"On Golden Pond" presented by the Granbury Theatre Company

ON GOLDEN POND
play program





Granbury Theatre Company

The Travelling Toe and 3 other friends attended  the Sunday matinee performance of "On Gold Pond" presented by the Granbury Theatre Company.  The play was performed in the historic Granbury Opera House which has recently undergone a wonderful restoration.  It is a lovely venue to enjoy a live performance.

GRANBURY OPERA HOUSE
COURTHOUSE SQUARE
GRANBURY TX

The play is told in 2 acts with 3 scenes in the first act and 2 scenes in the second act.  The story takes place at Norman and Ethel's summer house situated on Golden Pond.  Norman is rather a curmudgeon but Ethel takes it in her stride.  Their daughter Chelsea with her fiancee, Billy,  and soon to be step-son, Billy Jr., come for a short visit before embarking on a trip to Europe. During the play, unresolved issues between father and daugher pop up.  Plus  we begin to see Norman suffering decline in his health and memory.

Since Chelsea and Billy are headed for an extended trip to Europe, it is decided that Billy Jr will spent the summer with Norman and Ethel.  Along the way Norman and Billy Jr become good friends.  Norman introduces young Billy to classic literature such as "Robinson Crusoe" and "The Count of Monte Christo". And they spend many hours out on the lake fishing.  At the end of summer, Chelsea arrives to pick up Billy to take him home to California.  She then tells her parents that she and Billy Senior were married while in Europe.  
Chelsea and her father have a discussion about old hurts and come to a tentative reconciliation.  Norman and Ethel agree to visit the new family in California.

The Travelling Toe must admit she was a little hesitant to see this play due to a dislike of the movie, but this production was way better than the movie.  All the actors were very good in their parts.  But, Duncan Alexander who played Norman and Tonya Laree, Ethel,, were spot on for their characters.  After the performance both actors come to the lobby and greeted audience members as we exited the theater.  It was a nice treat to be able to tell the actors how much you enjoyed their performance.

What an delightful  afternoon's entertainment of live theater shared with good friends.

Ernest Thompson
playwright

Side Note:  The play was written by Ernest Thompson in 1979.  It was then adapted for the movie and which was released in 1981.

See the play not the movie!

. 

"Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" at Bass Hall

JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT
ply program

The Travelling Toe and a friend attended the Sunday matinee performance of "Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" present by Performing Arts Fort Worth at Bass Hall.


Bass Hall


If you remember the story of Joseph from your Sunday School days then you will know the story. Here is a short overview of it to refresh your memory.  Joseph had 11 brothers who were all jealous of him because Joseph was the favorite son of their father, Jacob.  The brothers plot to get rid of Joseph and his dreams by killing him but then decide to sell him to some travelling Ishmaelites instead.  Joseph is sold as a slave in Egypt and through no fault of his own, he lands up in jail.  There he becomes famous for interpreting dreams when his translations come true.  Meanwhile, the Pharaoh has been having troubling dreams but no one can tell him what they mean. Then his butler tells him about Joseph. The Pharaoh sends for Joseph and tells him about the strange dreams he is having each night.  Joseph is able to interpret the dreams and warns Pharaoh that there will be 7 years of bumper crops followed by 7 lean years.  The Pharaoh appoints Joseph as his #2 and puts him in charge of building storehouses for the bumper crops to help get them through the lean years.  

Back in Canaan, the 11 brothers and their families are starving and decide to go to Egypt where they hear there is food to be had.  When they arrive, begging for food, Joseph recognizes them but they do not recognize him.  After some trickery, he finally tells them who he really is.  Jacob is excited to see his son once again.

Happy Ending for all.

The musical was written by the creative team of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice.  The play tells the story of Joseph very well and has wonderful songs of different styles.  

Andrew Lloyd Webber

Tim Rice

The brothers sing a C&W type song, "One More Angel in Heaven",  to tell Jacob that Joseph is dead.  Then when they are starving they sing "Those Canaan Days" in a French cabaret style including berets.

The actor who played Joseph, JC McCann, had a good voice and did justice to his big songs of "Close Every Door" and "Any Dream Will Do".  One other favorite character was Pharaoh, who always enters as a king...well the King of Rock & Roll, Elvis style, with screaming and fainting girls due to his hip action!

JC McCann as
Joseph

The Travelling Toe has seen this musical many times but really enjoyed this performance.  The use of digital projection set design to enhance the stage setting was very well done. It seems that more touring shows are turning to this method more often than not so that multiple large sets do not have to be dismantled and moved from town to town. The singing and dancing by the entire ensemble was impressive and fun. All in all an excellent production!

"The Transporter Refueled" (movie critique)

THE TRANSPORTER REFUELED
movie poster

The Travelling Toe and a friend went to the local Movie Tavern to see "The Transporter Refueled".  We do like our action flicks.

