Brother, Bill, decided, after a few months, that he wanted to get back into playing main-stream jazz again. After Bill left the band, Brian ROOD took over on drums. I stayed on for awhile, but enventually decided to leave the band because Sandy wanted to do more jazz music and I wasn't that "well-versed" in that genre.
Somewhen along this time-line, I also saw/heard @ The Civic Theatre in Downtown Akron: Herb ALPERT, his orchestra and "THE TIJUANA BRASS". Jackie REILLY's sister, asked me if I would accompany her to see them. Although I liked their music I wasn't all that impressed with either band, but it might prove interesting to hear them. To my complete surprise I was BLOWN AWAY BY BOTH GROUPS !!! Especially with the TIJUANA BRASS's rendition of Burt BACHARACH's "The Look Of Love"...it featured a BASS FLUTE...I hadn't known there WAS such an instrument! It Literally OOOZED Sex with EVERY NOTE !!! I'll NEVER forget that sound !
My second attendance of a Civic performance was to see the MARTHA GRAHAM DANCE TROUPE. THEY WERE PHENOMENAL!! The sets received applause ! The troupe, including Ms. GRAHAM was EXCELLENT !!! A truly enjoyable performance !!
My third attendance of a Civic performance was RAY CHARLES and His ORCHESTRA. Again, a memorable, exciting show !!! "UNCHAIN MY HEART" brought the audience to it's feet !!!...as did the ovations at the end of the performance.
"University Club on Fir Hill has taken on the glitter and sound of Broadway in preparation for the club's annual show. Traditionally held in the busy month of November, the show was moved to March - a smart move, I'd say, as March is such a "blah" month on my calendar.
Also new this year is the seating. Instead of the customary theater seating, the clubhouse will be transformed into a cabaret where the audience will watch the show from dinner tables.
In cooperation with Weathervane Theater, "GIVE My REGARDS..." opens March 11 for a six-performance run. The musical revue, assembled by Bob BELFANCE and Gary MATHIAS of Weathervane, featuires songs and dances and dances of Broadway from 1900 to the present. Directed by MATHIAS, its musical director is Jan MICHAELS and choreographer is Terry SELZER.
Bob WOODS is general chairman of the show, which benefits the club's Norman SMITH Scholarship Fund. The fund provides a grant to the son or daughter of a club employee and another grant to University of Akron."
I was asked by Lenore DiFIORE (high-school good friend who had also worked with me with the DownEast Players in ME. & N.H. who had moved from N.H. to Lasquiti Island off the coast of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada to be near brother, Alan) to come out and visit and help prepare a musical endeavor which was to be the entertainment [The Lasquiti Island Light Opera Company] for the island's local Fire Fighter's Annual Picnic. Alan's wife, Bonnie and two of her sisters were singing some Manhattan Transfer tunes and our mutual friend, Richard RESSEGER (G.C.T. lead), who had been living on a Sheep Station in Idaho before moving to Lasquiti Island, was singing some Irish Folk tunes. It sounded like a LOT of fun to me, so I flew out on United Airlines to the Vancouver Airport. That was a memorable trip. There were storms all across the states, so the pilot had to fly below the cloud-cover the whole way. It was AMAZING to see the land below us sectioned in thousands of rectangles that were farms. I had never realized that there were SO MANY farms in this country! It was an incredible sight.
Thursday, 07 Aug: What a TRIP ! I took, in order of their appearance: (Akron:) A car, (Akron-Canton Airport:) an airplane, (Chicago:) another plane, (Vancouver:) a bus, a taxi, another bus, (Naniamo B.C.:) a ferryboat, (Parksville:) another bus and (French Creek:) another Ferryboat and arrived on Lasquiti Island, British Columbia, Canada between 5 and 5:30 p.m. that Very Same Day!!!
I was met by Alan at the dock in Vancouver. He drove to the Ferry Line and we crossed over to Vancouver Island (a two hour trip). The Ferry was huge, loading on many cars, trucks and R.V.'s. There was a large lounge with entertainment. I talked to one of the band members when they took a break. They were excellent musicians. They rode the ferry ALL day, performed two 30-45 minute sets per crossing. That was about 8 crossings a day. Union wages ! WHAT a GREAT deal ! Gave me ideas...After we departed from the ferry, we took a bus to a smaller ferry line, which took us out to Lasquiti Island in a small cabin cruiser. From there, it was another hour ride to Lasquiti Island: fourteen miles long and 2 to 4 miles wide. A BEAUTIFUL island ! Covered with Cedar trees...the aroma of salt sea air and cedar was intoxicating !
We got off the boat at the only landing on the island and walked up the dirt road to Alan's land and large, Cedar-wood cabin nestled amidst ferns as tall as a man and endless Cedar trees. He and Bonnie had a large, lush garden in their front yard. I had never seen vegetable plants so HUGE before! The warm current that flows along the western coast makes for a lot of rain and no snow. I saw two nude children playing among the ferns...Alan & Bonnie's two kids, Anna Cedar Sparrow and Lazarus. It was a scene right out of Mother Earth News !
Bonnie was an excellent vegetarian chef and always cooked more than her family needed...they always had guests. This month it was Bonnie's two sisters and myself. They had an old upright piano in the living room. THE WHOLE cabin smelled like a Cedar-closet ! It was Heaven ! {:-)
13 Aug: I had just gotten back from the "Monthly Trip " by ferry to Parksville on Vancouver Island for groceries and started to write this. I was so tired, I couldn't think as the previous last few centences (that word SHOULD be spelled like that !) anywho - Almost a week here - WHAT A WEEK!!!
