It began with Wonder Woman… and now the Dark Knight is going to undergo a costume change.  However, Batfans do not despair.  The change is nowhere near as dramatic as the Amazon Princesses.  I do not follow comic books closely enough to know that Bruce Wayne has “retired” in the current mythology and will be making a dramatic return in November.  I do recall the “Knightfall” saga in which he was beaten and paralyzed by the villain known as Bane.  Paralleling the Death and Return of Superman storyline, the millionaire (or is it billionaire) playboy was replaced by a new Batman until Wayne recuperated enough to reassume the cape and cowl.  AH… only in the comics!

The only MAJOR change (That I see) in the Caped Crusader’s appearance will be the return of the black bat on the yellow background emblem.  Not an Earth-shaking switch by any means.  Besides, I do believe that he does possess an array of different costumes for different purposes.

AH… the first week of a new adventure in acting!  A larger cast this time.  A more limited role… but an important role (which is what I wanted for the moment). The chance to develop a new accent.  ACCENT?!  And a chance to drive everyone crazy with a physical change… a change that will be remedied after the show.

I am playing the role of Barrymore, the caretaker of Baskerville Hall in a dramatic interpretation of the Sherlock Homes classic The Hound of the Baskervilles. Some fans have asked me why Holmes or Watson need a beard.  I am playing neither the detective nor his trusted friend.  John Barrymore and his wife, Eliza have been employed by Sir Charles for years and upon his death may know a bit more than they are willing to share.

This will be a great show with some great friends I have made amongst the Village Players (our director is a fellow tangenteer) over the last two years.  Two other WCCTers (one of whom is another tangenteer) have decided to come along for the ride! Hopefully, both js will enjoy the experience as much as I have in 4 previous shows.

October 15-17th.

Seems funny as of late that whenever my little berg is mentioned in the news it is not the most optimistic of moments.  We are still in the throes of cleaning up the remains of the town hall which was devastated by a “microburst” a little more than a month ago.  Today, another quick storm passed through and wrecked more havoc.  Around 11.30 at the construction site for the new K-6 grade addition to our high school, an 18 year-old worker lost his life when a section of unfinished wall collapsed and crushed him.

Living about a block away from the site, we heard police, fire, and EMS sirens blaring and thought “here we go again.”  Voices imploring… “Get those candles lit!” “Get the flashlights out!”  Phooey… it is daylight out.  My dad went down the street to get the grandkids (age 15 and 9) from the trailer and informed us what the sirens were all about.

Of course, talk at work revolved around the tragedy.  News crews from Toledo and Ft. Wayne as well as representatives from OSHA all converged on our little community.

Link to news video and story

Strange that the crew reportedly knew that something was brewing but continued to work on.

May the young man’s family find solace in Him from this day’s horrific events.

BOOOOO!  No break, please.  But I suppose my vocal coach and her family is entitled to some fun over the summer.  I can take this time to scour my books and find more and More and MORE! music to work on… no worries, I won’t kill myself just get some more songs that appeal to me.  Kathrine has offered to make some copies of Conductor pieces, but I still cannot find a copy of “Thuy’s Death/You Will Not Touch Him” a powerful, dramatic duet from Miss Saigon.

I have already copied some music from a few Lloyd Webber shows, some of my favorite Alan Menken/Howard Ashman Disney character pieces, and a few more duets.  I have had a few people state an interest in singing a duet with me so I’m doing my best to find some.  I have a serious one to work on with another tangenteer… wherever she is.  YOOHOO!  Plus, I am still continuing my preparation for Hound of the Baskervilles.  Why does it seem to me that most guys grow a beard in the winter?  I’m one of the few who grow one in the summer in the 90+ degree, humid weather… ah, well such is the life of a performer.  You would have thought my time Fiddling on that Roof 8 years ago would have made me leary of growing another beard, but Oh, No… not me… whatever the role calls for, I will do!  Even before the audition 😉

Ooook… so two weeks off. 🙁 Still thinking a weekend gig would be fun with some friends joining me.  Come on tangenteers!

