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Personal Exploration of People, Personalities and Meaning
Browsing All Posts published on »July, 2012«
Hidden in Dreams by Davis Bunn (Book Review)
July 30, 2012
Shared prophetic dreams, mysterious assailants, corporate intrigue, conspiracies and the threat of global financial collapse conspire to push Dr. Elena Burroughs, the world’s foremost expert on dream analysis, to the forefront as the drama unfolds while the world watches. Burroughs’ situation is further complicated by being forced by circumstance to work closely with her most ardent critic, Jacob Rawlings whom previously had publically chastened her for her faith in a vicious debate which resulted in loss of professional prestige.
In Hidden in Dreams, Davis Bunn explores not only the nature and mystery of dreams and their impact upon the dreamer but also touches upon the role of faith and belief in our modern science culture which is becoming increasingly hostile to the notion of anything which is not purely secular. It also deals with the complex and deeply human reaction to betrayal, how we learn to cultivate trust in others, especially those whom have betrayed us historically or with whom we have philosophically little in common with and how many people opt for the safety of believing only that which they know they can quantifiably prove scientifically.
Forever Plaid (SecondStory Repertory)
July 16, 2012
SecondStory Repertory closes out its thirteenth season with “Forever Plaid”, written by Stuart Ross and directed by Crystal Dawn Munkers. “Forever Plaid” is a distinctive and magical production, a mingling of music and drama with a healthy dose of a wistful flashback concert performance. It is a step back in time, an enjoyable revisiting for an evening the nostalgic and simple pleasure of the vocal harmony of the four part boy groups of the 50’s like the Four Aces, Four Coins, Four Freshmen, Four Lads, Four Preps, Hi-Lo's and Kirby Stone Four.
“Forever Plaid” tells the story of just such a boy vocal band perched on the precipice of realizing the dream that they have been working towards ever since their fortuitous meeting in the high school audio visual club. Sparky, Smudge, Jinx and Frankie, individually flawed but together as The Plaids, bound by their mutual passion for music and entertaining, their potential was unlimited. The countless hours of rehearsing their music, choreographed moves and the continued strengthening of their enchanted four part harmony had finally paid off and they landed their first big gig at the Airport Hilton cocktail lounge, The Fusel Lounge.
The Producers (Village Theatre)
July 10, 2012
The Fourth of July may be over but the fireworks are just beginning at The Village Theatre of Everett, as on July 6th it kicked off its run of the farcical musical “The Producers” adapted from the book and film written by Mel Brooks and Tony Sheehan. The powerhouse show started out in Issaquah back in May to rave reviews and does not show any signs of stopping or letting down as it continues its entertainment dominance northward, initiating its blitzkrieg assault on your funny bone in Everett. From this reviewer’s perspective the musical farce extraordinaire has not lost a step as it continues its over-the-top, unabashedly shameless and nothing-is-sacred dominance which kept the audience rolling with laughter all night long.
A show about two dubious Broadway producers played by Richard Gray and Brian Earp, putting on an apparently doomed musical extolling the virtues of Hitler and the Nazi Party, paid for by overly amorous grandmothers looking for love in all the wrong places, seems an unlikely evening’s entertainment but thank heavens for unexpected pleasures. Regardless of your mindset prior to the show, “The Producers” is still able to produce a theatrical victory in the heart of audiences faster than the surrender of France in World War II.
Scripta Manent 
July 31, 2012
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