This island is so BEAUTIFUL!, it's almost indescribable! I think the most unique feature here is the 3-4 foot ferns that Cover the forest floor! It makes the place look like a Jungle!! And the most used mode of transportation is the feet!!! I've walked about 100+ miles in the last 5 days! And that isn't including the trips down the path to get water from the well. I'm presently staying in a one-room cabin (9' X 12') with Richard "The Guru" RESSEGER, the "Arthur" to my "Merlin" in 1970 at Goodyear Musical Theatre and close friend, on top of a good size hill. The first day I walked up it, I was quite winded. We share this abode with a few other beings: (1) "Zacharia" The Spider, who had a Large Web over a corner of the cabin's only picture Window. This cute ball of fluff as a 3/4" body and with legs extended, make him a little over an inch and a half in diameter! He Never Leaves His Corner and he doesn't eat much anyway! There are So Many Everyday Things that I used to be squeamish about that, here, in this setting, seem Very Natural! The other residents are a few mice...FAT ones. Richard noticed a small hole in the bottom corner by the doorway. He began leaving scraps of food for the mice...and the hole keeps getting Bigger and Bigger! The first night, I slept in my Sleeping Bag on a ledge above the built-in couch, next to ZACHARIA. The second night I slept on the floor. I had not gotten to sleep yet, when I felt Several Rodents Run Across My Chest!!! They didn't stop to investigate...they were headed for the food we left out for them... {;-)
Sheep, Goats, Cattle, Horses, Snakes, Mice, Frogs! Thousands of tiny frogs try to cross the dirt roads at a certain spot on the island every year! You have to watch your step or you'll crush a few of them with each step!!! INCREDIBLE SIGHT!!!! The aforementioned list of animals, plus men, women and children roam All Over The Island! Sheep are "community Property", if you catch one, you are allowed to shear it and keep the wool. Just let it go unharmed and there is No Problem! Those sheep were domestics gone wild.
I'm spending this next week with Cathie (former-CROCKER) and her daughter, Paige...a 5 year old bundle of intelligent cuteness - She calls me "Paul Roth" because while she was learning to read, she read the names off of our publicity photos at the theatre in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire in 1972-73. So all the staff, actors and singers from Wolfeboro were all called by their full names. Almost all the men & women on the island are married, with younglings.
Cathie plans to drive back to Wolfeboro in her Jeep to pack up her belongings and have them shipped here. So I may be going with her. Stop in Akron to pick up more of my things and my dog, Zeus and go with her to Wolfeboro to help her pack. Should be FUN!!
Or - I may be staying in Akron. It's beautiful here but you run into the same political hassles - just on a smaller scale. Establishment VS The Hippies! Alan's theatre group is trying to smooth things over and will most likely take a step forward with The Annual Lasquiti Fair. Both groups participating. I'll be playing for a Melodrama, a quartet made up of Alan's wife Bonnie and her three sisters. They call themselves: "The Domestics"! {:-) What a Laugh! It's truth and campiness side-by-side. They do POINTER Sisters songs and also songs by a truly Great Group: "Manhattan Transfer", complete with 30s, 40s and 50s costumes, dance and comedy. They look like they just stepped out of a Time Machine! The girls are great and should be a highlight of the day.
The Lasquiti Island Light Opera Company is trying to get a grant from the government. If they do, then I can stay here. If not, it would be difficult. With a grant, I would have a salary. Oh, there are ways to get around the difficulties, but I won't know until the end of the month whether or not I'm ready to Take The Plunge.
Life here is simple. Wood burning stoves for cooking and heating. Mostly Vegetarian diets. Some electricity from individual generators. Kerosene Lamps. The Well Water isn't the clearest in the world...watered-down brown, but the taste is better than some city water I've had!
It's just trying the switch-over so late in the year. I don't have a lot of money and I'd have to rely on others for my vegetables. I'll have a better idea after I've been here a month.
Cathie & I are living in a tent now, but will moving into a cabin with her man-friend, John GAMBLE, for the winter. Some Lasquitians leave the island for the winter and will let others live in their cabins while they're gone. Then when Spring comes, the "caretakers" is expected to go back to his or her tent or build their own cabin, which isn't hard. Several people have facilities to cut boards for walls and shakes for siding and the roofs.
The friends I've made here all have some talent (photography, Weaving, Spinning, etc.) and most can play two or more musical instruments. Among the younger pholk on the island is a colony of artists, writers and Musicians.
I could stay with Cathie. She expects me to anyway. She is going to buy a floor loom and the two of us could spend the winter weaving items for sale on Vancouver Island and the mainland. Weavers are respected by the government, making it easier to apply for citizenship.
But, right now, I want live here for the summers and in Akron for the winters. Some of my Akron friends want to get another theatre started and are waiting for me to get it going. What's a Musical without a/some Musician(s)? That way, I could satisfy my "Travel Bug" and keep in touch with my family and friends in Akron. Finally looks like I could have a foundation for an interesting life started. Build a little at a time and be patient about it. I'm going to talk to some trees and then go to a music rehearsal.
August: THE LOGGER'S WIFE: Lasquiti Island Light Opera Company: Musical Director & Accompanist :
We rehearsed for the show for two weeks. We were also performing a melodrama-comedy called "The Logger's Wife". We had a blast ! Bonnie & her sisters were excellent singers. The 200+ island residents LOVED our play and songs. They especially loved Richard's performance of Irish Songs. When he sang "Danny Boy", there wasn't a dry eye on the island !
Also, in one space, someone had restored wood burning stoves for sale ! I had toyed with the idea of moving there, myself...though I'd have to return to Akron to pick up my belongings and my German Shepherd, "Zeus". I was in love with the island. The weather was perfect...it rained a lot, but not for long periods. When the sun was shining, it WAS heaven !!!
Lenore and her husband, Paul TURMEL, lived in a cabin they were restoring. We'd go out collecting clams when the tides were out.
While there, I got a trunk-call from the States. Sandy DAVIS asked me if I'd like to go on tour with "Today". I thought that I'd do it and save the money ($650) for a return trip to Lasquiti Island and this time with my trusty dog, "Zeus", who was at home with my parents in Akron.
I flew back to Akron and in Sept. we traveled the Ramada Inn Circuit in Springfield, IL; Omaha, NE & Bowling Green, KY. 6 weeks on the road. While in Omaha, Uncle Floyd & Aunt Minnie drove from Council Bluffs, Iowa to stay at the inn for the weekend. They were GREAT audience members, as they applauded after every song and danced to as many songs as they could, which spurred the other audience members to do like-wise. One day, I looked outside and saw hordes of black birds flying over the inn. Brian & I decided to witness the blackbird migration first hand. We crossed a field of corn stubble to sit beneath a grove of trees. It was so strange to see the sky darkened with thousands, if not millions, of blackbirds. The noise of all those birds was tremendously loud. A large portion of them would settle in the trees surrounding the grain fields bordering the Inn. After a short rest, they would all stop chirping...total silence for a second or two...and then they'd all take to the sky again. This pattern repeated for the few hours that Brian & I sat under the trees just watching and listening...it was mesmerizing and surreal. Miraculously, we never got hit with any bird droppings ! {:-)
I didn't take into account the cost of eating in the hotel restaurants. When I got home, I had only about $150...not enough to return to Lasquiti Island. Bummer.