This is the 4th movie in the series.  The first three stared Jason Statham (sigh).  There is a new TV series on TNT also based on this character with Chris Vance playing the tittle role.  Ed Skrein plays Frank Martin in this new movie. Oh, he always wears a black suit, a white shirt and a black tie as his work ensemble..

Jason Statham
first Frank

Chris Vance
TV Frank

Ed Skrein
current Frank

The short overview is that Frank Martin, an extra military special ops soldier, is a driver taking a "package" from point A to point B or sometimes C - Z.  The package can be anything that needs special handling, including people.  As in this movie, Frank is hired to pick up 3 women all dressed alike and leaving a bank with the police hot on their trail.  Frank finally delivers them to their safe house which is an abandoned warehouse. There Frank finds his father, Frank Sr, played by the handsome, mature actor, Ray Stevenson, drugged and tied up. Another one of the "girls" had kidnapped him to ensure that Frank would complete the job. 

Ray Stevenson
papa Frank

Frank only drives spiffy souped-up Audi sedans that even feature rolling license plates in order to hide from the Police.  The "girls" are ex-prostitutes and are after their former boss, a Russian thug, Arkady, played by Anatole Taubman.  And they do get their revenge but at a high price.

Lane Chabanol
Anna

Anatole Taubman
Arkady
(really bad guy)

Well Dear Readers, needless to say there is lots of car chases, double crossing, fight scenes and even a great boat chase that keeps the action moving along.  Also, this movie had to have been shot in the south of France as the scenery, whizzing by at warp speed, was lovely.

The Travelling Toe gives this movie 1 big toe up with a dramamine pill for car sickness!

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

Granbury Doll House Museum in Granbury, Texas

GRANBURY DOLL HOUSE MUSEUM

The Travelling Toe joined other ladies who enjoy wearing purple clothing with bright red head gear, travelled to the beautiful city of Granbury, Texas.  The purpose of the trip was fun, food and fellowship.  

To begin the fun part, we toured the Granbury Doll House Museum. The dolls are displayed in a lovely restored house built in 1904 that is owned by the City of Granbury.

Our tour guide for the day was Barbara Gray-Williams who welcomed us wearing a lovely red hat.  

our hostess Barbara with a very special doll

The information below is from their web site that tells a little about the museum and how it came to be:

Barbara Gray-Williams, her sister Jane Sharp and Kathy White are no longer children; however, they still play with dolls.  

Today, you can enjoy their hobby, turned passion, at the Granbury Doll House Museum.  The plethora of dolls brings excellent use to the Nutt family's historic home at 421 E Bridge Street in Granbury, Texas.

The house, donated to the city had sat vacant for sometime, waiting to find its purpose.  In 2012, the Granbury Doll House Museum was established and the house's purpose had been fulfilled.  With over 1,000 dolls to view and more collections planned, the museum offers a glimpse of history through dolls.

Granbury Doll House Museum

Barbara told us that the three sisters started out with 600 dolls and now the collection has over 2,000 dolls on display and in storage.  And they still accept dolls to add to the collection.  They also have a doll "hospital" and can repair dolls.  

Here are some of the famous "people" that we saw at the museum:

Ken and Barbie
Star Trek
is that Mr. Spock in the background?

Elvis was in the building

Lucy stopped by

Campbell Soup Kids

Bunnies galore

There are dolls of every shape, size and theme.  If you love dolls are know someone who does, then this is worth the short drive to Granbury.  There is not admission fee but donations are accepted.

Our group had a fun time and saw many dolls from our childhood that we wish we still had.  Barbara and her sisters have put together a charming display that is fun to visit. You have to walk through the house several times to take it all in.

3 story doll house
has electric lights

1935 Shirley Temple doll
with box  - price of $1.29

This sign says it all

"Learning to Drive" (movie critique)

LEARNING TO DRIVE
movie poster

The Travelling Toe and a friend ventured outside the normal comfort zone of the neighborhood multiplex to a different one just to be able to see  "Learning to Drive".  

The movie stars Patricia Clarkson who is Wendy, a very  successful book editor and author in NYC.  The movie opens with Wendy and her husband Ted (Jake Weber) having a heated argument as they enter the taxicab driven by Darwin (Ben Kingsley).  Ted is telling Wendy he is breaking up with her and wants a divorce.  Wendy thinks Ted is just going through another phase and that they have been together too long for them to split up now.   But Ted tells Wendy he is serious and he is in love with someone else.  Wendy starts crying and yelling and Ted finally jumps out of the cab leaving a distraught Wendy alone in the cab with a befuddled Darwin. He drives Wendy to her home and he gives her a card with his name and number on it in case she needs a cab. But Darwin is not just a cab driver, he also is a driving instructor.

