What to do in Oklahoma on Feb. 10, 2012: See Reduxion Theatre’s production of Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing”
Today’s featured event:
See Reduxion Theatre Company’s production of William Shakespeare’s beloved comedy “Much Ado About Nothing” at 8 p.m. today and Saturday at its Broadway Theater, 1613 N Broadway Ave.
In honor of Valentine’s Day, a romantic “Couple’s Package” is offered for tonight and Saturday performance. The package includes preshow champagne and couple’s cupcakes at intermission.
“We want to offer couples a fun and romantic alternative or addition to their Valentine’s plans on this romantic weekend,” said Managing Director Erin Woods in a news release. “An entertaining evening of live theatre provides a memorable, romantic experience.”
Reduxion opened its new staging of “Much Ado About Nothing” Thursday night, and performances continue at 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. through Feb. 25. A special Sunday matinee will be staged at 2 p.m. Feb. 19.
Billed as Oklahoma City’s fastest-growing theater company, Reduxion received much attention and positive reviews in 2011 with the opening of their intimate new venue, the Broadway Theater. Critically acclaimed productions of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “Hamlet” and the American classic “Hair, the American Tribal Love-Rock Musical,” drew more than 2,000 fans to the Broadway Theater, near Automobile Alley and downtown.
“We love romantic stories and audiences love seeing them,” said Tyler Woods, Reduxion Artistic Director and “Much Ado About Nothing” director, in the release. “We push boundaries and challenge people on an emotional level, and we hope to make a name for ourselves as producers of plays that people enjoy sharing with a loved one.”
This season, Reduxion gets back to its roots by revisiting some of their first productions as a company. The company continues its successful, “Original Sins” season with the romantic comedy “Much Ado About Nothing” by Shakespeare, which was the first show independently produced by Woods in 2000. Woods directs this hilarious, touching and fast-paced romance with the same love and care he gave the first time around, on the show that started it all!
“Although we are considered a young company, this journey has taken many years,” said Woods. “From that first independent production in 2000, to this season, our fourth residential season in Oklahoma City, and the second year in our own performance venue – we must honor our growth and the support of the Oklahoma City community in fostering our development for over a decade.”
His version of “Much Ado About Nothing” is set in the swinging 1960s in Sicily.
For more information, go to www.reduxiontheatre.com. For more events, go to www.wimgo.com.
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Cher’s father dies in Oklahoma City
Cher (AP file)
Gilbert Hartmann LaPiere, adoptive father of Grammy- and Oscar-winning singer/actress Cher, died Tuesday in his hometown of Oklahoma City. He was 88.
Gilbert LaPiere
LaPiere was born June 29, 1923 in Irvington, N.J., to Tillie and Albert LaPiere. He attended grade school and high school in Newark, N.J., according to his obituary in The Oklahoman and on NewsOK.
He attended the University Of Missouri School of Mines at Rolla, Mo., and graduated with a degree in petroleum engineering. World War II interrupted his college education; he enlisted in the Army Air Corps and became a bombardier on B-24s in the Western Pacific arena, accumulating 35 missions and surviving “ditching” his airplane into the ocean after a bombing mission.
After graduating from college, he went to work as an evaluation engineer for City Service Oil Co. in Bartlesville and was later offered the same position at the Chase Bank in New York City. He worked on oil and gas loans, mergers and sales for major oil and gas companies and independent producers.
In 1952, he accepted the position of managing the Oil and Gas Department for W.E. Hutton and Co. on Wall Street, advising on oil and gas stocks as well as public offerings. After Hutton, he was employed as a vice-president of the newly formed oil and gas division of the Union Bank of California. Later, he decided to go into business for himself as a financial oil and gas consultant, mostly working as a “troubleshooter,” helping companies and independent operators to establish financial stability, merge or sell.
Cher was born Cherilyn Sarkisian May 20, 1946 in El Centro, Calif. Her biological father, John Sarkisian, who left the family when she was a little girl, was a truck driver who married and divorced her mother twice. Cher’s mother, Georgia Holt, was married six times; her fifth husband, LaPiere, adopted Cher, according to the star’s Hello magazine biography.
At age 16, Cher moved to Los Angeles, where she met entertainer and songwriter Salvatore “Sonny” Bono, according to Encyclopædia Britannica. The couple married in 1964, began singing together, and scored their first big pop hit came in 1965 with “I Got You Babe,” which sold more than three million copies. The duo went on to score a number of hits, and in 1971 they launched the television variety show “The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour,” which ran until 1974. Cher and Sonny divorced in 1974, though they appeared as cohosts of another TV show, “The Sonny and Cher Show,” in 1976–77.
