Love this Halloween house!

Happy Halloween to all our friends and family!

Joe in Elixir of Love

Joe is in the back right of the picture

Joe is currently performing in L'elisir d'amore (The Elixir of Love), which is a melodramma giocoso in two acts by the Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. Felice Romani wrote the Italian libretto after Eugène Scribe's libretto for Daniel-François-Esprit Auber's Le philtre (1831).

This sparkling folk tale is one of Donizetti’s most popular operas. Lovesick Nemorino falls madly in love with the young landowner Adina knowing well that she is out of his league. Luckily, the scheming Dr. Dulcamara has just the cure to what ails him. Russian soprano Ekaterina Siurina sings the minx Adina and John Osborn is Nemorino. Internationally renowned Italian bass-baritoneAlessandro Corbelli plays Dr. Dulcamara, and Liam Bonner is the flamboyant Sergeant Belcore. Directed by Annabel Arden, this delightful production takes place in a rustic Italian town square.

The shows is performed in the Brown Theater at the Wortham on October 23, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. (season opening night); October 28, November 4 and November 7, 2009, at 7:30 p.m. and October 25 at 2:00 p.m.

For more information on the opera and production, please see the HGO website: Elixir of Love.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

My latest endeavor in musical theater has been as a stage manager for the fall musical at Houston Community College. They are performing A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, which I had never seen before now. I had no idea it was so funny! The music and lyrics were written by Stephen Sondheim and the book was written by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart. It is inspired by the farces of the ancient Roman playwright Plautus and it tells the bawdy story of a slave named Pseudolus and his attempts to win his freedom by helping his young master woo the girl next door (who happens to be a courtesan). The plot displays many classic elements of farce, including puns, the slamming of doors, cases of mistaken identity (frequently involving characters disguising themselves as one another) and satirical comments on social class. I had never been a stage manager before and I'm having fun. It's the perfect combination of my love for charts and details with theater and music.

The show runs from November 5th to November 14th - Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 and Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. in Theatre One on the HCC - Central Campus. Tickets are $5.00 for students and seniors and $8.00 for general admission. For more information or reservations, call 713-718-6570.

Charlie, Debbie and Andrew at Sweetberry Farm

Charlie looks like he is having an absolutely fantastic time with the pumpkins!