Happy Holidays?

As a fan of both the Betsy Tacy books by Maud Hart Lovelace and the Mother Daughter Book Club series, I am beside myself with excitement that Heather Vogel Frederick's latest installment, Home for the Holidays (out now, in bookstores everywhere!) is about Betsy Tacy!

So I just had to giggle when I saw the cover of the latest Lands' End catalog when I pulled it out of my mailbox. It looks like they totally ripped off the jacket cover of Home for the Holidays!

Happy Holidays, everyone.

Rocking Out the Crusaders

Friday night was Eaststide Catholic's opening football game; they opened at home.  Before the game, there was a little festival with games and free food.


Pre-game rocking

My older daughter is taking Rock Band this semester, having done her time with Health during summer school. Drama II was full, so Rock Band it was.

The only girl, and the only non-instrumentalist, she has become the lead singer. On Friday night they were given the opportunity to play at half time of the football game. She needed to be there at 5:00pm to set up. Wanting to hear her, I went with her and waited around, acting a bit as her handler while she acted as junior roadie for "the guys," making her eat and keeping her well-supplied with water as they set up in front of the Athletic Pavilion.

Although they weren't supposed to play until half time, they sneaked in a song as a warmup about half an hour before the game. I was pleased to hear how good they were -- you never quite knows how good a group of high school students is going to be when they form a band, even one for credit.

Eastside Catholic football

After the introductions (eight assistant coaches??), the coin toss, the opening prayer and the National Anthem, the game started at 7:00pm. It was a beautiful day, and we were treated to a gorgeous sunset behind the trees as the first half dragged on and on, as EC kept scoring and stopping the clock. Finally at 8:30pm with the score at something like 56 - 20, the clock wound down to 0 and it was half time.

The Pep Band played "Born This Way" and was shortly followed by the plucky drill team (which, so cool, includes a member of the Options program, designed for special needs students) performed. Then it was time for the Rock Band.

As soon as they started, people stopped to listen, kids ran over and started dancing and whooping, and parents and alumni smiled benevolently as they walked past. Although they were told to play only one song, daughter decided if they went right into the 2nd song they could do a shortened version of it, and convinced the others to do it. And to their credit, they almost made it through that second song.

After they finished, she rushed over to me with a big hug, then was surrounded by squealing friends, excited about her performance. It was almost 9:00 by the time we left -- she was tired, but in a good way. There's nothing like singing in a band.

Here's a little sample of what had everyone excited, taken with an iPhone:

They're playing music while we're fighting...

Twenty-ish years ago, I sat in a dark movie theater in a Minneapolis suburb and witnessed something I never thought I would see: the rebirth of the Disney animated musical without Walt. Howard Ashman and Alan Menken brought their magic to the Disney studios for The Little Mermaid, followed by Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin (with the added genius of lyrics by Tim Rice, who stepped in to help Alan Menken complete the score after Howard Ashman passed away.)

It is no secret that Howard Ashman's expertise carried far beyond his lyrics to story structure and a belief that the animated musical was the film home for the Broadway musical. He was right -- first Beauty and the Beast and, most recently, The Little Mermaid, have played on Broadway to great success. Unlike B&B and Mermaid, Disney has no plans to take Aladdin to Broadway, but instead (according to Disney Theatrical Productions), is responding to the demand by schools and theaters around the country for a stage musical version.

Disney's Aladdin The New Stage Musical is playing right now at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle, to give it a tryout before it goes to MTI or distribution.

The 5th Avenue is an ornate, restored vaudeville theater that has sent to Broadway such shows as "Hairspray," "SHREK: The Musical," "The Wedding Singer," "Memphis," and, most recently, "Catch Me If You Can," among others, well-used to mounting new musicals.



I saw it Saturday night with my family. Disney is giving it the whole Broadway treatment from cast to production team. Casey Nicholoaw directed, Danny Troob did the excellent orchestrations. Glenn Kelly, whose wonderful musical arrangements made The Producers so memorable, did the delightful dance arrangements.

Until recently, the original songs were primarily known mainly only to Disney and Disney geeks (like me) who own Alan Menken's "The Music Behind the Magic" which contains demo tapes alongside final production recordings, to give a glimpse into the evolution of the animated musical. In bringing it to the stage, all but one of the original songs were used, along with those in the film. Additional songs were written by Alan Menken and lyricist Chad Beguelin, whose book manages to merge the two concepts into a cohesive story.

