Review of Wizard of Oz at The Ordway in St. Paul, MN

Quote of the Day:  Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore. a favorite quote from The Wizard of Oz.

Krista, I've a feeling we're not in Minnesota anymore. In fact, we were transported to the merry old land of Oz at the Ordway Performing Arts Center, Friday night, Dec. 6, 2013. The magical winds of a fantastic theatrical production swept us out of the cold and away from our troubles that melted like lemon drops despite the subzero temperatures outside. 

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Wizard of Oz. Description: Company in The Land of Oz. Original Toronto Cast. Photo Credit: Cylla Von Tiedemann

Danielle Wade is a delightful Dorothy. When she sang, "Somewhere over the Rainbow," chills ran down by arms, and her final note of why, oh why can't I... floated up into the rafters and hung there until Christmas. I had tears in my eyes from the beauty and emotional electricity of the performance. The Wizard of Oz stage production gives us exactly what we came to see and hear - the beloved characters, the scary witch, flying monkeys, exciting dancers, heartfelt lines, the journey, the music, the visual effects. I could go on and on. With the use of scrims, film, technology and phenomenal actors, I felt like we were part of the show, blending the old movie into the new theatrical production. During the tornado scene the projection seemed to be in 3D as we were pulled into the whirlwind and landed with a flash of light in Oz. The little girls in front of me weren't the only ones to gasp and say, "Oh, look at that!" I found myself tapping Krista on the shoulder and whispering that I had goosebumps, sighing at the amazing music and theatrics to wondering how many times the dancers whacked each other the head while rehearsing the dance with the sticks. I loved that number, the rhythm and dancing set my heart racing.

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Wizard of Oz. Description: Jamie McKnight as Scarecrow. Original Toronto Cast. Photo Credit: Cylla Von Tiedemann

Watching this beloved film classic come to life on stage is a fantastical experience. It's like you could step inside the film itself and become part of the show. The way they used the projection and scrims created the effect of walking through the woods, twirling in the tornado, interacting with the story, and journeying along with Dorothy and her pals. 

The most impressive actor on stage was Toto. He got his own standing ovation. How does the trainer, William Berloni, get him to bark on cue, enter and exit, and be such a steady part of the show? I looked at his website, Theatrical Animals, and learned that he uses rescue dogs. For more information on him, his talented furry superstars, and his efforts to help rescue animals, check out his site.

The Wizard of Oz is on its North America Tour. Check to see if they'll be in your neighborhood. This is the best show I've ever seen, and what makes it even more amazing is how they could bring the classic film to life and give us even more of the magic as we journey to Oz and back with Dorothy and Toto. 

I have fun photos and more to tell you about our freezing cold day in our state's capital. I'll save that for a later post. Bring the kids to Wizard of Oz at the Ordway, Dec. 4-29, 2013, or go with a great date. Thank you, Ordway, for bringing this fantastic show to St. Paul. Thank you, cast, crew, and creative team of this production. Your talents are "somewhere over the rainbow."

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  What are your favorite lines, characters, or scenes from The Wizard of Oz?

Awake!

Quote of the Day:  Today is life - the only life you are sure of. Make the most of today. Get interested in something. Shake yourself awake. Develop a hobby. Let the winds of enthusiasm sweep through you. Live today with gusto. Dale Carnegie

When you awake for breakfast, I have fresh bread and coffee waiting.

Awake! a great word for the Advent Photo A Day Project (click pic at the side for more info). Last night, I made sourdough bread with oats and molasses. It drove us crazy to smell it baking. We couldn't wait for morning, so the Chef and I had a slice before going to sleep. Mmm. Home-made fresh bread is a process, and certainly worth the wait. You keep the sourdough growing on the counter, or in the fridge. You must feed it and stir it to keep it alive. Then, when you're ready to bake, you take a scoop out of it, add more flour, yeast, and other yummy ingredients. Then, wait for it to rise. When it's risen, you punch it down, knead it, and let it rise again. Then, you work it over one more time, forming loaves, letting it rise, until finally, by the end of the day, you can bake it.

