THE RAIN IN SPAIN STAY MAINLY IN THEATRE BY THE BAY

BLITHE SPIRIT AT DOUGLASTON COMMUNITY THEATRE

Playwright Noel Coward is in the house, or rather at the Zion Episcopal Church, where the Douglaston Community Theatre is performing his classic comedy “Blithe Spirit.” The plays center on Charles Condomine (Rich Weyhausen), a successful novelist who wants to learn about the occult for a novel he is writing. To do so he arranges for an eccentric medium, Madame Arcati (Joan Edward), to hold a séance at his house. Charles invites his skeptic friend Dr. George Bradman (Nick De Casare) and his wife, Violet (Annette Daiell), who finds the medium idea fascinating.

During the séance, Madame Aracti accidentally summons Charles’s first wife, Elvira (Virginia Green), who has been dead for seven years. Madame Arcati is unaware of the outcome as only Charles can see or hear Elvira. When Charles speaks to Elvira, his second wife, Ruth (Barbara Mavro), responds as if Charles were talking to her, since she can neither hear nor see Elvira.

Charles is sophisticated, bright, debonair and likes to talk—a lot. He apparently enjoys imbibing as well, although he never seems to be toally under the influence. Wayhausen was perfect for the part, maintaining his character throughout, even when he was not speaking.

Ruth is quite the society matron and somewhat predictable, thinking her husband has lost his mind and trying to restore him to normalcy. Mavro’s portrayal is to the point and very “English” by keeping a stiff upper lip in even the most trying situations.

In life, Elvira (Virginia Green) appeared to be carefree and outgoing. She makes light of it in her ghostly manner even mentioning having had cocktails with Genghis Khan. Where Ruth is more straight-laced, Elvira is moody and disreputable. It is not until a floating vase is handed to Ruth out of thin air, that she acknowledges Elvira’s presence. The ghostly Elvira now makes continued, and increasingly desperate, efforts to disrupt Charles’s current marriage. Green, another seasoned actor, gives us an excellent performance, creating a believable character.

Madame Arcati is truly in contact with the other world. The problem is that she does not know how to return Elvira to the other side. I would characterize her as “the leading lady” with Edward leading us all the way. You don’t need a medium to see Coward’s sense of humor, as she portrays it quite well.

While “Blithe Spirit” may be a bit too long, the actors, along with director Marilyn Welsher, do a good job of keeping things entertaining.

Performances of Blithe Spirit are: Friday, Nov. 11 and 18 and Saturday, Nov. 12 at 8p.m. Matinees are at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 13 and Saturday, Nov. 19. Zion Episcopal Church is located at 243-01 Northern Blvd with the entrance to the theater on Church Street, just off Douglaston Parkway.

Posted 12:00 am, November 12, 2016

©2016 COMMUNITY NEWS GROUP

HOUDINI CEREMONY AT GRAVE SITE

Dorothy Dietrich is one of the world’s best known magicians and has been called “The First Lady of Magic.” She has appeared in many television specials, and is the first and only woman to do the bullet catch in the mouth, “the stunt that scared Houdini.” Dietrich is also the first and only woman to perform a straitjacket escape from a parachute ride while suspended hundreds of feet in the air from a burning rope.

On Sept. 27, 2011 a group she formed, that came to be known in the media as The Houdini Commandos secretly replaced the statuary bust at Houdini’s grave site, which had been missing due to vandalism for 36 years. In 2013, she petitioned The Society of American Magicians, magic’s most prestigious and wealthiest organization, thanks to Houdini, to help take over the care of the grave site located in Ridgewood, at the Machpelah Cemetery.

Along with fellow magician Dick Brookz (aka John Bravo), she is also a founder of the Houdini Museum, which is located in Scranton, Pa. To commemorate Houdini’s death on Oct. 31, 1926, a “broken wand” celebration was held by the museum at the cemetry in Queens Oct. 31. To officiate they had George Schindler, who is the Dean of the Society of American Magicians and Rabbi Noach Valley.

