Reflections On Independence Day 2016

Among founders of our country – John Adams was a strong-willed, stubborn person as am I. 

    He was forced to give up one of his dearly held principles – the abolition of slavery—to get something greater – the unanimous consent of other congressional representatives for the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.

   Watching the movie “1776” has long been a July 4^th tradition for me.  It never fails to uplift and inspire me.  In addition to being an outstanding piece of theater, it is a thoughtful presentation of history.

   I took the advice of Hillsdale College to read the declaration of Independence today as we celebrate the 240^th anniversary of its signing.  As I reviewed the grievances against King George and Great Britain that caused the colonies to separate from England, I noted that many of those grievances are among the same problems we have today with our Federal government and the personage of the current President – whom many radical conservatives have affectionately labeled “King Barack”.  He is indeed a dictator who has been permitted to do pretty much anything he wants with the country, in defiance of the Constitution and its separation of powers.  This has happened because Republicans in Congress do not have the courage to oppose him, much less impeach him – which he richly deserves in my opinion. 

   Liberalism has been allowed to spread and dominate, despite the fact that the majority of Americans don’t agree with or support things like the government’s sponsorship of crippling regulations that stifle the economy and diminish individual freedoms.

   I tend to rant and rave against this sort of oppression, but I know that this oppression will surely continue until enough people are sick and tired of it and rise up as one to overcome things like the liberal leaning press and lying, pocket-lining politicians and government officials. 

   Overcoming the current liberal oppression cannot be done with just one election.  It has to become a constant battle and a consistent attitude that will risk persecution and denunciation.   We need to re-establish things like education that teaches students how to think instead of telling them what to think.  We have to steel ourselves to constantly denounce, oppose, legislate against and wage war to defeat terrorism and overcome political oppression from lobbyists and opportunists on all sides of the issues who care more about themselves than they care about what’s best for the country and humanity as a whole.  But all of this must be done out of a sense of wisdom, love, patience and caring – not the angry, intolerance and unyielding stubbornness of people like Betty Peters -- who knows that anybody who disagrees with her or doesn’t do things her way is just wrong.   

    Even the pig-headed, self-righteous John Adams eventually realized he had to yield to those who supported the indecent cause of keeping slaves, in order to achieve the greater good of American independence.  

    Perhaps Adams and his fellow anti-slavery zealots throughout the newly formed United States realized that the issue of slavery would eventually have to be resolved.  The young country almost ripped itself in half fighting a Civil War to abolish slavery.  

     The country was angry and divided in those days, as it is now. 

    The issue of how we treat people of color is still debated.  It is one of the things that liberals throw in the face of conservatives today.  Though we have no slaves, we are told that we must make reparations for past offenses.  We are supposed to kowtow and think of people of color as oppressed.  It seems to me that following that illogic is what continues to oppress everybody.  It is what one of my favorite conservative icons describes as the soft bigotry of low expectations. We give in to the childish notion that government handouts and quotas for  Blacks and other so-called minorities will resolve all problems, rather than encouraging everybody  -- regardless of race, age, sexual preference, religious and social affiliation - to lift themselves up to the best they can be, to think and do for themselves, rather than expecting the government to do everything for them,   including thinking.  

    God created us all equally, but we are not all the same. God gave us all a mind so that we could think and discern for ourselves rather than looking to the government, the press, the church to think for us.  We need to start thinking and doing for ourselves as we learn to understand, respect and celebrate our differences, instead of celebrating our insecurities and pettiness by getting in people's faces if they are different from us or disagree with us.

    Whether we understand it or not; whether we agree or not; whether we like it or not – it is the Spirit Of America which continues to guide this country.   Freedom is what God has designed and ordained.   Most certainly all groups and individuals in this country can and should be participants in America and freedom while realizing that it is not the exclusive province of any individual or group. 

      Freedom and The Spirit of America don’t take orders from individuals like Betty Peters, John Adams, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Rush Limbaugh, Oprah Winfrey or any other individual you care to name. 