Wendy decides she has to learn to drive so she can go see her daughter Tasha (Grace Gummer) who lives in Vermont.  Wendy, being a typical New Yorker, never learned how to drive a car as she had public transportation to get her where she wanted to go.  If a car was required then Ted was the designated driver.  But now Wendy must find her way to becoming more self-sufficient and if she wants to see Tasha she has to learn how to drive.  She comes across Darwin's card and arranges for him to begin giving her driving lessons.  Darwin is extremely patient with her and encourages her to achieve her dream of passing the driving test and even purchasing a new car.

Through this chaotic challenge for them both, they begin to share their stories.  Darwin, who is from India, is a political refuge.  He had been in jail for many years and his family all killed except for a sister.  The reason for his incarceration is that he was a Sikh in a Hindu country and there is deep conflict between the two groups .  During one day's lesson, Darwin asks Wendy for help in choosing a gift for a woman his sister in India has chosen for him - as in an arranged marriage. He is rather apprehensive about the situation and not sure how much they have in common.  But Jasleem (Sarita Choudhury) finally comes to New York and she and Darwin are married.

As the driving instructions continue on, Darwin and Wendy share many stories, secrets and out of it comes a deep friendship and better understanding of each other's lives.  Also Jasleem, at first shy and withdrawn, begins to make friends in the neighborhood and changes as well. 

This movie was fun to see and we both enjoyed it so much.  We feel sure that this movie will not be a big ratings winner in the movie box office stats.  However if you choose to see "Learning to Drive" you will be glad you did - well hopefully so.

The Travelling Toe gives this movie 1 big toe up with it's own seatbelt if Wendy is driving.

The cast:

Ben Kingsley
Darwin

Patricia Clarkson
Wendy

Jake Weber
Ted

Grace Gummer
Tasha

Sarita Choudhury
Jasleem

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

"A Walk in the Woods" (movie critique)

A Walk In The Woods
movie poster

Along with the Friday Movie Mavens, The Travelling Toe saw the new flick stating Robert Redford and Nick Nolte, " A Walk in the Woods".  The movie is based on a book of the same name written by Bill Bryson.

Bill Bryson

A Walk in the Woods
book cover

Bill Bryson

The story begins with author Bill Bryson (Robert Redford) who is doing an interview for a TV show and realizes that it has been a while since he has written a book .  He currently has no immediate plans or thoughts about writing a new book.

After attending a friend's funeral with his wife, played by Emma Thompson, he decides he does need to do something with his life to get back on track.  He sees a sign for the Appalachian Trail and decides that is what he needs to do - hike the trail and write about it.  He starts calling around to all his friends to find a partner and no one wants to go.  Age and health issues are predominantly the reasons given for not going.  When he is about to give up, he receives a call from a forgotten friend, Stephen Katz (called Katz) who is played by a wheezing Nick Nolte. Katz insists he can go on the hike just like the old days when the two guys were younger.  And he is now sober.

So the adventure begins. Bryson and Katz are driven to the trailhead and start off on the long hike.  It is not an easy trail and the younger kids keep passing them but they keep trying to trudge along.  They meet one very interesting character played by Kristen Schaal who has a verbal dialogue going about anything and everything.  They eventually have to devise a plan to escape her and they finally do.

At one point during the hike, they make it to a town just off the trail and spent a couple of nights at a motel run by Mary Steenburgen.  She definitely has her eye on Bill but he stays true to his wife, even though it is a tad difficult to do. Oh, and Katz has a romantic interlude with a local lady but the husband finds out about it and is not a happy camper.  The guys leave the motel but this time out the back window to avoid the hubby!

At one point in the hike, they are on the side of a mountain trail and Bill slips and falls, bringing Katz down with him.  They wind up on a ledge and just have to stay there overnight till some young hikers find them the next day and help them back up to the trail.  It begins raining and when they finally find some cover, they see they have been hiking for several months through, rain, snow and bears, and have only gotten a third of the way through the trail.  They make a mutual decision that this is their stopping place. They hitch a ride from a Forest Ranger who gets them to the next town.

Back home in New Hampshire, Bill is going through his mail and in it he finds postcards that Katz has mailed to him along the trail.  The last one shows the Iowa State Fair grounds and Katz wrote on the card, "I wonder what's next'.

The cast:

Robert Redford
Bill

Nick Nolte
Katz

Mary Steenburgen

Emma Thompson

Kristen Schaal

The Travelling Toe gives this movie 1 big toe up with an open blister and 1 middle toe up with 3 bandaids.  We all enjoyed it and had many laughs during the movie.  There is one burning question that inquiring minds want to know - did Nolte use a bare bottom double or was that his true self?  

Appalachian Trail

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