Nathan Gunn sings in Rodgers & Hammerstein's Allegro

I am so excited - Tuesday, February 3, 2009 is the official drop date for the "all-star complete recording of Rodgers and Hammerstein's short-lived 1947 Broadway musical, Allegro, featuring Audra McDonald, Nathan Gunn and Patrick Wilson."

Nathan Gunn and Audra McDonald at the Allegro recording
photo by Carol Rosegg

To quote a Playbill story published on 12/8/2008, "Allegro tells the story of an earnest country doctor, Joseph Taylor, following his life from cradle to adulthood, and his journey — both literal and moral — from small town to big city, and back again. The score is unconventional: fragments of song move in and out of the action like passing thoughts; melodies flit by in one scene only to take hold and blossom in the next. Major songs are given to minor characters, while the central character has comparatively little solo work. A chorus provides spoken commentary and sings aloud inner thoughts. Original director/choreographer Agnes de Mille's extended ballet sequences are reflected in intriguing orchestral pieces.

The new recording of Allegro features Patrick Wilson (The Full Monty, Oklahoma!) as Joe Taylor, Jr.; Nathan Gunn (Camelot) and Audra McDonald (Ragtime, Carousel, Master Class) as Joe's parents; Marni Nixon (My Fair Lady, Nine) as Joe's Grandma; Judy Kuhn (Les Misérables, She Loves Me, Chess) as Beulah; Liz Callaway (Baby, Cats, Miss Saigon) as Emily; Laura Benanti (Gypsy, Into the Woods, Nine) as Jennie; and Norbert Leo Butz (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Wicked, Is He Dead?) as Joe's best friend, Charlie."

I cannot wait to hear this! It's like finding a hidden treasure - a score that I have never heard, but that was written between Carousel and South Pacific smack dab in R & H's heyday. It's available at Amazon - Allegro CD. Here's hoping it's as wonderful as I think it will be.

Book Review - Too Good to be True by Kristan Higgins

First off, I love this author. I've loved all her books so far and this one didn't disappoint. Well, except for the very tippy end.

Grace Emerson was engaged to Andrew Carson for two years before her baby sister Natalie came home from college and blahmy (as Higgins puts it) they fell for each other. Grace knew something had occured, but didn't want to believe it, so when Andrew comes to break off their engagement she doesn't mention her sister. Both her sister and Andrew fought a good fight, but after watching them avoid each other for her sake, she finally talks to each of them separately and gives her permission for them to be together.

This is what Grace does. She loves her little sister and the feeling is mutual, so instead of going nuts she makes them feel better about the situation. Unfortunately, the rest of her family believes she is still pining for Andrew and make every social occasion hell for Grace. So, fed up with all the looks and sympathy, Grace makes up a boyfriend. Wyatt Dunn, pediatric surgeon. For most of the book, Wyatt is "not" around - he's tending emergencies, he's at a medical conference and so on. Grace just wants everyone to leave her alone and is glad she made him up once Natalie tells her that if she didn't have a new man in her life, Nat would never get with Andrew from the guilt.

Grace is a history teacher at a prep school in New England and is also a Civil War re-enactor on the weekends. She loves her job, and her little doggie Angus. Other than the whole Andrew thing she's doing okay, although a bit lonely. When her gay high school friend Julian tells her they both have to get out and get someone, she tries internet dating and some other solutions, but no one stands out. Except, that is, for her new neighbor.

Callahan O'Shea has just moved into the old house next door. When they first meet Grace mistakes him for a burglar and he spends the night in jail before it is figured out that he now owns the house. Naturally Callahan doesn't think too much of Grace and she is embarrassed. It's a shame, though, cause Callahan is a major hottie.

Callahan has just gotten out of prison for an embezzlement conviction and is trying to get his life back on track. So when the looney neighbor and her yappy dog keep doing stupid things to him, he becomes resigned to the fact that Grace is goofy but sweet. Although we don't get into Callahan's POV, that's okay, 'cause we can tell what he's thinking by the description of his expressions, and the things he says.
The tiny quibble at the end involves Callahan stonewalling Grace over the made-up boyfriend. It didn't ring true for me and I didn't think he was that judgmental, so that was the only false note in the book.

All of Higgins books have been first person and it really is done well. At different points in this book I laughed out loud and also teared up. Grace is nice and deserving of a decent man and Callahan is the right man for the job.

The sex is not explicit, but it totally fit the tone of the book and I enjoyed the book very much.

Book Review - Where the Heart Leads by Stephanie Laurens

I still read Ms. Laurens but I could really just skip a few books and I bet I could tell you the plot, more or less. They all seem interchangeable, but I am still hooked into reading them. She has a way with words, for certain.

