Woman Around Town’s Editor Charlene Giannetti and writers for the website talk with the women and men making news in New York, Washington, D.C., and other cities around the world. Thanks to Ian Herman for his wonderful piano introduction.
Aurora Lane (Jennifer Lawrence) is a writer after a great story. More than 5,000 people will ride the Avalon Starship into deep space where they will take up residence on a colony planet called Homestead II. There’s a hitch. Because that trip will take120 years, the passengers will avoid aging by hibernating in pods. Aurora has signed on for the journey so she can write a book about her adventure. After she reaches Homestead II, she plans to return to earth, ostensibly to have her book published. Talk about a long-range publishing plan!
Aurora’s strategy may not make much sense (who can imagine how much earth will have changed in 240 years? Books? What are they?), but Lawrence can somehow make even that zany premise intriguing. Of course, the best laid plans…One of the pods malfunctions, and Jim Preston (Chris Pratt), wakes up ahead of schedule. His only companion is the bartender, a charming droid named Arthur played by Michael Sheen. (Sheen has recently announced that he will put his acting on hold to focus on political activism. Hopefully, he won’t be gone for too long because his performance here is delightful.)
The Avalon is a luxurious vessel, similar to one of those huge cruise ships. Besides a large comfortable cabin, Preston is able to enjoy the gym, a swimming pool with an awe-inspiring view of space, a wide range of electronic games and entertainment, dining facilities, and, of course, the bar maintained by Arthur. But nothing can replace human companionship. Like Adam, Preston needs an Eve. Having come upon the pod occupied by Aurora (in a wink-wink, to the fairy tale, Aurora was the name of Sleeping Beauty), he wrestles with whether he should wake her up.
He spends some time debating the issue with Arthur, but doesn’t need much push to make up his mind. An engineer (his trip was paid for by the Homestead people because the planet needs settlers with technical skills), he quickly figures out how to program Aurora’s pod so that she will wake up. She’s devastated to learn that she won’t reach Homestead and, like Preston, will spend the rest of her life on the ship getting old.
Trying to make the best of a bad situation, the two spend their days enjoying what the ship has to offer – playing basketball in the gym, watching films, swimming, even donning space suits and enjoying a gravity-free walk among the stars. Nights are spent enjoying cocktails at Arthur’s bar and then dining in the cavernous restaurant. Aurora believes that her pod malfunctioned like Preston’s did. Now that she’s fallen for him, will the truth doom the relationship? If so, it will be a long, long trip.
A second pod does malfunction, one carrying a crew member, Gus Mancuso, played by Laurence Fishburne. His arrival is well-timed since mechanical problems threaten to destroy the ship. What exactly has gone wrong is hard to discern, but the special effects are impressive. Aurora and Jim must work together to save themselves and everyone else on board.
Jon Spaihts, whose credits include Dr. Strange and Prometheus, first wrote the script for Passengers in 2007. The trade press described the film as being in “development hell,” for years with Keanu Reeves and Emily Blunt lined up to star at one point. Morten Tyldum, nominated for an Oscar for The Imitation Game, signed on to direct the film in 2015.
The film falls into the sci-fi category, but Tyldum reportedly wanted the film to be character-driven. Having two very popular and likable young stars playing the leads is a plus. There’s a story behind that casting. Lawrence, who learned she was paid less than her male co-stars in the Oscar-nominated American Hustle, has been outspoken about pay inequality in Hollywood. When approached to star in Passengers, she held firm. As a result, Pratt was paid $12 million for the film, while Lawrence was paid $20 million.
Photos by Jamie Trueblood courtesy of Columbia Pictures
Some mystery writers have trouble maintaining a series. After a few books, the plots seem repetitive, the characters stale, and the writing a bit dull. Michael Connelly is not one of those writers. Every book he turns out continues the story of Harry Bosch or, in some cases, Harry’s half brother, Mickey Haller. In The Wrong Side of Goodbye, Harry takes center stage with Mickey once again playing a supporting role.
After settling his suit for wrongful termination against the Los Angeles Police Department, Bosch is working part-time for the San Fernando Police Department. While some might see that as a demotion, the arrangement suits Bosch. Although he’s not paid, Bosch is financially secure, thanks to the lawsuit settlement money. Working for a police department, albeit a smaller one, allows him to use his skills and keep his hand in. The schedule also gives him time to visit his daughter, Maddie, now in college, and to take on other jobs.