After Sonny left show business, Cher cultivated a successful nightclub act and revisited an earlier interest in acting, according to Encyclopædia Britannica. She appeared in the Broadway and film versions of “Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean ” (1982) and received an Academy Award nomination for her supporting role in “Silkwood” (1983). In 1988, she won a best actress Oscar for her starring turn as an Italian-American widow who finds love in the romantic comedy “Moonstruck” (1987).
Her other films include “Mask” (1985), “Suspect” (1987), “The Witches of Eastwick” (1987), “Mermaids” (1990), “Faithful” (1996), “Tea with Mussolini” (1999) and “Stuck on You” (2003). In 2010, she starred opposite Christina Aguilera as a nightclub owner and performer in the cinematic musical drama “Burlesque,” and she provided the voice of a lioness in 2011 live-action comedy “Zookeeper.”
After releasing two successful albums in the late 1980s — “Cher” (1987) and “Heart of Stone” (1989) — Cher’s music career waned, but she made a comeback in the late 1990s/early 2000s with the albums “Believe” (1998) and “Living Proof” (2002). In 2000, she won a Grammy Award for the dance single “Believe,” and she has become an entertainment icon.
After repeated trips to Oklahoma City from California, LaPiere and his wife, Beverly, moved to the Sooner State capital in 1966, and he carried on his consulting work from Oklahoma City. He was in the oil business since 1947 and helped many oil companies and individuals open businesses both in Oklahoma and other states, according to his obituary.
In 1997, his wife, Beverly, preceded him in death after 34 years of marriage. LaPiere is survived by four daughters, Vema Bullock of Oklahoma City; Cher of Malibu, Calif.; Georgeanne Bartylak of Ventura, Calif.; and step-daughter Diana Spahn of Santa Fe, N.M. Daughter Deborah Avery,preceded him in death. His grandchildren include Stacy Starchman, Kelly Hill, Christopher Borgen, Elisha Almond, Chas Bono and step-grandson Darren Lazarus.
A memorial service is planned for Friday in Oklahoma City. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions may be made to All Souls Episcopal Church, Habitat for Humanity or the charity of your choice.
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What to do in Oklahoma on Feb. 9, 2012: Hear Ronnie Dunn in Tulsa or Jonathan Tyler & the Northern Lights in Oklahoma City
Ronnie Dunn
Today’s featured events:
CATOOSA – Hear country music star and former Tulsan Ronnie Dunn play at 8 tonight at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa, 777 W Cherokee.
“Tulsa is a great music town – and it was a crazy town in the day,” said Dunn in the concert announcement. “So Tulsa was this crazy mix-match of music styles at the time, and it was all there and very much alive. Live music was really important, and the club scene there was hot.
“So for someone like me, it was the perfect place to learn your chops.”
Dunn cites all the musicians who lived in Tulsa in the late ‘70s, including Leon Russell and Eric Clapton, as an inspiration to launch his career in northeast Oklahoma.
After following Tulsa drummer Jamie Oldaker to Nashville, Tenn., Dunn submitted a demo that won the Marlboro Country Music Contest, which set in motion the events that led to the formation of Brooks & Dunn. Included on the demo were the future hits “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” and “Neon Moon.”
During his 20-year run as half of Brooks & Dunn, Dunn and musical partner Kix Brooks sold more than 30 million albums, charted 20 No. 1 singles, earned 27 Academy of Country Music awards, 17 Country Music Association awards and two Grammys. The collection of ACM and CMA awards are the most for any act in country music history.
Last June, Dunn, an Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame member, released his self-titled solo debut. The album peaked at No. 1 on the country charts and features the singles “Bleed Red” and “Cost of Livin’.”
For more information, go to www.hardrockcasinotulsa.com.
Since the Dunn show is sold out, here is another featured event:
Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights
Hear Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights at 7 tonight at the Conservatory, 8911 N Western.
In April 2010, the Dallas-based rock band released its major-label debut album “Pardon Me,” a collection of genuine throwback, blues-based rock ‘n’ roll reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and Lenny Kravitz.
Since, the Northern Lights have made their late-night TV debut on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” performed at the Bonnaroo and Austin City Limits festivals, headlined Relix magazine’s party at the South By Southwest Festival and covered Zeppelin’s “Bring It on Home” for Revolver, one of several magazines to feature the band.
The Northern Lights also have beamed onto television as shows like “Friday Night Lights,” “Criminal Minds,” “CSI: Miami” and “Boardwalk Empire” have featured their music.
