Buckeye Poison

  Wikipedia describes a buckeye as a toxic seed or nut.

   As a resident of Central Ohio, I know that I live in the land of toxic nuts -- also known as Ohio State University sports fans.   

   
    I believe in sports traditions and cheering for favorite athletes and teams.  
     Winning athletes work hard.  Many of them have sacrificed and endured significant hardship.  They struggle to overcome adversity and succeed in lifting themselves up to the best they can be. That deserves honor and respect.  
       Living vicariously through athletic accomplishments of top-notch athletes is a harmless pastime for most of us.  I was never much of an athlete, but I have always enjoyed watching well-executed sports competitions. It’s good entertainment.  
       Unfortunately, many contemporary fans are not respectful, intelligent, mature people who adhere to the kind of values I associate with sportsmanship.
   The extremism that surrounds sports often creates an artificial, toxic environment filled with overly emotional, ranting, drunken, immature sports nuts who disturb the general peace.

       There are too many rude, obnoxious fans who don't understand the rules or appreciate the skill, stamina, or strategies for sincere, honest, intelligent sports competition.   The so-called experts and self-important, over-rated talking heads of the media are among the worst offenders.  

   Sports posts on social media blogs are filled with the kinds of invectives, idiotic opinions and ignorant outpourings that were once considered rude or in bad taste -- if not criminal.  In the current culture, when it comes to being loyal to one's team and denouncing the opposition, all manner of stupidity, hypocrisy, foul language, slander and libel is permitted, endorsed and encouraged.

   Central Ohio traffic on an OSU football Saturday can be worse than weekday rush hours, as the faithful speed to the stadium or their favorite sports bars. 

   When I lived near the OSU campus I often walked, rode my bike or stayed home on Saturdays rather than risk playing dodge-cars with pilgrims making their way to and from the great Horseshoe shrine. 

    That was back in the 1980’s when the stadium only held about 70,000 people.  Its capacity has since grown to 104,000, and I now reside in the suburbs where there is still a noticeable flood of cars headed toward campus when the games are in Columbus. 

      Self-respecting Central Ohio motorists can do themselves great disservice in not being aware of OSU sports traffic.  I once made the mistake of driving near campus on a Saturday following a Buckeye football home loss.  People were weaving in and out of lanes, honking, screaming and giving each other the finger.

   On the rare occasion when the Buckeyes lose a football game, the negativity is palpable. The thud lingers in the air for days and weeks.  

   Behaviors and attitudes that surround winning are often worse.  Drunken mobs of Buckeye fans celebrating major team victories have disrupted traffic, set fires and destroyed property.  Many among the Buckeye faithful seem to think this kind of behavior is as much a part of Buckeye tradition as the “O-H---I-O” cheer and “Hang On Sloopy.”  

    I saw many social media comments opining that law enforcement was over-reacting when police officers donned riot gear and sprayed tear gas to control the crowds that gathered on High Street near campus after OSU won the national college football championship in January 2015. 

   Some of my friends were horrified at my suggestion that members of such mobs be shot.  I believe that if law enforcement made it a regular policy to shoot people who engage in this kind of mass, unruly behavior, we would have fewer riots -- whether the cause is celebrating a sports victory or protesting social and political situations.

   Women’s basketball has always been one of my favorite sports. 

   I attended Buckeye women’s basketball home games and was a season subscriber for several years.

   I was a proud member of their booster group. I went to meetings, helped with fund-raising and enjoyed editing their newsletter. I appreciated opportunities that club membership provided to spend time around players, coaches and staff and to know them as real human beings; not just distant, pedestalled basketball automatons.

   But even with this less popular sport, the intensity of toxic nuttiness seeped in and eroded my enjoyment and enthusiasm.

      I thought boosters were supposed to be exemplars of respect; good will; maturity and upbeat, forward-looking optimism. I felt embarrassed when booster club members blamed bad officiating or opponents’ dirty tricks for Buckeye losses, while our coaches and players extolled the skill and talent of the opposition, acknowledged our team's shortcomings and expressed a renewed commitment for future contests.  