I was tired of the competition and lack of communication between G.C.T. and Weathervane Playhouse. So I began discussing the possibility of creating a new theatre company with friends, Susie BOYLE & Gary MATHIAS. This lead to the formation of The Akron Repertory Company (A.R.C.) Gary MATHIAS, Paul Alan ROTH & Suzy KUSHNIR: Co-Founders. I was Musical Director & Accompanist. We decided that I was to be the President, Gary MATHIAS, the Vice-President. Susie was dating Mark MOORESTEIN, an attorney. Mark was a great help in getting us a tax exempt status. We got our performer friends together and began rehearsing. Those friends were:
BROADWAY, OUR WAY: Began as a show put together by Weathervane Playhouse's Musical; Director, Jan MICHAELS and Gary. We performed a History of Musical Theatre medley for a performance at The Akron Women's City Club.
We performed for various groups...one gig was at the Montrose Country Club. We got there a half hour before we were to go on. They had a baby grand piano. I lifted the top up and discovered that it was NOT attached... it slid onto the floor. As I began to play the first number, the sustain pedal FELL OFF!...and the piano hadn't been tuned in a LONG time ! So it sounded like I was making constant mistakes ! I was MORTIFIED ! But the members appreciated our performance by appaluding profuseley after we finished. We also performed at Quaker Square...which was our BEST performance ! Everything went well, we sounded great and performed well.
Our first performances of the new year was in February. It was performed at what was known as the ALMALGAMATED THINGMAKERS Building at 29 Summit St. in Akron...an old commercial building taken over by local artists. They had been refurbishing the building to bring it up to Code, so they could open it as an Artists Co-Op. We put together a stage using old large wine barrels as the supports for a plywood stage. A large kitchen was in the next room. It had a large 8 burner commercial stove/oven. Since it was SO COLD, we turned on all 8 burners and set a fan behind it to blow the heated air into the performance area...which almost worked...we all had to wear woolen gloves. All the singers wore long underwear, pants and woolen sweaters with woolen scarves. The audience had to sit with their coats on. The air was so cold you could see it escaping from everyone's mouths! At least the performers got to move around to keep warm...I had to sit at the piano...in "The Pit" ...which, of course, was colder than the stage area...ever try to play the piano in FREEZING ROOM with GLOVES ON with the fingers cut out of them?...my finger tips were numb! But we got through the show. The few brave audience members who showed up loved us. They didn't even mind sitting in the cold to listen to us! What are friends for anyway? {:-)
My brother Bill called me and asked me if I wanted to join his band "The Ninth Wave". I said, "YES! I was greatly excited to be working with him again. I purchased a CASIO 1000 Keyboard. Eventually discovered that the last 500 "voices" sounded pretty much like the first 500 "voices"...it was one of the first synthesizers.
We were very successful and working steadily. 6 nights per week plus "Happy Hours". We began playing at "One Eyed Jack's" in Highland Square, west Akron. Above the studio was a Fred ASTAIRE/Arthur MURRAY? dance school. The teachers would come down to the club after they got off work and dance to all our Latin numbers, which ALWAYS got the crowd's going and building. One of the teachers was Debbie Lynn JACOB a vivacious, long-haired blond. She was a "moving force. !
But once again, Bill got restless after awhile and quit the band. We got a new drummer and began rehearsing for our next gigs.
A few days later, while rehearsing at Neva's, she went to the bathroom and the phone rang. She called out "Would you get that, Paul? I did...the guy on the other end said he heard that we needed a new keyboardist...???!!! WHAT !???? He asked if he could have a date for an audition. I said, "You want to talk to Neva about that. She came into the room and I handed the phone to her and immediately began packing up my equipment. The new drummer was horrified...HOW could I quit while we were under a Musician's Union contract for the next gig...? I said, "I'm sorry to do this to you after all your hard work, but After hearing from a total stranger that Neva was looking for another keyboardist...well...I just can't stay. I left.
A few weeks later, I get a call from the Musician's Union...I'm "being brought up on charges" for not honoring a contract. There was to be a hearing. I went, gave my story to the Union Reps...they agreed with me, that I was within my private rights to have quit the band, but that I still refused to play the contracted gig. They fined me $25. I paid it and immediately quit the union.
Looking back on it, I can see Neva's line of thought: My brother, Bill, quit the band and she was worried that I might quit also....though she should have, AT LEAST, asked me what I was going to do. I had NO thoughts about leaving before that incident. I should have played the gig. Guess my "Young & Stupid" hadn't entirely left me. I put up with a LOT...but get me truly angry and WATCH OUT !!!
We played @:
We playd mostly at "MICHELI's" on North Tallmadge Ave. By the Chapel Hill Mall, visible from Brittain Rd. intersection.
"For the up-and-coming Akron Repertory Company, home is wherever a willing audience may be found. This week, the year-old non-profit, talent-developing ensemble will set up stage near the main entranceway inside Rolling Acres Mall for a three-day stand of its musical production, "Broadway Our Way." The show features highlights of music and dance from "Guys & Dolls," Oklahoma," "My Fair Lady," "Cabaret," "Hair" and "Fiddler on the Roof." Besides looking for a theater home, the company also is searching for musicians, budding young actors and actresses, writers and stage craftsmen. Current membership of the company is abot 20. Some are veterans of Weathervane and other area theater groups. Most are working full-time jobs and devote several evenings a week to the company. Beginning Thursday, there will be three showings daily of "Broadway Our Way." Performances Thursday and Friday begins at 7:40 and 8:20 p.m. Saturday performances are at 3, 3:40 amd 4:20 p,.m. All performances are free."
