FWSO Pop Series Concert - Bugs Bunny At The Sumphony

The Travelling Toe and a Dear Friend attended the Sunday afternoon performance of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra.  Who would have thought that Bugs Bunny was a classical music star????? Well, Dear Readers, he really is!!

George Daughter was the guest conductor for this concert.  Mr. Daugherty also helped create and produce the production, along with David Ka Lik Wong. 

George Daugherty
Guest Conductor

Mr. Daugherty explained that during the 1930's and 1940's the major studios had large orchestras on staff.  With the uncertainty growing in Europe during this time period, many European trained musicians migrated to American and on to Hollywood.  So these company orchestras had many classically trained musicians on staff.  It was a perfect fit for the cartoon characters to show off their musical skills.

The star of the show was of course that funny rabbi,t Bugs Bunny.  He "performed" along with Daffy Duck and many other stars, such as Elmer Fudd, Porky Pig, Wile E. Coyote, Road Runner, Tweety, Sylvester, Pepe Le Pew, and even Tom and Jerry.

A large viewing screen hung down from the ceiling at Bass Hall and as the orchestra played the music, we saw and heard the cartoon characters performing.

Here are a few segments that were performed:

             
                             Rhapsody Rabbit
                                                         by Bugs Bunny

                              
                            The Rabbit Of Seville
                                                          by Bugs Bunny

                           
                            Coyote Falls
                                                         by Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner

                           
                            Robin Hood Daffy
                                                        by Daffy Duck

                         
                           What's Opera, Doc?
                                                        by Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd


Also, just to add more fun for the day, before the performance and at intermission, a life sized Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck were available to pose for pictures.  What a nice a souvenir of a day at Bass Hall. They were pretty popular, as kids and adults alike were lining up for pictures with the celebrities!

Bugs Bunny

Daffy Duck

Well, who would have though that cartoons and classical music could produce such a fun event...but it just worked.  Fun for everyone of all ages!

And as the cartoon always ends with:

             

Museum of Native American History

MUSEUM OF NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY

On a trip to northwestern Arkansas, we made a stop at Bentonville (home of the Walmart Corp), While in the area, The Travelling Toe and companions, visited the Museum of Native American History. The first impression of this museum is that it is small, but the museum extends behind the facade and is actually rather sizable.  At the front entrance there is a colorful full sized tee-pee to welcome visitors.

As your enter through the beautiful wooden doors, to your left is a large Ice Age Wooly Mammoth. We agreed that he was rather handsome.

The reception area is small but the attendants are welcoming and offer insights to the museum history and collections  

The layout of the museum is in chronological order starting with the Paleo period. The exhibits follow the evolution of native people with displays of  tools, instruments, cooking vessels and other artifacts.  As you make your way around the exhibit area you will then enter into the 1800's.  On display are beautiful deer or buffalo hide clothing, brilliant headdresses, pottery, tools  and other artifacts.  When we visited, several photographs of Native Americans by Edward Curtis were on display.  If you have ever seen any of his work you will know how amazing these photographs were.

Edward Curtis
1869 - 1952

There is no admission fee....yes that is right...FREE admission.  A free audio guide is also provided so that you can tour the museum are your own pace.  As you finish touring, there is a very nice gift shop with interesting items for adults and children as well.  We did have to do a little retail therapy just to help out the museum.

If you are ever in the Bentonville area, this museum is certainly worth the time to visit!


Museum of Native American History


POSTCARDS:

Pea Ridge National Park - Arkansas

On a trip to Arkansas, The Travelling Toe and 3 other friends were able to visit the Pea Ridge National Military Park.  It is located in Northwest Arkansas just a few miles outside of Bentonville.

NP Pea Ridge Battlefield

Upon arriving we first stopped at the National Park visitors center.  It featured souvenirs, of course, a clean restroom and friendly Park Rangers to assist visitors.  We did opt to watch the film about the battle that took place in the park before setting out to tour the grounds.  

Even before it was an official park both Union and Confederate veterans attended several reunions at the Pea Ridge Battlefield.  The Veterans of both sides, dedicated monuments on the battlefield to the Union and Confederate dead.  These 2 monuments are still in the park.  