John Creighton, formerly of the L.A.P.D. who now works for Trident Security, presents Bosch with a new private case. Whitney Vance, 85, owner of Advance Engineering, never married and has no heirs – that he knows about. But when he was a young man, he was in love with a Mexican woman and she became pregnant. Vance wanted to marry her, but his father wouldn’t allow it. The woman disappeared and after all these years, Vance wants Bosch to find the woman and possibly his son or daughter. Because there’s so much at stake, namely a board of directors that stands to profit if no heir is found, Bosch is sworn to secrecy, not even allowed to share information with Creighton
Meanwhile, Bosch and his sometime partner, Bella Lourdes, continue to work on a serial rapist case, the assailant dubbed the Screen Cutter, because that’s how he gains access to the women’s apartments. The thorn in Bosch’s side is Capt. Trevino, who isn’t pleased about the latest addition to his squad. Because he isn’t allowed to work on his private cases while at the police department, Bosch has to be careful about what he accesses from the office computers, particularly when Trevino is around.
Bosch must multi-task to keep moving ahead on both fronts. As he gets closer to locating an heir, the stakes get higher. And when a critical mistake is made in the Screen Cutter case, one of Bosch’s colleagues is placed in danger.
Some mysteries are plot driven, others character driven. Connelly manages to construct intricate plots while also creating believable characters that evolve with every outing.
Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone are not Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. They’re not John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. But their marvelous performances in La La Land will remind you of those famous teams as they bring to the screen something magical. The singing and dancing are terrific, but it’s La La Land’s love story that carries the film.
Stone’s Mia is an aspiring actress who spends her days as a barista on the Warner Brothers lot, handing out lattés to the stars. Gosling’s Sebastian is a jazz musician who dreams of opening his own place, but pays the rent as a restaurant pianist. Their situations are sure to resonate with millennials, many of whom are underemployed in hum-drum jobs while continuing to pursue their dreams. In that respect, the film delivers a positive message – hold onto those aspirations.
The film gets off to an exuberant start with an opening that channels Grease. Stuck in a traffic jam on the freeway, motorists exit their cars onto the highway and dance (really dance, with flips, twirls, jumps and other acrobatic feats) while belting out a tribute to L.A., “Another Day of Sun.” Damien Chazelle, the film’s director, writer, and choreographer, shoots this dance number, and others throughout the film, in one long take, something we haven’t seen since the days of Astaire and Gene Kelly. Without taking breaks, the pressure is on the actors; Gosling and Stone rise to the occasion. Besides the dancing, Gosling’s skills on the piano (these segments are also shot without a break), are impressive. (Gosling learned to play jazz piano in a short space of time, much to the amazement of co-star John Legend.)
When those cars finally get moving, Sebastian honks at Mia and gets an obscene gesture in return. The second meeting is just as bad, but we know that sooner or later these two are destined to become a couple. Getting there is half the fun, with several dance numbers that are totally enjoyable while also advancing the story line.
Mia ditches dinner with her boyfriend, an arrogant corporate type, to join Sebastian at the theater. Together they watch Rebel with a Cause, one of several nods to classic Hollywood. The attraction between Mia and Sebastian builds slowly, lending a sweetness to their courtship, especially in their duet, “City of Stars.”
On the career side, we witness the frustrations for both Mia and Sebastian as the cards seem to be stacked against them. During one audition, Mia delivers a heartfelt performance, her eyes welling up, while the casting director takes calls and then quickly dismisses her. Sebastian is fired from his restaurant gig for playing jazz rather than traditional Christmas music. (The boss is played by J.K. Simmons, who won an Academy Award for his performance in Whiplash, also directed by Chazelle.)
Opportunities soon arrive, although not the ones Mia and Sebastian were expecting. Keith (Legend) taps Sebastian for his band. Despite Keith’s success, his choice of music, along with the band’s hectic touring schedule, creates a dilemma for Sebastian. Mia accuses him of selling out, abandoning his dream to settle for a well-paying job. She’s determined to pursue hers, renting out a theater to put on her one-woman play. Failing to fill the seats, she’s on the hook for the rental with nothing to show for her efforts – or so she thinks.
Stone’s expressive face is a joy to watch, particularly in one of the last scenes when she sings her way through an audition with “The Fools Who Dream.” She doesn’t have Barbra Streisand’s voice, but the emotion she shows in that performance reminded me of “My Man,” the final song in Funny Girl. It was a goose-bump movie moment. Gosling, too, is an irresistible presence on screen. He can, of course, act, as we’ve seen in so many of his past films. But watching him morph into a musical star is thrilling.