This is part of, but not part of, the Cynster series. Barnaby Adair, a friend of the Cynster's and a private investigator is the hero. He is the third son of an earl and likes solving crime.

Penelope Ashford, Portia Cynster's sister from another book, is a spinster by choice - she wants no part of marriage as she would lose her freedom. She works at the Foundling House for orphaned boys by choice. When four boys that were to come to the House on the death of their ill parents are kidnapped before they can arrive, Penelope goes to Barnaby for help.

Intrigued by the case and by Penelope, Barnaby aids her...not realizing that she is a much different kind of woman. Instead of sitting back and waiting for answers, Penelope involves herself in every aspect of the case, from interviewing persons in the slums to talking to Scotland Yard. She's sort of a woman's libber waaay before that was even thought of.

Barnaby finally decides that they are a good match for one another...now the hard part will be convincing the relationship-shy Penelope of the same thing.
Along the way we also get to witness Scotland Yard inspector Basil Stokes finally get his own true love. Nice.

Nothing new here, and even though the plot is recycled and the characters the same old, I still liked it. Good amount of sex and romance balanced.

Book Review - Ultimate Weapon by Shannon McKenna

This book has been out for awhile but I just got to read it. Wow, what a great book - with some minor quibbles.

Tamara Steele has had an impossibly hard life that started when she was 15 and her family was killed by madmen. She was used by horrible men and after they were done she has used her looks and body to climb out of the despair she was in and is a clever assassin. When she helped break up a black-market organ donor ring she ended up adopting Rachel, a three year old. During her time as an assassin, she killed Kurt Novak, a psycho path whose father is even worse. For the last five years Papa Novak has thought that the woman who killed his son was dead, but now he has found out she's alive...and he wants her so he can torture and kill her.

Val Janos is an operative for a covert company. He has been hired by yet another nutjob, Georg Luksch (Papa Novak's former #2 man and now his rival), to find and bring Tamara to him - Georg is convinced they belong together. As Val observes Tam and her daughter Rachel, he is only doing his job, but the more pressure that is put on him to abduct the kid and use it to bend Tam to their will, the more he feels it is wrong.

Before he can act either way, his mentor/oldest friend Imre is taken ill. He rushes to Budapest - Imre is Val's only weakness. When Val's bosses at PSS give him up to Novak, Imre is kidnapped and Val is forced to do their bidding if he wants Imre to remain alive. Part of that bidding is to bring Tamara to Novak instead of to Georg...this all sounds confusing but it really is not. To get Tamara to cooperate, he must seduce her, but he's done that many times before. He, too, was used as a 12 year old for horrible things before he got smarter and before Imre came into his life.

This is a story of two completely damaged souls that somehow made it through to end up in the same place. I really, really liked both characters and was rooting for them the whole book. McKenna is really an excellent writer, but as I mentioned before I have one quibble.

Rachel, the child, has been through a lot. However, it seemed that in every scene, in every mention, the child is said to be screaming her head off. I have a three year old granddaughter and I think that if she behaved as badly as this kid does, I'd have to give her Benadryl 24/7/365 just to cope. I know it was for the plot, but come on. No kid can maintain that much angst all the time.

Other than the kid stuff, the book was really good and I highly recommend it. Lots of sex but in a good way and not in a squishy way.

Nathan Gunn in Action

I spoke about Nathan Gunn earlier in the week. His voice is like warm, rich chocolate. I'm posting a video from the Lyric Opera of Chicago here so you can see him in action. The Barber of Seville is so much fun - and you can tell he really enjoys the role.



An online friend of mine saw him perform this in person. I wish I could have been there.

Here is a promo video from his 2007 CD Just Before Sunrise. The song, Feels Like Home, was one that I wasn't so in love with at first, but it grew on me. I feel like an idiot, but I finally had what Oprah would call a "light bulb moment" the other day - all the songs on the Just Before Sunrise CD tell a story. Duh, huh? I'm looking for something catchy, but these songs require a bit of reflection and totally make sense. In fact, I'm listening to them and totally getting it. Slow learner, I guess.



I have a lot more videos to show...we'll get to them in time.

Nothing But Fun

I don't think I mentioned it, but last year I survived through breast cancer. Through surgery, through chemotherapy, through radiation. Through hair loss, through unbelieveable nausea, through depression. When New Year's Eve 2008 arrived, I drank a HUGE glass of wine and toasted myself, saying that 2009 would have to be better and that I was leaving all the sickness in the past. WRONG.

