The Pitch Online

Grandma Marge

2011-04-13T11:03:00.001-05:00

I don't have any memories of my Dad's mom. I was very little when she died...which sucks because apparently we got on great and spent a good deal of time together when I was a baby. So when my Grandpa remarried in the 80's, "Grandma Marge" filled that gap in the family tree for me.

It was my first experience with a blended family. Marge brought with her several grown kids from her previous marriage and one crazy teenager - Uncle Ken quickly became a favorite. However, it was Marge who I remember cooking the holiday dinners and helping prepare the fish at the cabin. I knew she wasn't my "grandma" in the sense that she wasn't my Dad's mom, but she sufficiently played that role. I certainly didn't mind. I don't think she minded being included in the lives of all us grandkids.

We lost her last night. I know that her more immediate family will miss her dearly, but I hope she knew that she was plenty loved by those she married into a little bit later in life.

- Posted using BlogPress from Jubbs...which is what I call my iPad.

WI-FI!!!

2011-03-04T02:53:00.001-06:00

So I finally have some Wi-FI at the theater, so my iPad is not rendered useless on is trip. I'm hoping to have some more Joseph in Japan posts up very soon.

- Posted using BlogPress from Jubbs...which is what I call my iPad.

Location:Tokyo

Musings on a 12+ hour flight

2011-03-04T01:38:00.001-06:00

I have a dear friend named Dayna. She's a bit loud, brash and brutally honest in all the best possible ways. When we were in college, a group of us embarked on a school trip to Lincoln, Nebraska (oh, the glamour!) from Fargo, North Dakota (I know, those two cities in same sentence! How bourgeoisie!). On the drive, Dayna exclaimed that it was just unbelievable that we could possibly be in 5 states in the same day! This really blew her mind. Of course, we mocked and ridiculed her mercilessly that day. In fact, I still can't take a road trip of any kind without thinking back to that day (the mocking was just that good). Well Dayna, I sit here humbled as I enter the 12th hour of my trip to Japan. I honestly can't believe that I will start the day in Minnesota and end it on the other side of the world. Mind = blown.

It's almost enough to make up for the dull toothache that is this flight. Again I preface this by saying that I'm amazed that we as humans can fly and travel these great distances blah, blah, blah, and I shouldn't complain about my accommodations considering I'm listening to the main theme from Apollo 13 and those dudes didn't get to land for 9 days, but I feel like the 7 Train on my way to a Mets game. It's cramped, stuffy with just the hint of a fragrance that you can't place and you don't really want to. It really reminds me of those pictures of buses in India that are literally overflowing with people. If I get a chance, when I get Internet access I'll insert a picture here [ ].

Yeah I fooled myself into thinking that I was going to have Internet access on the plane and I'd be Facebooking while I follow the Oscars on Twitter. Oh the folly!

I did get to see the Rocky Mountains...so that was nice.

- Posted using BlogPress from Jubbs...which is what I call my iPad.

Location:Somewhere over the Pacific

Happy Tokyo fun time! Yay!

2011-02-26T11:29:00.001-06:00

OK! So here we go...

It Saturday the 26th of February and we leave for Japan in a little over 24 hours. This last week has been an absolute whirlwind of contracts, rehearsals, other paperwork, errands and sickness. Yep, idiot here caught himself a cold. I figured if I'm going to be stuck 35,000 feet up in a metal tube, I might as well be full-on miserable and be stuffed up and hacking too. Next step, watching Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps on the plane and my horror trip should be complete!

It's snowing out. Not badly, but enough to be a nuisance. Considering a bunch of my cast mates have last minute errands to run, it will cause an inconvenience. Me? I just have to pack...which probably will take a little while. Myrle won't be happy. He already knows something is up. Poor little guy.

Oh well...back to rehearsal. Canaan Days is up!

- Posted using BlogPress from Jubbs...which is what I call my iPad.

Location:Knox Ave N,Minneapolis,United States

I should hang up my boots...

2011-01-10T01:03:00.001-06:00

I'm not putting this down to brag. I just want this recorded so someday I remember this night.

Tonight, I scored the finest goal I will ever score.

I play in an over 35 indoor league as a way to get some exercise. We're not very good, mostly a hodgepodge of guys who were average players in their day but still really love to play. Mostly it's just nice to get a game in and work up a sweat in my old bones.

It was midway through the second half when I made a sprint down the left side. A well placed 30 yard driven pass hit me in stride. I took it down with the outside of my right foot and after one bounce drilled home the finish past the keeper from 6 yards out.

I know its silly, but I will never score a goal that nice again and I just want to remember it.

Thanks to Joseph...Dreamcoat for getting me in the kind of shape I needed to even make that run.

Seriously, if I hadn't paid my money for the full session of games, I would just hang up my boots now and call it a "career".

- Posted using BlogPress from Jubbs...which is what I call my iPad.

Tuesday...

2011-01-04T18:36:00.001-06:00

You know what's funny? Old guys like me playing soccer. That must be why they make us do it at 10 pm on a Tuesday.

- Posted using BlogPress from Jubbs...which is what I call my iPad.

Location:Knox Ave N,Minneapolis,United States

Corgi Flop

2010-08-17T09:53:00.000-05:00

This video makes me so unbelievably happy.

Crime...

2010-07-01T11:23:00.003-05:00

JB: It was a crime.
Me: The call sucked, but I don't know that you can call it a "crime." I mean, he shouldn't go to jail.
JB: He should go to jail...FIFA Jail!

On the Golden Girls Theme:

2010-05-18T10:33:00.001-05:00

If you threw a party
and invited everyone you knew
You would see the biggest gift would be from me
and the card attached…

and that’s where I want to stop. Shouldn’t the lyrics read:

If you threw a party
and invited everyone you knew
You would see that I’m so insecure about our friendship that I had to ensure that my gift was disproportionately larger than everyone else’s to show that I’m your best friend and claim you for my own – though I probably could’ve just peed on you
and the card attached would say…

That’s all. Oh well.

Grand Casino MN Commercial - Meet The Lindstroms

2010-05-07T10:05:00.000-05:00

Powderkeg! April - Golfing

2010-04-29T11:18:00.000-05:00

I Can't Unsee what I have Seen

2009-09-03T10:32:00.004-05:00

Sometimes I'm a glutton for punishment. Most of the time I'm not thinking that I'm about to witness something life changing. Sometimes I do (2 Girls/Cup - Don't ever look it up. Ever. Seriously. It's pronographic and disgusting. Just don't. Don't. I cannot stress this enough. Do. Not. Look. It. Up.). But mostly it just happens. Things come up in conversation and since I was raised to be intellectually curious, I'll pursue it.

So when I quoted Patton Oswalt's bit about having "courtesy fat" to hide an absorbed twin, and a friend told me of a story about a person thinking they had a cyst or a tumor only to discover it was the skeleton of an absorbed twin, away I went to the Google!

Foolishly I just did an image search for "absorbed twin." The pictures of conjoined twins and kids who've partially absorbed their twins were so disturbing I had to quit right there...except I didn't. Nope. I had to move on to page 2. Then 3. And so on. Why would I do that? There's no reason to subject your senses to such things. Fascinating? Yep, but is my life better for seeing to kids with their skulls fused together? Pretty sure I was doing fine. Now all I can think about are these physiological freaks of nature. I don't mean "freaks" in some derogatory term. I just mean it like it's a freak occurrence. A 1 in a zillion shot. If I think about the conjoined alien monsters on Sesame Street, that makes it better. Slightly.

Let me go back to the "kid with partially absorbed twin." This is what I wish I could unsee. I'll describe it a little so you don't need to look it up. Child, then extending from his stomach between his legs, are 2 more legs. And arms. Yep. Because he comes from a 3rd world country, there wasn't any opportunity to see this coming. The kid was just born. I don't want to make light of it (but I have to in order to continue my day), but it's like Ursula from The Little Mermaid. A little bit of an Octopus Kid. Weird stuff.

So now that I've ruined all of our days with that info...moving on.

Speaking of Patton Oswalt, his new CD "My Weakness is Strong" is brilliant. There's no comedian that's doing more complex, seriously funny stuff out there. If you like it when your body makes a laughing motion, get this disc now.

Also my dog is suffering from his fall allergies. His skin is itchy all the time. Luckily he hasn't chewed his fur off or caused himself to bleed, but I feel bad for the little buddy. I read that you can give dogs over the counter stuff like Benadryl. I better check with the vet first cause that just sounds like a bad idea. Scratchy scratchy scratchy.

One last thing: Andy Rooney has been doing some genius stuff on 60 minutes lately. I highly recommend checking out his monologue that starts "Sometimes I look at the things on my desk..." Where does he get this stuff?!

I'm off...

I Survived A Japanese Game Show!

2009-08-05T22:55:00.001-05:00

I can't believe America isn't watching this. JB and I don't do reality TV really, but we've been hooked on this since season 1, episode 1! I'm really going to miss it next summer.
Hiiiiiiii Majide!!!!

Susan Boyle

2009-04-19T13:04:00.003-05:00

So if you haven't seen it, follow this link to see Susan Boyle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

Now let's discuss:

Nope. Sorry. Don't get it. She’s traditionally “ugly” and surprised the “beautiful” people by being able to carry a tune. That’s the story. That’s all.

It’s a fine instrument, but it’s not spectacular. She’s mimicking what she’s heard on recordings (most notably a Sarah Brightman recording) and there’s absolutely no presence to her singing at all. In fact, if anything, she’s interesting because her lack of presence. It’s like her appearance makes her savant-like.

We all have a story. I grew up in a broken home and have to work several jobs just to pay the bills. And now: here’s my chance!! Slap a couple agog faces on some prick judges and you have a story.

I’m not being flippant either. I think she should milk this for all it’s worth – because that’s what passes for entertainment now. Paris Hilton and anyone from the Hills have taught us that you CAN indeed capture the attention of the civilized world by being a freak, phony, or hack.

I would love nothing more than to open phone lines on this. I’m sure I'm in the minority. Let’s not forget, she just went through to the second round. Let’s see if they have the balls to let her win it.

In other news:

Manchester United just lost in the FA Cup semi-final on Penalties to Everton. Total crap. United should have been awarded a penalty kick early in the second half for a blatant foul the referee let go. I’m absolutely gutted. I guess we’ll just have to win 4 trophies this year instead of 5.

Milk Bone Myrle!

2009-03-07T12:38:00.004-06:00

I was going through my old posts and realized I never put up the official Milk Bone packaging featuring our Myrle:

The breeder where got the little wonder has been nice enough to put up his accomplishments too! Thanks Lakeway Corgis! My letter to them is here.

Now, of course, most days he looks like this:

He's an arrogant diva, but he's OUR arrogant diva.

Yep. I'm back.

2009-03-02T19:49:00.006-06:00

Okay, so I'm going to try to make a more concerted effort to write on this thing. I do have a lot to say (as anyone who has had to be around me for more than 6 seconds can attest), I just haven't been motivated to come here and spew. I have this temp job right now where I spend all day staring at the computer screen deciphering data and it makes it tough to come home and want to do more. Then I heard 60 Minutes...

Before I get to that, I want to share that I wore a bow tie today. Not a clip-on one, oh no. An honest to gods flip-that-sucker-through-and-straighten-it-out bow tie. I've been dressing casual to work for the month of Feb. and for the first day back I said to my coworkers that I was going "class this shit up" - I believe was the bon mot I used. At first I wore it ironically, then as the day went on I enjoyed the reactions I received from complete strangers. As I passed them in the skyway (the indoor walkway connecting most of the buildings in downtown Minneapolis together for those not indoctrinated) the looks ranged from "there's a guy who has it together" to "there's a complete douche bag." All looks were honest, because you're never quite ready to see a guy in a bow tie sans formal occasion. I'm guessing most people I passed hadn't seen bow tie since they were at prom and even then I'm sure they shed them as soon as "Electric Slide" came on. It was an experience I plan to ruminate for quite some time.

All right, so back to 60 Minutes. Each epi is available via audio podcast, and I started downloading it so I could listen to my hero over and over: Sully Sullenberger (more on him in another post). Since my job allows me to iPod my day away, I break up the music with some news. That's when I heard the ramblings of a deranged mental patient. Maybe Andy Rooney was a great social commentator at some point in what is clearly almost too long a life, but now his meanderings are comically delicious. Take a gander:

Seriously? Was it open mike night at the CBS Chucklehut? I can imagine having these Seinfeldian musings on a summer day lounging in my hammock looking at the branches waving in the breeze. "You know, some months are better than others. Trees are good. Cookie in tummy make happy time." Here's the diff though: I WON'T SAY THEM OUT LOUD. I think the camera is just on 24/7 at House o'Rooney and every so often he'll wander in front of it's field of sight and capture these mutterings. I'm sure there are outtakes with him going on about the people he's killed and the groceries he's going to get with Lefty, his favorite sock. Don't we owe it to the infirmed to protect them from looking like idiots? Maybe CBS can put Sully on at the end of every show so he can smile and say, "That's right, I do kick ass."

