Sunday, March 29, 2009

Watch this

It's Lent, so you know what that means....go watch this.

Awesome

This is pretty awesome--some black humor, for sure--but great, for any CF families in your life (or, um, for you....because if you read this blog, you know CF sucks, and it needs to be eliminated, right?)
I particularly enjoy the handicapped parking sticker that says "I've earned this."

Saturday, March 28, 2009

And now, for something completely different

behold

Elite Eight and out

Well, thanks team for a great year. And, of course, to Coach Jamie.
We knocked down one door this year....more to go!
Nova in the final.

Pray for our bishop

He's having part of his leg amputated due to bone cancer and infection.

Friday, March 27, 2009

I thought I was more Kelly...




You Are Olive Green



You are the most real of all the green shades. You're always true to yourself.

For you, authenticity and honesty are very important... both in others and yourself.

You are grounded and secure. It takes a lot to shake you.

People see you as dependable, probably the most dependable person they know.

Huh




You Are The Brain



You're the type of person who's always on, always churning.

You are alert and quick to react. You like to stay busy.



You are responsible but also demanding. You take up a lot of energy.

You are someone of deep mystery. There's a lot below the surface that's hard to figure out.

Testing, testing: Sprinkles Cupcake Mixes


I love cupcakes.
Actually, I take that back. I like anything sweet and cake-like.
Normally I make cupcakes from scratch. Heck, I normally make all my things from scratch, or severely doctored-up.
So last weekend, when I was throwing a get-together at my apartment, I broke a rule.
I bought mixes.
But not just any mixes--Sprinkles Cupcake Mixes.
I had wanted to get Vanilla and chocolate. Sadly--no Chocolate. So I got Vanilla and Red Velvet.
I brought them home, with about 5 hours until party time.
I decided to make the Red Velvet first. Not sure why, just did.
Opened the canister. Inside is the mix, instructions for cupcakes and frosting, and the 'dots', which are Sprinkle's trademark decoration.
I removed all ingredients from fridge, then realized I needed cream cheese for the frosting. Didn't have cream cheese. Ergo, no frosting. Oh well. Frosting is a pain to make anyway.
So, got out the ingredients. Room temperature needed to be obtained for the milk, eggs and butter. (These use at least one stick of butter for every mix.)
So, whilst these were warming, I opened the packet, dumped it into my Kitchenaid mixer bowl, and added the vinegar (I guess needed to active food coloring, or something.)
Whoops. Read the instructions. Apparently was supposed to add butter first. Well, darn. Can't just scoop it out now--the vinegar's in there, turning the mix nice and red.
Plan B: Just add everything all at once, mix it up, and bake. If awful, we have Vanilla back-up, plus other dessert makings in the apartment. We'll try it.
So I dump in eggs, milk, butter (all at room temp). Mix. Mixer sounds like it's going to spontaneously combust, but mixes. I get a nice, thick, very blood-red batter.
Place batter into silicone-lined cupcake tins. While doing this, you will get red batter everywhere. On the counter, on your shirt, on your arms, on your face. And in the tins. You'll look like you're "bleedin' to death", in the words of Steel Magnolias.
Bake.
Twenty minutes later....
They are beautiful. They are perfectly shaped little cake domes, in pastel liners.
Remove pan. Cool.
Eat.
Oh. Heaven on a plate. Red velvet with chocolate undertones....just divine. Moist, wonderful, divine cupcakes! (See! I don't need to follow instructions!)
With the vanilla, I do follow the instructions. Find that every mix has slightly different instructions and ingredients. OK. Remove butter, eggs, milk needed for vanilla.
While the red velvet batter was dense, this batter is like a quasi-meringue. It's very airy, like wet cotton candy (if you can imagine that). It has a very light consistency. Spoon into another cupcake tray. Bake again.
These, instead of being perfectly shaped, overflow the liners. They are huge. Some of them are mushroom-cloud looking. I do not ice these. They taste lovely (if a bit sweet), but they are HUGE.
Red velvet is my favorite, of these two.

Today's experiment: Dark Chocolate and Red Velvet.
Dark Chocolate (above) just came out of the oven. Yet to taste. This batter was more like pudding. Scooped into tins very well (if you use a spatula and spoon combo, it works very well). But, again, overflowed. Not sure if this is me overfilling or if the batter is just, well, overbearing. But I don't object to big chocolate desserts. So I'm OK with this.
Time needed: like a half hour. No mix I have tried yet takes more than 20-25 minutes to bake. Mixing is very simple and takes perhaps 5-6 minutes, depending on if you're using a stand mixer or a hand beater. In about 45 minutes you have finished cupcakes (without frosting).