For more information, go to www.conservatoryokc.com.
For more events, go to www.wimgo.com.
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Wednesday Video Spotlight: Samantha Crain “It’s Simple”
Shawnee singer-songwriter Samantha Crain has released this video for her song “It’s Simple.” The video is part of the “Be Nice to Your Kids” series from Delo Creative. This installment was sponsored by Dwelling Spaces.
“A Simple Jungle,” Crain’s three-track EP that features “It’s Simple,” was recently listed among Amazon.com’s Editor Picks for top MP3 albums of 2012.
Crain will be featured at the Feb. 19 Winter Wind Concert in the Norman Depot, 200 S Jones Ave. Tickets are $15 for the 7:00 pm concert. Refreshments will be served.
Having been raised in rural Shawnee may have influenced Crain’s quirky, earthy interpretation of folk music as much as her father’s record collection, which included Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead. But the young Crain was even more taken with the music of her home state, from the rootsy Americana of Woody Guthrie to the sonic experiments of the Flaming Lips.
After graduating from Dale High School, Crain enrolled at Oklahoma Baptist University, where she spent several semesters working toward a degree in English literature before registering for a semester-long songwriting retreat at Martha’s Vineyard.
That retreat allowed Crain to transform herself into a songwriter with a knack for narrative storytelling. When she returned home, she decided to pursue a career in music instead of returning to college.
Crain’s first pressed collection of songs, “The Confiscation,” is a concept album based around five short stories Crain had written involving the themes of redemption and betrayal. Ramseur Records took notice of this self-released EP, as well as a work schedule which saw Crain crisscrossing the country with guitar in tow, and ultimately offered her a spot on the label, reissuing “The Confiscation” in July 2007 as her Ramseur debut.
Crain’s first LP with the Midnight Shivers was the April 2009 release “Songs in the Night.” The album release was followed with an NPR Weekend Edition feature and favorable reviews from Paste magazine, the Washington Post, woxy.com, and emusic.com.
After the Midnight Shivers disbanded, Crain released her second full-length LP, “You (Understood),” in June 2010.
All three of her albums have made my top 10 albums list their respective years.
“Samantha Crain writes folk music, but she belts out notes like she’s singing R&B. Her rich alto seems to have no bottom, and the sound of it against her bare guitar is enough to raise gooseflesh” writes Rolling Stone.
Winter Wind Concerts are produced by The Performing Arts Studio and made possible in part by grants from the Norman Arts Council, the Oklahoma Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.
For more information on Crain’s Winter Wind Concert, go to www.pasnorman.org or www.TicketStorm.com.
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Oklahoma City Museum of Art partnering in Doodle 4 Google contest
Four-year-old Evelyn Stirling concentrates on her painting as children and their parents create miniature Chihuly chandeliers during the weekly Drop-In Art event Saturday, March 12, 2011, at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. On Feb. 25, the museum will host a special Doodle 4 Google Drop-In Art. By Paul Hellstern, The Oklahoman Archives
From Wednesday’s Life section of The Oklahoman.
Oklahoma City Museum of Art partnering in Doodle 4 Google contest
The fifth annual competition invites kindergarten through 12th-grade students nationwide to draw their rendition of the Google logo for a chance to see it displayed on the online search engine’s homepage.
The museum has been chosen as a local partner for the fifth annual Doodle 4 Google contest, which invites kindergarten through 12th-grade students nationwide to draw their rendition of the Google logo for a chance to see it displayed on the online search engine’s homepage.
“We are excited to be the local partner for Oklahoma,” said Glen Gentele, the museum’s president and CEO, in a statement. “This is an amazing opportunity for students to attempt a redesign of the Google logo.”
March 23 is the final deadline for students to submit their drawings for the contest. The museum is hosting a special Drop-In Art event in which youngsters can work on their Google doodles from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25.
“We’ll have the entry forms available, and we’ll have artists on hand to help the children create their doodles. We’re inviting everyone from the community to come to the museum that day and do their doodle submissions,” said Chandra Boyd, the museum’s curator of education.
The doodles should reflect this year’s contest theme: “If I could travel in time, I’d visit ….”
“Google, they have their team of doodlers that create all those fantastic drawings for special holidays and birthdays and occasions throughout the year, and then what they are asking now is that students K-12 create a doodle,” Boyd said.
“The idea is time travel, so they’re using that theme to kind of guide the designs. It’s a two-dimensional design, so they (children) can paint it, they can draw it, print, whatever media they want to use that creates a two-dimensional image.”
