The drawing board has been a flurry of ink because of the piece there on the right. My friend Roger Bean commissioned it as an opening night gift for the team involved with bringing The Andrews Brothers to the stage at Musical Theatre West in Long Beach. I've just returned from the opening festivities and I've got to say that everyone has to see this show. The cast consists of just four fantastic folk – Darcie Roberts, Larry Raben, David Engel, and Stan Chandler – and was helmed by the amazing Nick DeGruccio, Roger Castellano, and John Glaudini who leads a crack band.
Roger (the Bean type) authored the show and after seeing it I had to thank him so much. So wonderful! The basic story follows a team of USO entertainers – a pinup girl and three 4F stage techs – who are preparing to put on a show headlined by the renowned Andrews Sisters. Said group is sidelined, and the reluctant boys don the dresses and attempt to go on with the show. The antics are hilarious and the music is wonderfully nostalgic and incredibly performed.
Have you ever found a rush of emotions in an unexpected place? I have to say that the show made me think very fondly of my Grandpa and miss him very much. He was a sailor in WWII and Korea, and any time I hear the fantastic tunes of the 1940s I think of him and Grandma. Beyond the nostalgia I felt from the great music, I also had to smile at the memory of Grandpa and his buddies crashing the ladies auxiliary meetings of the American Legion – providing entertainment by showing up in dresses and wigs and putting on a comedy skit for their wives. As a kid I remember being disappointed at putting a coin in a toy vending machine and randomly getting a pair of earrings (at the Tom Tom Restaurant in Albany, OR), but I decided to see the silver lining and donate them to Grandpa's costume stock. I miss Grandpa's smile and his laugh and how I always knew just how much he loved me and the rest of his grandkids. His beautiful energy lives on in Grandma and I can only hope some of it has passed on to me.
Anyway... That's all for now. Hug a loved one, y'all. And may your days be full of love. Peace, friends!
3 comments:
He was such a special man. I don't think anyone could have said a bad thing about "Big Al." Sometimes I wish I had spent more time with him in those final years. We will see him again someday, bro.
I cant' wait. :0)
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