The Great Schlep

2008-10-10T10:07:00.000-05:00

Palin

2008-09-14T23:12:00.002-05:00

Seriously people.

Palin/What's-his-name ticket

2008-09-14T23:06:00.001-05:00

2008-08-20T11:02:00.000-05:00

Brett Favre is Cher

2008-08-04T11:47:00.001-05:00

Where the hell is Matt?

2008-06-23T16:59:00.003-05:00

I can't possibly explain why I love this. It's something about the symmetry of Matt's silly jig and the locations or maybe it's just envy that he's traveled to so many cool places or maybe it's just the new age music, but I can't stop watching this video. Enjoy!

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

Vader + Thriller = Awesome!

2008-06-18T11:21:00.000-05:00

See more funny videos at CollegeHumor

Beauty and the Beast

2008-02-20T12:48:00.002-06:00

I just realized that Beauty and the Beast (at least how Disney re-tells it), is about the Stockholm Syndrome.

so as I was saying...

2008-02-18T16:07:00.005-06:00

So this is what a blog is actually for, huh? Okay... I'm game. Let's try putting something original on here...

So when we last spoke, it was April...of 2007. Good Lord, I need a moment.

Almost an entire year of just posting pictures, movies, news articles and (largely) crap.

I must admit that the shock of this just really threw me to the point where I'm not sure what I was going to write about, thus abandoning this post before it began. Oh yeah...porn.

Porn is just a tangential aspect of this story, but I wanted a nice attention grabber. No, my friend Christopher over on Blog Harbor recently posted a story about Lady Millie of the Pidgeons (great story...if you're into funny stories about sweet old people - which, let's face it, me not so much), but it got me thinking about some of the stories that I have from my days living in New York City from 1998 to 2003.

This story is from week 1 of not actually even living in New York. It was pre-living. We were subletting an studio apartment on 10th Ave and 34th St. from a friend of a friend while we looked for a place. 30 days - as many apartments as we could cram in.

The trade paper for actors is called Backstage and it comes out late Wednesday night or Thursday morning depending on your news stand. I could not have been more excited for Thursday morning to come and pick up my first issue. I had it in my head that would be step one in feeling like a real New York actor. Then it would feel real.

I bundled up (it was January) and made my way toward midtown and stopped at a news stand near Times Square where I saw stacks of the previous weeks issues days earlier. Scanning the stand I was unable to find Backstage. Time, Post, Newsday, Villiage Voice, Irish Times, People, Newsweek, every other publication known to exist...but not Backstage.

"Do you have Backstage?" I asked the kindly looking Asian man working behind the glass.

"Porn?" He responded.

"What?"

"Porn?" He said, this time gesturing to the cornucopia of smut occupying the back wall.

"No. Backstage."

He smiled. "Ohhhh." He started to nod. "Porn," as if it were a understood statement.

"Sorry. Backstage. It's a newspaper for actors? For theater?"

We looked into each others eyes. I tried to convey telepathically with him so that, while we didn't understand each other, we were connected by our desire for the proper transaction.

"Porn?"

I sighed and said, "Fine, I'll take some porn," and walked away head bowed with the latest issue of "Funky Butts."

Okay, I didn't take the porn. I walked away mostly flabbergasted. But the "taking of the porn" ending is much better I think.

Style over truth! Ha Ha!

Vader is Coming to America

2008-02-12T08:32:00.001-06:00

Damn this is good...

Article in North News

2008-01-29T14:55:00.000-06:00

The local neighborhood paper for North Minneapolis was kind enough to do a piece on me a few weeks back. This was right after Sound of Music closed so I was in a place of both "satisfied actor" and "scared-sh*tless-cause-I-don't-know-what-I'm-going-to-do-next." Kinda still there...
Oh well. Here's the piece. Gail Olson's the reporter and she couldn't have been nicer:

The Sound of Music topped off a great year
Posted 1/9/2008

Actor and North Side resident Joel Liestman, who recently appeared in the Ordway Center for Performing Arts production of The Sound of Music, said the year 2007 was very good to him. "My wife Jennifer and I were talking about it, and realized I’d been in five shows, including one at the Guthrie and one at the Ordway. When you grow up here, those are the two theaters everybody talks about. It’s going to be hard to top in 2008. I really hope I haven’t peaked," he joked.
Liestman, who lives in the Folwell neighborhood, said he grew up in Maple Grove and got the acting bug in high school, when he auditioned for a play to impress a girl. "It worked. We dated for a while, but it ended badly. By then, though, I had caught the acting bug." He studied theater and voice at (what was then) Moorhead State University, spent a few years as a "nomadic" actor and moved to New York, where he took voice lessons.

"I took whatever I could get, mostly theater, a lot of off-off Broadway, non-paying stuff, some television work, occasional extra movie work." In 2001, Jennifer was offered a job at the Guthrie as artistic administrative coordinator, and the couple moved back to the Twin Cities.

"I told her that was fine, I could be an unemployed actor anywhere. As much as I miss New York, it was the best decision I ever made."

He said he likes the house they live in ("it has good bones"), and his neighbors in Folwell. "The Twin Cities has a great theater community. The actors in this town are as good as they are anywhere and they’re good people, smart and kind. There are very few that aren’t doing their job at the highest level."

Liestman was an understudy in the Guthrie Theatre’s 1776 show this year and played the roles of Dr. Scott and Eddie in the Ordway’s Rocky Horror Show at the McKnight Theater from September through November. He played Admiral Von Schreiber, a Nazi, in The Sound of Music, although that wasn’t his only role in the play.

"At the beginning of the show I was a nun. They wanted to fill the stage with nuns, so the men kept their heads down and tried to look feminine. In the party scene at the end of Act 1, a bunch of us were dancers and party guests. Then in Act 2, I was a Nazi. If you’re a guy and you’re not Captain Von Trapp in the Sound of Music, you have a lot of down time. I also understudied the Captain; that’s what I did for tech week," Liestman said.

With 40 actors in the production, he added, backstage was hectic. "It was jam packed with people. Some of the cast had to change into new costumes in 15 to 18 seconds. There were multiple dressers running around."

The actor who played the Captain was soap opera star Matt Ashford, who played the character Jack Devereaux for many years on Days of Our Lives. "We don’t really look alike. He is very handsome and dashing. But we’re about the same size."

Liestman said there were two mishaps among the child actors; a girl named Casey broke her leg during the technical rehearsal, and the boy who played Frederick cut his hand with a large knife while he was at home, trying to cut up some candy. Casey was replaced on stage immediately. Liestman said, "You try not to stop during a tech rehearsal no matter what. They decided to use the opportunity to see how it would go to switch an actor out. She was in a lot of pain and left the stage. Her understudy stepped out in the middle of the party scene, and bingo, we had a new kid. After that, it meant the only one who couldn’t get hurt was the five-year old who played Gretel; there was no understudy for her." The boy who cut his hand had to stay out of the show for a few days while his understudy took over, because doctors had put a large "contraption" on his arm.

"After that, we all started being careful of ourselves," Liestman said. "People made sure Matt and I didn’t cross the street at the same time."

The Sound of Music closed Dec. 30 after an eight-week run that included 25 shows. "It was a short run, but they packed a ton of shows into that time. We did nine performances Christmas week from Wednesday through Sunday. We felt like we should just pitch tents and live at the Ordway. Between Rocky Horror and Sound of Music, I haven’t seen my wife at all."

He said he is a member of the Actors Equity union, which means a theater company has to pay him a specified amount of money. "Working at the Ordway financially is great. I’ll miss the paycheck," he added.

He will soon begin a reading of a new play at the History Theater for its "Raw Stages" series. "I’ve been so lucky the last four months, being able to pay my bills just off acting work. I haven’t had to have a day job. In New York, I worked in a law office; I’m good with computers and I’m a fast typist. That was my survival job. The thing about theater is that you get to do a bunch of different things. In fact, the thing about theater is that you have to do a bunch of different things to get by."

Published in the printed version of the NorthNews on January 9, 2008.

Male Nuns

2007-12-24T11:54:00.001-06:00

The Sound of Music...

The Sound of Music

2007-12-14T11:25:00.000-06:00

Rock me Diabeetus

2007-10-19T13:07:00.001-05:00

The Rocky Horror Show at the Ordway

2007-10-18T11:59:00.001-05:00

Happening right now at the Ordway! Contact me for tickets!

Chuck Norris and the Roundhouse Kick

2007-07-27T12:48:00.001-05:00

Fear the Greatest Bean Bag Tossing Team in the land!

I'm feeling yellow and 4 fingered

2007-07-26T08:08:00.000-05:00

Me via The Simpsons

Troops coming home

2007-07-10T14:49:00.001-05:00

Here's to hoping it's very soon...

Becks meets Reggie Bush

2007-07-09T12:01:00.001-05:00

Dramatic Chipmunk

2007-06-25T13:10:00.000-05:00

Cox ad campaign

2007-05-31T10:53:00.000-05:00

So I did a series of photoshoots for Cox Business Services a while back.

To my friends on the East coast, look for bill boards with my ugly mug on them - take a photo of them and send them to me!

Take a look at the internet campaign:

http://www.coxbusiness.com/switchffe/index.html

Then click here to see me take contol:

http://www.coxbusiness.com/springsmbiz/index.html?campaign=switchffe&mkt=ri3p

Illuminating Bolcom

2007-05-07T12:44:00.000-05:00

I'm throwing this up here just so I don't forget it was in the paper. It mentions the Rough Cuts I just did last week.

A fitting tribute
The William Bolcom festival put on by VocalEssence could prove to be the classical event of the year.

By Michael Anthony, Star Tribune

Last update: May 04, 2007 – 2:18 PM

For about 10 days this month, the Twin Cities felt buoyant and charged with life. There was new music everywhere you turned, and it was all by William Bolcom, one of this country's most interesting and valuable composers. Titled "Illuminating Bolcom," it was the biggest presentation of this 68-year-old composer's music that had ever been given -- anywhere. As Bolcom, who was present for the entire event, said in an interview, "Usually, they wait till you're dead to put on this kind of thing."
This was, of course, the work of VocalEssence and its leader, Philip Brunelle, who hatched the idea some years ago of putting on Bolcom's magnum opus, the William Blake songs, "Songs of Innocence and of Experience," and then cajoled other local arts organizations to put on Bolcom programs and to make it a real festival.

Thus, in addition to the two performances of the Blake songs that Brunelle led at Orchestra Hall, with their fascinating multimedia effects, there were evenings of chamber music, organ music, cabaret songs, band music, art songs, even Bolcom's rarely seen early theater piece, "Dynamite Tonite," in a lively concert reading courtesy of Ben Krywosz's Nautilus Music-Theater.

Bolcom's roly-poly figure was seen at every event. He looked gratified and, as the week wore on, a trifled dazed.

Walking on stage at the end of the Saturday-night performance of the Blake Songs, he walked down the long row of soloists, giving each one a kiss. He then turned to the audience, and the ovation was huge, the biggest of the night. Audiences do like his music.

Earlier in the week Bolcom and his wife, revered mezzo Joan Morris, presided at a master class at Minnesota Opera's studio, giving shrewd advice to a quartet of young singers who had prepared arias, mostly by Bolcom, for the occasion: Alison Bates, Hugo Vera, Andrea Coleman and Kyle Albertson.

In an aside, Bolcom named American songwriter Harry Warren as his stylistic guide in writing for voices, notably "I Only Have Eyes For You" as the inspiration for "New York Lights," his admired aria -- almost a hit tune -- from the opera "A View From the Bridge."The great pop songwriters," he said, "are the founders of the American way of setting English."

He has always favored actors who can sing rather than singers who can act, he said in brief remarks after the Monday-night performance of "Dynamite Tonite," the musical he wrote with the late Arnold Weinstein, his longtime collaborator, in 1963. Weinstein's book, set in a trench during a comic-opera war, drifts a bit, but Bolcom's witty score, with its tangos and Viennese waltzes, keeps the ship afloat. Randy Schmeling, Joel Liestman and J.P. Fitzgibbons were standouts in a fine cast.

