Pic Of The Day - 12.12.15 - Look A New Day Has Begun

The timing just so happened to be right for me to capture this shot.

Pic Of The Day - 06.07.14 - Here Kitty Kitty Kitty

This has to be one of the most bizarre shirts I have ever seen.  Why are the cats on tortilla chips?

I pondered it and concluded that Tennessee Williams originally wrote Cat On A Hot Tortilla Chip but after all of the artwork had been done he changed it to Cat On A Hot Tin Roof. 

And So It Goes

On Friday, the legendary Betty Lynn Buckley makes an appearance in Houston at The Wortham Center-Cullen Theatre.  Brilliant Lecture Series is bringing her for a one night appearance.

I had the opportunity to see her in Fort Worth at Bass Hall in 2000.  It was a wonderful evening with just her and a small combo on stage.  It was also great to see her perform on her home turf.

Betty was born in Big Spring, TX, but was raised in Fort Worth, TX.  She is the daughter of Betty Bob & Ernest Lynn Buckley.  (Don’t you just LOVE the Texas names?)  Her Fort Worth roots are deep.  She attended Arlington Heights High School, TCU, was crowned Miss Fort Worth in 1966 and was runner-up in the Miss Texas Pageant.

Betty landed her first role on Broadway her first day in New York.  She was Martha Jefferson in 1776.  She won a Tony Award for her performance as Grizabella in Cats.  She received a Tony nomination for her performance in Triumph of Love.  Betty received an Olivier Award nomination for her role as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard and went on to replace Glenn Close on Broadway.

One of the roles I would love to have seen her perform is Mama Rose in Gypsy at Papermill Playhouse.  However…if you listen to Betty Buckley An Evening At Carnegie Hall you can hear the showstopper Rose’s Turn.  The cd is by far one of my favorites and includes my favorites As If We Never Said Goodbye, With One Look and Seasons of Love.  There are two songs that form a medley on the cd that I always hum when I think of Betty and the songs are And So It Goes and Everything Must Change.  If you expect to hear her haunting, award-winning rendition of Memory, you’ll have to purchase Cats (1982 Original Broadway Cast).

What’s funny (to me) is that when I mention her name, most of my contemporaries remember her as the mom on the television series Eight Is Enough or her role in the movie Carrie.  This just goes to prove she has a wide range of talent and a wide-reaching fan base.

There is still time to purchase tickets to see this native Texan Broadway legend.  Tickets can be purchased through the box office at The Wortham and more information about the performance can  be found on Brilliant Lectures' website.  AND here's a special deal for you...

There's a promo being run through CultureMap.  You can save 50% by using promo code: GIFT2

Don't forget!  She's from Fort Worth...not Dallas.  So Houston, come out on Friday night to get give Betty Buckley a warm Houston welcome.

"Let Me Entetain You. Let Me Make You Smile."

So I went to see Whistle Down The Wind. It was a 200p performance and I was actually surprised at how some people were dressed...not in a bad way. Some people REALLY dressed up! Keep in mind though, this observation is coming from someone who goes to Mass wearing shorts and sandals during the summer months; it's just too hot. Today I was dressed casual chic.


Anywho...it was time for the curtain to rise and I think it was Frank Young from Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) who comes out to welcome us...blah, blah, blah. Then he says there is somebody that wants to talk to us before the show starts and I'm thinking Andrew Lloyd Webber is going to come out at which point I was anticipating peeing in my pants.


Instead, it was Bill Kenwright who is the Producer/Director of the show. In addition to being impressed I start to become a bit concerned.


He informs us that we are the very first audience to ever see this production and he hopes we like the show. (I start having flashbacks to Whatever Happened To Baby Jane? The Musical.) He said he would be doing his notes during the show and that we are welcome to get with him after the show to offer our thoughts...unless we didn't like it then just leave. :-) He said that if we liked the show, then all of America will like the show and he hopes that it runs for a very long time.


So the show starts and to be quite honest with you it wasn't bad. I recognized some of the songs and when put in the context of the story they take on a different meaning. It was quite enjoyable. A little tugging at the heart was in there and I had a couple of lumps in my throat during a few scenes. I thought a few of the rural Louisiana accents were a bit overdone; nothing that can't be corrected. And I may have missed some lines or something 'cause there were a few things that didn't make sense. Enjoyable show.


A funny thing happened on the way to the forum...I mean during intermission. I saw someone that I know and right before the 2nd act was about to begin he asked me what I thought about the show? I told him that I was enjoying it. He said he was finding it hard to believe. I then reminded him that it is musical. And then I start to giggle.


So now I'm distracted because I wonder what he thinks of Cats or Phantom of the Opera? Does he really think that Eva Peron said, "They need to adore me so Christian Dior from my head to my toes."? Does he think that Mame Dennis can really, "...charm the husk right off of the corn."? Did Aunt Eller (latent lesbian that she was) really tell the farmer and the cow man to be friends? How about Snoopy singing that he thinks he is some fierce jungle animal? The list goes on and on!


I go to the theatre to escape and to be entertained. And yes, some things are meant to be unbelievable.