"You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown"

August 30, 2017 — Don't assume this is a children's play, although it's appropriate for all ages. It would be most enjoyable by those familiar with Charles Schulz's cast of kids, some wise beyond their years, with very adult issues, in his long-running comic strip, "Peanuts." Jean's Playhouse in Lincoln, New Hampshire, presented a perfectly charming performance of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown," based on Schulz's characters. Book, music and lyrics are by Clark Gesner with additional dialog by Michael Mayer and additional music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa.

The cast consisted of six talented young adult actors. Charlie, the lovable loser whose baseball team never wins and whose kite always gets eaten by the tree, is played by big Matthew Woodside, towering over the other actors. Schroeder, he of the grand piano, is portrayed by Tyler Stettler. Joe Keiserman is the blanket-dependent Linus. Trent Hayward, dressed in white tux and black tie, trousers cut off at the knees and white sneakers, is Charlie's dog, Snoopy, with all his delusions of grandeur. Analise Rios is crabby Lucy. Sally is played by powerful-voiced Clare Rea. The little red-haired girl shy Charlie admires from a distance is never seen. The story is told mostly in song lyrics. The music is catchy and the dialog witty.

This production was directed and choreographed for Jean's Playhouse by Lisa Travis. B. C. Williams' set design and Colleen Keith's prop design faithfully reproduced the look of the comic strip, including Snoopy's doghouse, Schroeder's Piano and Lucy's psychiatrist's booth. Jordan Ostrowski was music director.

This was an afternoon well-spent in Lincoln, one of my favorite New Hampshire towns, minutes from Franconia Notch, the Kancamagus Highway and other White Mountain attractions. As I strolled around the town with it's attractive parks, resorts and quaint shops, especially the Udderly Delicious Ice Cream Shoppe, I was saddened with the knowledge this is probably the last time I'll see it until next summer.

Winnekenni Castle Cruise Day

August 27, 2017 — Winnekenni Castle, a replica of a medieval castle, hosted a car show on its spacious property. The Castle hosts many events over the course of a year, and is popular just as a peaceful spot to picnic, tour the Castle, and roam the footpaths through the surrounding woods. It's located high above Kenoza Lake in Haverhill, Massachusetts.

Magic Moments, a local group, provided entertainment for the show with "doo-wop" music. The car show offered little I hadn't seen before, a problem I'm having after a dozen years covering antique car shows primarily in New England, a relatively small area, occasionally branching out to New York and Pennsylvania. Highlight of this show was a beautifully restored 1931 Pierce-Arrow.

One of my smaller photo collections this season, you can view it at:

http://www.linwoodstreet.com/winnekenni17/

Dominators-Sons of Italy Car Show

August 26, 2017 — The Dominators Hot Rod Club and the Sons of Italy teamed up to host a wide variety of vehicles, customs, hot rods, classics, trucks and one military, in Wilmington, Massachusetts on a perfect, dry, sunny late summer day. A jacket was needed early in the morning, but it warmed into the 70s as the day wore on.

I had originally planned to go to the Okemo Valley show in Ludlow, Vermont, being held on the same day. I went to that show last year and it was a pretty good show, but on the small side. But I was all ready to leave in the morning when I asked myself if I really wanted to make the two-hour drive into Vermont for a relatively small show, possibly with some of the same cars I saw last year. So I made the decision, practically on the way out the door, to go to Wilmington instead, only 40 minutes away.

It was a good decision. I think the Wilmington show had a much better variety of vehicles than Okemo would have had, and I found none that I had seen before. My photos contain many more customs and street rods than I usually take, being a committed classic enthusiast, but I thought it was appropriate to include more of this type of vehicle since one of the hosts was a hot rod club.

I hope you like my choice of subjects. You'll find them at:

http://www.linwoodstreet.com/sonsofitaly17/

"The Doctor's Dilemma"

August 23, 2017 — If doctors really have the sort of conversations acted out in "The Doctor's Dilemma," we're all in trouble. They candidly rate their success based on the number of patients they've saved against those they've killed. Of course, this was in 1904, but my greatest fear is nothing may have changed but the technology. In any case, fierce social critic George Bernard Shaw's comedy doesn't portray the medical profession in a very flattering way.