Today I had to go to the doctor. For the last two weeks, I have had pain in my left shoulder/arm/breast area. This is the side that had the cancer, so I'm immediately thinking that I pulled the incision inside or strained something since I was exercising, as well as lifting some boxes at work. I've gotten to where I hate going to the doctor, but I finally caved since instead of getting better, it's getting worse.

The doctor listens to my tale. (I've checked the internet and there is a huge community of women who have underarm pain due to their breast cancer surgery, so I'm armed with lots of info - I think.) He asks me to take off my top/bra so he can check me out. After he leaves the room I do that and wait for him to return. Amazingly enough I'm thinking he didn't have to leave - I've shown my breasts to just about everyone in this town during this entire process, so modesty is completely gone.

When he returns he takes out the affected arm and looks around. He points to the node incision and says, "What is that?" I say, "What, this red stuff? It's a contact rash, I'm pretty sure, from the bra. I have very sensitive skin and if the bras are not double rinsed, I get rashes." He says, "Um, no, that's not contact rash - that is shingles."

Shingles. What the hell is shingles? He explains that the chemotherapy suppressed my immune system and allowed this virus (from chickenpox I went through as a child) to come out to play. The pain radiates from my back spine around to the front, mid breast, which is, apparently, normal. Great. One more fabulous thing to go through.

He prescribes Valtrex as an antibiotic. I've heard that name before - I think on a commercial. He says, "Well, it is used normally for herpes." Even more great! Now I'm taking an anti-herpes medicine. He tells me that if I don't take it, the chances of the pain coming back over and over for years is possible. I'm like, gimme that paper, doc, I'm on the way to get it right now.

So just when you think that you are through one trial, another one comes along.

Nathan Gunn Loves Me - or He Should

Opera baritone Nathan Gunn is my latest love. He doesn't know me, but that doesn't matter - I know him...and there is a lot of him to know.

He's known in opera circles as Top Gunn (quoted from a fan website) and half-naked Nathan Gunn and naked Nathan Gunn. Here's why:



Oh yeah - he sings good, too. His 2007 album, Just Before Sunrise, is a collection of mild and mellow songs from "living composers" as he put it on the liner notes. I didn't like all the songs at first, but on numerous plays I have been brainwashed into liking them. Or is it his voice that I like? Dunno, but either way the desired result was achieved.

You've got to wonder what kind of ego a person like this sports. Is he humble and grateful for his gift, or is he arrogant and tempermental? I don't suppose I'll ever know even though his home base is only 40 miles from mine. I don't hang in the operatic world and I'm pretty sure he doesn't hang in the police world, so I doubt we'll ever cross paths.

Having said that, he owes me. And to quote a right wing idiot that I hate (take that, Glenn Beck) I'll tell you how I got there. I have six kids, two girls, four boys (and the boys include two sets of twins). After slogging along I have managed to put them all through college (thanks to their good grades, Pell grants and William Ford loans), three of them through the University of Illinois. Nathan Gunn is a U of I alumni and a current professor of voice there. (I would hate to be his student since he's probably only able to actually teach like 6 days a year with his performance schedule. My son's professor's teaching assistants did all the heavy lifting when they were in college and I imagine the same is true for the college of music, but I digress.)

Having three kids at the U of I ain't cheap, even with grants, scholarships and loans. They have lived everywhere from the six-pack and Lundgren Hall to private apartments (on 1st Street) and houses (on Chalmers) and the book fees alone are enough to choke a horse, not even counting their horse-like eating habits (and not including the annual testical festival which my vet son cooked for each year) . So I'm figuring that with one son a veterinarian - that's 4 years of undergrad tuition and 4 years of grad school; one son an engineer - add on 4 years there; and the other son a liberal artist - add on 4 more, that is a total of 16 years of tuition, fees, room and board at the good old U of I. I OWN him, or more specifically I own his office space at the very least. I'm sure if I were to seek out his office, there would probably be a plaque mounted on the wall nearby with my name as the generous donor.

Hence the title of this post - he should love me if only for the nice little office he occupies.

Book Review - Hot as Hell by Helen Kay Dimon

I just don’t know where to start with this book. I thought I would never get done reading it, but thank God I did. I can’t quite express how disappointed I was with it, but I’ll give it a try.

This book SUCKED.

The last book I read by this author was pretty good, as I recall. So when I saw this new one I bought it without hesitation or without reading any blurbs. My bad.

