And we’re off!
I’ve tried in vain to post a photo of our team, but the wifi in IAH (Houston) isn’t cooperating with me.
Leg 1 (OKC to IAH) is done — next up, Houston to Frankfurt. Here we go!
Aaron Copland / Chicago
On this day in classical music: Aaron Copland’s “El Salon Mexico” received its premiere in Mexico City in 1937. The work is a musical depiction of a Mexico City dance hall of the era. Copland employed four Mexican folk songs in “El Salon Mexico,” a work that remains a staple of the orchestral repertoire. Carlos Chavez conducted the Mexico Symphony Orchestra in the work’s premiere. Listen to the Houston Youth Symphony perform an excerpt from “El Salon Mexico.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMn6EU3yjcc
Aaron Copland
On this day in the musical theatre: John Kander and Fred Ebb’s 1975 musical “Chicago” closed on Broadway in 1977. Based on Maurine Dallas Watkins’ play, “Chicago” told the gritty story of two women imprisoned for murder. The production featured the highly stylized choreography of Bob Fosse, which together with stellar performances by Gwen Verdon and Chita Rivera, helped the musical amass a run of 947 performances. Despite earning 11 Tony nominations, “Chicago” lost in every category. A 1996 revival, in contrast, won 6 of the eight awards for which it was nominated. This November, the Broadway revival will celebrate its 16th year, making it the longest-running revival in American musical history. Watch Chita Rivera and Gwen Verdon perform excerpts of “All That Jazz” and “Nowadays” from “Chicago.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5u7NeeIWAE
Chicago – Original Broadway Cast
Musical musings: Bold, cynical and stylish as can be, Chicago is a musical out to kill. And if Tuesday’s glittering new show somehow misses the mark, applaud it for its daring and moments of brilliance. This is a Bob Fosse show all the way from its cocked head to its pointed toes. The whole thing moves like a well-oiled machine. Taking a trivial melodrama of the ’20s, Fosse and his collaborators have constructed a corrosive cabaret show in which murder and its aftermath are presented as show turns, each one announced in Brecht-Weill fashion. In addition to the overall brilliance of his choreography, Fosse creates by far the sexiest dance routines imaginable. Put Chicago down as a luridly effective spectacle, one too beautiful for words … at least for the words used here. From More Opening Nights on Broadway by Steven Suskin
Agra mayor accused of vandalizing store
AGRA — The mayor of Agra is accused of vandalizing a convenience store after a clerk refused to sell beer to him, but the town’s trustees have not asked the mayor to step down.
Marvin McEntire, 63, is charged in Lincoln County with malicious injury to property less than $2,500, a misdemeanor. Surveillance video taken at the Maveric Mini Mart on June 23 shows a man spraying paint on the front of the store.
McEntire was arrested June 30 by a reserve Lincoln County sheriff’s deputy.
The five-person board of town trustees decided to monitor the court case and see how it turns out before taking any action, town attorney Matt Devlin said.
The mayor is accused of spraying green and red paint on the store’s ice machine, windows and glass doors after a store clerk refused to sell him beer because he was intoxicated, according to an arrest affidavit.
McEntire does not have a listed telephone number and could not be reached for comment.
The cost of cleanup was less than $200, said Sandy McCauley, store owner.
“I am really proud of my clerk,” McCauley said. “She noticed he was too drunk so she refused to sell him any beer. She was protecting him and the people on the road.”
McEntire is free on $1,000 bail, the sheriff’s department said. He is scheduled to return to court Monday.
Agra, which has about 400 residents, is about 60 miles northeast of Oklahoma City.
