tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33479467473504761762024-02-07T15:47:24.148-06:00A Great Day In PeoriaPaul R Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881761674232241904noreply@blogger.comBlogger152125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347946747350476176.post-12513631671517522052017-09-08T17:54:00.000-05:002017-09-08T17:54:21.631-05:00Illinois Central College Theater - 2017 - 2018 Season <br />
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<br /><strong>THE UNDERPANTS </strong>– September 29th - October 8th, 2017<br /><br /><strong>BULLETS FOR BROADWAY </strong>– November 10th - 19th, 2017<br /><br /><strong>AND THEN THEY CAME FOR ME </strong>– February 23rd - March 4th, 2018<br /><br /><strong>THE CRIPPLE OF INISHMAAN</strong>– APRIL 13th - 22nd, 2018<br /><br /></div>
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Paul R Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881761674232241904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347946747350476176.post-65209840577887050042017-09-08T06:20:00.001-05:002017-09-08T06:20:43.276-05:00<a href="http://a-great-day-in-peoria.blogspot.com/2015/03/blog-post.html"><span style="color: #aa383a;">Bradley University Theater - 2017 - 2018 Season </span></a> <br />
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<br /><strong>LITTLE WOMEN - THE MUSICAL </strong>– October 19th - 29th, 2017<br /><br /><strong>ENGLISH MADE SIMPLE AND OTHER SHORT PLAYS </strong>– November 15th - 19th, 2017<br /><br /><strong>DEAD MAN'S CELL PHONE </strong>– February 15th - 25th, 2018<br /><br /><strong>PICNIC </strong>– April 19th - 29th, 2018<br /><br /><br /><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike></div>
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Paul R Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881761674232241904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347946747350476176.post-91528129206977575992017-09-08T06:11:00.002-05:002017-09-08T06:11:44.550-05:00<a href="http://a-great-day-in-peoria.blogspot.com/2015/03/blog-post.html"><span style="color: #aa383a;">Peoria Players Theater - 2017 - 2018 Season </span></a> <br />
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<br /><strong>THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME </strong>– September 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 26, 17<br /><br /><strong>THE WOMAN IN BLACK </strong>– October 6, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 15<br /><br /><strong>ROCK OF AGES </strong>– November 10, 11, 12, 16, 17, 18, 19<br /><br /><strong>SUNSET BLVD </strong>– February 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 11<br /><br /><strong>BONNIE & CLYDE </strong>– March 9, 10, 11, 15, 16, 17, 18<br /><br /><strong>MAMA MIA!</strong> – May 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 12, 13<br /><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike></div>
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Paul R Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881761674232241904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347946747350476176.post-56673669030667481342017-09-08T06:01:00.000-05:002017-09-08T06:01:06.553-05:00<a href="http://a-great-day-in-peoria.blogspot.com/2015/03/blog-post.html"><span style="color: #aa383a;">Peoria Civic Center Theater - 2017 - 2018 Season </span></a> <br />
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<br /><b>MOTOWN THE MUSICAL</b> – October 17th - 19th, 2017<br /><br /><strong>DIRTY DANCING </strong>– November 28th & 29th, 2017<br /><br /><strong>THE SOUND OF MUSIC </strong>– February 10th & 11th, 2018<br /><br /><strong>THE WIZARD OF OZ </strong>– April 25th & 26th, 2018<br /><br /><br /><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike></div>
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Paul R Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881761674232241904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347946747350476176.post-55397851216136068672015-03-22T09:08:00.000-05:002015-03-22T09:13:45.169-05:00Peoria Civic Center Theater - 2015 - 2016 Season <br />
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<strong>KINKY BOOTS</strong> –September 22nd - 27th, 2015 (8 performances)<br />
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<strong>THE ILLUSIONISTS</strong> – October 21st & 22nd, 2015<br />
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<strong>I LOVE LUCY LIVE ON STAGE</strong> –February 10th & 11th, 2016<br />
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<strong>BULLETS OVER BROADWAY</strong> – March 1st & 2nd, 2016<br />
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<strong>ANNIE</strong> – April 12th & 13th, 2016<br />
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<strong>THE BOOK OF MORMAN</strong> – June 7th - 11th, 2016 (8 performances)<br />
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Paul R Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881761674232241904noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347946747350476176.post-578579199166849782013-09-07T21:30:00.002-05:002013-09-08T12:23:35.361-05:00- Theater Review - Les MiserablesPeoria Players opened their 95th season Friday night with a stunning production of "Les Miserables".<br />
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Based on the iconic Victor Hugo novel, this story has a bit of everything - love, passion, politics, penance, redemption, faith, and the meaning of life. <br />
As a musical, it has been wildly popular and is, indeed, one of this patron's favorite modern musicals.<br />
Given the show's soaring, operatic score, it is also a difficult and ambitious undertaking for any amateur theater group. I held my breath in anticipation, wondering if Peoria Players could pull it off.<br />
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I am happy to report that not only did they "pull it off", but this production replaces "Drowsy Chaperone" on my list as the best thing I have ever seen on the Players' stage!<br />
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With a large cast of dozens, there was not a single mediocre vocal performance in the lot.<br />
