THEATER: Les Miserables

On April 4th the Bald Eagle Area High School Drama students went to New York City to see LES MISERABLES. I was lucky enough to go along.

It was a very full day, starting at the high school at 8:00 A.M. and ending back at the high school at 4:00 A.M. The bus was full (55 students and adults) and after some welcoming words from Drama Coach Eric Brinser, everyone sat back to watch the movie Frozen.

After one stop for a lunch break, we reached New York City with time to spare so the bus driver drove around the city while Mr. Brinser played tour guide. This was the first wow moment for me; the bus driver wove that big bus through the snarls of traffic as if it were a go-cart. It has been a few years since I have driven in NYC and I was very impressed.

The real action started with an improvisational workshop for the students. Jane, the instructor, was very good at getting the students to feel at ease. It must have been a little intimidating for the younger attendees  to be in New York City, on Broadway, in a professional rehearsal hall and with a stranger asking them to improvise bits of business. They were terrific. It did not take them long to get into the swing of the exercises and for them to show what a creative group they are. I wish that I had learned Jane’s last name. She was good.

The session ended with the appearance of Cathryn Basile, a member of the LES MISERABLES cast. Ms Basile is a swing in the show and not always sure that she will be going on until the last moment. After a brief sharing of her life in the theatre, she opened the floor for questions. Shortly before we left the rehearsal room,she came bursting back into the room with the news that indeed she would be in that evening’s show. This gave all of us someone that we knew to watch for.

After dinner, we finally made it to the Imperial Theatre to see the new production of LES MISERABLES. This is one of my favorite shows and having seen it several times, I was eager to see the new version. Naturally the story sticks to Victor Hugo’s original novel and the score was the same beautiful music and lyrics that we all know. The impressive sets seemed to be richer than I had seen in the past and some of the changes in directing were beyond brilliant. I especially loved Javert’s suicide scene. If you go to see the show, watch for it.

Most of the cast was new to me; quite a few were making their Broadway debut, but I expect to hear more of them. Ramin Karimloo ranks with the best Jean Valjeans that I have heard. It is worth the trip to New York and the price of a ticket to hear his “ Bring Him Home”. I also want to see more of Will Swenson who played Javert. His credits are extensive so I should be able to check out his other roles. As usual Petit Gervais, played by Gaten Matarazzo, was a big favorite of the audience.

By four o’clock in the morning, I was beat. Would I do it again with these kids? You bet! I have to admit that they really were the most impressive part of the trip. Now I have proof that there are many, many fabulous teenagers out there. The world will be in good hands.

BOOK REVIEW: She Who Remembers

I wanted to like Linda Lay Shuler’s SHE WHO REMEMBERS. It was publicized as doing for America’s prehistory what  Jean Auel’s Clan of the Cave Bear  did for prehistoric Europe. Since I had  enjoyed Auel’s series and I am fascinated by our early Southwest. especially the mystery surrounding the Anasazi tribes, SHE WHO REMEMBERS seemed to be a good choice.

The brief Prologue sets the scene of an Indian watching god-like beings in an area known to be occupied by spirits. These gods had unusual clothing and a long bow that actually held the arrow in place. They had hair not only on their head but also on their faces. The hair was the color of falling leaves and their eyes were blue.

Years later, in 1279, blue-eyed Kwani has been accused by her tribe of being a witch. Her mother helps her to escape death and tells her to travel the great distance to find the gods with blue eyes. They will accept her as one of their own. Kwani ‘s journey is full of hostile tribes, wild animals, and harsh weather.

Along the way she is found by Kokopelli, the flute player. Kokopelli is a well known trader who brings magic to the tribes and he takes Kwani to his next stop, the Eagle Clan’s cliff dwellings. In this village, far above the ground, Kwani meets the old wise woman, She Who Remembers. A large part of this elderly woman’s job is to teach the young girls all that women must learn. She sees something special in Kwani and at her death appoints Kwani the next She Who Remembers.

This, however, does not put a stop to Kwani’s troubles. After Kokopelli leaves, she has to face the jealousy of the Medicine Man and of the beautiful Tiopi who thought she would be the next wise woman.

