Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma
Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma
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My household made lots of personal adjustments during the last year when we were ordered to stay-at-home. Some situations turned out better than others. For instance, one good thing that happened is we have learned to give each other haircuts. But that adjustment did not happen without incident. Our big row came when my husband wanted a Flowbee, and I did not wish to get my haircut sitting next to the Hoover. After much discussion, we settled the dispute by letting him purchas...
Twenty-twenty is soon to be over! As the clock ticks toward 2021, my husband reminded me this column was once a light-hearted ramble. Somehow over the months living around the China virus, my lost birthday celebration trip to Europe, multiple stay-at-home edicts mandated unconstitutionally by elected officials, unrestrained violence in our major cities, an unethical national media, coupled with a corrupted election, it appears, I have lost my sense of humor. Actually, this...
North Coast Repertory is running dual performances and neither should be missed. Last time I applauded their one-man show for the telling of "A Christmas Carol." This time it is "An Iliad." Based on Homer's epic poem "Iliad," this monumental telling is a prerequisite for every college bound student. It is recognized by historians that prior to the written word, all stories were heard not read. Keeping with that tradition, Richard Baird masterfully shares the woes of the Trojan...
Christmas is here. Can you remember when you still believed in Santa Claus? Can you recall when you were 5 years old, even 6 or 7? It was then on Christmas morning you could barely hold back your excitement. The wonder that came with seeing the festive bows wrapped around holiday paper? Christmas morning was the highlight of your small world. If you try hard, maybe you can even conjure the vision of Santa putting packages under a decorated tree for you. It was a magical time....
It is a brave soul who has the courage to rewrite the semi-sacred words of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." That daring man is playwright Zander Michaelson. The outcome is worthy of the original. Naturally, this current pandemic has directors directing differently, like David Ellenstein at North Coast Repertory. To abide by all the convoluted regulations with the state-ordered distancing and so forth, this version of the famous tale is told by one actor performing all of...
San Diego Repertory is offering another Hershey Felder performance on Dec. 20 at 5 p.m. Streaming live from Florence, Italy, Felder will recreate his one-man show about the life and music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Russia's most famous composer. Felder has performed over 6,000 productions in his musical career with many from his Florence studio. This is a first-class opportunity to offer support for the Arts. Tickets are $55 per household at SDRep.org. Elizabeth...
Available throughout the holidays, watch San Diego's finest theater from the comfort of your favorite chair. Continuing through Dec. 13, "No Way Back" stars Jessica John in a one-woman stellar performance now playing at The Roustabout Theatre. For tickets, visit http://www.theroustabouts.org. Continuing through Dec. 31 at The Old Globe Theatre, "Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas" streams in conjunction with KPBS Radio 89.5. Tickets are available at...
Whew! Some might say there is little to be thankful for this year. Let me remind you when we are alive, there is still hope. Just the same, it has been one for the history books. Back in the day, when “All I Need to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten” was the mantra for decency, now is a good time to review the list. Written by Unitarian minister Robert Fulghum sharing his philosophy with the world in 1989, these are still truths to live by. “Share everything. Play fair. Don’t...
"No Way Back" is a poignant personal journey for playwright Mahshid Fashandi Hager as she shares her family's flight from war-torn Iran in 1979. This story is told by 10-year old Hager as she recalls the happy times shared with her family transitioning through their escape and finally to safety. Well-told by the multi-faceted actor Jessica John, all is relived through her multiple characterizations. John weaves this true story with compassion and clarity as she seamlessly...
Online theatre is a bargain. It only requires the purchase of one ticket for the entire family to watch the performance in the comfort of your home. Currently streaming at San Diego Rep is "JQA" (John Quincy Adams). It is another re-imagined historical play about presidents. This starts with our third president, John Adams, and his 9-year-old son, John Quincy Adams, our sixth president, with focus on the latter and his long political career. Written by award winning...
Growing old is a privilege. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. In the inimitable words of Zorba in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” “You look so old.” I just don’t want to “look so old.” A little old is OK. After all, I don’t want to look too young. So, I ask myself, what is the right age? I for one liked the years from ages 43-50. After that, things started to really sag. Of course, I smoked then so I was trimmer. That always made me happy. Trimmer that is. Not that I am not happy to have stopped...
Theater is alive and well in San Diego County, and the good news is you can watch it in your pajamas. It’s all online. Congratulations go to New Village Arts in Carlsbad for their $5,000 grant award from California Humanities for their new program, “A Connection Toolkit in the Age of COVID-19.” San Diego Repertory Theatre has extended “JQA,” which stands for John Quincy Adams, until Nov. 30. Watch for my review next week. Additionally, coming Nov. 13 at San Diego Rep when...
Even though I have been here for two weeks, the Northern Lights have not returned. Yes, I am back in Anchorage. Family first, right? My daughter had an extreme injury last Mother’s Day while working in the remote native village of Little Diomede, Alaska. Which is why I have returned to help after her last surgery. The ugliest part about this trip is Alaska Airlines did not note on its website that a negative COVID-19 test report is required upon landing. This requirement h...