Among the principles, it is extemely difficult to single out any performance as being superior to the others. Having said that, John Huerta as Inspector Javert was nearly flawless. Likewise, Brian Witkowsi as Marius, has a quite amazing and powerful voice. These two could easily have thrown away their body mics and still deliver the performances they did. <br />
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Although his voice cracked on the admittedly difficult but beautiful "Bring Him Home", Charles Brown was excellent as Jean Valjean. According to the program this was Mr. Brown's first leading role at PPT in 34 years! Please, Mr. Brown, do not stay away so long!<br />
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Ashley Rufus (Fantine) did a great job on the classic "I Dreamed a Dream". Chloe Martin's wonderful performance as Cosette was only marred by her microphone cutting out during two of her beautiful numbers. Lindsey Pugh also was excellent as the star-crossed Eponine. <br />
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Veteran actor Steve Bortolotti and Rachel Lewis shone as the dastardly but lovable Thenardiers. Their delivery of the comic-relief "Master of the House" was precisely executed. Not only did the actors belt out the number appropriately, but they moved seamlessly among their guests relieving them of their valuables in a perfectly choreographed number.<br />
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In a brilliant bit of casting, Gianna Colombo as Gavroche was a double threat. Not only did this young lady deliver a great vocal performance, but her acting was superb. I predict a great future for this young actress. I only hope she is in dance class as well in order to become the proverbial triple threat!<br />
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In a presentation of this caliber, one must acknowledge the director. Indeed, Connie Sinn's direction was apparent in the attention to every detail in this show. I have seldom seen such focus on the part of the actors. Anytime you have dozens of people on the stage at once, you can usually see one or two scanning the audience or mugging for their relatives. I never saw a single actor 'out of character' and I attribute this to Ms. Sinns' direction.<br />
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As stated earlier, this is one of my favorite modern musicals. I still get goosebumps when the priest gives the symbolic candlesticks to Valjean or during the wrenching "Bring Him Home". And who can keep a dry eye with lyrics such as "to love another person is to see the face of God"?<br />
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Thank you to Peoria Players, Connie Sinn, and the remarkable cast for such a wonderful opener. I hope that the rest of the 95th season will be half as good.<br />
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Les Miserables continues through September 15th at the theater in Lakeview Park.<br />
Sellouts are likely so get your tickets ASAP! <br />
The box office number is 309-688-4473.<br />
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<br />Paul R Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881761674232241904noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347946747350476176.post-82144369107622558732013-05-08T09:20:00.000-05:002013-05-08T09:21:32.673-05:00Peoria Civic Center Theater - 2013 - 2014 Season<br />
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<strong>CHICAGO</strong> –September 24th & 25th, 2013 - 7:30pm both nights<br />
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<strong>MEMPHIS</strong> – October 26th,2013 - 3pm and 7:30pm both nights<br />
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<strong>MAMMA MIA</strong> –December 3rd& 4th, 2013 – 7:30pm both nights<br />
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<strong>MILLIONDOLLAR QUARTET</strong> – January 7th & 8th, 2014 – 7:00pm both nights<br />
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<strong>FLASHDANCE THE MUSICAL</strong> – February 17th, 18th & 19th, 2014 – 7:30pm all nights<br />
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<strong>ADDAMS FAMILY</strong> – May 5th & 6th, 2014 – 7:30pm both nights<br />
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-EXTRAS-<br />
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<strong>ELF THE MUSICAL</strong>- November 5th & 6th – 7:30pm both nights<br />
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<strong>BLUE MAN GROUP</strong> – April 9th & 10th,2014 – 7:30pm both nights<br />
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<br />Paul R Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881761674232241904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347946747350476176.post-85830421047783847512013-02-16T08:25:00.002-06:002013-02-16T08:25:43.279-06:00February Poetry CornerThe Butterfly upon the Sky<br />
- Emily Dickinson<br />
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The Butterfly upon the Sky,<br />That doesn't know its Name<br />And hasn't any tax to pay<br />And hasn't any Home<br />Is just as high as you and I,<br />And higher, I believe,<br />So soar away and never sigh<br />And that's the way to grieve —<br />
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.Paul R Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881761674232241904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347946747350476176.post-54009200411139420382013-02-01T10:35:00.003-06:002013-02-01T10:35:37.650-06:00January Poetry Corner"One Today" <br />
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- Richard Blanco<br />
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One sun rose on us today, kindled over our shores,<br />
peeking over the Smokies, greeting the faces<br />
of the Great Lakes, spreading a simple truth<br />
across the Great Plains, then charging across the Rockies.<br />
One light, waking up rooftops, under each one, a story<br />
told by our silent gestures moving behind windows.<br />
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My face, your face, millions of faces in morning’s mirrors,<br />
each one yawning to life, crescendoing into our day:<br />
pencil-yellow school buses, the rhythm of traffic lights,<br />
fruit stands: apples, limes, and oranges arrayed like rainbows<br />
