Category Archives: Muny

Godspell

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T-Rex Smile

All Star Game Banner

I’m just starting to write this post, later then usual, on Tuesday night.  I’ve got the All Star Game going on in the other room.  This evening, I rode in the Park.  I got fifteen miles.  The picture above is an imitation of an Edward Crim photo from July 11th.  Remember, imitation is the highest form of flattery.  I think that Edward had better light.  The picture running down the left shows one of the huge banners that have been decorating the exterior of Busch Stadium.

President Obama came to town to throw out the first pitch.  Anne was concerned about the planned closing of the highway, which runs too close by the stadium, during the All Star Game.  She heard five o’clock and didn’t process its post meridian aspect.  I did my own little dance with Barack.  Air Force One landed just outside my work entrance.  Fortunately, I had gotten into work early enough, to be able to leave before Obama arrived.

The Chicago Tribune in a fit of jealousy published a couple of articles over the last few weeks criticizing Saint Louis.  One article highlighted issues like crime while giving short shrift to new developments like CityGarden and the Old Post Office’s new plaza.  The message from this article was clearly watch yourself if you go to the All Star Game, or better yet don’t go at all.  The other article was kinder, at least to the University City part of town.  Don’t get me wrong, I love U. City, but there is way more to Saint Louis then just Joe Edwards and his U. City.  Sounds like sour grapes to me.

Today’s header shows the set of this week’s Muny musical, Godspell.  Anne and I went to see it Monday, opening night.  We saw Pat on the way to our seats and updated her on all the news.  Bill and Mary A. just back from their European Vacation practically sat down right in front of us.  This week, like most weeks, we saw a Great Blue Heron fly over the Muny before the show.  Those are real trees towards the back of the stage.  When you have enough trees, you have a forest.  When you have a forest, you have wildlife.  Near the end of the first act a raccoon came out on stage. It was towards the rear of the stage.  After a while it turned around and exited stage left.  I checked the program at intermission and could not find any raccoon credited.

Meet Me In Saint Louis

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Meet Me In Saint Louis Flag

Meet me in St. Louis, Louis,
Meet me at the Fair
Don’t tell me the lights are shining
Anyplace but there
We will dance the “Hoochie-Koochie”
I will be your “Tootsie-Wootsie”
If you will meet me in St. Louis, Louis,
Meet me at the Fair.

Monday evening, Anne and I went to the Muny to see, Meet me in St. Louis.  Meet Me in St. Louis, was originally a popular song from 1904 which celebrated the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, i.e., the Saint Louis World’s Fair.  People are most familiar with the 1944 movie, starring Judy Garland, by the same name.  The movie was based upon a series of articles in the New Yorker and later in the novel 5135 Kensington.  5135 Kensington is a real address, it is just north of the Park, although the original building has been torn down.  What we saw Monday night was the Broadway musical based on the film.  It was originally produced in 1989.

Another famous song from Meet Me in St. Louis, is the Trolley Song.  You know the one that starts with, Clang ,clang, clang went the trolley.  At the beginning of the twentieth century most Saint Louisians got around by trolley.  Soon there will be a trolley line returning to Saint Louis.  It will run from the Delmar Loop to Forest Park.  This Loop Trolley is just the latest project of Joe Edwards, “impresario extraordinaire”.

Joe Edwards is a Saint Louis, businessman and community figure notable for his contributions to the Delmar Loop area of University City.  He is the owner of the Blueberry Hill bar, the Tivoli Theater, the Pageant nightclub, the Pin-Up Bowl cocktail bar, the Moonrise Hotel and is the founder of the St. Louis Walk of Fame, honouring famous Saint Louisians.

Joe Edwards has placed two trolley cars on display.  The one below is at one end of the proposed trolley line’s terminus, in front of the History Museum in the Park.  Another car is on display in the Delmar Loop.  The Delmar Loop got its nickname, because it is where a trolley line turned or looped around.

Loop Trolley

Annie

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foot bridges

The title of this post, Annie, has to do with the Muny musical Anne and I went to go see on Monday.  It was hot that night, just not quite as hot as it is today.  With Annie the Muny continues its Great Depression era musical series.  Last week the show was 42nd Street.  It makes for a nice connection to our current economic difficulties.

One of the actors starring in the musical is Conrad Schuck, who played Daddy Warbucks.  Schuck most famously played the dentist, Painless, in the Altman movie, MASH.  Annie also starred Joneal Joplin, my so called hardest working actor in Saint Louis.  Joplin played FDR.  The jokes about a Democratic president battling an economic crisis had special currency.