Confederate and Union Monuments

In 1956, 4,300 acres were either purchased or donated to preserve the 1862 battlefield. Dedicated as a National Park during the National Civil War Centennial in 1963,  it is one of the best preserved Civil War battlefields.

Postcards
Visitors Center

We took the driving tour using a map that the Park Ranger gave us.  We saw beautiful open fields with cannon lined up.  One particular stop along the trail was on a lovely high point that looked out on a long vista

One of the original structures within the park area, Elkhorn Tavern, still stands.  On our visit, we were fortunate to meet a reenactor who had many interesting stories of the battle, the soldiers and the surrounding area to share.  What a exciting and wonderful opportunity that was to learn more about this beautiful land!

Overlook
Elkhorn Tavern

If you get to visit a National Park don't forgot your NP passport to acquire another NP stamp!

Happy Trails!

"My Big Fat Greek Wedding" (movie critique)

MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 2
movie poster

The Friday Movie Mavens and The Travelling Toe headed to the local multiplex to see "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2".  Most of the crew had seen the first episode of this family comedy so we knew we had to see this second part. And most of the original "family" members returned to play their respective parts in this new movie.

The movie is of course centered on the Portokalos Greek family.  Papa Portokalos is proud to be a Greek and insists he is descended from Alexander The Great.  His daughter Toula, who we meet in the first movie, is overwhelmed taking care of her own family, husband Ian and teenage daughter Paris, plus seeing about her aging parents and working at the family business, a Greek restaurant.  Paris feels suffocated by all the family being in her "business" and wants to attend college anywhere but in Chicago. Toula is heartbroken that her daughter would leave her and go to college somewhere else. Plus Toula and Ian need some alone time to bring back the spark to their marriage.  In the mist of all this family angst, the elder Portokalos couple (Maria and Gus) find out that their marriage is invalid as the Priest never signed the marriage certificate and he was not even ordained to conduct marriages.  So now there is another Big Fat Greek Wedding being planned but even more so -  as in more Greek, more big, more fat!!!!!

Well, Dear Readers,The Travelling Toe  will leave the narrative there so you can enjoy this sweet, funny, feel-good movie yourself. We all did enjoy it. There were many funny scenes and funny lines thrown out. In our estimation this movie is certainly worth the cost of the ticket, either at the theater, on-line or as a rental.  But we are just crazy Golden Girls who love a good funny love story!


CAST:

Nia Vardalos
Toula

John Corbett
Ian

Lainie Kazan
Maria

Michael Constantine
Gus

Elena Kampouris
Paris

Andres Martin
Aunt Voula

The Travelling Toe gives this movie 1 big toe up with a side of baklava.

Disclaimer:  The Travelling Toe is not a professional critic and any opinions expressed are for entertainment purposes only.

"Hello My Name Is Doris" (movie critique)

HELLO MY NAME IS DORIS
movie poster

The Travelling Toe and the Friday Movie Mavens just had to see the new movie with Sally Field,"Hello My Name Is Doris". 

Sally Field

The movie starts with Doris grieving for her mother who has just passed.  Her brother and his wife start trying to talk Doris into selling the family house, but it is filled and overflowing with stuff. The was mother a hoarder and Doris is as well.  When the brother tries to get Doris to clean up the house, she becomes extremely agitated and orders everyone out.  . She is not ready to face the daunting challenge of changing her life. But then, Dories meets her company's new hip art director, John Fremont.  She immediately starts having interesting fantasies about him. In her cluttered house, Dories mines the internet for any information she can find out about John.  Her close friend Roz, played by Tyne Daly, has a granddaughter who helps Doris to set-up a Facebook account under a false name to "friend" John.  Doris begins to show up at John's regular haunts and beings to win over his friends.  Her new life brings Doris a thrilling new frame of mind.  But also creates a rift between her and Roz, who believe that Doris is making a fool of herself.  But Doris pursues her "love" even though he has a real girlfriend.  In a very emotional scene Doris confesses to John that she invented the fake profile to get to know him and be closer to him.  This revaluation causes John to become very upset and he walks away from Doris. 

