The Rocky Horror Show film, banned in Singapore for nearly 30 years, is finally making its debut in the country, according to reports. The 1975 film of the musical, starring Susan Sarandon, was banned by Singaporean authorities because of it sexual and masochistic content. The movie will be shown for the first time at an outdoor Halloween party on 1 November, the Straits Times paper said. Only people who are more than 21 years old will be allowed to watch the film.
The film sees a couple stumble into a castle run by a deranged, cross-dressing scientist. It also stars Tim Curry, Meat Loaf and Richard O’Brien, who wrote the musical. Singapore’s government is known for its strict censorship of entertainment, including films, TV programmes and pop music. Cult favourite Singapore recnetly banned episodes of the US comedies Six Feet Under and Ally MacBeal, and the film Zoolander, where one of the characters plots to assassinate the prime minister of Malaysia. The film has proven to be a cult favourite with fans all over the globe, with cinemas encouraging fans to dress up as the characters for interactive screenings.
The Rocky Horror Show musical made its London debut in 1973 at the Royal Court Theatre, and became a massive hit overnight. Jason Donovan donned fishnets and corsets to play Frank ‘n’ Furter in the silver anniversary production of the show. Others who have played the role include Darren Day, Anthony Head and former champion skater Robin Cousins, as well as Robbie Williams’ friend Jonathan Wilkes.
Oh lutefisk, oh lutefisk, how fragrant your aroma.
Oh lutefisk, oh lutefisk, you put me in a coma.
Every year on the last Sunday of October, the Lions Club in Stanwood, WA puts on their famous Lutefisk Dinner. It was a scary time waiting to be served. The same kind of fright you feel waiting to enter a haunted house. I’m happy to report we all lived to see the next morning. The lutefisk was awesome served with butter and cream sauce, and lots of potatoes to mix in with it.
I am told the Stanwood lutefisk dinner is famous throughout the Pacific Northwest and Western Canada. Many people drive hundreds of miles to enjoy this particular dinner. The meal also included Swedish meatballs and Swedish style potato lefse. I prefer Hardanger lefse, but hey…..the Swedes try their best. (Hey, next time have some more Norwegians on board) hehe
Guess why these people look grumpy? Because they haven’t got their lutefisk fix yet!
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We had to wait in line about an hour before we could be served. I’m told it’s not unusual to wait two hours for this meal.
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LUTEFISK RECIPE
Neil Sticha of Bloomington, Minnesota, persuaded one of his favorite Norwegian cooks, Shirley LaBissonniers, to share her recipe for lutefisk.
First of all, invite brave people over for dinner who do not have misconceptions about this wonderful fish! Next, go to a store that carried the freshest of fish and seafood. Ideally, you would get the lutefisk that they pull out of a barrel (most stores hate those barrels a lot and don’t do that anymore). Second best, it comes skinless and “trimmed” and packaged in a plastic.
Purchase the lutefisk a day before you want to serve it. Take it out of the plastic bag, put it in a large bowl, and cover with ice water. Change this water two to three times and keep in the refrigerator (if your family will let you). This firms up the fish.
Put the lutefisk in a glass baking dish and season with salt and pepper. Put in a preheated oven at 375 degrees F. for 25 to 30 minutes. The fish is done when it flakes easily with a fork. Do not overcook it or it will look like white Jello! It will be not brown.
In Minnesota, we allow at least a pound of lutefisk per person, served with hot melted butter. The two side dishes are riced potatoes and very small cooked frozen peas – no exceptions.
And, of course, you must have lefse. This is a ritual which we try to repeat as often as possible and as long as we can get the fresh lutefisk.
HISTORY OF LUTEFISK
Lutefisk (pronounced LEWD-uh-fisk) is dried cod that has been soaked in a lye solution for several days to rehydrate it. It is then boiled or baked and served with butter, salt, and pepper. The finished lutefisk usually is the consistency of Jello. It is also called lyefish, and in the United States, Norwegian-Americans traditionally serve it for Thanksgiving and Christmas. In many Norwegian homes, lutefisk takes the place of the Christmas turkey. In Minnesota and Wisconsin, you can find lutefisk in local food stores and even at some restaurants. It is a food that you either love or hate, and, as some people say, “Once a year is probably enough!”
