Since I have developed a slight writer’s block, I will expand on the subject I like most.  Therapeutic in the days following the close of a show that came and went so quickly.  It seems like only yesterday (in reality back in January) that I received a phone call asking if I would like to audition for a musical that was not being done by the WCCT.  I was not apprehensive in the slightest.  A few weeks prior, I had auditioned for Lion in Winter and then thought… why not?  IT IS A FULL-SCALE MUSICAL.  Plus, I had been involved with two other groups prior to joining my home away from home.  This would give me a chance to reach other audiences and spread my name around and meet more people with the same passion.  Little did I know that I would be helping to bring fresh faces  “home” to play in my backyard.

When reading the finished playbill, I noticed that “Lon” had previously played Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors and considers it his favorite role.  Coincidentally, we are doing the show in October just in time for Halloween.  Since this production is all cast (everyone who auditions is cast), I decided to approach Travis about it and he was really excited.  As soon as he rearranged his directing duties, he informed me that he was indeed available.  He even said that he was open to any part: there are no bad parts in the show.  RIGHT YOU ARE!

“Katie” was also excited about the opportunity to audition for a role on Skid Row.  She was cast in Hicksville’s production but unfortunately circumstances arose that caused her to drop out.  Mary has been a stage veteran for many years and has a fabulous presence.  Both of them will make a great addition.

I would be remiss if I did not mention the young man who played “John Truitt.”  He really grew from the first time I heard him at the piano trying to sing.  However, his enthusiasm and ENERGY led to the creation of a fine performance that generated a number of chuckles from the audience even if he did get beat up by a girl.  Being a junior in high school who had never before stepped foot on stage, I think he did a tremendous job.  In fact, he felt that he had fallen under the tag of “high school jock” who wanted to try something else.  He even told  me that he was apprehensive about what his friends would think and that they might come to a performance to disrupt it.  Totally needless fear.  I know more than a few school athletes who also excelled musically and theatrically…. triple threats?  I was really proud how far he had come in his stage debut.  Good luck to you, Nate!

Hopefully, I can find a new tangent to go on soon.  I am sure that some of my readers are growing tired reading on the same topic although I could spend hours singing the praises of this one.

I had a job interview at First Federal today, though most of you didn’t know it. I have been looking for a different job since January. I have to pay for my wedding and since Goodwill is still closed, I really need a job! Unfortunately, I don’t think I did very well at the interview. Tony kept telling me that I was going to get this job. Even though it’s part time, I would get benefits, which both Tony and I need once we get married. I would have health insurance, paid vacation, not have to work on Sundays (always a plus since I have church in the morning, choir practice at 5:30 and then church again at 7:00). I think it would have been all right until I had to answer why I would be better than others for this job, what would I bring to the company. I know you’re supposed to make yourself look good and everything, but I just couldn’t. I had no answer. I am not any more special than the next person, and so I answered truthfully. I didn’t know. Yeah, some good answer. I guess it’s back to the newspaper for job searching.

Those of you who know me are aware that I’m a true crime buff.  For all of you many (I hope!) new readers – I am a true crime buff!  I like to read about true crime, so I guess you could say that I have a hidden agenda when I ask my brother-in-law (the cop) how his job is going.  A few years ago, there was an incredibly shocking crime in my brother-in-law’s jurisdiction of which he was forced to be a part, and it was terrifying for the entire community.

In July of 2004, Anson Paape decided to have an 18th birthday party for one of his kids’ friends named Michael Murray.  The party was at Paape’s home in what is normally a quiet suburb of Chicago, Illinois.  For some reason, he decided to supply the teenage party-goers with alcohol.  Even worse than that, he decided to round up some of the teenagers and take them down to his basement for a poker game.  The reason I say that the poker game was worse than furnishing the teens with alcohol is because this was a poker game with a deadly twist – Russian Roulette.  Paape distributed bullets to each of the teens, and the person with the winning hand was supposed to load his bullet, put the gun to the head of the player to their right, and pull the trigger.  As if playing this so-called game (and with teenagers!) wasn’t crazy enough, Paape decided to mix it up, and he kept changing the rules.  When Michael Murray won the hand of poker, Anson Paape picked up the weapon, held it to Murray’s forehead and pulled the trigger before Murray could even react enough to push it away.  Michael Murray was killed instantly on his 18th birthday.  The other teenagers fled the house, and tracked down some police officers who were on patrol.  When they arrived at the crime scene, Anson Paape was no where to be found.  He was gone for two days before finally being apprehended, and he was tried, convicted, and will spend probably the rest of his life in prison.

