Pete ‘n' Keely by James Hindman, with original music by Patrick Brady and lyrics by Mark Waldrop, is a song trip down memory lane and an opportunity for Music Theatre of Connecticut (MTC) to showcase a pair of wonderful, singing/entertainers, Kristin Huffman and Tony Lawson, who are nicely accompanied by Dan Asher, bass, Chris Johnson, drums and Mark Wolfson, piano.

Under Kevin Connors' direction, MTC’s audience is transported to an imaginary NBC TV studio’s live telecast in 1968. The setting comes complete with a flashing “Applause” sign, several impromptu props, and a clever use of a folding screen that opens to provide additional scenery. The plot concerns a pair of singers who were once a great success until they became divorced and went back to their individual careers. The couple is reunited on this TV broadcast with the original song, “It’s Us Again.”  Woven into the plot are solos and duets of original and old-time song favorites: “Lover Come Back,” “Besame Mucho,” “Hey Daddy,”  “My Secret Love,” etc.

Flashbacks relive the history of this popular couple from the time they were children. How they ended up touring and quarreling their way across the world provides the opportunity for a dizzying variety of songs and amusing gags. Hindman/Brady/Waldrop’s work sparkles intermittingly during the fast-paced skits.

Huffman and Lawson fit perfectly together. Huffman is very attractive in her lovely gowns and Lawson with his mustache and Tux is as handsome as any male star of that period. They each have strong voices and expressive styling.

This is professional singing done right.

Plays at MTC in Westport through June 13.  For tickets call: 203-612-7025.

Dinner With Friends, a Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Donald Margulies, is playing to a very receptive audience at the Westport Country Playhouse. If you live in Westport, have two children, a summer-house on Martha’s Vineyard, travel abroad frequently and enjoy gourmet dining with friends, you may know lots of folks whose marriages have eventually gone on the rocks because of boredom and infidelity. This is a comedy-drama about a segment of American society who seemingly has everything, yet no one substantial to cling to.

The simple plot concerns two married couples. There’s the happily married pair, Karen (Jenna Stern) and Gabe (Steven Skybell) and their unhappy best friends, Beth (Mary Bacon) and Tom (David Aaron Baker). Karen and Gabe introduced their friends to each other 12 years ago and the two couples became very close. After a seemingly happy marriage and two children, Beth suddenly announces that Tom has left her for another woman. Beth and Tom are deeply affected by their close friends’ plight. In sorting out the pros and cons concerning their friends, Karen and Gabe begin to doubt and then appreciate their own relationship.

Cunningly beneath the surface, Margulies explores both the comic and serious sides of marital relationships. What distinguishes this play from a TV sit-com is the fact that his words are often sharp and witty. There is a lot of emotion under the direction of Associate Artistic Director David Kennedy. Gliding scenery by Lee Savage produces smooth, almost magical transitions. Mathew Richards’ lighting is enchantingly mood setting, especially in the sunset scene on Martha’s Vineyard.

Plays through June 19; phone: 203-227-4177.

Special information for homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes and private non-profit organizations affected by the severe storms and flooding that occurred March 12, 2010 - May 17, 2010:

Recovering from a disaster, natural or otherwise, is often more traumatic than the event itself. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), assistance may be available to those who suffer damage, regardless of income. The following resources are designed to guide people to the appropriate federal, state and local agencies for both immediate and long-term assistance.

Disaster Assistance available from FEMA:

• How to Apply for Assistance
• FEMA teams offer home repair at local stores
• FEMA facts you should know about disaster assistance
• FEMA disaster recovery center opens in Norwalk
• Unified Hazard Mitigation Assistance Program

Disaster assistance available from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA):

• SBA Disaster assistance available to private non-profit organizations in Connecticut
• SBA fact sheet (including loan details)

Internal Revenue Service (IRS) disaster relief for individuals and businesses:

• Connecticut taxpayers who were unable to meet federal tax obligations because of severe storms and flooding March 12, 2010, may qualify for tax relief.
• IRS relief form
  

Additional useful information:

• How to avoid a home repair scam 
• How to minimize the likelihood of mold contamination

Please open the attachments below to access the forms.

Our next Monday at Seven meeting will be on Monday, June 14th from 7 - 9 a.m.

On Monday, June 14th, the featured speaker will be Ronald A. Drew, Project Management Professional (PMP)

The subject of Mr. Drew's talk will be the social networking website LinkedIN. LinkedIN is the most popular social networking website for making connections. Registered users can join common groups, maintain a list of contact details of people they know and trust in business and search for jobs. Mr. Drew will offer tips and techniques for enhancing the job search and will demonstrate how to use LinkedIN to research target companies. 

Ronald A. Drew has extensive experience in the Internet Marketing, Consumer Products and Beverage sectors. He is Founder of Orchard Hill Consulting, a management consulting group. In addition to consulting, Mr. Drew runs professional development workshops/seminars. (Mr. Drew's bio is attached, below.)