begging our praise. Silver trucks heavy with oil or paper -- bricks or milk, teeming over highways alongside us,<br />
on our way to clean tables, read ledgers, or save lives -- to teach geometry, or ring up groceries as my mother did<br />
for twenty years, so I could write this poem.<br />
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All of us as vital as the one light we move through,<br />
the same light on blackboards with lessons for the day:<br />
equations to solve, history to question, or atoms imagined,<br />
the “I have a dream” we keep dreaming,<br />
or the impossible vocabulary of sorrow that won’t explain<br />
the empty desks of twenty children marked absent<br />
today, and forever. Many prayers, but one light<br />
breathing color into stained glass windows,<br />
life into the faces of bronze statues, warmth<br />
onto the steps of our museums and park benches <br />
as mothers watch children slide into the day.<br />
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One ground. Our ground, rooting us to every stalk<br />
of corn, every head of wheat sown by sweat<br />
and hands, hands gleaning coal or planting windmills<br />
in deserts and hilltops that keep us warm, hands<br />
digging trenches, routing pipes and cables, hands<br />
as worn as my father’s cutting sugarcane<br />
so my brother and I could have books and shoes.<br />
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The dust of farms and deserts, cities and plains<br />
mingled by one wind -- our breath. Breathe. Hear it<br />
through the day’s gorgeous din of honking cabs,<br />
buses launching down avenues, the symphony<br />
of footsteps, guitars, and screeching subways,<br />
the unexpected song bird on your clothes line.<br />
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Hear: squeaky playground swings, trains whistling,<br />
or whispers across cafe tables, Hear: the doors we open<br />
for each other all day, saying: hello, shalom,<br />
buon giorno, howdy, namaste, or buenos días<br />
in the language my mother taught me -- in every language<br />
spoken into one wind carrying our lives<br />
without prejudice, as these words break from my lips.<br />
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One sky: since the Appalachians and Sierras claimed<br />
their majesty, and the Mississippi and Colorado worked<br />
their way to the sea. Thank the work of our hands:<br />
weaving steel into bridges, finishing one more report<br />
for the boss on time, stitching another wound <br />
or uniform, the first brush stroke on a portrait,<br />
or the last floor on the Freedom Tower<br />
jutting into a sky that yields to our resilience.<br />
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One sky, toward which we sometimes lift our eyes<br />
tired from work: some days guessing at the weather<br />
of our lives, some days giving thanks for a love<br />
that loves you back, sometimes praising a mother<br />
who knew how to give, or forgiving a father<br />
who couldn’t give what you wanted.<br />
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We head home: through the gloss of rain or weight<br />
of snow, or the plum blush of dusk, but always -- home,<br />
always under one sky, our sky. And always one moon<br />
like a silent drum tapping on every rooftop<br />
and every window, of one country -- all of us --<br />
facing the stars<br />
hope -- a new constellation<br />
waiting for us to map it,<br />
waiting for us to name it -- together<br />
.Paul R Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881761674232241904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347946747350476176.post-7314053454091485062013-01-07T07:18:00.002-06:002013-01-07T07:18:38.762-06:002013-14 Corn Stock Winter Playhouse Season <br />
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The 2013-14 Winter Playhouse Season has been announced! <br />
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Evil Dead: The Musical <br />
Directed by Ingrid Peelle<br />
Oct. 4,5,11,12,13th, 2013<br />
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The Graduate<br />
Directed by Chip Joyce<br />
Nov. 1,2,8,9,10, 2013<br />
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Relatively Speaking (A Weekend of One Acts) <br />
Directed by Blake Stubbs, Leaann Liesse, and Trevor Neff, Producer Sean Howell<br />
Nov. 21-24th, 2013<br />
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A Piece of My Heart<br />
Directed by Amy Williams<br />
January 17,18,24,25,26, 2014<br />
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ART<br />
Directed by Charlie Brown<br />
Feb. 14, 15, 21,22,23, 2014<br />
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Superior Donuts<br />
Directed by Alex Larson<br />
March 14,15,21,22,23, 2014 <br />
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Paul R Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881761674232241904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347946747350476176.post-89601553945867165982012-11-30T17:31:00.000-06:002013-01-28T17:52:30.585-06:00Eastlight Theater - 2013 SeasonDream Girls<br />
April 19-21 and 24-27<br />
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Jekyll and Hyde<br />
June 21-23 and 26-29<br />
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Chitty Chitty Bang Bang <br />
August 2-4 and 7-10 <br />
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Joseph 2013<br />
Nov 29-Dec 1 and Dec 4-8<br />
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Youthlight show:<br />
Disney’s Tarzan<br />
September 13-15 and 18-21</div>
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Paul R Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881761674232241904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347946747350476176.post-92219678334379819482012-10-14T15:11:00.000-05:002012-10-14T15:15:51.421-05:00October Poetry Corner<center>
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The Sea And the Hills</h3>
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- Rudyard Kipling (1902)<br />
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<pre>Who hath desired the Sea? -- the sight of salt wind-hounded --
The heave and the halt and the hurl and the crash of the comber win hounded?