Thursday, March 26, 2009

HTP BABY!!!


PITT! PITT! PITT! PITT

That is all I have to say.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Monday, March 23, 2009

CPG updates

Notre Dame, Pro Life facebookers, etc. at CPG.

Simple Woman's Daybook--March 23, 2009



The Simple Woman's Daybook
For MONDAY, March 123, 2009

Outside my window...
It's dark now, but it was a lovely spring day today. The flowers are blooming!

I am thinking...
that the apartment looks pretty good!

I am thankful for...
my family; a good transplant clinic today!

From the kitchen...
reading Betty Crocker's red cookbook. Made Sprinkles Red Velvet and Vanilla cupcakes over the weekend.

To live the liturgy...
Bible, rosary, Magnificat, and Lent and Easter with JPII

I am wearing...
A raspberry-colored camisole (for bed)

I am creating...
a photo website: http://japhotos.shutterfly.com

I am going to breathe deeply ...
and enjoy the spring.

Bringing beauty to my home ...
It's CLEAN! (well, except for the bedroom)

I am going...
to enjoy the rest of Lent, and prepare for Easter.

I am reading...
Just finished Team of Rivals; onto Redicovering Catholicism, and a bit of the Pillow Book.

I am hoping...
for a good week


I am hearing...
"How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days" soundtrack

Around the house...
Washing the wine glasses from the party on Sat.

One of my favorite things...
my Parade photos.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week:
Thursday: Lunch w/ Dad
Friday: Dinner with Tiff

A Picture Thought I am Sharing:



The boys give their Parade review after opening night. L-R: Gary, Bill, Branden and Tom.

New site--just for pictures

A new photo site, with all my brilliant photography (ha ha) is here.
There will be a permanent link in the sidebar, under the (new) tab "my sites".
Come visit!

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Spring has sprung

Is it beautiful where you are? I hope so, because it's beautiful here! The crocus have started to bloom, and the daffodils shouldn't be far behind! Even the grass is starting to turn green again.

In other news....

Great homily at Mass today. Normally I can't understand the speaker so I tune out. But today I could hear everything, and it was good!

Pitt on at 2:50. HTP!!!!

Reading Team of Rivals. Finally at Lincoln's inauguration. This book is good for so many things--Ohio political history, history of the Republican party, the Lincoln-Douglas debates...just fascinating.

To watch: Die Walkure, and......

Twilight. :)

Yeah, you knew that was coming.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

"A real actress"

I just got my check from the JCC. On the invoice it says "ACTOR--PARADE".
It might only be $30, but I think I can now consider myself a professional.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Tonight's dinner

Is this.
I love carbonara.
My love affair with it began on New Year's Eve, 2003, in New York City. I had gone with a group of college friends to NYC to celebrate the New Year--something everyone should do once, and at about $70 a person, how could I pass it up?
Seven people were sharing one NYC hotel room designed for maybe four. The bathroom was the size of a small coat closet. Richelle and I shared one bed, with the rest of the gang (all boys, except Richelle's sister Laura) taking the floor and the other bed. (Getting guys to share a bed is like brokering Middle East peace.)
We only had one full day in New York, and we were all spending it differently. Richelle and I had taken a "shop 'til we drop" approach, with cab rides and a trip to Bergdorf's, Tiffany's, Saks, and the couture shops along Madion Avenue. We also visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art's gift shop, St. Pat's, and the American Girl Store.
For lunch that day, we went back to the hotel to drop off some of our packages and regroup. Our hotel had a neat little restaurant on the first floor--dark carpet, ivory curtains that overlooked the street (we were right across from Madison Square Garden). Richelle ordered a mushroom plate, adorned with heavy, luxurious portobello slices. I ordered carbonara.
It was sublime. Just perfect for a cold NYC day. The delicate balance of cream, egg, and pancetta played brilliantly against the silky pasta. I had tried carbonara at home, but this was the way it should be done.
I was hooked. Ever since then, I have made it one of my goals to cook as many carbonara recipes as possible, in an attempt to find my favorite.
Tonight's comes from my copy of Nigella's How To Eat.