Will La La Land be an anomaly for Hollywood? Or will we see more original musicals? We can only hope.
Photo credit: Dale Robinette courtesy of Lionsgate
After viewing Rogue One, a prequel to George Lucas’ original trilogy, you might find yourself wanting to binge watch the first three films. Rogue One fills in the blanks, specifically how the Rebel Alliance learned about the Empire’s Death Star. Without giving anything away, we know that Han Solo, Princess Leia, and Luke Skywalker, eventually help to destroy that weapon of mass destruction. Now we learn the backstory, namely the identity of the scientist who helped to create the Death Star and how the Rebel Alliance exploited the design flaw that left the device vulnerable to destruction.
Diego Luna, Felicity Jones, K-250 (voiced by Alan Tudyk)
There’s a world of difference, however, between the first three films and Rogue One. While all are rated PG-13, younger children may find Rogue One’s action too violent and intense and both the heroes and villains a little scary. (The director, Gareth Edwards directed Godzilla.) There are no Muppet-like aliens that once populated the venues visited by Han Solo and his crew. While the new characters in Rogue One are engaging, it remains a challenge to top the original cast, particularly because after last December’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens, they remain fresh in our minds.
Mads Mikkelsen
Felicity Jones, last seen running around Italy with Tom Hanks in Inferno, is Rogue One’s female lead. Her Jyn Erso is every bit as brave and smart as The Force Awaken’s Rey, played by Daisy Ridley. Jyn’s story serves as the film’s centerpiece. As a child, she watches while her mother is killed and her scientist father, Galen (Mads Mikkelsen), is taken away by an Imperial force led by Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn). The Empire needs Galen to finish the Death Star. The young Jyn flees to a pre-arranged hiding place where she is rescued by Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker).
While Jyn has a vague memory of her father being captured, rumor has it that he has gone over to the dark side. But when she’s shown a hologram of her father speaking to her, she learns that he is being coerced into working for the Empire. He’s managed to program into the Death Star a weakness that can be exploited. The organized Rebel Alliance, led by Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly) and Bail Organa (Jimmy Smits) doubts Jyn’s story. (Blink and you’ll miss Smits appearance, it’s so brief.) However, a rag-tag group of fighters enlists to help Jyn find her father.
Donnie Yen
Jyn’s new crew is certainly diverse. We have the leader, Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), a very tall droid, K-250 (voiced by Alan Tudyk he gets all of the film’s best lines), a blind swordsman (Donnie Yen), a warrior (Jiang Wen), and Riz Ahmed, as a pilot who defected to help the Rebellion. Once the organized Rebellion realizes Jyn’s group has a chance to succeed, the much-needed air support arrives. The battle scenes are exciting, although the demise of some characters may be upsetting to younger viewers.
Darth Vader, once again voiced by James Earl Jones, makes an appearance towards the end in a scene that sets the stage for what is to come next. While Jones’ voice delivered the expected jolt, it was nowhere near as shocking as the appearance on screen of Peter Cushing, who died in 1994, and was resurrected courtesy of CGI as the Imperial leader Grand Moff Tarkin. (There was an audible gasp from the preview audience at my screening.)
While the Lucas prequels failed to catch fire with fans, Rogue One should live up to expectations. Connecting it so closely to the trilogy works in its favor. And the musical score, from Michael Giacchino, includes enough of John Williams’ original themes that audiences will certainly tap into memories of all those galaxies that came before.
For those who remember Jacqueline Kennedy as First Lady, Natalie Portman’s performance in Pablo Larraín’s Jackie, will be mesmerizing. During that famous White House tour, recreated for the film in black and white, Portman nails Jackie’s breathy voice and her straight-back posture. That was the Jackie we watched and knew. What the film shows is the Jackie we didn’t see – the one who chain-smoked, who descended into grief as she mourned her husband, and who fought to preserve his legacy, as well as her own.
This is Chilean director Larraín’s first English-speaking film and he has delivered a riveting portrait of a complex woman. The supporting cast is strong, featuring Peter Sarsgaard as Bobby Kennedy, Greta Gerwig, as Jackie’s loyal aide Nancy Tuckerman, John Carroll Lynch as Lyndon B. Johnson, Max Casella as Jack Valenti, and as JFK, Caspar Phillipson, who bears a striking resemblance to the late president.
