What a surprise to find several Monarch caterpillars dining on my Butterfly Weed plant today while working in my flower beds.

Rooten Tooten Red Day Lillies

My "ROOTEN TOOTEN RED" day lilies put on a show this year!

Apple Picking Time

What a beautiful day in Banner Elk for harvesting the Wolf River apples.  These apples are mainly used in cooking. The apples from this tree planted by Dad many years ago will make delicious applesauce, cakes, and pies.

From the Mountaintop: The Edgar Tufts Story Cast

Lees McRae Summer Theatre
Edgar Tufts Cast list (Order of Appearance)

Anna Tufts - Burlene Franklin

Young Edgar - John Christopher

Carrie Voncannon - Geana Anderson Welter

Edgar Tufts - Matt Flocco

Addie - Amanda Tate Vergara

Secretary/Washington and  Lee - Nancy Dosher

Classmate One - Justin  Bulla

Classmate Two - Robert Guenther

Washington and Lee Professor - Dick Larsen

Secretary Hamden/Sydney - Stacey Trivett

Bessie Hall Tufts - AnnElese Galleo

Mrs. Hicks - Burlene Franklin

Conductor - Steve Hill

Mr. Hicks - Bob Haas

Miss Moody -  Presnell Smith

Miss Hodges - Angela Hodges

Mr. Presnell - Robert Guenther

Shepherd Dugger - James Taylor

Ike Banner - John Thomas Oaks

Anna Guignard -  Carringer Russell

Miss Norwood - tacey Trivett

Pansy -  Garrett

Nettie - Marley Vergara

Mr. Rominger - Steve Hill

Preston - Will  Garrett

Gertie - Kaelin Braverman

Rose - Eriana Fidler

George - Jacob Vergara

Young Edgar Hall - Keller Best

Mrs. Lowe - Nina Albert

Williams Cummings Tate - Joshua Yoder

Maude Tate - Payton Moledor

Charles Voncannon - Ben Vergara

Man Who’s been shot 1 - Robert Guenther

Drunk Man - Justin Bulla

Mr. Switzer - Dick  Larsen

Miss Shook - Barbara Hosbein

Mountain Jack - Robert Guenther

Mountain Jills: Jessica Presnell Smith, Payton Franklin, Amanda Tate Vergara, Stacey    Trivett

Young Emma - Kaelin  Braverman

Young Pansy -  Izabelle Garrett

Adult Pansy - Jessica Presnell Smith

Adult Emma - Nancy Dosher

Young Margaret Tufts - Eriana Fidler

Dr. Archer - Dick Larsen

Rich Guy - Steve Hill

Man Who’s Been shot 2 - John Thomas  Oaks

Mary Breckenridge Tufts - Payton Franklin

Edgar Hall Tufts - Justin Bulla

Mary Martin Sloop - Alice Johnson

Older MargaretTufts - Jessica Presnell Smith

Townspersons: - Dan Akerblom, Beth Allison,  Martha Burnes

‘Man of La Mancha’ provokes and delights in Little Theatre production

By Lynn Felder Winston-Salem Journal May 4, 2019

“Man of La Mancha” debuted on Broadway more than 50 years ago, during a time of political unrest and cultural upheaval in the U.S. That year, the Voting Rights Act passed, the Vietnam War was accelerating, Medicare and Medicaid were established, and Bob Dylan went electric.

The same musical opened to a packed and appreciative house Friday night against the backdrop of voting rights battles, another war somewhere, health care squabbles and Dylan still touring.

How can this musical feel so fresh when our ideals have undergone so many stalemates? It’s a sneaky show, really. It leaves us racked with sadness, reeling from ambiguity — and humming “The Impossible Dream.” Oh, and it’s pretty funny, too.

I think that’s the answer. The music is gorgeous, timeless — placeless too. Composer Mitch Leigh borrows from flamenco and classical guitar to transport us to Spain or Morocco or … La Mancha. Then he brings in the trumpet and the haunting clarinet, the ethereal piccolo, the vast and sweeping implications of the French horn.

Dale Wasserman based “Man of La Mancha” on his own non-musical teleplay, “I, Don Quixote” (1959), distilled from the 17th-century Cervantes novel, and Joe Darion wrote the lyrics.

The orchestra, led by David Lane is fine, but a sound technician is needed to turn up the vocal mics. Too often the very good band overwhelmed the singers.