    The guy with the long, walrus-looking handlebar mustache who jumps up and down, screams and derides the officials at every home game should have been ejected years ago and barred from the arena.  

    Ditto for the crude, self-important jerk who sat next to me and shouted random insults at players, coaches and officials. In addition to his loud, foul mouth, he stank from cigarette smoke and stale beer.  Things improved when I moved to another seat, but the general arena noise and fan screaming still bothered me.

   Perhaps it was a quirk of growing older, but women’s basketball games and booster club membership just weren’t fun any more. So I terminated my booster affiliation and stopped going to games.    

   When I unexpectedly encountered a booster acquaintance at a recent concert, she tried to make polite small talk.

    “We miss you at the games,” she told me. 

  I mumbled some unintelligible response and turned away.

   I don't miss going to games.  

   I don’t miss the traffic.

   I don’t miss the crowds, the chaos, the screaming and the overall noise.

    I don't miss watching adults dissolve into bratty, self-centered, poorly behaved children, in the sacred name of supporting “their Buckeyes”. 

   I don't miss the rancor, smack talk and the disrespect toward officials, opposing teams and their fans.  

   I am happy to be away from all of it.

    I live in Central Ohio, which is ground zero for Buckeye sports fanaticism.  I survive by trying to minimize my exposure to toxic nuts.  

Review: "The Fantasticks", Short North Stage

The wonderful songs and rich themes of romance, innocence, fantasy, and love’s eventual triumph when fantasy is gone, come to life again with much grace and beauty in Short North Stage’s current production of “The Fantasticks”. 

    Brian Hupp brings strong, handsome stage presence and excellent vocals to the role of the Narrator El Gallo.

  Young Emma Coniglio and Robert Carlton Stimmel prove charming, attractive and delightful in the roles of Luisa and Matt.  Nice vocals, movement and attitude from Ryan Stem (Bellamy) and Dough Joseph (Hucklebee) in their portrayal of the two fathers. Alex Lanier (Henry) and Kate Lingnofski bring lots of energy and fun with their gender-bent portrayals of Henry and Mortimer, respectively.  Megan Valle’s depiction of the mute didn’t work for me.  I have no doubt of Valle’s abilities as a skilled actress.  But the Directorial choice to use her as a pivotal point draws focus, as opposed to providing background support, which is typically how this role is played.

   Director Jonathan Flom’s vision to set Short North Stage’s current production of “The Fantasticks” in the 1930’s Oklahoma Dustbowl, succeeds, except that the vegetable gardening with the fathers, which is a major theme, doesn’t ring true in that kind of arid environment.  The prolonged tableau with the children and the fathers at the top of Act 2 going in to “This Plum Is Too Ripe” is a bit over the top.

   The piece is done in full round with a wooden platform surrounded by dirt and pieces of junk that would have undoubtedly speckled a 1930 Dustbowl landscape.  Good use is made of the water well derrick placed center stage.  Actors climb on it to sing, recite poetry and look out upon their fantasies. 

    The accompaniment from Phil Dupont, Piano and Larry Moratta, Guitar supports the singing well.  The show is performed with no microphone reinforcement for the voices, which works for the most part in the tiny Short North Stage Green Room space, though there were moments when I wished that there had been some reinforcement to help blend the voices with the accompaniment.

   Overall, I found this a very pleasant evening of theater with a wonderful and much beloved classic, sung and performed well by a capable troupe. 

Review: "Man Of LaMancha" Ohio Valley Summer Theater

        I drove to Athens to see Ohio Valley Summer Theater’s production of "Man of la Mancha". This iconic piece of musical theater with book by Dale Wasserman and lyrics by Mitch Leigh, was adapted from Wasserman’s 1959 non-musical teleplay, “I Don Quixote” based on Miguel De Cervantes’ massive, classic 17^th Century novel “Don Quixote”. 

    The action of the play focuses on Cervantes as a prisoner of the Inquisition. He creates a play-within-the-play about the mad knight, Quixote, to entertain his fellow prisoners, who have put him on trial as an excuse to steal all the possessions Cervantes and his servant, Sancho, have brought into the prison.      