This was the 18th Shaw play produced by the Peterborough Players in Peterborough, New Hampshire, in 84 years, making him their most frequently staged playwright. I won't attempt to list all seventeen members of the cast and their respective roles, they were all very good, but the six principal actors, under the direction of Players artistic director Gus Kaikkonen, turned in some of the finest acting I've seen this season.

Sir Colenso Ridgeon (David Haugen), has just been knighted in honor of his development of a revolutionary cure for tuberculosis. First to congratulate him is retired physician Sir Patrick Cullen (Jonathan Hogan), wise but cynical, admittedly out of touch with the latest medical advancements. Soon to follow are Cutler Walpole (Tom Frey) and Sir Ralph Bloomfield Bonington (Kraig Swartz, in a role just made for his over-the-top comic style). The relationship between the four doctors is contentious, each convinced his own methods are the sure way to success.

Sir Colenso has determined he can take on no more than ten patients to treat with his new tuberclosis cure, but the first "dilemma" of the title occurs when Jennifer Dubedat (Karron Graves) comes to his office and pleads with him to treat her artist husband, Louis Dubedat (William Champion), critically ill and near death with TB. This would force him to drop one patient from his original ten, but Sir Colenso is so overcome with Jennifer's sad tale, he promises to treat Louis. But then he learns a young colleague with a promising medical career is also suffering from TB.

Louis Dubedat, when we finally meet him, turns out to be a callow young womanizer, bigamist and cheat, but nonetheless gifted artist. What does Sir Colenso do? Does he treat this unpleasant but fine artist who has the potential to contribute beautiful art to the world? And after all, he did make a promise to Louis' wife. But then there's his colleague, a young and promising physician who also has much to contribute.

This nearly three-hour play never became tiring. Shaw's witty and biting dialog kept the audience amused throughout, and the unpredictable, complicated plot kept us wondering how all this is going to shake out. This was my fourth play at the Peterborough Players this season, and there will be one more. The Players' great talent, strong direction and fine stagecraft have never disappointed me.

A Day at Larz Anderson

August 20, 2017 — It was the second rather disappointing show in a row. The Larz Anderson Auto Museum in Brookline, Massachusetts was observing Ford, Mercury and Lincoln Day. Besides the permanent exhibit in the museum, they have a lawn event outdoors most weekends throughout the summer. Each event features a specific category of cars, such as Cadillac Day, Italian Car Day, Extinct Car Day, etc.

On Ford, Mercury and Lincoln Day I expected a greater variety, such as Model A Fords (there was only one), Lincolns from the '20s and '30s (there were none), and there were no Model T's. There were few if any cars earlier than 1960, many new or nearly new, and some customs. But there were also some all-original and beautifully restored examples from the '60s and '70s.

To fill out the series, I took some pictures inside the museum of additions since I was last there two years ago, and a few different angles on some I've photographed before. It's all at this link:

http://www.linwoodstreet.com/anderson17/

Cruise-In to the Wright

August 19, 2017 — The day began with fog and occasional drizzle, and that probably kept turnout below average at the 5th Annual Cruise-In to the Wright, hosted by the Wright Museum of World War II. It cleared later in the morning, and a few late stragglers showed up, but it never reached the level of the past two years, especially last year when the show featured several excellent brass era cars.

To fill out my photo series, I took a few photos of displays I hadn't seen before in the excellent museum. I also placed links at the end of the second page to museum photos from the past two years. It's all at:

http://www.linwoodstreet.com/wright17/

"Round and Round the Garden"

August 17, 2017 — "Round and Round the Garden" is the last of a trilogy of plays called "The Norman Conquests" by prolific British playwright Alan Ayckbourn. The Norman of Ayckbourn's comedies is Norman Dewers whose attempted conquests are Sarah, the wife of his brother, Reg, and Annie, a spinster left with the care of her invalid, but tyrannical, mother who is never seen. The other two plays in the trilogy are "Table Manners," which I saw in 2015, and "Living Together," which I missed. However, any one of the plays can be enjoyed by itself. All three feature the same six characters.