REVIEW: Tonight's was equally sublime. Very fast, once you get the pasta in the water (waiting for the water to boil takes the longest). No cream, either, in her recipe, which may make it slightly more healthy (although you do use one egg yolk and one whole egg). The idea of her recipe is that you should have all these things on hand.

Monday, March 16, 2009

"End of Show"

We gave our last performance of Parade yesterday. I can't believe that, having done this show all year (with the casting info being sent out shortly after Christmas) that it's all over! But I learned so much doing this show, and there are many things I will miss, in particular:
  • Standing in the wings with Aaron, watching Jay sing "The Old Red Hills of Home"
  • Skipping out onto the stage.
  • Waving my Confederate flag at the governor's float
  • Being dragged around the stage by Drew during "Big News!"
  • Singing at Mary's grave (very cathartic)
  • The Factory Girls and Jon's dance
  • "That's What He Said"!
  • the gloves I wore for the governor's tea dance
  • watching Jon dance in his cell during "This Is Not Over Yet."
  • The end of "Where Will You Stand?", when we went to the front of the stage and the footlights came up.
  • The hanging and sh'ma
  • The Finale
  • And...Jay's sippy cup.

The Simple Woman's Daybook--March 16, 2009



The Simple Woman's Daybook
For MONDAY, March 16, 2009

Outside my window...
It's dark now, but it was a lovely spring day today.

I am thinking...
that there's some tidying up to do!

I am thankful for...
Parade.

From the kitchen...
I'm going through Nigella Lawson's cookbooks to find ideas. A Victoria Sponge Cake is definitely on there.

To live the liturgy...
Bible, rosary, Magnificat, and Lent and Easter with JPII

I am wearing...
A raspberry-colored camisole (for bed)

I am creating...
updating my journal, which has been neglected!

I am going to breathe deeply ...
and enjoy the wonderful weather.

Bringing beauty to my home ...
flowers are everywhere! (still!)

I am going...
to be thankful for the great experiences I have had.

I am reading...
The Iliad; Team of Rivals; The Pillow Book (early Japanese lit); The Two Towers

I am hoping...
for another show soon!

I am hearing...
"How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days" soundtrack

Around the house...
Weekly Home blessing hour

One of my favorite things...
my Tiffany-blue pencils that are here on my desk.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week:
Tomorrow: Port access (argh!)
Wednesday: Stations of the Cross at church, lunch w/ Dad
Friday: Nordstrom make up class
Saturday: My friend Anna's senior piano recital; GAME NIGHT!!

A Picture Thought I am Sharing:

Spring is coming! Spring is coming!

Sunday, March 15, 2009

CPG post

And one I could use some help with--- here.

Updated fan Club Roster

UPDATED: 3/15/09
The complete roster, thus far: (italic are people who came to J&H as well)

  1. Mom and Dad (came twice)
  2. Tiff and Bill
  3. Mr. and Mrs. Dulmage
  4. Gary and Amanda
  5. Tom and Andrea
  6. Branden
  7. Suellen
  8. Steve and Sal
  9. Rita
  10. Beth
  11. Erica C. (work)
  12. Kurt
  13. Robin and Ken (and Robin's mom)
  14. Jodi L.
  15. Jodi B.
  16. Abby
  17. Bethany
  18. Grandma and Pa
  19. Missy and Sarah R.
  20. My dentist and her husband. :)
  21. Matt M.
  22. Matt P.
  23. Tim
  24. Aaron
  25. Maggie
  26. Liz
  27. Lisa
  28. Bret
  29. Brittney
  30. Christine (Matt M. to Christine are all work people)
  31. Amy L from J&H
  32. Chris R. (from J&H)
  33. Mindy (from J&H)
  34. Brooke (from J&H-Emma) and her mom
  35. My brother :)
Thanks to EVERYONE!!!

Last chance!

To see Parade--today at 2:30!!
If you live in the area and haven't been out, come see it! It is a wonderful show and you don't want to miss it!
I can't believe today is the last performance. After being involved with this show for 3 1/2 months now....it's over? Not cool.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Bookshelf: Handle With Care

This probably sums it up--me chatting with the author!

Columbus, Ohio: Hi Jodi! I wanted to say "Thank you" for writing such wonderful novels, but especially this latest one (I read it in one sitting!) and "My Sister's Keeper." I had cystic fibrosis (I had a double lung transplant in '05) and it is so wonderful to read books that speak to MY experience, and that of my families. Knowing that so many people read your books means, to me, that many more people will really understand my life. And, like Willow, I -love- my life! Thank you so much for making that clear in Handle With Care.