    Freedom and The Spirit Of America will not be controlled or dictated to by The New York Times, CNN, Fox News, Labor unions, Christians, Muslims, Jews, Radical Jihadists, Buddhists, The European Union,  heterosexuals, homosexuals, environmentalists, teachers, lawyers, news reporters, doctors, scientists, members of the clergy, coal miners, shop keepers, Ohio State Buckeyes, Washington Red Skins, Cleveland Cavaliers, or any other group -- not even the mighty New England Patriots.   Of course the Spirit of America needs patriots, but not necessarily patriots who are little more than fanatics -- whether their passion be football or some other popular pastime. 

   It has been a rainy, cloudy Independence Day here in Columbus, Ohio.   I hope the rain passes by and holds off long enough so that we can have fireworks.  I can see our local fireworks from my window. 

   I can see freedom and the Spirit of America from my window and in my mind's eye.  It is always looking forward.   The cause of freedom is constantly bursting forth like fireworks overhead, because the Spirit of America formed this country for that purpose. 

Review: "Picasso At The Lapin Agile", Columbus Civic Theater

  Author Steve Martin takes a light-hearted look at the possibilities of art meeting science when Painter Pablo Picasso encounters Albert Einstein in a Paris bar – the Lapin Agile (Nimble Rabbit) in 1904, as both men are on the threshold of their greatest works. Columbus Civic Theater’s current offering of this adult classic features Galen Roth (Einstein). Roth is confident and comfortable in his characterization and line delivery. I like the look he achieves with just the right amount of gray in his hair.  Ben Turner (Picasso) is assured and cocky with excellent stage presence.  The contrast between the two that the author gives us – Einstein’s intellectualism vice Picasso’s emotional investment in art -- is well-played by both Turner and Roth.  The conversations and interactions with and between other bar patrons is stimulating and entertaining with Ryan Heitkamp (Barkeeper Freddy), Kenneth Barnett (Gaston), Britt Kline (Freddy’s girlfriend and assistant barkeeper Germaine), Stefan Langer (Sagot the art dealer), Stephen Hanna (Schmendiman the inventor), Jordan Davis (Suzanne) and Julia Cannel (countess/female admirer).

  Davis is sparkling and provocative as Picasso’s girl of the moment – or should we say his current model. 

   Everybody seems to find their moment – event Hanna who has less than five minutes on stage as well as Chance Landers who enters with panache at the end to enunciate and demonstrate his own distinction as a prominent 20^th century influence. Landers character is listed simply as “Visitor” but audiences will recognize him immediately.  I won’t give away his identity here because it’s supposed to be a surprise.  But he is thoroughly entertaining and audiences will recognize him immediately.

   Richard Albert’s set design with red décor, sparse furnishings and interesting paintings works well on the tiny Civic stage. 

   Dayton Willison’s costumes are pleasant and effective – especially the women’s attire as the intended sexual innuendo is successfully achieved.

   This is a fun, well-paced show at 90 minutes.  The lesson it teaches is that all of us humans -- whether famous, infamous or obscure—should never take ourselves too seriously. 

Review: Invention Of Theater -- Otterbein Summer Theatre

    "The Invention Of Theater" by neophyte playwright and Otterbein Theater alumnus Sean Murphy, intends to be a light-hearted, fun-filled demonstration of all the things that go into making theater.  It includes an in-depth examination of actors’ preparation, the nuances of line delivery and character motivation, the effect of adding props, lights and other elements to create the sense of time and place. It also traces some theater history with brief mentions of various eras and styles including Greek tragedy, Shakespeare and the Elizabethan era, Neil Simon, Tennessee Wiliams’ “Streetcar Named Desire”, and a contemporary punk rock musical complete with gore and violence.  Along the way producer complications get layered in with an eye on the mighty dollar. 

   The acting from Benjamin Folts, Grace Hoover, Evan Moore-Coll and Steven Meeker is excellent. The stagecraft is minimal with some cute costumes, a few pieces of furniture and some screen projections.

     The premise is charming.  There are some great lines, laugh-out-loud comedy routines and compelling moments.  But it’s a choppy, episodic piece that goes on for 90 minutes, repeating the same story and lines for what seemed like 90 iterations. I was ready to leave within the first fifteen minutes, especially with the hot, humid conditions created by poor air-conditioning.

