Friday, February 27, 2009

Heart-A-Rama 09 First Look, and Some Artsy Moments



Here you go...your first look at the cast of Heart-A-Rama's musical, "Give Peas a Chance." Aren't they somethin'? If you're new to HAR, here's a little info. The show features many short skits, and musical bits all written, performed and directed by local volunteers. We have a fun directing team. Ellen directs the opening number. She re-works a popular, rocky number with new lyrics to fit the year's theme. This year the show focuses on fairy tales. Rick, Brad, and Fritz each direct what we call "tweeners." These are throwbacks to the HAR days when we had three longer skits, and we needed quick, little acts in front of the curtain to give the stage crew time to change the set, and actors time to change costumes. They have since evolved into longer skits with bigger casts, giving more people a chance to strut their stuff on stage.


For a long time now, I have been directing the musical, and recently, have been happily granted custody of two tweeners and the finale. It's all great fun. I had tons of creative help writing the musical - Karen, Chris, and Connie worked hard to develop a plot and characters. They wrote dialogue and song parodies. Now I get to bring it all to life. Our musical is call "Give Peas a Chance"; it blends the stories of the "Princess and the Pea,' and "The Frog Prince" with a Bachelor TV show type plot.


Let me introduce our cast of zanies. (L to R) Scott...each year Scott tells me how happy he is not to be in the musical! If he was using reverse psychology on me, then it worked. If not...well, I am still very happy to have a chance to direct him. He's playing "Just Jack," the jester. He is the advice giver, confidant, and all around buddy to the Prince. Snow White will be played by Jen. Our Snow White is a little psycho, travelling everywhere with her pet budgie, Mr.Happy Peeper, on her finger. With Happy, her true self comes out in snappy, Linda Blair style quips. Chris is Gretel, desperate to find a man to love and to share her goodies. We're hoping for a good German accent for Gretel, just to add to her menacing nature. Chuck is Wart, our Frog Prince, looking for the right woman. He's a little bit hyper-active, and has zero self-confidence. All he needs to make him happy is a wife with a penchant for all things green. Finally, there's Lily Pond, played by HAR newcomer, Corie. Lily got herself caught in that torrential rain we had last year here in the Lakeshore. The rushing waters swept her away to Wart's kingdom where, lured by the inviting scent of pea soup, she snuck into the castle hoping to find a place to warm-up, and to sleep. Little did she dream that she would find herself engaged, against her will, to a frog.

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On Friday night, I travelled all the way to Sheboy-gan with Terri and Chris to see our pal Kevin's art exhibit. Four other Heart-A-Rama folks were already there when we arrived, so we had some fun visiting. Kevin is one of HAR's top worker bees, driving from Sheboygan for rehearsals, meetings, and to deliver the many huge set pieces he constructs, and paints for us each year. Here he is beside a cool, wintery self- portrait.

Dan was among the artists featured at the exhibit. He gave me a detailed explanation of how he does his paintings, which involves multiple layers of a concoction made of eggs and pigment. You can't tell from this picture how complex Dan's works are. The brush strokes are so fine, they are nearly invisible. Dan's color choice is stunning, and moody, and the whole look is that of old world, Byzantine art. Very impressive. I wish I had taken a close-up of it for you.

I also regret not taking a picture of Kevin's office. It's like a min-museum of iconic toys, mixed with some cowboy decor, and Kevin's personal fab and funky touches. The "ToDo" list next to his desk reminds Kevin to pay off his credit card debt, and to win a Pulitzer. The best and worst part of his office is that is is tidy. The first time I saw his office so great was the inspiration, that I came back to work and began tearing, shredding, moving, and generally turning my office upside down to emulate his. Emulation did not happen as planned! My office, which is in what once housed the walk-in cooler for Mahlik's grocery store, remains (and shall evermore remain, I fear) a total disaster....with a few creative undertones to remind me that art and tidiness are best left to others...talents that I should be satisfied observing.
Once again, I have to say how wonderful life is when surrounded by quality people with art surging through their bodies. Why I'm drawn to them, and not to dull, no-talent individuals who more closely mirror me, I'll never know. But I am happy for it.
*****
What am I reading? Just finished The Lace Reader, and Change of Heart and I have a lot to say on both. However, "Change" is our book group selection for March, so my rant (later this week?) won't be too detailed. OOPS! Did I just give away my feeling about it? Now, it's palate cleansing time. This morning I started a young adult novel called The Hunger Games...so far, so good.
*****Speaking of super talented friends...I just got an email from Mike Perry. He wants everyone to know that if you want to eamil him, it is best to do it through his newly designed website.http://www.sneezingcow.com. He also has a facebook page. That address is http://www.blogger.com/www.facebook.com/pages/michael.perry/40434216043. Check it out for all the latest Mike Perry news.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

SHHHH! It's a Secret! by Sophia

Here are the lovely Sophia's comments on one of her favorite young adult novels!