The lead actors are spectacular, seemingly born to play these parts.

Chuck King, as Cervantes/Don Quixote, brings one of the finest voices in community theater to the role. When he swings into the first big number, “Man of La Mancha (I, Don Quixote),” with Ken Ashford as his squire/sidekick Sancho, you know that you’re in for a rollicking ride. The song is just rousing, and you’re ready to join Don Quixote on his quest, regardless of how wrong-headed and deluded it may be.

Ashford is splendid as Sancho, playing the comic servant with a raspy whine, twisted lip and twinkling eyes. He gets to shine on “I Really Like Him” and “A Little Gossip.”

Christine Gorelick is terrific as Aldonza/Dulcinea. It’s a tough role physically as she is handled by the Muleteers, a band of rough men; and emotionally, as she is whipsawed from hardened scullery maid to the object of Quixote’s adoration back to disillusioned viragos and ultimately idealist. Her introductory song, “It’s All the Same,” with the Muleteers is a bawdy delight.

Act I ends with King’s full-throated rendition of “The Impossible Dream,” and it’s impossible to resist his lure of delusion.

The ensemble players are all good, lively actors and singers, and the chorus numbers are gorgeous to hear.

Mark Pirolo directs and draws fine performances from everyone.

There are disturbing scenes: Dulcinea’s abduction and Quixote’s “cure,” with spectacular costuming, credited to Tara Raczenski.

The show is full of inspiration and terrible ambiguity, with a particularly seductive argument for idealism over pragmatism.

But when the full cast blend voice and band on the final “Impossible Dream,” it’s easy to see why “Man of La Mancha” — a show about a crazy old man with delusions of glory and nobility — won five Tonys in 1965 and why it still moves audiences today.

Little Theatre’s ‘Man of La Mancha’ focuses on the dream

By Bill Cissna Special Correspondent

The Little Theatre of Winston-Salem will open its production of the 1965 Tony Awardwinningmusical “Man of La Mancha” on Friday on the Dunn stage at Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art.

With a relatively small cast for a musical, “La Mancha” portrays parts of the story of Don Quixote, as performed by a cast of prisoners directed by the famous novel’s author, Miguel de Cervantes. 

The notion of Cervantes protecting the manuscript of the novel that secured his fame, mostly after his death, from the Spanish Inquisition and playing out his story with prisoners is a mostly fictional creation of writer Dale Wasserman. He based it on his own non-musical teleplay, “I, Don Quixote”1959). 

The songs that carry the tale forward, including the popular “The Impossible Dream,” were composed by Mitch Leigh (music) and Joe Darion (lyrics).

In short, as Wasserman repeatedly insisted, “Man of La Mancha” is not a musical version of “Don Quixote” the novel. But it takes its themes and shares segments from Cervantes’ sprawling novel — released in two parts in 1605 and 1615 — as inspiration.

Mark Pirolo, who directs “La Mancha” for Little Theatre, said that the show is “a very distilled version of the novel, which is to say that the novel is huge.”

Pirolo first directed the musical 35 years ago, but, for a variety of reasons, didn’t feel he understood it very well. This experience is turning out better.

“In many cases,” he said, “this cast is infinitely more talented than that cast was. There are no bad voices in this show, and the acting is strong as well.”

While the music is as important or more so than in most musicals to Pirolo, having that cast of actors is also making it easier to dig deeper into the characters.

“What makes this musical appealing to me as a director is that I actually get to deal with the actors as actors and not mostly in charge of traffic control,” Pirolo said. “We’re experiencing a rarity which is that we’re really finding time to sit down and to discuss who these people are.”

Pirolo also has the benefit of a lead actor with in-depth experience in the role of Cervantes/Don Quixote.

Chuck King was 23 years old when, in 1983, he was cast as Cervantes/Don Quixote at Little Theatre. He freely admits that he has a different perspective on the role now.

“I’m approaching it from the exact opposite end,” King said. “It all centers around one line in the show when Cervantes says ‘I have lived nearly 50 years.’ When I was 23, it was like, ‘oh, my God, I can’t even say this with a straight face.’ And now, I have to act backwards.

“All of a sudden, the idealism that is presented in the story starts to make more sense. And the notion of Cervantes, who is older in the story, and Quixote, who is quite a bit older, that they are still dreaming. For Quixote in particular, it’s the one thing that keeps him going.”