It’s an insane story – it defies all reason.  I can’t imagine what this man was thinking.  And what a tragic outcome.  Not only did a young man lose his life, but Anson Paape’s 5 children are now without a father.  They were also witnesses to the horrifying event, along with other teenagers at the party that night.  It’s just so sad.

The reason I’m writing about this is because I remember when this happened.  My brother-in-law had to work overtime to help man the SWAT trailer they had to set up while Paape was on the lam.  I think everyone in Chicagoland was relieved when they caught him.

They say a hat makes the man.  Grandpa probably would say that a hat (as well as a suit) is like a man and likes to step out once in a while (pretty girl or no pretty girl).  One of my favorite parts of Meet Me in St. Louis was the enormous array of wonderful hats I got to wear as Grandpa Prophater.  I pick out most of them from the costume room at the Huber and one was brought by the producer.  Grandpa went from a genuine Shriner’s fez with tassel and all kings of bells and whistles to a Holmesian deerstalker cap on Halloween to a huge Admiral’s hat and one more that I will expound upon in a moment.  There were a few plain, ordinary hats that were just not wild enough.  There were only two scenes in which Grandpa was not seen wearing one: a dinner scene with the family and the Christmas Ball (although I thought the old Civil War vet would have looked smashing in a top hat with his old tuxedo he had gotten out of mothballs).

The Admiral’s hat presented a few problems as I began to learn how to wear it.  I thought it should be worn “sideways” with the ends at the sides.  Then, I had it on backwards with the tailfeather hanging over my face.  Finally, I got it right amidst thunderous applause.  The first time I rehearsed with it, the entire cast had to stop the scene from laughing.  I was told that I looked like Cap’n Crunch which was where I got the inspiration to wear the cap sideways.  I also had to be careful entering during the very serious scene as the audience roared as I snuck in through the kitchen door after performing Grandpa’s favorite pastime: eavesdropping.

The deerstalker was my idea.  It added a nice touch to the Halloween excitement of egging on “Agnes” and “Tootie” in their quest to throw flour into the faces of evil cat poisoners and other monsters.  It also helped in discovering the truth behind the mysterious injury to Tootie’s lip.

I had discovered a fez in my combing of the costume department.  However, a much better one was found complete with medallion to wear around my neck and handy pouch to store them in.  I felt like I should be in the Shriner’s Convention scene in Bye, Bye Birdie or the Grand Poobah of the Loyal Order of Waterbuffalo.

My next to final costume was by far the most challenging, but one of the most entertaining.  The family is awakened EARLY by Mr. Smith on Christmas morning.  I KNEW Grandpa had to have a memorable outfit for sleeping.  I knew exactly what I wanted.  The turquoise robe was already there.  The costume mistress took my measurements for a long nightshirt and the piece de resistance: a wonderful multi-colored, tassled nightcap.  I loved it.  After the scene, not so much.  I had to make the fastest change I have ever made into my summer outfit for the World’s Fair.  The hardest part of the role.  At one of the dress rehearsals, I came out clutching the night shirt and made everyone think I was Linus from the Peanuts comic strip.  Thankfully, I was able to devise a scheme to change quicker.

I think this will be my final post for Meet Me in St. Louis.  Each production I have ever been in has been different than the last.  Each performance of every production I have been in has been different than the last (for better or worse) but that is the beauty of live theatre.  Everyone involved has to be on their toes and at their best.  That is one of the many things I will always cherish about it.

To those who made a trip to St. Louis,  I hope you had a great ride.  To those who could not, my apologies.  I hope that one was surely watching from above saw me continue to grow.  There are better shows out there but I think big, happy, family-friendly shows need to be done if not only as an escape from today’s troubling reality.