During the fall in Wisconsin, people watch their local newspapers for announcements of lutefisk suppers, which are usually held in Norwegian churches. usually every Norwegian church will host at least one lutefisk supper between October and the end of the year. The dinners have become so popular that lovers of the special dish drive great distances, and these are not just people of Scandinavian descent.
The history of lutefisk dates back to the Vikings. On one occasion, according to one legend, plundering Vikings burned down a fishing village, including the wooden racks with drying cod. the returning villagers poured water on the racks to put out the fire. Ashes covered the dried fish, and then it rained. the fish buried in the ashes in the ashes thus became soaked in a lye slush. Later the villagers were surprised to see that the dried fish had changed to what looked like fresh fish. they rinsed the fish in water and boiled it. the story is that one particularly brave villager tasted the fish and declared it “not bad.”
Norwegian-Americans believe that lufefisk was brought by their ancestors on the ships when they came to America, and that it was all they had to eat. Today the fish is celebrated in ethnic and religious celebrations and is linked with hardship and courage.
So my friends prodded me to open a MySpace.com page – so I did it. It’s at http://www.myspace.com/askland
I’m feeling very vulnerable right now because I have no friends on there. As it turns out, I guess I actually opened a page a year ago but never posted anything. So if you have a MySpace account, please be my friend so I don’t feel so sad, lonely and blue.
I was excited to see I had one friend, then realized that’s the one free automatic friend you get when you start an account. D’oh
We had our opening night for Seussical the Musical last night. It was absolutely fantastic. Over sixty kids on stage and a twenty piece orchestra. I had previously been told I would not be able to coordinate that many children musically with such a large orchestra. But we’ve done it, and done it well.
A BIG thank you to Kyle Blevins our sound designer. He is an excellent audio tech and has done an outstanding job fulfilling the demanding requirements of the show.
SEUSSICAL THE MUSICAL
Music by Stephen Flaherty
Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens
Book by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty
Co-Conceived by Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty and Eric Idle
Based on the works of Dr. Seuss
November 3 thru 12, 2006
McIntyre Hall, Mount Vernon
PRODUCTION AND TECHNICAL TEAMS
Producer – Kate Kypuros
Directors – Dave and Carrie James
Vocal Director and Conductor – Conrad Askland
Choreographer – Skye Dahlstrom
Stage Director – Ryn Bishop
Sound Design – Kyle Blevins
Set Designer – Elizabeth Stam
Lighting Design – Don Willcuts
Lead Costume Designer – Kathryn Gildnes
Bird Costume Designer – Mary Jo Henning
Cat and Kangaroo Costumes – Maura Marlin
Assistant to the Directors – Jen Spence
Assistant to the Producer – Susan Arthur
Parent Volunteer Coordinator – Justine Sanders
Photography by Sergei Petrov and Greg Sanders
Set Building – Aviathar Pemberton, Sergei Petrov, Leo Kypuros, Jeff Whidden
Set Crew – Rob Bonner, Paul Thelan, Nate Young, Robin Miller, Spenser Demarais
Scenic Painters – Elizabeth Stam and Sergie Petrov
Make-up Direction – Janae Moorehouse
Make-up – Stephania Kay
Fly Crew – Dave Mumford and Spencer Desmarais
Spot – Paul Thelan
Deck Crew – Suzann McLamb, Robin Miller, Amanda McDaniel
Props Creation – Holly Bunnell, Justine Sanders, Annie Bratun
Props Mistress – Annie Bratun
Graphics – Kristin Jensen
Bookstore and Lobby Kiosks – Deborah Cleave-Trepus
ORCHESTRA
Conductor – Conrad Askland
Keyboard 2 – Brianne Weaver
Keyboard 3 – Lauren Lippens
Keyboard 4 – Ruth Haines
Keyboard 5 – Kathryn Kahn
Trumpet I – Cindy Luna
Trumpet II – Bryan Frank
Trombone – Paul Brower
Alto Sax – Kyle McInnis
Tenor Sax, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet – Michelle Hanna
Baritone Sax, Oboe, Clarinet – Rebecca Wright
Flute, Piccolo – Alicia Jackson
Violin I – Luke Hansen