So Dear Readers, how does the story end?  Well, you will just have to go see the movie for yourself.  It is rather nice to have a story about an older woman pursuing a younger man as often we are subjected to the opposite.  Somehow older man and younger women are acceptable but not so much for older women and younger men.  So The Travelling Toe wants to tell Doris - you just go for it girl!!!!  grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!

CAST:

Beth Behrs
John's girlfriend

Max Greenfield
John

Tyne Daly
Roz

This movie is rated "R" for adult content and language.  The F-word is used but not a lot which is nice for a change.

The Travelling Toe gives this movie 1 big toe up with a Cougar roar!!!

Disclaimer:  The Travelling Toe is not a professional critic and any opinions expressed are for entertainment purposes only.

"God's Trombones" presented by Jubilee Theatre

JUBILEE THEATRE

On Easter Sunday afternoon, The Travelling Toe and three other friends attended the afternoon production of "God's Trombones" at Jubilee Theatre.

www.jubileetheatre.org

The mission statement for Jubilee Theatre is:

                      Jubilee Theatre's mission is to create and present theatrical works, which
                                   reflect the African-American experience

Below is an overview of the play per the program:

 This timeless Jubilee classic with book by Jubilee Theatre founder Rudy Eastman and composer, Douglas Balentine, has been among the most popular productions in the legacy of Jubilee Theatre's rich history.  Staged multiple times since our theater was founded in 1981, "God's Trombones" is a musical celebration that is guaranteed to lift your spirits and rock your soul.  The revival of this show is the perfect complement to our 25th Anniversary Season and is certain to perform to sold-out houses.

GOD'S TROMBONES

Even on Easter Sunday afternoon, there were few empty seats for the performance we attended.  There are 6 men and 6 women in the cast.  There were no elaborate costumes, all the men wore black pants and shirts and the women black dresses.  The staging was simple - as it should be since the storytelling and singing told the stories.

The play shares stories from the Bible featuring some of it's more prominent characters. We heard from Moses dealing with his stutter, with him meeting the burning bush (which was an absolutely astounding costume achievement) and pleading with Pharaoh. Then we heard from Noah building the arc and preparing for the flood. The most moving scene was the story of Jesus on the Cross. One of the audience favorites it seemed, was the story of Adam and Eve. When God told Adam He was displeased with him for eating the forbidden fruit, Adam sang a song about "Blame It On The Woman".  

Each and everyone of the actors/singers were wonderful.  Their voices blended beautifully together and were strong on each solo piece.  

We all agreed this was an amazing theatrical experience and how appropriate for Easter Sunday afternoon.  Our spirits were indeed lifted and our souls were rocked!

                                 

Texas Ballet Theater presents "Cinderella"

TEXAS BALLET THEATER
"CINDERELLA"

Recently The Travelling Toe and Dear Friend attended the Saturday afternoon presentation of "Cinderella" staged by Texas Ballet Theater. The ballet was performed at Bass Hall.

Texas Ballet Theater

Well, Dear Readers, The Travelling Toe will not expound upon the story line of Cinderella too much as it is a well known and beloved fairy tale.  

The ballet opens up with poor Cinderella who is ill used by her stepmother and stepsisters. Her father, out numbered and out "manned: is not strong enough to protect his daughter from these evil women.  Cinderella has to wear a battered beat-up dress, while the stepsisters are getting are all gussied up to attend the Prince's Ball.  Only with the assistance of the lovely Fairy Godmother does Cinderella get to go to the Ball and meet her Prince Charming.  The scenes of Cinderella going to the Ball and coming back were beautifully staged. The ballet students who played the horses pulling the "pumpkin" carriage were so cute.  And of course it just has to have that fairy tale ending - right?

Ben Stevenson, Artistic Director, of TBT choreographed this ballet several years ago and it has stood the test of time.  The ballet is danced to music composted by Sergei Prokofiev. 

Ben Stevenson
Artistic Director, TBT

Sergei Prokofiev

As is the custom, 2 male ballet dancers play the stepsisters to much delight of the audience.members.

Cinderella's 2 Charming Stepsisters

We both enjoyed the dancing, the music, the gorgeous costumes, and lovely stage settings and of course the sweet story.....sigh!