I had to share this funny little story because something our almost 5-year-old daughter Sammie said the other day had my husband and I in stitches.  She calls out from the bathroom – “Dad!  I have to go poop but I can’t…    Oh, nevermind!”

Hmmm, now that I’m reading it, it’s not quite as funny.  I guess you had to hear her little 4-year-old voice call it out.  Kids are so adorable with their bluntness.  And I’m just glad that Sammie was able to solve her own problem!

I’m not entirely sure but after the final curtain fell, I began to wonder.  While we were striking the set, the tornado siren sounded not once… not twice… but three times (a lady).  We all piled into the catacombs of the Huber and enjoyed pizza, cake, cookies, and other goodies.  I’m so glad the warning did not sound until AFTER the show was over.  But everything the theatre took in I believe today at least if not part of last night’s take was all profit.  Good for the joint venture of the  Village Players and Huber Opera House.  I just cannot express enough how great it was to be involved in this production in the beautiful theatre.  There are stories I have heard about the building only a short 20 years ago that would not be appropriate for this blog.

I just find it amazing every time a set is taken down.  All the time and hard work that went into the creation of such a beautiful picture and down in less than half that time.  This was even harder because this was ONLY a three day event as opposed to the seven show run of the WCCT.  However, no matter the outcome, there is always something memorable to take away from every show… yes, even Grease had a few fantastic things come out of it and anyone who reads my blog KNOWS what that is.

But, once again, thank you to all involved in Meet Me in St. Louis to the Village Players and to the Huber Opera House.  Hicksville Ohio has a wonderful venue that harkens back to an era long ago.  I look forward to auditioning again.

Being that it’s been five days since my last post, I would suppose it’s time to write something again.  But what?  I suppose I can write about this weekend.  This post will actually go back a bit though, since earlier events pertain to this weekend.  For the most part the weekend was quite ordinary.  4th/5th grade ministry on Saturday night and Sunday morning, the service I went to at 8:00, er I mean 9:00 (sure felt like the earlier time for some reason…  You did set your clocks forward, right?), dodge-ball for gametime, yep- quite ordinary.  So let’s focus on the other stuff.

First off, back in January we started something which should have become regular.  As I make a video every year for my cabin at summer camp, I was asked to make some short videos for the regular service every few weeks.  Well, they handed me a camera back then to record the kids at various moments during the services I was there.  Another filled in for me at the third service.  Mission part one accomplished.  Part two would be editing, and that became the big problem.  They have a Mac set up at the church where they do their own editing using iMovie.  Now, if I had a job at the church this wouldn’t be a problem as I would just use this computer, but I don’t, so I could easily use mine instead.  Not so easy in fact.  First off, my computer is not a Mac (though I have experimented a bit with OSx86 to turn my computer into what’s known as a hackintosh by installing OSX to my external hard drive).  I quickly found out that the Firewire port on a Mac is not the same as an IEEE-1394 port on an HP (two names for the same thing, only “Firewire” is copyrighted by Apple) so the firewire cable they had didn’t work.  We tried a USB cable for the camera, but that required drivers my computer didn’t have, and I couldn’t find one on the web.  A few weeks went by, and we experimented in saving the videos on their Mac then transferring them to my computer.  Let’s just say slow and awkward.  The default format on the Mac of saving video is a format with the extension .dv.  I could save each video as .mp4 or try to find a program on my computer to convert the native .dv files.  Yeah, too much work.  So they look to get the right cable to go to my computer.  They find one at Radio Shack for $20 and one online for 50¢.  Which would you go with?  Well, they bought both, hoping to be able to return the overpriced Radio Shack one should the cheap one not work.  Last Wednesday, fingers crossed, we tried the cable.  Worked like a charm.  We finally got the video from the camera to my computer in a format my computer liked, mpeg-2.  So, Friday night I worked for a few hours to get that first 4-minute video done, and brought it with me Saturday night.  Popped in on the computer from my flash drive, which held both .wmv and .mpg versions of the video,  and we were ready to go.  Not so fast.  No audio cable from the computer to the sound board.  Sigh.  Well, I just played it in silence since the worship team was practicing anyway.  We left a message for the tech director to leave us the proper cable, and come Sunday morning they had one waiting.  Then, we had the computer taken away and replace with a different one because they needed the one elsewhere.  The one they gave us was not turned on and literally took 20 minutes to boot up, log in, and finish loading Windows.  Good thing I had the .wmv version as there was no way this computer would be able to handle MPEG-2.  In any event, mission completely accomplished.  Hopefully next time we will record a new video and do it again, minus the mishaps.  Ideally I will transfer the videos before I leave for the day.