I had been asked, by a friend, to be the accompanist for a choir made up of Alcholics Anomymous members. They sang at the Annual Meeting in Akron every year. This year, the meeting was to be held at the E. J. THOMAS Hall on the Akron University campus in downtown Akron. One day, during rehearsals, in a church that was opposite the north-west corner of Perkins Park (a block long city park) the leader of the group told us to stop rehearsing and go home because the weather was turning very bad. So we did that. I went outside to get in my Pontiac and looked up into the sky, which was heavily clouded like something I had NEVER seen before ! There were four layers of dark, ominous clouds...the top layer was heading east, the next layer was heading south, the third layer was heading west and the bottom layer was heading north!!!??? Looked to me to be a terrible tornado that was forming ! It began to rain heavily as I got into my car and headed across Perkins Park. There was a small bridge that was built over a railroad line that ran under the south end of the park. There was a 4 foot dip in the street just before the bridge. It rained so heavily that I couldn't see more than two or three feet past my windshield. By the time I had reached that dip in the street, the rain was moving horizontally ! The rain and air were SO GRAY, it all blurred into one solid sheet of grayness! I reached the dip in the street and was suddenly IN FOUR FEET OF WATER!!!! My Pontiac had a hole in the floor on the passenger side and the water came GUSHING UP, INTO THE CAR!!! In a matter of seconds, THE WATER WAS UP TO MY WAIST!!! The engine flooded and the car stopped dead !!! I opened the car door and more water flooded inside. I was SO CONFUSED by this turn of events, that I opened my umbrella as I got out of the car...SOAKING WET...and began running back to the church to call my parents. Halfway there I finally realized that I was wet ALL OVER and must have looked rather silly using an umbrella ! SO closed the umbrella and ran to the church, called my Dad, who drove down to pick me up. While I was waiting for him to arrive, I went back to my car. A man about my age, or younger, was surveying the scene. He said, "Do you want me to help you push your car out of the water?" I said, "I'd sure appreciate it, thanks!" The car wasn't a large one, so it wasn't difficult for the two of us to move it. As we got it to higher ground, the water began rushing out of the interior. I thanked the guy and he went on his way. My Dad arrived shortly and took me home. We arranged for a tow truck to move it to our mechanic's at REEVE'S Auto Repair in Ellet. They'd been repairing our family's cars for years.
A night later, I borrowed Dad's car and went to a bar downtown (The Stage Coach)...who should I see there but the guy who helped me move my car! I went over to him and introduced myself..."Do you remember helping me move my car out of the water the other night?...my name is Paul ROTH". He said his name was Chuck WICKS. I thought that it was auspicious that we should meet again. We became friends. I had told Chuck that I was looking for a place to live. A few days later he told me about a female friend, named Sherry ZIMMERMAN, who lived with a Ralph MONK, who was the owner of "The Castle", a gothic looking office building on Perkins Street in Akron. The Castle was originally the office building for the FLEUGER Company, whose factory, which had burned down a year before, was located across the street.
Ralph, who was an Ellet High School graduate (a few years after me), had held his first "Haunted House" there in 1976. He was planning to rent the offices as retail shops. Earlier, I had been thinking of opening a craft shop in order to sell my various craft projects and artwork, so this was indeed auspicious ! Chuck introduced me to Ralph and Sherry and told them I was looking for shop space. In the course of our conversation, I began bartering with them....I'd use my Food Stamps to buy food to feed the three of us, if Ralph would let me open my shop in his building, with hopes of my selling my work to pay the actual rent. So I moved in ! Somewhere along this timeline, I bought another car...a light blue Ford Station wagon, one with the wooden side panels.
I setup my shop, moved in and helped Ralph find more artisans to rent his other office spaces. I also agreed to research the building's past and did my research at the Akron main library. I looked through our local newspaper, the Beacon Journal for stories about the building. I learned that the Castle was one of five other buildings built by the same man. One of them was Akron's only Opera House, on Exchange Street, which once welcomed Victor HERBERT as a guest conductor. With the exception of The Castle, the other four buildings all burned down throughout Akron's history.
I had begun rehearsing with my sister, Marcia's, manfriend, Bill KENDALL and a friend of his named Ron KUNKLE, Bill had an Arp "Odessy", Ron had a "Polymoog" and I had my CASIO 1000. Bill supplied the beat with his Arp, while Ron & I traded off using our keyboards to supply the Rythm and Lead sounds. I invited them and my brother, "Bill ROTH On Drums" (as he was known throughout Akron and Northeast Ohio), to a Jam Session at the Castle, whose tile-floored lobby had a natural reverb chamber. Bill also had some other musician friends who also joined us. We had a BLAST ! I still have the cassette tapes of our collaboration.
I took my dog, Zeus, for romps in the park every day.
Ralph eventually threw in two small, adjoining offices on the second floor for me to live in !!
Ralph tried to get the Akron Historical Society interested in the Castle as a historic site, using my library research, but was a bit on the lazy side and didn't follow up with anything. I ended up deciding to move out.
Shortly after that, I had heard about a possible job offer at The Cascade Cinema, originally Akron's STRAND Theatre, Ohio's First Movie House @ 133 S. Main St. Akron, Ohio, which first opened it's doors on 23 Sep 1915. I learned that the present owner of the Cascade Cinema, Dr. Merz, was looking for a new manager. Since the 860 seat theatre had a small stage, and small dressing rooms behind the LARGE movie screen, but no wing space. Still, it was an excellent venue for the Rep. Company...We contacted Dr. Merz about renting the space for future shows. By the time we had finished our discussion, I had agreed to be the General Manager of the place ! I had a new job ! Unlimited possibilities!
I did some library research on the theatre. I learned that it originally was the STRAND Theatre and had a perfumed water fountain in the lobby and that there was smoking room with a pool table in the offices on the second floor next door, for the menfolk. I also did some investigating and found some square organ pipes in the attic of the theater from the original organ used to play for the silent movies. I got the job.
So I began working at the Cascade Cinema as Busness Manager. Dr. MERZ also owned the offices on the second floor in the building next to the theatre. These offices were connected to the theatre via a "tunnel" in the basement. In the tunnel were the controls for the electricity and heat (steam) for the two buildings. The office suite also had a kitchen, so I moved Zeus and myself into a back office.
I hired a secretary, Debi ROWLES. She was a great help to me. Had a lot of ideas.