Natalie Portman and Billy Crudup
When the film opens, it’s a mere week after the assassination and Jackie has retreated to Hyannis Port, the Kennedy compound on Cape Cod. She’s agreed to an interview with a reporter played by Billy Crudup. (The reporter, while unnamed, is Theodore H. White, author of The Making of a President series, including one about Kennedy, whose interview with Jackie appeared in Life magazine.) Jackie is determined to control the narrative. Several times after sharing her intimate thoughts, she tells the reporter, “Don’t think for a second that I’m going to let you publish that.”
America, in fact, the world, had never seen a First Lady like Jackie. Besides restoring and redecorating the White House, she showcased the arts and fashion. In one scene, Jackie, elegantly dressed in a mint green sheath, along with the president and honored guests, listens to an intimate concert by the Spanish cellist Pablo Cassals. She influenced style with her colorful dresses and pillbox hats.
Peter Sarsgaard and Natalie Portman
No outfit, however, is more embedded in people’s minds than the Chanel-like bright pink suit she wore that fateful day in Dallas. In the film, Jackie is in front of a mirror on Air Force One, practicing a speech she plans to give in Spanish. Stepping off the plane, she’s greeted by Texas Governor John Connally (Craig Sechler) and his wife, Nellie (Rebecca Compton). Soon after, there’s the motorcade, the shots, and the Secret Service agents descending on the limousine, while the car rushes the gravely injured president to the hospital.
On the plane, Jackie resists efforts to change her suit, staying in the blood-stained garments. When she finally is back at the White House, the scene where she undresses, pulling off her ruined stockings, then showering the blood out of her hair, is painful to watch. But it’s when she enters the bedroom that the full impact of the president’s death hits. She’s alone faced with the overwhelming tasks that confront her, explaining Jack’s death to their children, arranging the funeral, and moving out of the White House.
The Funeral Procession
Barbara Leaming, in her 2014 biography, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis: The Untold Story, claimed that Jackie suffered from post traumatic stress after witnessing the death of her husband. Publicly, she appeared to be holding everything together during that time. What Larraín purports to show in the film is what she suffered behind the scene, crying, drinking, popping pills, as she wanders through the many rooms in the White House. In one scene, she tries on dress after dress, looking at herself in the mirror, then tossing them aside. All the while, we hear Richard Burton singing the title song to the Lerner and Loewe Broadway musical, Camelot. That was what Jackie wanted people to remember about their time in the White House that “once there was a spot, for one brief shining moment that was known as Camelot.”
She may have been grieving, but she was determined that her husband have the proper funeral and burial. While Johnson’s people, particularly his special assistant, Valenti, argued that it wasn’t safe to have Jackie, Johnson, and world leaders walk behind Kennedy’s casket from the Capitol building to the church, she insisted. She also fought Rose Kennedy’s desire to have Jack buried in the family plot in Brookline, Massachusetts, instead picking out his final resting place, in Arlington National Cemetery.
Many actresses have played Jackie, but Portman’s portrayal is the one that will be remembered. She’s simply phenomenal.
What is it like to live in a silent – or near silent – world? At 8 p.m. on Thursday, December 15, individuals with hearing loss will share their experiences on the stage at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. The show, Silent NO MORE, features nine personal accounts told by a cast that ranges in age from 18 to 60 years-old. Created as a theatrical documentary, Silent NO MORE is an evening of storytelling comprised of witty, inspiring and raw stories that highlight the power of the human spirit. “People who have seen this show are moved to tears on so many levels,” says cast member, Kathy Buckley, a comedienne. “It allows people who have never met a person with hearing loss to have a better understanding of what it is like to live in the hearing world.”
Silent NO MORE grew out of work doneby Michelle Christie, a teacher for the deaf who is the founder and executive director of No Limits, which to date has produced more than 85 original shows in 13 states. Christie, who has a doctorate in education from UCLA, also has years of experience in the entertainment industry. “Michelle saw that many hearing impaired students who would audition for their school’s plays were not cast,” says Rebecca Alexander, an author who is also a member of Silent NO MORE’s cast. Christie designed an after-school theater program to help these students develop their communication skills, expand their vocabulary and grammar, and understand character development.
Rebecca Alexander
According to Alexander, each story in Silent NO MORE resonates. No Limits alum who share their stories include John Autry II, a professional actor who has guest-starred in TV series like Glee, No Ordinary Family, and Til Death; David Hawkins, a pilot; and, Henry Greenfield, who holds BA and MA degrees from Lehigh University and went on a 50-day biking journey from his home in New Jersey to Culver City to raise funds and awareness for No Limits.
