BLOGPALOOZA: PART FOUR! Sal's Other Super-Busy Day, Part Three: "Move On!" at Near West Theatre

For many years I've been attending Near West Theatre shows and loving them!  My dear friend Avril has two daughters who often appear in plays at Near West, which is why I started going.  These talented young ladies -- and the rest of the Near West cast -- have entertained and inspired me many times.  Since I began Travels with Sal last year, I've been bringing my little uke along.  (For those who enjoy a bit of nostalgia, here are Sal's previous posts about Near West Shows:  Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris and Side Show.)

While the shows at Near West have been wonderful, the facility where they took place was not so hot.  Actually, it was very hot!  It was sometimes unbearably hot!  And the seats were uncomfortable.  And the long downstairs and upstairs and vice-versa trip back and forth to the tiny leaky ladies' room was good exercise, but far from what the ADA would recommend.

The show Sal and I attended on June 27th was, therefore, a bittersweet experience.  Titled Move On, it was the last Near West show to take place in the old hall.  Near West is building a new facility to house its fabulous entertainments -- and all of the great work they do to prepare for them.  Move On was entertaining and touching. I loved every minute of it!  Thanks, Near West, for all the great memories!  (And thanks, Avril, for introducing me to Near West!)

Looking forward to seeing lots of plays in Near West's beautiful new home -- but also feeling nostalgic for the old creaky place...

The cast of Move On singing a song that brought tears to my eyes...

From left to right:  Patricia, a fellow Near West fan, and Sal with Maggie (one of my two favorite cast members).

From left to right:  Avril, Sal with Mary (my other favorite cast member), and Peet.

Sal with Julianne -- always a wonderful addition to any Near West show!

Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well

Last night Sal and I attended a production of Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living In Paris at the coolest theater in Cleveland -- Near West Theater.  The show was WOW!  Having heard over the years that Jacques Brel is known as the show that saved the Playhouse Square theaters, I'd always been interested in seeing it.  And here was a chance for Sal and I to experience it at Near West.  Wonderful voices, colorful costumes, fascinating stories inside the songs -- and the Near West up-close and personal style -- added up to an amazing marathon of entertainment!  I highly recommend it for those in the Cleveland area who are reading this before the run ends on May 19th.
 

The amazing CoCo (wonderful singer and actress) and Stephanie Morrison-Hrbek (Near West's Executive Director) very kindly took a moment to pose with Sal a few minutes before the show began.  Because of the conditions under which the picture was taken, I was not thrilled with how it looked, so I did some messing around on iPhoto to make it look old and blurry around the edges.  I really like the way this picture feels now.

Quin, another talented member of the cast, saw Little Sal and asked to play her.  When I told her that Sal was not in tune, Quin managed to tune Sal in the very noisy house and then to play a lovely song.   It's a small world!  Uke players are everywhere!  (which is a very good thing!)

After the show, my friends invited me to accompany them to Toast Wine Bar.  I left Sal in the car, thinking it would be too obnoxious to impose my uke photo obsession on them any further, but they urged me to bring her in.  It was very dark, but with the aid of the little candles on the table and the addition of a glass of wine (not taking credit for these super ideas), and the menu chalkboard that was on the table (I can take credit for this one), I got this shot of Sal against the well-aged wall.  Not sharp, of course, but very atmospheric.  Lesson from this picture:  too many cooks don't necessarily spoil the broth!  Several heads are sometimes better than one!