Random Ramblings on "Boleros"

Posted by Bruce Miller
I'm told by friends who heard the review on WCVE-FM yesterday afternoon that John Porter has written a glowing assess-ment of Boleros for the Disenchanted. This would be great. The show is getting amazing word-of-mouth, but it's a lesser known title. Every bit of positive PR helps. As of this morning, John's review is not posted on the WCVE-FM website. I'll let you know how to access a copy as soon as I can figure it out.

Two days from now, on Friday Sept 25 at 11 a.m., the cast of Boleros will assemble on our Willow Lawn stage for the first of two panel discussions: A Long Way from West Side Story - Being Latino in the USA Today. Two of our six actors are of Puerto Rican lineage, three have Mexican roots, and one is of Cuban ancestry. All are proud Latino Americans. I'll be moderating the discussion, and we'll be talking about the many gifts that their heritage has bestowed upon them. This panel discussion is one of the monthly meetings of our Bifocals Theatre Project. It is free and open to the public.

Immediately following the one hour discussion, we'll move to the lobby for a casual buffet lunch consisting of lunchmeats and cheeses, breads, lettuce and tomatoes, snack and dessert items, and beverages. A $5 free-will donation is suggested for lunch.

Jose Lorenzo, the Cuban balladeer who opens the show with his stirring rendition of the classic bolero Toda una vida, is also the artist who painted the beautiful and evocative landscapes on display in our lobby. More about Jose later.

We expanded our lobby stage by approximately 64 sq ft to create the Plaza Stage used as a performance space by the Latin Ballet during intermission of Boleros. Dance has been a central component of Hispanic and Latino theatre since its inception. In Hispanic tradition, the dancers are not confined to the stage of the theatre. The dances, always designed to reflect the themes of the play, frequently spill out into the audience and onto plaza stages constructed outside the theatres walls. Rather than invade the Willow Lawn parking lot, we’ve constructed our Plaza Stage inside. Audiences are enjoying this cultural exploration.

Simple platform plaza stages similar to ours have been growing in popularity over the last several years as the impact of Latino culture spreads nationally. You will find plaza stages in most major cities throughout the west, southwest and Florida. Perhaps the most well known plaza stages are the ones used by the Today Show for their summer music series, and the ones found at Disneyland in California and Universal in Orlando,

John Glenn, former artistic director of Barksdale, and R. L. Rowsey, former associate artistic director of TheatreVirginia, are in town to direct and music direct Souvenir, opening this Friday at Barksdale Theatre at Hanover Tavern. I was honored that both talented men were able to join us for opening night of Boleros. It was GREAT to have a few minutes to visit with these two friends, and to hear how much they enjoyed the show. For John, it was his first visit back to Barksdale since he left a dozen or so years ago.

Bernardo Cubria, the WONDERFUL Mexican American actor who plays Manuelo in Boleros and thrills audiences during two of the plays funniest scenes, is also a professional translator. It is his voice that can be heard speaking in Spanish on our pre-show announcement (along with Janine Serresseque, speaking in English). Bernardo is also creating the translation that will be used in October when we begin projecting the dialogue in Spanish super-titles onto the western wall of the theatre during selected performances.

Last tidbit—Michelle Guadalupe, the talented actress who charms as Petra, has now added a second “Whiteway” to her resume. Two summers ago, Michelle acted with the prestigious Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center in Connecticut. The Executive Director of the O’Neill is none other than Preston Whiteway, Phil’s super-achieving, 27/28-year-old nephew (pictured to the left). Those of you who knew Phil in his late 20s will note the strong family resemblance.

See you at the theatre!

--Bruce Miller

Holiday Benefit Cabaret is Postponed

Posted by Bruce Miller

The fates were not with us regarding this year's Home for the Holidays benefit cabaret. All performances have been cancelled. Reservation holders will be called today, full refunds made, and we will begin exploring plans to mount this fundraiser for the Richmond Theatre Artists Fund sometime later in the first half of 2009.