Two of the most amazing stories come from Kathy Buckley and Rebecca Alexander. Kathy, who was diagnosed with hearing loss in the second grade, is a five-time American Comedy Award nominee. “I got into comedy on a dare,” she explains. “I was a massage therapist and found that laughter was my best medicine in healing. Three of my clients brought in this newspaper article for a comedy contest to help raise money for children with Cerebral Palsy. I wanted to help the children and, in return, I ended up with a career I never could have dreamed.”
Kathy’s stand up routines (many can be viewed on YouTube), manage to find humor in the challenges she has faced. “Once you laugh at tragedy, you can’t cry over it anymore,” she says. “To laugh with yourself is to find the friend you have been looking for all along.”
The obstacles Kathy has faced are formidable. After a serious accident, she faced years of rehabilitation and was told she would never walk again. “I figured I didn’t hear them, so I got up and left,” she says, with her characteristic humor. “Look, no one should tell another person what they can and cannot do. I admit I was scared, confused, and lost at that time in my life. I didn’t know if I was going to be OK. But I thought, `What better time for me to start living than when you already hit rock bottom?!’”
Kathy Buckley
She also battled cervical cancer. “The cancer was the scariest for me,” she says. “I can’t see it. I don’t feel it. I don’t know what it’s doing.” But she hopes other women will be proactive. “I would recommend asking questions and don’t leave until you’re satisfied with the answer. But more importantly, don’t give into the fear of the so called, `C’ word, as it no longer means the `D’ word. So fight the battle! You are already a winner when you know what you’re fighting.”
Kathy eschews labels, including describing herself as a survivor. “I believe in my faith in God,” she says. “My strength came from not wanting to disrespect the gift that was giving to me, LIFE! I am grateful for each breath I take. My strength is knowing that I am loved.”
Both Kathy and Rebecca bristle at being told they “suffer” from hearing loss. “I am not suffering with hearing loss; I live with hearing loss,” says Rebecca. “I believe that it is up to us and the media to stop using words like `suffer’ to describe people with disabilities.” She notes that words like “suffer,” “heartbreaking,” “desperate,” and “helpless,” used when describing people with disabilities, illicit pity and diminish a person’s worth by minimizing them to their disability. “I hope Silent NO MORE will encourage people to be aware of their biases and change the way they think and speak about people with hearing loss,” she adds.
Rebecca has a condition called Usher syndrome type III, which means that she is progressively losing both her vision and hearing. While a normally sighted person has 180 degrees of vision when looking straight ahead, she has about 10 degrees of her central most vision. “When I am communicating with someone in sign language, I often need them to take an extra step back so that I can see both of their hands when they sign,” she explains. “I have also learned tactile sign language which is the language of the deafblind. It is the most intimate and beautiful language to watch people converse in. Learning tactile sign has made me feel so much more connected to others and proud to be a part of the deafblind community.”
Rebecca is a psychotherapist with two master’s degrees from Columbia University. “Helping others is one of the few things that gives me the purest feeling of what it means to be alive, to be human, and to be vulnerable,” she says. “In order to help others, though, I’ve had to help myself, too. My own work in therapy has been the most difficult and meaningful work I have ever done. My experiences and my own self-reflection are reminders of how capable and resilient we are when we don’t allow fear to control and direct our lives.” She is the author of Not Fade Away – A Memoir of Senses Lost and Found.
Like Kathy, Rebecca had a serious accident and was told she would never walk properly. Yet today she teaches spin classes and does a lot of high intensity training (HIT) and functional fitness. “Although I will always live with the constant pain from the injuries I sustained, I am so grateful that I am still able to be physically active,” she says.
Both women are looking forward to the December 15 presentation of Silent NO MORE at Carnegie Hall. “I am in complete awe of every cast member on stage who has the courage to share their very personal life for the world to see,” says Kathy. “I am proud to be on stage with them all.”
Top photo credit: No Limits
Credit for Rebecca Alexander’s photo: Terry Leingang
Silent NO MORE Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall One night only – 8 p.m. Thursday, December 15, 2016 Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall 881 Seventh Avenue at 57th Street Click to purchase tickets.
In the late 1990s, Linda Tillman lived in Los Angeles, freelancing as a textile designer for several companies. She began collecting Mid-Century Modern Furniture, the types of chairs, sofas, and tables that once were seen on popular 1950s sitcoms like I Love Lucy and Leave It To Beaver. Back then, Linda was able to snap up such pieces for next to nothing at flea markets, not possible these days with prices for these collectibles skyrocketing. Linda, who now lives in North Carolina, has found a way to tap into the nostalgia for the 50s and 60s, with her colorful paintings that she sells on eBay and Etsy.