If you think that the plot sounds a little like the Perils of Pauline set in the ancient Southwest, you are right. Never has a young girl been attacked by wild animals, raped, kidnapped, and generally been mistreated as Kwani. The character did show some growth, going from the frightened girl escaping the only home she has known to the self-confident She Who Remembers, but she also is unwittingly responsible for many of her own problems ...and she does have a lot of problems.

What I did like was the amount of research that the author did. There is evidence that the Norse were in America long before Columbus. What happened to the Anasazi and the cliff dwellers is still a mystery.  Linda Lay Shuler makes it very clear that this book is a book of fiction, but based on extensive fieldwork.

Kokopelli, the flute player, is still a large part of Native American artwork and stories. I found him to be the most fascinating character in the book. He was a trader, but also a bit of a con-man. I liked that he had convinced the people that his magic “seed” would guarantee that the tribe would have good crops. Each village had young girls waiting to be the chosen one to receive his seed and if she carried his child was treated as blessed by the gods until his next visit.

There were many likable parts of this book, secondary characters were well developed, the Native American way of life interesting, and the locations colorful. I did get tired of Kwani always  being in peril. The story could have moved as well without resorting to so many dramatic hardships for our heroine.

Although there are sequels to this book, I’ll pass.

BOOK REVIEW: Jacob's Oath

So many books, good and bad, have been published about the Holocaust. It is a time in history that the world would probably prefer to sweep under the proverbial carpet, but it is also a time of great, and simple, universal themes. JACOB'S OATH by Martin Fletcher is set in Germany at the end of the Second World War, but is a tribute to survival and the strength of the human spirit.

Jacob has been liberated from a concentration camp where he had witnessed inhuman conditions. His beloved brother Maxie had been the favorite victim of a camp guard nicknamed “The Rat”. As Maxie died in Jacob’s arms, Jacob swore an oath to avenge his brother’s death by killing The Rat. After his release, he starts to walk the long journey home to Heidelberg, which also happens to be The Rat’ s  home town.

For the years of war, Sarah has been hiding in basements, cemeteries, any place where she is invisible. She has gone mostly without food, water or companionship. With the help of Lieutenant Brodsky, a Russian soldier, she is able to get to her home town of Heidelberg.

The story really begins in Heidelberg. Jacob is the first one we meet there. Through his skills of bartering it is possible for him to survive rather well. Sarah’s arrival makes the Jewish population of the city a total of two. Knowing that they are the only Jews left in this once thriving city draws them together. Jacob has not forgotten his oath to kill Hans, The Rat, and spends a large part of his day watching for him.

The plot summary does not begin to give a taste of the richness of this book. The characters are so complex. Jacob, Sarah, Hans, and Brodsky are fascinating for different reasons. Watching each of them develop made the book special for me.

I would not want to under emphasize the suspense in the story. The decision of how and when to kill The Rat is the force that drives Jacob. Sarah is aware that such an act could ruin what is basically a good man. The night of the planned murder had me holding my breath. By this point in the story, I really cared what would happen to Jacob and Sarah, the only Jews in the city.

I also have to admit that the plot threw me a curve. At one point I told myself that I knew how it would end. I was wrong.

JACOB'S OATH is a warm story, told with some dark humor, that you will find stirring your heart. It is one of those page turners that will stay with you after the final chapter.

BOOK REVIEW: Packing For Mars

This year’s Centre County Reads is PACKING FOR MARS by Mary Roach. I was not sure if it would have the universal appeal to be chosen as the book for an entire county. The reaction among my reading acquaintances has been very mixed, ranging from “loved it” to “could not get beyond the Fourth Chapter”.

PACKING FOR MARS is an excellently researched book written by an author who is first of all a scientist, but with an eye for the humor in serious situations. Roach has the ability to make any scientific subject accessible to everyone.  There is a reason that she makes best-seller list with each new publication.

PACKING FOR MARS takes us up close and personal with the astronauts: Russian, Japanese, American, dogs, chimps, in fact anyone or thing that has entered space. We learn that the Japanese test a man’s talent with origami for eligibility into their space program. The United States puts great emphasis on the ability to spend extended periods of time either alone or with others in a cramped space.

It never occurred to me that motion sickness would be a big challenge in a space capsule or helmet. I thought that proper training would take care of that problem. Throwing up in zero-gravity is more than just messy; it is dangerous. There is the danger of choking, suffocation, and if inhaled, the acid will eat the lining of the lungs. Those little nuggets of grossness just float around. The information in this chapter was very informative, if a bit disgusting.