The Name of This Book is Secret is truly a good book. But what's so secret about it? you might ask. Well, no one really knows besides the mysterious narrator, Pseudonymous Bosch, also the author. So if I can't tell you what the secret is then why not tell you what the book is about?
It's about Cass and Max-Ernest who stumble across a dead magician's notes, The Symphony of Smells. When they investigate his house, two mysterious people, a man and a woman, are there to tour the house with a real estate agent. Cass and Max-Ernest followed them home and found out Mrs. Mauvais and Dr. L, the mysterious couple are actually extremely old, as in 150, but still beautiful. They also find out that they run a "spa" or, a better term, make-you-younger-and-practically-brain-wash-your-system.
I can't tell you what happens in the rest of the book; if Cass and Max-Ernest win the "battle"; if Mrs. Mauvias and Dr. L escaped or got put into jail. But you can find out more in Bosch's next novel, If You're Reading This, It's Too Late, the second book. Or you could just pick up The Name of This Book is Secret today and find out all the details...
*****Thanks Sophia. I can't wait for you next review!
*****
Yesterday, I saw the Capitol Off-Broadway's annual fund-raiser production. This year's show was Godspell. Fabulous! You can always count on Jim Miller to prepare a quality show for audiences - one that will leave you with tapping toes, and lots of questions to ponder. Talent just keeps pouring out of this community. Every day, the HTR is hearlding a new music, theatre dance, or visual arts event. Each weekend brings a new dilemma - what to see, who to support...not a bad problem to have, huh?
This weekend, Heart-A-Rama artist, performer, writer, Kevin Hansen is having an exhibit of his newest works at his work studio in Sheboygan. This is always a fun time...hanging with the artsy crowd. If you get a chance, it's from 5-9, Friday night, at Two Bit Productions, on the east end of Michigan Avenue. Give me a call if you want more info.
*****
Great news! A customer just reported that spring is surely on its way. The sky is clear and bright, and the birds are singing. Now, let's all watch for the first crocus to peek out of the earth. When that happens, we can all pat ourselves on the back in congratualtions for surviving another challenging Wisconsin winter. This year, my goal is to lure to orioles back, and to get a blubird to move into the house that have been vacant far too long. Doesn't it feel alive to be planning for spring?

Friday, February 13, 2009

It's a Wild, Wilde World - written in part by guest blogger, Steve Olson



My Heart-A-Rama buddy, Steve, has single handedly made this book a best seller for LaDeDa. As a matter of fact, the last time I placed an order for the book with the good folks over at The Wisconsin Historical Society Press, they suggested I just buy a whole case instead of these piecemeal orders of 5 copies at a time. Thanks Stevie!

Not being a hunter - as a matter of fact, many nights I stay up way too late, hoping to get a glimpse of the three beautiful deer that wander through my neighborhood, stopping to nibble on the bushes outside my bathroom window - I didn't understand why someone would want to read a book about hunting in the off-season. Steve's wife, Karen, explained that a hobby is a hobby, an addiction is an addiction - time, place, and other restrictions or perceptions do not apply. I thought about that, and concluded that I am very glad there is not a "reading" season. How awkward, and depressing that would be. So, with that clarified, here are excerpts from a commentary that Steve sent about On the Hunt. Enjoy!


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Have an interest in Deer Hunting in Wisconsin? Have an interest simply in the History of Wisconsin? Don't miss this book!

I saw an ad about this book in an outdoor magazine I subscribe to. Seemed at first glance to be one of those books which ultimately boasts no more than a print run of 500 or so. However, it looked interesting enough to pique my curiosity. It's a keeper!