Not too long ago, we had seen a middle school production of "Aladdin Jr." that was the starting point for the full two-act version. Oh, what a difference a good book and a professional touch can make!

Gone is the awkward kid-in-a-bird costume Iago, replaced by an equally annoying little man (named Iago) as the foil for the thankfully untouched evil Jafar. Absent from both versions is Abu, Aladdin's annoying monkey friend. Gone, too, is the flying carpet as a character. Restored to the production are Aladdin's friends, Babkak, Omar and Kasim, who are also the storytellers. Jasmine is also given a trio of friends, making her isolation in the palace less creepy and more symbolic. The 4th wall is almost non-existent in this rendition of the story -- the storytellers sing directly to us, and, Hope-Crosby fashion, occasionally argue among themselves about how the story is being told. The script is packed with contemporary references, some too forced, and a few perhaps to topical (the Genie says, "Oprah may be gone, but I'm heere!"), but the audience immediately bought into it and loved it. After all, how many musicals have the audience scat singing, Cab Calloway-style, with one of the characters?

Overall, the production was delightful and entertaining. Of special note was the talented cast, comprised primarily of New York actors, with a few outstanding Seattle actors.

One of the main reasons we went to see it was because Jonathan Freeman, the voice of Jafar in the film, played Jafar. He was so good that I don't know if everyone in the audience realized just how amazing he was in the role. He and Don Darryl Rivera as Iago were perfectly in tune, chewing the scenery in a satisfying way that always managed to avoid becoming hammy. I think it is safe to say that with Jonathan Freeman, there would be no Aladdin on stage.
 Adam Jacobs was a charming and appealing Aladdin, being constantly interesting in a part that has to share the stage with some pretty big characters. In his solo turn on "Proud of Your Boy" (a song mostly known for being sung by Clay Aitken), he commanded the stage and gave full justice to the song that was so important and autobiographical to Howard Ashman, while always telling the story. It is moments like those that remind us why we go to the theater.

Courtney Reed was deft, sassy and strong as Jasmine, although it just reinforces the reality that Aladdin is a man's show. She's a princess, but has only one costume change -- her wedding attire? Even when she dresses to annoy her suitors, she's wearing the same thing with a few accessories! She's a princess! Give her a costume change! She's the only woman in the show -- we won't get confused! In spite of the rampant mysogonism inherent to the story, she triumphs.

James Monroe Iglehart as the Genie was entertaining, charismatic, and every other word you can think of. He still had the impossible task of competing with Robin Williams, but took to heart the original concept of the Genie as the aforementioned Cab Calloway, and created enough of a difference that it didn't disappoint. He also made it clear that, without a good Genie, any production of Aladdin is going to fail.
 
As Babkak, Omar and Kasim, Brian Gonzales, Andrew Keenan-Bolger (my girls' favorite!) and Seattle actor Brandon O'Neill were absolutely marvelous. As both storytellers and Aladdin's best buddies, they are on stage almost the entire performance, and are high energy and entertaining without flagging.

Of special note among the Seattle actors was Nick DeSantis, who in addition to being a member of the ensemble played the role of the head guard, Razoul. All the ensemble was busy in multiple small roles, but every time I looked, practically, there he was in a different costume, dancing, acting and singing. He moved easily between each role, shifting his character to meet the moment.

What a pleasure to see a Broadway-level production. The play itself isn't perfect. If it were going to Broadway, there would be changes to the book, which could still use some work. Certainly extensive work was done on the original lyrics -- one insider says that the Disney people debated a long time over whether or not to change "it's barbaric, but, hey, it's home" (they didn't), and removed all references to Baghdad. (Get hold of a copy of The Music Behind the Magic and take a listen.) Still, it is a vast improvement over the rather weak book of "Aladdin, Jr." and if Disney changes its mind about mounting a Broadway production, it is almost there. Be certain of this -- once MTI makes it available for lease, productions of Aladdin will pop up all over.

Disney's Aladdin The New Stage Musical
Music by Alan Menken
Lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice
Book and Additional Lyrics by Chad Beguelin
Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre through July 31, 2011

Band Member of the Year

Last night was my younger daughter's final 5th grade band concert. I've known all along that she is a gifted flute player (and musically, in general), and that's been mentioned several times by music teachers. (Not to mention by my aunt when my daughter was 3 days old.)

