Sea Life Aquarium

The Sea Life Aquarium in Concord is about 10 minutes from our house, but the line to get in is always about an hour. So, Sue and I decided to go on a weekday evening when all the kids are home with their parents and we could be alone with the fishes. Like Luca Brasi, only alive.

It’s a small aquarium; as far as aquariums go; but it is a great introduction for the kids in the area to view sea life which they would ordinarily have to travel to South Carolina for. Of all the new large scale attractions to come to the Charlotte area in recent years; such as the NASCAR Hall of Fame; it’s a pleasure to finally have something which families can enjoy, as well as afford to attend.

My favorite part was the lobster tank. Usually, when we see lobsters at all, they are bound at the claws and crowded together like refugees from a catastrophe. Not here. The lobsters  in the aquarium are like giant cockroaches. They have long spindly legs and huge antenna. They walk surprisingly upright and proud as they scavenge the tank floor for something to eat.

The “petting” area; well that might be the wrong word for it; but the area where you are allowed to touch the small crustaceans and crabs is sure to be a joy for any kid “land locked” in the plains of the Piedmont, where Concord sits. We have streams, a river and even a man-made lake well stocked with game fish, but there is nothing which can spark the dreams and imagination of children; young and old; in the way a salt water aquarium can.

The economic impact on the local area will also be felt as the children buy souvenirs and the families retire to the adjacent mall to eat in the food court. As for me and Sue; well, after looking at all those fish there was but one thing to do; find a seafood restaurant! 

"Barbra's Wedding" at the Old Courthouse Theater, Concord NC

"Barbra's Wedding" opened the "Living Room Reading Series" in Concord yesterday. It was a 2 person play, starring Jonathan Ewart and Melissa Bowden as a married couple living next door to Barbra Streisand on the day of Ms. Streisand's wedding in 1998.

As usual, the show was flawlessly produced and directed by Jonathan M. Ewart, 37, who has stated that his goal is to "share lesser-known plays with the community.”

“Barbra’s Wedding” was written by Daniel Stern, and concerns Jerry Schiff, played by Jonathan Ewart, and his wife Molly, played by Melissa Bowden, and the events that occur on the day of their famous next door neighbor's wedding. Ms. Streisand is about to be married to James Brolin, and Jerry and Molly are not invited.

Jerry is particularly upset due to the fact that he was the star of a now forgotten TV series, and as such considers himself a peer of Ms. Streisand's. This oversight brings out all of Jerry's feelings of failure and inadequacy, drawing him into a comical confrontation with his wife over these very issues. She is happy and content, while he feels bitter and betrayed.

With powerful performances by both Mr. Ewart and Ms. Bowden, the couple, through the rantings of Jerry, and the strength of Molly, are forced to finally confront who and what they are, both as individuals, as well as a couple.

This is yet one more triumph for Mr. Ewart and his "Living Room Reading" series. If you are anywhere near Charlotte you should check them out. Their link is posted here;

http://www.oldcourthousetheatre.org/

"Mrs. Murphy's Porch" by Wysteria Edwards

One of the most well kept secrets in the Charlotte area is the existence of the Old Courthouse Theatre and their Living Room Reading Series, which I have covered here before, with much pleasure. Yesterday's World Premiere performance of Wysteria Edwards exceptionally well written new play, "Mrs. Murphy's Porch", was equally well performed by the cast.

If you have never been to a "reading", then you have no idea what you are missing. The actors sit, or stand, in front of the audience, scripts in hand, and read the play without the benefit of scenery or costumes. This is the true test of any play. Does it have the clarity, and the power, to deliver the author's message standing soley upon their written words? In Ms. Edwards case, and with the help of Director Jonathan Ewart and his band of performers, the answer is a resounding yes.

The play opens in a classroom on January 28, 1986. This was the day the space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after blasting off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, killing all aboard. The opening of this play co-incides with that moment.

The story centers around Penny, a young girl, played with great empathy by Melissa Bowden, and her friend Henry, played by Jake Sumner. The two are largely inseperable and play all kinds of fantasy games. Penny is always in charge, while Henry follows her lead. When they play at Peter Pan, Penny is Peter Pan while Henry is relagated to the role of Tinkerbell. Penny is controlling, while Henry is almost docile.

Penny's home sits next door to Mrs. Murphy, a local spinster,played wonderfully and with great tenderness by Margaret Lackey, who sometimes joins in the childrens fantasies and games. She is also the sympathetic ear for the children and Penny's parents, Jim, played by Jeremy Peterson, and Elaine, played by Claudia Reiff. As parents, they are very different from one another. Elaine sems almost obsessed with Penny's living in a constant fantasy world, while Jim feels that she is just going through a phase. He even participates in some of her fantasy games.

When Henry goes to visit relatives in Myrtle Beach for a few weeks, Penny is devastated. Her world begins to crumble. Without the fantasy based friendship of Henry, Penny has no place to look, except to her real life. By this time, the audience has been introduced to the town physician, Dr. Hamilton, played with great charm by Gene Saine, as a wise, but lonely man.