Jodi Picoult: Thank you SO much for saying that! I really wanted this book to leave people understanding that you can't be defined by a disability. You sound like you're living proof.


I loved Handle With Care. It is in the top three of Jodi P. books, the other two being My Sister's Kepper and Second Glance. The story revolves around the O'Keefe family--Charlotte, Sean (a police sergeant), Amelia, and Willow. Willow was diagnosed in utero with Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI), "brittle bone" disease, which causes her bones to break at the slightest provocation. Charlotte discovers that she can bring a wrongful birth lawsuit against her OB, saying that if she had known about Willow's condition, she would have aborted her. But the OB is also Charlotte's best friend. Charlotte doesn't really wish she hadn't had Willow, but the family needs the money for Willow's care. So--how do you tell a child you wish she'd never been born? HOw do you turn on your best friend?

Throughout the novel, all the characters (including Piper, the OB) are beautifully developed and given their own chapters, where they speak from their Point of View to Willow (who is you). The entire book is written in second person.

As with most of her books, the ending will leave you breathless. Definitely read this one.


Tuesday, March 10, 2009

IT's Mandy aty the Copacabana!!!

Here , raising money for CF research!
(admission: I like Barry Manilow).

Monday, March 09, 2009

New CPG post: Lenten Quick Takes

Up here.

The Simple Woman's Daybook--March 9, 2009



The Simple Woman's Daybook
For MONDAY, February 23, 2009

Outside my window...
It's a beautiful sunshiny day! Clear skies.

I am thinking...
there's a lot to do.

I am thankful for...
A Parade night off.

From the kitchen...
taco soup for dinner, as part of the Eating Down The Pantry Challenge.

To live the liturgy...
Bible, rosary, Magnificat, and Lent and Easter with JPII

I am wearing...
A cream-colored camisole, a v-neck cardigan (blue) and a print skirt.

I am creating...
neatness.

I am going to breathe deeply ...
and enjoy the wonderful weather.

Bringing beauty to my home ...
flowers are everywhere!

I am going...
to be happy.

I am reading...
The Iliad; Team of Rivals; The Pillow Book (early Japanese lit)

I am hoping...
for great crowds at Parade this week

I am hearing...
one of my mix CDs

Around the house...
Weekly Home blessing hour

One of my favorite things...
performing a fantastic show

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week:
Thursday: Show! 7:30
Friday: Alice in Wonderland
Saturday: Show!
Sunday: The last show! Tear!!!

A Picture Thought I am Sharing:
(In case you didn't see it below...)


From Act I-- "The Trial: The Factory Girls" from left: Me, Abby (Iola) and Vera (Monteen).

Parade in action

"The Trial: The Factory Girls"

"How Can I Call This Home?"

"There Is A Fountain/It Don't Make Sense"

"Finale"


"Come Up To My Office"

Credit: Jason Banks, our awesome lighting designer.

Saturday, March 07, 2009

7 Quick Takes--The Parade Edition

I.
The Fan club roster: Tiffany and Bill; Mr. and Mrs. Dulmage; Gary and Amanda; Tom and Andrea; Branden; Suellen; Mom and Dad; my grandparents; Rita; Beth; My dentist and her husband (her daughter is Mary in our show); Erica (from work--unwittingly!); Amy L. Tomorrow I've got Missy, Katie and Sarah, and a bunch of Hilliard people!

II.
We were WIRED tonight. Not sure what was going on.

III.
So was the audience (almost as big as last week). They clapped at EVERYTHING. Rachel, our costume designer, was in the audience and afterwards she agreed--"They clapped when there should have been no clapping!"

IV.
My dentist brought me TJ's flowers! So I have two bouquets on my counter now.

V.
Eileen (Mrs. Phagan) comes offstage post curtain call cracking up. "I said...I said....I said, 'We'll sing Jimmy once again!'" Wow. (The line is: "we'll sing 'Dixie' once again.")

VI.
Jon made us quardruple-chocolate cookies. Aaron ate 7. They were that good.

VII.
During warm-up, the pit guys decided to play a round of "Let's try to play other people's instruments!" Very amusing to see our bass player trying to handle Woodwind Boy's flute.

