Heavy Metal Monk... Rock on, man!

The power of music:

For Twin CIties Movie Lovers.

Sometimes you walk into a book store and just do a total impulse buy. I was recently at a Barnes and Noble and picked up Twin Cities Picture Show: A Century of Moviegoing. (BTW--the link is to amazon.com. I guess there is a bit of irony in that.) I love movies. I love seeing pictures of the old movie palaces. This book is for anyone who enjoys this too.

The twin cities has had many great theaters. Unfortunately many of them are gone. Every time I would walk by the Hamm Building in St. Paul or go inside to the Park Square Theatre, I feel a certain sense of regret that I never got to walk into the Paramount before it was gutted. I find that I'm not reading this book in a linear fashion, but rather picking and choosing through the pages. Finding the sections that talk about the wonderful Riverview that still has the best popcorn in town.

It all brings back memories of going to the Hollywood Theater in little California, PA where I first saw the trailer for Star Wars and saw my first R rated movie, The Godfather. The building is still there, but it hasn't been used as a theater since before I left for college. It is really a pity considering that California, PA is home of California University of Pennsylvania (I'm not making this up) and has a ready audience of customers who would love to have a movie theater or 2 in town. Sigh.

Yes you can...

At the end of Rutter's The Reluctant Dragon, St. George tells the villagers that he can't kill the dragon. In the front row was a little boy who said "Yes, you can."

Dance Sophia

I posted a new composition to Aime Street: Dance Sophia. You may ask, "who is Sophia?" Sophia is a personification of God's Wisdom. This work was inspired by the Book of Wisdom in the Bible--specifically the passage that begins "Wisdom is glorious..."

Please give it a listen.

Atonement

We saw the movie Atonement last night. Wendy wanted to see "No country for Old Men", but now that I am an old man, I find it disconcerting that there is no country for me. sigh.

The movie started a bit slow for me, but I think part of the problem was that I was aware of some of the major plot points. So I sat there waiting for them to happen instead of just letting the story unfold.

Although all the performances were good, Vanessa Redgrave at the end of the movie stole the show. Also, score was excellent, especially in the way that the sound of the typewriter was incorporated into the underscoring.

Still, Sweeney Todd was better and deserved the Oscar nomination more than this one.

My music is on Aime Street

My music is now on Aime Street. It's a place for indie musicians to get their music out there. I uploaded "Corporate Dance". Here's a link directly to it:

Muisc for a faux Summer January Night

The temperature got above 30 today and I'm thinking of summer:

Summertime - Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong from YouTube.

It could be funny... really

BTW, here's why I had high hopes for the Veggie Tales movie. This is NOT from the movie. It's the silly song that inspired the movie. The song is nutty and funny. Something that the entire family can enjoy together.

My compositional workshop

I've started another blog for the music that I write. It is called the Compositional Workshop. I'm going to start putting the pieces I write out there along with discussions of the work. The first piece I'm working on is a re-write of a piece I wrote back in 1994. It is called Wisdom is Glorious.

Wendy in The Mikado

Wendy is going to be singing in The Mikado with the The Gilbert & Sullivan Very Light Opera Company starting in March 2007. The performances run 3/9/07 to 4/1/07. All performances will be at the Howard Conn Fine Arts Center, 1900 Nicollet Ave. S., Minneapolis. Click here for directions. Tickets will be $15 for adults and $8 for children. You can find more information on the show's website.

H2$: How To Succeed

Wendy is playing Miss Jones in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying at Bloomington Civic Theatre. This is a really fun show set in 1961. It follows the rise of a window washer as he becomes a vice president at World Wide Wickets (WWW!!! in 1961!!!). Of course, I am completely biased, but Wendy does a wonderful job as Miss Jones, the executive secretary to Mr. Biggley. She has a great solo in the song The Brotherhood of Man at the end of the show.

The show got a great review in the Star Tribune. The two leads (Joshua Larson as J. Pierrepont Finch and Jennifer Conway as Rosemary) make a great couple. Other standouts include Michael Fischetti as J. B. Biggley, Edward Williams, Jr as Bud Frump, Jodi Tripp as Smitty, and Allison Rupp as Hedy La Rue. But I honestly feel like I should list the entire cast here! They all give such a strong performance.

The actual material, while being quite fun, is dated. Wisely the director, John Command, does not try to update it. The story is of a mythical age of innocence that existed between the end of World War II and the Kennedy assassination. This is not a show by which to examine gender, race, or class politics without losing its charm. And charm is the reason for this show.

There is a certain "historically informed" performance practice at work here. Both John Command and the Assistant Director, Chrissy Fournier, were dancers in the original touring company of this show. Command, Fournier (as choreographer), as well as Musical Director Anita Ruth, were part of Chanhansen's production of this show--which was in turn its first production ever.

How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying is playing at the Bloomington Center for the Arts, 1800 W. Old Shakopee Rd., Bloomington. Tickets are $19-$25. Call 952-563-8575 or visit www.bloomingtoncivictheatre.org. Performance dates are August 18th through September 10th. Call or check the website for specific dates and times.