The sleek-barrelled swell before storm, grey, foamless, enormous, and growing --
Stark calm on the lap of the Line or the crazy-eyed hurricane blowing --
His Sea in no showing the same his Sea and the same 'neath each showing:
His Sea as she slackens or thrills?
So and no otherwise -- so and no otherwise -- hillmen desire their Hills!
Who hath desired the Sea? -- the immense and contemptuous surges?
The shudder, the stumble, the swerve, as the star-stabbing bow-sprit emerges?
The orderly clouds of the Trades, the ridged, roaring sapphire thereunder --
Unheralded cliff-haunting flaws and the headsail's low-volleying thunder --
His Sea in no wonder the same his Sea and the same through each wonder:
His Sea as she rages or stills?
So and no otherwise -- so and no otherwise -- hillmen desire their Hills.
Who hath desired the Sea? Her menaces swift as her mercies?
The in-rolling walls of the fog and the silver-winged breeze that disperses?
The unstable mined berg going South and the calvings and groans that de clare it --
White water half-guessed overside and the moon breaking timely to bare it --
His Sea as his fathers have dared -- his Sea as his children shall dare it:
His Sea as she serves him or kills?
So and no otherwise -- so and no otherwisc -- hillmen desire their Hills.
Who hath desired the Sea? Her excellent loneliness rather
Than forecourts of kings, and her outermost pits than the streets where men gather
Inland, among dust, under trees -- inland where the slayer may slay him --
Inland, out of reach of her arms, and the bosom whereon he must lay him
His Sea from the first that betrayed -- at the last that shall never betray him:
His Sea that his being fulfils?
So and no otherwise -- so and no otherwise -- hillmen desire their Hills.
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.Paul R Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881761674232241904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347946747350476176.post-72525176655374203932012-10-10T21:27:00.001-05:002012-10-10T21:29:48.100-05:00Vernissage Art Show at Prairie Center for the Arts<span class="userContent"></span><br />
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The Vernissage is a great success and now is the time for the public to see the talent we have here in our own backyard! </div>
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Please help us get the word out by letting folks know that the Prairie Center of the Arts is open at these times.</div>
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•Monday-Friday 10-4<br />
•Saturday, Oct 13 1-4<br />
•Saturday, Oct 20 1-4<br />
•Saturday, Nov 10, 1-4<br />
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As a bonus, on Saturday, Oct 13, Ron Rae will give a guided "gallery walk" at 2 pm.<br />
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Thanks for making central Illinois a wonderful arts community.<br />
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<a href="http://prairiecenterofthearts.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank">http://prairiecenterofthearts.blogspot.com/</a></div>
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This is the finest show I have seen in Peoria. It is such an expansive collection of the many talented artists who call Peoria home.</div>
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DO NOT MISS IT!</div>
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</span><br />Paul R Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881761674232241904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347946747350476176.post-11914365762890267272012-09-16T18:46:00.000-05:002012-09-16T18:46:48.167-05:00- Theater Review - 9 to 5 the MusicalFeaturing the regional premier of "9 To 5 - The Musical", Peoria Players Theater opened their 2012 - 2013 season not with a bang but with a whimper. <br />
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"9 To 5 - the Musical" is based on the 1980 movie "9 to 5" starring Dolly Parton, Lily Tomlin, and Jane Fonda as three downtrodden office workers who become feminist heroes when they kidnap their mean chauvinistic boss (Dabney Coleman) and take over the company.<br />
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The stage adaptation adds musical numbers but follows the movie perhaps too closely, even using exact dialog from the film. <br />
In many ways this sets up a difficult challenge for the actors. After all, Dolly Parton has awfully big ... shoes ... to fill.<br />
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There are aspects of the Players production that <em>should</em> have resulted in a fine show, but in the end it simply did not come together.<br />
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All the principals have good voices and for the most part delivered their songs well. (Choreography, well, that's another story!)<br />
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Rachel Lewis as Doralee (the Dolly role) delivered well vocally but plodded through her numbers with a lack of energy and enthusiasm. The number "Back Woods Barbie" is all about confidence in her identity. It should have been a fun and rollicking number but Ms. Lewis barely cracked a smile and made it seem like a chore. <br />
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Kelli Mathis as Violet suffered from the same timidity. Her dance numbers were painful to watch as I could almost see her counting her steps, stone faced. <br />