Janine Serresseque, who masterminds and organizes the cabaret, did a wonderful job as always. Nonetheless, ticket sales were sluggish, our emcee Joe Pabst called in at the end of the week with no voice, and then on Saturday, our music director and accompanist, Tony Williams, checked into the hospital with a nasty bug.

Yesterday, Sunday, Tony let us know, with great regret, that he'd be unavailable for this year's run of the cabaret. Tony has been our pianist for the Holiday Cabaret since its inception, and the party just wouldn't be a party without him. Last night, Phil and I decided to pull the plug.

Thanks to all who volunteered to sing, and to all who made reservations. If anyone wants to make a tax deductible contribution to the Richmond Theatre Artists Fund anyway, please feel free to make a check payable to that entity and send it in or drop it off at Barksdale or Theatre IV, attention Phil Whiteway. Phil will deliver all checks to the Community Foundation, which manages the Fund on behalf of the Richmond Alliance of Professional Theatre.

Please keep your eyes and ears open for other upcoming events that benefit the Fund. And thanks for your understanding regarding this cancellation.

--Bruce Miller

Please Attend the Holiday Cabaret!

Posted by Bruce Miller
Whether you are one of Greater Richmond's theatre artists, theatre attendees, or a blog reader sympathetic to theatre in general, I hope you will join us this holiday season in our vital efforts to raise money for the Richmond Theatre Artists Fund. The RTAF is an endowment fund managed by the Community Foundation and the Richmond Alliance of Professional Theatres.

Our annual Home for the Holidays benefit cabaret begins this coming Sunday evening, Dec 14 at 7 pm; with subsequent performances at 7 pm on Tuesday Dec 16; 11 pm on Saturday Dec 20; 7 pm on Sunday Dec 21; and 7 pm on Monday Dec 22.

Nineteen of Central Virginia's best musical theatre performers--including Larry Cook, Corey Davis, Georgia Farmer, Jan Guarino, Robin Harris-Jones, Michael Hawke, Kelly Kennedy, Lauren Leinhaas Cook, Katrinah Lewis, Jason Marks, Billy Christopher Maupin, Robyn O'Neill, Derek Phipps, Maggie Roop, Janine Serresseque, Angela Shipley, Debra Wagoner, Chloe Williams, and Tony Williams on piano--are volunteering their time and talent to raise money for the Richmond Theatre Artists Fund.

This important charity provides emergency financial assistance to members of our own community when, through no fault of their own, they face impossible financial challenges and need our help.

I believe in the Richmond Theatre Artists Fund with all my heart. I have known its recipients--the challenges they faced before receiving help and the great joy they experienced when they realized that someone actually cared enough to assist them during their time of crisis.

I hope each and every one of you will make a point to attend one of the cabaret performances this season. I hope you will twist the arms of all your friends, relatives and neighbors. We really need to sell tickets if this once-a-year fundraiser is to be a success.

I've attended every previous performance of the cabarets, and I can assure you that they are lots of fun.

Regular tickets are $25 each. Barksdale and Theatre IV subscriber tickets are $20 each. All of you who are active members of the Richmond theatre community can reserve tickets for whatever size contribution you can afford, no questions asked.

The box office will list these pay-what-you-will tickets as comps, and you can donate whatever works with your budget. 100% of your contribution will go to increase the principal of the Fund. The Fund currently stands at approximately $21,000, and yields approximately $1,000 in emergency relief each year. Over time, we'd like to increase the Fund's principal about tenfold. The important thing is to support your friends and colleagues by attending and making whatever contribution is within your means.

It's also important to make reservations, so that we know how many people to expect.

Please help us spread the word. I honestly can't understand why every performance isn't sold out. All performances are held in the Barksdale Willow Lawn lobby, and all seating is cabaret style at tables. The bar is open throughout the event.

I count on seeing you and all of your friends there.

Thanks. Happy Holidays!

--Bruce Miller

Student Opportunities in the ARts

Posted by Bruce Miller
No, it’s not a typo. The reason the R is capitalized in the word ARts in the headline flying jauntily above this post is because we’re making an acronym. SOAR. I know, I know … it’s a bit forced. But Creative Residency with Arts Professionals wasn’t really working for us.

