White Christmas

Now that Thanksgiving is over I can post about our visit to the Fox Theatre a week ago Thursday to see White Christmas.  Based on the movie of the same name (Bing Crosby, I believe, was a lead) it's a feel-good musical where boy-meets-girl, boy-loses-girl, boy-wins-girl-back; in addition the two male leads help an old army commander fill his New England inn at Christmastime to avoid "going under".  (Timely, huh?  No government bailout here, just people helping people.  This show would probably not play well in DC.)

Great music with songs I did not realize were from this show and fine dancing along with good acting made this an enjoyable performance.

We went with Don and Marietta and Brian and Carolyn (their kids) after dinner at Moose Preserve.

All Childish Things

was the name of the play we saw Thursday afternoon at Boarshead theatre in Lansing.

  

Set in Cincinnati, this comedy follows three childhood friends and one provoking girlfriend (played by Molly Thomas, daughter of Kathy's colleague) as they try to commit the crime of the century...robbing the warehouses of Kenner Toys where the mother load of "Star Wars" figures can be found.

Dave, computer programmer and avid "Star Wars" fan, plans the heist from his mother's basement (where he still resides) with the help of Max, Carter and Kendra. When things go awry, friendships are tested and each faces the most important decision of his life. Not even light sabers or Jedi knights can save the day for these "Star Wars" geeks.

There really are men so interested in Star Wars--we could tell from some of the laughter at lines we did not understand--and I can imagine they also introduce a new generation to it.

In addition to the play we toured the Michigan Capitol, our first visit there in many years.  Because of 9/11 visitors cannot use the main entrance through the massive wooden doors up the grand staircase (we tried it and the doors were locked) but instead at ground level never intended for visitors.  It is still an impressive site with the dome 160 feet above the rotunda and house and senate chambers in the wings.  Sound like the U.S. Capitol?  It should and so should many other state capitols after the Civil War because their architects took their inspiration from it.

We followed our self-guided tour with lunch at Clara's, an old railroad station that still has trains passing alongside on their tracks converted to a restaurant.

In this beautiful sunny fall weather we were able to park the car at the theatre and walk to our destinations--we had hoped for more shopping in the downtown Lansing area but our walk along those streets took us past mostly restaurants leaving us time for the capitol tour.

Meadow Brook Theatre

Our Thursday production was  Murder by Poe which recounts several of his stories.  Included are "The Tell-Tale Heart", "The Black Cat", and Poe's omniscient detective C. Auguste Dupin displaying his solution to "The Murders in the Rue Morgue."

Excellent production.  Had I more Poe knowledge I would have enjoyed it even more.

A Gem of a Play

Eight of us went to the Gem Theatre (Don & Marietta, Bill & Patti, Carol & her brother Curt, us) Wednesday.  Had dinner there at the Century Grill--food was great though the service was not. 

In Say Goodnight, Gracie George Burns recounts his life from his early days in a small tenement in New York City through his final days when he had to cancel a performance in Las Vagas on his 100th birthday due to illness.  His early days in Vaudeville. meeting and becoming great friends with Jack Benny, marrying Gracie Allen, rising in popularity radio and television, having children, Gracie's early retirement, losing Gracie and later Jack, and his final days.  This was a fine one-man performance that used pictures and video and sound recordings to add authenticity and emphasis.

On the Avon River Again

Jim, Sandy, and we went to Stratford, Ontario for two days of theater. We left Wednesday morning and returned Thursday evening.

Wednesday afternoon we had lunch at Bentley's, our traditional gourmet grilled cheese sandwich. Then saw the premier production of Palmer Park. Palmer Woods is a residential area in Detroit (it's called Palmer Park in the play) with large, elegant homes. Some are English Tudor, others colonial, and a few Frank Lloyd Wright. Rather expensive. Homes to the wealthy before there was Birmingham. In 1968, after the Detroit riots of the previous year, a young white family moves into one of the homes because white flight after the riots has depressed the housing costs. They become friends with black family neighbors. The story tells of how they try to keep the neighborhood and school stable amid pressures otherwise and their relationships with neighbors over the next five years.

I was afraid, after the story line, that we would be preached at about race relations in Detroit, but that was not the case. Great acting made this a memorable performance. Our first time at the Studio Theatre, newer and smaller than the others with three-sided seating around the stage.

A light dinner followed that evening by The Music Man at the Avon Theatre. Jim and Sandy saw it earlier in the season and enjoyed it so much they wanted to see it again. I would also see it again.