Linda’s paintings evoke a time and place that people, possibly many Baby Boomers, seem to find irresistible. In the postwar period, the economy was strong, and the dream of owning a home, a car, and a dog, was within reach of many Americans. Mid-Century architecture was ubiquitous in California, particularly in Palm Springs and San Francisco, as well as in many areas on the East Coast. The structures Linda features in her paintings have clean geometric lines, enhancing their simple, classic appeal.
Each home is transformed into a scenic paradise with the addition of a swimming pool, palm trees, patio furniture, and the occasional flamingo. There are no people in these paintings, just the perfect environment awaiting the arrival of the occupants. Several of Linda’s paintings include another mid-century phenomenon, the Airstream trailer, a convenient mode for travel and camping. She presents these mobile homes in vacation settings with mountains and lakes visible in the background.
What would 1950s nostalgia be without automobiles? Elvis would have been comfortable in the beauties she paints, boasting fins, chrome, and vivid paint jobs.
A dog owner herself, Linda manages to include man’s (and woman’s) best friend in most of her paintings. The breeds range from shepherds to Boston terriers and everything in between. Indoor scenes, with a TV set tuned to a favorite 50s show like The Twilight Zone, may find a cat or two curled up on a rug. Several of her paintings reflect the holiday season, with the addition of a wreath or Christmas tree.
Before she begins a painting, Linda does research, looking at actual homes which, she says, are still popular, particularly in California. Working in her home studio, Linda uses gouache paint on canvas to produce works that are, in inches, either 11 by 14, 12 by 12, or 8 by 10. She also photographs each painting to produce prints that she also sells.
While she doesn’t produce custom orders, she will take suggestions to include a specific breed of dog in one of her paintings. She now produces around 250 paintings a year, each taking her about a day to complete.
To see what Linda Tillman is releasing each week, check her Facebook page.
“We’ve gotta have a great show, with a million laughs… and color… and a lot of lights to make it sparkle! “ Patsy Barton, Babes in Arms
Remember those Hollywood musicals where Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland put on shows to raise money for a good cause? Allyson Currin pays tribute to those beloved films with Silver Belles, now playing at Signature Theatre in Arlington. Currin’s book for the production, with music and lyrics by Matt Conner and Stephen Gregory Smith, uses that launch-a-show premise to create a homespun, holiday treat.
Donna Migliaccio
In Silver Ridge, Tennessee, the Silver Belles, a group of close friends, led by the talented duo of Oralene and her husband, Earl, put on an annual musical to fund the local orphanage. This year, however, things will be different. Oralene has died and Earl has sunk into a deep depression. Will the children’s home be saved? Of course, thanks to a talented cast that ultimately comes together with a very enjoyable show that includes laughs, color, and lights.
Naomi Jacobson and Dan Manning
Oralene (Donna Migliaccio) doesn’t stay “dead” for long. As soon as the funeral is over, her spirit watches over her husband and friends. In the past, Earl (Dan Manning), wrote the music, Oralene, the lyrics. Without her inspiration, he can’t compose a note, let alone find the words.
Peggy Yates, Nova Y. Payton, Dan Manning, Donna Migliaccio, Ilona Pulaski, and Naomi Jacobson
Meanwhile, the women discover that they have to come up with seed money to stage the musical. Ruth Ann (Peggy Yates), wins $500 in a baking contest using the same cookie recipe that once helped her become Miss Catfish. Gloria (Nova Y. Payton), raises $89 selling kisses, while Berneice (Ilona Dulaski), donates her animals preserved through taxidermy for the pageant’s manger scene. Bo Jack (Naomi Jacobson) works for the local radio station and keeps the town updated, in entertaining fashion, on local events and on the musical’s progress.
Peggy Yates
Staged in Signature’s ARK, the production has an intimate feel. In the small space, the actors are not miked, allowing the audience to appreciate the cast’s strong voices. The set design is homey (James Kronzer), as are the costumes (Kathleen Gerard). Under the sure direction of Eric Schaeffer the small space is used well, particularly with regard to the choreography by Karma Camp. Silver Belles runs 80 minutes with new intermission, an enjoyable break from all that holiday shopping.
Photos by Christopher Mueller
Silver Belles Signature Theatre Arlington, VA Through December 24, 2016
