bday67 luncheon! bday67 with brothers! bday67 pinter play!

Thank you, Yvonne!!!

When I texted her last night to say, "Lunch maybe? Tomorrow or Mon? Houlihans? Kayak? Both?", she'd responded, "Tomorrow? Toni? Houlihan's? Time?" - hooray!

"Yes! High noon!"

After all, that's our time for luncheons.

(smile!)

Did I get a photo of the three of us?

Surprisingly, no.

We were there nearly three hours, but somehow not one photo did I take manage to take.

I guess we were too busy talking and having a good time!

So, all I have to commemorate this bday67 event is this email flyer from the restaurant, granting me a free lunch - up to $15 - if someone else also dined.

Thanks, Yvonne, for "buying" my lunch!!!

And thanks, Toni, for buying dessert for all three of us!

I still cannot believe the waitress thought we'd be able to eat three of those Salted Caramel Ooey Gooey Cakes - hahahaha!!!

We barely finished the one serving of all that sweetness!

(smile!)

 

Two hours later, Smitty sent me a text.

"Hey, we are going to Castaway today."

What, not to Jalapenos?

No, Laura wanted to check out this place.

Yes, the time was still 5PM.

Cool beans, I was up for a change of venue!

Not that it mattered, as I was still too full to eat.

I just wanted to spend time with both of my brothers tonight!

And that's exactly what I did, too!

Mary and Laura were there, too, of course, and I sat across from Mary and chatted quite a bit!

Then most of the Kameron contingent arrived: Betsy, Jimmy, Addison, Becca!

Mark never did make it, having been hung up on a job in Beaufort.

Oh, well!

I started out beside Smitty, then Tony made him switch seats when Jimmy arrived, so the Dood could chat me up - lol!

They all kept trying to get me to order, but I abstained.

Too full, too full... but how wonderful to see them all again!

(smile!) 

I left shortly after their food arrived, but not before taking a group photo of them!

Maybe I can get that posted here one day... but not today!

My phone is still not able to send photos to my email.

However, the printer scans programs just fine!!!

Here's the one that I found out about on Wednesday.

Yes, like just two days ago!

Savannah Country Day School had posted on fb about a "Senior Project" and asking folks to "please come to it on Friday".

Well, alrighty then!

So much for the Cinema Savannah screening of "Malena" -

so much for the "Sea Of Ink" night at the Ships of the Sea Museum" -

so much for "Drowsy Chaperone" - this time by SCAD - at the Lucas Theatre -

my plans changed justthatfast!

I'm so glad they did!

SCDS not only had the play by Harold Pinter for free, but so were all the snacks and drinks.

They were clearing it all out, as Jenkins Auditorium would be dark until the fall.

Happy birthday to me!

Plus, Henry Dickerson came and hugged me before the play began!

I had not realized he's a senior and this was his farewell gig, serving as Artistic Director for "Betrayal" - wow!

Such an adult-themed play for all these young people to perform!

See, "Betrayal" is the 1978 play built on Pinter's own affair with a married woman, and this one centers on the cuckold husband, the wife that he is cheating on, and the one screwing her, who is the husband's best friend.

I told Henry before the play that I hoped none of these young actors had ever had those experiences.

He gave me an odd smile, that let me know that he was surprised I knew so much about this bit of drama.

Hey, I did my homework on this time-jumping piece, right?

Glad I did!

Glad I was there!

I know I'll never get a chance to see this again -

that makes it a perfect birthday gift -

something completely different from what the other troupes offer.

(smile!)

buttercups building up!

"Hey, that sounds like a song, kinda sorta. Or maybe it's a problem in the garden with a particular species of flowers running amok?"

Good joke! Hahahaha! It was the former, actually. As soon as I heard the opening bars of the song, I knew I was exactly where I was meant to be! Right place, right time!!!

"Wonderful!!! So, that was playing as you arrived?"

Oh, no. That song from my youth was the grand finale at today's Lower School concert and musical theater. I'd arrived a few minutes late to the standing-room only show, which meant I had to stand alongside the wall for the entire time. I wasn't the only one, either, and that was all along the back and both sides of Jenkins Auditorium.

"Wow."

I know! This was a free show, just as the Middle School event had been. I guess that's to give something back to the parents who have paid all year to send their kids to Savannah Country Day. Very nice! I'm glad I was able to be there for free, too.

"Did this show have a theme, or was it randomly put together?"

Oh, yes, it definitely had a theme: building. The title was "Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site", named for the book written by Sherri Duskey Rinker.  That's actually the last in her series about the machines that are needed for buildings. You know: cement mixers, dump trucks, cranes, excavators, bulldozers. For this concert-performance piece show, each of the pieces were composed by the 3rd-5th grade students as well as AP music theory students. I'm sure their teacher, Mrs. Graves, also helped. (smile!)

"Wow. That's impressive for students that are around Alyssa and Leila's age. They were in 5th grade this year."

