"Mozart and Rachmaninoff" program presented by the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra

Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra
program

On a warm Sunday afternoon a friend accompanied The Travelling Toe to a performance by the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra featuring a work by Mozart and one by Rachmaninoff.  But the program began with a work from a living composer.  

The work was "American Symphony" written by Adam Schoenberg. The symphony has 5 movements and requires a large orchestra and uses many different types of percussion instruments throughout the piece.

Adam Schoenberg
composer

The program notes this comment from Adam:

    ..............the American Symphony in 5 movements reflects a respect and responsibility for
    this great potential of our nation and a hunger to effect positive change. This symphony 
    ends suspended in mid air to remind us that even though we are making positive strides 
    to being a better American we are still searching.

Mr. Schoenberg was in attendance at the performance and spoke with Maestro Miguel 
Harth-Bedoya regarding how the work was composed and came together.  

We both enjoyed his composition very much and hope it will continue to be successful on the concert circuit.  FWSO has a history or presenting  living composers work and having them in attendance to share their insights about what story the music is telling and why. Would it not be interesting to hear those types of thoughts from composers long ago?

After this work, 2 beautiful Steinway concert pianos were rolled on to the stage and soon the orchestra was re-seated for the second selection.  Soon the music of Mozart's "Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra No.10 in E-flat Major" was being performed.

The two pianists featured were Louis Lortie and Helene Mercier.  They are two Canadian artists who have a long history of performing together.  It was so exciting to have not one piano but two playing together and separately and supporting each other.  It was joyful to the ear and to the heart.

Helene Mercier and Louis Lortie

This was a exciting and wonderful performance. 

After a brief intermission, the program closed with Rachmaninoff's "Symphonic Dances".   Alas, The Travelling Toe and seat mate had a previous appointment and was unable to enjoy this piece.  But Rachmaninoff is always wonderful to hear and no one does the better than the FWSO!

Fort Worth Symphony

"Hitman:Agent 47" (movie critique)

Hitman: Agent 47
movie poster

The Travelling Toe and a friend journed to the local multiplex to see the latest action flick genre being shown.  The movie of the day was "Hitman" Agent 47".  Apparently we did not know it was based on a popular video game, we just saw it as a stand alone action packed movie.

The lead character, Agent 47, played Rupert Friend, has been genetically modified to be the perfect assassin.  No feelings, no need to eat, always with an arsenal of all kinds of weapons (no pat downs at the airport) and never has to pee.  Hmmmm, The Travelling Toe might like that last feature!

The human engineering program was conducted by Dr. Peter Litvenko (Ciaran Hinds) who sees the evils of his design and goes into hiding leaving behind his young daughter Katia (Hannah Ware).  

As Katia matures, she begins to try to locate her long lost father.  As she does, she comes to the attention of Syndicate International, lead by Le Clerq (Thomas Kretschmann) who also wants to find Dr. Litvenko but not for altruistic reasons.  Their agent, John Smith (Zachary Quinto) tries to persuade Katia that Agent 47 is after her to kill her.  But that is not true as Agent 47 is trying to protect her and help find her father.  John has an unique feature as he is the first human with bullet proof skin.   Shoot him and he just gets right up and comes right back at you. So how does he meet his just reward? Well, The Travelling Toe and does not reveal all you know!

OK, Dear Readers, that is really about all the plot line there is to share without revealing any spoiler alerts.

Just know this, the body count in this movie has to be in the triple digits.  Death and mayhem reign everywhere.  But if you like this kind of flick then it is a fairly good one to see  Certainly not boring!  

Rupert Friend

Zachary Quinto

Hannah Ware

Caran Hind

Thomas Kretschmann

The Travelling Toe gives this movie 1 big to up with a bullet proof vest since it has not been bioengineered to repel small lethal metal objects hurling towards it!


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

"Lovers and Executioners" presented by Circle Theatre

LOVERS AND EXECUTIONERS
play program

The Travelling Toe and a friend attended the Saturday afternoon performance of "Lovers and Executioners" at Circle Theatre in the downtown area of Fort Worth.  The play was written by John Strand.

John Strand
playwright

The current play is based on a French play written by Antoine Jacob dit Montfleury,
 (1639-1685).

The following insight is from the playwright's notes published in the play program:

Infidelity. Murder.  Revenge.  Cross-dressing.  Men in high heels spouting poetry. There is a lot going on in France.  Or in the French theater anyway.  

A man discovers that his wife has been unfaithful to him.  He abandons her on a desert island expecting her to die, but uncooperatively, she survives.  Disguised as a man, she makes her way back to their village and manages to have herself appointed judge - then promptly brings her husband to trial for the murder of his wife.

Mr. Strand states that:

....set out to explore what changes jealousy and guilt work upon the husband and thirst for revenge upon the wife. The comedy sets up the more serious moments:  Can two lovers, each in turn, contemplate the other's execution and yet find a way to forgive and even love again?  A challenging proposition, four hundred years ago,  As it is today.