Yes, my first byline appeared in today’s local newspaper.  VERY exciting and fun how it came about.  Last Thursday, I received an email asking if I would like to go an review the local production of OKLAHOMA!.  The extremely talented regular reviewer of theatrical productions was unavailable for press night.  The fact that he is also the president of the board for the non-profit theatre group also might have played a role.  So, I quickly replied and was really excited about the opportunity.

Just prior to the beginning of my voice lesson, I hear my cell phone ring (and no it is no longer what I was informed was the theme to “Sex and the City…”  never seen either the tv show… or the movie).  I quickly got the details… time was the most important thing, the rest I pretty much figured out on my own.

A small town community theatre needs positive feedback from the media.  These are not paid professionals performing here.  As I have said before, the show is not one of my favorites for many reasons… chief among them is the length.  However, I am pleased to say that Fountain City Festival’s performance was top notch.  It was very easy to mention all of the principal actors and a few of the veterans who have been involved in the eleven shows the group has produced (two of which I have been in).

The production team decided to remain totally faithful to Rodgers and Hammerstein’s original.  So faithful that only 8 measures of the score were dropped.  Everything gelled nicely; the acting, singing, orchestra, set, costuming, and choreography were all superb.  Where most groups may drop such moments as the Dream Ballet for the benefit of time or the lack of decent dancers, the sequence was included and it was extraordinary.  In fact, all of the big dance numbers were high energy and very engaging.  All of the performers on stage (from Curly all the way to the cameo performers)  remarkably brought their roles to life.  The director also was involved on stage… very fun.  He surely had a lot of help from his production team.  I have also worked with the vocal director and pit conductor in the past.

While there was a lot of good to put in the review, it was hard to put into a coherent article.  Who wants to read a review containing the same adjectives over and over.  I had to put in a bit of the history… which was easy for the show which kicked off the modern musical… as well as enough of the plot to engage anyone who might not know the show.  Plus be kind to everyone involved.  Finally… shortly after 1AM Friday morning (about the same amount of time it took for the entire show), I forwarded a copy.  It only took a three editions of the paper to see the light of day.  It could have stood a bit of editing to reflect the show dates.  I just hope no one tries to attend a performance tonight.

So…. anyone in the area who wants to see a great performance of the most classic of modern musicals… check out the remaining shows this weekend.  Just forget how dated the material is.  I do think there is an audience for these light-hearted shows.  And as the banner on the website says: Professional Quality Theatre in Northwest Ohio.  And another piece to add to my resume!  Right up there with a little television performance.

Most people who know me well are well aware of my punctuality (sometimes my EXTREME punctuality).  Thursday afternoons, I generally arrive at my voice lesson about 10 minutes early while my coach is finishing up with a student.  I usually am greeted by a five year old Ohio State fan.  Yesterday, he was engaged in a game of chess on a computer and he actually knew what he was doing!  He might not be a whiz but he knew how to move the pieces around the board.  When the computer came within moves of victory, the little guy would restart and choose an new board color scheme… pretty cool dude!

As far as the lessons are going, they continue to be very challenging, fun, and rewarding.  Kathrine promised that she would search out a recorded accompaniment for the duet we have been working on even if she had to hire someone to record it.  I now have three pieces that are coming along.  One ballad is audition/performance ready.  The one character piece/duet I have been working on is going much better than last week after I listened to a recording and figured out the path the music was taking.  Will be a fun piece to perfect and perform.  Developing an accent for the piece is fun!

I would now like to find some more character solo pieces.  I have a ballad, a character ensemble piece, and a duet.  I know my myriad of books will have scads of selections I am looking for.  I have a few weeks to find one or two.

Just before my lesson began, I received an expected phone call informing me of my very exciting job for the evening.  I will elaborate further in my next post when the fruits of my labor are revealed.  But I was told that it was very good… except for one major detail that needed to be corrected.