SOAR is an interactive externship program for high school juniors and seniors with a serious interest in the performing arts. Students who enroll in this after-school initiative have the chance to meet and talk every two weeks with Central Virginia’s top performing arts professionals, from actors/ dancers/ musicians/directors to marketing gurus to scenic designers to fundraisers et al. Each colloquium takes place in a different location—complete with a behind-the-scenes tour. We meet at the Firehouse one week, Richmond Ballet two weeks later, then the Modlin Center, the historic Empire, etc. etc. etc.

The program used to be called an internship, but after receiving some guidance from our friends in education, we now call it an externship. An internship happens when a fully trained student has the opportunity to put her/his training to practical use in a professional environment. An externship happens when an interested student has the opportunity to interact with professionals in the field of interest, providing the student with the insight s/he will need to make an informed decision about her/his future education.

Students who complete the course, which includes attending the sessions and maintaining journals throughout the experience (a grand total of 75 hours of work), receive academic credit from their home high school. It’s pretty cool.

SOAR began under a different name a few years ago as a program of the Carpenter Center. From the beginning a lot of the energy that powered the program came from Barksdale. Most of the funding that has enabled the program in the past came from the Markel Corporation’s donation to the Carpenter Center. On behalf of Greater Richmond’s arts students, we thank them from the bottom of our hearts.

About three years ago, the program was featured as a national model in Time magazine, including a photo of a Richmond public school student exploring the light board at our historic Empire Theatre.

Last year the SOAR program became an official partnership between Barksdale Theatre and CenterStage, the new name for the expanding Carpenter Center. Barksdale provided the design and management of the program; CenterStage did the fundraising and served as liaison with the schools.

Last spring, CenterStage completed a strategic planning process with Mitchell Korn, a national arts-in-education consultant. They have now announced that their future arts-in-education programs will focus on in-school activities. Consequently, this year, SOAR will be the responsibility of Barksdale Theatre alone.

Information and applications for SOAR 08-09 will be distributed to all Central Virginia high schools, public and private, in October. If you know a teacher or a student who would like to have more information about SOAR, please encourage them to email Janine Serresseque.
Our other SOAR job this fall is to find funding for the program, which is made available to Central Virginia students free-of-charge. If you or some entity you know would be interested in talking with us about this funding opportunity, please encourage them to email Emily Cole.

SOAR is one component of the BTW (Barksdale Theatre Workshop), our comprehensive program designed to connect Barksdale with Greater Richmond's high school drama students and teachers. SOAR is a valuable and nationally-recognized way in which Barksdale Theatre can work with Central Virginia’s many exemplary performing arts organizations (and freelance arts professionals) to meet the needs of our community’s students and schools.

Please help us spread the word about this little known program with your colleagues and friends.
--Bruce Miller

Coffee & Conversations - Guys & Dolls

Posted by Janine Serresseque
Rostov’s Coffee & Conversations, Barksdale Theatre’s free and fun series of behind-the-scenes panel discussions, will take place tomorrow morning (Tuesday, July 8, 9:30 a.m.) as originally scheduled. Please join us!

The topic will be “Behind the Scenes of Guys and Dolls,” and the guest panelists will be Rachel Abrams (Adelaide), Jodi Ashworth (Sky) and Scott Wichmann (Nathan), with artistic director Bruce Miller moderating. Doors will open at 9 a.m. with free coffee and Danish to accompany the delicious backstage banter, which will begin at 9:30 a.m.

But which doors will be opening? Isn’t Barksdale’s and Theatre IV’s Stage Explorers Summer Camp in full swing this week?

Indeed it is. Forty-five elementary students grades 1 – 6 will be racing up the stairs at 9:30 a.m. all too eager to tackle the days curricula and each other. So what is the more demure Coffee & Conversations crowd to do?

Not to worry. Thanks to the generosity of our Willow Lawn landlords, Coffee & Conversations has been moved, for this one day only, to the spacious, comfortable Willow Lawn Community Room. The Community Room is located inside the Mall. Just walk toward the mall past the Barksdale entrance, enter the Mall adjacent to Victoria’s Secret, turn right and pass the Food Court on your left, almost immediately go through the glass doors on your left into the South Tower (all right, it’s only two stories, but a Tower is what they call it), rise up to the second floor on either the elevator or stairs, then follow the arrows to Room 500.