  Director Dale Ricardo Shields, a protégé of former OVST managing director Bob Winters, has assembled a large, diverse cast, crew and artistic staff from the university and the community to create a reprise of this classic.

   The cast features many capable folks, including several current Ohio University students.  Greg Hofmeister (Cervantes/Quixote/Alonso Quijana), Anne Yuan (Aldonza), Kirby Flowers (Sancho), Ike Riesbeck (Duke/Sanson Carrasco) are OU students majoring in music or theater.  Hofmeister brings strong, steady consistency and a nice singing voice to his work. 

  Yuan brings a strong clear operatic voice to the mix, though I noticed she tripped over some of her spoken lines.  

  Flowers sings well, and amuses with good comic timing of his lines, but lacks the kind of strong energy I normally associate with the Sancho character.

   Handsome Chris Parsons (Pedro) exudes great stage presence and sings well.  

  Joe Balding (The Governor/Inn Keeper), a 40-year veteran with OVST,  posesses strong, confident stage presence and characterization, but his voice is scratchy and shallow, both in singing and line delivery.

    Jodi MacNeal (Housekeeper), Margo Tillstrom (Antonia) Pop Peterson (Barber) and Jackson Savage (Padre) sing beautifully in  compelling moments.

   I noted some lack of energy and lapses in focus among the ensemble as prisoners, sitting and listening.  But when called to move furniture, to sing as part of the chorus or to play minor roles in the story, they jump to life and accomplish their missions with efficient precision.  

   Glenn Pepe’s scenic design and Derek Keifer’s lighting serve the action appropriately.  The dungeon setting is well-defined.  Simple wooden crates, boxes and slabs are used very effectively.

   The sound engineering and mix by Bethany Gratz is impeccable.  Microphones come up and fade out perfectly.  Nothing ever seems too loud or too soft.

   The accompaniment seems a little thin compared to the lush, full orchestrations I normally associate with “Man of la Mancha”.  The four-piece band led by Assistant Music Director Mallory Scaife at the keyboard, plays competently, but their beat lags which often causes the overall pace of the show to lag.

   The quick jump of the ensemble to shift the furniture after Quijana’s deathbed scene draws focus and practically obscures the exchange between Aldonza and Sancho and the Padre’s delivery of the last blessing.  This sacred moment deserves more pause for reflection before we are whisked away to the entrance of the inquisition for the final scene.

    “Man Of La Mancha” opened on Broadway in 1965.  It won five Tony Awards, including best musical and ran for 2,328 performances. The piece received several Broadway revivals, has been translated into eight languages and continues to be staged by professional and amateur troupes all over the world.  Its principle song, “The Impossible Dream”, remains a popular music standard. 

    OVST celebrates its 65^th season and pays homage to Bob Winters who came to Athens in 1962 and was a long-time Ohio University theater professor and member of OVST.  Winters eventually became chairman of OU’s theater department and managing director of OVST.  Even after he retired, he continued to direct for OVST through 2008 and was actively involved with the troupe until he died in 2014.

     My theater addictions began with “Man Of La Mancha” when I was a college freshman at Ohio University in the Spring of 1972. I saw all the performances of that 1972 Ohio University "Man of la Mancha production that Winters directed. I am sure the box office people thought I was crazy, but they seemed to appreciate my passion and always found me a seat, though most of the performances were sold out.    

    If my criticisms seem harsh or unjustified, please forgive. My opinions are undoubtedly tinged with sweet memories from the first time I saw the show.  It’s the kind of naiveté and untouchable perfection one always associates with first love.

    The current production is a worthy offering of a much-beloved old chestnut.

   I enjoyed this wonderful trip down memory lane.   

Review: "Little Mermaid", Westerville Civic Theatr

  Editor’s Note: Most performances of this production were sold out.  This review is being written almost a week after the show closed. I decided I should publish this anyway, because I wanted to recognize the outstanding efforts of all who were involved in this fabulous production. 

  

 Westerville Civic Theatre’s production of “Little Mermaid” is a delightful cornucopia of joyful color, movement and song. This Disney animated film, turned live-theatre spectacle, has something for everybody. 

