Playing music for others and with others
The first time Alexandrian Lynn Falk, 87, heard a mandolin orchestra’s tremolo at a concert, “It was like butterflies singing. It was so beautiful,” she said. That was 40 years ago. She’s been playing a mandolin ever since with The Mandoleers, a Washington-area orchestra. Her friend Kathleen Graham was moved as well when she attended a concert at the Smithsonian Institution.... READ MORE
Books with good advice on healthy aging
The Bibliophile These three books approach the subject of aging from three perspectives: sharing life lessons, advocating against the mistreatment of elders, and encouraging physical activity to enhance health. The Second Half: Forty Women Reveal Life After Fifty, by Ellen Warner, 242 pages, Brandeis University Press hardcover, 2022 Be inspired by the stories of women over age 50... READ MORE
I’m not my kids’ pet sitter! Or wait, am I?
By the time we reach a certain age — and I’ve reached it — we stop apologizing for our crankiness and our crustiness. We dig in. We don’t bend. Which is my way of saying that I will not — repeat NOT — take care of the pets of my adult children. I have told them until I’m blue in the face that their precious beasts are not my grandchildren. Or my grandpuppies. Or my... READ MORE
“The Color Purple” blossoms at Signature
Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 1982 novel The Color Purple is a story of triumph in which a young Black woman overcomes seemingly impossible circumstances, including abusive relationships, racism and personal tragedy, to grow into a beautiful, independent woman. Stephen Spielberg directed the 1985 film adaptation, starring Whoopi Goldberg as the protagonist Celie, and Oprah... READ MORE
Candlelight Society celebrates 50 years
Almost five decades ago, a music teacher living in the newly established city of Columbia spotted an ad in the local paper. “In the fall of 1974, I saw a small notice in the Columbia Flier saying anybody who would like to see chamber music continue in Howard County, please come to an organizing meeting,” said Philip Press. “And that was the genesis of what became, a few months... READ MORE
Actor has world premiere as playwright
One winter day on a college campus in the Midwest, Tuyet Thi Pham fell in love with theater. The first show she ever saw, Angels in America, would set the stage for the rest of her life. To her amazement, despite the freezing weather, throngs of people were protesting the production. She was astonished that a show could produce such a public reaction. Eight hours later, following the... READ MORE
Thoughts of auntie and her pink Cadillac
I can still hear her upstate New York accent all these years later. “Robbit,” she said, “I just went and bought it.” “It” was a car. But not just any car. In her 83rd year, my aunt had gone and purchased a brand-new Cadillac. She knew every one of its virtues — power steering, power seats, air conditioning — that made Florida tolerable for the hottest half of the... READ MORE
Shakespeare transformed at the National Building Museum
In the Folger Theatre’s entertaining production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, you might be forgiven for wondering if director Victor Malana Moag nudged Puck (Danaya Esperanza) to sprinkle a scattering of the director’s own magic over the characters and script. Or does the Bard resonate differently in the National Building Museum (NBM), where production designer Tony Cisek and... READ MORE
Mystery novels by prolific older authors
The Bibliophile This summer, enjoy these mysteries, which run the gamut from suspense to adventure to whimsy. The Therapist: A Novel, You’re Going to Need to Talk to Someone, by B. A. Paris, 298 pages, St. Martin’s Press hardcover, 2021 This thriller has all the elements of a classic Hitchcock movie: murder most horrid, a haunted house, forgery, rumor and gossip run amok,... READ MORE
Stand-up meets acting at Theater J show
Brad Zimmerman describes himself as being a late bloomer. With “My Son the Waiter: A Jewish Tragedy,” however, he appears to have at last come into his own: His one-man show is now on national tour, and visitors to Theater J at the Edlavitch Jewish Community Center of Washington, D.C., can enjoy his autobiographical performance, which runs through August 21. In his 81-minute show,... READ MORE