The Winnipesaukee Playhouse in Meredith, New Hampshire has staged all three plays. "Round and Round the Garden," directed for the "Winni" by Neil Pankhurst, played to a very sparse, but enthusiastic audience in a Thursday matinee. Meredith Brown's reproduction of an English garden was a stunning example of the set designer's art. It featured a floral wall, green lawn, portion of a brick building and a view of the sky that could change from daytime blue to starry night.

Nicholas Wilder returns for another over-the-top performance as Norman. Shanel Sparr appears as the unattached Annie. Jason Plourde, a native of Maine, is the perfect Englishman in his role as the awkward, socially inept Tom, who is infatuated by Annie but incapable of expressing his feelings. Richard Brundage is the well-meaning but somewhat bumbling Reg. Molly Parker Myers is Reg's wife, Sarah, straight-laced, overbearing, but needy. Suzanne Kimball is Ruth, Norman's wife, who is well aware of his philandering, but resigned to it. All the actors appeared in the same roles in "Table Manners" except Shanel Sparr, new to the Winni this season.

Ayckbourn to date has written 82 plays which have been translated into over 35 languages, performed on stage and TV all over the world, and have won many awards. I've seen several of his plays, and like "Round and Round the Garden," all feature witty dialog, often hilarious situations, and consistently high quality. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend any Ayckbourn play.

"All Shook Up"

August 16, 2017 — "All Shook Up," a musical featuring the songs of Elvis Presley, was the only show at the New London Barn Playhouse on my schedule this season. The Barn is in its 85th year and is the oldest continuously operating summer theater in New Hampshire, earning it a place on the New Hampshire Register of Historic Places. A barn is exactly what it is, with rough-hewn floor boards, ancient timbers, and an intimate feel. Cow bells are rung to alert stragglers to the start of the show and again at end of intermission

I had some doubts as to whether I really wanted to see this show. With a young cast and music from Elvis Presley's repertoire, it looked like a production more appropriate for teens. But as I took my seat in the theater and observed the gray heads around me, and watched many arriving patrons using walkers and in wheelchairs, I wondered what the appeal was for this age group. Then it dawned on me. Presley came on the scene in 1955, just when all these people were teens and 20-somethings. They were here to hear the songs and observe the styles and customs of their youth.

The play more than fulfilled their (our?) expectations. Inspired by Presley's music with book by Joe DiPietro, directed and choreographed for the Barn by DJ Salisbury with music under the direction of Robbie Cowan, dozens of Presley's songs are woven into the story line. Just released from prison, Chad's motorcycle breaks down in a mid-western town, and his guitar-playing and rowdy ways send shock waves through the town.

The singing and dancing by the large, excellent cast is top-notch, and to add a literate quality to the play, there are shades of Shakespeare. In fact, it's loosely based on "Twelfth Night," and the bard's 18th sonnet plays an important part. That's the one that begins with "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"

The audience, which filled the house, was thrilled. I never saw so many people in my age group quite so enthusiastic, frequently applauding, cheering, and clapping in time to the music. We can still rock!

As always at the Barn, at the end of the performance, all the players line up outside the theater to greet the departing audience, a nice touch that we don't see at all theaters.

Stowe Classic Car Meet

August 12, 2017 — It was my tenth year in a row at the Vermont Automobile Enthusiasts show, and their sixtieth anniversary in Stowe. I was saddened to hear upon arrival that it would be their final show in Stowe. Nichols Field, where the show is held, with many acres for show cars, a flea market and spectator parking, has been purchased by out-of-staters, and the VAE will not be able to use it after this year. Next year, the show will be moved to Waterbury, a few miles south of Stowe.

This is a serious loss for Stowe which has hosted the three-day show for its entire 60-year history. It's an exciting and profitable break in the quiet summer, drawing visitors from many parts of the U.S and Canada, in the town famous for skiing and other winter sports and the Trapp family. Residents look forward to the parade of antique cars through the village, followed by music and dancing in the street, although the dancing was canceled for the second year in a row due of rain.

I heard some positive comments about the new location in Waterbury, such as better drainage of its fields. Nichols Field in Stowe is notorious for swampy grounds and roads turned to mud in a wet season, but for many of us I think that was part of its character. We boasted about being over our ankles in mud and pushing stuck cars at the Stowe car show. And the village has an ambience that will be hard to match. For those of us who have been going to Stowe for many years, it's like losing an old friend.