It really was impressive! I'm going to talk about it to Christina and maybe her school will take on such a project. It'll certainly make the parents feel more involved in their children's education. I think they could do it! The 3rd graders got to demonstrate the sounds of the building site, but it was the task of the 4th and 5th graders to make the equipment itself come alive, so to speak, through spoken word and layered melodies, using xylophones and percussion. Essentially, these boys and girls told the story and then created the 'song' for each piece of equipment. I so liked it!!!

"Just imagine how much more you would have enjoyed it if your great-nieces were in the show!"

That's what I'm saying! The public schools could do this, too. I hope they will! I'll be glad to drive to Hinesville for their show!

ablaze! kick in the brass! blue beamer!

Alex, what are three songs I heard tonight?

"Seriously? Those are song titles?"

Correct! To my knowledge, none of the tunes have words, just music, but, oh! What fresh groupings of notes they bring to the ear!

"Very nice! I take it, then, that you knew none of those three?"

Hey, I'll do you one better... I knew naught of the majority of the songs I heard tonight. I had returned to Savannah Country Day, having heard last week of this Middle School Fine Arts Night. I thought it all started at 6 PM and was so pleased to be on campus a little past 5:30! But, oops! I'd missed two portions by then. Oh, well. You can't have it all - where would you put it?

"Hahahaha! You used to say that quite a bit!"

I did. I think I'm going to bring it back. (smile!)

"Okay, I see the items you've crossed out, so those must have been missed. That means you had orchestra and multiple jazz bands, right?"

You're correct again! The first song in the post title - "Ablaze" - was one the students chose, a modern piece by Chris Bernotas. Why did I say it's 'modern'? The composer's only 56 years old, two years younger than my youngest brother. Several of the students even had solos in that piece.

"Oh, nice!"

The other pieces I liked were "Double Trouble", by Lauren Bernofsky, a 58-year-old woman; "Finger Rock", a piece by 72-yo Bob Phillips [that included finger snapping!!!]; and Johannes Brahms' "Hungarian Dance No. 5", especially because it was performed by three basses. That was really awesome to see! Nice of the teacher to say before that one that "the b-a-s-s is the b-a-s-e of an orchestra." 

"That's a very nice acknowledgement for those folks! They're typically relegated to playing at the very back of the band."

Yes, I agree. I'm sure those parents were pleased as punch about that! Speaking of parents, many of them did not have kids both in the orchestra and any of the three jazz bands. When we had a break so they could change up the stage, over half the audience left and didn't return. Not that anyone would have noticed that wasn't there for the orchestra! By the time the 6th graders came on for the Beginner Jazz Band, Jelks Auditorium was at least as full as it had been.

"Well, that's in keeping with family size now, right? Most folks have no more than two kids, and quite a few have only one. Just think about Stephen, Jason, Michael, Christina, Hope - each have two. Then there's Emily, Christy, Zach, Tyler - just one apiece. Damon is the only one with more than that - but that's a different story. In so many ways he reminds me of our Uncle Jimmy."

Yeah, he ended up with seven children from four different mothers. There's no way he would have been able to afford to have them as students at that school.

"Back on track shall we go?"

Yes, let's! Okay, I'd gotten to the jazz portion of the evening. There were three of those bands: Beginner, Intermediate (7th grade), and Advanced (8th grade). Remember, this was a Middle School only event!

"That's right! So they're the source of the other two songs in the post title?"

Kinda sorta. (smile!) I really liked "Drama For Your Mama" from the 6th-graders, but that was too long to use up there. (smile!) "Blue Beamer" was a very lively piece, but I admit to having a preference for a song I knew and loved: "Gimme Some Lovin' ". Oh, yeah!!! Nice of "The Blues Brothers" movie to give it an extended life on radio!

"I get a chuckle from that "Drama For Your Mama" - hahahaha!"

Right? I think part of my attraction to "Kick In The Brass" is the pun in its name, but, let me tell you, that truly was a kick ass tune!!! There were five - F-I-V-E - trumpet players lined up in front of the others, playing like they were grown ups, too!!! Wow! The look, the sound - just amazing!

"Wow! I know you loved that!"

I did, I most def did. Then they played Stevie Wonder's "Superstition" a couple of songs later and did me proud on that one. I know their grandparents must have been thrilled to hear that one from their past, too. I'm so glad I was there tonight!

balthasar:: a tale of serendipity

Had I not seen these two particular plays so closely together, I would not have caught it.

Both feature a character named 'Balthasar'.

Might that character have been the same person?

When I queried the world wide web, I received an unsatisfying reply.

Apparently, no graduate student has pursued that as a thesis.

I wish that Dr. Joseph Killorin were still alive.

He had such an expansive knowledge of the Bard's plays and I know we could have had quite a discussion about such a thing.

So, what say I approach it on my own?

I say William Shakespeare placed the character in both plays deliberately, perhaps as an inside joke for himself, curious as to whether anyone would catch on.

'Balthasar' was not only Romeo's manservant, but a dear friend as well.

