Oslo, Norway - November 19, 2009 (Day 4)

Today we had another leisurely morning before going to The Viking Ship Museum and The National Gallery.

The The Viking Ship Museum displays the Viking Age Oseberg ship, the Gokstad ship and the Tune ship alongside sledges, beds, a (horse) cart, wood carving, tent components, buckets and other grave goods.

Joe in a Viking hat

Amanda and Joe in front of a Viking ship

Joe in front of one of the Viking ships

The National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design (The National Gallery) is the national museum of art of Norway. Among its collection is one of the versions of Edvard Munch's THe Scream. Besides many paintings by Munch, other Norwegian painters represented with paintings include Dahl, Gude, Arne Ekeland, Tidemand, Christian Krohg ("Albertine To See Police") and Lars Jorde ("Landscape, Jutland). Non-Norwegians with paintings in this art museum include Goyen, Bol, Pieter Elinga ("Letter Carrier"), Claude Monet ("Rainy Weather, Etretat"), Modigliani, Van Gaugh, Renoir, Cezanne and Gauguin. One of my favorite's was Winter Night in the Mountains by Harald Sohlberg.

Joe at University of Oslo

Amanda and Joe at University of Oslo

Amanda and Ampy on the way to The National Gallery

Amanda and Joe in the park near the Royal Palace

Bogstad Gård was the home of wealthy merchant and industrialist Peder Anker, and the count and countess Wedel Jarlsberg. It is a working farm that has animals, a play area for children, great walking trails, a historic park and exhibitions. We just walked a little on the grounds and went to the shop.

Last night we went to the Underwater Pub where on Tuesday and Thursday nights professional opera singers come and sing a few sets. We had a fun time and the singers were actually pretty good.

Oslo, Norway - November 18, 2009 (Day 3)

After what seemed like days, we finally arrived in Oslo to see our friends, Ampy and Sverre, and their three kids (Simon and Sander - twins, age 4 and Sophie - age 2). We had a lovely dinner last night and then slept for 10 hours. Today has been great! Neither one of us felt jet lagged at all. We had a leisurely morning and then went to the Nobel Peace Center by the waterfront. It currently has an exhibit of American civil rights history, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Obama in recognition of Obama's recent winning of the Award. After the Nobel Peace Center, we went to a little restaurant on the water and had $100 pizza for lunch. Yes, $100! Eating out is extraordinarily expensive so Ampy said we would be eating at home most of the time. The weather is cold (about 41 degrees) and rainy but we love the change! Here are some pictures from our first day:

At Olivia's for lunch

Ampy at Olivia's

Statues along the waterfront

The Nobel Peace Center

Amanda and Ampy outside the Nobel Peace Center

Standing in front of City Hall which is across from the Nobel Peace Center

and where the actual award is given

Picture of me - A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

Here's a picture of me with the production crew after our first performance of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. It was actually the final dress rehearsal night but we had an audience so I consider it our first performance. I am the Stage Manager and it has been a blast! Love the theater and musical theater, in particular!

Charlie's Halloween card - Isn't he absolutely adorable?!?!

Our adorable nephew, Charlie, in his Halloween costumes

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!

All the Single Babies: If You Like it, Then You Shoulda Put a Bib on it - ParentDish

This is so cute! Click on this link for a funny baby dancing video: All the Single Babies: If You Like it, Then You Shoulda Put a Bib on it - ParentDish

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Joe in the green room with Miss M

This is an adorable picture of our sweet niece, Miss M, talking to Joe and Josh this summer. Joe played Samuel and Josh was Frederick in The Pirates of Penzance. Miss M was visiting Dude and Wuzzo and Joe and I were so glad that she got to come see him perform. She is such a cutie!!

The Andrews Brothers at Stages Repertory Theatre

It's 1943 in the South Pacific, and tonight The Andrews Sisters headline the big USO show. But when a flu outbreak quarantines the girls, stagehands Max, Lawrence and Patrick, along with pin-up girl Peggy Jones, cook up the perfect way to wow the troops and save the day -- all it will take is three wigs and a lot of makeup! Mistaken identities, unrequited love and madcap adventures abound in this warm-hearted sendup of the entertainment that sustained a generation. The songs included the expected Andrews Sisters signatures such as Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree, Rum and Coca-Cola, Bei Mir Bist Du Schon, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, Plain Jane Doe and Peggy the Pin-Up Girl.

"You’ve heard of the Andrews Sisters? Now meet The Andrews Brothers, four brothers working as stagehands for a USO show in the South Pacific during WWII. When the Andrews Sisters are quarantined with chicken pox, the boys don wigs and high heels and take their place. It’s a lighthearted bit of theatrical fluff, peppered with great songs of the era and a nod to every drag queen who ever graced a stage." Houston Press

"What a rollicking barrel of fun this show is! And the singing here is awesome! This cast is so in-sync and talented, we could be watching the Marx Brothers or the Three Stooges brilliantly executing their routines." Houston Chronicle

I am the pianist for a 1940s, Andrews Sister-style trio and love Andrews Sisters music. This was a fun way to hear some of my favorite tunes sung in a different way. The show was only supposed to run through the end of August but was so popular it was extended which is fortunate for me because I didn't get around to seeing it during its first run. I really enjoyed the show tremendously. The cast was great and the script was clever, funny and definitely entertaining. If you get a chance to see this show, I highly recommend it!

Trip to Scottsdale, AZ

This past weekend I went to Scottsdale to meet up with my friend, Denise, who was there on a medical conference. My favorite things on the trip were visiting Taliesen West (Frank Lloyd Wright's winter home) and the buffet at the casino. The weather was HIDEOUS! The day we took the tour of Taliesen it was 108 degrees and about 1/3 of the tour was outdoors. You have to worry when they hand you water bottles and umbrellas to try to prevent anyone from fainting! On the way to the airport, we stopped by the Arizona Casino for a couple of hours. We gambled a little (both of us won and actually stopped while we were ahead) and we ate at the Sunday Champagne Brunch which was delicious! I can't believe that I actually said I was looking forward to coming home to Houston because it was cooler! Cooler!?!? Anyway, it was good to see Denise and spend time with her.

Here are just a couple of my favorite pictures from the trip:

Recent pictures of Lillia (our goddaughter) and Tori