, the set reeks of spotless, antiseptic wealth and emptiness. What could be more entertaining than theater that makes you laugh and think at the same time?
This isn’t just the domain of dramedy. Some musicals also require more than two neurons firing. Stephen Sondheim, for example, can engage your entire grey matter. In a new retrospective by a newly formed group, Outcast Productions presents “Sunday in the Park with Sondheim.” A company of ten, nine singers plus a talented pianist, present an evening of their favorites, with no particular through-line or theme, just songs they each liked, some of which suit their varied voices better than others. There’s a bit of background to each play represented, beginning with the “Invocation and Instructions to the Audience,” from “The Frogs,” which Sondheim wrote while still at Yale in 1974, when fellow-students Meryl Streep, Sigourney Weaver and Christopher Durang were in the chorus.
Typically, revues are done in evening dress, usually black and white, classy and elegant. Here, the motif is Rummage Sale St. Patrick’s. Less green, more focused direction, more choreography, and more dance talent, would be welcome.
But the focus in this kind of show should be on the songs, and the singing, some of which is really good and some of which is ho-hum. These folks aren’t menacing enough for “West Side Story,” nor sexy enough for “Gypsy”, nor comic enough for “A Funny Thing.” But they can pull off Sonheim’s sarcasm and his sad, pained or wistful songs. Debbie Luce and Marlene Gorelow are especially strong in their solos, and the group is great in bits from “Night Music,” “Sweeney Todd,” “Into the Woods” and “Company.” (MUSIC, UNDER: “Company”)
These talented folks serve to highlight the underlying talent, which is Sondheim, a composer and lyricist who can be too clever for his own good, but when he’s good, he’s incredibly clever.
I’m Pat Launer, KPBS radio.
©1995 Patté Productions Inc.Leoneda Inge reports on efforts by 'Operation Airdrop' to help deliver supplies to Hurricane Florence victims in Eastern North Carolina.
During natural disasters like Hurricane Florence, we mostly hear about big relief agencies like FEMA and organizations like The Red Cross. But smaller groups are also working hard to help in the aftermath.
Cars, trucks, minivans pulled up to the front door of the TAC Air private airport terminal like an organized fast food restaurant line. But instead of picking up, people were dropping off big boxes of diapers, food and gallons of water.
“Today we are bringing a few loads of water. But we have canned foods, dry goods,” said Brenda Monforti, who delivered goods in a pickup truck for the U.S. Veterans Corp office out of Cary.
Many donors learned of “Operation Airdrop” and efforts to deliver food, water and toiletries via the skyways from family and friends.
Jil Christensen is a Chapel Hill-based musician based.
“Because I was safe, I was like, ‘Aw, crowdsource rescue!’ And I started connecting people,” she said.
Christensen is one of those people who learned from a friend how “Operation Airdrop” helped move goods after last year’s Hurricane Harvey.
“All Operation Airdrop is, is kind of a glorified volunteer FedEx for organizations and individuals, and town mayors and fire departments to get things in areas that cannot be accessed by vehicles,” Christensen said.
Volunteer Andy Gardiner organizes bottles of water at the TAC Air private airport terminal during "Operation Airdrop" earlier this week. Pilots and other volunteers delivered the supplies to Hurricane Florence victims in areas of southeastern North Carolina.
With the help of TAC Air’s terminal and a cut in fees and fuel prices at RDU, more than 300 pilots from across the country signed up to help make deliveries this week.
One of them was Martin Fessele of New Jersey, flying a Beechcraft Bonanza.
And Fessele has been busy.
Fessele has make trips to Lumberton, Wilmington and is now headed to the Cape Fear airport, carrying about 350 pounds of supplies at a time.
“You never realize how lucky you are until you see people who have lost everything and are up to their knees in water,” Fessele said.
This week, Operation Airdrop pilots have made more than 200 flights, flights they call, compassion missions.
Editor's Note: The broadcast version of this story incorrectly described the number of pilots who helped in Operation Airdrop's efforts. More than 300 pilots volunteered to help, if needed.