The kids of color in Akron had NO place to let off steam...so I hooked up with a promoter, Billy PITTMAN ("Operation Hook-up"), who brought in musicians of color for concerts . The kids would also hold dance contests and the winners would take home a cash prize. Billy promoted a band called "Brother Nature". They were GREAT ! Our first concert/contest was Oct. 1st. We pulled in around 250 kids. It was a success ! We ran contests every Saturnight...Billy also brought in "The Silky Vincent Band" a band with a great horn section. The kids had a blast. At one point, I had gone up to my office during one concert/contest. When I came back down, I saw that somone had spilled orange pop ALL OVER THE CANDY COUNTER and THREW POP CORN EVERYWHERE!!!??? I was LIVID ! I went down the aisle...kids were dancing in the aisles and some of them elbowed me as I passed them...which even made me ANGRIER ! I went up onstage and turned the electricity off...which brought the dancers to a screeching halt. EVERYONE GLARED at me ! I turned the electricity back on and grabbed a microphone. I said "I'VE HAD IT WITH YOU KIDS ! I'm trying my DAMNEDEST to provide a place for you to have some fun and let off steam and how do you pay me back???!!! SOMEBODY spilled orange pop all over the candy counter and threw pop-corn all over the place! I'M NOT GOING TO STAND FOR THIS !!! IF YOU WANT TO CONTINUE TO HAVE FUN HERE, YOU'LL HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN AGAIN !" I was angry, but also a bit scared because I was the only white man in a sea of dark faces... I was shaking when I finally stopped talking...and to my SURPRISE, everyone began APPLAUDING me !!! I thanked everyone and walked back to the lobby. One particularly LARGE-muscled guy shook my hand and said "Don't worry...I'LL see that it doesn't happen again" !!! I was SO surprised and pleased ! They actually supported me on this issue ! It NEVER happened again...{:-)
Debi was a Born Again Christian and suggested having B.A.C. concerts"
The first was Terry TALBOT & his band. He was an excellent vocalist/ guitarist and the band was excellent; as was Keith GREEN & his band, who performed at a later date.
I also began showing:
Akron Beacon Journal story: "FEW VIEW" Only 50 see theatre opener": "The Akron area is receptive to cultural events and entertainment brought here from outside the area, but it balks at supporting homegrown talent" according to Mark MOORSTEIN, chairman of the Akron Repertory Company, Inc. (A.R.C.). MOORSTEIN's comments proved to be true when ARC's "Broadway, Our Way" opened Friday evening to about 50 persons at downtown Akron's Cascade Cinema in the recently refurbished Strand Theatre, 131 S. Main St.
According to ARC member, Suzy BOYLE, who has performed regularly in local theater productions and area night clubs, "Akron professionals are leaving the area because of the lack of support."
MOORSTEIN said the group's aim is to provide a forum for local actors, singers, writers and composers for original productions.
"We need more emphasis on the promotion of new theater, new creative groups in Akron," MOORSTEIN said. "The Goals For Greater Akron" should help develop something like this."
MOORSTEIN said "A.R.C., a nonprofit, semi-professional theater company is formed around a core of professional actors, but every member of the cast and production crew is working without pay to promote the group."
BROADWAY- OUR WAY" is a revue of musical hits of the last four decades.
The production will be staged again tonight at 8 and Sunday at 2:30 and 7:30 pm. All seats are $3.
TO DO: By Judy HEALY (Akron Beacon Journal) "THE MUSICAL HOUSE CALL": "The next time you want to throw a big garden party they'll talk about for years, or plan a program that can't possibly make anyone doze, rent a revue.
The performers come with high credentials. All have played for CAROUSEL, KENLEY PLAYERS or UP WITH PEOPLE. They are loaded with enthusiasm for the musical review their director, Gary MATHIAS has written and called 'Broadway, Our Way'. It's a potpourri of favorites from such varied shows as 'Porgy & Bess', 'Applause' and 'Sweet Charity,' and the troupe brings its own lighting, trumpet and drums."
"In the year since these folks began, they've belted it out for senior citizens, shoppers at malls and Quaker Square and lunches at the Akron Art Institute."
"'Broadway, Our Way' comes in two versions; one 20 minutes and staged like a rehearsal, the other over an hour and done as a full show. depending on the show and the situation, the price varies from $150 to $250."
"If you want to hear them before you book them, they'll be glad to audition. Or you can stand within a few blocks of Perkins and Union streets any time they're practicing at The Castle. It's an ancient red brick building that requires open doors to let air in and, of course, music out."
First up was "YU" which was an I-Ching hexagram meaning "Harmonious Joy". ("YU" consisted of myself on an R.M.I keyboard, my brother-in-law, Bill KENDALL on analog synth and Ron KUNKLE on Polymoog...a GREAT instrument!) Bill provided the rhythms for our original, impromptu musical pieces. Ron and I traded off playing each other's instruments. We played a set while the Rebels were setting up. We got a luke-warm response, since about 50 of "The In Crowd" of Akron...spiked hair, leather and chains, piercings [scared ME!] showed up to hear The Rebels, who then did their LOUD thing and left the stage. While "Cirrus" was setting up, I let one kid with a harmonica go on stage and entertain the kids. He was VERY GOOD and the kids were digging him ! However, he was wearing a leather jacket that one "Rebel" SWORE was his and it had been stolen earlier that day. He rushed the kid and was going to HURT him ! The bewildered kid INSISTED that he BOUGHT the coat from someone that day. Fortunately, there was an off-duty policeman in the audience who stepped forward to act as arbitrator in the matter. The "Rebel" got ticked off and ran his fist through the wall of their dressing room ! But the matter was taken care of. I thanked the policeman profusely.
Then, to diffuse the crowd, "YU" played another set and got a better response because at least 200 MORE kids showed up to hear "Cirrus" perform. NOT scarey-looking and well behaved. "Cirrus" was FANTASTIC ! Excellent musicians ! After they finished, "YU" went back on...well, actually, we were in the sound booth "hidden" in a wall on the side of the stage. No-one could SEE us, but they could HEAR us ! A friend of mine, Rick KUZMA, ran a light show on "my" full size movie screen. THIS time we accompanied ourselves on something we had recorded earlier at "The Castle" (a former lodging of mine). The kids went WILD after we hit the last note and yelled for "MORE !" Which made us feel SO MUCH better ! They LOVED Rick's light show !..especially when he ran a 16mm black & white clip of "Jason & The Argonauts" when the skeletons attacked Jason and his crew. Being Halloween, the kids CHEERED !
