Back from Coco View!

Yours truly!


Just took my mask off -- can you tell?


I think these are called Christmas Trees. They disappear back into their stems if they're disturbed.





The world-famous chain in Coco View's "frontyard."


Battlescars from the ladder...


Lovely world, isn't it?


Marc being "rescued" -- part of someone's Rescue Diver Course.

Almost outta here!

We're leaving for Sacramento right after work today. Our flight to Houston is at "oh-dark-hundred" tomorrow, then on to Honduras Saturday morning.

I'm in that "last day of work before vacation frenzy" even as we speak...

Really big news!

I've told lots of people already, 'cause we've known since last week.

Cat landed the role of Sally in Cabaret!

Performance Dates:
Thursday, 7/27/06 7:30PM PDT (Preview Night)
Friday, 7/28/06 8:00PM PDT
Saturday, 7/29/06 8:00PM PDT
Sunday, 7/30/06 2:30PM PDT
Friday, 8/4/06 8:00PM PDT
Saturday, 8/5/06 8:00PM PDT
Sunday, 8/6/06 2:30PM PDT

It'll be in the Warren Atherton Auditorium at Delta College.

25th Anniversary Flowers

We're going to see Urinetown again tonight. I love watching my girls perform!

Delta College stages funny, fast-paced trip to 'Urinetown'

Glenn Pillsbury
Special to The Record
Published Tuesday, May 9, 2006

What is the state of the musical when one of its most triumphant recent examples succeeds largely by skewering its predecessors?

Far from reinventing the genre, "Urinetown" depicts the death of the musical as a progressive and relevant art form. Along the way, though, San Joaquin Delta College's current production invites audiences to a clever, funny and wickedly virtuosic funeral.

In creating "Urinetown," Greg Kotis and Mark Hollmann borrowed Bertolt Brecht's distancing effect to rupture the separation between stage and audience. For instance, an explanatory placard labeled "Secret Hideout" hangs above the stage in Act Two, and two crew members not only change scenery but also participate in the onstage action.

The supposed plot of "Urinetown," a mash-up of pay-to-pee corruption, urban revolution and boy-meets-girl, isn't to be taken seriously. Its elements are all cardboard signposts to previous musicals. And although Jason Kell's capitalist villain Caldwell B. Cladwell was enjoyable, "Urinetown" says nothing worth remembering on the subject of greed.

It is the relationship between Officer Lockstock (Martin Lehman), who speaks to the audience as the narrator while also playing a central character in the drama, and Little Sally (Brittany Monroe), the poor street urchin with a rich heart, that drives the neo-Brechtian absurdity of "Urinetown."

Lehman's measured pacing merged Lockstock's two identities into a warm but authoritative father figure who explains to Little Sally (and the audience) that "this is not going to be a happy musical." Monroe's performance was likewise captivating, bringing just the right amount of over-the-top spunkiness and purposeful overacting to the role.

Leads Caleb Draper as Bobby Strong and Catherine Frye as the perky but naïve Hope Cladwell also gave enjoyable performances. Draper's vocals were particularly noteworthy.

The Delta show benefits from a true sense of ensemble virtuosity. Most of the 38-member cast play more than one role, and the production has them constantly in action, whether fighting a slow-motion brawl or singing in three-part harmony.

The technical details of "Urinetown" are especially complex and fast-paced, and under John White's direction, the ensemble largely succeeded at keeping things quick and sharp. The small orchestra, under Scott Bowen's baton, performed smoothly and did its best to stay below the singers' volume. Still, there were several times when singers wearing mics could have been mixed louder.

• When: Thursday through Sunday
• Where: Tillie Lewis Theatre, San Joaquin Delta College
• Admission: $12-$14
• Info: (209) 954-5110

South seas Shakespeare (old review)

South seas Shakespeare
Delta College takes the Bard to Polynesia with 'Twelfth Night'

Kate Macek
Special to The Record
Published Thursday, Oct 13, 2005

A love triangle set in 19th century Polynesia may sound like the premise for a steamy late-night movie, but San Joaquin Delta College has more on its mind.