This was a fun play to watch.  The actors were in period costumes that were just beautiful. Kudos to the costume designer, Sharon Standard.  There is even some real sword work as part of the action, so would suppose a lot of practice was required to get all those lunges and foils just right.  The dialogue was all in rhyme. How do the actors memorized all those lines and words because if you forget something you just can't use another word you have to have a rhyming word.  The show ends on a question.  What is that question Dear Readers?  Well, go see the play and you will find out.  Seatmate and the Travelling Toe had several discussions about  it and we still are not totally sure which way to vote.......(who gets the rose at the end???)

The featured Cast is:

Eric Dobbins

Amber Marie Flores

Suzanna Catherine Fox

Marianne Galloway

Chad Gowen Spear

Shane Strawbridge

Richard Stubblefield

All the cast was wonderful but Shane as Guzman, a servant, was always so funny when he appeared on stage.  But it is hard to give a shout-out to just one actor when they did such a great job on the production.

Circle Theatre

Shane and Suzanne
in character as
Guzman and Beatrice
(from Circle Theatre's Facebook page)

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

"Mary Poppins" presented by The Christ Chapel Bible Church

Mary Poppins
The Broadway Musical
play program

The Travelling Toe and several friends attended the Thursday evening production of "Mary Poppins: The Broadway Musical" at Christ Chapel Bible Church in Fort Worth.  Christ Chapel often presents a secular show as part of their extensive music program.  

This production was very well done. The staging, costumes, orchestration and singing would rival any professional company.  The leads especially had wonderful singing and acting talents. The actor who played Bert the chimney sweep had, to this Texan ear, a nice Cockney accent.  There was a wonderful mix of ages in the cast from young to senior and a cute little doggie who won the audience over as soon as he walked on stage.

One of the most delightful scenes was the musical number of "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious". The cast was attied in brightly colored costumes and sang their hearts out along with spelling out each letter of the word with their arms and hands - as in "YMCA".  They just kept getting faster and faster as they sang.  So enjoyable and exhilarating!

And of course the other fun song was "Let's Go Fly a Kite".  How could that song not make anyone happy?

The live orchestra just made the whole performance even better.

What a joyous evening at the theater. Kudos to all who were part of this presentation!

Side Note: They will be presenting a Christmas Cantata on several December dates.  It would be a nice way to celebrate the Advent season.


Christ Chapel Bible Church

"Mr. Burns,a post-electric pLay" presented by Stage West

Mr. Burns, a post-electric play
play program

Stage West



On a warm Sunday afternoon, The Travelling Toe, met 2 other friends to take in the newest production at Stage West in Fort Worth.   The title of the play, "Mr. Burns, a post-electric play" was written by Anne Washburn.  In the 3rd act there is a musical performed during the final scenes and Ms. Washburn wrote the lyrics and the musical score was written by Michael Friedman.

Anne Washburn

The Travelling Toe must admit that words fail to describe this play as it was very different, eccentric, funny, weird, creative. The announcer introduced the play by saying that man has always had a need to tell stories from cave drawings to current times. What is it that we tell, how do we tell it and how does it change over time - this play makes one think about that very issue.

As the curtain falls away, the scene on stage is very bleak. There are several people huddled around a camp fire discussing an episode of the animated series "The Simpsons".  It is learned, through the re-telling of this silly story and the appearance of a stranger, that the electric grid failed and all the nuclear power plants imploded. There is death and destruction worldwide, but these few people have banded together for survival.  The second scene of the first act takes place 7 years later and we find out that this merry band of Simpson fans have found a way to survive and thrive.  They perform live productions of the series episodes and even include the commercials.  They then barter these programs for food, water and other material items. After a short intermission the 3rd scene opens 75 years after that.  This is the musical scene of the play.  It is a full out take of the Simpsons with the post-apocalyptic survivors playing different characters in the show.  It almost has a Shakespearean look and feel. The costumes and staging were excellent and matched the theme of this act.

This play certainly is not for everyone but when you leave the theater you will know you have seen something very special and entertaining that would not be performed in many theaters.  Fort Worth has a thriving live theater community and it is a blessing to be able to attend these performances

Staging of the play

All the actors were exceptional and the stage setting  matched the mood of the play.  Here is a shout-out for all the actors:

Jessica Cavanagh
Caroline Dubberly
Kelsey Leigh Ervi
Ian Ferguson
Henry Greenberg
Mikaela Krantz
Amy Mills
Paul Taylor

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

Love A Luffa at the Westmont Garden Club

Luffa quilt

The Travelling Toe attended the August monthly meeting of the Westmont Garden Club. The program, “Luv A Luffa” was presented by Deb Terrell.