Our goal with Monday at Seven has been (and continues to be) to provide a resource and meeting center for Job Seekers and Networkers by opening our doors every Monday from 7 to 9 a.m. Happily, we're helping many in the community achieve their goals, too.

As a parent, do you:

• Worry that you are not doing enough?
• Struggle with embarrassing issues?
• Seek ways to reduce power struggles?
• Want to do everything you can to be
 an effective and competent parent?

Parents of boys and girls in 3rd and 4th grades are invited to join this monthly Parent Discussion Group held in at Darien Library. Using the Raising Our Sons and Raising Our Daughters Parenting Guides you will meet monthly with parents of children of the same age and gender to help prepare you and your children for the tween and teen years.

June 30, 2010 - April 13, 2011

Wednesday evenings, 7:00 pm

Darien Library is a member of Thriving Youth: Connected Community, an initiative of the Darien Human Services Planning Council for developmental asset building through meaningful relationships, experiences, skills and opportunities that benefit all our children. Thriving Youth: Connected Community is a movement in Darien to address the needs of our young people which were brought to light in the Fall when the Search Institute conducted the 40 Developmental Assets survey in our Middle and High Schools. If you missed the results when they were announced you can still view the presentation as a pdf here.

To see the list of Developmental Assets that will be discussed in this series, click here.

Space is limited - to register for this program, sign up by calling (203) 669-5235 or email childrenslibrary@darienlibrary.org

There are two new options for Darienites to explore the organic and local food movement while helping to keep our community green. Whole Foods Market, known for its natural, organic offerings and efforts to protect the environment, will host its grand opening this week at the store located at 150 Ledge Road. Also, the Darien Farmers' Market has returned! Located behind the Post Road firehouse and across from the Goodwives Shopping Center, the market will run every Wednesday from 11am to 6pm through the holiday season. Produce, flowers, baked goods, meats, dairy - both of these venues have got it all, along with expertise and friendly advice to help you turn your weekday dinner into a spectacular culinary delight!

Still undecided about the entire local vs. non-local, organic vs. non-organic food movements? It's still too early to tell if this movement will be anything but a craze - but why not check out some of the books and DVDs we have on the subject and decide for yourself!

The Marine Art Exhibit is Open!

The opening reception last Friday night for this new art exhibition was fun and fabulous! The anticipation for this event has been huge, and with good reason...the exhibit is spectacular!  Many art lovers (and Darien Library lovers!) gathered to examine and enjoy this special exhibition, curated by the Darien Library Art Committee and featuring works represented by the Geary Gallery and Quester Gallery. Exibiting artist, Peter Arguimbau gave a brief speech to the assembled crowd.

Among the featured artists are David Bareford, William Bishop, and Anne Jayson, who are represented by Michael Florio of Quester Gallery, Rowayton, and Peter Arguimbau and A.D. Blake, who are represented by Tom Geary of the Geary Gallery, Darien.

For more information, please click here.

The Marine Art Exhibit will run through June 11th. The Art Gallery is located on the Library's Lower Level.

Earlier this year, Jackie Kelly’s sixth-grade English class at Middlesex Middle school embarked on an ambitious biography project. Each student read a biography and then wrote and illustrated a children’s book based on the biography. At the end of March, the sixth-graders visited second-graders at Holmes School and shared their books. And now through June 4th, the books will be on display and available to read right here in the Children’s Library!

“This was a little assignment that grew into something big.” Ms. Kelly said recently. “The students were very excited about the concept and the enthusiasm was contagious. The Children’s Book Project was a huge success and they should be very proud of their efforts.”

Gretchen Caserotti, Head of Children’s Services at Darien Library admired the books, exclaiming “These sixth-graders wrote and published their own books; it’s a perfect fit to have their work displayed and available to read in a library setting! Darien Library is very happy to be able to participate in this way.”

Click below for a video display of some of the stories now on display!

"View of Darien from Scott's Cove" by Peter Arguimbau.

Darien Library is pleased to announce the art exhibit opening and reception of the Marine Art Exhibit, curated by the Darien Library Art Committee . Featuring works represented by the Geary Gallery and Quester Gallery, the opening and reception will be at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, May 14 in the Library’s Art Gallery.

Featured artists include Peter Arguimbau and A.D. Blake, who are represented by Tom Geary of the Geary Gallery, Darien, and David Bareford, William Bishop, and Anne Jayson, who are represented by Michael Florio of Quester Gallery, Rowayton.

Additional independent local artists will also be exhibiting.

The opening reception will also feature a brief, informal talk by Peter Arguimbau.

Marine Art is regarded as one of the most popular forms of fine art. In practice, it takes many forms, including painting, drawing, printmaking, beach scenes, and all art showing boats.

One of the exhibiting artists at the Library show, Anne Jayson, will be displaying her “Sailors’ Valentines.” “Sailors’ Valentines” are octagonal wooden boxes displaying symmetrical designs composed mostly of seashells. Originally, these were sentimental souvenirs that sailors in the 1800s brought home to their loved ones. Today, they are considered collectables and a valued art form. (Pictured below, left is "Rowayton" by Anne Jayson.)