A lasting memory: that ominous-looking worm inching up a tree branch and biting off the leaves in "A Sick Rose," one of the 46 Blake poems, a chillingly perfect image. This was the work of Wendall Harrington, who designed the video images that helped make the "Songs" so compelling.

It wasn't just a brilliant fusion of sound and sight -- apparently the most detailed use of the Blake engravings there has ever been in the 20 or so performances this work has had worldwide. There was more: Isn't this the direction that concert performance is going to have to go in the 21st century, toward multimedia of some kind?

John Edwards, president of the American Symphony Orchestra League, put forth that idea in a speech at the Composer Institute at Orchestra Hall last December. "We can't ignore that this has become a visual culture," he said.

(Interesting that one of the design ideas for the expansion of Orchestra Hall announced last week is a big video screen, to be used for some concerts.)

To the credit of VocalEssence, "Illuminating Bolcom" was very smoothly run and well organized, although Brunelle ran into one patch of bad luck: On April 22, the power went out at Minnehaha Academy just as an orchestra rehearsal was about to begin, and the rehearsal was cancelled. Fortunately, Brunelle had scheduled more than enough rehearsals for the Blake songs, and the orchestra sounded fine during the performance on the 28th.

A guess: "Illuminating Bolcom" will seem like the event of the year when December rolls around, at least in terms of music. In the days when it was the Plymouth Music Series, VocalEssence put on similar events exploring the music of contemporary composers Rodion Shchedrin and Einojuhani Rautavaara. These, too, were illuminating. Meanwhile, our two major orchestras were putting on their usual heavy doses of Mozart and Beethoven and calling that a festival and wondering where their audience went. "Illuminating Bolcom" didn't seem to lack for an audience.

Michael Anthony • 612-673-4445 • manthony@startribune.com

© 2007 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.

2007-05-04T11:44:00.001-05:00

Becks

2007-04-27T10:28:00.000-05:00

Why is Becks trying to be more like me?

Now he's dying his hair to look like mine...

Wilbur's

2007-04-06T09:49:00.000-05:00

My goodness...

I just had a breakfast sandwich that is making me question the world...

I have always held McDonald's Sausage Egg McMuffin as the gold standard, the bar, the be-all-end-all of breakfasty goodness.

All that has changed.

This morning I went to Wilbur's. It's this little place in the St. Paul skyway food court that serves soup and sandwiches and for $.60 you can get a Schwan's English Toffee Ice Cream bar. In the morning...

...hold on...I need a moment...

...In the morning, they serve breakfast food with coffee for 2 bucks. This morning, our man (who we will just call "Wilbur" since he's the only person I've ever seen there) made my friend Chad and me a sandwich he called "the Smother." Wilbur took a large English Muffin, covered it with egg and sausage and pepper jack cheese.

Then came the gravy.

He opened the sandwich up and ladled in some Sausage Country Gravy to create a breakfast that can only be described as "love in sandwich form."

It was off all of the following: the hook, the chain, and the whack.

What?

2007-04-05T10:07:00.000-05:00

I know I haven't posted forever...and now that I am I probably shouldn't be political, but this is easily my favorite quote from the President.

From Tuesday's Press Conference in the Rose Garden...

Dick in a Box LIVE - CollegeHumor video

2007-02-08T10:36:00.000-06:00

Dick in a Box LIVE - CollegeHumor video

Do I really need to say anything more than above?

C'mon people! It's Dick in a Box LIVE!

Be on the look out...

2007-02-07T16:29:00.000-06:00

As I mentioned in a post below...

This:

is soon going to be this:

Be on the look out!!!

Last Chances for Carousel

2007-02-02T10:47:00.000-06:00

Good Friday everyone!

I've been really crummy about getting the word out about my latest show: CAROUSEL. The good news is we still have 2 weekends left. The even better news is Wednesday, February 7th is a Pay-What-You-Can performance. See the show for $1 or $100, whatever you can spare. No matter what you pay, I guarantee you'll get your money's worth. Tickets are going fast. Hurry and call the Southern box office at 612-340-1725 and reserve your tickets today.

The Southern Theater presents

Nautilus Music-Theater:

Rodgers and Hammerstein's

CAROUSEL

Starring Bradley Greenwald and Jennifer Baldwin Peden

January 18 through February 4 (EXTENDED THROUGH FEBRUARY 11)

Call 612-340-1725

Following up last year's smash hit production of MAN OF LA MANCHA, Nautilus Music-Theater turns its attention to CAROUSEL, Rodgers and Hammerstein's poetic and lyrical masterpiece about the redemptive power of love and forgiveness.Combining classic bright-eyed Americana with dark and troubling characters of depth, CAROUSEL offers a score that has never been surpassed for melodic invention. Critics have called it “beautiful, bountiful, beguiling... the product of taste, imagination and skill” and “as close to perfection as musical theater gets.” CAROUSEL is considered an innovative musical theater classic that earned five Tony awards, a New York Drama Critics Circle Award and Time Magazine's “Best Musical of the Century.”

The production features two of the Twin Cities’ most popular singer-actors: Jennifer Baldwin Peden and Bradley Greenwald (who was recently selected as “Artist of the Year” by City Pages). They are joined by Jill Anna Ponasik as Julie’s best friend Carrie, and Joel Liestman as her husband Enoch Snow, along with JP Fitzgibbons, Molly Sue Macdonald, George Muellner, Susan Hofflander, and a full cast of other Nautilus singer-actors, including Angelyn Eve Faust, Bryan Godbout, Kendra Heithoff, Michael Jurenek, Stephen Schroeder, Colleen Somerville, Molly Stoltz, Claire Westby, Max Wojtanowicz, and Eddie Oroyan (another City Pages “Artist of the Year”)

Audience favorites Brian Sostek and Megan McClellan (featured in MAN OF LA MANCHA) return as principal dancers and co-choreographers. Nautilus’ artistic director Ben Krywosz will stage the work, which will feature music direction by Jerry Rubino, scenic design by Eric Paulson, and costume design by Deb Murphy. Lighting will be designed by the Southern’s artistic director Jeff Bartlett, who says “We’re excited to present a production that pulls together so many of the Twin Cities premiere performers in a music-theater work of substance."

Krywosz agrees, saying “CAROUSEL is unique exploration of our need for community, tempered by the challenges of addictive love and domestic abuse. Of course, we'll be re-imagining the show in much the same way we produced MAN OF LA MANCHA - with spectacular performances that sweep away the cliches of traditional musicals, aspiring to an emotional clarity that guarantees that audiences will never think of this classic American musical in the same way again.”\n\nLast year’s production of MAN OF LA MANCHA made the “Best of 2006” list at both the StarTribune and the Pioneer Press. Nautilus’ production of I AM ANNE FRANK won an Ivey Award this past September, as did Greenwald.

CAROUSEL plays for only twenty performances: January 18, 19, 20, 24, 25, 26, 27, 29, 31, February 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, and 10 (all at 8:00 pm) with Sunday matinees at 2:00 on January 21, 28, and February 4, 11.

Tickets range from $35 to $45, with a discounts for students, seniors, and Southern Theater members. Call the Southern Theater Box Office at 612-340-1725, or visit the website at www.southerntheater.org

2007 - The Year of Myrle...again...

2007-01-23T18:23:00.000-06:00

I know, I know - EVERY year is about Myrle. 2007 looks like it will be no diff. Let's start with the current news and work back.

Fans of the Cities 97 Morning Show with BT and Lee (97.1 FM) will be hearing me from time to time speaking with BT about Purina ONE dog food. After months of Myrle not being excited about his food and only eating sporadically, an opportunity to try the Purina ONE 30 Day challenge may be just the trick. BT called me up last Monday and just said "improvise with me" and now we're doing daily spots about his dog Norton and of course, the superstar himself.

It's been a snowball effect because a few weeks ago, Myrle booked his first print advertisement. He'll be on the bag of a Milk Bone Chewy Chicken Drumstix. I don't have a proof of it yet, but you better believe that as soon as I see it, it'll be here. I was nervous going in because I didn't know what Myrle would show up. Would it be the Myrle that is attentive, listens and is eager to please for a treat? Would it be the Myrle that looks at you with disdain - mocking your every command with a swish of his furry butt? Luckily it was the former. He had so much fun. They had pro trainers there to handle him and get his expressions just right (which was fascinating to watch). The photographers and the clients seemed very happy with the shots they got and continuously marvel at the freakish length of his tongue. I, of course, was so blase about it. I wasn't a proud papa at all. I certainly wasn't beaming and almost in tears at how he was performing. That wasn't me at all.

Wouldn't it be nice if I could sponge off Myrle's success and have him be my day job?

Speaking of which, I have a new day job. I started working at the St. Paul Pioneer Press last Monday. I'm doing pretty much what I was doing at the evil empire, but I have a feeling that this is going to be a much better environment.

I need to tell the whole story of the last days at the empire, but every time I try to start, I get the shakes and I vomit a little in my mouth, so...there ya go...

Seriously, no snow in December?

2006-12-15T08:14:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas everybody!

I'm finally back in a place where I can blog and update. However, I've not the time to do it right now.

But I have much to share: I have Clear Channel stories (that I can finally share), some acting stories, unemployment stories, Myrle stories, and bunches of other stuff.

Here's what I have time for today. After last night's episode of The Office, I, for whatever reason, had a Jim/Pam dream. I was sharing a hotel room for a business trip with Jim and when I came back from who knows where - let's say, the hotel bar - Jim and Pam were in bed together. I excused myself and took a blanket so I could sleep in my Dad's living room. Yes, the hotel room was attached to my Dad's living room. IT WAS A DREAM PEOPLE!

I don't normally have dreams with TV folk in it. Maybe I shouldn't have had that 2nd ice cream cone.

Later skaters...

This is kinda cool

2006-11-07T11:51:00.000-06:00

So I go to the History Theatre last Friday with our friend Adena to see a production of "Wellstone!" about the life of Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone (explanation for the benefit of my MANY national and international readers). If you're a tree-hugging liberal like me, Sen. Wellstone was a great man. If you're not, Sen. Wellstone was a great man who held to his convictions and was a thorn in the side of Republicans and, often, the Democrats.

Anyway, enough about him. This is about ME.

So I walk up to the front of the theater and it's been redecorated with a collage of images from previous productions. Over on the left side of the entrance is this picture from "A Servants' Christmas"

The glare of the lights covers it a bit, but, indeed, that's my giant head - more accurately, my giant sideburns.

In what has been an otherwise crappy month, this was a nice treat. Thanks to Ron Peluso and everyone at the History for letting me be a part of the theater.

Thank you, Iowa!

2006-10-03T09:34:00.000-05:00

From Orange City, Iowa. Can't make it up...

Shameless plug...

2006-09-05T15:04:00.000-05:00

The Playwrights’ Center

2301 Franklin Avenue EastMinneapolis, MN 55406-1099
Map to Playwright's Center
Phone: 612/332-7481Fax: 612/332-6037
Visit their website @: http://www.pwcenter.org/

Sept 8 - 23, 2006

SHOW TIMES:

THURSDAY, FRIDAY, AND SATURDAYS @ 8:00PM

SUNDAYS @ 7:00PM

TICKETS - $15

FOR RESERVATIONS, PLEASE CALL (612) 227-1822

Holy Crap! An actual post!

2006-09-01T09:14:00.000-05:00

Don't get me wrong there's a lot I've been wanting to say, but I just have not been able to dedicate the time.

Things like:

I'm a fascist. Even though the people I tend to agree with have never said we should just up and leave.

I wish I could talk about "monitoring the message." It's nice to see this fiscally conservative/responsible government with their priorities squarely in check. Better this than getting a few kids some sandwiches.

I'm fascinated with this upcoming film "Death of a President." No I'm not saying Bush should be assassinated. I'm just interested this idea of a movie told in documentary style recounting fictional events. Basically, I just love documentaries.

I have a show coming up. It's called "Gangster No. 1" and it's pretty cool. It's British. It's violent. It's funny. I say dirty words in a funny accent.

Libby, I owe you a couple emails. I'll get to them soon, I promise.

Everyone else, you just need to realize that I'm a bad friend and should not be expected to actually follow up on anything. Feel free to admonish me. Bring it on!

:-)

So I'm going to go with this for today. There's more stuff, but my brain is pretty full and A.D.D. is setting in...

2006-08-23T10:09:00.000-05:00

The Nexus of Politics and Terror

As Keith says, take it only as a possibility...but these are certainly curious

2006-08-21T16:02:00.000-05:00

99'FA Cup semi-final Man Utd vs Arsenal

I don't mean to live in the past, but this is just so fantastic!