  Co-Directors Luke Bovenizer and Matt Wolfe have amassed an excellent cast, creative team and crew to bring this beautiful story to life on the wide Westerville Central High School stage.

   There are so many noteworthy performances among this outstanding cast.

   My friend Julie Russell's performance as Scuttle Sea Gull overflows with joy and zest that floats up to the rafters. She sings, tap dances, and shows great leadership in shepherding others, especially the young gulls and other tap dancers.

   Alex Armesto has clear vocals and is handsome, humble, sincere and lovable as the prince.

   Young Cherish Myers sings so beautifully and is beautiful as the title character, Mermaid Ariel, who follows her dream to live on land, bond with the prince and join the human race. I knew Ms. Myers as a child actress when she performed in Curtain Players production of “Little House Christmas” several years ago.  She has grown into a lovely, confident, accomplished, graceful and charming young woman -- beloved by all -- both on and off stage.

    Bill Hafner is strong with a gorgeous base baritone voice as the undersea God, Triton, father to Ariel. 

   I have seen Dan Griscom in several shows, but this was my first experience seeing him in a musical.  The role as Prince Eric’s protector, Grimsby, suits Griscom.  He seems confident and comfortable singing and dancing across the stage.

  Ursula, foil to King Triton’s command of the undersea world, is one of those characters audiences love to hate. Julia McCafferty masters meanness with grace and style, singing in full, rich, dulcet tones as she works her dark magic control over Ariel and her father.

  Desmond Fernandez out-energizes everybody. He sings well and fills the stage with his larger-than-life characterization of Sebastian, Ariel’s mentor and protector.

  I enjoyed David Hammond’s singing and characterization as Chef Leeward.

   Honorable mention goes to Bennett Keyser as Flounder, first fan and would-be boyfriend to Ariel.  As is typical for young boys on stage, Keyser’s line delivery is a bit hurried and difficult to understand, but his cuteness and energy are compelling. 

  Music production is led by Music director Kelsey Burkett, Conductor John Vermeulen. The rich tones of the orchestra enhance the production and keep a good beat and pace for the singing and dancing.

     Choreographer Cindy Straub, Assistant Choreographer Heather Williams and Dance Assistant Aubry Williams arranged, taught and coordinated, polished-looking movements for every skill level and age group. 

   There are many great moments and wonderful songs.  Among my favorites are  “Kiss The Girl” with Sebastian, Scuttle and chorus; “Positoovity with Scuttle and gulls – including a tap dance number led by Scuttle; Ursula’s “Poor Unfortunate Souls” and “Kiss The Girl” with Sebastian and the ensemble. 

  A lavish Disney production such as this often forces troupes to incur considerable expense renting costumes and props.  Costume designer Jude Berger, Assistant Sharon Kegg, Props Artist Stephanie Matushoneck and their teams put together bright, colorful gowns for the mermaids, Ursula and song competition contenders, chef aprons and accents,  bird regalia for gulls, formal wear for Prince Eric and Grimsby, fins for Flounder, other fish and undersea creatures. I was especially impressed with the decorated umbrella decked out to replicate a swimming angel fish as it opened and closed during dance scenes.

    Scenic Designer Derrick McPeak, Charge Artist Jeanne Guerin and their crews have cobbled together richly-colored backdrops and set pieces to aid in telling the story.  The excellent lighting design by Derryck Menard provides the proper focus and emphasis for all the action.  Some of the younger players on stage don’t always find their light, but good light is there.

      The sound mix is the weakest link.  Some of the amplification is too loud. I never detected any feedback, but the volume was often on the edge for some of the bigger voices and larger numbers and too soft to be heard for some of the younger, smaller voices.  Part of the problem may have been that some players were not given proper training in how to position and project into their microphones.

   Overall I consider “Little Mermaid” to be a fully realized, polished and satisfying piece of musical theater.  It is one of the few large-scale-musical, community theater shows I have seen that does not clutter the stage with a bunch of people who wander aimlessly or just stand/sit around in ugly clumps and static lines, singing like a church choir.  The production values, designs and stage craft of Westerville Civic’s “Little Mermaid” are worthy of any Broadway-level professional show.  What a treat!