Thursday, March 05, 2009

The good reviews keep coming!

From The Other Paper (my emphases in bold, and links to other entries)

Musical history lesson on anti-Semitism

By Richard Ades
Published: Thursday, March 5, 2009 2:22 PM EST

Leo Frank isn’t the most lovable of heroes. When he learns a 13-year-old girl has been killed in the factory he manages, his first thought is that it will look bad for the company.

And when he’s charged with the girl’s murder, he seems more concerned about his stomach than justice. He tells the arresting officers that he’s under a doctor’s care and needs a special diet.

As portrayed in Parade, a 1998 Broadway musical based on Mary Phagan’s 1913 murder in Atlanta, Frank comes across as so distant and socially inept that he might even be afflicted with Asperger’s syndrome. We don’t particularly like him, but we have to care about him because he becomes a victim of historic proportions. In the news coverage and trial that follow his arrest, the fact that he’s Jewish outweighs the fact that there’s no real evidence against him.

In real life, the injustice that befell him was so profound that it led to the formation of the Anti-Defamation League.

Co-conceived by Harold Prince and written by Alfred Uhry, Parade humanizes Frank’s tale by concentrating on the relationship between this transplanted Brooklynite and Lucille, his Southern Jewish wife. At first, their marriage is strained due to Frank’s coldness and their cultural differences, but it undergoes a heartwarming change after Frank falls under the wheels of Georgia justice.

In Gallery Players’ production, the human element comes through thanks to Frank Barnhart’s unerring direction and a cast of almost uniformly strong actors. Thanks to the cast’s vocal talents and a band often dominated by violinist John-Rine Zabanal, so do Jason Robert Brown’s Sondheim-like songs.

Jon Schelb’s Frank is petulant but redeemable, while Liz Wheeler’s Lucille is a warm and increasingly self-confident presence. Both actors sing well, though Wheeler’s voice degrades a bit when she pushes it too far.

Many others stand out: Drew Eberly as a cynical and hard-drinking reporter, Jay Rittberger as the win-at-all-cost prosecutor, Sam Vestey as the overly confident defense attorney, Randy Benge as the surprisingly noble governor. Standing out most of all, LaRon Lee Hudson nearly steals the show once or twice as Jim Conley, a former convict who is suspiciously eager to lie on the witness stand.

Other than Joel B. Cohen’s overly dramatic portrayal of the trial judge, all of the story’s many characters are given convincing and distinct personalities. Director Barnhart has put together a wonderfully textured production.

Chris Clapp’s minimal set design helps out, as do Jason Banks’s sound and lighting design and Kristin Blascyk’s music direction (except that the background music sometimes drowns out the dialogue).



INFO: Gallery Players will present Parade through March 15 at the Jewish Community Center, 1125 College Ave. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, 8 p.m. Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. Sundays. Running time: 2 hours, 40 minutes (including intermission). Tickets are $18, $16 for seniors ($12/$10 for JCC members), $8 for children or students. 614-231-2731 or jccgalleryplayers.org.


The musical starts out and finishes in an odd way, with apparently sincere salutes to Southern pride and patriotism. Given the storyline, this might be seen as an attempt to prevent it from devolving into a geographical attack.

By the end, however, the salute has taken on a new meaning that is as complex as the rest of this historically based tale. The final result is both provocative and moving.


Monday, March 02, 2009

Quick takes


  • Where have I been? I've been playing dress up. (above, Jay and I before Act II's Governor's Tea Dance scene)
  • Books: Just got a new Duck's Cottage book, the Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon. After our last Duck's Cottage book club read, I decided I needed to read more about Japan! So I ordered this, as well as The Tale of Genji, from Jaime. Tale is back ordered so will be coming soon! Also, we get our March/April Duck's Cottage book this week. Very exciting reading times.
  • Movies: Watched the Nureyv/Fonteyn Swan Lake. Very good, but too many close-ups of Nureyv and his slightly too bright blue eye make-up. Also got Renee Fleming in Manon at the Paris Opera. I have only watched Act I (it's long) but I just love Renee Fleming. I also love that it's in French so I don't need to totally rely on the subtitles.
  • Listening to: Renee's Four Last Songs. Divine as usual.
  • The Fan Club: Grandma and Pa are coming to see the show on Thursday with my parents and possibly my brother. On Sunday the 8th are my HAC friends!