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I suppose this can be chalked up to the direction.<br />
Perhaps Director Nate Downs concentrated too much on technique rather than encouraging his actors to let go, inhabit their roles, and have fun.<br />
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The third lead, Katie McLuckie as Judy had just the opposite problem as the other two. Her take on the character was way too much confidence! <br />
Ms. McLuckie wowed us a season or two ago with her exceptional portrayal of Kitty in "The Drowsy Chaperone". While that role is all about "mugging for the camera", her Judy would have been much better if dialed back a notch.<br />
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I couldn't help but imagine that the show would have been vastly improved if Ms. McLuckie and Ms. Mathis had switched roles.<br />
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The one actor who got the correct mix of technique and confidence was Carolyn Briggs-Gaul as Roz. She stole the show with her strip-tease number on the boss' desk. <br />
It was the show-stopper of the evening!<br />
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Despite the problems with this show, the audience (one of the smallest houses I have seen at Peoria Players) gave the performance a standing ovation. <br />
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I realize that an opening night audience is probably heavy with friends and families of the performers who felt obligated to give a pity ovation. <br />
<br />
However, it drives this theater snob crazy that Peoria Players patrons think EVERY show there merits a standing ovation. This one just didn't.<br />
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Anyone who would stand for this production has spent too many hours on the sofa anticipating the antics of Honey Boo-Boo.<br />
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Paul R Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881761674232241904noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347946747350476176.post-44558602070792583622012-09-03T10:22:00.000-05:002012-09-03T10:22:04.916-05:00Happy Labor Day - 2012I Hear America Singing<br />
~ Walt Whitman<br />
<br />
I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear,<br />
Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe and strong,<br />
The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam,<br />
The mason singing his as he makes ready for work, or leaves off work,<br />
The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat, the deckhand singing on the steamboat deck,<br />
The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench, the hatter singing as he stands,<br />
The woodcutter's song, the ploughboy's on his way in the morning, or at noon intermission or at sundown,<br />
The delicious singing of the mother, or of the young wife at work, or of the girl sewing or washing,<br />
Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else,<br />
The day what belongs to the day-at night the party of young fellows, robust, friendly,<br />
Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs.Paul R Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881761674232241904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347946747350476176.post-73307469326960451132012-08-19T14:55:00.001-05:002012-08-19T14:57:55.349-05:00Corn Stock Theatre Winter Playhouse 2012 -2013 Season<table align="center" class="contentpaneopen" id="table1" style="height: 1437px; width: 569px;"><tbody>
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<tr><td align="center" valign="top"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 20px;"><em><strong>The Laramie Project<br /><br /> The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later </strong></em></span><em><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></em><span style="font-size: 16px;">Directed by Tim Wyman</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><em>September 28-30 & October 3-6, 2012</em></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td valign="top"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Our opening production presents a theatrical event – the return of the popular drama The Laramie Project, performed in repertoire with the new revisit to the subject – The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later. The two productions will be performed on alternate evenings – both will be presented on Sunday, September 30. Patrons may purchase tickets to one production, and will receive a 50% discount on price of a ticket to the second show. Season ticket holders may see both productions with their season ticket. </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><em><strong><img align="center" alt="Next_to_Normal_resized2.JPG" height="auto" hspace="10" smartload="2" src="http://cornstocktheatre.com/images/stories/Next_to_Normal_resized2.JPG" style="opacity: 1; visibility: visible;" vspace="10" width="auto" /></strong></em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><em><strong><span style="font-size: 20px;">Next to Normal</span></strong></em></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><em><strong><br /></strong></em><span style="font-size: 16px;">Directed by Robin Hunt<br /><em>November 2-4 & 9-10, 2012 <br /> </em></span></span></div>
