Virginia Rep presents hits on two stages
It’s an old adage that God laughs when man (or woman) plans. That is certainly the experience of Sister Act’s Mother Superior, played with depth and gravitas by veteran Virginia Rep actress Andrea Rivette. Keenly aware of her church’s dire financial situation and impending sale to a couple of antique salesmen, Mother Superior prays for a solution. Little does she know the solution... READ MORE
Transforming steel into art
It has been 12 years since the metal sculptor David Aaron Friedheim returned to Baltimore from San Francisco with his wife, ceramic artist Trisha Kyner, and on this day he is in a reflective mood. “I wake up not knowing whether I’ve been an incredible success or an abject failure,” said the 59-year-old New York native and alumnus of Maryland Institute College of Art. “How could I ... READ MORE
On the question of disciplining grandkids
Family reunions in crowded restaurants are usually happy affairs. Cousins catch up with each other. New spouses get to know one another. Memories and jokes fly. Smiles abound. Except when a 5-year-old boy decides that he’s not having fun. The issue: Who should discipline that child if he misbehaves? The parents only? Or can grandparents leap in? The boy was sitting near... READ MORE
Cicely Tyson wins first (honorary) Oscar
Cicely Tyson received her first and only Oscar nomination in 1972. It was for best actress for her work in Sounder, which she thinks of as her first major role. She wasn’t called to the stage that year — Liza Minnelli was for Cabaret — but now 45 years later, Tyson is finally getting her Oscar. “It is an emotionally wrenching matter to me,” Tyson said. Tyson, 93, is no... READ MORE
Entertainer says it all started with Santa
Were you in Richmond for Christmas between 1971 and 1991? If so, Donna Strother Deekens is probably part of your holiday memories, whether you know it or not. If you were a child, parent or perhaps very young grandparent who made the trek to see Santa in downtown Richmond, or read about Santaland in the local newspapers, then you probably saw Deekens as the Snow Queen — Santa’s... READ MORE
Colorful books to give this holiday season
The Bibliophile Thoughtfulness in selecting gifts is a sign of a sensitive and attentive friend. Consider the recipient’s interests when choosing a book. You’ll be thanked profusely for matching your gift with the proper reader. Mona Lisa in Camelot: How Jacqueline Kennedy & Da Vinci’s Masterpiece Charmed & Captivated a Nation, by Margaret Leslie Davis, 274 pages, three... READ MORE
A de-lovely production of “Anything Goes”
The plot is ridiculous, the jokes are mostly cornball, the acting and staging are very good, the songs are often great, and the singing and dancing are wonderful — which more or less sums up the production of Cole Porter’s Anything Goes now at Arena Stage. The revival of the original 1930s musical features several songs from the Great American Songbook, including “I Get a Kick Out... READ MORE
All in the family: Comic books and autism
Even at age 89, actor Ed Asner still hangs out at the comic-book store with his kid. In early October, the Asners could be spotted at Hollywood’s legendary Golden Apple Comics. But they weren’t shopping. Instead, the two were promoting an Internet comic-art auction to raise funds for the Ed Asner Family Center. Founded earlier this year by the actor’s son, Matthew, and... READ MORE
Clayworks molds new vision for the future
Marsha Smelkinson had recently moved back to Baltimore from San Diego when a friend asked her to help out at a kids’ pottery class she was teaching at Baltimore Clayworks. “I had the opportunity to put my fingers in clay and found it to be fun,” said Smelkinson. Since then, though she had never thought of herself as artistic, the 69-year-old Randallstown resident has become an... READ MORE
Why save a segregated school?
Jessup native Bessie Bordenave attended the last segregated school in the Howard County Public School System — all the students, teachers and staff were African-American. She graduated in 1962, three years before the school was shut down. Today, the 74-year-old Bordenave still carries “beautiful memories” in her head — and in her heart — of Columbia’s Harriet Tubman High... READ MORE
