Blog Post
The Play Ground
by Albert
Are You A Brother To The Blues? If the answer to that question is yes, then you are in luck. Your brother is in town. Billy Joe Shaver and his Honky-tonk band led by this veteran Texas singer-songwriter who is arguably the most gifted of the country music "outlaws" who emerged with Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings in the mid-70s. Shaver's singing is distinguished by its quiet emotional power and unaffected grit, and his songs, keenly observed and sharply delineated, move easily between homely directness and an authentically spiritual intensity. Saturday, August 26 at 8 p.m. The Ark, 316 S. Main. Tickets $15 in advance. To charge by phone, call 763-TKTS.
Blog Post
The Play Ground
by Albert
Knead some dough? The Play Ground is sure we all need some extra cash, but how about some lovely bread? We all need that too. Every Saturday at 10a.m. you can tour
Zingerman's Bakehouse. It is a chance to view artisanal bread and pastry baking and get a free treat. Kids under age 6 not admitted. Zingerman's Bakehouse, 3711 Plaza Dr. $5 (kids ages 6-12, free). Reservations required. 761-7255.
Blog Post
The Play Ground
by Albert
As Jackie Gleason famously said, "You're going to the moon, Alice." Well, you can't go to the moon but you can see it on Friday, August 4th, 9-11 p.m.at the Angell Hall Observatory Open House: U-M Student Astronomical Society. All are invited to peer through the telescope on the Angell Hall roof for celestial visions. Club members are on hand to answer questions. 5th-floor roof top observatory, Angell Hall (from the large State St. entrance, take one of the elevators on the left). Free. 936-3626. When you get home you can even read all about it.
Blog Post
The Play Ground
by Albert
Rod Steiger's Jud Fry farmhand character from the 1955 movie Oklahoma still haunts The Play Ground. But Curly and Laurey and Aunt Eller sing classic Rogers and Hammerstein as they tell the story of the territory on the verge of statehood. Agnes de Mille, original choreographer, revolutionized musical theatre by creating dance that actually enhanced the plot. Now you can see it all in person. The Dexter Community Players are at the Dexter Center for the Performing Arts on July 27-29. 2200 Parker Rd., Dexter. 426-5060. For those who cannot make it to Dexter, check out a DVD or listen to a CD.
"I ....can't say no."
Blog Post
The Play Ground
by Albert
Forecast for 6am on Saturday, July 15: 68°F
So, how about a "Sunrise Saturday Ride" with the Ann Arbor Bicycle Touring Society. Every Saturday they take a very slow-paced 22-mile ride to Dexter for breakfast. Begins at sunrise which on July 15 is 6:17 a.m. Meet at Wheeler Park, N. Fourth Ave. at Depot St. Free. 665-6327, 913-9851.
Blog Post
The Play Ground
by Albert
Gotta "Love Me Tender" or at least, love that Michigan Elvisfest on Saturday, July 7th and 8th at Riverside Park located in Ypsilanti's Historic Depot Town. This is the largest Elvis tribute concert in North America! So, shake, rattle and roll with award-winning Elvis tribute artists and Las Vegas impersonators. Events for kids also. "Don't Be Cruel" and wear your "Blue Suede Shoes" to Ypsi this weekend. Friday, July 7, 5 PM - Midnight and Saturday, July 8, Noon to Midnight.
Blog Post
The Play Ground
by Albert
Ah, Chelsea in the summer. A perfect place to browse the shops, have a bite and see a wonderful play at the Purple Rose Theatre. Check out the current production: the Midwestern Premiere of Honus and Me, a play, adapted from the Dan Gutman novel by Steven Dietz, about a Little League player who finds the most valuable baseball card in the world while cleaning an elderly neighbor’s attic. Filled with baseball history, time travel and romance, this story goes to the 1909 World Series between Ty Cobb’s Detroit Tigers and Honus Wagner’s Pittsburgh Pirates and back again. June 22 - August 26, 2006, 734 433-7673.
Blog Post
The Play Ground
by Albert
Ok, if you don't already know about the tragic Mimi how can I summarize La Boheme in a few sentences? I can't. But, describing Act I gives a good entre into this classic opera.
Paris, Christmas Eve, c. 1830. In their Latin Quarter garret, two starving artists try to keep warm by burning pages from Rodolfo's latest drama. They are joined by their comrades bring food, fuel and funds. Meanwhile, the landlord arrives to collect the rent. There is another knock: a neighbor, Mimì, says her candle has gone out on the drafty stairs. Offering her wine when she feels faint, Rodolfo relights her candle and helps her to the door. Mimì realizes she has dropped her key, and as the two search for it, both candles are blown out. In the moonlight the poet takes the girl's shivering hand, telling her his dreams. She then recounts her solitary life, embroidering flowers and waiting for spring. Drawn to each other, Mimì and Rodolfo leave for the café. Sigh.
La Boheme by Guiacomo Puccini, Arbor Opera Theater, June 15-18, Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre
Blog Post
The Play Ground
by Albert
The award winning classic, COME BACK LITTLE SHEBA, is being staged from June 1-4 at the Riverside Arts Center in Ypsilanti. COME BACK LITTLE SHEBA was William Inge’s first play and won the Tony and Academy Award for Shirley Booth, for her portrayal of Lola, the housewife, who reflects on her faded dreams as she searches for her beloved lost dog Sheba. Redbud’s version of this American classic will feature an accomplished cast including well-loved area actress Sandy Ryder as the touching Lola and Tim Grimes as her disillusioned husband. The play is directed by Loretta Grimes. Take a break from gardening to root(!) for little Sheba to come home.
Blog Post
The Play Ground
by Albert
Dave Brubeck has been going strong since his quartet formed in 1951. He received much critical acclaim and was so popular that his picture graced the cover of Time magazine in 1954. Before becoming a legend himself, he kept company with other legends such as Ellington, Parker, Gillespie and Bernstein. In 1996 he was inducted into the International Jazz Hall of Fame and was named an NEA Jazz Master in 1999. On Saturday, May 13 at 6pm at Hill Auditorium, the 11th Annual Ford Honors Program will present Brubeck Time: A Lifetime Tribute honoring him with the 2006 UMS Distinguished Artist Award. Bravo! If you cannot attend, check him out by audio or video.