Shahrukh Khan bags Face of Romantic Music
The music industry came together on 27th February at Yash Raj Studios Mumbai for honoring the best of Hindi music at the 6th Royal Stag Mirchi Music Awards powered by Idea. The starry night was lit by the presence of the biggest rockstars of the music & film industry. Javed […]Read more ›Red Hot Chili Peppers singer Anthony Kiedis recalled the moment in 1985 when producer Rick Rubin attended a rehearsal and became convinced “somebody was going to get murdered” in the room.
In a new episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, Kiedis said his band was in a dark place at the time, and the negative energy was on display when Rubin brought his proteges Beastie Boys to the jam.
Kiedis added, “I didn’t see him for years.” It wasn’t until the singer cleaned up and the Chili Peppers were preparing to work on 1991’s Blood Sugar Sex Magick that Rubin finally came aboard. He’s produced every Red Hot Chili Peppers album except one since then, including the new Return of the Dream Canteen.
On 11 January, China's defence ministry confirmed that Chengdu J-10 fighters had been dispatched to keep an eye on two Boeing F-15 aircraft operated by Japan. According to its statement, the F-15s were trailing a Shaanxi Y-8 patrolling near a cluster of islands in the East China Sea that are contested by Beijing and Tokyo.
Irrespective of the merits of either party's claim to these islands, neither side appears willing to back down. Although the prospect of an all-out war over what Tokyo calls the Senkaku and Beijing the Diaoyu islands is remote, any conflict that may develop would involve air combat - possibly on a large scale. This would lead to Japan's historically strong air force being challenged by an ambitious newcomer.
In recent years China's air force has made significant strides. It now operates almost 500 advanced fighters, including about 200 single-engined J-10s and more than 270 Shenyang J-11s and Sukhoi Su-27s (above). It also operates several hundred more examples of older types, including nearly 400 J-7s: a license-built version of the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21. Unsourced media reports have speculated that some J-7s can be controlled remotely, effectively transforming them into cruise missiles.
While the Japan Air Self-Defence Force boasts fewer aircraft, it operates 153 F-15J fighters (below), 63 Mitsubishi F-2As, and over 80 McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantoms.
Despite China's apparent numerical equality, experts feel it is in no position to impose and maintain aerial superiority - let alone aerial supremacy - over the disputed area.
"In short, Japan has a significant edge," says Oriana Mastro, a fellow at the Center for a New American Security think tank. "But the Chinese can create challenges for Japan to maintain aerial superiority."
One challenge facing Japan, she feels, is its ability to provide constant surveillance of the disputed islands. As Chinese naval and aircraft activities become more routine, it will become harder for Tokyo to determine Beijing's intentions.
Indeed, Tokyo has identified persistent surveillance as a priority area. "The current mid-term defence programme [from March 2011 to March 2015] takes drones into consideration as part of the study on warning and surveillance posture around our country," Japan's defence ministry said in an email to Flightglobal.
"We will further study the efficiency and operational role of drones, the comparison of the cost-effectiveness with existing equipment [and] offsettability, and take into account technological trends."
Although Tokyo declines to mention specific programmes, unsourced media reports have suggested that it is interested in the Northrop Grumman RQ-4N Broad Area Maritime Surveillance variant of the Global Hawk, being developed for the US Navy.
Another regional defence expert feels that Beijing would be at a significant disadvantage in any shooting war over the islands.
"They can fly a few J-10s out and perhaps fly alongside Japanese F-15s, but could they sustainably project power that far out from the mainland over an extended period?" he asks. "China only has limited experience using its [Xian] H-6 as tankers." Tokyo, by contrast, can call on a four-strong fleet of Boeing KC-767s.
Another area where Beijing is weak is in airborne early warning and control (AEW&C). Its new force of Y-8-based KJ-200 and adapted Ilyushin Il-76 KJ-2000 platforms are untested, while Japan has four recently upgraded