From time to time at the end of the day it
seems as if my molecules just collapse. No matter what I should be
doing, my body just. won't. move. That's what happened at the end of
the day yesterday. It's not that it was a particularly energetic day,
just eventful.
Ned came at 9 with bagels to celebrate
Fathers Day and we had a nice visit before he left to go and visit his
grandmother. Walt and I were delighted to be headed off to San
Francisco, hoping to escape the predicted 107⁰
temperatures here. We were headed to the Presentation theater, old
home of The Lamplighters, for a memorial to Orva Hoskinson, co-founder of
the company and "father" to hundreds of performers who have trod the
Lamplighters boards over the years. A cool breeze greeted me as I got
out of the car. How wonderful!
The stage was set with a display of Orva's
costume for his iconic role of Bunthorne, the fleshly poet, in Gilbert &
Sullivan's Patience.
While Orva performed all of his life and
performed and directed not only Gilbert & Sullivan, but opera, operetta,
recitals, etc. (as a recording of "Donna non vidi Mai" from Manon Lescaut
recorded in 1958 with LeRoy Miller accompanying, which began the memorial
demonstrated) for Lamplighters, he will forever be remembered for his
Bunthorne, of which one San Francisco Chronicle critic once wrote
"There is Gielgud's Hamlet, and there is Hoskinson's Bunthorne."
There followed a parade of memorials
interspersed with performances and film clips of Orva in performance that
was an emotional roller coaster. But it was absolutely perfect and I think
Orva would have approved
The memories started out with
a song, written by co-founder Ann
MacNab (unable, because of health problems to attend) to celebrate Orva.
It was perfect "Ann."
"The World is a Broken Toy" from Princess
Ida brought tears from many remembering that the Lamplighters have lost
FIVE in the last year. In addition to Orva there was patterman/board
chairman John Vlahos, the marvelous soprano, Rosemary Bock, patterman John
Rouse, and Patience Bauman, daughter of two Lamplighters who met and married
in the company. Patience also performed in Lamplighters choruses.
Rick Williams, patterman, and soprano Jane
Hammett recreated Orva's staging for "I have a song to sing o"
from Yeomen of the Guard. Rick also gave a shout-out to myself and
Alison Lewis for writing the Lamplighters history, which was very sweet of
him.
The afternoon continued through memories,
laughs, tears, and, at the end, hugs. (Highlight was a marvelous video
montage by Judy Epstein, which will be uploaded to YouTube today. Who
knew Ova once had hair?) Someone even remembered the incident
(recorded in Arthur Bloomfield's History of the San Francisco Opera) when
Orva streaked a production of The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein, on
suggestion of then-director Kurt Adler. (Three people at the memorial
remembered being in the Opera House audience to see it.) Then there was a
reception at the Lamplighters World Headquarters, which we also attended,
not wanting to leave the cool air of San Francisco and head home!
When we finally got into the car, we decided
to find some place to eat, for Fathers Day. It took four tries before
we finally found someplace that could take us without a reservation.
We tried Spengers Fish Grotto in Berkeley, but they turned us away, then
Skates, on the Berkeley Marina, where we had gone with Caroline when she was
here, but there was such a line of people waiting, I didn't even ask if they
could take us. Lowering our standards we tried Sizzler, a bit farther
toward home, but they had a long line waiting and few tables open, so on we
went to Denny's in Cordelia. It wasn't anything fancy, but at least
there was no line!
We were now back in the heat again, though. I
had told Walt I would drive home from Denny's, but my molecules started
fading before I had finished my steak (which I brought home and he said he
would drive. I think I was asleep before we got on the freeway and
barely awake long enough to stumble in the house and collapsed into the
recliner. Walt fed the dogs.
No comments:
Post a Comment