January 2013 – Page 2

Farce in the Nick of Time – Thornton Wilder’s other award-winning play

January 25, 2013December 28, 2015 tedmills Leave a comment

FROM TOP : Front, from left, velociraptor Danny McMillan and postal worker Brittany Danyel; center, with hat, David Stewart and in back, from left, Thom Thomas and Laura Ring. Getting ready for the next disaster in grand style are the Antrobus family, representing the human race. They are, back row from left, Maggie and George (Laura Ring and Ron Feltner), their intractable maid Sabina (Zuska Sabata) and, front, willful daughter Gladys (Julia Wilson) and son Henry (David Stewart) who hates his father. MaryM Long photos — FROM TOP :
Front, from left, velociraptor Danny McMillan and postal worker Brittany Danyel; center, with hat, David Stewart and in back, from left, Thom Thomas and Laura Ring.
Getting ready for the next disaster in grand style are the Antrobus family, representing the human race. They are, back row from left, Maggie and George (Laura Ring and Ron Feltner), their intractable maid Sabina (Zuska Sabata) and, front, willful daughter Gladys (Julia Wilson) and son Henry (David Stewart) who hates his father.
MaryM Long photos

On 1941, playwright Thornton Wilder conceived of a eons-spanning play that would follow one family from the Ice Age through to Armageddon. After all, the play was written in the shadow of the attack on Pearl Harbor and America’s entrance into World War II, and the concept of mankind coming to an end felt palpable. But Wilder’s first version of the play was too heavy for already war-weary audiences. Instead, the author did an about-face, changed the play to a silly farce, and everybody was happy — including those on the Pulitzer Prize committee, who gave Wilder an award in 1943 for the work. Overshadowed by Wilder’s wide-reaching and less silly “Our Town,” this farce gets another look starting tonight for a five-week run at OJAIAct.

Director Richard Kuhlman, last seen directing “The Provoked Wife” for Transport Theatre in Ojai, says he’s known the play since high school and has wanted to produce it.

So Many Films, So Little Time – Recommendations for this year’s SBIFF

January 18, 2013December 20, 2015 tedmills Leave a comment

I figure there’s two types at the SBIFF that don’t overlap, but I could be wrong. Those who stand in line, in the cold, to catch a glimpse of a celebrity arriving for the red carpet; and those who stand in line, in the cold, waiting to get in to a cozy theater for a film they know nothing about. Well this is going out to the latter, those who love this long list of films in the guide with very little idea — no TV or magazine review, no publicity campaign — of what they’re in for apart from a few keywords and an intriguing publicity photo or poster. That’s some film love, my friends.

The guide below represents my own choices of what to see, based upon previous festival performances, directors’ resumes and word of mouth. There’s so much more, but here’s a good place to start.

In Memory of Mike – SBIFF Honors Filmmaker Michael DeGruy with retrospective and more

January 18, 2013December 20, 2015 tedmills Leave a comment

It’s been nearly a year to the day when nature filmmaker and friend of the SBIFF, Mike DeGruy, went down in a helicopter accident while filming off Australia. It happened during the 2012 Fest and the shock waves of his death cast a pall over the rest of the week more than any storm could do. In all the years of covering the Fest, the only vaguely equivalent tragedy was the 1999 passing of Stanley Kubrick, but this was completely different. This was close to home; this was one of the festival’s own, a man who not only had started the Reel Nature film sidebar, but also Field Trip to the Movies, bringing school kids out to see films, creating who knows how many film buffs.

And so this year the SBIFF will honor their fallen friend with a retrospective of Mr. DeGruy’s films, spanning over thirty years.

Surfing and Shooting – The circular career of filmmaker Greg Huglin

January 18, 2013December 20, 2015 tedmills Leave a comment

This is a story of a man who retired only to have the technology change for the better, which then brought him back into the field he thought he had just left. And all through it, he’s been able to stay close to the ocean.

When I get Greg Huglin on the phone he’s in Hawaii as part of a film crew that is busy following around big-wave surfers, both those who tow-in by jet-ski and those who prefer the old method of paddling out. Once passe, the method is making a comeback. It’s fitting for Mr. Huglin, who thought he’d retired, having given up working in film. But the new high-definition cameras like the Epic Red have been too good to pass up. And so Mr. Huglin is back doing what he loves to do.

A Hilarious Quartet – Speaking of Stories First 2013 show is all Laughs

January 11, 2013December 20, 2015 tedmills Leave a comment

Sometimes you have to just sit back and laugh. Speaking of Stories does, at least once a year, with its “Nothing But Laughs” evening this Sunday and Monday, which presents four short stories designed to make you ell-oh-ell, as the kids say. Artistic director Maggie Mixsell has curated this show of four comic stories from Somerset Maugham, Kurt Vonnegut, Elizabeth Berg, and Jenny Allen along a very easy criteria.

“I have to at least chuckle,” she says.

New Director, No Boundaries – Christopher Pilafian debuts with Santa Barbara Dance Theater

January 11, 2013December 20, 2015 tedmills Leave a comment

In 2010, when Jerry Pearson stepped down as artistic director of Santa Barbara Dance Theater, UCSB’s in-residence modern professional dance company, there was a sense that perhaps the institution wouldn’t continue. For 20 years Mr. Peason had put such a personal stamp on the company that filling his shoes felt daunting. But two years later, Christopher Pilafian, a member of the dance faculty at UCSB since 1990, privately premiered an introductory glimpse into the new-look SBDT, with a piece called “Leap of Faith.”

“It reflects more about my situation and attitude and less about the overall subject matter of the piece,” he says now. “It’s the reality behind the situation of the piece.”

DRINK OF THE WEEK: Roy’s Rum switchel

January 10, 2013December 20, 2015 tedmills Leave a comment

Bartender Dan “Danny Boy” Scott is back at Roy after a break of more than 15 years, back when the bar itself was on the other side of the room, the restaurant hosted live music, and the walls were a completely different color. We refrained from toasting him with a few verses of his namesake Irish song, but the pipes, the pipes were calling from our seaside town to wrest him away from Las Vegas.

In Henderson, outside Vegas, he ran the bar at the Black Mountain Grill, a popular restaurant with one of the same owners as Cold Spring Tavern. And he’s brought some of that establishment’s drinks back with him to Roy. But first we are going to take on Roy’s most popular drink for the six months it’s been on the menu: the Moscow Mule.

DRINK OF THE WEEK: Rum switchel

January 3, 2013December 20, 2015 tedmills Leave a comment

If all the partying of the holidays got to you, or you’ve got that head cold everybody’s been hacking about, you may need something healthy to kick off the new year. And so we’ve been looking into cocktails that are heavy on the health, low on the “to your health” alcohol. What we liked the best so far is the switchel. DOTW fans will remember the use of vinegar in drinks by Hungry Cat’s Patrick Reynolds, including pre-made reductions called “shrubs.” A switchel is similar, but uses apple cider vinegar. We’re fans of Bragg, which also happens to be a local company. We set out to make our own switchel, experimenting with different recipes and sharing at our own parties.

A variation we like comes from www.littlemisscruciferous.com, ran by Rebekah Carter, a blogger in the greater Boston area. The switchel takes about 10 minutes to make, contains apple vinegar, honey, and ginger, and makes a refreshing drink by itself once cooled. But mixologists also like to add alcohol. We think adding a dark rum to the proceedings complements all the flavors around it. Will it keep you healthy? Mmm, perhaps. That’s a question better asked at the gym.