Archive: Arts & Entertainment

Doug and Rob have caught the theatre bug. They want to write the next big Broadway hit and think they’ve done just that with 'Gutenberg! The Musical!', an over-the-top, fictional account about the inventor of the printing press. The songs have been written and the script is complete.   Now all they need is a big time producer.   The solution?   Hold a reading of the musical for potential backers in which they play all the roles themselves, with the assistance of nearly 30 hats labeled with characters’ names!   'Gutenberg! The Musical!' is about more than the absurd antics of two aspiring writers; it is a story about dreams and the strength it takes to put yourself out there in an effort to fulfill them.   It is a wipe-the-tears-of-laughter-away musical with huge heart, appropriate for ages 12 & up.

Ithaca -- The Tompkins County Public Library will host an encore performance by the Senior Citizen’s Theatre Troupe of Lifelong, Thursday, June 11, 2009 at 2:00 PM in the BorgWarner Community Room.

A follow-up to last spring’s riveting performance at the Library, this performance centers around the theme of women’s empowerment and beauty.  The Troupe performs simply with no lights, props or sets.  The choral theatre being performed is developed from themes that the actors select, and the stories they tell are based on their own life experiences.

SMART TALK
by Dr. Parley Speake

BURGER KING BAGELS:  The late Al Capp, creator of the eponymous comic strip character Li'l Abner, was a staunch conservative.  Not many of the staff here at the Institute for the Linguistically Impaired remember him, but I do.

He hated war protesters,and one of his strips lampooned the then-megastar Joan Baez and made her look like an idiot.  He had her strumming a folk song about brotherhood, inviting everybody to sing along on "Bagels 'n' Bacon."  Get it?

Mr. Capp was at least right about the combination of an iconic Jewish food with a pork product sounding ludicrous.  But some years later, Burger King started serving bagels, with guess what: your choice of ham, bacon, or sausage.  The times, they were a-changin'.

I felt like asking whether the ham were kosher, but I've never done so.  Anyone actually serving bagels 'n' bacon probably wouldn't get it.

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The 2009 season will continue the Hangar Theatre’s commitment to groundbreaking theatre that surprises, celebrates, and enlightens audiences. The Mainstage season includes a joyful family musical, a political farce, a passionate drama, a rock musical straight from Broadway, and a fun-filled comedy,

Opening the season is the regional premiere of Dirty Blonde, a jubilant, warm-hearted comedy by Claudia Shear.  This complex and often surprising love story explores the life story of the glamorous Hollywood icon Mae West through the eyes of the fans that made her.  Tony nominated actress Emily Skinner will perform the role of the sexy and audacious Mae West.

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You need Java enabled to view the crossword applet. If you do not have Java installed you can obtain it from java.com. If do have Java you may need to check your security settings to make sure that applets are enabled, especially if you are viewing the puzzle from your hard disk. In Windows XP you may be able to enable the applet by clicking on the yellow bar at the top of the window and selecting "Allow blocked content".

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The 2009 season will continue the Hangar Theatre’s commitment to groundbreaking theatre that surprises, celebrates, and enlightens audiences. The Mainstage season includes a joyful family musical, a political farce, a passionate drama, a rock musical straight from Broadway, and a fun-filled comedy,

Opening the season is the regional premiere of Dirty Blonde, a jubilant, warm-hearted comedy by Claudia Shear.  This complex and often surprising love story explores the life story of the glamorous Hollywood icon Mae West through the eyes of the fans that made her.  Tony nominated actress Emily Skinner will perform the role of the sexy and audacious Mae West.

This Memorial holiday weekend, visitors will discover an enchanting indoor "garden" like no other at the Sciencenter. A Garden of Gizmos: Physics in Bloom features engaging hands-on exhibits with a natural science theme and an important environmental message.

A Garden of Gizmos opens Saturday, May 23, with special hands-on activities planned for Saturday, Sunday and Monday of the holiday weekend, from 12 to 4 p.m. Kids can make a "Bee Hummer" toy that buzzes like a bee when you twirl it around, create a paper butterfly and see if they can balance it on the tip of their finger, grow green "hair" from the head of a stocking creature during the "sproutheads" activity and use chemistry to create flexible, gummy "worms."

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You need Java enabled to view the crossword applet. If you do not have Java installed you can obtain it from java.com. If do have Java you may need to check your security settings to make sure that applets are enabled, especially if you are viewing the puzzle from your hard disk. In Windows XP you may be able to enable the applet by clicking on the yellow bar at the top of the window and selecting "Allow blocked content".

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SMART TALK
by Dr. Clara Dix

I'LL BRING IT TO YOU:  Don and Ray Magliozzi; a.k.a.Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers; a.k.a. The Car Guys of public radio fame, actually serve on the staff of the Institute for the Linguistically Impaired as field therapists.  We hired them over twenty years ago, and it has been money well spent, even though they always demand a twenty dollar bill attached to very expensive merchandise.

They're doing a fine job of treating the misuse of bring and take. Always use bring when the action is toward you; take when it's away from you. 

Therefore, the title sentence should read, "I'll take it to you."

Selfish creatures that we are, we'd never say, "Take it to me," would we.  "Bring it to me" sounds very natural.

"Please" would be nice, though.

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Lansing Middle School's production of 'The Jungle Book' is at the Middle School auditorium May 6, 8 and 9 at 6:30pm.  Directed by Audrey Hummel, the lavish production is performed by middle school actors, with sets designed by Lee Ionone.  The play, based on Rudyard kipling's stories, recounts the adventures of Mowgli, a young boy who is raised by wolves in the Indian jungle. "This unlikely family adopts him into their pack, cares for him, and accepts him despite his differences," Hummel writes in her director's notes.  "Most importantly, they step in and save him.  At age eleven, Mowgli in turn steps in for someone else and saves her.  He has truly learned the Law of the Jungle.  May we all remember that sometimes we are the one that must step into the gap for others, but sometimes we are the ones that must accept help from a most unlikely person.  Choices are never easy."