That's where director Harvey Jordan has chosen to set Delta's new production of Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night."

"The setting supports the themes of romance, merrymaking and even melancholy," Jordan said. "Twelfth Night" opens Friday at the Tillie Lewis Theatre.

The plot focuses on the nobleman Orsino, a Polynesian princess named Olivia, and Viola, a woman who disguises herself as a man, Cesario. While incognito, Viola falls in love with Orsino, who is already courting Olivia. When Viola as Cesario delivers Orsino's love notes, Olivia falls for what she thinks is a dashing young man. More mayhem ensues when Viola's brother, who looks just like Cesario, arrives.

In addition to the main story, there is mischievous cast of supporting characters in Olivia's household who add flavor through interwoven sub-plots involving practical jokes, disguises and mistaken identity.

For Jordan, the Polynesian landscape lends itself well to the play's wide range of emotions, including farcical humor, romance and darker moods. The play and setting also share such themes as free expression represented by the Polynesian island lifestyle vs. moral repression represented by European society.

He added that Shakespeare himself was prone to set his works in romantic locations, such as "The Tempest's" desert island.

"I'm convinced that if Shakespeare knew about Polynesia, he would have set a play there because his audiences loved exotic locations," Jordan said.

Jordan is no stranger to unorthodox adaptations of Shakespeare. He's directed "A Midsummer Night's Dream" set in the 1960s, "As You Like It" with a 1920s theme and even a Wild West "Taming of the Shrew."

This time out, his cast of 22 includes undergraduate and nontraditional students, as well as two Delta faculty members. Catherine Frye, the sophomore portraying Viola/Cesario, said she thinks the tropical setting helps make the play more accessible.

"It'll give it a sense of familiarity," Frye said. "It doesn't seem quite so alien to us as the Elizabethan era."

Serious boondoggle

I found out the hard way that my Accordion Works rehearsal had been cancelled. Three out of six of us showed up, so apparently word wasn't gotten out very effectively. Or at all, perhaps.

Rather annoying to make an unnecessary trip to Berkeley when gas costs $3.20 a gallon! And I sure don't need to be wasting time, either. Argh!

Toe calluses

Today was serious flip-flop weather. You know, those shoes we used to call “thongs” before the bathing suit and lingerie industries appropriated the term?! So, the flip-flop spaces between my toes are a bit sore.

We saw “Urinetown The Musical” this evening. Cat had to be at the theater at 6, but we didn’t need to be there until just before 8, so we had a couple of hours to kill. Lizzie, Jerm & I went to Kohl’s to shop after our early dinner with Cat. Kohl’s was having a pretty good sale. I got two pairs of flip-flops – one athletic, the other dressy – for less than $40.

The play was extremely well done. It’s very bizarre; however, we all enjoyed it enormously. Much fun! Cat has some really good bits. Really, really good. She's hilarious!

My old friend Agnes (from La Leche League days) was there. Some of us went out to Applebee’s after (Cat, Sean, Agnes & Steve, Christina, and me).

Started packing...

Those of you me are probably amazed. Really, I started packing. I've got my checklist and about half my stuff in my suitcase. I'll more or less finish up this weekend. All that will be left is the last minute stuff that I'll be using in the meantime.

We're leaving the evening of the 18th.

Guess who has been a good influence on me?

And no ... haven't packed at all for Mother's Day weekend.

'Urine' for something

'Urine' for something
Delta musical uses laughs to make serious points

BRIAN MCCOY
Record Entertainment Editor
Published Thursday, May 4, 2006

San Joaquin Delta College is staging the Tony Award- winning musical "Urinetown.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Playwrights learned long ago that the best way to address a serious issue is through humor.

Audiences don't want a lecture, no matter how grave the subject. Entertain them as you deliver your message, however, and they're sure to embrace it.

At first glance, the show appears all silliness and satire. Set in a world where people must pay to use the bathroom, the musical features arch characters, star-crossed lovers right out of "Romeo and Juliet" and a score that goes out of its way to spoof such landmark musicals as "Sweeney Todd," "Chicago" and "Fiddler on the Roof." Even the title carries a pun.
Greg Kotis and Mark Hollmann employed that concept in creating "Urinetown," the Tony Award-winning musical being presented this weekend and next at San Joaquin Delta College.