But last night was especially gratifying. She was given one of four "Band Member of the Year" medals, singled out for her talent and dedication, working way beyond what is required and always challenging herself. That was evident last night when she played the Raider's March from the Indiana Jones movies.

I am very proud of her anyway; it was so gratifying to see her recognized for what I already know is true!

Here is video of Clara playing her piece.

Osama bin Laden is dead

Tonight we were tantalized and a little traumatized by an announcement that President Obama was making a late-night announcement to the world. Just last night at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, he was poking fun at the obsession with whether or not he was born in the U.S. and slinging barbs with the best of them.

My first thought was he was resigning. But why? Then we thought it might be about Lybia, but that would be something to come from NATO. Suddenly Glenn said, "Bin Laden. They caught bin Laden. It has to be." For quite a while there was no leak, which is really worrying -- it is routine to announce, or leak, the reason for the president to speak. Whatever it was, the announcement was big. It had to be bin Laden.

Then, finally, word seeped out. Bin Laden was dead. When the president finally took to the podium, there was a ragged group of people outside the White House chanting, "USA! USA!" People were already treating it as fact. Information said he was hiding in plain site in a palace in Islamabad. President Obama told us: He was deep in hiding in Pakistan. Good information started coming in last August. Just last week he had given permission to capture or kill bin Laden, and just today he gave the order to go in. U.S. operatives found his hiding place and ended up killing him as they exchanged gunfire. They had his body in U.S. custody.

It is a little hard to absorb, the news that almost 10 years after 9/11 (and eight years to the day since George W. Bush's "Mission Accomplished" stunt), US Special Ops located and killed Osama bin Laden.

My sense of justice would have preferred to see him captured alive and tried in court after court for years, forcing him to answer for the slaughter of people for no other reason than because they lived a lifestyle he and his followers didn't like.

But tonight, he stands before a more powerful judge, and one Who will not allow him to turn away or hide behind a false interpretation of his faith. Tonight I imagine him hearing words like, "How can you do these things in My Name?" Will those he helped kill stand before him as he is judged? Will he be forced to watch a recount of each of them dying? Or will he stand alone, face to face, just him and God?

I take little satisfaction in the idea of him burning in Hell. But I do take satisfaction at the idea of seeing him weep with remorse as he realizes the pain and suffering and indignity he effected in false cause. It is perhaps not that different than what we will all face, in our turn. I expect God to be merciful. So, too, tonight, does Osama bin Laden.

The War on the Middle Class by the Middle Class

The recent move by the Republicans in Wisconsin to eliminate collective bargaining by government-paid employees (something that has worked in that state for the past 100 years) has brought to light a remarkable reality.

Conservative, middle-class Americans are supporting policies designed to destroy the middle class.

Note the objections: Unions are the cause of the economic woes of the nation. They are the reason for outsourcing. The reason health care costs are so high. Their unreasonable demands for benefits suck the government dry.

And yet, who are these bloodsucking union members? Teachers, custodians, police officers, nurses, firefighters -- the very heart of the middle class. These are in large part people with whom we entrust our lives.

Teachers and nurses are required, even before starting their profession, to go through at least six years of schooling, most or all of which they need to pay for themselves. Police officers and firefighters are required to go through specialized training designed to eliminate all but the finest of the candidates. They all are dedicated to their work, and routinely go beyond what is required of them in order to do the best job possible. This is the very definition of the middle class.

These are not people with large pensions, stock options, expensive cars, and luxurious homes. These are not people for whom the salary is the bottom line. Those things belong to the upper-middle and upper class, people who negotiate health care, supplemental insurance, stock, moving expenses, vacation time, severence packages, and parking spaces on condition of hiring. They belong to the people who manage stock portfolios, purchase multiple homes as tax shelters, complain about how expensive it is to take a nanny on vacation, and write a check in full for a new car.

And yet, listen to the non-union members of the middle class, and you would think I was describing union members. Who is it who doesn't like the unions? In large part, it is the corporate money managers who look at the benefits portion of an employee's compensation and see it as an easy place to find more profit for the stock holders. It is the businesses who resent safety regulations they consider optional. It is the wealthy who resent giving up even a penny of their millions.

Before you continue to condemn the other half of the middle class, non-union middle class, check your sources. Who is it telling you that the unions are so bad? What is their vested interest?