That was evident in "Romeo & Juliet", the play seen tonight, performed by the 7th and 8th grade students at Garrison Arts Academy.

How very age-appropriate for those tragic lovers, non è vero?

That's why I wanted so much to see this version.

I'm so glad to have caught this closing night performance!

I'll be looking forward to future works with Noah Jasso and Adoration Boothe, two of the 14-year-olds advancing to high school, who were absolutely perfect as the teenagers in love, staying in character even at the play's end. 

Kudos to Jaclyn Jackson as the slain 'Tybalt', who stayed in position on the stage from the end of Act I, through intermission, and into Act II, when the body was carried off.

Kudos also to Ke'Aisha Powell, actor for 'Balthasar'.

The absolute dismay shown for having let down 'Romeo', leading to his death, urged me to delve into that character.

 

Could this be the same one who sang "Hey Nonny" on Thursday eve?

That's when I watched the opening night performance of "Much Ado About Nothing" by the 11th and 12th graders at Savannah Country Day.

I speak not of the same actor, of course, as 'Balthasar' was played by Tanner Kaminsky for this high school production.

I speak of the character himself.

This time, as well as being a singer, 'Balthasar' was the manservant for 'Don Pedro', the Prince from Spain, visiting his brother there in Messina.

So, both like-named characters are manservants?

Might it be that both are actually one and the same???

I hold that to be true.

Kindly, hear me out.

"Romeo and Juliet" was penned by Shakespeare between 1591 and 1595 and is set in the city of Verona, in northern Italy.

Picture a younger, more naive, 'Balthasar', perhaps on his first job as a manservant, and naturally forming a close relationship with the 'Montague' teen he serves.

Now, imagine the grief and distress of that young man when he finds the message he gave his charge was incorrect and led not only to his death, but to that of 'Juliet'.

How very heartbroken 'Balthasar' must have been!

Fast forward to 1598-1599, the time when Shakespeare penned "Much Ado About Nothing".

This time he sets the play in Messina, way down in southern Italy.

Perhaps the short elapsed time between these two plays, as well as the physical distance between the two cities of Verona and Messina, led his mind to thoughts of what the young, emotionally-distressed 'Balthasar' might have done in those few years.

Perhaps he left Verona and all its sadness, seeking a new life...

perhaps he moved to Messina and sought work there as a more experienced, less naive, manservant to the wealthy, bringing his singing ability along as an asset...

perhaps.

And so it was written, and so it was done.

Had it not been for these two schools having chosen these two plays for their graduating thespians to perform as their last hurrahs, I would not have had this perspective into a side character.

Right place, right time.

Now, I share that inside joke of the Bard's.

(smile!) 

what a difference a half-century makes... in a musical

First, let me clarify: the production put on at Savannah Country Day School was not written in the 1970's.

"9 To 5: The Musical" did not come into existence until 2008.

However, the movie upon which Dolly Parton based the music and lyrics came out in 1980, meaning it was written and filmed in the last year or so of the seventies decade.

That would be the time when I was in my late teens, much like these high school actors.

Just think about that for a moment.

They performed a story about sexual harassment, a story their grandparents would have been only too familiar with.

Wow.

I wonder if the students asked those older generations about their experiences then?

Perhaps they did.

Perhaps they even watched the movie beforehand, as I did (thanks, Comcast, for the $1 Movie Night reward!), for tips on mannerisms.

However they prepared, I was very impressed with their performances!!!

At the front of the stage, singing "Around Here", are 'Doralee' (Mollie Macfadyen), 'Violet' (Cleo Shelton), and 'Judy' (Gabby Galoni).

Respectively, they're the happily married secretary, the long-employed widow with four children, and the newly-divorced new hire.

Well, that's what they are in the movie version; here, 'Violet' has only a teen son, but the rest still holds true.

That little difference shows up elsewhere, too, such as the boss getting sent to Bolivia instead of Brazil, as well as a little office romance developing between 'Joe' (Paxton Towe) and 'Violet' (and they even have a song together!).

Oh, one more marked change: when the three women are plotting revenge on their boss, the hunting dream of 'Judy' becomes "The Dance Of Death", which was a nice twist for me.

(Get the pun? Hahahaha!)

Speaking of the "villains" in this story, I would be remiss to not give credit to them.

That's Ian Rogers to the far left and Kensie Glass near the stairs.

Respectively, they were the bossman, 'Hart', and his office snitch, 'Roz'.

Perfectly they played their roles!!!

A special shout out to 'Roz' who didn't skip a beat (another pun!) when her wig went flying off during her love song, "Heart To Hart" - that was quite impressive!!!

 

One more thing before I close: incredible set design!

Besides those three movable cubes, there were only a loveseat, the boss' desk and swivel chair, and the bed he became chained to.

Those three cubes had different designs on each of the four faces, allowing them to change the location to a hospital, the office cubicles, even the elevator in the building!

John Suchower would have been so proud.