Two terrific shows are now available to view online. How do I know they're terrific? It happens they are from two very creative places. David Ellenstein is back in the director's chair with North Coast Repertory's newest show "Same Time, Next Year." Written by Bernard Slade and first produced on Broadway in the 70s followed by a wildly successful movie, Slade is also the creator of television's long running series "The Partridge Family." Accidentally meeting at an inn in...
The COVID-19 virus was the inspiration for Church Ladies Potluck. After watching endless hours of cooking shows, not one show celebrated the ladies who share their prized recipes with their friends after services. And now our second episode of Church Ladies Potluck is on YouTube. It has really been fun to do. Local videographer Cassidy Mitchell has done a bang-up job. For future episodes, we’re lining up interested congregations. It’s free to each church. Now that we have two...
Last week, “A (fabulous) Weekend with Pablo Picasso” was presented online through San Diego Repertory Theatre featuring author and playwright-in-residence, Herbert Siguenza in his one-man show as the artist. It is thrilling to know San Diego Repertory is holding the course with another exciting show next month. It’s Judy! Judy! Judy! Coming Sunday, Oct. 11, – for one day only – it’s “Get Happy: Angela Ingersoll Sings Judy Garland.” Showtime is at 4 p.m. on http://SDRep.or...
It is a brilliant opener for North Coast Repertory's 39th season. Like other local theatres NCRep has gone online. Playing online until Oct. 11, "Necessary Sacrifices" is an imagined-historical work by playwright Richard Hellesen about conversations between Abraham Lincoln and his visitor Frederick Douglass. Albeit there are no written accounts of what actually was said, no notes by Lincoln exist of either of the two meetings, just the same, both meetings were documented in...
San Diego Repertory Theatre’s one-man show “A Weekend with Pablo Picasso,” written and performed by Herbert Siguenza, is available online through Oct. 14. It is 80 minutes of charming, sophisticated adult content. When I saw this show last year at New Village Arts it was spectacular. As Siguenza is a resident artist at San Diego Rep, this performance will no doubt be equally as fabulous. Visit https://www.sdrep.org/ for your $35 ticket to view with your adult family membe...
Should anyone be confused by the following rant, please recognize these words constitute only my opinion. I started out last year writing about my adventures in exercise, which also was “my opinion.” Consequently, my birthday plans crashed when I couldn’t leave this wonderful country due to the coronavirus. Consequently, I now write this column to purge my mind of empty useless trivia, random thoughts and unsolicited opinions for which it appears I have many. As it turns out,...
North Coast Repertory is reimaging theater. Its season opener, "Necessary Sacrifices" by playwright Richard Hellesen, can be seen from the comfort of your living room. Originally commissioned by the Ford Theater in Washington, Hellesen expanded on the original vision by including one of Abraham Lincoln's visitors to the White House. It was the first visit from Frederick Douglass, and amazingly as it sounds now, Douglass just walked in and asked to see Lincoln. His second...
Have you ever had a dream come true? It is a flash when your mind tells you you’ve already been there, done this. Have you lived this experience before? I have experienced it twice. The dreams started when I was going through radiation treatment for cervical cancer in the late seventies. The both dreams happened regularly. So many times, I can still recall it all them years later. The first déjà vu I experienced was walking up the stairs with my daughter to our sec...
Moving to this area for the birth of my husband’s first grandson was the first of our many adjustments between Central and Southern California. The second was the difference in landscaping. Lodi has a lush growing season with deep fertile soil, allowing one to stick anything in the ground and wait for it to sprout. Preparing to redesign our half-acre yard, we spent several years exploring the Fallbrook Garden Club’s annual Home Garden Tour. The beautiful homes surrounding tow...
Dear Ms. Jones, We are so blessed to live in Fallbrook where The Village News publisher, Julie Reeder, understands the First Amendment. Reeder allows me to use my column inches as I see fit even while I ramble on about simple things. As a publisher, she allows freedom of opinion. Before the coronavirus pandemic, my opinions were directed toward San Diego theater. As the arts reporter, I generally reviewed over 50 theatrical productions each year, up until this year. Let me...
It has been a year since I began this column. If you recall, I started exercising in August 2019 in preparation for my gala European 75th birthday trip, which we know fell flat on its face due to the coronavirus pandemic. After six months of idling, parts of me are drooping and re-expanding, which means it is high time I get back to the gym. The very reason I asked my trainer Kellen to meet with me before the end of the month. On a whole different topic, did I ever mention I...
The new local television program, “Church Ladies Potluck,” seeks additional entries from local spiritual communities. “More than a cooking show, ‘Church Ladies Potluck’ is a cultural exploration of the melting pot that is America,” Scott Richison, assistant professor of media studies at Palomar College in a recent correspondence, said. He offered his encouragement for the project, adding “through culinary anecdotes that have been passed from generation to generation, e...
