Arts | Entertainment | Crafts | Life
No matter how many Christmas pins I make, it never seems to be enough.
I’ve made hundreds and hundreds and hundreds more. Most were parceled out and mailed weeks ago.
The batches shown here were the last creations. With Christmas beckoning, I hope so.
Moral: No matter how many you create, there’s always a need for more.
So: More has arrived. And already shared.
The Actor’s Group’s staging last night of “It’s Delightful, It’s De Lovely, It’s December!” was a no-brainer. To add to the alliteration in the show’s theme, it’s delicious, it’s debonair, and it’s delirious. It’s demanding, too. And a dandy!
Two terrific singers, Shari Lynn and guest buddy Mary Gutzi, made their debut together in a holiday special. In side-by-side collaboration, in solo struts, they’re dandy. Togetherness paid off; they’re highly compatible.
Shari wore a bejeweled white pants suit, Gutzi donned a black ensemble. That was the extent of their differences.
Both have profound skills in Broadway theater, Gutzi with credits on the Great White Way and on stages around the globe, Shari in a number of triumphs on local stages, principally at Diamond Head Theatre.
And clearly, this was a demanding gig, surely a test drive for TAG, which likely is thinking of a future tradition in the making. TAG billed it as “a dark night series,” meaning a show presented in the little theater’s stage in-between the season’s show’s off nights. There were two performances, at 4 and 7 p.m.; I attended the first show.
Backed by the indispensable Jim Howard on electric keyboard, Shari and Gutzi surely know how to deliver a melody. They are seasoned troupers who really sell a song.
The evening was simply a showcase of the individual talents, but also a demonstration of unity, sisterhood, and mutual admiration.
“White Christmas” typified their skills, with splendid, expressive harmonics. “Sisters,” not a holiday tune, demonstrated their melodic bond.
Shari’s “Santa Baby” was sultry and sexy.
Gutzi’s “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” captured the seasonal gusto.
There were funny stuff, like “It’s Christmas and We’re Jewish,” with cultural pokes. And Shari took the lead on an outrageous, giddy but joyous parody of two tunes, “My Favorite Things” and “Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer, with lyrics that were naughtier than nice.
Gutzi’s shining non-Christmas moments including “Lullaby of Broadway,” which was an introduction to her Broadway past and her role as Mary Magdalene in a touring company of “Jesus Christ Superstar,” and thus she offered a medley of “Everything’s Alright” and “I Don’t Know How to Love Him,” reflecting her projection savvy.
“Silent Night” also was a beaut, another give-and-take contribution, Gutzi singing in English, Shari rendering periodic Hawaiian translations.
Gutzi’s “O Holy Night” solo was another keeper, delivered with rich emotion.
The closing number, “Happy Days Are Here Again,” was a bit of an oddity and perhaps a holiday hope that the clouds of life will vanish. If the wish was for the sun to come out tomorrow, there’s a Broadway classic that also expresses this wish…
‘Harry Potter’ has Broadway magic
There’s been a major surprise in the No. 1-grossing Broadway play: “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” outgrossed the usual musicals for the coveted spot for the first time, for the week ending Dec. 7. Perhaps a bit of hocus pocus helped the popular drama.
The Top 10:
1—”Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” $2.939 million
2—“Hamilton,” $2.745 million
3—”Wicked,” $2.700 million
4—”The Lion King,” $2.410 million
5–“Chess,” $1.955 million
6—”Mamma Mia!,” $1.871 million
7—”ART,” $1.594 million
8—”Death Becomes Her,” $1.491 million
9—”MJ the Musical,” $1.462 million
10—“Just in Time,” $1.448 million
The complete list, courtesy the Broadway Guild:
And that’s Show Biz…
Poinsettia are the favored blooms of the Christmas season. Their bright red color is hard to ignore.
So are poinsettia part of your yule décor? Do you display in a pot at your front door? Or in your home, as a star attraction?
And do you favor the bright red variety, or the pink or the white ones?
Share your thoughts here.
Just asking…
‘Tis the season to show your holiday spirit.
When I went to Hammond’s Gourmet Ice Cream, the new ice creamery at the Koko Marina Shopping Center, I was joyfully impressed at the burst of colorful and lavish abundance of Christmas decorations. For a small merchant, it’s got spirit that would put other merchants to shame. .
As you enter the store, a small sled is displayed inside the front door, but my eyes quickly turned to the atmospheric décor up, down, and everywhere. On the chairs, under the tables, on the walls, on the ice cream counter.
The store boasts three decorated and lit Christmas trees, two where the shop’s motto (“Ice cream solve everything”) in bright neon prevails. The third tree was down the corridor, a unique and festive number, with the top of the midsized tree tilting to the right.
All the chairs were covered with red fabric, shaped like an oversized Santa’s cap, complete with the white pompom dangling on the backs.
Overhead, there were wrapped Christmas gifts, dangling amid a train of white lights.
Everywhere else, there notable and collectible displays, even atop of the counter where the chilled ice creams are displayed so customers can stake out a selection. The framed ice cream scoops in the permanent frames also were holiday-fied.
I should have ordered something that was seasonal, but I opted for a crème orange flavor served in a waffle cone.
Yummy, for the tummy and for the eyes. I nominate Hammond’s for the best Christmas display among Koko Marina merchants. Only thing missing: taped music of Christmas songs.
Go see for yourself, while you order your ice cream…
Zippy’s adds bacon to mini-bento choices
I used to regularly order Zippy’s mini-breakfast bento, opting for the Spam and Portuguese sausage selection with scrambled egg and rice. But I noticed there was an addition to the choices recently, so gave it a try: the fried bacon and Portuguese sausage combo. The bacon was crispy, thank you.
And have you noticed? Zippy’s, like a growing list of take-out sources, has updated its take-out containers: the black ones are gone, replaced by white trays…
Have you ever indulged in re-gifting, the practice of sending something from one source and rewrapped to resend to someone else on your gift list?
Is there an element of guilt, if you re-gift, or is it simply a matter of one-less-gift-to-shop for?
This is another in a series of periodic questions through the Christmas season