And, too, we pursue our dreams, waking and sleeping, working and kneading, adding ingredients, and waiting. When all that hard work finally meets opportunity, we will awake to a new day and taste the goodness of our creations. 

Today, as we awake to almost a foot of snow in Minnesota and temps well below 0 degrees Fahrenheit, we carry on. We don't let the weather hinder our plans. Krista and I are driving to St. Paul to see The Wizard of Oz at the Ordway. We are awake to new opportunities, awake to more adventure, following the snow covered yellow brick road. I'm sure Oz is warmer than Minnesota!

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  Where do you think you'll go if you follow the red brick road? What have you waited for?

Flood

Quote of the Day:  
But the exact day and hour? No one knows that, not even heaven’s angels, not even the Son. Only the Father knows. The Arrival of the Son of Man will take place in times like Noah’s. Before the great flood everyone was carrying on as usual, having a good time right up to the day Noah boarded the ark. They knew nothing—until the flood hit and swept everything away. - Matthew 24:36-39

Flood?! I thought that was an odd choice for the Advent Photo A Day Project. The first image that jumped into my mind was the big flood of 1997 in the Red River Valley of the North. We were living in East Grand Forks at the time, had just sold our house, and I was staying in a ground floor apartment with Bobby, my oldest son, while my husband started living and working in another town. When the flood hit, I started packing. He came home, but by morning, the levees broke, and the flood waters spilled out. Once the water was set free, it flowed everywhere, covering miles and flooding every basement along the way. Somehow, the apartment buildings were spared and none of our possessions were lost. I had friends, though, who lost everything. Their entire houses were filled with flood water. A dirty, murky mess was left in its wake. I walked into one friend's home and said, "It doesn't even look like your place anymore." She said, "No, now it's a shithole."

That's how we left that community. It was the end of April. Many schools were damaged. Most people had flood damage in their homes. The school year ended. No final tests. No good-byes to my students. I saw a few as we came back to regroup and turn in grades. They had prom and graduation, but it was different.

from the MN public radio website

Grand Forks, ND, April 1997

Flood You can be flooded with emotion, flooded with paperwork, flooded with ideas. Flood, to me, means overwhelmed, suddenly, by outside forces beyond your control.

The verse above helps me understand, a little, why they chose this word. It's like the time before the flood, we lived one way, going about our daily activities without too much care. Once the flood hit, everything changed.

Whatever floods your life, may you find a life raft, piloted by a great friend, to help you navigate.

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt: When have you felt overwhelmed, flooded by outside forces? Who helped you through those times?

Time and IWSG December 2013

Quote of the Day:  Peace is when time doesn't matter as it passes by. Maria Schell

Time in a bottle Jim Croce "There never seems to be enough time to do the things you want to do, once you find them." 

Time (Why you punish me?) by Hootie and the Blowfish "Time without courage, And time without fear...is just wasted time."

Honey, time marches on, and suddenly you realize it is marching across your face. line by Truvy in Steel Magnolias. I played Truvy in a community theatre production in Alexandria, MN about 10 years ago. It is one of my favorite roles.

If you have to watch the clock, it might as well be artistic.

How do you mark time? For a short time, I had an email correspondence with a guy named Tim. I told him that every time I type his name it turns into Time. He wrote back a funny quip about time and how he marks it by how fast he empties the shampoo bottle! 

I am marking time today by noting that we're already at the first Wednesday of the month where we write about our insecurities with the Insecure Writer's Support Group, founded by the great ninja blogger, Alex J. Cavanaugh.

Before I joined the Advent Photo-a-Day Project, I had planned to write about my word for the week, which was Accept. And, actually, I think Time and Accept work well together. We need to accept the time we have, accept the time of life we're in, accept our gifts and take the time to use them to make the world a better place. We need to be gentle with ourselves when we run out of time. We need to accept that we are busy people with many tasks to do and people to care for. And, sometimes, we need to claim our time to create and build our own careers while those around us need to accept that we have those needs.