A fun and informative time is guaranteed for all, so please join us for the final C & C of the season.

See you there!

--Janine Serresseque

In Memoriam: Carlton Candler

Posted by Janine Serresseque
Our tight-knit theatre community bids a sad goodbye to our beloved friend, Carlton Candler, who passed away unexpectedly in his Manhattan home on January 6.

Carlton was one of the first friends I made when I moved to Richmond in 1993. I didn't know a soul, sought out the first community theatre group I could find in order to meet people, and had the good fortune to land at Henrico Theatre Company. Carlton and I were both in a production of Rumours and we became fast friends. I'm sure anybody who knew Carlton was fast friends with him. You just got drawn in by his bright, generous and exuberant spirit, not to mention the fact that he was absolutely hilarious! The man could have a whole room of people in stitches with his antics.

He was a very enthusiastic volunteer in community theatre, having performed in and directed dozens of shows for Henrico Theatre Company, Chamberlayne Actors Theatre, Fort Lee Playhouse, and Richmond Neighborhood Players.

Kids were just as captivated by Carlton as we (so-called) grownups were. Carlton was a well-loved and devoted teacher. He didn't consider teaching to be just a way to pay the bills; he was passionate about it. It was his true calling. I'm sure there are many young people in our community who had the good fortune to be his students, as he taught at HATTheatre, Center Stage for Henrico County, and at Ridge and Shady Grove Elementary Schools. After he moved to New York in 2001, he continued his teaching career at several schools in New York, New Jersey, and most recently in Harlem.

A memorial service was held for Carlton last Saturday, January 12th at Shady Grove United Methodist Church. Memorials may be made to Fresh Youth Initiatives, Inc., 505 W. 171st St., New York, NY 10032.

Carlton, we will miss you. Thank you for all the love, compassion and humor you brought to this world.

--Janine Serresseque

Three Notes and Two Beautiful Women

Posted by Bruce Miller

What was the best thing about last night’s Home for the Holidays benefit cabaret? Betty Ann Grove (pictured in her heyday to the right) was there—all smiles, looking like a million bucks and back in Richmond once again. We almost lost her to New Jersey, but turns out this Broadway Baby is a true Richmonder after all. When it came time to return home for the holidays, Richmond was the home that called to her the most.

You may remember that not too long ago we said “God Speed, not Goodbye” to Betty Ann (Oct 7, 2007), as she moved to the Actors Home in New Jersey. It was one of those moves that was supposed to be forever. Years ago, when Betty Ann was starring on Broadway, her dear mother had moved into the Actors Home and lived quite happily within commuting distance of NYC. And so Betty Ann thought that she too would be happy there.

But that was then. “When I got there, I couldn’t find anyone who would smile,” Betty Ann said last night. (That's B A again in the pic to the right, beaming down at her TV co-star Bert Parks.) More importantly, her “family”—that’s all of us, my friends—and her heart were here in River City. After making this discovery, she quickly called her old landlords in Richmond and re-leased the same apartment that she had released not more than a few weeks ago. “If I’d called two days later it would have been gone,” she said. She trundled her downsized possessions back to town, bought a replacement sofa at The Dump, and re-established the old homestead.

We couldn’t be more thrilled. I’ve already made her promise to sing a number at next year’s benefit cabaret.

What was the weirdest thing that happened last night? Well, it all began just as we were about to open the house. A nice older gentleman who arrived early to see the show walked up to one of our veteran actresses, who shall remain nameless. (It was not Audra Honaker or Janine Serresseque, pictured to the left). The actress looked gorgeous by the way in her sparkling cabaret get-up. “Has anyone ever told you you’re aging?” he asked. Both the actress and I, who happened to be standing nearby, thought we had misunderstood. “Excuse me,” she said.