It's an "anti-musical," Delta director John White said. "It pokes fun at the American musical."

But beneath its comic exterior, "Urinetown" addresses compelling contemporary issues.

What human beings are doing to the environment is embodied in the 20-year drought that leads to the banning of private toilets. That all restrooms are in the hands of a single corporation (the Urine Good Co.) speaks to the hazards of the concentration of wealth and power in the world economy. That the politicians represent corporate interests over those of the public reflects the growing helplessness so many voters feel.

"It addresses these issues and yet keeps everybody laughing," White said.

The idea for the musical came when Kotis visited Paris in the mid-1990s. Finding himself pinching pennies in order to access the city's pay toilets, he imagined a show based on the economic politics of using the bathroom.

Kotis shared the idea with Hollmann, and together they produced a version of the show for the 1998 New York International Fringe Festival. Three years and several incarnations later, "Urinetown" reached Broadway. It went on to win three Tonys and spawn a national tour.

In the Delta production, Caleb Draper and Catherine Frye are cast as the star-crossed lovers. She is Hope Cladwell, daughter of Caldwell B. Cladwell, Urine Good's chief executive officer. He is Bobby Strong, a former employee who in time leads the rebellion against the company.

That "Urinetown" is neither a straight musical comedy nor drama presents challenges for the cast of 38.

The actors are required to strike just the right note in dialogue that moves between the serious and the satirical.

"Part of the humor of the show is how serious we all are," Draper said. "We have to go to the extreme with our emotions.

"But the show is so well constructed, it's all very obvious when we're supposed to be hamming it up and when we're supposed to be serious," he added. "It all kind of just fits."

For White, a larger task has been getting his cast to master the music. The "Urinetown" score is more intricate than many others, requiring technical expertise even as it embraces styles as divergent as Gilbert and Sullivan patter and "Les Miserables" rallying cries.

"They adopted a Brechtian approach," White said of Kotis and Hollmann. "And we spent probably more time than other shows on the singing. (The cast) really needed to work on multiple parts being sung at the same time."

Contact Record Entertainment Editor Brian McCoy at (209) 546-8293 or bmccoy@recordnet.com

Hives

Those who live with me (you know who you are) are aware that I've been suffering with hives for the past week and a half. After nearly a week of wracking my brain with what in the world could be different, I realized that we'd moved into new offices with brand-new carpet that was installed the day I started getting itchy. I hadn't made the connection before, because I never actually touched the carpet. I've never before had a skin reaction to anything airborne. The last time I had hives, it was from using the soap from the dispenser in the shower at the healthclub (say that five times fast), and they went away in a couple of days.

It seems to be much better today -- the second day in a row AWAY from my office -- so I may be onto something. Aveeno is good at overcoming the itch. And I've been putting antibiotic goo on my earrings, because my piercings have become infected. If this mess doesn't continue improving, I'm actually getting desperate enough to consider going to the doctor.

See the mermaid?

If she's not jumping out at you, look at the sandy area...

I got our tickets for Urinetown today -- it opens this Friday. Cat's rehearsing like a crazy woman this week. Today's rehearsal starts at 1 p.m. She's got the special weave for her hair, curling iron, thermal curling spray, tan (taupe?) character shoes, false eyelashes, false nails...I know she'll be adorable!

More Poncho!

Poncho the water dog

Flower survivors

I resurrected a few of the roses by trimming off about six inches of stem and peeling away some withered petals. Looking much better!

Happy 24th anniversary to us!

Anniversary Flowers

These are my anniversary flowers -- the other 23 got pretty shrivelled and sad looking. I guess they woudn't fit in the refrigerator, and I'm guessing the ladies didn't trim the stems, because they usually last better than this. I didn't ask, because it doesn't matter at this point! I'll take the survivor and put it in a bud vase, so I can enjoy it for awhile.

Poor Hermione!

Our kitty disappeared last week while we were out of town. I think our house sitter only saw her once, then couldn't find her anymore. She wasn't feeling well when we left -- droopy and not eating well -- so now I feel guilty for abandoning her.