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<tr><td valign="top"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">NEXT TO NORMAL is the acclaimed, groundbreaking musical "that pushed Broadway in new directions" (Rolling Stone). With a thrilling contemporary score, NEXT TO NORMAL is an emotional powerhouse of a musical about a family trying to take care of themselves and each other.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td align="center" valign="top"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong><em><img align="center" alt="Red_resized.jpg" height="auto" hspace="10" smartload="3" src="http://cornstocktheatre.com/images/stories/Red_resized.jpg" style="opacity: 1; visibility: visible;" vspace="10" width="auto" /><br /> </em></strong></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong><em><span style="font-size: 20px;">Red</span></em></strong></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong><em><br /></em></strong><span style="font-size: 16px;">Directed by Victoria Kapanjie-Rians<br /><em>January 11-13 & 18-19, 2013</em></span><br /> </span></td></tr>
<tr><td valign="top"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Master abstract expressionist Mark Rothko has just landed the biggest commission in the history of modern art, a series of murals for New York’s famed Four Seasons Restaurant. In the two fascinating years that follow, Rothko works feverishly with his young assistant, Ken, in his studio on the Bowery. But when Ken gains the confidence to challenge him, Rothko faces the agonizing possibility that his crowning achievement could also become his undoing. Winner of the 2010 Tony Award. </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong><em><img align="center" alt="hedwig_resized.JPG" height="auto" hspace="10" smartload="4" src="http://cornstocktheatre.com/images/stories/hedwig_resized.JPG" style="opacity: 1; visibility: visible;" vspace="10" width="auto" /></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 20px;"><strong><em>Hedwig and the Angry Inch</em></strong></span><br /><span style="font-size: 16px;">Directed by Rachel Wooden<br /><em>February 8-10 & 15-16, 2013</em> </span></span></div>
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<tr><td valign="top"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH brings theater alive with the pounding sounds of rock 'n' roll and the funny sad voicing of a painful past…it is also an adult, thought-provoking musical about the quest for individuality…the kind of Rocky Horror Picture Show-style event that may inspire a rabid cult following." —NY Times. <br /> </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong><em><img align="center" alt="Frost_Nixon_resized.JPG" height="auto" hspace="10" smartload="5" src="http://cornstocktheatre.com/images/stories/Frost_Nixon_resized.JPG" style="opacity: 1; visibility: visible;" vspace="10" width="auto" /></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong><span style="font-size: 20px;"><em>Frost/Nixon</em></span></strong></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong><span style="font-size: 20px;"><em><br /></em></span></strong><span style="font-size: 16px;">Directed by Ryan Campen<br /><em>March 8-10 & 15-16, 2013</em></span><br /> </span></div>
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<tr><td valign="top"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">"Structured as a prize fight between two starkly ambitious men in professional crisis, FROST/NIXON makes it clear that the competitor who controls the camera reaps the spoils." —NY Times. "…ripe entertainment…The cheerily oblivious limey lightweight and the brooding, mortally wounded political animal: Austin Powers vs. Macbeth." —Washington Post. "…nails the political, media and cultural fever of that era…" —AisleSay.com.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /><br /> WINTER PLAYHOUSE SEASON TICKETS are $50 </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Tickets for individual shows are $15/Adults, $10/Student for Musicals </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">$10/Adult; $7/Students for Non-Musicals</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Season Tickets On Sale Now by Calling 309-676-2196</span></span><br />
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Paul R Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881761674232241904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347946747350476176.post-35591553663098804562012-08-15T04:58:00.001-05:002012-08-15T04:58:21.373-05:00Trolley Tours<span class="userContent"><div class="text_exposed_root text_exposed" id="id_502b713b8de505e66129256">
Peoria Historical Society TROLLEY TOUR: "Lincoln & the Civil War"<br /> <br /> Follow Lincoln in Peoria and learn about Camp Peoria and Camp Lyon. Hear the stories of our Civil War veterans and visit the GAR Hall.<br /> <br /> This tour tells the story of Lincoln’s visits to Peoria, the Civil War troops, and the camps where they trained. See the markers where the camps once stood. Visit Springdale Cemetery and see the final resting place of many of the Civil War veterans. <br /><span class="text_exposed_hide">...</span><div class="text_exposed_show">