  • Above: Me with two of my favorite CF nurses, who came to Opening Night!

  • Health stuff: I had a visit with the CF clinic on Thursday (day of our last dress rehearsal), and everything is so great! I saw Terri and Dr. M (aka God), of course, and Dr. Kirby, who I hope is going to do more tx clinic stuff, because I really like him. The last PFT set in my file was 7/3/05. Very, very scary (and...8 days pre-transplant). The set I made on Thursday was in the 70s. Yeah, I rule like that. Not taking enzymes any more and are adjusting the doses of some meds. Man it was great to see everyone!
  • This week: Really, nothing. Weird not to have rehearsal! On Thursday we have a show, and then again on Sat. and Sunday (Sunday matinee). I hope we really pack 'em in. With a good review and very positive word-of-mouth, we should!

Sunday, March 01, 2009

The DISPATCH REVIEW!

Review: Gallery Players' 'Parade' faithful to pathos, politics
Sunday, March 1, 2009 12:21 AM
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Gallery Players will present Parade at 2:30 p.m. Sunday and through March 15 at the Jewish Community Center, 1125 College Ave. Tickets cost $8 to $18. Call 614-231-2731 or visit www.jccgalleryplayers.org.
Gallery Players does justice to Parade, a Broadway musical about a terrible injustice in Atlanta in 1913 that left a haunting legacy.

Director Frank Barnhart knits together a large and capable cast in an epic and intimate staging of the musical drama, which opened yesterday to applause at the Jewish Community Center's Roth/Resler Theatre.

Always sobering and dignified but sometimes rising to stirring moments of passionate hope, anger and moral outrage, Gallery's area premiere artfully evokes a bygone era whose political, racial and religious issues continue to surface in America today.

Composer-lyricist Jason Robert Brown (The Last Five Years) and author Alfred Uhry (Driving Miss Daisy) faithfully based Parade, a 1999 Tony award winner for best score and book, on the true story of a Jewish pencil-factory manager accused of raping and murdering a young female employee.

Without a superior performance in the central tragic role, Parade would fall well short of its potential power. At Gallery Players, Jon Schelb plays Leo Frank with haunting pathos from his early scenes of fish-out-of-water obliviousness and anxious bewilderment to later moments of palpable anguish and despair.

As Lucille Frank, Leo's long-suffering wife, Liz Wheeler is well-matched with Schelb. Wheeler convincingly moves from nervous weakness to surprising strength.

Together, Wheeler and Schelb become the soulful heart of the tragic story, generating poignant chemistry that slowly builds to the piercing duet, All the Wasted Time.

Drew Eberly adds go-getting energy and cynical humor in Real Big News and other scenes as the newspaper reporter who seizes his opportunity to cover a sensational murder and trial.

Among the other powerful singer-actors: Quentin Schofield-Peaks, as the black janitor who becomes a pivotal witness; Jay Rittberger, as the prejudiced and politically influenced prosecutor; and Joel B . Cohen, as the judge whose conscience pricks him near his deathbed.

Backed by a top-notch orchestra, the strong singing and acting extends deep into the ranks of the 25-member cast, which includes such vocal stalwarts as Eileen Howard (as mourning Mrs. Phagan), Danielle Mann and Dawn Farrell.

Rachel Bodner's formal period costumes, Chris Clapp's fluid scenic design and especially Jason Banks' colorful lighting help bring the bygone era and city to burnished life.

Barnhart's bravura staging, which builds on the bold stage design with sepia-tinged crowd tableaus and achingly private moments, seems to place the entire Atlanta community under the spotlight -- and on trial.

On both the court case and this stirring production, the verdict seems all too clear.

A lovely night

Once again, another FANTASTIC opening.
Everything clicked. We had a great, responsive audience; beautiful music....cast camraderie. Everything was wonderful. Really.
Just had my friends over for a post-show breakdown!
Thanks to all who came tonight (we almost had a full house!) including:
  • Mr and Mrs. Dulmage
  • Tiff and Bill
  • Tom and Andrea (from Indy, yay!)
  • Branden
  • Gary and Amanda
  • Amy from J&H
  • And Rita and Beth, my two best CF nurses!!!!
Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful, all the way around.
Tomorrow will be just as good, I think.
Now, to sleep!
Pics, etc. up tomorrow (possibly post-matinee).
Of course, none of this would have happened without Suzanne. I hope she was watching tonight.