little Italian ice before heading home.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Stopping by Rita's
little Italian ice before heading home.
Magic Camp
Emilia has been at Magic Camp all week while my other two, as you know, have been down in New Orleans. This is one of the tricks Emilia learned this week.
Emilia has a volunteer pick one of the 3 different colored sticks (red, blue, green) and put it in her hand without showing her what color it is. Now without looking and with the stick behind her back she guesses what color the volunteer has placed in her hand.
She's got a few more up her sleeve too.
She's picked the grapes...
...and now get's to drink the
The women who's house they were working on made the group this wonderful meal to show her appreciation.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
No good deed...
run in with a toilet from one of the homes they are helping to repair
with the habitat for humanity group.
12 stitches and hours later I guess that's one way of getting out of
work for today.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Girls on the NoLa Mission Trip
Tracey and Arianna are with our church group in New Orleans for the week. You can find out more on the SACPC website
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
Saturday, July 17, 2010
The Music Man Cast Pictures
Front of Thailian Hall
Emilia with her "Mom" and "Sister"
Entire Cast
The Children in "The Music Man"
Avery along with her brother Preston and little sister Whitley came to the show.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Star News Theater review - March straight to memorable ‘Music Man’
Photo by Paul Stephen
Jason Hatfield as Harold Hill and Heather Setzler as Marian Paroo. Opera House Theatre Company's production of "The Music Man" will run for three weeks.
By John Staton
John.Staton@StarNewsOnline.com
Published: Tuesday, July 13, 2010 at 11:09 a.m.
It’s possible to do the right thing by accident.
In “The Music Man,” that’s pretty much what traveling salesman Harold Hill does until, at long last, he finally does the right thing on purpose.
Of course, Opera House Theatre Co.’s entertaining and moving production of the 1950s Meredith Willson classic is no accident. It’s just that director Suellen Yates and company’s earnest efforts make the proceedings appear effortless, with just a couple of hitches.
It’s a sleight of hand of sorts, a benign deception that, somewhat like the deceptions perpetrated by Prof. Hill – ably played with a mix of well-timed humor and an understated sense of inner conflict by Jason Hatfield – works out well for almost everyone in the end.
As a musical, “The Music Man” remains a winning combination of crowd-pleasing show-stoppers and sly satire of the small-minded small-town mentality, all wrapped around Hill’s core conundrum of whether to continue to live a rogue’s life or to settle down with that sadder but wiser girl, Marian the Librarian (Heather Setzler).
Things get off to a promising start with “Rock Island,” a wonderful, innovative song in which the conversations of traveling salesmen on a train recreate the train’s rhythms (“He doesn’t know the territory!”) while setting up the legend of Prof. Harold Hill, who swoops into unsuspecting hamlets, sells the populace band instruments for their kids on the basis of teaching them how to play, then skips town.
Enter River City, Iowa, Hill’s latest project.
The con in “The Music Man” is relatively benign, and that’s probably intentional. Anything too nefarious might besmirch our leading man beyond recognition. As it is, Hill’s pursuit of Marian’s affections brings out the best in him, even if it’s inadvertent, by cozying up to her family and the townsfolk. Hill winds up giving more than he ever intends to take, which is what makes him such a lovable character and what makes his ultimate redemption so moving. (Some in the audience were shedding tears by play’s end.)
During the course of the story, the audience is treated to some of the most memorable songs in musical theater history. Hatfield nails Hill’s rapid-fire pitch to River City resident “(Ya Got) Trouble” slinks through “Library” (his whispered, jazzy pitch to Marian) and captures the humor of “The Sadder but Wiser Girl,” a duet with old buddy Marcellus Washburn (Zack Simcoe, compelling as always), who gets a charge out of surreptitiously helping “Greg,” Hill’s real name and one he bridles at, probably because it reminds him of who he really is and what he’s really doing.
For her part, Setzler is perfectly cast as the reserved but passionate Marian, and, despite a little trouble with some of her high notes, she does a lovely job of delivering her big songs, “Goodbye, My Someone,” and particularly, “My White Knight,” in which she lays out her not-outrageous requirements for a man, the opinion of her Irish mother (Jemila Ericson, providing some great comedy) notwithstanding.