Thursday we killed the morning reading and walking about a shopping mall, then had a light lunch at Fellini's. The afternoon performance was Cabaret which Kathy and I had seen in Detroit but was new to Jim and Sandy. Afterward we drove back to the States and chatted about the three great performances we had seen.

Now to plan next year's trip.

A Trip to Chelsea

to the Purple Rose Theatre for the Jeff Daniels play Panhandle Slim and the Oklahoma Kid.  The play is popular enough to be extended through the end of the month.  Daniels says he worked on this play for at least ten years and has rewritten it at least seven times.  Well, this rewrite was a success.   Slim is shot, hogtied, and left to die in the desert where the Kid comes upon him.  The Kid is a singing cowboy with a wit, something Slim lacks.  Slim is willing to have the Kid "shoot me!" but the Kid refuses and leaves him hogtied.  They have lengthy discussions about their lives, the good and the bad.  They finally come to grips with each other and we learn of the connection between the two.  And then they ride off into the sunset.

Fine acting includes one of our favorites Tom Whalen playing Panhandle Slim.  Tom is hogtied the entire performance.  How he does it for an hour and a half is amazing--and he does it performance after performance.  

Dinner after the play at the Common Grill.  Good food and a good play.  All in all a fun day.

MBT

On Thursday we saw Meadowbrook Theatre production of Moonlight and Magnolias, a play about writing the screenplay for the movie Gone with the Wind. It was interesting how the screenplay came about and the time it took. In addition, the director and writer had little confidence in its success.

I know little about the story GWTW--from the book or the movie--except for some character names and the famous line. If I would have watched the movie or read the book before I saw the play, I would have appreciated it more.

Great acting and another great set. One actor, who played Ben Hecht who wrote the script for the movie, is Tom Whalen, who James knows from his summer work while in college. We have seen him in a number of productions but I believe this one is his biggest part. We look forward to seeing him again.

Doubt

We went to Ann Arbor last week to see Molly Thomas in the Performance Network production of Doubt. A play set in 1964 at a Catholic school and focuses on the principal who confronts a priest about his abuse of a young student. In addition the principal confronts a young teacher (Molly) about her teaching and her support of the priest, actually disbelieving the principal. Eventually the priest, under pressure, moves to another parish, and about the suspicions of the principal? We are left with doubt.

About a dozen of us went, some retired collegues of Jane Thomas and some family friends, and had dinner before. A fine production with great acting in this small venue. The set was terrific. And we found out after the performance that the production is extended for an additional week.

Three Days of Culture and a Lions Win

Thursday night we saw Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure, a superb production at Meadowbrook Theatre. Holmes, with his assistant Dr. Watson, finally vanquishes his nemesis Professor Moriarty. Typical Holmes logic and strategy leads to the final fight between Holmes and Moriarty above a great precipice. We are led to believe both are killed, but, alas, Holmes reveals himself in the last scene.

Jim and Sandy Bade organized another trip to Stratford, Ontario, this time to see the musical Oklahoma at the Festival Theatre Friday. We loved the show. Our seats were second row center so we could see all detail in costume, props, facial expression, etc. We were concerned at times that the dancers would fly off the stage into our laps! Before the show we took a tour of the warehouse for all the theatres in Stratford. 50,000 costumes, 10,000 pairs of shoes, thousands of props, shops for making and maintaining all this. Found it interesting that it takes about 7 support people working on a production for every actor in the production--costuming, wigs, set building, etc. We gained a new appreciation for the behind-the-scenes efforts. (Brenda, only a forty minute delay returning to US.)

Disney music was the theme for Saturday's Detroit Symphony Orchestra Pops Concert. All great music and we recognized that from the earlier movies, such as Snow White and Pinocchio, and some of the later that were made into stage musicals, such as Lion King, but were somewhat unfamiliar with the more current movies (Aladdin, The Hunchback, Hercules). We will try to check these out of the library and watch them this winter.

We stayed downtown overnight. In the morning we walked the International RiverWalk (map)from Rivard Park to Joe Louis Arena-- garden rest areas, a fountain, fishermen, joggers, Detroit Princess cruise boat, and a carousel closed for the season. Most impressive is an Underground Railroad commemorative near Hart Plaza that honors those who helped the "flight to freedom." Eventually the walk will go from JLA to east of Belle Isle. Cool temperatures and mostly cloudy sky invigorated us for a late breakfast and a walk to Ford Field. We made the transition from arts culture to sports culture.