All of the artists who will be exhibiting at the Darien Library Marine Art Exhibit are prominent artists known for their outstanding works of art. The works of Peter Arguimbau, David Bareford, William Bishop, and A.D. Blake are a fine representation of Marine Art oil paintings. They range from historical maritime scenes to yachting events, harbor scenes, landscapes of sea, shoreline, and beach scenes.

Peter Arguimbau paints in the Flemish style. He grinds his own pigments and makes his own paint, allowing him to create dramatic light effects in his works. Tom Geary of Geary Gallery describes the effect as “luminous” and “beautiful” and says that the style “presents more intimate aspects of the sea.”  Geary states that his “heart is in Marine Art - it captures the spirit of maritime life – the majesty and serenity, the energy, and the brilliance.” (Pictured above, left,  is "View of Darien from Scott's Cove" by Peter Arguimbau.)

Quester Gallery, which is recognized as a leading authority on fine Marine Art and antiques, is owned by Michael Florio. Florio, when speaking of artist David Bareford, said that the artist insists upon the authenticity of his work - “David travels a great deal for his art. (Painting shown above, right, is by David Bareford.) This contemporary artist has the unique ability to ‘capture the moment’ and the timeless beauty of our nautical heritage and history.” He added, “Ocean scenes, boat, and harbor views have been and continue to be very popular.”

The Marine Art Exhibit will run from May 14 through June 11. The Art Gallery is located on the Library's Lower Level.

 Additional parking for evening and weekend Library programs on Thorndal Circle (behind Nielsen’s).

From the first bars of the Overture one can sense that “She Loves Me” is different from most American musicals. Phrases seem to endlessly repeat. There’s some dissonance and the tempo is sometimes uneven. While there are strains of tension and moodiness this musical tapestry builds to a final crescendo and resolves itself into beauty and harmony. I begin this review with the music because it’s the small orchestra, under the seasoned baton of Wayne Barker that plays a significant role in this musical comedy – which really should be termed an Operetta, in my opinion. Worthy of special mention is a lovely violin solo by Angela Marroy. Other fine orchestra members are: percussionist (Deane Prouty), cellist (Fred Rose), bass/accordion (Louis Tucci) and harpist (Lynette Wardle).

If you’re familiar with “Three Penny Opera” (“Mack the Knife”) and the ballet in “Slaughter on Tenth Avenue,” you may be able to identify the music with the style of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weil. With these roots in mind, you would probably also know something about German theatre and its influence on Jerry Bock (music), Sheldon Harnick (lyrics) and Hal Prince, who made his debut as a Broadway director with this show. And, you might also contemplate why, in 1963, “She Loves Me” lasted only 302 performances on Broadway while the same team’s “Fiddler on the Roof” was highly successful.

American audiences want songs with melodies that they can easily sing and sparkling dancing which this musical lacks. Also, the majority of audiences have no identity with the German Zeitgeist or the satire that took place in the theatres during the 1930’s (when many, innovative Jewish artists were force to flee). Miklos Laslo, whose play “Parfumerie,” (upon which “She Loves Me” is based) was among those writers forced to flee Hungary in 1938.

Interestingly, Hal Prince, in a 2007 interview by Jerry Tallmer for “Thrive,” lamented that “…we’ll soon use up the audience … in this case, people in their 50’s, Jewish, Upper West Side; very much the audience that I’d made a career of…there’s an audience that goes regularly to hits and an audience that goes selectively.” Prince (died in 1998) was referring to “Lovemusik” (about Kurt Weil and Lotte Lenya). It was about to close despite full houses.

“She Loves Me” takes place in a Budapest “Parfumerie.” Like the assortment in Forrest Gump’s candy box, each of the characters is different and we are introduced to their ambitions in the splendid opening number “Good Morning, Good Day. The central theme concerns a pair of pen pals who meet unknowingly and antagonize each other at their place of employment -- until they discover their true identities and fall in love. Their colorful colleagues also have problems and their sub-plots tie into the story. A Hungarian Rhapsody with an international flavor, tangos, waltzes and even the distinctive drumbeats of Ravel’s Bolero are artfully blended into scenes.

The comic antics of headwaiter (David Bonnanno) and busboy (Aaron Stierle) take place in a marvelous nightclub scene. Here, “A Romantic Atmosphere” begins like a slow czardas and builds to a frantic pace -- as most Hungarian dances do. “Vanilla Ice Cream,” a duet with Jessica Grove and Jeremy Johnson is an outstanding blend of acting and singing.

Under the superb direction of Mark Lamos the entire cast with its splendid voices, stunning costumes by Candice Donnelly, choreography by Jonathan Butterell and a heavenly fresco of cupids fit for a Habsburg palace, by Riccardo Hernandez, are flawlessly presented.

This 80th season Valentine at Westport Country Playhouse will be extended to May 15. Marlene Gaylinn is a member of the Connecticut Critics Circle. This review appears in “On CT Theatre.”