  As I understand the situation, it began as a short workshop piece when Murphy was a student and, at Director Melissa Lusher's suggestion with concurrence from Otterbein Summer theater Director John Stefano and the rest of the staff, Murphy expanded it to its current 90-minute format. It should have remained as a 30-minute one-act workshop or classroom project.  I  think it is a poor choice for a main stage production during the 50th anniversary celebration of Otterbein Summer theater where folks are paying $25 or more per ticket.  

Review: 1940's Radio Hour -- State of The Arts Productions (SOARTSPRO)

“1940’s Radio Hour” depicts a live radio production at Christmas time in 1942.  It celebrates the music and the culture of the time against the backdrop of WW II.  The script leaves lots of room for ad lib which is where much of the character development takes place.  State Of The Arts Productions current Columbus rendering dishes out a bit too much ad lib with little payoff as actors seem to be doing their own thing much of the time, becoming caricatures and often distracting from the central focus of the radio show and the music.

  My previous experiences with this show had it as a brisk two-act production that unfolded in less than two hours with the intermission.  SOARTSPRO elects to do it as a one-act in the spirit of the one-hour radio program.  The ad-libs at the beginning, the extensive build-up prior to going on the air, coupled with the slow pacing, and the anti-climatic farewells among the cast and crew after the show goes off the air, stretches this to a tedious two hours.  James Blackmon directs and plays the key role of Johnny, which might be part of the problem. Things like relationship development, pacing, blocking and ensemble seem to have gotten lost. Blackmon’s characterization as the lead singer is sparse and uneven. 

   Part of the success for this play lies in how well the songs are rendered.  Blackmon, Cassie Gress (Ginger), Clara Livingston (Connie), Brian Gray (Neal), David Rausch (B.J.),  Syretta Bates (Geneva), Bobby Peaks (Biff) Lauren Bandman (Ann) can all sing well enough, but they are often overpowered by the band.  The poor sound mix doesn't help.  

   The beauty of a piece like this is that it can be very effective when the staging is simplified.  This production has too much furniture and too many people wandering around doing their own side-bits, drawing focus away from the action of the radio broadcast. 

  The program lists several costumers who all got it wrong when it came to the uniform for the soldier who is dressed as a 1990’s-era enlisted man when he is supposed to be an officer in the army of the 1940’s.  How hard could it be to come up with khaki pants and long-sleeved khaki shirt with a couple lieutenant bars?  This is just one indication of the sloppy, slip-shod way this show seems to have been thrown together.  

   For years, I have been longing for someone to bring this sweet script back to the Columbus stage, but I was hoping for something better than this.  I have seen family back yard shows with stronger production values.

Review: Brighton Beach Memoirs - Otterbein Summer Theater

  Neil Simon’s brilliant dialog and wonderful sense of humor sparkle in the hands of Director Lenny Liebowitz and his outstanding student cast as Otterbein Summer Theater opens its 50^th anniversary season with “Brighton Beach Memoirs”.   Jordan Wood has wonderful comic timing, outstanding gestures, fabulous facial expression and a true gift for physical comedy as Eugene, a typical New York City Jewish teenager embarking upon the discovery of everything sexual with the help of his older brother Stanley, played with wonderful nuance and steady consistency by Max Bartel.  Aubree Tally has perfected the attitude and tone of the stereotypical Jewish mother, Kate.  Supporting cast members Daria Redus (Blanche), Abigail Isom (Laurie) Kara Jobe (Nora) and Jack Labrecque (Jack) all have their special moments, mining the depth and breadth of Simon’s rich characters. 

   The script was written to be delivered on a large proscenium style stage.  Cramming it onto the smallish three-quarter thrust area of the Fritsche Theater stage that Otterbein Summer Theatre now calls home, just doesn’t work very well.  Rob Johnson’s set design does the best it can with the limited space, but the bedrooms don’t have any room for beds.  There is not enough room on stage for a table with chairs plus the living room furniture.  Consequently, the dinner scene is people sitting on chairs in a rectangular formation and miming eating dinner.  The cast does as good a job as any acting group would with this kind of situation, but it just doesn’t work very well for my taste. 

   Lighting in this limited setting has similar challenges.

    Rebecca White’s costumes are period appropriate and quite effective, especially Eugene’s knickers with vest and ball cap.

    Overall, I enjoyed the show because of the brilliant acting and line delivery of Neil Simon’s witty prose.