Our story opens with Noah, a security expert at Stuart Enterprises, a family business, following his errant ex-fiancée Lexy to a spa in the Utah desert. Lexy is one of the partners in Stuart Enterprises. She has dumped Noah, taken valuable files and locked Noah out of computer access for unknown reasons. Noah has given her a little time, but now he is unable to do his job and Lexy’s brother, Gray, has asked Noah to go find her and figure out what is going on.

Noah arrives at the spa (which is described in such a manner that only Auschwitz came to mind – blech for food, punishing hikes, no trappings of any resembling civilized life) to find Lexy avoiding him and refusing to answer any questions. She seems interested in the spa’s security director for some reason and he is determined to both win her back and figure out why she’s acting so strangely.

Lexy, it turns out, is a bitch. She has “issues” from her childhood that she uses as an excuse to be a demanding c-word. Her parents were pack rats so this means in times of stress she shops hysterically and buys lots of things she doesn’t need or want, then strews this stuff all over her living area. Huh. I do that same thing, so my parents must have been pack rats too. OMFG – I have a case for disability!

Noah tries to talk to Lexy about what is wrong, but, of course, she won’t tell him. What she refuses to discuss is that Noah has been accused by one of their major accounts of stealing from them. She is mad at Noah because he won’t discuss every little feeling and every little part of his past, so since he won’t dance to her tune and kiss her ass, she has decided that he’s probably guilty. She, a partner in a business, has taken his files, taken away his computer access and followed some kind of paper trail to this spa. She is not there to prove him innocent, mind you, just to talk to a person whose name came up in the paperwork, namely the aforementioned security guard.

Noah keeps trying to get her to talk to him about the problem but she continues to refuse. She doesn’t refuse to boff him, though, and they have sex quite a number of times with this thing hanging (ha ha no pun intended) between them. While Lexy is still avoiding the issue, they find the security guard dead in Lexy’s room. She, of course, is a suspect as well as Noah, although they were together at the time of the murder and know they didn’t do it.

Finally after tons of unnecessary dialogue with just about every character that just went on and on, and a stupid wrap-up of the murder and the uncovering of the actual thief in the company, Lexy finally tells Noah that she is hurt by the fact that he won’t kiss her ass and tell her every thought in his head and every single thing that he ever did in his whole life. Noah, being a normal human being and a man, says that the stuff that happened before doesn’t matter, but Lexy just can’t let it go. And since he won’t tell her everything that means he doesn’t love her so she leaves.

Just when you want to cheer and look up Noah and buy him a congratulatory drink for his narrow escape, Lexy comes back into the picture. She doesn’t come of her own volition; it is at her brother’s behest that she speaks to Noah about business stuff. During this conversation she allegedly realizes that she has been an unreasonable bitch and asks Noah to forgive her. And instead of being able to say, well, at least she realizes that she was wrong, she goes ahead in the last few pages and says they should get back together as long as he works on being better at telling her everything all the time.

I was so hoping that Noah would take a quote from Rhett Butler and say, “Frankly my dear, fuck off.” But he didn’t and I suppose they are out there somewhere, him wishing he could kill her and get away with it, her harping about her feelings and him not talking all the time.

Noah, baby, you deserve better.

Lots of sex in this one, but she was so unappealing and unattractive a character, who cares?

What You Do For Love

My six year old grandson called me up yesterday and asked me to take him to see Hotel for Dogs at the movies. This is not a movie I want to see, nor did I think he would - he's more the animated-type movie viewer. But I said okay, and decided to take the three year old granddaughter along as well.

I just don't understand why this movie was made. There was no plot, really, other than to watch dogs run around a decrepit (sp) hotel. My grandkids, however, seemed to enjoy it alot. Go figure.

After loading them up with sugar and popcorn I released them back to their mother. What a great thing that is. Here, take these sugar-high kids and deal with them...my job is done.

Anyway, it was fun to get out with them and to watch my granddaughter worry about the poor doggies and to see my grandson laugh out loud over some toilet humor. The things we do for love. Sigh.

As Scarlett once said - Tomorrow is Another Day

So the other day was an abberation...thank goodness not the norm. I'm feeling pretty good today. Went out at lunch to go to the bank and about froze my you-know-what off. 15 degrees for the high. Nothing but fun in the Midwest in the winter.

On that note, started to plan this year's trips. Going to Las Vegas for a work conference, so that doesn't count. I'm definitely going to take my daughter and grandkids out to see my son in Oregon during June, I think/hope. Haven't made the final decision on that. Also want to go to Boston at some point, probably in July. Then the next work conference in Chicago in September, again that doesn't count, but it does figure into the schedule.

Also want to take the grandkids for a weekend camping trip, and that does count.

Hope I can get it all in...I've decided life's too short to wait.