"My Fair Lady" presented by Artisan Center Theater

MY FAIR LADY
play program

The Travelling Toe and a Dear Friend attended the Saturday afternoon matinee performance of "My Fair Lady".  It was presented by the Artisan Center Theater, which is a small community theater located in the suburbs of Hurst, Texas. 

Artisan Center Theater

The storyline of the musical is well known as it tells the story of Eliza Doolittle who sells flowers outside Covent Garden.  One rainy night she meets renowned linguistic expert Henry Higgins and his friend Colonel Pickering.  Higgins laughs at her and makes fun of her speech patterns.  Eliza is undaunting and arrives at the the Higgins house the next day asking to be taught to speak without her Cockney accent. The reason being that she wants to obtain a job in a flower shop and must be able to be understood.  Higgins is intrigued with the disheveled flower girl and decides to take her on with a side bet between him and Pickering that he can make her into a proper lady within 6 months. But does Higgins really know what he is in for working with this street urchin?

The music by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe provide the background of Elza and Henry's entanglement.  The play is full of marvelous songs that still stand the test of time.

Lerner and Loewe

Since this is a community theater there are no fancy costumes or live music.  But the actors all love to perform and always put on a wonderful show at the Artisan!  Plus they have yummy fresh popped popcorn!

Broadway
My Fair Lady

"An American In Paris" presented by Performing Arts Fort Worth

AN AMERICAN IN PARIS
play program

An American In Paris
movie poster

The touring show of the Tony winner "An American In Paris" made a stop at Bass Hall for several performances. The Travelling Toe and several Dear Friends attended the Sunday matinee performance.

Gene Kelly
movie
An American Paris

The play which is based on the Gene Kelly movie opened on Broadway April, 2015.  It is set to the wonderful and lyrical music of George and Ira Gershwin.  

George and Ira Gershwin

The story of the musical is a tad different than the movie.

World War II has ended and troops are headed home.  But American solider Jerry Mulligan decides that he does not want to return home to his old life but chart a new course in the bustling city of Paris.  There he meets 2 other men who are also trying to start a new life, Adam Hochberg also an American veteran and Henri Baurel a Frenchman.  Jerry is a struggling artist and Adam is a struggling composer.  Henri, who is from a well to-do family, wants to be an entertainer and not be a businessman like his father  All three men meet and fall in love with a beautiful French ballerina, Lise Dassin.

As the storyline progresses, each man purses Lise. So at the end of the play, which man wins Lise's heart?  Well, Dear Readers, you will just have to see the play yourself to find out!

The music of the Gershwins makes the story vibrant while the dancing by all the cast members was superb - some of the best ever seen on stage.

Bass Hall

"Moonlight" (movie critique)

MOONLIGHT
movie poster

Dear Readers, as most of you might know, the movie "Moonlight" won the Oscar for best picture. So The Travelling Toe and a Dear Friend went to see it at the local Movie Tavern.

This is a difficult movie to explain, so shown below is an overview from the internet:

At once a vital portrait of contemporary African American life and an intensely personal and poetic meditation on identity, family, friendship, and love, MOONLIGHT is a groundbreaking piece of cinema that reverberates with deep compassion and universal truths. Anchored by extraordinary performances from a tremendous ensemble cast, Barry Jenkins's staggering, singular vision is profoundly moving in its portrayal of the moments, people, and unknowable forces that shape our lives and make us who we are.

The movie is told in three separate segments.  This first part focuses on Chiron, known as "Little", meeting Juan who becomes his friend and tries to help him navigate through his young life. The second segment is Chiron as a teenager who is bullied and the consequences it holds for him.  The third segment is Chiron as a young adult who known as "Black".and is a drug dealer.

CAST:

Alex Hibbert
Little

Ashton Sanders
Chiron

Trevante Rhodes
Black

Mahershala Ali
Juan

                                                                    

Naomie Harris
Paula

Janelle Monae
Teresa

Each of the three young actors were excellent in their individual roles.  Also Mahershala Ali as Juan won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. The movie received a total of 8 Oscar nominations and won 3.

The Travelling Toe awards this movie 2 middle toes up with the correct Oscar Envelope.

"Kurios Cabinet of Curiosties" presented by Cirque Du Soleil

Hello Dear Readers, The Travelling Toe has been laid up with a bad case of bronchitis and has not been out and about much for the past several weeks.  However in between spells, The Travelling Toe was able to attend a Saturday matinee of "Kurios Cabinet of Curiosities" presented by Cirque Du Soleil.

