Mark Howell's - "Soundings"
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Soundings

We witnessed last weekend the birth of a star and the rebirth of a star.

Veteran performer Tom Luna, missing in action since the death of his partner many months ago, resurfaced last week in three performances of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" at the high school auditorium.

In the same production, with that volatile mix of dancer and comedienne that has made a star of many a youngster in movieland, young newcomer Erika Dam managed to steal every moment she was on.

Luna was Scrooge and Dam was a spirit in this Keys Kids production, joining a cast of 40 parts (60 performers) that featured a Fandango Chorus and a London Town Chorus. Shining from wing to wing was a spectacular set by Don Sullivan with sound and lighting by the Gardner family. The costumes, by seven coordinators, were as eye-popping as Hollywood's at its height and they got a standing ovation at the start.

Penny Leto and Carolyn Cooper thrilled us with the complicated clockwork of their whirling choreography. Coping with a stage full of freewheeling kids came under the maternal, which is to say capable, direction of Mimi McDonald. Musical director was the marvellous Nora Revelin.

The most dramatic moments were Luna's as old Ebenezer. In a strange and sweet performance, his voice unrecognizably pleasant even in the "Bah! Humbug!" routines, he tore at the heart with an earnest clumsiness. Behind the clenched teeth of his tell-tale smile lurked the laughter of a man-child. In a scene the program called "Lonely Reprise," Luna's sobbing in bed in his nightgown and night cap left a little girl crying in a seat behind us. Their tears were contagious.

The other sensational adult in the production was Marjorie Paul-Shook, beyond hilarious as Mrs. Dilber. On the night we went, in addition to the amazing Miss Dam among the young ones, Josiaha Heidle was splendid as Peter Cratchit.

The Keys Kids production of "A Christmas Carol" is near enough its 60th presentation since premiering in 1994 with "Peter Pan" (on a grant from the late Marion Stevens). The whole thing took just three-and-a-half weeks to pull off, "a Christmas miracle," Leto called it. She told Soundings: "The children learned so much from Tom as Scrooge. They loved to gather around him."

He's baack!

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Joyce Carpenter writes regarding the late-century photograph of Shel Silverstein and friends on page 2 of last week's Solares Hill:

"The handsome man between Shel Silverstein and lil' Toni Tarracino is identified as Gary McDonald. It sure does look like him. But I bet the bank it is Jerry Manbruno from Waterbury, Conn. He used to spend summers here and he and Shel were friends."

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Actress Amber McDonald, daughter of Mimi and Gary McDonald, has become engaged to actor John Good, son of Lloyd Good Sr. and the late Miriam Good.

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Cosmo and the manatee, from "Cosmo the Boat Cat."

Key West artist Sherry Sweet Tewell teams up with Samuel's House and the Stay Fit Studio, 804 White St., during the Thursday Dec. 17 Walk On White, from 6 to 9 p.m. "Helping Children for the Holidays" features a silent auction of several "Cosmo the Boat Cat" original paintings plus a silent book auction, each book donated as holiday gifts to the children at Samuel's House.

"This is a wonderful way to spread joy and happiness during the holiday season," said Elmira Leto of Samuel's House.

Tewell is originally from Kentucky and traveled to the Keys for many years before making it her home. She and Cosmo live on a house boat and are frequently visited by tarpons, turtles and manatees.

Call Stay Fit Studio at 294-0693 or Samuel's House at 296-0240 for further information, or visit www.cosmotheboatcat.com.

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Local radio listener David Lybrand once wrote to the producers of NPR's Prairie Home Companion suggesting a show in Key West. (The cast will in fact be in Key West on a cruise in March, but not to do a show.)

"As I pass by Garrison Bight," he wrote, "I consider how great our fair city would be for PHC to visit ... I honestly think Garrison would enjoy doing a show here, due to a colorful history like no the city on earth."

Kathy Roach, a production assistant on the show, wrote back that the letter had been "passed on to Mr. Keillor. He writes the show and he reads all the mail concerning show content but because of his heavy schedule he can't always respond to letters, even the most interesting ones."

Then the bottom line: "Due to the expenses incurred on both sides, and also to provide enough seats for people to see the show, we recommend a hall that seats a minimum of 2,500 people."

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The Marathon Community Chorale, under the direction of its guest conductor, Emily Boyd Lowe, presents "Messiah" today, Dec. 13, at 7 p.m. in the Marathon high school auditorium. The choir will be accompanied on piano by Sergio Puig.

The concert is presented by the congregation of St. Columba Episcopal Church and the people of Marathon. The idea of doing the Handel oratorio began as a dream at the church and became city-wide through ecumenical support. There is also a raffle and canned-food drive, so donations are welcome; otherwise the concert is free.

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Prof. Lowe tells us that George Frideric (sic) Handel, composer of "Messiah" ("The Messiah" is incorrect) himself conducted 36 performances of the oratorio -- but never once in a church.

He knew it would be a sell-out at its first performance, in a music hall in Dublin, Ireland, since he cautioned women to leave their hoop skirts at home and the men their swords, as those would take up too much room with a big audience.

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Many businesses are collecting gifts for the children and families served by Wesley House Family Services. Anyone interested in dropping off an unwrapped gift for a needy child can do so at the following Key West locations: Napa Auto Parts, Dr. Mauer's and Dr. Goldstein's offices, the Banyan Resort, Sunshine Rentals, the Key West Yacht Club, the VFW, Murray Marine, Gorgeous Salon, Oropeza Chiropractic, Florida Keys Community College, the Key West Visitors' Center (Key West and Big Pine locations), Historic Tours Trolley Barn, Keys Preschool Co-op, the Pampered Pet and BB & T.

Unwrapped gifts may also be dropped off at Wesley House offices at 1304 Truman Ave. and 3114 Flagler Ave.

All gifts must be dropped off by Friday, Dec. 18.

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To compute the variations in the ways the six numbered balls in Florida Lotto will drop each week, the lotto's own logic is that when you pick six numbers, on the first ball you have six chances out of 53 balls, then you have five chances out of the remaining 52 balls, etc., etc.

By that formula - (53 divided by 6) multiplied by (52 divided by 5) multiplied by (5 divided by 4) multiplied by (50 divided by 3) multiplied by (49 divided by 2) multiplied by 48 - the resulting number of variations is 22,957,480.

(To date, Soundings and its readers have come up with both 13,983,816 and 16,529,385,600 as the total number of ways the bouncing balls will combine. Any more calculations out there?)

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Quote for the Week:

"Sometimes you have to forget your principles and do what's right."

-- Dave Van Ronk

(1936-2002)