<br /> Pay a short visit to the GAR Hall, built in 1909, and hear the story of Joseph Greenhut, one of the Whiskey Barons who provided much of the funding for the Hall. <br /> <br /> The Trolley Tour runs every Friday in August (August 17, 24, 31) and October (October 5, 12, 19, 26)<br /> <br /> Time: 10:30 A.M. (1½ hours)<br /> <br /> The Tour leaves from Kelleher's Irish Pub, 619 SW Water Street (near State St.), Peoria, IL. Parking is available across the street from Kelleher's.<br /> <br /> For tickets, call (309) 673-6000.<br /> <br /> Cost: $10 tour ticket purchased at Kelleher's Irish Pub plus $1 paid to trolley driver. <br /> <br /> Seniors 65 and older ride the trolley FREE with proof of age and a regular ticket purchase.</div>
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</span>Paul R Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881761674232241904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347946747350476176.post-80539036770793324432012-08-13T07:05:00.002-05:002012-08-13T07:05:53.817-05:00ICC Theater 2012 - 2013 Season<strong><u>The ICC Theatre Program</u></strong> proudly announces the 2012-13 ICC theatre season.<br />
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<strong>"Rough Magic"</strong> - September 28 - October 7 - Friday and Saturday 7:30 pm - Sunday 2:30 pm<br />
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<strong>"Spooky Dog and the Teenage Gang Mysteries"</strong> - November 9 - November 18 - Tuesday through Saturday 7:30 pm - Sunday 2:30 pm<br />
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<strong>"Rashomon"</strong> - February 2 - March 3 - Friday and Saturday 7:30 pm - Sunday 2:30 pm<br />
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<strong>"Good Night Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet)"</strong> - April 12 - April 21 - Tuesday through Saturday 7:30 pm - Sunday 2:30 pm<br />
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For tickets and information, call the ICC Theatre box office at (309) 694-5136<br />
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Paul R Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881761674232241904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347946747350476176.post-21471345268411943132012-08-12T20:34:00.001-05:002012-08-12T20:40:35.601-05:00Peoria Players 2012 - 2013 Season<br />
<br />
<strong><u>Peoria Players Theatre</u></strong> has previously announced its 2012-2013 season:<br />
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<strong>"9 To 5 - The Musical"</strong> - Sept 7, 8,12, 13, 14, & 15 - 7:30 pm - Sept 9 & 16 - 2 pm<br />
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<strong>"Twelve Angry Men"</strong> - Oct 5, 6, 11, 12 & 13 - (7:30 pm) - Oct 7 & 14 - (2 pm)<br />
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<strong>"A Christmas Carol - The Musical"</strong> - Dec 7, 8, 12, 13, 14 & 15 - (7:30 pm) - Dec 9 & 16 (2 pm)<br />
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<strong>"Mame"</strong> - Feb 1, 2, 6, 7, 8 & 9 - (7:30 pm) - Feb 3 & 10 - (2 pm)<br />
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<strong>"Godspell"</strong> - Mar 15, 16, 20, 21, 22 &23 - (7:30 pm) - Mar 17 & 24 - (2 pm)<br />
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<strong>"Fiddler On The Roof"</strong> - May 3, 4, 8, 9, 10 & 11 - (7:30 pm) - May 4, 5 & 12 - (2 pm)<br />
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Season tickets are $90, and can be purchased through the Box Office at 309-688-4473<br />
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Special Events not included in season subscription:<br />
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<strong>"The Wedding Singer"</strong> - Aug 8, 9, 10 & 11 - (7:30 pm) - Aug 12 - (2 pm)<br />
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<strong>"A Ring-A-Ding-Ding New Year"</strong> - Dec 31 - (7:30 pm)<br />
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<strong>"Bus Stop"</strong> - Jun 6, 7 & 8 - (7:30 pm) - Jun 9 - (2 pm)<br />
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<br />Paul R Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881761674232241904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347946747350476176.post-33990267066311164472012-08-11T20:18:00.002-05:002012-08-11T20:18:52.476-05:00Bradley Theatre 2012 - 2013 Season<strong>Bradley University Theatre</strong> has announced its 2012-2013 season:<br />
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"The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" - Guest artist and House Theater of Chicago company member Tommy Rapley choreographs this musical by Rachel Sheinkin and William Finn - Sept 20 - Sept 30<br />
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"Philadelphia Story" - a romantic comedy by Phillip Barry - Nov 8 - Nov 18<br />
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"A Raisin In The Sun"- Lorraine Hansberry's Pulitzer Prize winning play - Feb 28 - Mar 10<br />
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"One Third Of A Nation" - Guest artist Sean Graney of the Hypocrites Theatre of Chicago adapts and directs this production - Apr 11 - Apr 21<br />
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Season tickets are $45 for adults, $38 for seniors, $23 for students<br />
and can be purchased through the Cultural Events Box Office at 309-677-2651<br />
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.Paul R Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881761674232241904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347946747350476176.post-27801733651523660522012-06-09T06:53:00.000-05:002012-06-09T07:00:20.276-05:00Nazis EverywhereWith all the cyberspace and printer's ink that has been used up in criticism and defense of statements made by Bishop Daniel Jenky of the Peoria Diocese, it is amazing that no one has pointed out the delicious irony in the Bishop's statements.<br />