This weekend was also a time I got to teach again, finally.  I last taught in December.  I taught a lesson on stuff.  No, I am not being general.  The theme of the year is living like a Christian, so this week was about having and wanting stuff, whatever that stuff is to you being video games, stuffed animals, trading cards, or whatever.  The start of James chapter 5 tells us a bit of God’s feeling on this topic:

1Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. 2Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. 3Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. 4Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.

(James 5:1-6 ESV)

Stuff- not so bad.  Love of stuff- watch out.  It is not wrong to be rich of course, but if your heart is with your money or things, then that’s a problem.  After all, Jesus Himself said you can’t serve two masters.  If you serve money, you will not be able to serve God at the same time.  I showed them some pictures of way overdoing collecting stuff (here and here for example), and I acted out a person on the phone trying to get something no matter what it took, even hurting someone to get it. I thought my teaching went fairly well, though still a few minutes long.  There was a video at the start (not the one I put together) that I should have ended earlier than I did.

I’ve certainly heard of the musical Meet Me In St. Louis, especially being a fan of the late great Judy Garland, but I had never before seen it until last night.  A great friend played the role of Grandpa, and we were delighted to have the opportunity to watch him age some 40 years and to be able to return to the stage.

First, I’ll begin with the venue.  The play was performed in a historical building in Hicksville, Ohio called the Huber Opera House.  As I learned in the director’s introduction before the show, the Huber was originally built by a wealthy man who wanted a place to stage-test his plays between Chicago and New York; I’m thinking some time in the late 1800’s; not exactly sure on that.  I do know that one of their stage curtains was created right around the time Meet Me in St. Louis takes place – 1903-04, and the gorgeous curtain depicting angels in a boat was hanging last night in all it’s glory.  The Huber is simply gorgeous.  I especially enjoyed seeing the pictures of it from the 1990’s and how far it’s come since then.  The owner of it at that time decided to trash the place when he found out he was going to lose it, and trash it he did.  The place was an utter disaster; they even went so far as to rip one of the opera balconies from the wall.  Apparently downtown Hicksville was not a place you wanted to be after dark at that time (coming from the ‘burbs of Chicago, that’s particularly amusing to me – I mean, Hicksville Ohio dangerous?  Yeah right!), and the city wanted the Huber torn down.  Some very dedicated individuals earned a lot of money and worked their butts off to restore it and give us back the beautiful theater it is today – and I was lucky enough to be able to see a show in it.

As for the show itself, I will say that Meet Me in St. Louis will never be one of my favorite musicals.  The cast and crew of this particular production did a wonderful job, but I just can’t identify with a cast of characters who randomly break into song at the strangest moments and whose greatest conflicts in life include relocating and deciding who to take to the local dance.  That being said, I still had a great time.  I really enjoyed being transported back in time, and it was both interesting and refreshing to see how much respect children had for their elders back then.  My friend Jamy was awesome as Grandpa, and I don’t think I’m being biased.  He definitely stood out as one of the better singers, and I was even surprised to see that Grandpa Smith is a much better dancer than Morat Notboratnichkov – one of the other characters I’ve seen Jamy portray on stage.  The little girls in the play were simply adorable, and adding to the fun of the evening was bumping into a couple of friends whom we didn’t know were going to be there.  Overall, a fun evening out away from the kids, and I even learned a thing or two, which I’ll share below.  Congratulations Jamy on a job well done!

Random Meet Me in St. Louis Trivia

– Ice cream cones and cotton candy were introduced at the 1904 World’s Fair which was in St. Louis.  I thought it was really neat that they chose to serve these as intermission refreshments last night at the Huber.

