure of party strength. I also voted for suburban-grassroots, Republican-backed Proposition 77, because, although its effect on Democratic dominance in California would likely be minimal, we still need to do something about high-tech gerrymandering, and the way it leads to an unresponsive legislature.

I can't say I'm disappointed about the election results in general, though. Bodes well for 2006! Hooray for democracy!

"Into The Woods" Tech Week Begins

Caption: Monday night at the New Theater. Performers on stage, orchestra in the pit, dust on the floor, and expectation in the air! On the extreme right, Robert maneuvers our (my precious!) brand-new 'Little Giant' ladder, in the company of Lauren Miller and Michael McElroy. On the extreme left, the 'Narrator' (Steve Isaacson) narrates. In the middle, only God and Stephen Sondheim understands what is going on.

Tonight, I went over to the New Theater: Steve said they needed a bit of help there. "Into The Woods" tech week started on Sunday, and I knew they would be rehearsing there.

With "Victor/Victoria" going, I hadn't had a chance to get over to the New Theater for the last couple of weeks. Instead, I was worried whether I could muscle the Chez Lui bar on and off the 24th Street stage without spilling gel-laden drinks, or whether I would get entombed by the stage wagons instead, and, if so, what my epitaph should be.

What a bizarre sight there in Davis! On one side of the orchestra pit, costumed people wandered through the seats, and on the other side people sang eerie Sondheim tunes, with music filling the hall from the depths below! People I didn't recognize at first came up and said hello. I didn't recognize smiling Jason Hammond at first, given his lush and ornate costume, and I didn't recognize Steve in costume either, with his beard, at least, until he said "the contractor needs a check for $35,000" (this theater doesn't come cheap, and, as Treasurer, I need to keep the cash moving)!

After hellos, I busied myself with trying to do some cleaning - there is a prodigious amount of construction dust in the place. Tonight, the theater is still only half a theater: the other half is still a construction zone. As befits a construction zone AND a stage, people have been twisting ankles and banging feet: Steve and Monique both suffered tonight.

They've been putting on some sort of gypsum-based interior wall finish that leaves spots on the floor - spots that will crumble, in time, into gypsum dust. Hercules and the Augean Stables come to mind when I think of the dust, or Sisyphus and his boulder. Supposedly there will be carpet on the seating risers soon.

People are scrambling to make sure the theater is ready for opening. Ribbon-cutting is Wednesday, the Preview is Thursday, and the Opening Show is Friday!

"Victor/Victoria" - Third Weekend

We are at our best now: most of the set issues are at least manageable. Interestingly enough, Friday was our best show this weekend.

Several goofs happened on the weekend. On Friday, Jebriel stumbled on the steps in the final 'Victor/Victoria' number, and on Saturday, Jason did likewise. I didn't see either event, no doubt in part due to performer's tunnel vision, but then again, no one I talked to in the audience saw it either, so both of them must have sprung up almost immediately. Still, it kind of shook both of them. The steps have always scared me. I'm paired with Jebriel, and we are both often on the highest step, where it would be laughably easy to topple off the side completely. Sobering! I know it restrains my performance up there. Courage is my watchword, and fear is my companion.

On Sunday, walking backwards in line, on Marcy's second entrance in 'Le Jazz Hot,' I suddenly felt I wasn't moving fast enough: either we were late or Marcy was a couple of seconds early. I'm the last to clear center-stage in that line. I tried to speed up and stepped on Diane's big toe instead (but fortunately, the good toe, not the one ground into hamburger by the set last weekend). Embarrassing! Some day, I know, I'll fall backwards, and all of us will fall like dominoes.

On Saturday, in the final 'Victor/Victoria' number, Bob Roe's beaded headdress fell off, and it landed directly under my feet, but again, due to performer's tunnel vision, I didn't see it happen. All I knew was that I was suddenly getting really bizarre sensations through the paper-thin soles of my shoes. According to Keri, I had plenty of opportunities to kick the headdress into the wings (with the implication that only a moron wouldn't have done so immediately), but in order to do so, I would have had to look at my feet first, which would have violated a fundamental rule of performance dancing, which is: DON'T LOOK AT YOUR FREAKIN' FEET! I am proud to have maintained discipline, never looked at my feet, coped with the slippery beads, and pounded the frilly thing into the stage instead. Kicking the headdress into the wings would have been the coward's way out.

On Sunday, Bob Roe had laryngitis, which was a problem since, as Toddy, he's a major, major character, but he did the best he could under the circumstances. The audience respected his effort.

On Friday, the Kulmann's came and watched the show again. It was a pleasure to meet Mike MacElroy's parents on Sunday (they sometimes read this blog!). Bob DeLucia came on Saturday, as did Amber Jean Moore and Laurent Lazard. Amber teased Jake Montoya for his character (probably just at the start of his Apache dance with Scott Griffith). Jake said, with an ecstatic, breathless gasp audible to the audience: "What a man!" I couldn't tell if Amber admired Jake for effortlessly pulling off such an over-the-top moment, or whether she felt scandalized, and protective of the ears of 9-month-old Juliette, or perhaps some other mix of emotion. After the show on Saturday, Bill, Monica, and I had a nice dinner at Tapa's.

Strangest Day

I apologize for the light blogging this weekend. Not only was "Victor/Victoria" going full-tilt, but there was a crunch at work, and so I basically have gone nuts this weekend just keeping up.

Steve came over to my house on Sunday morning, to pick up the 'Little Giant' ladder for the New Theater. I didn't want to let it go just yet, since I haven't finished repairing the security light ("V/V" having absorbed all my free time for the last month-and-a-half), but the New Theater's needs are urgent, so I had to bid it farewell for the moment.

Steve said "today is the strangest day ever in the history of DMTC!" He was trying to emphasize just how truly strange it was to have a cue-to-cue tech for "Into The Woods" in an absolutely brand-new theater. "Into The Woods" opens this Friday, with a preview on Thursday, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the New Theater, is it, on Wednesday???) Wow!

I know, though, that no matter how strange today might have been, tomorrow will be stranger still. Every day this week will be the strangest day ever in the history of DMTC!

Beyond theater, the strangest thing that happened this weekend was watching a driver trying to negotiate the one-way streets of Sacramento. First, he turned west on "J" St. at 18th, and gummed everything up for everyone. He backed up and headed south on 18th.

Thirty seconds later, I met the same guy again: turning north on 19th St., at "K" St. Two wrong-way turns in the space of two minutes! He was one confused guy! Today was certainly his strangest day!

Downtown Sacramento is really, really scary!