I’ve been good for a while, but now it is time to mount the winding stairway to the top of the RegenAxe political soapbox.  I climb this height not to add some reasoned political treaties to our nation’s pressing debates, but to offer the loyal opposition my most sincere Bronx cheer.  When are you guys going to get your act together?  Our two-party system does not work with only one and a half parties!  I offer two of the latest examples of where you guys are falling down, again:

Senator John Ensign of Nevada apologized today to his fellow Republican Senators for having an affair.  Tawdry, yes, but it is a story that has been told all too many times.  I know that in recent years that the lines have been blurred, but people, let’s get the scandal rules straight.  Democrats are caught with their pants down and Republicans are caught with their hands in your pants.  Stick to what has worked in the past.

Let’s move on to Republican Governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina.  Check out these facts: 

Sanford went missing Thursday and hasn’t been seen since
His staff has since told us that he has been hiking the Appalachian Trail
Sunday, Father’s Day, was “Naked Hiking Day” on the Appalachian Trail, I kid you not
Now a local TV station is reporting that his car was actually at ATL …

I confess to partaking in schadenfreude (German for pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others).  I love the word and I must admit the pleasure too.  People, shape up!  Otherwise my pleasure might soon turn to pity.

Today is the Park’s birthday.  On this day in 1876 Forest Park was dedicated.  It has become a grand old lady.  The steel bridge in the background of the picture at the top of this post is almost as old as the Park.  I could not resist yet another bird picture, see Goose Island below.  Also there is Anne’s header picture of a Yellow Crowned Night Heron in flight.  A difficult shot, with one of our digital cameras.

Goose Island

42nd Street

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Times Square

In the heart of little old New York,
You’ll find a thoroughfare.
It’s the part of little old New York
That runs into Times Square.
A crazy quilt that “Wall Street Jack” built,
If you’ve got a little time to spare,
I want to take you there.

Come and meet those dancing feet,
On the avenue I’m taking you to…

Come and meet those dancing feet,
On the avenue I’m taking you to,
Forty-Second Street.

Small-town girl who can sing and dance meets New York City boy and they fall in love!
You might think I’m talking about 42nd Street, the Muny’s opening show.  In a minute, I will.

But first, drum roll, please.  Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the long-running Off-Broadway hit,
Celebrating 56 years of comedy and drama, musical and otherwise:  The Bubs and Harry Show!!!

Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad! 

Did they meet at a theatre audition on 42nd Street?  No, I believe they met in Zoology class at the University of Colorado.  (I wasn’t there, so don’t hold me to strict fact-checking standards.)  She was a small-town girl who had sung and danced in Gilbert and Sullivan operettas at the University of Michigan and was now working at the university in Denver and auditing a class.  He was a vet on the GI bill, getting an education and preparing to be a teacher.  His stint in the army had already taught him that while New York was a fun place to visit, he didn’t want to live there again.

New York is a fun place to visit, as we did for the 5 Boroughs Ride.  In honor of both romances cited above, we are revisiting some of the sights we saw.  I had printed some pictures for Mom and Dad, including two of architectural details.  The header above shows the façade of the Chanin Building, 122 East 42nd Street.  The link gives more details about this building.  Now I wish we’d gone inside!  The building is catty-corner from the much more well-known Chrysler Building, and close to Grand Central Station.  The second picture was a portion of a mosaic in Rockefeller Center, described here.

Rockefeller Plaza Thought

Monday night was opening night for this summer’s season of the Saint Louis Municipal (Muny) Opera.  It was also opening night for 42nd Street.  It rained all day, but cleared up for the show.  After we went to bed it rained the rest of the night.  We got about three inches plus a mention on NPR.

The show was good, with great songs like, We’re In The Money, Shuffle Off To Buffalo, Lullaby Of Broadway and 42nd Street.  The large cast was capable of putting on impressive dancing numbers, reminiscent of Busby Berkeley.  The 1933 depression era time period added special poignancy, with today’s economic crisis.  It was a good evening, with good weather and a great show.

STL Biking

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I biked in the Park this morning.  Great weather today, gone are the heat and humidity of earlier this week.  I got in 25 miles.  Today’s header is from the lily ponds around the Jewel Box.  These gardens and the gardens around Pagoda Circle are all tended by volunteers.  This morning’s weather brought both crews out in force.  The rest of the day has been dedicated to domestic chores.  I caught the Spaniard winning the Olympic gold in men’s cycling on TV.

Last night’s Muny show was cool and so was the weather.  The show was Fiddler on the Roof.  Here are the two beauties that accompanied me.  Anne is wearing her Door blouse.

My Fair Lady

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With Anne out of town, I went with Joanie to see My Fair lady at the Muny, Monday night.  It was the warmest show of the season, so far.  The cast included Joneal Joplin (the hardest working actor in Saint Louis) as Colonel Pickering.  The musical was good although a bit long.  I didn’t get home until after mid-night.