Brush with Fame...

2006-07-27T08:38:00.000-05:00

I've met several celebs since coming to work for the Evil Empire. However, this morning was extra cool.

I met Nelly Furtado. She was on her way in for an interview at one of the radio stations here accompanied by an old friend of mine named Mellie. As soon as I saw my friend, I exclaimed, "Mellie!" and went to give her a big hug. Of course, Ms. Furtado thought I said, "Nelly" and was prepared to be accosted by a fan. After talking to my friend for a while, Ms. Furtado stepped up and said, "Hi, I'm Nelly." "Nice to meet you. I'm Joel. I also work at the radio station." "Oh, that's cool." Then we chatted all the way up in the elevator. She is a total sweetheart.

Just thought I'd share.

Seriously? Spinners?

2006-07-26T11:36:00.000-05:00

I forgot to post yesterday that I saw a Minivan with Spinners on the rear wheels only.

First off, don't put fancy rims on until you can afford to put them on the whole automobile.

Secondly, SPINNERS? ON A MINIVAN?

That dude should be banned from driving.

2006-07-25T09:23:00.000-05:00

Stop The Planet Of The Apes. I Want To Get Off!

A bunch of us were just talking about this clip and I just wanted to share...

Biblical Plague

2006-06-20T09:04:00.000-05:00

As my friend Taher stands in front of my desk explaining away the biblical plagues, I thought I'd take a quiz to figure out which plague am I:

Burly Burly Burly

2006-05-24T16:08:00.000-05:00

I know it drove the 6 people who actually read this nuts when I kept posting stuff about shows I was in. My current project (and the reason for my lack of posting lately) is a show called "I am Anne Frank." I play Peter Van Pels, the teenage boy in the annex with Anne. I know, when you think of me, you think "Jewish." There's a whole long story why I'm in this show that is too boring to go into.

I said on the first day of rehearsal that some reviewer somewhere was going to acknowledge that I look more like a Nazi than a Jew. Sure enough the StarTribune did not let me down.

Here's the last line of the review:

Joel Liestman makes a sympathetic Peter, even though, with his blond hair and
burly build, he looks more like one of the enemy occupiers than one of their
victims.

Can't make it up. That's good stuff.

Fit modeling

2006-04-11T22:33:00.000-05:00

Occasionally I do fit modeling for Gander Mountain. Fit modeling is essentially being a living mannequin. I put on clothes so the designers can see what they look like and move on an actual human. I help out by saying, "These cuffs are tight. The zipper's on the wrong way. These pants are cutting me a bit in the crotch."

If you don't know Gander Mountain, they're a hunting and fishing outdoors store - great for boots, guns, fishing lures, guns, durable clothes and guns. They're very nice people and it's a good chunk of extra cash. If you were to go to Gander Mountain right now and look at anything in a size Large in the Men's section, it would fit based on my body type. Creepy huh?

So I tried on a coat from a company named Scent-Lok. After making fun of the name, I found out the idea is that it keeps your body odor from escaping your clothes, so whatever game you are hunting can't smell you. This is great for those early morning, beer soaked hunting trips where you didn't have time to wash the puke out of your hair from last night's game of solitaire quarters and you had to get to your prime spot. Spending $200 on a jacket makes so much more sense than hopping into a tub for 5 minutes.

Also, aren't we maybe giving the animals too much credit? I know they're wily creatures with generations of experience eluding their captors, but the human does have the advantage of hurling a pointy object at them going 1000 feet per second. You're not going to need to get that close. Somehow our ancestors and natives of this land made due with out "scent-holding technology - and they had much more riding on the hunt than today. If their stanky B.O. cost them a kill, there was a good chance they were going to die from a horrible winter. Now your stanky B.O. just means that you don't get to strap something to your truck and you haven't grasped the basic concepts of modern hygiene.

Unless you're talking hand-to-hand combat with the animal...then you should go ahead and invest in the jacket. If you're up in a tree and you're waiting for that deer or moose or even an ill-tempered squirrel to come by so you can jump on it and wrestle it into submission, then jacket away, I say. I think hand-to-hoof combat might be the way to go. It sort of evens out the odds a bit and, unless you have serious rage issues, there's no reason to kill the animal. It can be catch and release hunting: jump down, grapple with it...maybe punch it in the nose and let it run away. To me that would make a better story than just shooting it.

"Yeah, I spotted this buck across the field and I plugged it before it even knew I was there!"

"Yeah? Well I waited for 2 hours until I got close enough and then pounced on a young buck and put it in a head lock! I forearmed him, gave him a leg drop and then punched him right in the snout. He ran off as I taunted him mercilessly."

I'll buy that stinky guy a beer.

Thirsty

2006-04-04T12:55:00.000-05:00

Last night I took part in the final performance of this round of Thirst. Scroll down a bit to read more about my show. If you're truly that lazy, here it is: it was a bar fight. I get beat up by a guy (the incomparable David Anderson), then later in the night I beat the crap out of a girl (the equally incomparable Kate Eifrig). The fight is really incomparable.

Anyway, last night being the final night, the Mrs. came to see it. There really is nothing better than getting "beat up" while your wife laughs hysterically. Thank you, Ron Menzel for admonishing her. She deserved it. If I weren’t bound to her by law…

My mother was also there. Afterwards, she said at one point during the first fight (where I get beat up) that she wanted to stand up and yell, "Stop hurting my son!" in a kind of Parenthood-inspired defense. “What would you have done?” she asked. I said that I didn’t know, but I’m sure we would’ve come up with something. I guaranteed her that whatever we would’ve come up with would most certainly have centered on her. The expression on her face told me she felt she made the right decision to stay quiet.

It was certainly an incomparable evening of theater.

St. Patrick's Day

2006-03-17T23:49:00.000-06:00

I don’t have any good St. Patrick’s Day stories. I really wish I did. I mean, every time I think I’m going to go to some awesome St. Patty’s Day party where I’m just going to throw down and have memories for a lifetime, it always, without fail, turns into a big disappointment.

Like a few years back I went to a friend’s party and the stage was set for one of the all time great nights – ripe with possibilities for great stories. Sporting my emerald green polyester suit I found at a thrift store, I fit right in with what seemed like several hundred other partiers – or as the French say, “Partiérs.” Our host handed me a glass. As is the custom at a good party, you ask no questions, you just drink. Beer. Chunky style. “What the…” “It’s green beer!” “No, it’s beer with something in it!” “Well yeah. Peas.” She couldn’t find green beer anywhere and not wanting to let her guests down, she just did what she felt was the next best thing. Believing there was no way she could make the same mistake twice, the following year I was greeted with a plastic cup of beer with a sprig of broccoli bursting forth like some sort of edible umbrella with little bits of the head floating on top. I don’t know what upset me more: my gullibility to think things would be better that year or, when I suggested she try celery or a swizzle stick of green beans, the twinkle of a plan I saw in her eyes.

It would be nice to have one good story. How cool could my story have been when the 17th fell on a Sunday and Celtic were playing on TV at my favorite pub only to get pummeled when suggested that Celtic weren’t really St. Patrick’s team since they were Scottish? I escaped only when a Rangers fan came by wearing his "Kiss me, I'm Reformed Baptist Church of God, Reformation of 1915!" t-shirt.

Yep. It’d be nice just to have one good story.

Super Myrle!

2006-03-10T16:53:00.000-06:00

For Absolutely no reason, this is how I spent my afternoon...

Oddly enough, I haven't forgotten

2006-02-27T14:41:00.000-06:00

So here at the Empire (what I call my employer: ClearChannel Radio), the PA system rotates the 6 radio stations hourly. It's on quietly so you don't have to listen - and I rarely do. I'll put on my own music or talk or something.

Anyway, K102 - Today's Best Country is playing currently in the 2 o'clock hour. As I went to the restroom a song came on that is instantly my new favorite that illustrates so many things wrong with country music in general and our current culture. It's called "Have You Forgotten" by Darryl Worley. Apparently the song is from 1993, but I'd never heard it. I f*cking fantastic in its simple minded, knee-jerk, fake patriotism. I googled it when I got back to my desk and found this site that is something of a tribute to the song.

Holy crap that is funny. I don't need to tear the song apart, destroy it's misinformed notions - I mean, who cares? All I want to point out is that this musical genius rhymed "Bin Laden" with "forgotten."

Can't make it up.

And we're back...

2006-02-14T13:17:00.000-06:00

That's right dedicated reader, I'm finally back (I used the singular: "reader" not so much to address you individually, but more to reflect that I think I really only have 1 reader).

As my several numerous posts illustrate, I just finished up a wonderful production of "Man of La Mancha." It was a beautiful show with a incredibly talented cast. Every day I wondered, "What the hell am I doing here?" It was a life changing experience blah blah blah.

Bottom line: We told a great story, lots of people saw it, and a great time was had by all.

So now I'm back in the world of the "out of work" actor...sorta. I'm still at the Clear Channel empire. But more importantly, I'm doing this project called Thirst. At Joe's Garage, a great restaurant, on Monday nights people can pay $10 and have dinner and drinks and theater will break out a table right near them. It was started by some people help raise the profile of local playwrights and local members of Actor's Equity. It's a casual, fun evening of sometimes great, sometime mediocre, but always different theater.

The show that I'm doing is called "Sit Down" and that is half the dialogue of the piece. Basically the show is a bar fight. Actually it's 3 bar fights interspersed throughout the evening. First, David Anderson (fantastic talent and good guy) kicks my ass. Throws me all around the restaurant amongst the people. Doing a "fight" like this that close to people was really a trip. The audience got really into it, too. I can't imagine this gets seen too often around town. Then, after another show, Kate Eifrig (a woman so great she's worth a post all to herself) kicks David's ass. Here's the thing: it's the exact same fight. All the choreography is the same, just with a different intention. Again the audience really got into the whole 'girl power' vibe and cheered every kick and head slam. So then another show went. Finally, Kate was sitting at our table and I walked up the stairs and stood in front of her. The audience immediately went quiet. See, they were a very smart audience and figured out that if the first 2 fights were the same, the 3rd was going to be the same. Then they thought ahead to the positions of the fighters and realized Kate was now doing the other fight choreography. At that point, everything became very quiet. There was a clear "Are they seriously going to do that?" feeling to the room. Sure enough I started to kick Kate's ass. Her whimpers were devastatingly helpless. Jaws dropped around around me. I milked a few moments to just look at the audience members in the eyes as if to say, "You are so pathetic. You're LETTING ME beat up this woman!" When we finished you could hear a pin drop.

Then they started to cheer.

It was one of those honest, real theater moments where the audience and performers were so in synch that everything became heightened.

I really hope we can catch lightning in a bottle for the next performances.

Good times.