A broken wand ceremony is performed at the funeral of a magician. In the ceremony, a wand—either the wand which the magician used or a ceremonial one—is broken, indicating that with the magician’s death, his wand has lost its magic. Houdini’s own funeral in 1926 marked the first time such a ceremony was performed, and a ceremony to mark his birthday has become a yearly occurrence.

“This is the ritual of the broken wand, for Harry Houdini, who was born Ehrich Weiss on March 24, 1874 in Budapest, Hungary and died Oct. 31, 1926 on Halloween Day.” Schindler said at the ceremony.

“When Houdini was initiated into the Society of American Magicians he was presented with a special wand, the ancient emblem of mystery and power. When a magician dies the wand has no further meaning; no authority. It becomes just a piece of wood.” Rabbi Valley read the classical memorial prayer in Hebrew and translated it into English.

While the broken wand ceremony was not open to the public, Houdini’s grave is. However, if you want to get an up-close at the final resting place of the greatest escape artist of all time, you’ll need to call the cemetery ahead of time at (718) 366-5959. The cemetery is at 82-30 Cypress Hills St.
The grave site is in good shape, but the Houdini Museum has offered to pay for two markers that are missing on the memorial.

Posted 12:00 am, November 11, 2016

SAVING JAMAICA BAY

HALLOWEEN IN BROAD CHANNEL

7th HELLO TAIWAN CHARITY CONCERT

In the last few years, many local Taiwanese communities held the annual Hello Taiwan! charity concert and raised over $25,000 to support different non-profit organizations. Also through the event, the “Hello Taiwan” charity concert is able to showcase top Taiwanese and New York local musical talent to the community. This year, we’re excited to invite three musician groups that are already making waves in the music scene in New York City to join the charity concert which will take place on Sunday, October 30, 5-9pm, at the Taiwan Center, located at 137-44 Northern Blvd.
Even better, their Taiwanese Food Bazaar will feature delectable and authentic Taiwanese dishes that you can’t find anywhere else. In addition, this year’s concert also falls on Halloween’s Eve. Anyone who dresses up in a costume will receive a bottle of free beer or soda at the event.

All proceeds from the event will go to support the Hurricane Matthew’s Apocalyptic Aftermath in Haiti. So with good food, good music, and a good cause – what else could you ask for?

Patrick Huang said, “Specifically, the charity concert has donated to Breezy Point firemen whose houses burned down in Hurricane Sandy 2012, typhoon victims in Philippines 2013, domestic violence victims in Queens and Brooklyn 2014, and concert fire burn victims in Taiwan 2015.

It's an annual effort by young Taiwanese Americans. Their heart is bigger than their pocket but nevertheless it's a noble attempt.”

A free admission “Small Eats Bazaar” will take place from 5PM-6PM.  The concert begins at 6PM with a $10 Admission charge.  Food Sales will continue.  Hello Taiwan is being organized by Diana Lee, founder of AsianInNY.com, TAANY/Passport to Taiwan, and Tai-Ke New York.

Here is the lineup for the concert. 

Treya is a Brooklyn based singer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter with an extensive foundation in classical music. Her cinematic songs are built with ethereal vocals that sit over Nina Simone inspired piano, meditative guitar and lush chamber arrangements. Treya has shared stages with Yo-Yo Ma and the late jazz pianist Billy Taylor as a string player in various youth orchestras that have performed at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. Beginning piano lessons at a young age, she has over 10 years of formal training under her belt. The time spent in the classical world is evident in Treya’s artful performances – moving fluidly between piano, guitar and viola in the studio and on the stage. Treya has an impressive performance record that includes official CMJ and SXSW showcases, multiple residencies at the Ace Hotel in New York, appearances at the Standard Hotels in New York and LA, Sofar Sounds in the UK and US and at the legendary Joe’s Pub at the Public Theatre. www.treyamusic.com