“I’ve been watching you on stage and on television for years and years,” he continued. Then he proceeded to recall performances and commercials from the 70s, 80s and on. Our beloved actress smiled and nodded along, and as I remembered those same performances that he was recalling, I couldn’t help but look at her and think how unbelievably young and beautiful she was. “So, I just can’t believe you’re aging,” he said.

“Ageless,” she blurted out, diplomatically determining to keep that beautiful smile on her face. “I’m going to take it that what you’re meaning to say is ‘you’re ageless.’ And thank you for that.”

“I can’t believe you’re aging,” he repeated, with a huge admiring grin.

I’m convinced he was trying to be complimentary. Obviously he hasn’t spent a lot of time around actresses. Or a dictionary.

On a third note, our hearts go out to Durron Tyree, whose grandfather passed away yesterday morning. Durron has had to bow out of these final two performances to be with his family. We miss him. He was one of the four new voices in this year’s cabaret, and added immeasurably to the performance. I hope he’ll join us again next year.

Tonight’s Home for the Holidays benefit concert is SOLD OUT! Thanks to one and all for making this year’s fundraiser a HUGE success.

--Bruce Miller

Great Spirit, Great Music, Great Cause

Posted by Bruce Miller

Singing to raise spirits and charitable funds is a time honored Christmas tradition.

I’ve just returned from our first Home for the Holidays cabaret. The 16 or so patrons who attended tonight really had a grand time, but I confess I’m disappointed because it appears that the crowds this week are going to be small. As of this writing, we only have 14 reservations for tomorrow evening (Tuesday, Dec 11 at 7:30).

I sure would like to see that change.

The show itself is wonderful. Brett Ambler, Corey Davis, Audra Honaker, Katrina Lewis, Jason Marks, Robyn O’Neill, Fernando Rivadeniera, Janine Serresseque, Erin Thomas, Durron Tyree and Tony Williams sing and play their hearts out for 90 minutes, entertaining with a combination of holiday favorites and Broadway standards. Jan Guarino is sick this week (say a prayer for her recovery by Thursday’s Swingtime Canteen), but tomorrow Cathy Motley-Fitch will be filling in for her. The singers are all volunteering their talents to raise money for the Richmond Theatre Artists Fund. And yet only a few folks are turning out for these first two performances.

Tomorrow (Tuesday’s) show will be a pay-what-you-can performance, and 100% of ticket revenues will go to the Richmond Theatre Artists Fund, governed by RAPT (the Richmond Alliance of Professional Theatres) and managed by the Community Foundation. So if you can’t afford the $25 suggested donation, please come tomorrow (Tuesday) evening—and bring five or six of your friends. It’s a GREAT way to jump start the holiday spirit, and it’s an even better way to support the volunteer performers, who would much prefer to be singing to a full and enthusiastic house than a room half-filled with empty tables.

If don’t understand what the Theatre Artists Fund is all about, and therefore don’t feel inclined to support it, let me try to change your mind. In the past ten years of so, there have been five times when the theatre community came together on an emergency basis to help one of our members deal with a life threatening situation.

We raised $6 thousand or so to keep a roof over the head of one of our colleagues during the final months of his life when he was too sick to work but was nonetheless evicted from his apartment. We raised $8 thousand or so to prevent a lifelong theatre administrator from losing her home when her husband was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, had to stop working, but needed to be out of work for six months before his disability insurance kicked in. We raised several thousand to install a new furnace in the home of a beloved director who was returning from open heart surgery to an unheated home in the dead of winter.

In every instance I’ve counted myself blessed to be a part of a community that cared so much about taking care of its own. The Richmond Theatre Artists Fund lets us begin to meet these emergency needs before they happen. It lets us raise funds on a strategic rather than a crisis basis. The Fund doesn’t exist to help someone out when they’re between jobs and having trouble paying their cable bill. The Fund exists to meet the critical needs of our brothers and sisters when accident or illness stops them in their tracks. No matter how much insurance we have, none of us can protect ourselves from everything. God willing, the Richmond Theatre Artists Fund will be there to help with emergency expenditures when we need help the most.

Isn’t that worth a few bucks and 90 minutes of your time? Don’t you want to support your colleagues who are giving up seven nights in December to try to help others?