When I told the Biker Chef the word for the day, he wondered about thyme. There he goes, spicin' it up for me again. He says that thyme can be used with almost anything. I sure enjoyed the thyme at Thanksgiving! (*grin)

I'll leave you with one more song about time/thyme, Scarborough Fair: Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme, recorded by Simon & Garfunkel in 1966. The song itself has been around a long time. According to wikipedia, it is a ballad from Great Britain/Yorkshire and has been around since the middle ages.

When I wrote back to Tim about time, I said that I would like to be timeless, or at least have my creative work have the staying power of a song like Scarborough Fair, or a story we keep going back to like A Wrinkle in Time, or one of Shakespeare's great plays whose themes are timeless.

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  How do you mark time?

Peace

Quote of the Day:  You cannot find peace by avoiding life. Virginia Woolf
Peace is the first thing the angels sang. John Keble
Let there be peace on Earth and let it begin with me. song by Sy Miller and Jill Jackson
Imagine by John Lennon

Woke up this morning to freshly fallen snow.

A snow covered Earth, neighbor helping neighbor.

A warm cup of coffee and snuggling under a blanket with a book, 

and a sweetheart = Peace.

The word for December 3rd is Peace. Someone once told me that a definition of peace is believing this statement: You are exactly where you are supposed to be.

When the snow falls softly in Minnesota, and you don't have to worry about driving on the slippery roads, it is so peaceful to sit tucked inside with family or friends. It's cozy. When the snow stops and all the neighbors go outside to shovel and fire up their snow blowers, it feels like peace in the neighborhood. Let us battle nature and not each other. Make peace with someone who has hurt you.

That new snow does feel kind of Christmasy.

And, I have peace of mind driving my shiny new Subaru.

It was made for Minnesota winters.

(This is NOT a paid advertisement. *grin*)

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  Describe a peaceful moment or scene.

Thanksgiving to Advent, Go and Bound

Quote of the Day:  Advent: the coming or arrival of something extremely important. I decided to join the Advent Photo A Day Project. I like the photo challenge, and the word challenge. 

Dec. 1 is Go. I felt I already had "GO" down. It's part of my signature, after all. Go. Create. Inspire! And, GO, I did this past weekend with a show at the Guthrie on Friday night (see my review of Born Yesterday), and a trip back to the metro on Saturday for the Brainerd Warriors football championship game. They lost to Owatonna, a great team. And, I feel like I'm ready to GO, jump on the bus of life, and experience many things.

Photo for Dec. 1, GO!

We went to "Born Yesterday."

December second's word is "Bound." Hmm. It's a strange word. When you look at the definitions, one says to leap or move forward. Another definition is to be tied up and restricted. You can be out of bounds in a sport, or life. You can also bound up the stairs. You can be bound by the norms of society, or bound into a new adventure. Weird. I'm bound and determined to write a new play. So, how do you take a picture of that? Joy and I have a great slogan for our Primo Art Spa, In a world of creative constipation, we're here to get things moving. You can be bound up by the cheese of life. Ha!  I'm bound to get things moving in my creative life. I'll start by playing the piano. My new play is called Grace Notes: Piano Bench Confessions. That's bound to cause some dialogue.

Advent Photo #2 Bound.

I hope the strings on my piano are bound tight!

I'm bound to get the creative energy flowing when I sit down to play, or teach.

I also joined Mark Koopmans' bloghop for December 24, 50 States of Pray. 

I also want to mention that I'm thankful for Thanksgiving and all the people who came to my house, and the ones who had other plans, and especially for the Biker Chef who cooked the most delicious meal.

It was a double Weber Thanksgiving, with pork shoulder on the right, and turkey on the left.

Biker Chef and the bird.

Mr. Happy, at the center of attention, as usual.

Full plates

Full house

Full tummies

Full of fun

Full of ideas for Christmas

Full of Love

Full of Gratitude

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  What are you thankful for?

Review of Born Yesterday at The Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis

Quote of the Day:  That's the problem, there are too many good people in this town! line by Paul Verrall, referring to Washington, D.C., from the play Born Yesterday, by Garson Kanin, directed by John Miller-Stephany, playing at The Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Nov. 23, 2013 - Jan. 5, 2014.