The tents were set up this year at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie.  

photo from IPhone
The Travelling Toe

This show is a tribute to the power of the human imagination from the exploration of the beginnings of scientific discoveries. These inventions include the ones that led to the steam locomotion on up to the use of electromagnetic waves.

Cirque Du Soleil shows are always full of exciting and interesting acts as well as amazing music and the most colorful costumes and face paint ever imagined.  

                                                  



Each show that The Travelling Toe has bsen by Cirque has been so much fun and so enjoyable.  The shows are always played in an old fashioned circus tent but utilizes the latest in electronics and computer wizardry.  And one side note, they carry their own portable potty system with them



Cirque Du Soleil
                                                           


   

January 2017 Westmont Garden Meeting

WESTMONT GARDEN CLUB

JANUARY 28, 2017

The Westmont Garden Club was scheduled to have the first monthly meeting of the new year on Saturday, January 28, 2017.  However, the meeting was cancelled due to the speaker’s sudden illness. The program was to be about Seasonal Gardening Prep. 

                           

           

       

In the absence of a speaker, a few members did meet for lunch and had an enjoyable time.

The Program Director had purchased several seasonal plants for door prizes.

FWSO Symphonic Series at Bass Hall

The second symphonic production of the year was recently performed at beautiful Bass Hall in downtown Fort Worth.

Bass Hall


Fort Worth Symphony

The Travelling Toe and 2 Dear Friends attended the Sunday matinee performance.

The program was led by guest conductor, Christoph Konig.

Christoph Konig
guest conductor

The first selection was Symphony No 7 in C Major composed by Jean Sibelius.  The program notes that this was the last symphony that Sibelius wrote.

Jean Sibelius
1845-1957

Following the first work, a brief pause was taken in order to re-arrange the orchestra chairs and roll the grand piano out on to the stage.

Inon Barnatan
featured pianist 

Guest soloist Inon Barnatan sat at the beautiful piano and played an interesting piece composed by Bela Bartok.  It was Concerto No.3 for Piano and Orchestra.  Bartok finished the piece in 1945 while living in New York City.  He and his wife had left their homeland  of Hungry in 1940 escaping the Nazis.  

Bela Bartok
1881-1945

Following a 20 minute intermission, Maestro Konig once again led the orchestra in the final selection of the program.  The featured symphony was by Johannes Brahms, Symphony No. 1 in C Minor. 

Johannes Brahms
1883-1897

What a glorious number with which end the concert.

Pablo Picasso: Ceramics at the Arlington Museum of Art

A Dear Friend and The Travelling Toe spent a hour visiting the latest exhibit at the Arlington Museum of Art.  The Museum's exhibit was "Pablo Picasso:Ceramics".  

Pablo Picasso

Normally one does not relate Picasso to works of ceramics.  But around 1946, he visited the Madoura Pottery works,which was located in Southern France and owned by Georges and Suzanne Ramies. During the tour, Picasso took an avid interest in the production of ceramics and pottery.  The owners of the company set up space dedicated for Picasso to create his own works of art.  Out of that partnership approximately 633 pieces of plates, bowls,vases and pitchers were created. 

Picasso  created the designs and often the models.  Each piece created had a limited number re-created  by the Madoura potters from Picasso's molds.  The limited editions ranged from as few as 25 to as many of 500 of a particular piece.

The exhibit we saw had over 40 ceramics on display.  We found them all  to be interesting and actually more enjoyable than his paintings.  Some we compared to Grecian or Etruscan pottery and some featured various animals and a few were human faces motif.  

Due to the Picasso name and the limited number produced of each piece of work, interest in them has increased, as well as their value. Recently on the Antiques Roadshow, several have been brought in to be appraised.  Depending on condition, limited number created, subject matter, and other factors, they have been appraised in value from $10,000 to $20,000.

Check the site below to find out more information.

PBS Antiques Roadshow

So when you are out junkin' be on the lookout for them!.  Here is an example of one found on the internet.

Photographs of the exhibit were not allowed in the museum, but The Travelling Toe was able to photograph some of the display cards.

This is a photo that was on display of Picasso showing his Doxie a plate he had made featuring the doggie (so cute)

Display cards that provided additional information on Picasso and his ceramics phase are shown

Arlington Art Museum
Arlington Museum of Art