Upcoming shows are tomorrow (Tuesday) at 7:30, this Saturday at 11 pm, and next Monday and Tuesday at 7:30. All performances are in Barksdale’s Willow Lawn lobby. Please call the Barksdale box at 282-2620 to make your reservations.

I hope you’ll join us for this wonderful, joyous and very worthwhile performance.

--Bruce Miller

Holiday Happenings Kick Off This Week

Posted by John Steils

If you’re looking for a way to jump start your holiday celebration, you need look no further than Barksdale Theatre and Theatre IV. Our upcoming roster of eight different productions and special events is bound to include something smile-inducing for you and yours. We’re YOUR theatre, so please join in the fun.

1. Home for the Holidays
This is Barksdale’s third annual benefit concert for the Richmond Theatre Artists Fund. Not only will you enjoy a great 2-hour evening of entertainment from some of Richmond’s finest theatre singers, you’ll also be supporting a great cause. This year’s line-up of super-stars includes Brett Ambler, Corey Davis, Jan Guarino, Audra Honaker, Katrinah Lewis, Jason Marks, Robyn O’Neill, Fernando Rivadeniera, Janine Serresseque, Durron Tyree, and Tony Williams at the piano. Erin Thomas is our emcee. Performances are on the starlit Barksdale Willow Lawn lobby stage, with attendance limited to 80 guests sitting cabaret-style at reserved tables. Click for more details.

2. Bifocals Theatre Project
If you’re 55 or older, or if you know a theatre lover who is 55 or older, you really should connect with Barksdale’s Bifocals Theatre Project, our fun and fast-moving initiative designed to serve Greater Richmond’s senior theatre artists and audiences. On Thurs Dec 6 and Fri Dec 7, our Bifocals troupe will present a half-hour version of the radio drama It’s a Wonderful Life, directed by Bob Albertia, and featuring the acting talents of Bob himself plus Tom Bass, Woody Eney, Joel Grow, Donna Knicely, Chase Kniffen and Ali Thibodeau. The performance will take place on the lobby stage at Barksdale Willow Lawn. Seating for lunch (optional) begins at 12 noon, and the performance begins at 1 pm. Attendance is limited to 80 guests, and tickets must be reserved in advance. Following the Friday performance will be the annual Bifocals Christmas Party, which is open to all theatre lovers 55 and over, free of charge. Click for more details.

3. Indonesian Shadow Puppet Performance and Concert - FREE
Also this Fri Dec 7, in partnership with the Modlin Center for the Arts at Bruce and Phil’s alma mater (the University of Richmond), Barksdale will present free performances of a traditional Indonesian shadow-puppet performance featuring Dr. Andrew Clay McGraw (ethnomusicologist and music professor at the University), Gusti Putu Sudarta, Dalang (shadow master and musician), and John MacDonald (gamelan musician). Free performances will be at our historic Empire Theatre, conducted as a part of First Fridays. Call Catherine Dudley for more information, 643-2477. And while visiting the historic Empire on First Friday, be sure to enjoy the art photos of Jay Paul, now on display in our lobby gallery. Click for more details.

4. Stretchin’ at Barksdale – only $12 for a GREAT concert
Stretchin’ at Barksdale is our free-wheeling, grab-a-beer-and-chill-to-the-music concert series, presented on Sunday evenings in the “living room” lobby at Barksdale Willow Lawn. This Sun, Dec 9, 6 pm, national rising star Justin Townes Earle, son of country superstar Steve Earle, will be taking the stage with Richmond great Susan Greenbaum. B J Kocen is our impresario and emcee. It’s the best deal on the best music in town. If you enjoy live music in a laid back “at home” atmosphere, you’d be crazy to miss it. No reservations. Purchase tickets at the door. Click for more details.

