BOOK REVIEW: Things We Once Held Dear

THINGS WE ONCE HELD DEAR by Ann Tatlock is a gentle read even though the plot revolves around a murder that happened years earlier.

Neil Sadler had left the small town of Mason twenty years ago to make a successful life in New York City. The death of his wife has drawn him back home, back to the sad/happy memories of growing up as part of a loving, extended family. The center of that life was the large, rambling house that the children had called The Gothic House. Now, his cousin Grace has plans to turn the old place into a bed and breakfast with Neil’s help.

His Aunt Helen’s death was a big part of why Neil had left Mason. As the story unfolds in flashbacks, we learn that Helen had been murdered and that her husband Tom was convicted of the crime and had died in prison. As Neil tries to repair his own shattered world, he reconnects with his close childhood friend Mary, Tom and Helen’s daughter. Mary still believes that her father was innocent.

Several people who had been involved in the twenty year old mystery are at the end of their lives and are willing to get things off their own conscience. Among this group is Neil’s Uncle Bernard, an aging, retired Episcopalian priest. Although still bound by the silence imposed by his religious calling, Bernard helps Mary and Neil face some hard truths.

The physical labor on the Gothic House and finding closure with the past, all help to give Neil some of the peace that he had returned home to find.

Ann Tatlock creates well defined characters. I like an author who can build three dimensional side characters. This book takes us back to a more mellow time in our own life while giving us a plot that will keep us intrigued.

Ms. Tatlock is the recipient of the Christy Award for her I’ll Watch the Moon. The Christy Award was named for Catherine Marshall’s book Christy, one of my all-time favorite books.

THEATER: Seussical

For the first time that anyone could remember, Boal Barn had a sellout crowd on an opening night. There was not even standing room for the opening performance of SEUSSICAL. This is, of course, a warning that if you are planning to see it, get tickets as soon as possible. This large audience may be partly caused by the amount of people it took to produce the show, thirty-four cast members, eighteen musicians in the orchestra, and numerous technicians working on costumes, lighting, set design, choreography, props, etc. (Director Kim Silverman and her assistants deserve credit for keeping everything organized). If each person involved with the show had an average of two family members buy a ticket…..well, you do the math.

Considering the amount of people on stage and the fact that some of them were quite young, choreographer Rebecca Kelley and vocal director DJ Matsko are to be congratulated. The dances were lively and stayed in character. The Birds and the Wickersham Brothers were a delight. One of the good/bad things about a small arena theatre is that the singers are very close to the audience. This was a treat Tuesday night; the voices were good, plus they “sang out”.

The individual talents were all impressive; the trouble is not having enough space to mention all of them. This production is an example of a director knowing how to cast a show.

Jared Paxson has the energy, voice, movements, and, most importantly, the ability to work an audience making him a terrific Cat in the Hat. He was literally in charge of the stage and the show.

Rob Arnold was perfectly cast as Horton, the Elephant. His quiet compassion was either the result of excellent acting or Rob is a very nice fellow to know.

Justin Shondeck’s actual age surprised me. His strong voice and stage presence made me think that an older actor was playing the young Who, JoJo. We should be seeing a lot of this young man.

The two birds, Gertrude McFuzz and Mayzie LaBird, were played with beautiful contrast by Gail McCormick and Amanda Leggett. Gail was charming as the insecure Gertrude who is not too sure what to do with her beautiful new tail and Amanda had the right amount of brass as the bird who would rather party than hatch an egg. Both actresses have remarkable voices.

The show is full of talent. It would be hard to find fault with any of the cast or crew. My problem is that the show itself is not one of my favorites. It always seems too complicated to be a tribute to Dr. Seuss. His stories were special because he could tell them in such a simple manner. Trying to weave a string of these stories into one musical makes for a musical that is a little heavy.

I can see why it has become such a popular show for young people to do. Nothing can take away from the delightful characters that Seuss created. The Cat in the Hat, Horton, the Grinch and their friends have become beloved members of our culture. Thus, they are a delight to play.

SEUSSICAL will be in the Barn until August the 18th. The Man Who Came to Dinner will open September the 4th and run for two weeks. Call 814-234 SCCT (7228) for more information.

BOOK REVIEW: The Kings of Colorado

It is usual for me to keep a copy of the book that I am reviewing next to me as I type in order to remember the character names. Will, Coop, Mickey, and Benny, the KINGS OF COLORADO, will stay in my mind for a long time to come. I did not need reminders. Author David E. Hilton has developed a group of young boys who will tear at your heart in KINGS OF COLORADO. I do not know when I have read such a poignant, beautiful story.

Thirteen –year-old William Shepard and his mother fear the drunken rages of his violent father until one night as his father is savagely beating his mother, Will stabs him with a pocketknife. In all of his thirteen years Will has never been beyond the streets surrounding his apartment in Chicago. Now, after a lonely bus trip, he finds himself facing two years at Swope Ranch, a reformatory for boys hidden away in the mountains of Colorado.

The ranch is financed by breaking and selling horses; it seems to make its fun by breaking young boys. The horrors that are inflicted on the boys come not only from the staff at Swope, but from the other boys as well. As a form of self-preservation, Will, Coop, Mickey, and Benny band together in a friendship that will last a life time.

Over time we learn what has caused each of the main characters to end up at Swope. Some of these stories will break your heart, some will appall you. The truly sad thing was learning from the author’s notes that the most horrific story was based on an actual crime committed by a juvenile. Good and bad, or maybe a bit of each, all of the characters will live with you after you close the final chapter.