Catherine and I are bad pet mommies, I guess.

We're in process of playing musical chairs at work. My department will be moving to the building next door later this week. It's a good time to clean things out, but it is a pain in the neck otherwise. Some people are already starting to move in here, so things are in a general uproar. Hard to get anything done with all the distraction and noise!

"Over the Hill"

A group at work threw a 30th birthday party for one of our co-workers today. I put in a quick appearance and left a card signed by our department, but didn’t stick around for the festivities.

I started thinking later that I have enormously mixed feelings about "milestone" birthdays. I remember my 21st very fondly – we went to Magic Mountain to celebrate, and it was just a wonderful day. I still remember how much we enjoyed "Spillikin Corners" (which no longer exists).

I was in the midst of a major career change when I turned 30, and all I remember is I was 29 when I had my first interview and 30 when I had my second at the company I ended up at.

My 40th birthday passed without notice because my life and future had shattered around me, and I was busy trying to hang on to some teeny semblance of sanity amidst it all. If anyone tried to make it special for me, I apologize for not remembering!

So, I guess I’ll have to figure out something special to do for my 50th (ages from now!), so maybe I can stop being so conflicted about milestone birthdays....

It's Twelfth Night, Baby

Just found this review:

by Lisanne White
Issue date: 10/15/05


Catherine Frye as Viola (left) and Chelia LaTour as Olivia during the dress rehearsal of Twelfth Night.

Students at Delta are deep into the fall semester. The air will quickly begin to cool and the ground is soon to be scattered with leaves. As the drama department kicks off its theatre season, Delta drama instructor Harvey T. Jordon offers us a way to hold on to the lapping waves and sandy beaches of summer, with his exotic interpretation of William Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night."

Through Jordan's vision, the story takes place in 1870 on a Polynesian island. Jordan feels that Shakespeare is perfect material for being conceptualized in different ways and places, and the tone of the islands during this time compliments and represents the themes of the play."

[There is] the idea of freedom of expression and merriment versus a moralistic oppression", said Jordan.

"Twelfth Night" is one of Shakespeare's most popular comedies. At the core it tells the classic love triangle story, only with a twist; girl (disguised as a boy) falls in love with boy, boy is in love with another girl, that girl loves a different boy (who is actually a girl). The play has a spectacle of things to offer, from laugh out loud satirical comedy, a bit sexual ambiguity, to very tender romance, with some dance and traditional Polynesian music in between.

"The play is hardly musty and dusty as Shakespeare usually might seem to be," said Jordan.

The cast is made up of all Delta drama students with the help of two instructors, Jordan as the drunken Sir Toby, and John White as Malvolio. White also serves as the show's set designer Starring in the play, and making up the characters of the love triangle, are three experienced Delta actors, Chelia LaTour as Olivia, Brian Peccia as Orsino, and Catherine Frye in the dual role of Viola and Cesario. Frye also lends her talents as assistant lighting designer. Peccia is a seasoned actor of Shakespeare, having performed with a professional Shakespeare company.

"I've been doing Shakespeare since I was 12," said Peccia.

In preparation for the Oct. 14 opening night, the cast and crew has been rehearsing every night for the past week, ironing out the last bit of kinks and bringing all the pieces together. Jordan is excited for the curtain to finally go up and hopes audiences are surprised by the production."

I hope that people take a chance and come out and see Shakespeare is not, necessarily, what they think it's going to be," said Jordan.

"Twelfth Night," showing in the Tillie Lewis Theatre, opens tonight at 8 p.m., with a second showing on Saturday, Oct. 15 also at 8 p.m. and a final performance on Tuesday, Oct. 18 at 10 a.m.

Tickets for the 8 p.m. shows are $12 for adults and $10 for children and seniors. For the 10 a.m. performance, they are $5 for all age groups. To purchase tickets, the Delta box office is open Tues. to Fri., 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sat., 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. They can also be bought online at dca.deltacollege.edu, or by phone at (209) 954-5110 (both online and phone ticket orders are subject to additional fees).

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It's raining...surprise!