5. Rostov’s Coffee & Conversations - FREE
Get outa here! You’ve NEVER been to a Coffee & Conversations event??!! Well, there’s no time to start like the present. Next Tues, Dec 11, 9:30 am, join us in the lobby of Barksdale Willow Lawn to hear all the backstage stories directly from the horses’ mouths. Our three leading men of Moonlight and Magnolias will answer all your questions and reveal all the backstage insights you’ve been dying to know. And if you can, come a little early. Rostov’s delicious coffee, hot tea and pastries are available for a suggested donation of $3. No tickets or reservations required. Click for more details.

6. A Christmas Story – Empire Theatre
A great, hilarious play, suitable for the entire family age 6 to 106. You can read review quotes elsewhere on the blog, or call the Theatre IV box office for more info. 344-8040.

7. Moonlight and Magnolias – Barksdale Willow Lawn
A laugh-fest comedy about the making of the screenplay of Gone with the Wind. You can read review quotes elsewhere on the blog, or call the Barksdale box office for more info. 282-2620.

8. Swingtime Canteen – Barksdale Hanover Tavern
A joyous, toe-tapping, boogie-woogie recreation of a USO show from Christmas 1944. You can read review quotes elsewhere on the blog, or call the Barksdale box office for more info. 282-2620.

See you at the theatre!

--John Steils

Retraction and Apology

Posted by Phil Whiteway

First, let me apologize to all parties involved. With nothing but good intentions, we at Barksdale have facilitated the publication of incorrect information. We regret that it happened. If we have confused or offended anyone, we’re sincerely sorry.

We have great affection and respect for Cynthia McMullen. This misstep is our fault, not hers. We apologize to her as well.

In her On the Aisle column in Sunday’s Times-Dispatch, she listed 23 talented and beloved performers in the cast of this year’s Home for the Holidays benefit cabaret, noting that the roster was “subject to change.” The problem is, twelve of the 23 outstanding singers listed will not be appearing in the holiday cabaret, and nine of them hadn’t even been contacted. Also, the names of two of the performers who will be taking part in the cabaret didn’t make it onto the list.

The annual Home for the Holidays cabaret raises money for the Richmond Theatre Artists Fund, sponsored by RAPT (the Richmond Alliance of Professional Theatres) and managed by The Community Foundation.

After spending yesterday trying to figure out what went wrong, we now understand our error. There were three computer lists of performers created during the planning of this year’s cabaret. The first list included many of our favorite theatre singers with established reputations and name recognition. The second list included up-and-coming performers who are still relatively new or unknown to the ticket-buying public. (We created this second list because we wanted to add some "new blood" to this year's cabaret.) The third list was narrowed down from the first two, and included the names of the performers whom we invited to participate in Home for the Holidays 07.

In an inner-office communication, a staff member mistakenly emailed the first list of established singers while intending to email the third narrowed down list. The mistake went forward from there without anyone realizing it. When Debra Wagoner declined the invitation to perform due to a scheduling conflict, her name was removed from the list, as requested, but it was removed from the wrong list.

So the list that wound up being distributed to media outlets was the list of some of our favorite theatre singers with established reputations, minus Debra Wagoner. A couple of other favorite theatre singers were also not on the list, for a variety of reasons.

We apologize. As soon as we realized our mistake, it was immediately corrected in the form of updated information being sent out and published in the paper. Individual notes of apology are being written. We regret that our clogged schedule creates situations ripe for error. We try hard to open shows and distribute accurate information all around.

The finalized list of performers, as of last night, is: Brett Ambler, Corey Davis, Jan Guarino, Audra Honaker, Katrinah Lewis, Jason Marks, Robyn O’Neill, Fernando Rivadeniera, Janine Serresseque, Durron Tyree, and Tony Williams at the piano. Erin Thomas is our emcee.

It’s a great group. We’re embarrassed and sorry that other names were distributed to the media without their knowledge or consent. I hope everyone involved, whether you are an artist or an audience member, will forgive us for this blunder. I ask for your understanding and appreciate your acceptance of this heartfelt apology.

--Phil Whiteway

Hail and Farewell to Betty Ann Grove

Posted by Bruce Miller
On Friday at noon, a small group of us met for lunch to toast our lovely, charming and funny friend, Betty Ann Grove, who moves this week to the Actors Home in Englewood, New Jersey. Going left to right, that's me, Robyn O'Neill, Lauren Leinhaas-Cook, Janine Serresseque, Eric Williams, Larry Cook and Betty Ann. Phil's the one taking the picture.