When Henry returns from Myrtle beach, things have changed a bit between him and Penny. He seems reluctant to play the subservient role. At this point Dr. Hamilton has revealed the big secret which is the driving force behind Penny's controlling behavior. In a heart wrenching scene Penny visits her younger sister, Amy, played by Elaine's real life daughter, Olivia Reiff, in the hospital where she is dying from lukemia. The two girls share their views of life and the pure chance that governs all of our fates. It is at this point in which the audience realizes that Henry has been penny's surrogate sister all along. That point is made all the more poignant when it is revealed to the audience that Penny's sister is her twin.

Interspersed, as it is, with references to the Challenger disaster, the children, as well as the adults, are all forced to examine the random nature of the events that sometimes overtake us. Only Mrs. Murphy, a woman who has been widowed, seems to understand the full nature of this thing we call life. Doctor Hamilton seems to understand this as well, and the two are drawn to one another as the play comes to a close.

The central message that I took away from this beautifully written play is that we are all victims of life, and all that it brings us, for better or worse. All we can do sometimes, as human beings, is to accept those things, store them for reference and then move on.

This was yet another triumph for Concord's Old Courthouse Theater and the Living Room Reading Series. The performers were all superb, Melissa Bowden was excellent as the lead character of Penny, who narrates portions of the play as a grown up, looking back upon the events in the play. Thanks, Jonathan Ewart, for another wondeful and enjoyable presentation.

Kicking It Off In Concord

Last night Concord kicked off the holiday season with a Christmas Tree lighting followed by a great fireworks display from the top of the Municipal Garage. The tree was across the street in front of the Concord Police Dept. Building. I was hoping to get a good shot of the Christmas Tree with the fireworks in the background, but it didn't quite work out as planned. That's the moon to the right of the tree below.


There was a dearth of fireworks in the area this July 4th, mostly due to budget cuts around the region, so it was really kind of nice to see so many people turn out for the event. Now, let's all go shopping.

Follow Up - The Nazi Manhole Mystery

Following up on yesterday's post concerning the Nazi Manhole Mystery, the sewer lid seems to have originated here in the United States. Apparently there was a Concord Foundry which cast iron in the county years ago. These lids were made in the late 1930's and have been discovered before in Concord as well as Kannapolis. .

I spoke with Mr. Slough at the Department of Public Works in Kannapolis. He was aware of these covers from some of his co-workers who had been working in the Department long before he arrived. As they are found, they are removed.

Now, a little background. In the 1930's the United States was reeling from the effects of the Great Depression. Even in New York there was a Nazi Party that gathered at Madison Square Garden to exercise their Right of Freedom of Speech in an effort to muzzle the rest of us. Apparently this effort was not confined to New York.

Obviously, someone in Concord was sympathetic enough to the National Socialist Movement (remember Nazi is an acronym for this) to stamp the Nazi logo on the cast iron sewer lids being produced under their name. Again, this is free speech. Sometime after 1940 installation of these lids seems to have come to a halt. This makes me think that,and I am only surmising this, that the owners probably had a change of heart after the beginning of the Second World War in December of 1941. Perhaps they had a child who was drafted...

I could go on and try to find out who these people were etc. But what would be the point? I doubt that this was the work of a serious Aryan Nation style group. Just some working class people, caught up in hard times, who bought into a strategy that turned out to be a Hell on Earth.

"Shadowlands" A Reading By The Old Courthouse Theatre

"Shadowlands", the William Nicholson play about the relationship between C.S.Lewis and his marraige to American poet Helen Joy Davidman (later Gresham and then Lewis) is a fabled romance in literary circles. Mr. Nicholsons' treatment of, and reading by, The Old Courthouse Theatre, located in Concord, both do the subject justice.

Briefly, the story is of C.S. Lewis, celebrated author, and the conflict between his intellect and his heart. After a lengthy correspondence he meets Mrs. Gresham in England in the early 1950's. She is a noted poet, having shared the 1938 Russell Loines Memorial Prize with Robert Frost. The two immediatley become quite attached to one another intellectually. He accepts her as an equal, and though they differ on some levels, they seem to recognize in one another a capacity that they have found lacking in others. They are kindred spirits.

She returns to America and divorces her husband, writer David Gresham, and then returns to England with her two sons, David and Douglas. Not wishing to return to America she and C.S.Lewis enter into a civil "marraige of convenience" in order to facilitate her remaining in England. They are still "intellectual" friends at this point. Later, when she is diagnosed with cancer, he marries her again, in the Church of England, despite her previous divorce. The ceremony was performed at her hospital bedside on March 21, 1956 by Mr. Lewis' freind Reverend Peter Bride. By 1960 she would pass away. It is worth noting that today would be their anniversary.

When Mr. Lewis first expounds on Gods pain being a sign of His love for us, he does not know Mrs. Gresham, and so may not have the necessary experience to draw this conclusion. Later on, after her death, he does question his own convictions, but much to his credit endures, and his faith in God ramains intact.