After March 23, a team of Google artists and guest judges — including pop star Katy Perry, “Phineas & Ferb” cartoon creator Jeff “Swampy” Marsh and “American Idol” Jordin Sparks — will help choose the top doodles from each of the 50 states.
On May 2, Google will open up online balloting for the contest, and one winner from each of the five grade groupings will be chosen by a public vote. First prize will be awarded on May 17, and the overall winner’s doodle will be showcased May 18 on Google.com.
In addition, the winning doodler will take home a $30,000 college scholarship and a $50,000 technology grant for his or her school. Crayola has partnered with Google this year, and the winner’s artwork will appear on a special edition of the 64-crayon box, too.
Google also has teamed up with art, science and children’s museums across the country to display the artwork of each state’s finalists. The Oklahoma museum joins prestigious institutions — including The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston in Texas; the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego in California; and the National Museum of Play — participating in the contest.
Google representatives reached out to the Oklahoma City Museum of Art and invited the institution to become its local partner and venue for exhibiting the works of the contest’s 10 Oklahoma finalists. The finalists will be shown this summer in the museum’s first-floor Founders’ Hall.
“They discovered we had a great community outreach program,” said communications manager Leslie Spears. “That made us very proud.”
Last year, the Doodle 4 Google contest received 107,000 student submissions from all over the country. Matteo Lopez, a second grader at Monte Verde Elementary School in South San Francisco, Calif., was picked as the victor.
The Oklahoma City museum is spreading the word about the contest through the state’s public school districts, private schools, homeschool organizations, parents groups and more so that as many state children as possible have the opportunity to participate.
“It really is such a benefit to them, the fact that they’re exploring their creativity, and they’re using this fun time-travel theme,” Boyd said. “Kids just have the best imaginations … and their brains get started and they have these great ideas.”
At the Feb. 25 event, the museum will help students submit their entries. Parents and teachers who want to submit a doodle on behalf of their children can get entry forms and submission information at www.google.com/doodle4google. Only one contest entry is allowed per student.
GOING ON
Doodle 4 Google Drop-In Art
When: 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25.
Where: Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive.
Cost: Free with museum admission.
Information: www.okcmoa.com or 236-3100, ext. 231.
Doodle 4 Google timeline
Feb. 25: Oklahoma City Museum of Art will host a Doodle from 1 to 4 p.m.
March 23: Deadline for all doodles to be submitted to Google
May 2: The best doodle from each of the 50 states will be displayed at the Google 4 Doodle website. Public voting will begin at 8 a.m. May and close at 7 p.m. May 10.
May 17: First prize will be awarded to the winning doodler in a ceremony in New York City.
May 18: The winner’s doodle will be showcased on Google.com.
Summer: The top 10 Oklahoma finalists will have their doodles exhibited at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art (Exact dates to be determined).
-BAM
What to do in Oklahoma on Feb. 7, 2012: Hear Polyphonic Spree at The Opolis
Polyphonic Spree
Today’s featured event:
NORMAN – Hear the Polyphonic Spree with special guest New Fumes at 8:30 tonight at The Opolis, 113 N Crawford.
The show is sold out, but if you have a chance to get your hands on any stray tickets, take that chance.
For more information, go to www.starlightmints.com/opolis.html.
For more events, go to www.wimgo.com.
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What to do in Oklahoma on Feb. 6, 2012: Hear Acoustic Oklahoma at Picasso Cafe
Today’s featured event:
Hear Andy Adams, Brian Pickering and Burlap Tuxedo play at 7 tonight during the weekly Acoustic Oklahoma show at Picasso Cafe, 3009 Paseo.
For more information, go to www.facebook.com/AcousticOklahoma.
For more events, go to www.wimgo.com.
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What to do in Oklahoma on Feb. 5, 2012: Watch Oklahoma City Theatre Company’s “Same Time, Next Year” at the Civic Center
Jodi Nestander and Ian Clarke in "Same Time, Next Year"
Today’s featured event:
Watch Oklahoma City Theatre Company’s production of “Same Time, Next Year” at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N Walker.
Performances continue Thursday-Feb. 12 and Feb. 16-19.
“Same Time, Next Year” ran four years on Broadway, winning a Tony Award for lead actress Ellen Burstyn, who later recreated her role in the successful motion picture. It remains one of the world’s most widely produced plays. The plot follows a love affair between two people, Doris and George, married to others, who rendezvous once a year. Twenty-five years of manners and morals are hilariously and touchingly played out by the lovers.