From Matthew Everett, writer

2006-02-06T12:13:00.000-06:00

Review - Man of La Mancha - 5 Stars
Feb 05, 2006

Three words: Thrilling. Moving. Astonishing.
Thank goodness Nautilus Music-Theater extended the original, very popular
run of their production “Man of La Mancha” or I’d never have gotten the chance
to see it for myself.No disrespect to the Super Bowl, but record the football
game, and come see this show live instead. There is no recording theater, and
after this Sunday, this wonderful show is gone. Since it’s sold out Friday and
Saturday, Sunday is your last chance, and I urge you to take it.
And here’s the thing: I’m not that fond of musical theater.
I have friends who are, to put it mildly, obsessed with musicals. Their
encyclopedic knowledge of the form, even the most obscure scripts and songs,
never ceases to amaze me. I just don’t get it. I’ve even collaborated on and
written a couple of musicals and still, they escape me.People just gobble them
up. I’ve been fortunate to see and hear some great ones, and I’ve also witnessed
some truly dreadful ones.This is one of the great ones.
I’m starting to think that maybe Nautilus should be one of the only groups
allowed to do musicals, because they get them so very, very right.
This production, of an often fairly complex work, is done so simply, you
can’t deny it. The Nautilus company gets out of the way and just lets the music
and the story reach the audience in the most direct way possible.There aren’t a
whole lot of things I’d urge my friends to shell out between $30 and $40 to see,
but this would most certainly be one of them. (Sunday prices fall right in the
middle at $35).
Nautilus’ “Man of La Mancha” was the kind of production that’s so good it
makes me feel a bit dumb for not having done my homework. I wanted to rush home
and read up on the life of Cervantes and pull “Don Quixote” down off the shelf
and actually read it this time. (Though, I hasten to add, neither is necessary
to understand or enjoy the show. I’m just easily obsessed sometimes.)
“Man of La Mancha” is a story of layers - reality and fantasy, sanity and
insanity, the world as it is and the world as it might be - and each layer
interacts with the others to create a very rich and compelling world on
stage.
Each member of the cast plays two, if not three, characters in the same
body. Bradley Greenwald, with a voice that could fill a stadium, plays the
writer Cervantes, thrown in jail, who performs the tale of Alonso Quijana, a man
who slips his tether and imagines himself to be a knight Don Quixote, and sets
off to slay evil and make the world a better place. Like everyone in this
ensemble of nearly twenty actors, Greenwald glides back and forth between these
various roles with enormous ease, one might even say grace. It is both hilarious
and heartbreaking, and you never know from moment to moment which way he’s going
to get you.
The most telling example of this is the signature tune about The Quest (“to
dream the impossible dream...”). We’ve all been subjected to our share of
overwrought renditions of this song - over-the-top sentimentality murdering the
song’s very basic good intentions. So, the first time I heard it coming in this
production, my reaction was “Oh boy, here we go.” I was bracing myself to just
get through it, and then, in Greenwald’s hands, I found myself actually
compelled to really listen to the song, as if for the first time. It’s an
example of what performers that regularly work with Nautilus do best - they
approach the song with respect, and present the song, rather than try to
overwhelm the song which, with their considerable talents, they could easily do.
By presenting music theater in this pure manner, every emotion, all the impact,
is earned. Rather than being forced on the audience, the music and the audience
are allowed to meet each other halfway. The interplay is more genuine, and
effective. By the end of that song, I was surprised to find he actually had me
crying, which is the last thing I thought I’d be doing.
As Cervantes performs for his fellow prisoners, he is aided by his
assistant, who in their story plays the role of Quijana’s neighbor, who in turn
is playing the part of Quixote’s loyal sidekick Sancho Panza. All three are in
the person of Brian Sostek, equal parts slapstick comedian and graceful dancer.
He is also co-choreographer for the production with fellow cast member Megan
McClellan. When asked why he goes along with his crazy neighbor’s delusions, he
replies simply and sweetly in song, “I Like Him.” Sostek is often the glue that
holds the tale together and keeps it moving. He keeps you believing in his crazy
friend, even though you know he’s clearly off his rocker. Just like Sancho,
Sostek gets you rooting for Quixote, Quijana, and Cervantes all to win, even
though the odds are stacked very much against them, and any sane person should
quit.
Also drafted into service of the story is a female prisoner (Ann Michels),
taking on the role of kitchen wench Aldonza, who the delirious Quixote takes to
be his fair lady Dulcinea. Watching as Michels is slowly seduced by the madman’s
chaste courtship, believing for a few precious minutes that life might actually
get better for her, is heartbreaking in its longing. When her hopes are dashed
by the reality around her, and she attacks Quixote, unraveling his fragile
psyche as only she can, Michels’ fury is frightening, but also completely
understandable. This is a woman who can fend for herself, often literally
fighting men off several at a time. Her anger at both Quixote and herself for
believing in something beyond her reach is powerful stuff. And if you haven’t
heard Ann Michels sing, you’re missing one of the best voices on stage in the
Twin Cities right now. Beautiful, strong, capable of truly amazing things.
In fact, the whole ensemble is stacked with memorable performers. I could
go on for pages more. Most significant are:JP Fitzgibbons, who plays Cervantes’
harshest critic in prison, as well as Quijana/Quixote’s main nemesis in both
reality and fantasy - an imposing presence with an equally imposing voice, the
only one who could bring this man down, on all levels.
Thomas Larson as a prisoner who takes on the role of Padre Perez, a priest
trying to act as intermediary between Quijana and the destructive “good
intentions” of his family. Though not the most powerful voice on stage, he has
some lovely moments in both song and dialogue that help keep the multifaceted
story grounded and easy to follow.
There’s also local storyteller/comic poet Ari Hoptman as prisoner and
traveling barber who runs afoul of Quixote; the both luminous and wacky Jill
Anna Ponasik, bringing her lilting voice to the role of a prisoner playing
Quijana’s self-absorbed niece; comic gem Nancy Marvy as a prisoner who also gets
to play Quijana’s “a little too interested in her boss” housekeeper; George
Muellner and Mary Keepers as prisoners who also play the a long-suffering
innkeeper and his wife, and so very many more.
In fact, they are all so good, I’m giving you their names so you can be on
the lookout in the future - large role or small, they served them up with great
gusto... David Andrew Anderson, Joseph Botten, Clayton Jensen, Joel Liestman,
Megan McClellan, Doug Scholz-Carlson (also fight choreographer of quite a bit of
rousing action in this play), Eric Sharp, and Woody Woodward.
The talented musicians are Jerry Rubino on piano (also the Music Director
for this great cast of singers), David Wilhelm on guitar and Marc Anderson
providing percussion.
All of this, of course, overseen by Nautilus’ main man, director Ben
Krywosz, who makes Nautilus such a year-round beacon for the best singers,
musicians, composers and librettists. If you miss this production, which would
be a shame, there’s many other chances to catch Nautilus in action, from their
monthly Rough Cuts new music series, to the Composer-Librettists’ forum, to
their presence in the Minnesota Fringe Festival (if the Fringe lottery gods are
kind again this year.) This is a company with a unique vision, doing important,
unusual, fresh and entertaining work. If they’re not on your theatergoing radar,
they should be.
So, as a guy who isn’t really that into musicals, and realizes that those
who love theater the most can often afford it the least, I say: Here is a
musical that is worth your time. Here is a production and a company that is
worth your support. In fact, the ticket price being, as it is, a fraction of
what a lot of the larger houses charge for musicals, if you care to make an
additional donation to Nautilus to continue their good work, that, too, is money
well spent.
Again, three words: Thrilling. Moving. Astonishing.
Two more: See it.
Nautilus Music-Theater’s production of “Man of La Mancha” is at the end of
its extended run. Tonight’s performance (Saturday 2/4 is pretty much sold out)
but Sunday, 2/5 still has room for you. Fill it up.Performances are at the
Southern Theater - 1420 Washington Avenue South in Minneapolis. All shows at
8:00 p.m. - Tickets: Saturdays $40; Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays $35; $5
discount for students, seniors & members - For tickets call Box Office -
612-340-1725 or visit www.southerntheater.org

City Pages Spotllight

2006-02-02T09:15:00.000-06:00

Spotlight: Man of La Mancha
by Quinton Skinner

It has been firmly established, through centuries of history and as documented
by the arts in all their forms, that the world is a crazy place. Cervantes
presaged modernity by writing the story of a Spanish landowner who responded to
the unpleasantness of reality by going firmly, resolutely nuts--and who tried to
recruit others to his cause. The novel has met with some measure of lasting
success, as has the 1965 musical that used it as its source. This Nautilus
Music-Theater production provides an excellent and knowing take. When the action
gets underway, Cervantes (Bradley Greenwald) is thrown into prison and
immediately set upon by his gnarly cellmates; he then stages an impromptu show
of the Quixote to save his bacon. Greenwald, in fine voice, launches himself
into the title role with a warped vigor that anchors the show. Soon enough
Quixote has met the lady to whom he will dedicate his knightly adventures:
Dulcinea (Ann Michels), also known as Aldonza, a self-described "kitchen slut
reeking of sweat" (come on now, no bragging). Abetting Quixote's illusory
exploits is, of course, Sancho Panza (Brian Sostek). Things are played
differently for those whose experience derives largely from the novel: For
instance Sostek is squeaky and abashed, rather than fat and cynical, as the
world's most famous sidekick, and largely sells it well. The cast and
three-piece musical accompaniment mesh (the tunes are pleasingly choppy and
rhythmic), and Erik Paulson's set design encompasses the theater's high ceiling
and broad stage. Ultimately, though, it comes down to Greenwald and Michels, and
they're terrific. Michels nails Aldonza's earthy cynicism, while Greenwald's
Quixote stares sweetly into oblivion whenever reality threatens to intrude. In
the powerful numbers ("The Impossible Dream," the title song), he twitches with
lunacy while intermittently tuning in to the charisma inherent in the
character's mad greatness. This isn't a feel-good story, after all--it is
precisely just after Aldonza embraces Quixote's vision that she is brutalized
and almost destroyed. And Quixote himself is of course done in, as are we all,
after his brief run of fun. Don Quixote, last hurrah. Last hurrah, Don Quixote.

www.citypages.com/databank/27/1313/article14087.asp
HOME: http://www.citypages.com/
City Pages is the Online News and Arts Weekly of the Twin Cities

From The Pulse

2006-01-30T13:15:00.000-06:00

Man of La Mancha
Southern Theater
This is my favorite musical of all time. How can you not love “The Impossible Dream,” “Dulcinea” and “I’m Only Thinking of Him”—songs that I find myself singing while waiting for water to boil or for the bus. The classic story finds our hero, Miguel de Cervantes, tax collector, soldier and author being thrown in prison by the Spanish Inquisition after foreclosing on a church that failed to pay its taxes. His fellow prisoners want to steal all of his possessions, and to fend them off he tells them a tale about the Man of La Mancha. Tickets for tonight’s performance are designated as “pay as you are able,” but be sure to arrive early or call first to check availability. The Nautilus Music Theater has extended its run of La Mancha at the Southern—it will run through Feb. 5, and tickets, if available, can be purchased one hour before show time. Through Feb. 5. 8 p.m. $25/$30/$40. 1420 Washington Ave. S., Mpls. 612-340-1725. SouthernTheater.org. REBECCA THURN

Minnesota Fringe Festival:

2006-01-25T08:51:00.000-06:00

Nautilus Music-Theater and The Southern Theater dare to dream the impossible: Man of La Mancha. Bradley Greenwald stars as Don Miguel de Cervantes, telling the story of Don Quixote, the visionary knight errant willing to "march into hell for a heavenly cause." The production will also feature Brian Sostek as Quixote's loyal sidekick Sancho Panza, and Ann Michels as his earthy inspiration Aldonza, also called Dulcinea, and a cast of 16.
Throuh Jan 30. All performances begin at 8pm. The Southern Theater, 1420 Washington Ave S Minneapolis. Tickets range from $30 to $40, with a $5 discount with Fringe button for opening weekend performances. Call the Southern Theater Box Office at 612-340-1725, or online for more information and a short video of Nautilus past productions.

Ben Franklin

2006-01-25T08:22:00.000-06:00

Blurb from Minnesota Public Radio

2006-01-24T14:27:00.000-06:00

The Southern Theater
Man of La Mancha
One of the most eagerly-anticipated theatrical events in the Twin Cities opens on January 19th, when Nautilus Music-Theater joins the Southern Theater to present Man of La Mancha, the acclaimed American Musical that won numerous Tony awards when it was first produced in 1965.January 19 - 301420 Washington Ave S, Minneapolis, 612-340-1725
Members receive a $5 discount on tickets. Use price code "MPR".

From The Twin Cities Performing Arts Directory

2006-01-24T14:26:00.000-06:00

Man of LaMancha by Dale Wasserman
In difficult times we yearn for heroes who can remind us of the grandeur of being human. Nautilus responds by presenting its first classic musical, featuring an all-star cast of fabulous performers guaranteed to thrill, amuse and inspire.
The Southern Theater, (drama)2:00 pm; SOT; 612-340-1725; $13 - $25

From Lavendar Magazine

2006-01-24T14:24:00.000-06:00

Man of La Mancha
Through Feb 5
Southern Theater1420 Washington Ave. S., Mpls.(612) 340-1725
www.southerntheater.org

The resurgence of bold feminist themes in recent films like North Country
and Memoirs of a Geisha—not to mention the Mariana Islands “enforced abortion”
scandal that could implicate Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff and Congressman
Tom DeLay—reminds us exploitation of women and stigma are problems to be
reckoned with constantly.That spirit is matched locally with Nautilus Music
Theater’s revival of Man of La Mancha, featuring Bradley Greenwald. After all,
the classic musical centers on Don Quixote’s idealistic attempts to rescue
Aldonza, aka Dulcinea (Ann Michels), a woman brutalized by circumstance and
gender.Michels reflects, “Aldonza experiences her most disturbing abuse as a
result of her believing and then showing her oppressor that she could be
something more than a common whore. Quixote convinces her that she too can
‘dream the impossible dream,’ which infuriates the men who want to keep her as
their own sexual plaything.“They are faced with acknowledging their own perverse
behavior. I think it parallels what happens when abused wives try to escape
brutal husbands. The men will do whatever is necessary to keep their victims
within their grasp, and their dark dirty secret from the world.”