The opening of the play and the portrayal of C.S. Lewis delivering a lecture on the eternal question of "Why Does God Let Man Suffer", is superb. Will Baysinger delivers a terrific performance throughout the entire play- but this opening is his shining moment. In a delivery as potent as anything ever done by Ronald Coleman, he sets the pace for the rest of the play as he explores this still relevant question.

Kim Baysinger plays Joy and is so moved by her role, that near the end she is visibly weeping as she really "feels" the part. This is just a reading - but the audience can actually see and feel her pain. A very moving performance.

Playing the part of C.S. Lewis' brother Warnie was Tommy Warlick. His reading was "spot on" to the character he portrayed. He was, at times, acting with his hands. His interplay with Mr. Baysinger, seated next to him the entire time, gave both roles the intimacy they need and deserve.

Tim Thomas played Riley, a freind and confidante of the group of bachelors who make up Mr. Lewis' all male group of freinds prior to the arrival of Mrs. Gresham. He lends a nuanced and balanced aspect to the group, leaving you wishing he had more lines.

Tyler Warlick played the part of Mrs. Greshams' son Douglas (who wrote the original book, "Lenten Lands: My Childhood with Joy Davidman and CS Lewis" in 1988, and upon which this play is based). Young Mr. Warlick, along with his parents, who are also in the play, is remarkable in his timing and inflection, giving real dimension to such a small role. His father, as stated, plays Warnie and his mother, Katie Warlick, plays the role of the Registrar and Nurse at the hospital.

The narration, by Jonathan Ewart, was light and gave the audience just what it needed to let the play take over and serve as the bridge you cross on the journey back to England in the 1950's.

The Direction, also by Mr. Ewart, was equally understated, and enabled the play to do the talking. The characters are finely developed and the whole thing rolled along very smoothly. As in the last "reading" I attended, the stools simply disappeared and I found myself sitting in an English drawing room, fireplace, armchair and all.

This was a wonderful "reading" of a very beautifully written play. It tackles so much more than just the relationship between Mr. Lewis and Mrs. Gresham. It explores the self doubts and pain associated with ones own thoughts. Watch this space for information on Old Courthouse Theatres' next production. You really don't want to miss it.

A Reading- "Countergirls" Performed by Old Courthouse Theatre Group

Magic occurs in the strangest of places. A movie theater, an art gallery, a trip to the library, all of these things hold the promise of a journey. But every now and again you come across a real jewel. The Concord based Old Courthouse Theatre Group is one of these jewels.

Sue and I attended a 4PM Sunday performance, actually a "reading", of the play "Counter Girls" by Michael Russell at the Old Courthouse Theatre in Concord yesterday. The Theatre Group were clearly not expecting such a crowd but happily moved us from the small basement theatre to the more spacious playhouse. It was cold inside, as the heat was off, but everyone kept their coats on and gave it a shot.

Good thing they did, too, or else they would have missed a wonderful reading of a wonderfully wry and insightful play. Read by Lenore Young, Betty Porter, Francis Quinn, Tammi Schumate, Jennifer Grant and Jonathan Ewart, the characters took on lives of their own, and the audience sailed right along with them. The personality development was swift and believable. The stools and the music racks were in plain view but vanished with their reading and it was very easy to picture the dime store where the story takes place.

Set in a small Southern town in 1990, the tale is simple on the surface. It concerns Ms. Lib, a former country singer of minor note, now the manager of the independently owned lunch counter at the local five and dime. She is the glue that holds so many lives together during the course of the play. She has faith in everyone, though at times her own patience is tried.

The 4 characters that surround her are all remarkable in their own ways. There is Lynette, a 20 year employee who fears that Betty Ruth, a newly seperated woman, is after her job. Then there is Janita, the aspiring young country singer with a strict Dad, who fears that her lifes dream is already over before it's begun. And finally, there is Donnie Ray, the "slow" young man who was given the job by Lib after his parents are killed in a fire when he was not at home. He is simple but kindly, with a fear of any emergency, as he associates the word with people dying.

The play is a window into the every day lives and dramas of some ordinary people.They form alliances and petty differences, but more importantly, they are like a small family. They even play the weekly "Lotto" out of New York together, with Billy Ray calling in the numbers each Wednesday to a customer who happened in once. Billy Ray struck up a conversation with him and they formed a freindship. Now each week they all chip in to send "Carmine" the money for the numbers they have played and already lost. And with a name like Carmine - you automatically expect the worst.

I won't be a spoiler here- so I'll just say that this play takes you on a journey. You learn to have faith that Lib will help solve everyones problems. And that's pretty easy to accept. There are people like that. And then you also learn that sometimes salvation can come from a very unexpected source in a very unconventional way.

With excellent readings and performances by all including Lenore Young as the Narrator, this was an event not to be missed. Should the Old Courthouse Theatre decide to produce this play, they will find me back to see the performance. At any rate, I will be back to see this remarkable and talented group of performers again. Bravo to all, and well done!