I loved how the horses were used as a metaphor. The book opens with Will, as an old man, witnessing an accident on a street in Chicago involving a white mare. The sight of that injured mare causes him to write the story of his time on the ranch, making the book a journal of sorts. The fact that he lives to write the story helped get me through some of the more difficult scenes in the book. It also helped to introduce Reaper, the white mare that played such a large part in the lives of the boys.

KINGS OF COLORADO is reminiscent of Lord of the Flies and Of Mice and Men. It is probably the fact that the latter is on my Top Five Favorite list that helped to make KINGS OF COLORADO so special.  The friendships, especially between Will and Benny, affected me the most. Granted the violent scenes are worthy of comparison to Lord of the Flies, but there is something more optimistic about this book. Again, this comes back to the friendship shared by these four boys. This is Hilton’s debut novel and it is hoped that he is not a one-book-wonder. So much heartfelt power has been poured into Will’s story that I wonder how the author could have anything left.

This is a book that I highly recommend. It brought me to tears at times. Some tears were for the loss of innocence of young boys, yet others were for joy when good things happened. The Bellefonte Centre County Library Book Group will be discussing KINGS OF COLORADO this month. I cannot wait to hear what will be said.

THEATER: The Fantasticks

“Without a hurt, the heart is hollow” is not only a meaningful line from the song “Try to Remember”, but a summary of the lesson from THE FANTASTICKS, the play currently running in the Cabaret at Millbrook Playhouse. I have lost count of how many productions of this play I have seen, so I truly appreciated some of the original touches that director David Winitsky added.

Casting Josh Houghton as El Gallo was a decision that I had questioned. Josh was last seen as Snoopy in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown and the two roles certainly require different approaches. His El Gallo was more cynical than threatening, more "what fools these mortals be”. This role also proved that not only can Josh dance and sing, but he can act.

Chandler Reeves and Cameron Perry added to my original impressions of their talent; both have exceptional voices and stage presence. Watching them grow from the young naive lovers to the young man and woman who have had their eyes opened to a less innocent world was a tribute to their acting. The director kept it simple and believable.

The veteran actors, Richard Guido and Ted Cockley, were perfectly cast as Hucklebee and Bellomy, the fathers. Those of us who have been regulars at Millbrook were eagerly waiting for their duet, “Plant a Radish”.  It did not disappoint.

I was also waiting for Mortimer, listed in most play programs as “the man who dies” to, well, die. Remy Germinario made use of not only the whole stage but some of the other actors as well to finally give his last breath.  This death scene proves once again that there are no small parts in theatre.

There is not much more that can be said about Frank Franconeri that I have not already said. His handling of the role of Henry showcased the character actor that lurks in Frank. Clever Frank even worked in a plug for his part in I’ll Be Back Before Midnight. For those of you who have not had a chance to see Frank without his outlandish character makeup, he is extremely good looking. A leading man role should be in his future; ah, but then we would miss the off- the- wall- fun parts that he does so well.

The duet “I Can See It” was particularly enjoyable. Josh and Cameron were able to pull the best out of each other. I also loved Chandler’s checkered tights. Sometimes it is something that subtle that sets the mood of a play.

 I did feel that some good lines got lost especially during “It Depends on What You Pay”. At times the piano was a little loud and sometimes it seemed to be the actor’s position on stage. Speaking of the piano, Jad Bernardo did a stellar job. The piano is almost a soloist in its own right in THE FANTASTICKS, the music is that familiar.

THE FANTASTICKS will close on August 12, thus ending the summer season at Millbrook. Oh, but wait, Lend Me a Tenor will return for one week—August 16 – August 19 in the Cabaret. Plus, the Theatre Camp will be doing their performance of Seussical, Jr. on the Main Stage August 10 and 11.
Ticket and time information can be found by calling 570-748-8083 or checking their web site, www.millbrookplayhouse.org.

BOOK REVIEW: Perfect Match

Author Jodie Picoult is known for her intense novels. Her subject material always seems to be pulled from tomorrow’s headlines. PERFECT MATCH was published in 2002, but is very relevant to Central Pennsylvania in 2012.

Nina Frost is a career-driven assistant district attorney who spends most of her work day prosecuting child molesters. Her job has made her very aware of the legal loopholes that allow these criminals to walk free or to spend little time behind bars while their victims spend a lifetime recovering.

She has a comfortable life with her husband Caleb and their five-year old son Nathaniel. The routine of this life is shattered when Nathaniel is traumatized by a sexual assault. Nina knows too well how the legal system can fail. A very young victim runs the chance of not being believed, plus testifying can be traumatic to a child because it is a reliving of the experience.

Ignoring her long held convictions and turning her own life upside down, Nina takes the situation into her own hands, shooting the suspect during the trial. The results affect her marriage, her professional life, her friendships, and her already distressed five-year old son.

Once again Jodie Picoult raises difficult moral and ethical questions for the reader. How far does a parent go to find justice and how much are we willing to sacrifice for our child? Are we willing to go as far as to kill another human being?

If you are familiar with Jodie Picoult’s writings, you know that nothing is as simple as it appears. As in her other books this story is told in various voices. This gives the reader a glimpse into the heads of not only Nina, but also her husband Caleb, her best friend Patrick, the prosecutor Quentin Brown, and, most touchingly of all, Nathaniel himself.

The background involving the trial was very informative. Collecting evidence of sexual abuse, especially when the victim is very young, can be difficult. I also learned that even DNA is not always reliable evidence. It was almost as interesting to read Picoult’s comments on how she researched this subject as it was to read the novel.

Some of my favorite reads have been by this author and PERFECT MATCH did not disappoint. I have learned not to read back to back Jodie Picoult novels; they are too powerful.