Part Four

Boring days of snow-filled skies
Deceiving mouths of truthful lies
Paisley clothes and cardboard boxes
Keying in and charms and lockses
Innocence, kite-flying, broken glass
Icicles, paper cups, and purple brass
Signs on windows with reflecting sights
Passing by with blinking lights

Forget the present, and live for now
Riding horses that look like cows
Technical handprints that think of me
Spray the ceiling with what will be
Let that flow, and take the plunge
Unbelievable soaking sponge
It’s wild, and I can’t believe it’s like that
But they don’t mind; the good-looking hat

Glad either way; we’d all fit in
Isn’t it wild? It feels like a sin
Thank the Lord for all the ways
Thank the Lord; He knows we pray
No kidding, and we like it this way
It’ll be like that if you live every day
Smoke-filled walls that rage with fire
Letters are scattered all over the wire

It’s so cute; the way you think
Fragrant grass that looks so pink
Singing songs of inspiration
Writing words that become creation
Relax and look, but don’t be worried
Snow-filled skies full of flurries
Flowing glass that shines the sky
Holding hands that make us fly

Clouds and stars and pieces of moon
Store some in your velvet spoon
Plastic worries in your wallet
Say the word so I can call it
Rosy bottles filled with sand
Hold them close, and rule the land
Painted silver reminds me of
The day that we discovered love.


Copyright 1988 Scott C. Forrest

Random Thought 16

Keep your mouth shut and your nose clean!

Spent Days

by Paul McCarthy


When a day is done

One less tomorrow to spend

And more yesterdays




Copyright 2005 Paul McCarthy

Random Thought 15

Trust your gut instincts--you'll be right.

Random Thought 14

Don't live each day as if it were you last;
live it as if it were your first.

Random Thought 13

Something has to be good before it can be better.

Random Thought 12

Something is better than nothing.

Random Thought 11

Don't tell people how to run their lives, and they won't tell you how to run your life, and all will be right with the world!

Random Thought 10

Readers need writers, and writers need readers.

Random Thought 9

Do it now before you wished you had!

Random Thought 8

If you're not going to own the room, don't enter it! - Andrea Fusco

JOURNEY -- not just raised on radio!

Devoting the first set to the pre-Escape days was both a bold and intelligent move on the band's part. After all, this is a 30year Anniversary Show, so this was a better choice than peppering the concert with songs from the past. It was good for long-time fans to hear songs they thought they never would. It was great for the everyone to be introduced to how it all began. When Steve and the boys returned for the second set, they proved that they know how to rock and party! This was truly one of the most professional and enjoyable concerts that there has been in a long, long time. Steve was a fantastic, energetic frontman, and all of the guys were genuinely having fun. It was great to see Steve blending in well with his bandmates, celebrating new songs as well as the long-standing favorites. Three hours later, Journey fans would not stop believing!! A+

Random Thought 7

You're not paranoid; you're experienced!

Random Thought 6

Even if someone is joking, they still said it.

Random Thought 5

Try not to be a person who "means well."

Fame Lives On At NSMT!

When “Fame, The Musical” debuted in the 1990’s, many loyal fans of the movie grumbled because the title track was abbreviated, and all of the songs, including “Out Here On My Own” and “I Sing The Body Electric,” were omitted.

Well, if you want to see the movie, see the movie.

To give credit to Book Writer Jose Fernandez and Lyricist Jacques Levy, they have created an original musical, rather than recycling the film onto a stage (a common and unfortunate trend today on Broadway).

While the book may not reach the intended dramatic tension and the songs are more pop than grit, the final result is an honest reflection of the pains and angst of high school sung in realistic words.

Director/Choreographer Richard Stafford, whose credits include North Shore Music Theatre’s Cats and Swing!, has proven that he can handle large casts with ease and create dancing that is stylish as well as energetic. This is proven in the second number “Hard Work” which has both students and audience members exploding out of their seats.

While there are no weak links in the cast, attention must be given to Eric Anthony whose Tyrone is his own creation instead of a carbon copy the movie or the TV show. The same is said for Lynnette N. Pyram’s Carmen. Her facial expressions alone demonstrate the actor’s maturity and comprehension of the character.

Thank you, Mr. Stafford, for hiring actors to play the music students who can actually play their instruments! It is very frustrating to see actors pretend to play a piano while someone in the pit does it for them.

Inga Ballard as English Teacher Miss Sherman has her own moment as she admits her feelings about her students in the painfully sincere “These Are My Children.”

With clever lighting and excellent use of a mini stairway/hallway, Richard Stafford’s hard work has definitely paid off.