This 'man' gives 'La Mancha' a renewed sense of purpose

2006-01-23T08:26:00.000-06:00

Review: This 'man' gives 'La Mancha' a renewed sense of purpose
Theater review:Bradley Greenwald adds a vision to Don Quixote, making him more than a dreamer in Cervantes' tale.
Graydon Royce, Star Tribune

Five days after we commemorated the man who shouted "I have a dream," Nautilus
Music Theater has brought us the man who dared to dream "The Impossible Dream."
Thanks to Bradley Greenwald's affecting and galvanizing performance, "Man of La
Mancha" sands off the corrosion of cynicism and posits a world as it should be,
rather than as it is. If it is mere escapism, so be it. It is escapism that refreshes.
Greenwald occupies the inspirational center of this tale: Miguel de Cervantes, relegated to prison where he must defend himself in a kangaroo court convened by the inmates. Overcoming his timidity, Cervantes reaches into his literature. He portrays Alonso Quijana, who thinks himself Don Quixote, the novelist's greatest character.
Director Ben Krywosz has chosen a contemporary setting for his efficient staging. Erik Paulson has envisioned an old chemical factory that is used as a detention center for enemy noncombatants. The facades, levels and scaffolding of this dingy dungeon matter more than time period.
In less sure hands, "La Mancha" is a melodramatic minefield. Krywosz and Greenwald, though, give Quixote a tough authenticity. Answering critics who
challenge him to see life as it really is, Quixote spits back that he has seen
this world, where soldiers die in warfare. "These are men who saw life as it
is," he growls. "When life itself is too lunatic, who says what is madness?"
Greenwald's conviction -- at times he looks possessed by the passion of his
quest -- is matched by his wonderfully supple voice, capable of chilling power
and sweet subtlety. Under the musical direction of Jerry Rubino, Greenwald
elevates "The Impossible Dream" to become a statement of cold-eyed purpose,
rather than a maudlin standard.
Ann Michels portrays Aldonzo, the "kitchen slut" transformed by Quixote's decency into sweet Dulcinea. Michels gives the character a weary decency and hard exterior; she resists Quixote's perorations that contrary to what others say, she is not trash. Her eventual acceptance, then, is all the more touching.
The third lead, Brian Sostek, draws the tough assignment of Sancho Panza and Cervantes' servant. How to play this dope has vexed actors since the musical had its 1965 debut. Against Greenwald's effortless gallantry, Sostek's hard work for comic relief comes off forced.
The prisoners are a strong chorus, but it is Greenwald and to a lesser
extent Michels who make this "La Mancha" a worthwhile poem to idealism.

'La Mancha' proves the dream is still possible

2006-01-21T14:55:00.000-06:00

'La Mancha' proves the dream is still possible
BY DOMINIC P. PAPATOLA, Theater Critic

It takes courage, trust in the material and a
willingness to sin boldly to take a blatantly sentimental and idealistic musical
like "Man of La Mancha" and give it a blatantly sentimental and idealistic staging. The risk, especially with an older musical like this, is that the production will feel mawkish.
But Nautilus Music-Theater's version feels sublime.
Oh, sure … the company chews enough scenery to suggest the set is actually made of tater-tots. But there's an unapologetic commitment to this lusty, full-throated telling of the misadventures of Don Quixote that makes it all work.
Director Ben Krywosz's heartfelt and strongly sung production begins with great casting. Bradley Greenwald, one of the best musical theater voices in town, shows his acting range as the imprisoned Miguel de Cervantes, who acts out the story of Quixote for his fellow inmates.
As Cervantes, he's sure-spoken but mild-mannered and courtly. But his carriage stiffens and his eyes — and hair — grow wild when he morphs into the dreamy lunatic Quixote.
Ann Michels throws both her body and her voice around as Aldonza,
the scullery maid Quixote thinks is the fair lady Dulcinea. Michels has the
vocal cords to give a pretty singing to the role. But she can also inject a
guttural vulgarity into her voice and presence.
The slight Brian Sostek isn't a traditional choice to play Quixote's usually corpulent sidekick, Sancho Panza. Though not as vocally certain as Greenwald and Michels, he brings an unabashed physical glee to the role — think Charlie Chaplain crossed with Donald O'Connor. As co-choreographer, he creates and performs a sprightly, nearly airborne dance that makes "Little Bird" more than just a throwaway number.
The rest of the ensemble balances nicely between strong singers (Jill Anna Ponasik and JP Fitzgibbons as two of the madman's concerned family) and solid character actors (Ari Hoptman and Nancy Marvy in a couple of small but crucial roles). They're a cohesive performance unit and — supported by a gracefully simple accompaniment by pianist/music director Jerry Rubino, guitarist David Wilhelm and percussionist Marc Anderson — a formidable musical presence.
Erik Paulson's gritty industrial set fits seamlessly into the tattered-elegance ambiance of the Southern. His use of the space above the lighting grid as an entrance and exit to the prison is ingenious and a little creepy, reinforcing the stakes of the
play and allowing Cervantes a heavenward exit as the rest of the company sings
"The Quest" at the finale.
That familiar tune provides an example of how blatant sentimentality isn't the same thing as overkill: Greenwald re-imagines the show's signature tune about dreaming the impossible dream as more of a quiet interior monologue before unleashing his considerable vocal talents for the big finish. It's a fine enough performance to undo the damage from decades of lounge-lizard versions.
Krywosz's production does get carried away in a couple of other areas, however. Changing references to the Spanish Inquisition to the "provisional authority" probably would have been sufficient to give us the idea that this production is meant to reflect current world events. The military fatigues and rifles borne by Cervantes' prison guards are too much.
And though it's glorious to hear this material sung without amplification, some performers — most notably the sweet-voiced Thomas Larson as the Padre — don't have the skills to project the tunes. But that's about the only area in which this production of "Man of La Mancha" feels at all diminished. The rest of the night is much larger than life.
Theater critic
Dominic P. Papatola can be reached at dpapatola@pioneerpress.com or at
651-228-2165.
if you go
What: "Man of La Mancha," produced by Nautilus
Music-Theater and the Southern Theater
When: Wednesdays-Sundays (and Jan. 30)
through Feb. 5
Where: Southern Theater, 1420 Washington Ave. S.,
Minneapolis
Tickets: $40-$30
Call: 612-340-1725
Capsule: Grand themes,
grandly told.

Man of La Mancha at The Southern Theater

2006-01-20T17:01:00.000-06:00

Here's the official flyer from Nautilus Music-Theater:

Man of La Mancha

2006-01-20T16:58:00.000-06:00

"Man of La Mancha" by Picasso.

Minnesota Public Radio

2006-01-20T16:46:00.000-06:00

"Don Quixote rides again" by Marianne Combs, Minnesota Public RadioJanuary 19, 2006

Click here to hear the story...(Real Player needed)

Don Quixote's adventures eventually earn him knighthood -- bestowed by a lowly innkeeper.
Whenever you hear someone being accused of "tilting at windmills," you are witnessing the cultural legacy of a 400-year-old novel. Miguel de Cervantes wrote his great epic Don Quixote about the adventures of a doddering idealist. In 1965 it spawned the well-known musical, "Man of La Mancha." A local theater company has decided the current political climate makes this a good time to bring Man of La Mancha back.
Minneapolis, Minn. — In 1605, Miguel de Cervantes produced what many consider to be the first great modern novel. To this day people around the world still feel its impact.
Just last year the Venezuelan government handed out one million copies of "Don Quixote" to its citizens -- for free -- to inspire them to help transform their country.

But Ben Krywosz, director of Nautilus Theater Co., says for most of his life author Cervantes was considered a total failure.
"He went through a number of occupations," says Krywosz. "He tried to make a living, he was kept as a slave a couple of times, he lost one of his hands in combat and had a very difficult life. He wrote a great many plays, and none of them survive. And then he wrote this novel toward the end of his life."
"Don Quixote" tells the story of an elderly, senile man who sees an army in a flock of sheep, giants in a row of windmills, and a dignified lady in a kitchen wench.
Quixote takes his money-grubbing assistant, Sancho Panza, on a series of adventures that can either be seen as heroic or downright inane, depending on your point of view. The novel makes fun of chivalric romance novels of the period, and simultaneously attacks both the Catholic Church and the Spanish government.

Don Quixote and Sancho Panza
The book was a hit; Cervantes wrote a sequel shortly before he died, and his place in literary history was sealed.
Nautilus usually produces minimally staged readings of works in progress, but recent events inspired Ben Krywosz to direct the full production of the musical version of Don Quixote, "Man of La Mancha."
"For me, the piece is so much about aspiration and calling upon the energies we have, the grandeur of being human in order to fight that which we consider to be unjust," says Krywosz. "I saw in my friends and colleagues despair at the political situation, a feeling like there wasn't a way to effect change, that people weren't pleased with what was happening -- but didn't know what they could do about it."
Krywosz sets the play in the modern day. The prison cell evokes Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib more than the Spanish Inquisition.
At close to 1,000 pages, "Don Quixote" doesn't lend itself to being adapted for the stage. But, says director Ben Krywosz, Cervantes' life does. "Man of La Mancha" begins with Cervantes' imprisonment. He entertains the other prisoners with the story of Don Quixote and enlists them to act out the adventures.

Dulcinea
In doing so, Krywosz says Cervantes accomplishes just what Don Quixote does in the story -- he transforms the world around him, and breaks down the prison walls that exist in his cellmates' minds. Krywosz hopes the musical can do that for his audiences.
"It really felt to me like an opportunity to revitalize people and give them a sense of hope," says Krywosz. "In difficult times, we do yearn for heroes who can somehow tap into that which is glorious about the human condition, and Quixote certainly does that."
To yearn for heroes may sound fine, but should we be yearning for a hero like Don Quixote -- a man whose undying optimism makes him look like a fool? Krywosz thinks so.
"Fools are the ones who can say what really is, who can point out the foibles of the establishment without fear of retribution -- because they are fools," says Krywosz. "I'm not suggesting that we all become Don Quixote, but Don Quixote is an example of somebody who has the courage to imagine what might be, and the strength and the ability and the single-mindedness to pursue his goals."
Krywosz says we could do far worse than to emulate Don Quixote and seek out the nobility in everyone around us. Maybe the Venezuelan government is on to something.
Nautilus Theater presents "Man of La Mancha" at the Southern Theater in Minneapolis, through Feb. 5.

Onstage Spotlight from StarTribune

2006-01-20T08:53:00.000-06:00

MAN OF LA MANCHA
Today-Sunday: This is an unusual production for Nautilus Music Theatre, which generally favors operatic work. Artistic director Ben Krywosz said the group's first foray into classic musical theater grew out of two forces: First, he had in hand a cast that he felt worked just right, with Bradley Greenwald (right) as Quixote, Ann Michels as Aldonza and Brian Sostek (left) as Sancho Panza. Second, he found the themes of aspiration and inspiration resonant with the political times. "La Mancha," with music by Mitch Leigh and lyrics by Joe Darion was based on a TV play by librettist Dale Wasserman. It's a play within a play, as the novelist Don Miguel de Cervantes presents an entertainment in prison to win favor with the inmates. He tells the story of Don Quixote, a champion of the oppressed. The Nautilus cast includes Ari Hoptman, J.P. Fitzgibbons, David A. Anderson and Mary Keepers, among others. Krywosz directs with musical guidance by Jerry Rubino. (8 p.m. today-Sun. Southern Theater, 1420 Washington Av. S., Mpls. $30-$40. 612-340-1725 or www.southerntheater.org.)
GRAYDON ROYCE

From City Pages

2006-01-19T08:39:00.000-06:00

A LIST RECOMMENDED EVENT
Man of La Mancha
This musical was first produced in 1965, to a good deal of acclaim, and it tackles Cervantes's errant knight's tale, which truly underpins our thinking re: sincerity vs. delusion, valor vs. absurdity, etc. Add to the mix the fact that this Nautilus Music-Theater production features top-notch local talent in Bradley Greenwald as Don Quixote, as well as Brian Sostek as world-weary sidekick Sancho Panza, and you have the makings of a theatrical event. It's the first time Nautilus has taken on a Broadway musical, and their devotion to emotional richness foreshadows a high-quality night out. Early rumblings hold that the set is money as well. $30-$40. Call for showtimes and reservations. --Quinton Skinner EVERY TH-SU JAN 19-29, 2006
Southern Theater1420 Washington Ave S (Seven Corners area), Mpls.; 612.340.1725

Southern Theater

2006-01-19T08:35:00.000-06:00

Here's the official posting on the Southern Theater's website. It includes a great video of some previous work.