           

Deb Terrell

Deb began the program by telling a bit about herself.  She is originally from the garden state, which is New Jersey and said she was heavily influenced by the “Little House on the Prairie” book series.  Moving to Texas, she and her husband purchased land in the Aurora area , where it was reported in April ,1897 that outer space aliens had landed – just a fun factoid. 

When she began growing luffas for the “fruit”, she found that bees loved the beautiful yellow flowers.

luffa flower

Luffa is an easy plant to grow either in the ground or in a pot.  It likes the sun so it is a good plant for the Texas climate.  It can grow up to 40 feet so it does need a trellis to help support it.  Normally, Deb plants luffas in April when the soil begins to warm up as it does not like the cold.   The plant has to be kept moist.  It takes 100-120 days to go from seed to plant.  The last time to plant would be around July 4^th.  One plant produces 2 – 5 luffas.  The luffa fruit does not really compost unless it is really immature.  It can be cut up in small "rocks" and placed in the bottom of a planter for water drainage.

luffa plant

The luffa plant is a member of the cucumber family.  When the fruit turns green it is ready to be picked. The fruit can be eaten, supposedly tastes like a zucchini.  It can be chopped up and put in a smoothie – like kale.   The luffa juice is very healthful and is even made into nasal sprays.  The oil made from the luffa seeds is used in cosmetics and diesel fuel.  And one other creative use for the luffa was that they were used to line helmets during WWII.

Deb’s farm is now certified bee friendly and is a way station for the Monarch butterfly migration through Texas.  

Deb sells her luffas at the Crestline Neighborhood Market on the 3rd Saturday of the month.

At the Crestline Market, Deb met some ladies who sold soap made from goat's milk. So Deb now has dairy goats on her property for the "soap ladies".  This is a little hat Deb made for her goats and the little blue items around at the brim are luffas she cut up and painted blue.

goat hat

RJ the Cat, loves his luffa!

A tee shirt that Deb had on display and was awarded to one of the members as a door prize.  

Deb's table display.  She uses luffas as an art medium, cutting and painting them and adding little do-dads to the items.  She said that they make excellent cat toys!

Loretta Luffa

"Jimmy's Hall" (movie critique)

JIMMY'S HALL
movie poster

A Dear Friend and The Travelling Toe journeyed over to the Magnolia Theater at the Modern Art Museum in Fort Worth.  On the weekends, the theater shows "indie" type flicks that do not make it to the mainstream multiplex theaters.  

The movie we went to see was "Jimmy's Hall".  The movie is based on a true character and his experiences in his native country of Ireland.  

The story beings 1932, which is 10 years after Jimmy Gralton fled to the United States.  He returns back home to County Leitrim in Ireland to take care of his aging mother and the family farm. He had been head of a workers group which sowed the seeds for the Irish Communist Party.  Before he left Ireland for the States he and his brother had built a hall for folks to use for meetings and dances.   When he left Ireland, the hall was closed as the government at that time was not pleased with his activities.  

But in 1932, which is 10 years after the Civil War, a new government is now in power.  But the question is will it make positive changes needed for the Irish people and for County Leitrim as well?  

Jimmy works the farm and tries to stay out of trouble. But the young people of the county cajole  Jimmy into re-opening the hall for dances and other events.  He finally gives in and helps the young people fix, clean and re-open the hall.   Soon it is filled with activities from Irish step dancing classes, boxing instruction for the young lads, a book club and other fun events.  Jimmy even introduces the group to American jazz.  But the local Priest has a long dislike for Jimmy and see his activities as bordering on communism ideals.  

The Priest begins a campaign to have the hall closed down. With the Priest's outspokenness against Jimmy and the going-ons at the hall, emotions begin to boil over and even making family members turn on each other.  Things escalate and one night the hall is burned to the ground.  The Police go after Jimmy and he tries to hide but is eventually found. Those in charge as well as the Priest decide that Jimmy must go.  There is one young Priest who tries to help Jimmy but must obey the rules laid out by the older Priest.  

Side Note:  The young Priest is played by, Andrew Scott, who you might recognize from various roles on PBS and is the current Professor Moriarty on the popular Sherlock Holmes series.

Because Jimmy has an American passport the Irish government rules that he is an illegal alien and is to be deported back to the US since he was now a US citizen.  Jimmy is the only person that Ireland has ever deported.  

This movie was at times sweet and loving full of fun and good music and other times narrow minded and brutal.  Life was hard in Ireland in 1932 but it was hard everywhere due to the Great Depression.

The cast credits:

Barry Ward
as
Jimmy Gralton

Simone Kirby
as Oonagh

Andrew Scott
as
Father Seamus

James Norton
as
Father Sheridan

Jimmy Gralton , born in 1887, died in NYC in 1945 of stomach cancer.

The Travelling Toe gives this movie 1 big toe up with a shamrock painted on it and a pint of Guinness on the side.


                                                                                  


                                                                                                             Guinness

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