It was also interesting to know that male astronauts do not wear a diaper, but rather a device built along the idea of a condom. For vanity reasons, the sizes come only in L, XL, and XXL. An interesting footnote to this is that four “urine collection assemblies” have been left on the moon, two large and two “small”. Which one belongs to Neil Armstrong and which to Buzz Aldrin remains a mystery.

For all of you who dreamed of being an astronaut as a child, Mary Roach does much to de-romanticize the idea of going into the Void. Still, to me, the people who have gone into space are indeed heroes; they went into the complete unknown. Ideas could be tested on Earth, but that would not prepare them for the actual event.

There were times when I felt that Mary Roach took particular interest in the scatological material in her research, but that may be what we are all secretly interested in. No subject was too repellent to deserve minute detail.( I had never thought that cadavers played such a large part in our space program)

.

PACKING FOR MARS is very full of detailed information. Even though written in an entertaining style, it reached the point of overkill for me by the fourth chapter. I would suggest that it be considered the book that you read one chapter at a time while reading a less stressful book. Reading it that way also gives the information time to be digested.

After reading and discussing the book with my book group, I understand why PACKING FOR MARS was the Centre County Reads for 2014. The book pays homage to the things that Americans hold dear, traits like bravery, the search for knowledge, and exploration of the unknown.

BOOK REVIEW: The Curate's Awakening

The name of author George MacDonald is probably not well known today and the chances of his being on the bestseller list may be slim, but the fact that C.S. Lewis considered him to be his master made me curious about his work. After reading THE CURATE'S AWAKENING I understand why Lewis admired MacDonald enough that similarities can be found in their writings.

George MacDonald was born in 1824 and had hit the peak of his popularity by 1876. His message was essentially a spiritual one. His opinions ran counter to the popular views of organized religion of the time. Christianity in England during the late nineteenth century was locked into constricting doctrines often carried to extremes. It taught that the people should fear  God’s severe wrath and that all who were not born one of the “chosen

few” were doomed.

MacDonald’s sermons portrayed a warm God, one of love and compassion. He was scorned by the officials of the established church, but he refused to relax his attacks from the pulpit on the Phariseeism. Trying to influence the system from within, he was expelled. He then took his case directly to the public. The popularity of his books affirmed to him what was in his heart.

THE CURATE'S AWAKENING departs from his other writings at the time by being the first of his novels. In it he uses the story of a young minister and the people of his congregation to further MacDonald’s own argument.

Thomas Wingfold has settled into his first parish. As most people who became part of the clery, Thomas goes through the motions every Sunday. Having found a source of sermons written by an earlier minister, he has not had to bother writing any on his own. He is a good person, an honest person, but it has never occurred to him that more might be required.

At a dinner party he is asked the question. “Tell me, do you really believe one word of that?” He realizes that he had chosen the ministry simply as a job and that he does not have any idea of what he believes. His search for understanding brings an unusual group of people together.

The characters in the story could very easily be stereotypes. Instead we get caught up in their uniqueness: the young girl who has never had to have a serious thought has to face the ugly fact that  a cruel murder has taken place, her widowed aunt whose husband had been a minister  does not want to see changes of any type in the church, let alone ones that make the congregation think, the young lawyer who makes a convincing argument against religion has been a regular visitor in the small town and seems to have vague ideas of marriage, and a man who needs to find forgiveness is hiding from the authorities.

Although this story was written over one hundred years ago and the characters are there to make the author’s point, I found it a good read. An important element in any story for me is good characterization. The people in Thomas’ life were there for the author’s convenience but still held my interest.

Considering that the book was written during the late 1800’s, the language was very readable. I think of this as a florid time in literature and the subject itself could have tempted the author to go flowery on us. Instead it is a book full of subtle humor and some spiritual ideas that have not gone stale.

At the risk of sounding disloyal to my idol, MacDonald is a little easier to read than most of C.S. Lewis is. This is not to say that  Lewis has been replaced on my list of favorite authors.