It was warm and sunny all day for the show, including the car parade late in the afternoon. But as they were preparing for the street dancing, black clouds started moving in, and light rain began to fall. They announced there was a weather alert calling for severe thunderstorms, damaging winds and flooding. I had a 2½-hour drive home, so I thought it prudent to get under way. I didn't beat the storm. Just minutes out of Stowe I ran into blinding rain, wind, thunder and lightning. At times it felt like I was driving through water. This went on for several miles, but I finally drove into clearing.

I have many fond memories of Stowe, all recorded by my camera for every one of the past ten years. This year's photos and videos can be seen at:

http://www.linwoodstreet.com/stowe17/

"Toward Zero"

August 10, 2017 — An excellent cast headed by Jordan Reeves, Madeleine Maby, Cheryl Mullings, Robert Bates, Paul Melendy, Vinette Cotter, Angela Hope Smith and Buddy Haardt brought Agatha Christie's "Toward Zero" to the Barnstormers' stage in Tamworth, New Hampshire. Directed by Bob Shea,with set design by Emily Nichols and costume design by Mary Selvoski, the play proved to be a real audience-pleaser.

In a typical Christie formula, a large group of diverse people, all connected in various ways, are brought together under one roof. Old rivalries and hatreds are revived, and of course, someone ends up murdered. It's all very proper and British, tensions build slowly over the course of the play, and Dame Agatha doesn't reveal the perpetrator until the final minutes. In this case, the killer devised a particularly ingenious and convoluted scheme that was finally unraveled by an even smarter individual, and not by the police. It all led to a smashing ending that drew both gasps and cheers for its audacity.

The Barnstormers, in their 87th year, stages an Agatha Christie play almost every season, and they're particularly good at it. I'm already looking forward to next season, hoping there will be another play by this most popular mystery writer of all time.

"The Producers"

August 8, 2017 — I had decided not to make a reservation for "The Producers," a musical version of the 1968 movie. I thought no one could possibly do it as well as Gene Wilder and Zero Mostel in the original. But I was wrong. Getting bored during a quiet week, I decided to give it a chance, and made a reservation at the Peterborough Players in Peterborough, New Hampshire. It was the right decision. The Players, with their usual high production values, great stagecraft, superb direction and some of the most talented actors in New England summer theater, put on what I may well remember as the best show of this summer season.

Mel Brooks directed and wrote the screenplay for the movie. It won the 1968 Oscar for best screenplay. Years later, he wrote the music and lyrics for the stage version which is the one presented by the Peterborough Players. It has all of Brooks' non-stop hilarity and frenetic pace.

Kraig Swartz, a fine comic actor, is washed-up producer Max Bialystock who hasn't had a hit in years. Tom Frey is his accountant, Leo Bloom, whose dream is to be a producer himself. In going over Max's books, Bloom observes producing a flop could be a surefire way to make money by closing after one performance and keeping the millions collected from backers. This casual observation sets Max and Bloom off on a mission to deliberately produce a play guaranteed to fail. How about "Springtime for Hitler," a musical glorifying the Fuhrer?

Gus Kaikkonen and Bill Burns recreated for the Players the original effort by Susan Stroman. Michael Sebastian was the music director. Charles Morgan designed the elaborate, multi-layered scenery. The many excellent costumes for the large cast were the work of Sam Fleming.

Of course, Max and Bloom's plan backfires when the unlikely play, seen as ridiculing rather than immortalizing Hitler, is a smash hit. Swartz, always great in comedy parts, gets to exercise his song and dance chops, as does Tom Frey, who is surprisingly good in the same type of role. Elyse Collier almost steals the show as the unintentionally sexy Ulla. Leon Axt is hilarious as Franz Liebkind, the Hitler-worshipping Nazi throwback who wrote the heretofore never produced "Springtime for Hitler." They finally find a director in the flamboyant, gay Roger DeBris (Danny Vaccaro). DeBris' assistant, Carmen Ghia (Adam Sowers), is even funnier. DeBris ends up playing a preening, effeminate Hitler himself when Liebkind, intended for the role, breaks his leg.

The entire cast, too numerous to mention here, is excellent. The song and dance numbers rocked the theater. The play drew a nearly full house on a Tuesday afternoon.