The Winners

BEST PLAY-Doubt, John Patrick Shanley
REVIVAL/PLAY-Glengarry Glen Ross
DIRECTOR-Doug Hughes, Doubt
LEADING ACTOR-Bill Irwin, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
FEATURED ACTOR-Liev Schreiber, Glengarry Glen Ross
LEADING ACTRESS-Cherry Jones, Doubt
FEATURED ACTRESS-Adrianne Lenox, Doubt
SCENIC DESIGN-The Pillowman, Scott Pask
LIGHTING DESIGN-The Pillowman, Brian MacDevitt
COSTUME DESIGN-The Rivals, Jess Goldstein

BEST MUSICAL-Monty Python's Spamalot
REVIVAL/MUSICAL-La Cage Aux Folles
DIRECTOR-Mike Nichols, Monty Python's Spamalot
LEADING ACTOR-Norbert Leo Butz-Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
FEATURED ACTOR-Dan Fogler, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
LEADING ACTRESS-Victoria Clark, The Light in the Piazza
FEATURED ACTRESS-Sara Ramirez, Monty Python's Spamalot
BOOK-The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Rachel Sheinkin
SCORE-The Light in the Piazza, Adam Guettel
ORCHESTRATIONS-The Light in the Piazza, Ted Sperling, Adam Guettel, & Bruce Coughlin
CHOREOGRAPHY-La Cage Aux Folles, Jerry Mitchell
SCENIC DESIGN-The Light in the Piazza, Michael Yeargan
LIGHTING DESIGN-The Light in the Piazza, Christopher Akerlind
COSTUME DESIGN-The Light in the Piazza, Catherine Zuber

BEST SPECIAL THEATRICAL EVENT-700 Sundays

The Nominations

BEST PLAY
Democracy
Doubt
Gem of the Ocean
The Pillowman

BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY
Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Glengarry Glen Ross
On Golden Pond
Twelve Angry Men

BEST MUSICAL
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
The Light in the Piazza
Monty Python's Spamalot
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
La Cage Aux Folles
Pacific Overtures
Sweet Charity

BEST SPECIAL THEATRICAL EVENT
Dame Edna-Back With A Vengeance!
Laugh Whore
700 Sundays
Whoopi, the 20th Anniversary Show

Broadway From The Balcony

Q. Hi Skot, my friends and I enjoy going to the movies after the Oscars are announced, but we don't have the time or money to go to New York to check out the nominated plays and musicals. Any suggestions on how we can get familiar with what's happening on Broadway so we can better enjoy the Tony Awards?

A. Read on!
1. If a soundtrack exists for a musical, buy it! Of course, you cannot see the choreography, but you will become familiar with the score and book by listening to the songs and reading the synopsis that will be provided, hopefully.

2. If a paperback version exists for the play, buy it! Again, nothing beats a live performance, but think of how proud you will be when someone asks "What is this play about?"

3. Watch THEATRE TALK on PBS. You might have to search your TV Guide for this. Some local stations air the New York-based discussion show that includes interviews with actors, directors, producers, and playrights.

4. We now have the Internet! Check out the following sites -- www.playbill.com ( this gives you a link to THEATER TALK. ), www.theatermania.com, www.broadway.com, and www.tonyawards.com.

5. Subscribe to PLAYBILL MAGAZINE. This monthly publication offers lists of the plays and musicals currently being performed in addition to articles and interviews with everyone you need to know about. If you cannot find it in your bookstore, go to playbill.com. The magazine ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY also provides a section called "Stage" once a month with reviews of plays and musicals. I will also be talking about possible nominees in the near future.


5/4--Final date for Tony eligibility.

5/10--Tony Nominations announced!!


Copyright 2005 Scott C. Forrest

The Plays

DOUBT
John Patrick Shanley's Pulitzer-Prize winning drama stars Cherry Jones as a nun making accusations against a priest portrayed by Tony-Winner Brian F. O'Byrne.

DEMOCRACY
Michael Frayn's latest political piece has James Naughton portraying Willy Brandt, West German chancellor in the 1960's.

GEM OF THE OCEAN
Phylicia Rashad plays 287-year old Aunt Ester in August Wilson's newest installment.

BROOKLYN BOY
Adam Arkins headlines Adam Arkin's dramactic comedy about a writer finally making it big
while his personal life suffers.

THE PILLOWMAN
Billy Crudup is in Martin McDonagh's Olivier-Award winner focusing on an author and the coincidental murders in his small town.


WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?
Edward Albee's masterpiece is revived with Kathleen Turner and Bill Irwin as George & Martha, one of theatre's most infamous couples.

TWELVE ANGRY MEN
This intense revival of what happens behind closed doors when jurors have it out is directed by Scott Ellis.

ON GOLDEN POND
James Earl Jones and Leslie Uggams revive this drama dealing with a retired couple's views on the past, present, and future.

STEEL MAGNOLIAS
Delta Burke and Marsha Moore head an all-star cast reviving the Southern Belles and their relationships.