John Patrick Hayden (Paul Verrall) and Jeff Still (Harry Brock) in the Guthrie Theater's production of Born Yesterday by Garson Kanin. Directed by John Miller-Stephany, set design by Todd Rosenthal, costume design by Mathew J. LeFebvre, and lighting design by Marcus Dilliard. November 23, 2013 - January 5, 2014 in the McGuire Proscenium Stage at the Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis. Photo by T. Charles Erickson.

Garson Kanin wrote Born Yesterday in the 1940's, during World War II, and it premiered on Broadway in 1946. He was bold in his criticism of the US government, politicians, and those who try to control them. In his play, Harry Brock is a thug, a mob boss of sorts, who has bullied his way to financial success and power. He has come to Washington, D.C. to buy himself a senator. While he has the wealth of a king, he has the mannerisms of schoolyard bully. He expects people to jump at his every command and barks orders at everyone from the bellhop to his girlfriend, Billie Dawn. Billie is no dummy, despite Harry Brock constantly telling her that she's stupid. Oh, no, she knows how to get what she wants. Although, Harry Brock wants to keep her in the dark, he's equally embarrassed that she comes off as a dumb broad in the high society of Washington, D.C. Enter, Paul Verrall, a writer with a bend towards truth and justice. Harry Brock thinks the writer is just the man to educate Billie. In the end, we see just who is educating whom.

Photo by T. Charles Erickson

John Patrick Hayden as Paul Verrall and Alexis Bronkovic as Billie Dawn

Sparks fly between the writer and the chorus girl.

Born Yesterday  is a comedy with serious undertones. The setting is a corrupt Washington, D.C. The main characters are using whatever means they can to survive and get ahead. The clash of cultures between the so-called civilized and the uneducated creates laughs. The characters, their actions and interactions, are titillating. Sometimes, we laugh because we're uncomfortable. Sometimes, we laugh at the ridiculousness of it all, and sometimes, we laugh because what seems like an exaggeration is most likely understatement.

While the set-up is funny and the characters delightful, at times even caricature, abuse is no laughing matter. I got nervous when Harry Brock verbally abused everyone around him. I felt sick when he carried through with his threats. That part is not meant to make light of abuse. It shows how dark some people are and to what means they will go to maintain power. It created enough tension to make me wonder if this play should really be billed as a comedy.

Born Yesterday is visually stunning with a gorgeous set, a swanky hotel in Washington, D.C., including a view of the capital outside the window, and costumes that you can't take your eyes off of. Billie Dawn keeps all eyes on her as she ascends the stairs to change out of her dressing gown. The show is so well cast, and all of the actors seemed to become their characters. Alexis Bronkovic earned her standing ovation. Peter Thomson who plays the senator reminded me of a character out of a 1950's television show, like Alan Brady in The Dick Van Dyke Show.

I attended this production with my friend Krista, her mom, sister, and niece. Before the show, we enjoyed a delicious dinner at the Level 5 Cafe at the Guthrie, served by a delightful waiter named Ray. (When you release your first film, we'll be in the front row, ready to write a stellar review!)

Photo by Krista Rolfzen Soukup.

Do you see a familiar face in the mirror?

The stunning Rolfzen women.

Thanks for letting me hang with you!

Also playing at the Guthrie is their traditional A Christmas Carol. I missed attending the blogger event for that show because the Brainerd Warriors football team kept winning! We won the semi-finals on blogger night, and played in the championship game on Saturday night. It was a tough loss to the outstanding Owatonna team. My son Zach is a sophomore on the Warriors team, so, of course, we attended both games. The boys were disappointed that we missed our chance to attend A Christmas Carol for blogger night. They suggested we could go at a different time. It really is a great show for the family, minus the youngest ones because the ghosts can be scary. My sister Joy attended A Christmas Carol and said it was as great as last year, plus more dancing, which she loves. She went with her boyfriend who was there for the first time, and he loved it. They're both interested in seeing Born Yesterday which is a great show for teens and older, another way to have a great night on the town in Minneapolis. 

A Christmas Carol  is running through December 29, 2013.

Born Yesterday is running through January 5, 2014.

Go to The Guthrie Theater for tickets and showtimes.

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  What are some of your favorite comedies or holiday shows?