The whole cast gets into the act on super-fun tunes like “Pick-a-Little, Talk-a-Little,” during which the town biddies dispense backbiting gossip; the rousing “Wells Fargo Wagon,” in which the townsfolk anticipate coveted deliveries; and “Shipoopi,” a feather-light dance confection with swing-style choreography by Kendra Goehring-Garrett.
Performances are solid across the board, but standouts include Dan Morris as blustery mayor Shinn, who’s prone to telling folks to watch their “phraseology”; Teri Harding as his modern-dance loving wife, Eulalie MacKecknie Shinn; Bill Piper as the menacing Hill-hating salesman Charlie Cowell, who’s the closest thing the play has to a villain; and Dru Loman as Marian’s lisping little brother, Winthrop (Loman’s rendition of “Gary, Indiana” is infectious).
Not to be forgotten are the tight harmonies of the easily distracted barbershop quartet of school board members, the outstanding music direction of Lorene Walsh and Debbie Scheu’s colorful costumes, in particular the wild hats of the town ladies, all of which overshadowed a technical glich with a piece of scenery on Sunday.
Wilmington's Encore Magazine Review of ‘The Music Man’
Opera House’s ‘The Music Man’ melts the hearts of all
By: Lisa Hunyh - July 13th, 2010
THE MUSIC MAN
Thalian Hall, Main Stage
310 Chestnut Street
July 16th-18th and 23rd-25th, 8 p.m.
Tickets: $23-$25
(910) 343-3664
"I’m no Robert Preston,” Jason Hatfield, who plays the very deceiving but very amiable Harold Hill in ‘The Music Man,’ says. While Hatfield speaks true about Preston’s unparalleled performance in the 1962 film, Hatfield presents Hill as an unlikely hero and musician of small-town Iowa. Though he may look a bit rough around the edges, Hatfield portrays the character in a non-sugar-coated way, but more pure and effortless. Hvaing worked with the one Robert Redford on the upcoming film “The Conspirator” last fall, the local actor has an unfaltering voice that will not quit, as he clearly shows in the breathless score “Ya Got Trouble.”
“The Music Man” itself is a musical of dubious salesman Harold Hill, who takes on the rigid town of River City, Iowa, slowly persuading the townspeople into investing in a boys band and believing him to be a music professor, although he knows nothing of either subject. His empty plot, however, gets distracted when he finds himself falling for the music teacher and librarian, Marion, played by Heather Setzler.
“The Music Man” opens a window into the meaning of American life in July 1912, where the scene takes place. This era, according to artistic director and founder Lou Criscuolo, is a both simple and pure time from which people of today could learn a lesson or two. Director Suellen Yates stays true to Criscuolo’s belief—and perhaps even Meredith Wilson’s.
The screenplay, execution of props, cast and scenery blend in a perfect, harmonious romp that gives way to a performance that satisfies the heart, steadies the mind, and adds a gleeful smile to every face. Similarly, choreographer Kendra Goehring-Garrett creates upbeat, playful routines. Yet, she still stays loyal to the original steps of the 1962 film, as shown in the musical number “Shipoopi.”
Celebrating the 25th anniversary summer season of the Opera House Theatre Company, “The Music Man” also presents a cast so flawlessly complementary that despite the ranges in ages—adults to teenagers, elderly to children—all sizes, small and large, and voices, baritone or soprano, connect intensely.
Lead actress Heather Setzler gives the impression to be stern, yet she surprisingly shines as brightly as the star she sings to in “Goodnight, My Someone.” The melodious reappearing Barbershop Quartet, the bickering ladies of River City and lisping, cheerful sweetheart Winthrop Paroo, played by young Dru Loman, also add whimsy and engagement.
In short, “The Music Man” can captivate all audiences—especially those who cherish the fundamental morals of American culture. The timeless love story of the beast-turned-beauty—or close to—comes off as absolutely charming, from beginning to end.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
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