I had been selling cups of beer (the crowd was all over 18...carded when they entered) so everyone was feeling no pain...Then we held a Best Costume contest. My brother-in-law and sister who were moving to FL and wanted to lighten their load...he had over 3,000 albums and he DONATED 1,000 of them to the contest winneres!!!). The first prize was 100 albums, 75 albums for 2nd-Place and 50 albums for 3rd-Place, 25 albums for 4th-Place and 10 albums for 5th-Place. The contest commenced...many kids had VERY ORIGINAL costumes and it looked to be a good contest...HOWEVER, the WKDD Emcee was eyeing a tender young thing in a tight-fitting Devil costume... not very original, but she had a large chest ! So he CHOSE HER for the First Place winner !??? I was mad, but had no say in the matter...Then the more original costumes got the other prizes. I told everyone ahead of time that the winners had to come in the next day to choose their albums. The first place winner didn't show up for four days! ALL the other winners had returned the next day, so I let them choose their prizes. When "First Place Chick" finally arrived, she complained..."Who ARE these musicians? I've NEVER heard of these albums ! I thought it was poetic justice because ANY of the other winners SHOULD have won first prize ! So I said, "Welllll, I TOLD EVERYONE to return on Sunday to claim their prizes...YOU were THREE DAYS LATE ! Sorry..." She took her albums and left in a huff!
They called me two weeks before the show was to open to ask me to take over the accompanist position. Seems the accompanist they hired was always stoned and having trouble with the music. So I stepped in and they used the first accompanist to play keyboard bass...using my R.M.I. keyboard.
The show was a review of Stephen Schwartz's music. ALL music and I had two weeks to learn it ! I was nervous, but I played well enough for rehearsal purposes. Opening night came...at the intermission, my eyes must have been wide-open...(my expression: that of an overwhelmed accompanist)... because everyone was saying to me, "You're doing great...nothing to worry about !" I calmed down a bit after I heard that and the rest of the performances got better and better ! It wouldn't have been so horrific if I had had some time between songs to study the music more...but there was VERY LITTLE dialogue...one song right after another...hindsight: it may have been better for me because I had no time to worry about how I was doing. I thank my grade school teacher, Mrs. CLELLAND for teaching me to read music at an early age !
Everyone did a fantastic job. The show was very successful.
New theatrical endeavors are following in the paths of recent movies. Cinema is once again turning out nice, uncomplicated, happy pictures (a la "Goodbye Girl" and "The One and Only"). So, why not new plays? A new venture using the songs of other musicals has come together quite nicely at Weathervane Playhouse. "MAGIC TO DO" is the words and music of Stephen SCHWARTZ ("Pippin", "Godspell", "Magic Show", "Working", "Baker's Wife"). This conglomeration of musical potpourri was conceived by Ernie ZULIA and Frank BARTOLUCCI. Mr. ZULIA directs this production.
The beginning is similar to "The Fantasticks" in that the stage is bare except for platforms. Each character appears, introduces himself and then gets personal props and costumes from a trunk. "Godspell" begins in much the same fashion. Actually no scenery is needed. The models are created by the ensemble's words and music with some help from special yet simple lighting effects. Five gifted and talented performers comprise the compact cast. Each member exhibits his/her special talent while supplementing the other four players at the same time.
The plot is a ghost, a mere suggestion of purpose. Yet it lends itself to purposeful stage movement and business, unlike "Jacques Brel" which merely has an emsemble stand on stage for two hours while singing a multitude of songs minds the purposeful movement.
The quintet of talent can sing, dance, and pantomime. The group merges as one for a production number and gets equal positive audience accolades by dissolving into a quartet, trio, duet or solo. the cast is a multitudinous collection of artistic talent.
Lori de OLIVIERA belts out bawdy ballads. When her face lights up during a musical number, her radience permeates the theater audience.
Nina BUNTS is a fiery, sensuous siren who seems to carry an aura of melodic mystery about her. Her solo of "Meadow Lark" will send chills up and down your spine even on the hottest and most humid nights down in the valley.
Linda BERGER also asserts her musical prowess as a musical dynamo despite the fact that she has the fewest solos of the five performers. Her "Lion Tamer" and "Solid Silver Platform Shoes" renditions let the audience know s he's in contention with the rest of the cast for the spectator's affection.
Gian Paul MORELLI smirks, mimics, and smiles his way into your heart. His impish, pixie mannerisms, singing ability, and dancing ability add more artistic dimensions to the total success of the production. An outstanding example of his combination voice, choreographic, and pantomiming skills materialize in his "Boing" solo.
Gary TAYLOR ( a perfect El Gallo in any "Fantasticks" production) rounds out the cast. His deep, resonent voice quality holds together the many production numbers he participates in. His solo tones are strong and deep, yet tender and pleasing to the ear.
The orchestral accompaniment is also worthy of note. The musicians create the melodic "cement" that keeps the musical numbers together. They create the framework upon which the performers thrive.
"Magic To Do" showcases the talent of Stephen SCHWARTZ plus five dynamic performers and four equally professional musicians. When viewing the production from a spectator's vantage point, look a bit further. The sweaty faces and bodies, the bulging juglar veins, and the gleam in the eyes of the cast make you want to sing along, clap your hands, tap your feet and have a musical communion with the music and lyrics of Stephen SCHWARTZ.
"Magic To Do" answers the question as to everything you always wanted to know about the songs of Stepohen SCHWARTZ wrote but were afried to ask.
There are two questions that come to mind as you walk out of "MAGIC TO DO" at the Weathervane Playhouse (during the show there's not a moment to do anything but enjoy and admire.
What on earth is this thoroughly professional production doing in a community theater, and why hasn't it been grabbed for staging in greater Cleveland?
"Magic To Do" is an original revue of the music of Broadway composer Stephen SCHWARTZ, who has such shows as "Godsepll," "The Magic Show" and the current "Working" to his credit.
The show proves that in some cases the sum of its parts is sometimes greater than the whole. SCHWARTZ' music has been known to accompany weak books, the tunes themselves can be mediocre.
But Akronite, Ernest ZULIA, who conceived the production with Frank BARTOLUCI and also directed, has taken SCHWARTZ' best work from all his shows, (with ten songs from "PIPPIN" forming a strong backbone), and found five actors who can really sell each and every number.