–  The 1944 movie Meet Me in St. Louis starred Judy Garland, but at first she refused the role because she was tired of taking childish roles.  After a talk with director Vincente Minnelli, she was convinced to take the role of Esther Smith, and it became one of the favorites of her career.  Judy and Vincente got married and had a daughter, Liza Minnelli, who went on to become an award winning actress and singer; earning an Oscar, a lifetime acheivment Grammy, two Tonys, and an Emmy award throughout her career.

– Two single recordings from the movie Meet Me in St. Louis became hits by Judy Garland before the movie was even released: The Trolley Song and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.

– During the shooting of the large dinner scene (where one of the older sisters receives a long distance call from her beau in New York), Margaret O’Brien caused mischief on the set.  She would change the cutlery around and put two napkin rings beside a plate.  The prop man would say, “Please, Maggie dear,” when he would liked to have shaken her.

A thought occurred to me the other night – didn’t Barrack Obama promise to bring the troops home from the dangerous Middle East if he became President?  Well, it’s been more than 6 weeks since he’s taken office, and I haven’t even  heard any talk whatsoever about troops coming home.  I realize these things take time, but like I said, it doesn’t even seem to be in the planning stages as of yet.

And then I was thinking, what happens when they DO come home, and now we have thousands of able-bodied Americans who just served our country only to come home to find out that there are NO JOBS for them?  What will that do to the unemployment rate?  And pardon my ignorance, but when do people in the military get paid?  Are they receiving paychecks right now while they’re serving, or do they get paid when they come home or both?  If they get paid from the government when they come home, that will complicate matters also since the government will suddenly be responsible for paying thousands of soldiers.

I’m not saying that the President is keeping the troops overseas to procrastinate the employment problem.  But the fact remains that he promised he’d get them home and ASAP.  And there is also the fact that the job opportunities are shrinking at a rapid rate.  I normally don’t get too political, but I haven’t heard any of the analysts on tv talk about what to do with the troops for employment should they return to the United States, so I thought I’d throw it out there.

And it needs to be said how incredibly thankful I am to not be personnally affected by the struggling economy.  My husband is self-employed and successful, and I haven’t even thought about going back to work myself yet since my kids are still very little.  My family and friends seem relatively unscathed as well; although I did see my former neighbors in the newspaper the other day for foreclosure.  What a shame; they were nice people.  Here’s to hoping the economy improves – and fast!

Amidst the pounding rain on the ceiling of the Huber, the cast gave another fine performance of Meet Me in St. Louis.  This time, I had a larger fan base in attendance.  Family and very great friends (two of which I had no idea were coming) were there.  Backstage, some cast members were curious whether the weather would play havoc on the sound, but from audience reaction, it must not have.  A funny thing happened during the entre’acte (big French work…the music played prior to the opening of Act 2), the keyboard seemed to be accompanied by a back beat or a metronome, but it was a very curious sound.

Following the performance, I was greeted by most of my fan base.  I saw my niece and nephew who came with their mother.  Then Sharon congratulated me (I DID NOT KNOW THAT SHE AND AL WERE COMING!!! WHAT A SURPRISE)  Chris and Lisa were all proud as always.  C even commented on my dancing ability.  I dunno… I must just make it LOOK good, right?!

Before the show started, one of the Village Players asked if I had been fully stolen from the WCCT. I told her “Not on your life.”  I told her that I am planning on trying out for WCCT’s production of Little Shop of Horrors in October (but never say never about trying out for future shows… I love the Huber stage!!!). “Katie” was very interested in trying out for it, as well.  “Lon” also voiced an interest in auditioning as well.  So, it seems that we might actually have more some more theatre crossing going on which can only mean good things for everyone.  Chris even voiced an interest in auditioning for shows with the Village Players (hopefully, his busy schedule will allow that to happen).

It seems that I need to have a class in theatre etiquette for some of the other members of my group.  I totally understand that the hour was late and we have the time change tonight so I will forgive this once, but remember IF YOU REALLY ENJOY A PERFORMANCE,  the thing to do is to congratulate those in the cast before walking out the door.  Otherwise, the cast member(s) who thought you were supposed to be in the audience might think you did not come at all.  But thanks all the same for coming and feel free to comment on the performance.  😀