Farewell Summer: The Language of Good-bye

The Delaware Humanities Forum concluded its summer book series with Maribeth Fischer’s The Language of Good-bye at Presto on August 14. A performance by actors from City Theater Company was followed by a discussion with Rehoboth-based author.

The actors instantly transported us to an ESL (English as a Second Language) classroom. Annie is a newly divorced teacher who has left her husband for another man. Kerry Kristine McElrone, who plays the sometimes flustered teacher, listens attentively and with expression to the students. Mary Catherine Kelley is moving in her portrayal of Sungae, a Korean artist who finally decides to learn English after living seventeen years in this country.

In her novel, Fischer explores the role of language and its relationship to culture, expression and thought. Annie begins to understand her students’ difficulties with foreign language and culture. Her student Ba (played by James Kassees) says “You think Vietnam a war, you forget it is my country.” We later discover Sungae has refused to learn English, because she is afraid to have words for the great losses in her life.

The author related how her own experience as an ESL teacher gave her insights into foreign culture and language. Fischer, who is currently completing another novel, cautioned the authors in the audience about making a work of fiction too autobiographical. A lively discussion about the use of “life material” in fiction ensued. I look forward to more exciting things The Delaware Humanities Forum has in store for us in the coming months.

See http://www.dhf.org/.

Exposing Artists' Inspiration

Last week, I joined a small group of media folk to preview the Delaware Art Museum's summer exhibit, “Exposed! Revealing Sources in Contemporary Art”. What a treat! It was wonderful to hear the Curator of American Art, Heather Campbell Coyle, talk so enthusiastically about the pieces and the fascinating background information she amassed in her research for the show.

First in our tour was the oldest piece in the exhibit: a 1964 offset lithography piece by Eugene Feldman entitled Friend's Wife (Mrs. JFK). The stark, grainy image grabs you, revisiting the raw emotion in the original Eddie Adams photo of Jackie O at Kennedy's funeral.

As expected (and to my delight), there is a series of large Warhols lining the wall. The seven colorful screenprints of Mao, 1972 come from a 10-piece portfolio. I've been enamored with all things Andy Warhol since I was a teenager (thanks to junior-high art teacher, Mrs. P.), so of course I was thrilled to see these extraordinary works, on loan from a private collection. They’re classic Warhol—irreverent, campy and powerful.

Another piece that struck me was the enormous 60-piece Deluxe by Ellen Gallagher, an African-American artist whose expansive creation features the techniques of collage, laser etching, clay, and crystal embellishment, incorporated into ad pages of Ebony magazines from the 1960s. You could literally spend hours with this piece and not take in every meticulous detail. It is a breathtaking and brilliant commentary on culture, beauty and media imagery.

Coyle’s favorite pieces include the Gallagher and a series by Richard Prince, based on pulp fiction nurse novels from the 1950s and 1960s. She noted that she enjoyed discovering the “backstory” to these artists’ inspirations, how they derived information and images from pop culture, poetry and media, and made it their own. “It adds a richness to the story if you know what the artist started with,” she said.

You can also read Coyle’s blog on the exhibit at http://exposed-exhibition.blogspot.com/.
Don’t miss this exhibit, on view until October 4.

See http://www.delart.org/.

Modern Millie: Thoroughly Entertaining!

Starry-eyed aspiring actresses, an evil conniving villain, and an unlikely hero who saves the day: Thoroughly Modern Millie at the New Candlelight Theatre in Arden has it all. This rousing production, set during the 1920s, runs through October 10. The show is beautifully staged, choreographed and performed.

Millie Dillmount, sung beautifully by a sympathetic Erica Scanlon Harr, is a small town girl following her dreams to New York City. Her odyssey lands her in a fleabag motel, which is merely a front for a “white slavery” ring funneling unsuspecting young women to Hong Kong via a laundry hamper. Micki Sharpe, who also directs the show, plays the hysterical, conniving Mrs. Meers, slipping in and out of her fake pigeon English when necessary. Bun Foo and Ching Ho, unwilling cohorts in her slave trade, are played by Reza Mirsajadi and Brian Peeke respectively. They are side-splittingly funny as they sing their numbers in Mandarin, with the subtitle translations overhead.

As Millie’s dream of marrying her boss goes hopelessly wrong, she meets and falls in love with Jimmy Smith, played by the handsome and lithe Justin Damm. The wealthy Muzzy Van Hossmere is expertly sung by Jillian Pirtle. Megan Pisors’ portrayal of the slightly clueless Dorothy Brown is charming. As the big boss Mr. Graydon, actor Patrick O’Hara almost makes us want to like his bumbling, womanizing character.

Be sure to see this heart-warming show, filled with snappy dance numbers, whirling secretaries’ desks and flapper dresses.

See www.newcandlelighttheatre.com.