"Magic To Do" is lively and colorful despite minimal props and setting, and has pure energy and talent on all levels. It's a show that could conceivably be moved intact off-Broadway, and is easily the best theatergoers could do in the way of local show-going this upcoming month.
The show also includes songs from "The BaKer's Wife," still to be produced. The sampling included in "Magic To Do" suggests that it is SCHWARTZ' best work to date, with a sensitivity and maturity that up till now has been missing in his work.
The performers vary from top-notch community to awesomely professional - it would be simple to lose oneself in the splendid work of Lori OLIVIERA - she is magnetic and her rendition of "It's An Art" from "Working" is an absolute showstopper.
Look beyond her though, and there are a collection of fine performances. Gary TAYLOR has an expressive voice that fills the theater, Nina BUNTS has a distinctive style and sensitivity that is best expressed in the beautiful "Meadow Lark" from "The Baker's Wife", Gian Paul MORELLI has comic flair and Linda BERGER a nice fragility.
ZULIA has whipped "Magic To Do" into a perfect delight, arranged songs into a faultless rhythm even fitting them into a loose and not-too- contrived framework that culminates in the classic "audition."
The imaginative choreography is by Audrey TISCHLER_BARON, the accompaniment under the direction of Nancy DALEY.
"Magic To Do" plays through July 9 and anyone who purchases 1978-79 season tickets to Weathervane can see it free on a Wednesday evening. With an upcoming season that includes the musical mystery "Something's Afoot," "The Adding Machine," "A Cry of Players," "Seascape," "Travesties," "Father's Day" and "Whispers on the Wind," as distinctive a community season as you're likely to find, it's an idea worth considering.
The Weathervane Playhouse is located at 1310 Weathervane Lane off Riverview Rd. For reservations and information, call the box office at 836-2626.
AKRON - Just as playwright Bertold BRECHT believed in "barring the bones" of his productions by stripping them of traditional theatrical trappings, playwrights of the 1970s have chosen to bare the souls of their actors.
In the same manner as "A Chorus Line" relates the struggles of a dancer's life, "Magic To Do" at Weathervane Playhouse is meant to provide the same insight into an actor's existence.
Although not as gutsy as the Broadway smash hit, and with borrowed music, "Magic" is a well-woven and energetic first attempt at compiling a revue.
What is gutsy is the story of the musical's conception.
"Everybody in the company," explained director, Ernie ZULIA of his Portable Players acting ensemble of New York state, "loved" Stephen SCHWARTZ.
"We had done 'Jacque Brel' (Jacque Brel Is Alive And Well and Living in Paris) and 'Feiffer's People' our first season but wanted to so something different for our second.
"We just didn't know how to go about compiling Schwartz's work.
"Finally, we said, "Lets just call him up and ask him."
The fearless troupers did just that - and landed an invitation to the composer's Connecticut estate.
The result of that meeting is a main course of SCHWARTZ's three consecutive hits, ("Godspell," "Pippin" and "The Magic Show"), a side dish of a lesser-known work ("The Baker's Wife") and a sampling of the composer's latest Broadway effort, ("Working").
"I wanted to do more," ZULIA stated devotedly, "than just a musical revue.
"We (The Portable Players) were five people who worked together, ate together, lived together and really thought their theater was magic."
Thus, the theme of the production was born.
But since monetary woes forced the company members to scatter before "Magic" was performed. ZULIA needed a new vehicle for his (and partner, Frank BARTOLUCI's) brainchild.
Returning to his hometown, the 25 year old State University of New York graduate convinced Weathervane managing director, Bob BELFANCE to host his "world premiere."
And so, with minor changes and a new cast, the show was reborn.
The five personalities are packaged nicely thanks to SCHWARTZ's penchant for "people" songs.
The actors who are called by their own names throughout the production's transnational segments, introduce themselves to music.
Gary TAYLOR's booming stage-trained pipes are a good match for the opening "Magic To Do," while Cantonian Gian Paul MORELLI makes an impish contrast with "Extraordinary." Both numbers are from "Pippin."
Unfortunately for "Godspell's" wonderfully honky-tonk "Turn Back Oh, Man," Lori OLIVIERA has a difficult time belting out the words while bumping and grinding.
Although she's marvelous at facial expression and clownish prancing, her tendency to sing from the throat prohibits the lyric's full effect.
Linda BERGER follows up with a sweet and innocent rendition of "Lion Tamer" from "Magic Show" and Nina BUNTS completes the introductions with her tear-jerking "West End Avenue" from the same production.
After that, the plot unfolds as the artists explain the jobs they pursue by day to keep them fed and housed to do their magic at night.
"We create illusions out od song and dance," Linda tells the audience, "but we also have to deal with minor things like food and rent."
And so the troupers present a sample of the things they do for money - delivering papers, serving as waitresses, singing for rock groups - just for the things they do for love.
The first act ends with a celebration that GOLDFARB (a producer) is coming and the second act, composed mostly of romantic (both comic and serious) melodies, is the "show within a show" the five perform for GOLDFARB.
An excellent four-piece orchestra sometimes drowns out the cast who, in professional style, often struggle to project.
Although the voices don't always seem to blend smoothly in unison, solos are capably handled for the most part.
One of the prettiest songs, however, ("Kind Of Woman"), is turned into a character piece that doesn't quite work as comedy.
Obviousl a polished character actress with a lot of style, Lori's movement is too broad for the small theater to handle.
A little energy can go a long way in a musical and Lori has plenty to expend.
A little more variety in tone and movement would help her performance immensely.
Nina is a soulful soloist and is given a few good songs to belt out in torchy style.
Linda is prehaps the most subdued of the cast and doesn't seem to fit the "Solid Silver Platform Shoes" number which portrays her as a rock singer.
MORELLI is the athlete of the group, bouncing from steps and miming, which he does with a flare.
Gary is suave and a pleasure to listen to.
With many clever transtitions, wonderful music and fresh ideas for props (seamstress dummies, for example, are used for the actor's alter egos) and business (Linda positions two circular medals around her neck at either side of her chest at the mention of "Bette MIDLER"), "Magic provides an entertaining evening and a respectable first effort.
Performances are at 8:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays until July 9.
