PATCH Entertainment EVENT: “A Christmas Memory": Touchingly Moving Indeed--Yet Quite Wise of the Best Logical Path For Your Fulfillment

PATCH Entertainment EVENT:
“A Christmas Memory":  Touchingly Moving Memories -- Yet Wise About Your Best Life Path

By Joseph Sirota

Aha, the season to be jolly...but also time for reliving memories of families, their caring, giving, sharing & HELPING each other by reaching out, some with warmth and smiles, others with well-meant guidance. Each family member oft has their own, markedly different road they believe is best, for the other, especially the "youngest" who's more magnetized by childhood fun & joys than by the rewards life may(?) be waiting to hand him, if he chooses learning, work and development. If he makes room between the playing & laughs to add a not yet understood creativity his success may come to him via more logical & practical paths of well-meaning folks who lack  jolly today, to wisely offer potential large future joys.

Originally, Truman Capote wrote A Christmas Memory as a short, but powerfully moving magazine story. ... A Hit, indeed! Capote's readers were, without doubt, deeply moved as Capote beautifully filled the pages with his feelings and his intense comfort & joy with favorite older dear cousin, "Sook" (She filled a very empty time in Capote(Buddy's) life with childlike fun/play, lovingly.. a great gift in Alabama at Buddy to live, with no parents for him, just three older cousins (dear, warm, odd Miss Sook, and smartly stiffly, logical, Miss Jennie(the two women cousins), & Mr. Seabon, the smart, but quiet, receding one male cousin. Capote's sad story had all who read it, caring for Buddy's recalling of sans Mom & Dad so they all rooted for his touching feelings of getting-by, thanks to warm, childlike, cousin Sook & a few memorable neighbors. While these feelings are worthy, the other well-intended (but rather stiff) cousins seem COLD! However, amazingly, it was the choice of the practical cousins that sent Buddy to education & seeing/living in a large, diverse, sophisticated world. Capote indeed had more than cookies & kites. He became very successful. As well-known writer he reached "Grand-Creative-Star of artistic leaders" status. His Hard road made him a much lauded man.

This Capote memory tale turned into theatrical TV and Film/DVD plays, of Americana, adored by the outside impressed world. He was often seen and publicized amidst artistic life. Interviewed on TV, Radio, Lectures, and personal appearances, Eclectic-Guru-writer-status came along when he wrote a Gory Book(later a BIG Hollywood Film), of a True Story of Killing, In Cold Blood. Again, Capote's real life passages, widened and he was deemed a yet more complex, fellow,& writer. So, I say, come and see this seemingly simple tale of a lonely young boy. I think you will feel more openly of the "Practical Cousins" and neighborly folks in his Alabama orphan stage. This sensitive young boy was destined to be a multifaceted fellow of creative writing & wide creative personal lifestyles. Think about those cousins & neighbors who saw a deep light in young BUDDY. Yes, he missed having to leave dear cousin Sook and his country friends . But Buddy-the adult stepped into a WIDE, WIDE World of life, beyond loved Christmas Cookies & flying paper kites by the little stream. He always adored Sook, but that last Christmas opened the man.

The new, re-created version of Capote's A Christmas Memory  fits even better this Christmas time of the year, and the intimate & smartly charming Laguna Playhouse. The addition of a personalized musical score/lyrics, and Laguna's intimate, but wide open stage (nary a single architectural blockage), allows the audience to see Buddy, cousins & neighbors, as we'd have seen them outside the rural farmhouse with Buddy at 10, getting ready for another Christmas (the "Key Last-Christmas" there for young Buddy, as he parted uneasily to the outside world that awaited his talents and feelings to share. As for the story line, it's also a thoughtful coming of age --- and live music and lyrics added to the show along side the down home music, further reaches us for feeling the country setting, and feelings of all. The youthful time of life makes it quite OK to break out into song (ala The Song Of Music feeling) , deliver young Buddy, et al as his last Alabama Christmas nears. Because we know of Capote's life, we picture  the big cities and awards Grown-Up Buddy will be heading for. He'll soon be busy talking with all those real sophisticated, smart, & artistic, & RICH and partying in Disco's & Penthouses ... looking down at the whole world,... recalling Sook & Alabama.

Speaking of interesting artistic folks, Here's the fine Laguna Playhouse Team that brings A Christmas Memory so Touchingly yet Fun together:

Creative Team: The Laguna Playhouse Executive and Artistic Directors, Karen Wood and Ann E Wareham. Book by Duane Poole, music by Larry Grossman, lyrics by Carol Hall, musical direction by Darryl Archibald & directed on target by Ovation Award-winner Nick DeGruccio.

CAST: Connecting those key Youthful Christmas days are: Young Buddy--By a most believable/likeable truly young,  William Spangler;  

Sweet, Kindred-Spirit, odd but lovable cousin Sook --By an absolutely delightful and quite youthful themselves,  Marsha Waterbury;   Connecting the now Adult-Recalling the Last Young Christmas are: Adult Buddy--By the Torn feeling of Christmas past vs today's Success, Ciaran McCarthy;  Current Still Warm Neighbor-- By fine portrayal of a caring warm neighbor to Young or Adult Buddy, Amber Mercomes;   

The Two Cousins who were wise & Logical-- Both very well-Meaning Doing what's Best for Buddy--Tracy Lore(Terrific/Strong/Do-the-Best!)

 & Tom Shelton(Kind and smart -- also plays two more parts, showin' he can be Tough Too!)

The seemingly tough Tom-Boy, back in that Christmas, but a truly worthy 1st "Girl-Friend" to Young Buddy-- Siena Yusi

Off Stage Team Making The MAGIC!! : set design--D Martyn Bookwalter; lighting--Steven Young; Costumes--Bruce Goodrich

Sound--Joshua McKendry   Casting--Wally Ziegler   Stage Mgrs--Don Hill / Luke Yankee   Public Relations-- David Elzer/ DEMAND PR

Musicians-- Darryl Archibald, Tyler Emerson, Drew Hemwall 

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… A Christmas Memory: Captures The Holiday at The Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, CA. Sched: Tues thru Sat @ 7:30:PM,    2:00PM Matinees on Sat & Sun.  Call For Added Show-times  Closes: Dec 29th,   Price $36-$71(Senior, Student, group discounts). Call (949) 497-2787, or (949) 497-ARTS Online: lagunaplayhouse.com