Violin II – Louise Cheney
Cello – Sharon Sparling
Harp – Christy Swartz
Bass Guitar – Peter Bridgman
Drums – David Bridgman
Percussion – Oscar De La Rosa
Conductor’s Assistant – Andrew Teijan
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SEUSSICAL CAST
(In Order of Appearance)
Jojo – Ireland Woods
Cat in the Hat – Mike Marlin
Horton the Elephant – Matt Olsen
Gertrude – Bianca Campbell
Mayzie – Ashley Henning
The Sour Kangaroo – Falon Calderon
Michael Giles
Karina Grech
Jessiejo Huizinga
Trevor Hansen
Tiffany Richardson
Yertle the Turtle – Sam Mitchell
Vlad Vladikoff – Kaylah Golub
Mayor – Nate Young
Mrs. Mayor – Paige Woods
General Genghis Khan Schmitz – Mike Krugel
The Grinch – Jayme Craig
CITIZENS OF WHOVILLE
Katie Arthur
Jackson Dillard
Elle England
Olivia Pedroza
Brittany Schmidt
Mariah Schmidt
Robert Summers
Selena Tibert
Nathaniel Voth
Sarah Bamba
Courtney Bunnell
Blakelee Clay-McBee
Drew Erlandson
Devon Fair
Chamidae Ford
Makenzie Fox
Bailey Hodges
Emma Johnson
Katie Keck
Kiara Landi
Magdalena McGuire
Elena Olfke
Susie Pollino
Lauren Riley
Paris Sanders
Summer Sanders
Nicole Trepus
Angela Uptain
Miranda Uptain
Jensen Weynands-Mains
Emily Watilo
ORCHESTRA SPONSOR:
The Floyd and Delores Jones Foundation
THANK YOU FLOYD!!!!!
SPECIAL THANKS
Mount Vernon Presbyterian Church
Sewer’s Dream
Skagit Valley Performing Arts Council
Elfa Gisla
Copy This, Mail That
Insta-Signs
Village Theatre
Cascade Pizza
The Lincoln Theatre
Kelly Pollino
Joan Landi
Diane Giles
Rob Bonner
DIRECTOR’S NOTES:
Not that long ago, children were taught to read using books that were dry, dull and devoid of any attempt to entertain the brand-new readers at whom they were aimed. But in 1936, while returning from Europe on a steam ship, Theodore Geisel had an idea for a book about a young child who dreams up an increasingly wacky story about his adventures walking home from school.
The words in the book were written while Geisel listened to the rhythm of the ship’s steam engines, and thus followed their meter. Publisher after publisher told him that such a book could never be printed, people wouldn’t accept it, and that Geisel should forget about writing stories for children.
He didn’t forget about it. When the 29th publisher finally agreed to print “And To Think I Saw It On Mulberry Street”, literature changed forever. Although few people know about a children’s book writer named Mr. Geisel, his middle name is known in every American household: SEUSS!
While Seussical the Musical may have had a rocky road to Broadway (Rosie O’Donnell is probably not America’s greatest thespian), the first time we saw it performed, we were blown away by the message about the awesomeness of imagination taught to us by Jojo. Our hearts melted at the love story between Horton and Gertrude. We cheered for the Whos as they tried to save their tiny planet, and we left the theater singing our favorite songs from the show!
After such a fantastic experience, it was a no-brainer to choose this as META’s fall musical. We have had such an amazing time working with these talented actors and actresses. Conrad has taught us “volumes” about music, and Skye has taken the cast’s dancing skills to new levels.
Our sincerest thanks go to our cast and crew for their hard work and dedication. They made our work enjoyable, and our rehearsals fun.
A big thank you to Akismet Spam Protector. It has succesfully blocked thousands of spam comments here on my blog and has only made one mistake – ie: marking a comment as spam that was not.
I enjoy knowing that thousands of spammers have wasted their time to post links here, and it has cost me ZERO time management. Akismet is automated and constantly updated. Thank you Akismet!
Seussical the Musical runs at McIntyre Hall November 3-12.
Fri Nov 3 – 7:00pm
Sat Nov 4 – 7:00pm
Sun Nov 5 – 2pm matinee
Thurs Nov 9 – 7:00pm
Fri Nov 10 – 7:00pm
Sat Nov 11 – 7:00pm
Sun Nov 12 – 2pm matinee
This is a fun show for all ages. The story line is fun, great uptempo pop music that everyone should enjoy. We have over 60 cast members and a 20 piece orchestra all performing live on stage. It rocks!