Late Cambrian is an asian male/female Indie Rock Duo from Brooklyn NYC. They make fun melodic Indie Electro-Pop LP’s and perform a guitar based Indie Rock show of the same songs. Their songs have been heard on numerous MTV and BRAVO TV shows. They are currently recording a brand new EP for a late 2016 release. www.latecambrian.com

Led by double-necked fretless guitarist Simon C.F. Yu, r.O.T.i. (Resilience of the Intelligent) has been making waves on the New York scene with their hard-hitting brand of funk rock. Incorporating musical elements from his native Hong Kong (along with strong jazz and metal influences), r.O.T.i. stands alone with an exciting sound that is rarely heard within the jazz/rock idiom. After graduating from Berklee School of Music, Yu began to collaborate with many of the top artists in the NYC music scene such as Evan Marien, Sean Nowell’s Kung Fu Masters, Snarky Puppy..etc  In 2011 Yu toured with Hip-Hip icon Ms.Lauryn Hill for 23 shows as a lead guitarist. In 2013 Yu was featured in MISA festival in Shanghai for a sold out show with his band The Exotic Experiment. alturl.com/ysnuu

Participating groups include: North America Taiwanese Women’s Association of New York, Taiwanese American Association of Greater New York, Taiwanese American Council of Greater New York, Taiwanese American Professionals of New York, Formosan Association for Public Affairs Young Professionals Group, Federation of Taiwanese Student Associations in New York, NYC Taiwanese & Taiwanese Friends Network, Association of Taiwanese Alumni in Greater New York and Taiwan Center.

AUTUMN, WHEN THE LEAVES TURN BROWN-IES

Here’s hoping we have a few months of autumn before the winter cold sets in.   Halloween brings Thanksgiving, which brings on the winter holidays.  What better way to celebrate all of them than with Fairytale Brownies and friends.  Be creative.  Here are some ideas. I’m sure you’ll think of your own.

I am partial to the original chocolate brownies and the ones with chocolate chips.  Hi, my name is Merle.  I’m a Chocoholic. Fairytale Brownies are producing cookies as well.  Soft batch cookies, which are almost as fudgy as the brownies.  Chocolate is not my favorite flavor of their cookies.  Mint chocolate is and soooo much better than the Girl Scout ilk.  

Let’s begin the dessert ideas with creating a few syrups…they are not too difficult.   Chocolate syrup requires cocoa, sugar, water and a touch of vanilla extract.  Combine in a pot and keep stirring.  You don’t need a lot of water.  The idea is to make sure that the sugar is melted, the cocoa powder is completely stirred in without lumps and the mixture is cooked down.  Now it becomes a syrup.  It stores easily in a jar.   You can take a couple of spoonfuls and stir into a tall glass of non-homogenized Ronnybrook Farm milk.   

For a second syrup, brew some coffee.  Again, it’s now a matter of putting into a pot, adding sugar and allowing it to boil down to a syrupy consistency.   Coffee Milk is a staple of Rhode Island.  Use decaf for this if you want your offspring to indulge. 

Whipped cream, whether made fresh or in a can, tends to be expensive when compare to using sour cream mixed with powdered sugar.   Rather than buying powdered sugar, I take the regular and place in a spice blender.  Works great.  Mixing the sweetened sour cream with either of the syrups and placing in the freezer, creates a delicious frozen dessert on its own.

The following works as either a no-bake pie or parfait.  Use a brownie for the pie crust.  I suggest that you get both brownies and blondies.  When you are about to serve, add the frozen dessert.  This way, the brownie stays soft.  Crumble up a mint chocolate cookie and sprinkle on the top or mix it in with the frozen dessert.   

As an alternative, drizzle the syrup on top.  If you are building a parfait, alternate using the coffee and chocolate syrup for a great mocha flavor.

Brownie art is fun for the family.  Buy the largest size and cut off the corners to design a round face.  Use the cut off pieces for arms and legs.   M&Ms are great for decoration due to the colors.  You can also utilize fruit.  Let your artist talent come through.   What would YOU do for brownie points?