It has been years since I have been to Kings Island (I was in junior high the last time I went).  It has changed so much in the many seasons that I remembered only a handful of the attractions and the overall feel has changed A LOT which is a GREAT THING!  I loved every minute of it!  Maybe because the four of us were V.I.P.s for the day which allowed us to not wait in lines, unlimited drinks throughout the park, a lunch buffet, a photo taken while on a coaster, and $25 in Beagle Bucks.

I’m not certain that a large number of people know about the V.I.P tour because it seems as if most of the employees were even stymied.  Thank goodness for Chase, our 9 hour tour guide who was a blast to have lead us around.  One of our group soon became ill and had to sit out a bit from the big thrill rides so Chase so kindly stepped in and rode with me for a while.  Who says work can’t be fun?

With the exception of one, all of the rides were amazing!  So amazing that it was a toss up between the 31 year old wooden BEAST (which we rode at least 4 times IN THE FRONT and once in the middle… YUCK!) and the newer metal, smooth flying Diamondback that were my favorites.  Also high up there were the Firehawk and Invertigo.  I must say that I was pleased that I only caused one ride to stop.  Unfortunately, it was Firehawk and C, L, Chase, and I were in our car, flat on our backs, staring up at the sky, inches from the station at the end of the ride.  The Drop Tower, while confining and almost caused C and I to feel the need to bail out, was great, too.

The last time I was at the park, the Kiddie Land was devoted to the characters of Hanna-Barbera:  The Smurfs, the Flintstones, Scooby-Doo, and the like.  Scoobs is still there in the form of an interactive 3D ride in which you shoot monsters and compete with your ride partner.  Justj beat  me by 30 points.  Most of the fun for the little ones (like its sister park, Cedar Point) is now devoted to Peanuts characters.

What’s a good amusement park on a hot, humid day without a good, soaking water ride?  Hand down the best one Kings Island has to offer is White Water Canyon.  Funny, but I do not remember the cannons that onlookers can fire at the rafts along the way.  One of the female operators along the way got me on purpose and yelled that she liked my Superman tshirt.  THANKS!  Another curious thing…. Chase informed us that we were one of the few V.I.P. groups to even want to ride water attractions.  We rode White Water Canyon 4 times.  Two times in a row each time.

Another old favorite was the Racer.  It used to have one blue train and one red train that raced each other along the track.  One train used to go backward but eventually went forward.  Must not be as popular as it once was because only one train was running.  While on the Racer, I forgot to take my Superman hat off my head… Bye, Bye Man of Steel.

Another highlight was the behind the scenes tour of the Beast given by Don… who holds the record for most rides on the Racer and also named the Diamondback coaster.

After releasing our exCELLENT guide… THANK YOU CHASE! we wanted to stay until the park closed to ride the Beast at dark but Mother Nature had other ideas.  Shortly after Chase left us at 7, it began to rain so it was off to use our Snoopy Bucks.  I replaced my Superman cap with a Kings Island one and bought a Snoopy tshirt “I Can Do That.”

We also took in a great show “Way Too Much TV” which showcased the themes from favorite tv shows of the 50s-90s.  Even the lyrics to the themes of Bewitched and I Love Lucy were sung.  I got to play theme song trivia before the show began and got a Way Too Much TV button as a prize!

On the way home, I was given the opportunity to eat at a White Castle for the first time ever.  It was really not as bad as I have heard some people say (I don’t know where those family members would know from because there are none in our immediate area).  And I didn’t notice any of the lingering effects of the Sliders as I made my way home at 12.30AM.

Thank you Chase!  Had A GREAT DAY!  And thanks to C & L for another great time!  I am way too spoiled with all this no line theme park fun!

Monday morning, three of my fellow tangenteers and I piled into my Sunfire and headed South for two days of fun!  Nice to be driven in my own car for a change.  I didn’t even mind sitting in the back, strangely enough. Plus, it saved C&L from driving their gas munching min van.  We were all set, car packed, ready to pull out, when suddenly and without warning someone shouted out “WHERE’S the KEYS!”  I had given them to C who soon realized that he had locked them in the trunk.  Not to worry, I crawled in the back, pulled the cord that released the back rest and found the keys.