From The Rake

2006-01-19T08:34:00.000-06:00

THEATER: Man of La Mancha
Nautilus Music-Theater at Southern Theater, January
19 - 30
Email
This Article To A Friend Printable Page
A company known for working with composers,
librettists, and musicians to compose new musicals and operas, Nautilus
Music-Theater is trying its hand at an old standard. Man of La Mancha, a 1960s
Broadway musical in which an imprisoned Cervantes enlists his fellow inmates to
perform Don Quixote, is best known for a catchy reprise called "The Impossible
Dream"; many will recall the 1972 film adaptation starring Sophia Loren and
Peter O'Toole. Superstars such as Jacques Brel and Placido Domingo also have
stepped into the Cervantes role; now a glamorous all-star troupe of local
crooners chimes in, including Bradley Greenwald, Ann Michaels, and Brian Sostek.
1420 Washington Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-340-1725;

Maybe those windmills were giants after all

2006-01-19T08:32:00.000-06:00

BY DOMINIC P. PAPATOLA
Theater Critic
Nautilus Music-Theater is
hellbent on exposing audiences to new musicals. So why is the St. Paul company
spending lots of time and a bundle of money on the middle-aged warhorse "Man of
La Mancha"?
Simply put: To dream the impossible dream.
"This is a piece
that speaks to the higher nature of people," said Nautilus artistic director Ben
Krywosz. "It's about valuing the role of artists and the value of poets and
writers and others to imagine a better world."
Krywosz — who, with his fluffy
white beard and kindly blue eyes has the look of a slimmed-down Santa — wryly
acknowledges that tackling the musical based on Cervantes' classic novel "Don
Quixote" is … well … a quixotic pursuit.
"It's absurd that we would even try
this," he says, leaning back in a chair in Nautilus' cramped-but-cozy space on
the second floor of a Lowertown warehouse. "But now is the right time to revisit
this story about fighting against injustice."
Nautilus is not well-known
outside theatrical circles; the company's highest-profile project is its "Rough
Cuts" series — intimate staged readings of new or obscure works of musical
theater.
Two Januarys ago, with the presidential election on the horizon,
Krywosz decided to depart from Nautilus' formula and do a sing-through of "Man
of La Mancha."Nautlius veterans and popular local performers Bradley Greenwald
and Ann Michels performed the principal roles of Quixote and Aldonza, the
scullery maid the blissed-out knight-errant sees as the virtuous lady
Dulcinea.
The two shows were well-attended and struck an emotional chord —
both with Nautilus' regular audiences and the local theater cognoscenti.
"I'd
never seen that many people at Rough Cuts," Michels remembered. "And I thought,
either this is a guilty pleasure for people or we're really onto
something."
"I'd gone to see it with a mixture of cynicism and hope —
cynicism because of the material, hope because it was Nautilus," said Brian
Sostek, who attended one of those staged readings and now plays the role of
Quixote's dim-but-enthusiastic sidekick, Sancho Panza. "But I remember weeping
at the end of it. It just tore me to pieces. And everyone started clamoring for
a full production."
Two years into a second-term Bush administration that
Krywosz believed was growing more oppressive and intolerant of individual
liberties, Nautilus' motivation to stage the idealistic "Man of La Mancha" grew
even stronger.
Putting that together wasn't easy. Greenwald and Michels, two
of the top voices in local music theater, are both in-demand performers — he
just finished a run of "Aladdin" at the Children's Theatre; she was at the
Guthrie earlier this season. So reassembling most of the cast, finding a venue
and cobbling together the money all took time.
Operating on a thin budget,
Nautilus rarely does fully staged productions. When they do pull out the stops,
it's usually for a show like the 2004 production of "The Last Five Years," an
intimate two-character musical written by Jason Robert Brown in 2001.
But
"Man of La Mancha," which bowed on Broadway in 1965, has a large cast — 18, plus
three musicians — and will cost the company (and co-producer, the Southern
Theater) about $100,000. With just 10 performances to recoup that cost, Krywosz
sent out a fundraising e-mail, telling potential contributors that the show
would need $35,000 beyond ticket sales to cover costs.
Then there's the knock
on the show: "Man of La Mancha" has a reputation as a sentimental melodrama
largely because of what Greenwald calls "overly vermouthed" versions of the
show's most famous song, "The Quest" — think Robert Goulet crooning "To dream …
the impossible dream."
Greenwald himself had his doubts and prejudices about
the show, until the company started reading and singing it.
"I was humiliated
when I discovered how true the show is and remains," he said. "It's just so
frickin' honest from the first page to the last page."
Both Greenwald and
Michels turned down more lucrative gigs to work on "Man of La Mancha."
Why?
The better question, they said, is the one Quixote himself might ask.
Why not?
"It's easy to say yes to a project," Michels said, "when you know
your heart is really in it."
Theater critic Dominic P. Papatola can be
reached at dpapatola@pioneerpress.com or
651-228-2165. What: Nautilus Music-Theater's production of "Man of La
Mancha"
When: 8 p.m. today-Sunday and Wednesday-Jan. 30
Where: Southern
Theater, 1420 Washington Ave. S., Mpls.
Tickets: $40-$30
Call:
612-340-1725

Friggin pop up blocker...

2006-01-05T15:35:00.000-06:00

For the record, I just wrote a nice long post getting everyone up to date since it has been so long since I've posted.

However, when I went to spell check it, the blocker refreshed the screen deleting my entire post. Now I don't have the time or the patience to write it again.

Another time, I guess.

It was a brilliant post though. Prose at it's finest.

Bitter.

Goodbye Captain Fantastic

2005-11-18T07:45:00.000-06:00

Roy Keane has left Manchester United.

I simply can't believe it. As fans, we knew this day would come, we just never wanted to accept it.

Those are going to be some huge boots to fill.

Sharon

2005-11-17T18:09:00.000-06:00

We buried my Aunt yesterday. As I stated before, this makes 3 relatives that have died of various causes in only a couple months. To me, this one was the hardest. She died of cancer last Saturday. There were hundreds of people at her wake on Tuesday. We had to wait well over an hour to see her in a line that extended out the door. She was an elementary school cook and the kids and staff made a sign telling her how much she was loved. She really was - is.

I think a good indicator of person's character is to look at their kids - if they have them. Sharon and my Uncle Jerry are pretty damn good. My cousins are 4 of the strongest, funniest and caring women you could know. Hell, raising 4 girls should qualify anyone for sainthood.

I sang at the funeral. I sang at the previous family funerals as well. I've been surprised at my level of disconnect. In my acting class we're working specifically on the emotional connection to the work and the performer. If I didn't distance myself from my emotions, I couldn't have sung those songs. It sucks, because I have to stop being the cousin, grandkid, and nephew and be a performer, so I'm not able to let out what I'm feeling deep down. However, by accepting the honor of singing at a funeral, I owe it to my family to provide them the music that expresses what they are feeling. Still, I wish I could've cried with everyone else in my family - don't get me wrong: I cried. I just hated having to hold it back for the sake of performing.

Oh well.

I believe this is what they call "a run of bad luck"

2005-11-11T09:37:00.000-06:00

I haven't posted in quite a while. Pretty much since my Grandpa died, everything has just sort of blow'd up busy-style.

Unfortunately, it looks like I'm going to lose another family member. My Aunt Sharon, who is also my Godmother, is laying in a coma right now waiting for cancer to take her once and for all. She's a great woman who has 4 great daughters and has always been a huge supporter of everything I've done. She has never missed one of my birthdays. Never. It hasn't mattered where in the world I was - there was always a card in the mail.

Mostly I feel for my Dad. In the course of a month, he'll lose his dad and probably his sister. My Grandpa we saw coming. He was just old and had his time here. We came to grips that it was his time. My aunt, however, I think we believed she would beat this. The chemo infections were just a setback, but surely she'd end up okay. Then she just took a turn. The cancer was really aggressive. I just hope she's not in pain.

Assuming the cancer wins, this will be 3 relatives I've lost in the last few months. I'm counting on the rule of 3's to cut me some slack and back the F off for awhile. That is some shitty luck.

In other news...

I got a new day job. I'm now working for the evil empire of Clear Channel Radio. Thus far, it has been a good transition. I'm busier than I've ever been. This job has cut down severely my interweb surf time. The only reason I'm able to post this during the day is that I'm covering the reception desk -- which sucks, but at least there's a TV in the waiting area so I'm catching last night's Daily and Colbert Report. The learning curve is very high - aside from the computer programs and the like that I have to learn, it's the personalities that I have to get used to. Salespeople EVERYWHERE! Always selling. Right now it's hard to not get played. Someday, I'll be the playa!

Back to work...

Arlie part 2

2005-10-13T07:45:00.000-05:00

My Grandpa died yesterday. Like I said before, he was in his 90's and had lived a full life. The man married 2 women in his life and got to spend many years with each. He was a farmer. He was an elementary school custodian - the guy that every kid loved to see. He had a cabin for many years and fished all the time. My favorite memory - playing cribbage at the cabin with Grandpa, my dad and my brother. Either that or the disgustingly unhealthy and delicious breakfasts he'd make after a morning of fishing.

I didn't mention it before, but I lost a cousin a few months back. Wendy was my cousin on my Mom's side. She committed suicide after battling depression quietly for a long time. The emotions I felt when she died were so much more complex - anger, sadness, fear, frustration. I guess it's because hers was unexpected.

With Grandpa, it's just a whole lot of sadness.

The Nexus of Politics and Terror

2005-10-13T07:42:00.000-05:00

Keith Olbermann goes where others fear to tread. I remember comedian David Cross bringing this up in his stand up routine a few years ago, but Keith is the first to shine the spotlight right on the "coincidences" between the raising of the terror alert level and bad news hitting the White House.

Take a look here.

Or read it here.

Arlie

2005-10-12T07:39:00.000-05:00

So the next few weeks are going to be a little crazy.

First off, my Grandpa is going to die at any moment. It's strange waiting for the phone to ring knowing that it's ultimately going to make me very sad and shove everything onto the backburner. At this point, I just want him to go peacefully. He's in his 90's and has had a full life - I just don't want him to be in pain. I haven't seen him lately. I'm really conflicted about that. I feel like I should go over and say goodbye, but I don't want to see him like that. I don't want to remember him as a small man wasting away in a hospital bed. I want him to always be the big guy who taught me to fish, built amazing things by hand, and forced me not to knock square dancing because he enjoyed it so much. It's a bit petty on my part - not going to see him. Maybe the phone won't ring today and I'll get a chance to change my mind.

Second, I got a new job. I'm going to work for the evil corporate behemoth ClearChannel Radio. I'll get to work with the internet and a little in sales so it should be interesting. There's potential for growth (not that I'm looking for too much - this is just my day job) and I figure I can make more money working for a giant than to continue in not-for-profit. While I don't agree with some of the alliances ClearChannel has made on a national level, ultimately they intend to make money. If they can do that with a liberal radio station, they will. At least, that's what I'm telling myself. I start my new job in a couple weeks, so there will be a lot of goodbyes upcoming. I'm not thrilled with starting over, but I'm hoping this will ultimately prove more lucrative. As long as they (and I) remember that I'm an actor first.

All this and a rainy day too.

Oh What a Night...

2005-10-05T19:45:00.000-05:00

Haven't really slept yet. I got a cold that hit me like a frickin' truck 2 days ago. I'm all stuffy and puffy. Can't hear. I have that one clear nostril that it hurts to breathe through. Every once and awhile, my other nostril drains like it's a frickin jailbreak: Go! Now! He's not looking! Jump off his upper lip! I'll find you on his shirt!

We had some fantastic storms last night in the State of Hockey. Just a sheet of rain fell for most of the night.

When the last storm hit (trees fell, lost power for 2 days, etc.) we had a dixie cup of water in our basement. The Mrs. found the crack and we proceeded to patch it up with the whole line of Drylok products.

Then last night came. Clearly the water table rose significantly with rapid downpours. Not a big deal, but we did have a few inches of water in our basement that the Mrs. discovered at about 2 a.m. Luckily we don't really keep anything down there, so we didn't lose anything valuable. All it meant is we were up all night toweling up and sucking up water with Myrle barking from his crate as accompaniment. Also, due to my cold, I was totally in a NyQuil induced stupor. Also in a crisis, I learned that I will leave my glasses behind. Me: sandals, pajamas, blurry-eyed, drunk on NyQuil, emitting foul toxins into the air (I'd gotten a massage earlier in the day) manning the wet/dry vac while the Mrs. mixes up some Drylok Super Plug stuff that seriously gets warm when you mix it to try to stop the source.