Yep, the Lions are 6-2 after they thumped--I mean thumped--the Denver Broncos. It was such a one-sided game that fans left the stadium as if the Lions were getting thumped! The running game was effective early which opened passing lanes later. And although Kitna was not particularly effective from a completion percentage standpoint, he did execute a two-play 95-yard touchdown drive with two long completions. A few Bronco fans were around us, but they did not make much noise after halftime. Heading to the playoffs? Who knows. Their record at this point points in that direction, but they still have half a season. Green Bay twice, Minnesota, and New York Giants will be good tests.

Stratford on Saturday

We saw an excellant performance of An Ideal Husband, Oscar Wilde's skewering of genteel Londoners. Great acting, great seats, great company, great weather, great food.

We left with Jim and Sandy early Saturday morning, picked up Bill and Dorothy in Marine City, and crossed the Blue Water Bridge after a short delay. We arrived to bright sun and cool temperatures in the 60s and strolled some of the downtown Stratford, Ontario streets before our lunch at Bentley's Restaurant in the heart of Stratford. Their gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches are not to be missed. Off to the Festival Theatre (there are four theatres in Stratford) to walk their gardens before the performance. We found a beautiful fall-blooming crocus that we intend to put in some of the flower beds next season.

On our return to US customs and immigration, after a much longer wait, the officer took our passports, asked about our travel, and then wanted to talk to Sandy. He is a former student of hers who spoke fondly of the books they read and the trips they took, especially to Meadow Brook Theatre to see A Christmas Carol. Such a small world.

Kids

We attended two events recently that, unknown to us at the time, were designed with kids in mind.

On Tuesday we entered the Fisher Theatre to see High School Musical and were greeted with pre-teen to early-teen kids and their parents filling the lobbies. Disney first made the movie and then the television series of the same name and it attracted a large following but I had no idea the following would be so young. The production was excellent. The story is about a jock and a geek (I do not particularly like this word and seldom use it since it has negative connotation associated with it, but it will have to do in this case) falling in love and eventually gain the support of their "groups" so they can participate in the high school musical and become romantically closer. (Some aspects of West Side Story--love story, Jets and Sharks--but without violence.) Many high school stereotypes--coach, drama teacher, jocks, drama queen, and intellectuals or geeks. Good story and good message to to kids about fitting into different groups, having different interests, and being tolerant of differences. And these kids in the audience seemed to get it as evidenced by their enthusiastic applause and cheers. I was impressed with how well the kids behaved--shows good parental guidance.

Last night we went to the Palace to see the Detroit Shock play Phoenix Mercury. We had vouchers for free tickets that we got at Detroit CityFest on Friday, and decided to upgrade at the box office to get seats closer to the court. As we walked in the main entrance a sign welcomed one and all to Kids Day! The kids were enthusiastic (read loud), especially during the timeout giveaways as they tried for free pizza and shirts. The Shock won handily after a slow first half, helped by scoring a league record 40 points in the third period. Fun time!

(I have had looping in my brain a fun song about kids from Bye, Bye Birdie that seems timeless.)

Into the Woods

is a musical presented at Bonstelle Theatre, the undergraduate performance venue for Wayne State University students.

The first act of Into the Woods reviews the major events and happy endings of several fairy tales including Jack and his beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood, and Rapunzel, all living in the same kingdom. Then the second act follows up on the happy endings and shows us what might have happened if time were to progress past the happy endings and the giant's wife, angry over the loss of her husband, had confronted the people of the kingdom.

I am always impressed with the level of the students' performances. Singing, dancing, acting, speaking all indicate successful days in their future days in professional theater.

MeadowBrook Theatre

presented Macbeth last night. I don't recall having seen a Shakespeare tragedy before, and I will have to think hard about seeing one again. The set was terrific and the acting superb, distinguishing features of MBT. But it took an enormous effort on my part trying to understand the dialogue. By the end I was tired and understood only about 10% of the dialogue. It's good for me this is his shortest tragedy.

When reading Shakespeare, I don't get as tired (granted, I don't read much by the Bard). But when reading I look at the notes, check word definitions, and re-read sections for better understanding.

I should have at least read a synopsis before hand. Lesson learned.

The next MBT show is a musical tribute to the Andrews Sisters who gave us their famous rendition of Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy during WWII (Bette Middler had a fine rendition herself). Now that's my kind of music; I love the music of that era though I have little recollection of WWII itself.