Traveling down I75, we stopped at a McDonalds which had what was called their “Fun Place”  (zone, or whatever).  It had an assortment of interactive, touch screen games all but one of which seemed to be working.

We arrived at the Cincinnati Zoo, which is larger than her sister zoo in Toledo and it really showed.  Even I was worn out after our tour led by taylhis.  I love going to zoos especially with someone who appreciates every type of animal imaginable and researches them giving us insight into them.  I have to say that my favorite animal were the manatees CC Baby and Turner, they were fascinating to watch.

To beat the heat, we went to a 4D theatre experience through the Dark Continent.  Not only 3D but with the added thrill of sensory stimulation.  Seats moving, animals “breathing” down your neck, being “sprayed” and being poked by a rhino’s horn.  Now, I ask you, who would not have wanted to got to the Dora and Diego movie, instead?

Also part of the experience was the petting zoo.  Upon entering one of the pens, the attendant warned each of us not to pick up the “grapes” left by the animals.  Not part of the actual petting zoo was the lorikeet exhibit.  One of us decided to get close enough to pick one of the colorful birds up and was given a surprise.

After the exhausting, yet very fun tour, we found our accommodations for the evening.  Wouldn’t ya know, it was right next to an establishment called Rhino’s that I would not have minded checking out (JUST KIDDING!)  It’s a good thing that justj and I were not in the building closest to the club with the thumping music emanating from it.  We had our own noises to contend with.

After getting some sleep, we needed to be at our day two point of excitement fairly early the next morning.  But we were treated like Kings and a Queen.

Today was my third voice lesson (last week’s session was cancelled).  I can see that these weekly meetings are going to be very fun and extremely rewarding.  The first few moments are devoted to warming up the instrument.  Quite similar to an athlete stretching his muscles in order to prevent injury.  Went through two exercises which I am very accustomed to but the third was nothing short of a tongue-twister.  I asked my coach to write that one down.

I did a bit of sight-singing to begin.  I believe that I have mentioned my desire to one day have the chance to play M. Thenardier the sleazy innkeeper of Les Miserables.  I can see why I have not until today taken a look at “Master of the House.”  The music is quite the road map.  I will have to listen to the recording and figure out where it leads, but it will be quite fun when it is figured out.  Anyone who would like to take on the role of the equally sleazy Madame Thenardier… the song is a two person study in character hilarity.  Could even stand a small chorus of inn lodgers.

I then returned to “If I Can’t Love Her” from Beauty and the Beast.  I looked through the Miss Saigon selections for “Thuy’s Death” piece but it must not be included in the book.  I will have to continue listening to some of the Conductor’s pieces.  And go through my other books for some good character work.

All too quickly, the half-hour came to an end.  However, before leaving I learned that a five-year-old lad is a Buckeye fan much to the “delight” of his mother.  He is going to go to OSU when he gets bigger.  This delighted the fan of the Place Up North since she would have to pay out of state tuition.

Praise him or curse him, George Steinbrenner accomplished what he set out to do when he purchased the New York Yankees the year I was born.  His fiery, hands on approach helped lead the Bombers to 11 pennants and 7 World Championships during his tenure.  He holds the record for the most years as owner of a franchise.  Early this morning, The Boss succumbed to a massive heart attack.

Mr. Steinbrenner was, for better or worse, responsible for turning the team around after it was struggling under the ownership of CBS.  During his 37 year ownership, it has been well publicized about the revolving door of managers.  He changed 20 times in his first 23 years including the five time dismissings of Billy Martin.

Also memorable is the grooming policy for the team.  Hair length and facial hair were closely monitored.  Goose Gossage’s beard which turned into his trademark thick moustache; Don Mattingly’s mullet (which was lampooned on the classic Simpsons’ episode, “Homer at the Bat”).  When Johnny Damon was acquired from the Red Sox, I often wondered the price the outfielder was payed to clean up.

In 2006, George turned the day to day operations over to his son who seems to have inherited the same fire and approach.  So, it would appear that the Steinbrenner Empire will continue.