Most enthralling are the photos. The Northern Pinewoods of the 1880's! Deer camps of the 1920's! A 1940 Dodge - large buck on the hood, two timber wolves strapped to the running boards!
This is a keeper! During Wisconsin's 2008 deer season, deer harvest was down significantly. Many hunters reported seeing few or no deer. This was the case for my group. What gives? Has the Department of Natural Resources messed up? Well - maybe, but maybe not!! What goes around, comes around. If you don't know history, you're destined to repeat it. That's the moral of the story, as presented in this book. Today, hunters whine that the DNR has prompted hunters to kill too many deer. Hunters today feel there are too few deer left even to make hunting worthwhile. This text explains how this patter of perceived overkill has occurred again and again throughout Wisconsin's history. Yet, the reader will quickly learn that at times this was true, however, many times it was not.

The book begins with prehistoric deer. Shortly, it steps into Native American subsistence deer hunting. Fascinating. The author explains how the various tribes killed deer with prehistoric weapons and how they used them for many of their needs at different times in their history. '

The books goes on to follow the ebbing, and exponential growth of the deer population once Europeans began to settle in Wisconsin. The larger number of deer eventually has an effect on numerous markets outside of Wisconsin. By the early 1900's, more affluent hunters from the south and from Illinois rode the rails to the north, setting up deer camps.
By the 1930's, a flip-flop of deer population began from north to south in Wisconsin. An assemblyman from Calumet county named Fox (father of current circuit Judge Jerome Fox) introduced a bill to expand deer hunting to address the ever increasing number. Northern Wisconsin erupted with rage. According to locals, the deer population in that portion of the state was being over-hunted to extinction. Newspapers trumpeted that the "Fox Kill all the Deer Bill Must Be stopped." It was stopped. However, less than a decade later, Wisconsin's famous environmentalist, Aldo Leopold argued that the deer harvest needed to increase in order to balance the population and what it consumes. The battle continued to rage through the early years of the current decade.

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Last night I watched a film called Wilde. Oscar Wilde's plays, especially The Importance of Being Earnest, amuse me, even though it took years for me to fully understand the brilliance of his language, and his wit. I first read Earnest in high school, and was totally confused by the mistaken identity plot. Those plots continue to test my pea-brain's ability to cope with complex, and fast paced information. Don't get me going on Shakespeare's A Comedy of Errors. I have a rather convoluted redition of that plot stuck in my head. Anyway, despite the storyline complexity, it was the first time I recall being drawn to the cadence of a writer's language. The rhythm of Wilde's banter is brilliant, and once I caught on to the truths hidden within his snarky little quips, I was hooked.

The film offers a sympathetic albeit abivalent picture of this artist. ...persecuted for his lifestyle, and yet bringing London audiences to their feet performance after performance...maligned and eventually jailed for his "unnatural" acts, and still honored and repected by his wife....

Watching this movie made me, once again, feel proud of being part of an arts community. Certainly Wilde's works were surpressed for a time, relegated to readings by risk-takers in opium filled underground dens. OK. I make the stuff up about the opium dens, but for many years, his works were not read by polite company, and his plays were not produced by troupes with any desire to break even, let alone turn a profit. I am proud to be part of a community that recognizes that quality in art should not be judged or measured by the degree to which a person's life, beliefs or disbeliefs are accepted or rejected. Take all our rap artists, for example. It's not my style of music, that's for sure. I find some of their lyrics repulsive. However, there is ache in some of the words; pride, desire, frustration, fury...that's all there, too. Is that so different than what we find in mainstream poetry? Our rappers are today's street poets, and their voices need to be heard, and deserve to be heard. They represent a sub-culture of our society, just as Ginsberg and the Beat poets represented their generation. When historians want a full picture of a culture, they often study the arts of a time period or of a people. It is the arts that preserve our culture. It is the arts that speak the truths of are who we are, what we think, what we value, and what we want to remember and what we pray to forget.

I am happy that Wilde's, novels, essays, fables and short stories continue to be read, and that every respectable rep theatre company can boast having performed Earnest or Lady Windmere's Fan at least once.

Oh, Oh. It seems I have talked myself into reading Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray before I get too much older! (That's the joke for the week, no matter how you interpret it.)

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

The February Tree

As promised, here's a picture of my Christmas tree taken last night...still up and still thriving on February 3rd. Not only is it thriving, it's growing. See for yourself!

I might try to keep this one forever. Usually, I take my tree down and put it in the backyard for the winter. Neighborhood critters use it for shelter, and sometimes I will fill it with treats for the birds.
I won the neighborhood light contest again this year, although none of my neighbors know it's a contest. I left my outside holiday lights up longer than anyone else on the cul de sac, and the cross street. I'm thinking I have certainly won the "longest living tree still up" contest as well.