Dr. Seuss characters you will see on stage include the Cat in the Hat, Horton the Elephant, Gertrude McFuzz, the Grinch, Who’s from Whoville, Yertle the Turtle, General Schmitz and JoJo.
The kids sound great! We have a pro sound crew and pro orchestra that will also be dressed up for the show.
McIntyre Hall is located in Mount Vernon, WA on the Skagit Valley College campus. Tickets available at the box office before the show (if not sold out, d’oh) or you can order by phone. Here’s info on the McIntyre Hall Box Office.
This show is produced by META Performing Arts – Produced by Kate Kypuros and Directed by Dave and Carrie James. Of course, I’ll be conducting the orchestra…um….which is like the best orchestra in the world ‘n stuff.
You must go see the show. I command you. I have spoken. Make it so.
Life is hard for Chad Vader, the younger, less charismatic brother of Darth Vader, who is the day shift manager of a grocery store.
This is great stuff, check out the video at the Chad Vader Day Shift Manager website.
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Starring:
Chad – Aaron Yonda
Clint/Voice of Chad – Matt Sloan
Tony – Asa Derks
Randy – Brad Knight (web)
Tammy – Kealynn Kees
Clarissa – Christina LaVicka (web)
Lloyd – Rob Matsushita (web)
With – Cindy Brekken, Casey Brown, Kathy Fischer, Ben LaVicka, Robin Macdonald, Jordan Marko, Caiden Melendy, Chris Melendy, Justin Sprecher, Teddy Weathersbee, Vijay Prabhu Dandamudi
Cinematography and Art Direction – Tona Williams (web)
Lighting Designer – John Urban (web)
Casting Director – Courtney Collins (web)
Assistant Director – Doug Chapin (web)
Sound Design – John Lee
Sound Technician – Justin Sprecher(web)
Editing – Matt Sloan and Aaron Yonda
Special Effects – Aaron Yonda
Music – Andrew Yonda (web) and John Lee
Executive Producer – Courtney Collins
Production Assistants – Vijay Prabhu Dandamudi, Kathy Fischer, Robin MacDonald, Jordan Marko, Teddy Weathersbee
Location Supervisor – Amanda Biederman
Based on an idea by Tim Harmston
Filmed on Location at Willy Street Co-op, Madison, WI
Special Thanks to Brendan Smith
I always seem to get sick during tech week (aka “hell week”) before a show. Last show I did the sound tech hooked me up with Emergen-C and it brought me back up to speed within 24 hours. So now I just take it during tech week as a precaution.
The manufacturer is Alacer Corp, you can visit the Alacer Corp. Website for more information on Emergen-C. Alacer Corp. was founded in 1972 by Jay Patrick
From their website: “Super Orange Emergen-C fizzes in water to furnish 1,000 mg of Vitamin C with 32 different mineral complexes plus B Vitamins. Sweetened with Fructose for Quick Energy with Staying Power.”
The sound tech told me Emergen-C is the best kept secret of the theatre world, so let’s not let it be a secret anymore.
ABOUT VITAMIN C
Since Vitamin C is an acid (ascorbic acid) which can irritate the kidneys, bladder and intestines, side effects associated with Vitamin C intake in large doses include heartburn, nausea, flatulence and diarrhea. Researchers have found that ascorbic acid was really just an intermediary form of the vitamin and that in the form of mineral ascorbates it could provide all of the health benefits with none of the side effects. Mineral ascorbates are produced naturally by most animals (but not humans), yet when consumed regularly by humans serve as excellent transporters of Vitamin C to the over 70 trillion cells in the body. Mineral ascorbates have additional benefits, including increased energy, improved vision and reduced susceptibility to the common cold.
As of this posting, Emergen-C is available at the following retail locations:
A & P
ALBERTSONS
ARIZONA HEALTH FOODS
BARTELL DRUGS
BASHAS’
BIG Y
CUB FOODS
CVS
DUANE READE
FRED MEYER
FRY’S
GIANT EAGLE
GNC
GREAT EARTH
HAPPY HARRY’S
H-E-B
HEINEN’S
HI-HEALTH
KINGS
KING SOOPERS
KINNEY DRUGS
KROGER
LONGS
MEIJER
NEW SEASONS MARKET
PATHMARK
PCC NATURAL MARKETS
PHARMACA
RALEY’S
RALPHS
SAFEWAY
SAVON
SHOPRITE
SMITH’S
SPORT CHALET
SPROUTS
STATER BROS.