On the Richmond theatre scene, Betty Ann has been the cream in our coffee for just over 16 years now. We celebrate with her during this transition, and we look forward to hearing all the news about her new New Jersey adventure. We especially look forward to bringing Betty Ann back home to Richmond for an upcoming production or special appearance.

Betty Ann was a cultural treasure in our very midst, and thankfully we had the good sense to appreciate her. She appeared at Swift Creek Mill in Driving Miss Daisy, Something’s Afoot and Smoke on the Mountain. She joined us at Theatre IV in Da and The Music Man. Most recently, Betty Ann dazzled our Bifocals’ audience with her one-woman presentation, My Life on the Great White Way.

So what was Betty Ann’s showbiz life like before she and her late, beloved husband Roger Hunting brought their good will to Richmond? Well, I wouldn’t be telling a lie to say that for about five years in mid-century, Betty Ann Grove was America’s sweetheart. The photos of Betty Ann scattered throughout this post are merely what I could find in one evening on eBay.

She graduated with stars in her eyes from Cambridge Public Schools in Massachusetts just at the end of WWII. To tell the truth, there must be something in the water up there. Other Cambridge graduates include Walter Brynnan of The Real McCoys, the great American poet e e cummings, Peggy Cass of all those game shows we used to watch in the 60s, Donald Regan (Chief of Staff for President Ronald Reagan), Olympic Gold Medalist and NY Knicks superstar Patrick Ewing, Orson Bean (I seem to remember him with Peggy Cass on those game shows and also in Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman), and a couple of mugs named Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.

Within three years after graduation, Betty Ann found herself starring on the hit TV variety show, Stop the Music. Cole Porter saw her, loved her, and selected her to replace Lisa Kirk in the major role of Bianca in Broadway's original Kiss Me, Kate (see photo to the left), a gig that she continued until 51.

For a while, she was starring on TV (Stop the Music, The Bert Parks Show [see photo to the right]) at the same time she was starring on Broadway, dashing from TV studio to Broadway playhouse and often just making it in time for curtain. One day when her TV broadcast ran late, she had to start changing into her Broadway costume as she was running down the New York streets.

After Kiss Me, Kate closed, it was back to the small screen for Betty Ann. She starred in The Big Payoff (51), The Red Buttons Show (52 – 54), Summer Holiday (with co-star Merv Griffin in 54), and the Jane Froman Show (she shared guest host honors with John Raitt while Jane was on vacation). For a while, she and Merv Griffin co-starred again in the Merv Griffin / Betty Ann Grove Show (see photo above to the left).

In 1953 she made the cover of TV Digest. Shortly thereafter, she was on the cover of Look Magazine as one of “America’s Most Televised Women.” Her recording of Waltzing Down the Aisle was a chart-topping hit.

In the late 50s, she co-starred on radio with Jim Backus in The Jim Backus Show. In the early 60s she moved on to regional theatres and the straw hat circuit, starring in stock productions of The Sound of Music, Hit the Deck and many others.

In the late 60s, it was back to Broadway, where she created the role of George M. Cohan’s mother in the hit Broadway musical George M!, starring with Joel Grey and Bernadette Peters. Shortly after George M! closed, Betty Ann married the love of her life, Roger Hunting, a successful trial lawyer and, eventually, New York City Civil Court Judge.

Betty Ann returned to Broadway in 1979 with I Remember Mama, opposite Liv Ullman, and again in a revival of Rodgers and Hart's On Your Toes in 83 and 84, appearing with Natalia Makarova and Dina Merrill.

In the early 90s, Betty Ann and Roger moved to Richmond, and we fell in love with the both of them.

Betty Ann, please know how much we’ll miss you, and how much more we’ll be thrilled to see you again when you return to us down here and/or we visit you up there. You’ve earned your way into our hearts, and no matter how famous you are on the national stage, all of us in the Richmond theatre community will always claim you as one of our own.

--Bruce Miller