BOOK REVIEW: Whistling Past The Graveyard

At first glance, Susan Crandall’s WHISTLING PAST THE GRAVEYARD reminds the reader of other coming of age books that take place in the South during the 1960’s. The Secret Life of Bees came to mind with touches of The Help and To Kill a Mockingbird. WHISTLING PAST THE GRAVEYARD deserves to be included with these excellent books, but it is definitely an original piece of literature.

Starla Claudelle is nine years old and lives in her exacting grandmother’s home in Mississippi. Starla’s mother left when Starla was three years old to become famous in Nashville as a country singer. Her father works on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico and rarely gets home.

Mamie has never approved of Starla’s white-trash mother and has been working very hard to turn the young girl into a respectable lady, but Starla’s natural tendencies to speak her mind and to get into fights put the two of them at constant odds.

Mamie forbids Starla from going to the town’s big Fourth of July parade and celebration, but she sneaks out only to be caught by Jimmy Sellers’ angry mother. (Starla had caused Jimmy’s bloody nose, but he had deserved it.) Mrs. Sellers’s threat to have Starla sent to a reform school, a threat that she has heard from her grandma many times, causes Starla to just start walking out of town. Her idea is to get to Nashville where her famous mother will take care of her. That way she, her mother and her daddy will all live happily together.

After walking far enough to realize that she should have thought this trip out a little better--no food or water, her feet hurt, and she had no idea which way to Nashville-- she is picked up by Eula. Eula is a black woman driving a truck that is falling apart and has a white baby with her.

This trip will change Starla’s life forever. The nine-year-old will face  dangerous racial bias, deal with attempts on her own life, and be a witness to murder. Along the way she will also experience unconditional love and learn that meanness or kindness know no color lines.

The story is told by Starla herself and we easily fall into her innocent dreams for the future. After awhile, we start to read between the lines and decide that the world is a grittier place than a nine-year-old realizes. The author, Susan Crandell leads us along, slowly helping us to decide who is good and who is really bad.

Starla is a well drawn character. She will stay with you for a long time. I also liked how well the author captured other characters in the book. The racial tension of the 1960’s has been written about a lot lately, but it seemed fresh and even more tense when seen through the innocent eyes of Starla. Starla’s observations on human nature are also worth the read.  She has enough pluck and humor to keep the book moving to a very satisfying conclusion.

BOOK REVIEW: The Accidental Mother

THE ACCIDENTAL MOTHER by Rowan Coleman is a good piece of “chick lit”. I was looking for a light read, so thought that I would try an author who was new but who sounded not too deep. THE ACCIDENTAL MOTHER fit the bill perfectly.

Sophie has her eye on a great promotion; her life has been centered on getting her boss’s job. The office talk is that the job will soon be available and that she and one other woman are in contention for the promotion. In the middle of her biggest project and knowing that she can not make the slightest mistake, she receives word that her childhood friend Carrie has been killed in an automobile accident.

Carrie had married and was the mother of two young children. Several years earlier Carrie had asked Sophie to care for her children if anything ever happened to her. After several glasses of wine Sophie had said yes, knowing that they were both young and such an event was certainly not going to happen.

Sophie has had no time for any type of personal life. She had a promising career, a small, chic apartment, and a great shoe collection. Now she has six year old Bella and Izzy, age three. The children’s grandmother is moving to an assisted living facility and their father is nowhere to be found. The only person to care for the children is Sophie...and she had promised Carrie.

The results of course are humorous and genuinely heartwarming. Sophie is terribly under-equipped to care for two grieving girls and some of her ways of coping are inventive to say the least.  

The cold, career woman who is suddenly thrown into motherhood is an oft used one in women’s  literature, but THE ACCIDENTAL MOTHER is set apart by good characters:  a little girl who will only wear her lilac fairy costume and definitely will not ride in a car, a too mature six year old who can be won through a mutual love of shoes, a very gay assistant, and a wealthy, handsome suitor who does not interest Sophie. Sophie’s growth as she learns to open to a world outside of her job is well done. There is humor in her inability even to feed two little girls, but from the beginning it is easy to see that she will make it all alright for the three of them. And if the ending left the reader hanging a bit, well, that was OK, too.

I have learned that there is a sequel to THE ACCIDENTAL MOTHER titled The Accidental Family. It is fairly obvious what the story line will be but it would be nice to see what happens to Sophie, Bella and Izzy.