For Christine Gorelick, it’s her first time playing Aldonza/Dulcinea. She knew the songs growing up, particularly “The Impossible Dream,” and she brings the experience of acting in many musicals to the table.

Aldonza’s songs, however, are perhaps among the most character-driven songs she’s done.

“She’s a different kind of role, basically a kitchen slut, a servant in her life, and now imprisoned.”

Yet, Cervantes casts her in the female lead, and Don Quixote sees this Dulcinea vision of an ideal woman in the story. “She has a new vision of herself by the end,” Gorelick said.

The “La Mancha” cast also includes Rodney Allen, Chantel Bryant, Jamie Duncan, Amanda Hicks, Michael Hoch, Angela

Hodges,. Jonathan Howle, Troy Hurst, Sarah Jenkins, Trevor Ketterling, Deborah Koerner, David Nichols, Rebecca Perello, Ken Rogers, Dave Wils and Will Wright fill out the performing troupe.

The musical features David Lane (music director), Daniel Alvarez (lights), Tara Raczenski (costumes) and Elliott Riches

(stage manager). Desiree Cowan and Yvonne Truhon are handling props. Cheri Van Loon is choreographing dance sequences; Mark Boynton is the fight choreographer.

“To me,” Pirolo said, “what’s beautiful about the show is the message that you have to have dreams in order to have life. As Quixote says, ‘it doesn’t matter if you win or lose. What’s important is the quest.’”

“The whole idea is that it’s madness to see life as it really is,” Gorelick said, “as opposed to as it should be.”   

Lees McRae Summer Theatre presents "From The Mountaintop: The Edgar Tufts Story"

What did Banner Elk, North Carolina, look like in the 1890s? With the vision of a young seminary student, one tiny town gained a church, a college, an orphanage, and a hospital.” 

The story of Edgar Tufts is compelling and heartwarming. Set to music by John Thomas Oaks and Tommy Oaks, and written by Janet Barton Speer (the team who brought you The Denim King: The Moses Cone Story), this work is presented after thoughtful research among the families who have lived here for generations. Using traditional mountain music mixed with a lyrical style, audiences will be moved and inspired by this great man. You will not want to miss From the Mountaintop: The Edgar Tufts Story. Written by Janet Barton Speer  |  Music and Lyrics by John Thomas Oaks and Tommy Oaks

Show Times:
Thursday, July 11 at 7 p.m.
Friday, July 12 at 7 p.m.
Saturday, July 13 at 7 p.m.
Sunday, July 14 at 2 p.m.
Tuesday, July 16 at 2 and 7 p.m.
Wednesday, July 17 at 2 p.m.

The Little Theatre of Winston-Salem Man of La Mancha Cast

Inspired by Miguel de Cervantes’ seventeenth-century masterpiece Don Quixote, this winner of five Tony Awards, including Best Musical, has proven to be one of the most enduring works in musical theatre history. With a celebrated score that includes “The Impossible Dream” and “Dulcinea,” this powerful and endearing story celebrates the perseverance of a dying old man who refuses to relinquish his ideals or his passion.

CAST:

Miguel De Cervantes/Don Quixote/Alonso Quijana – Chuck King

Sancho Panza – Ken Ashford          

Aldonza/Dulcinea – Christine Gorelick

Governor/Innkeeper – Ken Rogers

Duke/Dr. Sanson Carrasco/Knight of the Mirrors – Trevor Ketterling

Antonia – Sarah Jenkins

Housekeeper –  Deborah Koerner

Padre – Jonathan Howie

Barber – Rodney Allen

Pedro – Michael Hoch

Anselmo – Dave Wills

Muleteer:  David Nichols

Cantor/Tenorio – Troy Hurst 

Maria – Rebecca Perello

Fermina – Chantel Bryant

Gypsy Girl – Amanda Hicks

Prisoner  – Angela Hodges

Captain of the Inquisition – Will Wright

Old Barn and Garden in the Snow

What a wonderful view of the old barn and garden in the snow at my home in Banner Elk taken by Sallie J. Woodring of Sallie J. Woodring Photography.

"This old barn is located on the Beech Mtn. parkway just outside of Banner Elk NC. It is one of those spots I love in all seasons and a couple of weeks ago it was magnificent..." Sallie J. Woodring Photography