Look at Wisconsin, and you will see big-oil behind that assault.

Think about it. The corporations & the wealthy must love watching the middle class destroy itself. Are you really that eager to do their dirty  work?

On Being A 5th Grader

Yes, it does sound like this will be a guest column by a 5th grader.


Instead, it's my own commentary on having a 5th grader in the house. Names have been changed to protect the innocent.

Just tonight:

"Today Megan and I were working on something together. We heard someone going 'unngghh! Can't fart!' We turned and looked and it was Billy."

The other morning, there were tears about not wanting to wear glasses to school. It seems that there is a boy who teases her about wearing them. On this particular day, she was going with some classmates (not all) on a field trip. Why was she in tears? Because even though he wasn't going, some of his friends would be and "They will see me in my glasses and tell Evan!" It is a real issue -- this has been going on for some time, but this was the one day he wouldn't be there to see her wear them, and she was in tears.

We find ourselves telling her things like, "Boys are stupid." "Just tell someone who's mean, 'Knock it off,' like you do the dog." "No, you can't wear purple eyeshadow to school."

"I did a dog burp. It was kind of a silent one."

"No one has glasses and a retainer!"

"But everyone has an iPhone!"

Who knew it was so challenging being the big kids in school? I just don't remember 5th grade being this sensational. But, they tell me, things are different these days. (Yeah, right.) Kids are more aggressive. More this and that. But one thing's for sure: It gets worse.

And the best thing of all: Next year she'll be in middle school.

5th Grade Band

Our younger daughter has started to play the flute. Last night the 5th grade Band (after only three months of meeting three times a week) played a concert to demonstrate what they have done so far. It is a band filled with trumpets, clarinets and trombones, and seven intrepid flutes.

Many of the kids took the opportunity to play a solo, duet or trio from their lessons, ranging from current songs to working ahead in the book. From the back of the book, here's our #2 playing "Ode To Joy" as a round:

Maisie Dobbs

I got a copy of the novel, Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear, for Christmas. I have only just started it, but I am already captivated. I am so excited by this book that I am going to participate in an online read-along run by Book Club Girl on her website.

The daughter of a struggling greengrocer, Maisie Dobbs is only 13 when she's sent to work in the house of the wealthy Lady Rowan Compton. A voracious reader who longs to learn, she is discovered late one night reading in the library. Fearing dismissal, Maisie is shocked when she discovers that her thirst for education is to be supported by Lady Rowan and a family friend, Dr. Maurice Blanche. But The Great War intervenes in Maisie's plans, and soon after commencement of her studies at Girton College, Cambridge, Maisie enlists for nursing service overseas.


Years later, in 1929, having apprenticed to the renowned Maurice Blanche, a man revered for his work with Scotland Yard, Maisie sets up her own business. Her first assignment, a seemingly tedious inquiry involving a case of suspected infidelity, takes her not only on the trail of a killer, but back to the war she had tried so hard to forget.

I am looking forward to this read-along. If you're interested, there is still time to get involved, because questions don't start until Jan. 14.

New Year's Day 2011

Back in 1982, 2000 seemed a lifetime away, let alone 2011. I was young, good looking, single, and happy about all of it.

I mention 1982 because I just got the long-awaited DVD set of "Tales of the Gold Monkey," the best television series ever to be cancelled after one season because of politics. (The show business kind.) Back then, there were only the three major networks, and they controlled what we saw, and didn't see. If it had happened now, of course, it would have found new life on cable, and would have lasted seven years.

1982 was also the year I finally started feeling like a grownup. I turned 25, and I remember I stopped feeling like I was play-acting at being a grownup, or waiting for someone to accuse me of playing dress-up in my mother's clothes. It was the year I listened to an 18-year-old panicking because she didn't want to end up an old maid, a fate that would befall her unless she was married by 20, and laughing because she was so wrong. It was the year I decided that getting married was something you did because it made you a better person, not because it was the right thing, or the traditional thing, or the prudent thing to do. And it was the year I started to learn that being alone can be enormously gratifying.

It's 2011 now, and my life is completely different than I would have predicted (if I'd thought about it) back in 1982. But where I am now is informed by the choices I made then. And I'm very glad about it.

So, here's hoping that 2011 will be a good year, bringing challenges within our coping abilities, and joys beyond our dreams.