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Jenky outraged many by invoking the name Hitler in his criticism of the President's health care policy, and yet no one has pointed out that this same bishop begins every mass with a prayer for an ACTUAL Nazi!<br />
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When Joseph Ratzinger ascended to the papacy as Benedict XVI, a damning photo circulated the web of the new Pope at age fourteen proudly sporting a Nazi youth uniform complete with swastika emblem.<br />
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Apologists for the Pope then and now have stated that the boy was forced by law into the uniform. <br />
Apparently all boys of a certain age were mandated into Hitler Youth membership.<br />
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While this may well be true, the Book of Saints is full of persons (even children) who held to their faith and refused to bow to evil.<br />
<br />
This Pope chose otherwise.<br />
<br />
As the Peoria Bishop calls on his goose-stepping supporters to flood the newspapers and websites with words of support, it is clear to the rest of us who the true Nazis are.Paul R Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881761674232241904noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347946747350476176.post-27146557431144078562012-01-16T06:30:00.000-06:002012-01-16T06:30:30.218-06:00Happy MLK Day"Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. Hate destroys a man's sense of values and his objectivity. It causes him to describe the beautiful as ugly and the ugly as beautiful, and to confuse the true with the false and the false with the true." <br />
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- Martin Luther King Jr. <br />
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.Paul R Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881761674232241904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347946747350476176.post-25170386311189326152012-01-13T21:27:00.000-06:002012-01-13T21:27:40.337-06:00January Poetry CornerKABUL<br />
- Saib-e-Tabrizi<br />
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Ah! How beautiful is Kabul encircled by her arid mountains<br />
And Rose, of the trails of thorns she envies<br />
Her gusts of powdered soil, slightly sting my eyes<br />
But I love her, for knowing and loving are born of this same dust<br />
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My song exhalts her dazzling tulips<br />
And at the beauty of her trees, I blush<br />
How sparkling the water flows from Pul-I Bastaan!<br />
May Allah protect such beauty from the evil eye of man!<br />
<br />
Khizr chose the path to Kabul in order to reach Paradise<br />
For her mountains brought him close to the delights of heaven<br />
From the fort with sprawling walls, A Dragon of protection<br />
Each stone is there more precious than the treasure of Shayagan<br />
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Every street of Kabul is enthralling to the eye<br />
Through the bazaars, caravans of Egypt pass<br />
One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs<br />
And the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls<br />
<br />
Her laughter of mornings has the gaiety of flowers<br />
Her nights of darkness, the reflections of lustrous hair<br />
Her melodious nightingales, with passion sing their songs<br />
Ardent tunes, as leaves enflamed, cascading from their throats<br />
<br />
And I, I sing in the gardens of Jahanara, of Sharbara<br />
And even the trumpets of heaven envy their green pastures<br />
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.Paul R Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881761674232241904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347946747350476176.post-42342387896257115462012-01-02T06:53:00.000-06:002012-01-02T06:53:36.454-06:00'Nuff Said<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtZBl30ykj3_TmqyEhRE_sXDp2fmz4kld5P5VBDyiE7bu6PWom1GDAYTGDUYmzKmI2P_54WLm2PnMgRD_KZ2gUrbyxvmRHWbNIdVRArOaUVRAa4-9yIvwnGxO9nu7mn1Ewj6I5-CsgO9QC/s1600/get+fuzzy.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; height: 190px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; width: 599px;"><img border="0" height="101" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtZBl30ykj3_TmqyEhRE_sXDp2fmz4kld5P5VBDyiE7bu6PWom1GDAYTGDUYmzKmI2P_54WLm2PnMgRD_KZ2gUrbyxvmRHWbNIdVRArOaUVRAa4-9yIvwnGxO9nu7mn1Ewj6I5-CsgO9QC/s320/get+fuzzy.gif" width="320" /></a></div>Paul R Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15881761674232241904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3347946747350476176.post-26055616946284485722011-12-29T08:06:00.000-06:002011-12-29T08:06:25.595-06:00December Poetry Corner<div>I Remember When I Was Born<br />
- Pearl Buck</div><div><br />
</div>I remember when I was born.<br />
<div>I do remember!</div>Through eternity I slept.<br />
By its quiet waters swept,<br />
In the silence safely kept.<br />
All unknowing, night or day,<br />
All unthinking, there I lay.<br />
Suddenly, by life compelled,<br />
I was free, no longer held,<br />
Free to hear and feel and cry,<br />
Free to live, or free to die;<br />
Free to be that which am I.<br />
I remember when I was born-<br />
I do remember!<br />
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