"The Me Nobody Knows" is a folk-rock musical, a bit og a soulfull social commentary somewhat in the bittersweet vein of a "Hair", say, which discovers the joy and beauty if ghetto youngsters even as it examines, in the piecemeal fashion, the ugliness and despair which surrounds them.
Almost nine years after its initial staging, "The Me Nobody Knows" may seem to simplistic. maybe even sententious in its perceptions; it may even impart a sense of something which time has passed by.
But this musical also is a celebration of youth, of the resiliencey of the human spirit - and that "The Me Nobody KNows" can still be captivating theater at this level is now being demonstrated in The University Of Akron's Guzsetta Hall Experimental Theater.
The show is a joint venture, more or less, of University Theater and the Buchtel Urban Demonstration Program. The university has provided a stage for the public, some production logistics including four members of the if 12. And city schools - Buchtel University High, Central-Hower, St. Vincent-St. Mary, plus West and Simon Perkins Junior highs - have supplied eight talented youngsters.
If there have been a lot of cooks stirring this broth, they have been skillfully deployed by director James MIGINERY (from the university) for a fast-paced, sensitively performed and thoroughly enjoyable production.
The genesis of "The Me Nobody Knows" was an anthology of ghetto writings - day by day observations of the young, poor and mostly black - collected by New York teacher Stephen JOSEPH. The ghetto existence as thus defined then was joined with Gary William FRIEDMAN's music and Will HOLT's lyrics.
The individual numbers may have been titled "This World" or "What Happened To Life?", "How I Feel" or "Sounds"Something Beautiful" or "Let Me Come In."" But the works, spoken and sung, are the voices of city young describing the urban experience and the shifting moods it dictates.
There's anger here - for the junk (and junkies) in the streets, the garbage in halls, the rats in bedrooms. For fathers who administer brutal punishment, for cops who fail to administer justice. And for teachers who fail to teach.
Ihis Inner-City litany is delivered feelingly, joyously by the young cast, and in almost surprisingly professional manner. The company is especially effective in ensemble numbers, demanding - and getting - the response it merits.
Because the university cast generally is capable, it might seem unfair to single out individuals. But special mention must be made of Kathleen REILLY (Akron U) and Paul TAZEWELL (from Simon Perkins Jr. High) for performances which are particularly effective for reasons of vocal strength and animation.
"The Me Nobody Knows" is repeated tonight at 8:15 in the GUZZETTA Hall theater, Sunday at 2, Dec 16 at 8:15 and Dec. 17 at 2.
Things began falling apart for A.R.C. after that. I was told we'd be having held new elections and suddenly, Gary is the new President of A.R.C. That ticked me off because if it hadn't been for me initiating the original preface of starting a new theatre company, it would have never happened ! I didn't appreciate being stepped on and passed over. They didn't even try to talk to me about it....well, I didn't give them much of a chance, as I resigned as M.D. & Acc. They continued a while longer, mounting a production of "The Apple Tree"...must not have done well because the company disbanded shortly after that. Another dream bites the dust...
9-10, 16-17, 23-24 Mar: "PIPPIN" Goodyear Community Theatre March
This show was, again, another hit. Everyone did an excellent job. Karen ZIEMBA went on to do roles on Broadway.
Alan, his wife, Bonnie & kids, his sister Lenore, her husband and child (Paul TURMEL and baby, Elise) and Cathie CROCKER and new husband, John GAMBLE had moved from Lasquiti Island to homes in Victoria the year before.
After I had settled in (Alan gave Zeus and I a nice room in his basement), we took the ferry to Vancouver to hold auditions for our Equity company, "Stage Door Productions".
The rest of the cast with which I had to work was very young, inexperienced in choral ensemble work. But they learned quickly & did a very good job.
Unfortunately we got three scatheing reviews....Dick SHIPPY first reviewed the show and the Medina and Cuyahoga Falls papers only reworded his reviews. I wrote a "Letter To The Editor" of The Akron Beacon Journal to vent my EXTREME displeasure at SHIPPY's review. Here 'tis:
"I am writing in response to Dick SHIPPY's review of "Dames At Sea" at Goodyear Community theatre.
My theatrical career spans some 16 years. I began that career at Goodyear Theatre. I was under the direction of Jack HORNER and Jean SHEPHERD, two of the most unselfish people I know, who devoted a good portion of their lives to providing young Akron talent with a most comprehensive education in theater arts. Many of these people have gone on to Broadway and Hollywood.
Not many people outside our theatrical "family" ever see the hours, days and weeks that go into each production. The performers rehearse (without payment) for five nights a week (after their 9 to 5 jobs are finished) anywhere from five to 10 weeks per show.
And the thanks they receive for all their hard work is a so-called "review" that was nothing more than a personal attack against Jean SHEPHERD. This is a dancer's show and SHIPPY's only remark about them was about a technical mistake (which was corrected before we even opened).
Ms. SHEPHERD has assembled many excellent dancers for these shows.
I could go on forever about the quality and dedication that are apparent to everyone else concerning Goodyear shows.
This is a community theater which receives little to no support from the largest and most-read newspaper in town. We welcome objective criticism and we try our best to correct mistakes that are pointed out objectively. SHIPPY has more than once let his personal opinions get in the way of an objective review where Jack HORNER and Jean SHEPHERD are involved.
SHIPPY arrived on our dress rehearsal night, which is the first time the cast, orchestra and stage crew have to work together - the one and only night before we open.
He was not present for our opening, when hundreds of people applauded Ms. SHEPHERD before she uttered a word and responded to her numbers with even more enthusiasm.
It is a shame that SHIPPY cannot enjoy a drama or comedy that includes music. Music is a universal language, one which SHIPPY will, unfortunately, never be able to speak.
PAUL ROTH, Musical Director, Goodyear Community Theatre, Akron"
SHIPPY gave a lame excuse for attending the final dress rehearsal with the director's "approval". Some excuse...that doesn't mean he has to totally destroy all the work that went into that production...to mention that he totally offended Jean ! I could NOT let that pass without defending her and the rest of the cast.
07 Dec: Received a letter from Claire RESSEGER about her brother and my good friend Richard RESSEGER...29 Sep, he got drunk and walked out onto the pier during a raging storm and was never seen again. They haven't found his body. The world looses a great talent & I a great, long-time friend. What a tragic end to such an illustrious and illuminated life ! I miss him terribly.