STOP & SHOP
SUNFLOWER MARKET
SUPER SUPPLEMENTS
TARGET
TRADER JOE’S
VITAMIN COTTAGE
VITAMIN SHOPPE
VITAMIN WORLD
VONS
WALGREENS
WAL-MART
WEIS
WHOLE FOODS
WILD OATS
Here’s a list of sound effects I prepared for Seussical the Musical. Most are called for in the score. Some of them are timed with the music so I prefer to have myself or one of the musicians trigger audio fx for the show.
I use Kontakt by Native Instruments which is a virtual keyboard for computer. I load my sounds into a laptop and program my sound effects across the keyboard – usually layered in sequence for when they occur in the show. Preproduction of audio effects is done on ProTools, where I have full control of high end delays, reverbs and panning. I run sound effects stereo and make sure the sound team is processing my sounds in stereo. I think it’s important to clarify whether you have a stereo setup available at your performance, because it will change how you pre-process your show sounds and foley.
Subtle sound effects add another subliminal layer of depth for any show presentation, so I encourage you to take the time to create them to the best of your ability. Having the actors do the fx like is “ok”, but take the time to make it super-duper cool.
SOUND EFFECTS FOR SEUSSICAL THE MUSICAL
Slide Whistle (you’ll get better samples than performing this live)
YOPP! (Jojo’s yell in Act II – I process multi-tap delay with panning, so it “calls across the universe”)
Elephant Call
Egg Hatching
Explosion
Water Splash (For the Cat’s sneeze onto the Planet of Who, my own twisted addition)
ACT II Entracte – Overture clangs and bangs
Thunderstorm (To add to ACT II melodrama string music)
Bird Chirp
Animal Grunts (For intro of Monkey Around, listen to CD)
I really appreciate having found your website because of the wonderful inside look at Freddy Fender. I have been just short of obsessed with finding information about Freddy since his death.
I’m not sure why except for perhaps some sort of spiritual connection on all levels. I’ve always liked his music but hadn’t listened to it recently. I didn’t recall what brought me back to it until I read on your site that it was included on the soundtrack of “3 Burials …” which I saw and enjoyed immensely. Probably that was what got me started seeking out and downloading all of his stuff. Then I read a little about his being so ill and finally his sad death. Since that I have been combing the internet, buying DVD’s, haunting YouTube, wanting to know everything I can about him.
Perhaps the whole spiritual thing is wrapped up in his looking so much like my first love, (who I met around the same age he and Vangie met and fell in love). I didn’t spend my life with this man but did reconnect with him briefly in our late 50’s and he was very much like FF in appearance and personality at that age as well. He had also been through the whole prison, drugs, & drinking experience that Freddy had but also retained a great basic wisdom, self awareness and childish joy that I observe in Freddy. They both had that smile and sparkle that can only come from within. Also, in my lifetime I was a caregiver for many years to my husband who developed Alzheimer’s Disease, so I relate to what Vangie must have experienced in the many years of illness through which she cared for and supported Freddy.
And finally, I relate to you, being super Scandinavian in heritage and skin tone but I grew up in National City, California where I was the minority and all of my friends were Mexican. I adored their families and was often referred to by more than one dad or brother as “weda” or “blanca” and one particularly mean big brother as “gordita”!
Even before I found your website, I saw the Laughlin casino DVD from 2003 where you are on keyboard and he calls you “blanco”, “blancito” and “Wedo”. I loved it and recalled many warm feelings with my Mexican friends. One funny note. In High School, my parents decided perhaps I should find friends who were not Mexican so they moved to another slightly more upscale area of San Diego in hopes I’d find more of “my own” type. I did. I found all 5 Mexican families in the area and hung out with them!
Anyway everything about Freddy Fender, his surroundings, his family, his music strikes a chord with me and I just wanted to mention that I found your information to be the most personal and enlightening and I’m very appreciative of it. You write so beautifully too. Why not write a book or a movie about his life? Please continue to share stories about him.