In a special arrangement, one of OKC Improv’s most popular groups “The Ones Your Mother Warned You About” will be performing at 7:30 to open each Saturday performance.
For more information, go to www.okctheatrecompany.org.
For more events, go to www.wimgo.com.
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Norman Music Festival expecting big bang out of 2012 headliners Portugal. The Man and Hayes Carll
Portugal. The Man
Hayes Carll
A version of this story appears in Saturday’s The Oklahoman.
Portugal. The Man and Hayes Carll to headline the 2012 Norman Music Festival
The fifth annual festival, which is free and open to the public, is set for April 26-28 in Norman’s historic Downtown Arts District.
Portugal. The Man and Hayes Carll will be the headliners for the 2012 Norman Music Festival, organizers announced Friday.
“Because it is a free festival, we’ve only got so of a much budget, but for the budget we’ve got, we try to get the biggest bang we can get. And I think we did it with these two,” said Steven White, chairman of the fifth annual festival.
“Especially for the Main Stage, we need something that’s electric onstage because it’s an urban music festival. So it’s gotta be something that people get excited about. The more I listened to Portugal. The Man … the more I just thought, ‘Man, this is gonna be a great show when the lights go down and the streets are filled with people.’”
NMF5 is scheduled for April 26-28, in the 100, 200 and 300 blocks of Norman’s historic Downtown Arts District. The music on Thursday, April 26 and Friday, April 27 will be played mostly at indoor venues and during evening hours. On Saturday, April 28, the festival will become an indoor/outdoor affair, with live music from noon to midnight.
As the Main Stage headliners, Portugal. The Man will be the final performer of the 2012 festival. Carll will give the event’s penultimate performance as the headliner on the Jack Daniels Stage, previously the Jagermeister Stage.
“The Main Stage has always typically been more indie and rock,” White said. “The Jack Daniels Stage, that stage has always been kind of red dirt, country, rockabilly and folk.”
Both headliners released critically acclaimed albums and played the prestigious Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Tennessee last year.
The prolific neo-psychedelic pop-rock group Portugal. The Man is based in Portland, Ore., but originated in Wasilla, Alaska. The band released six albums between 2006 and 2011, with their latest, “In the Mountain in the Cloud,” marking their major-label debut on Atlantic Records. Along with Bonnaroo, the band has played the Lollapalooza and South by Southwest festivals.
“I don’t think they’ve ever played in Norman, and I think this is the perfect time to get them,” White said. “I think there’s gonna be a lot of love out on the street for them and they’re gonna feel it and appreciate it.”
A celebrated Texas singer-songwriter, Carll earned his first charting position on the Billboard 200 last year with his fourth album, “KMAG YOYO (& Other American Stories),” his second release on Lost Highway Records. Carll, 36, received the new/emerging artist of the year honor at the Americana Music Awards in 2010, and the same outfit in 2008 awarded him the song of the year prize for his uproarious yarn “She Left Me for Jesus.”
“Man, Hayes is the real deal. If you listen to the songs that he writes and the way that he plays the guitar and the great band that he’s always got — of course, with Norman’s own Travis Linville playing with him — he really is the whole package. He’s a great show, and I feel really lucky to get him to play the Norman Music Festival,” White said.
Previous Norman Music Festival headliners include The Walkmen, Dirty Projectors, Of Montreal, Leon Russell, Electric Six, The Sword, The Polyphonic Spree and Chainsaw Kittens.
“This festival’s had some great names with the Kittens and Todd Snider and Leon Russell and Keller Williams and Black Joe Lewis. I can go on and on … so as long as we keep on trying to find what’s gonna work best with this crowd, I think we’re on the right track,” White said.
“The mission of this festival is showcase local artists, so there are always more Norman and more Oklahoma bands. But we try to get as many good bands as we possibly can.”
Organizers plan to release the full NMF 5 lineup later in February. About 260 acts, including bands and street performers, are expected to entertain at the festival, White said.
The festival is free and open to the public. VIP packages, which include meet-and-greet access, closer viewing to the stages and refreshments, are $60 for the three-day event and are expected to go on sale next week.
For more information, go to www.normanmusicfestival.com.
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What to do in Oklahoma on Feb. 4, 2012: Hear Jake Owen at Riverwind Casino
Today’s featured event:
NORMAN — Hear country singer Jake Owen at 8 p.m. Saturday at Riverwind Casino, 1544 W State Highway 9. Information: 322-6464 or www.riverwind.com.
For more events, go to www.wimgo.com.
-BAM