We are so lucky that this is all we got. Grand scheme: not a big deal. Just means I'm tired and I'm illin'.

Kea-NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

2005-09-29T18:38:00.000-05:00

Keane set to quit United at the end of the season from Soccernet

Roy Keane has stunned Manchester United by revealing he expects to leave Old
Trafford at the end of the season.

The
Irishman's contract is due to expire in the summer and it was widely assumed he
would be given at least an extra year, possibly to combine playing duties with a
coaching role.
However, in a live MUTV phone-in, Keane has rejected any
likelihood of moving straight onto Sir Alex Ferguson's backroom staff and feels
it will be the end of the season before United chief executive David Gill
decides whether the 34-year-old will be handed an extension, by which time it
will be too late.
'I would like to play another year or two but I do not
think it will be at Manchester United,' he said.
'I would be surprised if I
was offered a new contract and even if I was, I would not expect it to be until
the end of the season but by then I will have already made a decision about what
I am going to do.
'There comes a time for everybody when they have to move
on and I am prepared to play elsewhere.
'I think it will be good to
experience a different dressing room. It wouldn't be an English team though,
coming back to Old Trafford and going into the away dressing room would be too
hard for me to stomach.'
The last statement is bound to alert Celtic, as
Keane has made no secret of his desire to play for the Parkhead club at some
stage in his career.
Although he is currently sidelined with a broken foot,
the prospect of United without Keane is virtually unthinkable.
The fiery
midfielder has been the inspiration behind Sir Alex Ferguson's side since he
first arrived as a raw youngster from Nottingham Forest in 1993, making 480
senior appearances and playing a major role in almost all United's successes.
Even though he missed the 1999 Champions League Final, the £3.75million
Ferguson splashed out to secure his services will probably go down as some of
the best money ever spent by United.
However, it appears the United boss is
losing his battle to keep Keane at the club.
When the Cork-born player first
mooted his intention to quit this summer in the middle of last season, he
immediately received a telephone call from Ferguson informing him the Scot would
be the man who decides when the midfielder will sever his ties with Old
Trafford.
Ferguson's position is not likely to have changed. Indeed, he will
probably be reeling at tonight's announcement.
But the harsh reality is if
Keane is offered a new deal, it would almost certainly be for one year only and
then on a pay-per-play basis, whereas at Celtic would almost certainly offer a
better overall deal.
In addition, Keane's departure has also been
anticipated within the United hierarchy.
One very senior Old Trafford
official confided in private recently that the player may move away, before
eventually returning to join the coaching staff.
'I am not putting a gun to
anybody's head,' said Keane. 'But my gut reaction last season was this would be
my last year and I still feel that way.
'You have to learn and be prepared
to move on. Life will not stop when I leave Manchester United.
'It might be
an opportunity to go into management or coaching somewhere else and it is best
to make a clean break because coaching at Manchester United doesn't really
appeal.'
Keane has made no secret of his desire to follow former Red Devils'
skippers Steve Bruce and Bryan Robson into management and intends to complete
his UEFA coaching badges over the next few months.
But, interested lower
league clubs who feel they may be able to attract the most influential domestic
player of his generation, might be advised to look elsewhere.
'I don't want
to look too far ahead because I want to play on for a bit yet but I wouldn't
want to drop too far down,' he said.
'Your first job in management is an
important one. I would like to go to a club with ambition, a decent fan base and
some decent players.'
Meanwhile, Keane said his international future would
be thrashed out with Ireland coach Brian Kerr if his country failed to qualify
for next summer's World Cup.
The midfielder, who won the first of his 67
caps against Chile in 1991, came out of international retirement to try to help
steer Brian Kerr's team to Germany next year and make up for missing out on the
last tournament following his infamous pre-competition bust-up with Mick
McCarthy.
His current injury rules him out of next month's double-header
with Cyprus and Switzerland and also possibly any play-off should the Republic
secure second spot in their group.
'I still think we have a chance to
qualify,' he said. 'If we don't, we will I have to talk to Brian and see what
happens but I don't want to cross that bridge before I get to it.'

This is just horrible news. Keane is the epitome of Captain Fantastic. It will take something special to fill his boots.

Just a little gift for my wife...

2005-09-28T19:57:00.000-05:00

Scholesy...

Damn! Dat's Cold Blooded...

2005-09-22T14:00:00.000-05:00

"Um yeah...we're gonna need you to write your social security number on your body so's we can identify your corpse..."

Write your own caption...

2005-09-22T12:06:00.000-05:00

(actual pic of Rita from the National Weather Service)

Thanks to Crooks and Liars for the pic.

Scouse Scalp

2005-09-16T21:58:00.000-05:00

It's Northwest Derby time. Manchester United. Liverpool. Anfield.

Watch us dismantle the Scousers...

IT'S ON NOW!

2005-09-09T06:16:00.000-05:00

The slappy and crappy Blues from Manchester City take the crosstown bus over to Sir Matt Busby Way tomorrow for the 133rd Manchester Derby.

C'MON YOU REDS!!!

Brownie, you're doing a hell of a job...

2005-09-08T06:58:00.000-05:00

Here's my absolute favorite quote regarding Mike Brown, Head of FEMA:

Kate Hale, former Miami-Dade emergency management chief: "He's done a hell
of a job, because I'm not aware of any Arabian horses being killed in this
storm."

If you don't know what she's talking about, click here and here <-- this is a must see!

I'm such a freakin' sap...

2005-09-08T06:22:00.000-05:00

...this really got to me...

Man's Best Friend

The "city" of Louisiana (Keith Olbermann)

2005-09-06T06:44:00.000-05:00

I don't need to say anything else about our government during days following Hurricane Katrina. Keith Olbermann nails it: (video and audio of this commentary here in Quicktime or here in Windows Media Player.

The "city" of Louisiana (Keith Olbermann)
SECAUCUS — Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff said it all, starting his news briefing Saturday afternoon: "Louisiana is a city that is largely underwater..."
Well there's your problem right there.
If ever a slip-of-the-tongue defined a government's response to a crisis, this was it.
The seeming definition of our time and our leaders had been their insistence on slashing federal budgets for projects that might’ve saved New Orleans. The seeming characterization of our government that it was on vacation when the city was lost, and could barely tear itself away from commemorating V.J. Day and watching Monty Python's Flying Circus, to at least pretend to get back to work. The seeming identification of these hapless bureaucrats: their pathetic use of the future tense in terms of relief they could’ve brought last Monday and Tuesday — like the President, whose statements have looked like they’re being transmitted to us by some kind of
four-day tape-delay.
But no. The incompetence and the ludicrous prioritization will forever be symbolized by one gaffe by of the head of what is ironically called “The Department of Homeland Security”: “Louisiana is a city…”
Politician after politician — Republican and Democrat alike — has
paraded before us, unwilling or unable to shut off the "I-Me" switch in their heads, condescendingly telling us about how moved they were or how devastated they were — congenitally incapable of telling the difference between the destruction of a city and the opening of a supermarket. And as that sorry recital of self-absorption dragged on, I have resisted editorial comment. The focus needed to be on the efforts to save the stranded — even the internet's meager powers were correctly devoted to telling the stories of the twin disasters, natural... and government-made.
But now, at least, it is has stopped getting exponentially worse in Mississippi and Alabama and New Orleans and Louisiana (the state, not the city). And, having given our leaders what we know now is the week or so they need to get their act together, that period of editorial silence I mentioned, should come to an end. No one is suggesting that mayors or governors in the afflicted areas, nor the federal government, should be able to stop hurricanes. Lord knows, no one is suggesting that we should ever prioritize levee improvement for a below-sea-level city, ahead of $454 million worth of trophy bridges for the politicians of Alaska. But, nationally,
these are leaders who won re-election last year largely by portraying their opponents as incapable of keeping the country safe. These are leaders who regularly pressure the news media in this country to report the reopening of a school or a power station in Iraq, and defies its citizens not to stand up and cheer. Yet they couldn't even keep one school or power station from being devastated by infrastructure collapse in New Orleans — even though the government had heard all the "chatter" from the scientists and city planners and hurricane centers and some group whose purposes the government couldn't quite discern... a group called The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
And most chillingly of all, this is the Law and Order and Terror government. It promised protection — or at least amelioration — against all threats: conventional,
radiological, or biological. It has just proved that it cannot save its citizens from a biological weapon called standing water.
Mr. Bush has now twice insisted that, "we are not satisfied," with the
response to the manifold tragedies along the Gulf Coast. I wonder which "we" he
thinks he's speaking for on this point. Perhaps it's the administration, although we still don't know where some of them are. Anybody seen the Vice President lately? The man whose message this time last year was, 'I'll Protect You, The Other Guy Will Let You Die'? I don't know which 'we' Mr. Bush meant.
For many of this country's citizens, the mantra has been — as we were taught in Social Studies it should always be — whether or not I voted for this President — he is still my President. I suspect anybody who had to give him that benefit of the doubt stopped doing so last week. I suspect a lot of his supporters, looking ahead to '08, are wondering how they can distance themselves from the two words which will define his government — our government — "New Orleans."
For him, it is a shame — in all senses of the word. A few changes of pronouns in there, and he might not have looked so much like a 21st Century Marie Antoinette. All that was needed was just a quick "I'm not satisfied with my government's response." Instead of hiding behind phrases like "no one could have foreseen," had he only remembered Winston Churchill's quote from the 1930's. "The responsibility," of government, Churchill told the British Parliament "for the public safety is absolute and requires no mandate. It is in fact, the prime object for which governments come into existence." In forgetting that, the current administration did not merely damage itself — it damaged our confidence in our ability to rely on whoever is in the White House.
As we emphasized to you here all last week, the realities of the region are such that New Orleans is going to be largely uninhabitable for a lot longer than anybody is yet
willing to recognize. Lord knows when the last body will be found, or the last artifact of the levee break, dug up. Could be next March. Could be 2100. By then, in the muck and toxic mire of New Orleans, they may even find our government's credibility.
Somewhere, in the City of Louisiana.

Katrina's a bitch.

2005-09-02T06:07:00.000-05:00

I'm trying real hard to keep myself under control right now. I'm so sick of what I'm seeing on TV and hearing on the radio. No not the looting. Not the crying people. Not even the destruction. Nope. It's the bastardization of the media for ratings.

My new least favorite person on TV is Rita Cosby. She has a crappy new show on MSNBC and I catch the beginning while digesting the best news show on TV: Countdown with Keith Olbermann. I'm sure as all the refugees came streaming into Houston, they were comforted by her fully primped hair, gold earrings and clean, expensive clothes. I'm sure she thought she was easing America's minds by using incredibly inflammatory language. "Violence," "Anger," "Looting" were her buzz words of choice when she knew damn well that people were doing what they were told, going where they were asked to, waiting and then told it's their fault that help hasn't arrived because it's "too dangerous." Really? Right, like when they killed and maimed Harry Connick, Jr. when he came in to help. Just go away.

That's what's really getting me. Story after story of looting and violence and people turning into animals. Yes, there is some instances where people have gone nuts. But there are THOUSANDS of people who have done everything that was asked of them. Why didn't they evacuate, you ask? Evacuate in what? New Orleans is a big town where a lot of people don't need cars to get around. The evacuation plan mandated by the Louisiana Gov just told people to get in their cars and leave. There were no buses. There were no trains. Just, "If you have a car, go." But, to many out there, it's still their fault. The looting has turned into people stealing what they can to survive. Those who stole TV's and other useless materials have wised up. People are breaking into stores looking for water, needed prescription drugs, and food. We're told that it's too dangerous or roads are impassable for aid groups to get in to help. Funny, the news crews don't seem to be having any problems. Maybe the government should consult them.

I've also seen too many politicians using the air waves to thank each other for all their non-existent hard work. Well, at least Anderson Cooper hit back.

I'm also trying to digest a good idea gone completely bad. A news station (rebroadcast on MSNBC several times) decided that instead of just showing the victims, they could allow these people to alert loved ones that might be watching that they are okay. Terrific right? No phones or internet or mail - let just look at the camera, say their name and tell their family, "I'm alive." Unfortunately, the camera crew did this at a suburban Loews store and the people were all white with full carts of materials packed into their SUV's. This after hours of the shocked and devastated, mostly black people in New Orleans who are facing months of living on a cot in a Houston stadium simply asking for help. What a woefully missed opportunity.

I'm going to take a break to walk around and count my blessings.

Give. Give what you can. Give blood. Give money.