907 Reader Pages

8/18/2019 907 Reader Pages

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SPRING + SUMMER 2016

More than

800listings inside

QuadCitiesDiningGuide.com‘Corruption’ as

Propaganda Weapon– Page 3

Lee Blessing’s Debuting

‘Uncle’ at New Ground– Page 7

What’s Happenin’:

Miles Nielsen,

Great White, HarryConnick Jr. – Page 10

Letting the Chips

Fall: David G. Smith’sNew Album – Page 14

#907April 28-May 11, 2016

Photo by Joshua Ford / Ford-Photo.com


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River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 23 No. 907 • April 28 - May 11, 20162 Business • Politics • Arts • Culture • Now You Know • RiverCitiesReader.com

ILLINOIS POLITICS

Statehouse Impasse Finally

Cracks – a LittleA

blog post appears to have helped at leasttemporarily break the long stalemate atthe Illinois Statehouse.

Representative Mike Fortner (R-WestChicago) wrote up a story, and I posted it onmy CaptiolFax.com blog on April 18 abouta way to provide some unding or highereducation. Universities and communitycolleges haven’t received a dollar rom thestate since June because the government has

no budget. Some are on the verge o actuallygoing under.

Fortner’s idea wasn’t new. Some otherolks, particularly at the endangered EasternIllinois University, have been saying or awhile now that money is just sitting in a stateaccount and isn’t being used or its intendedpurpose. Budget negotiators have also beeneying the und.

But, or whatever reason, Fortner’s pro-posal took off like a rocket. It probably helped

that the Republican legislator devised theplan with a Democrat rom the Senate, PatMcGuire o Joliet.

Te governor’s olks almost immediatelyembraced Fortner’s concept, which giveshigher education hundreds o millions odollars to tide the schools over until tuitionmoney starts coming in. Te money comesrom the Education Assistance Fund, whichreceives dedicated tax revenues and is splitbetween K-12 and higher education.

Fortner’s proposal also included givinguniversities “relie rom some o the procure-ment code.” Governor Bruce Rauner has saidhe wants to redo some o the reorms enactedafer Rod Blagojevich’s impeachment, andhas made it part o his otherwise controver-sial urnaround Agenda. But while those ear-lier procurement reorms have indeed createdproblems at universities and in state govern-ment, House Speaker Michael Madigan hasresisted changing them. Legitimate ears ohistory repeating itsel afer the Blagojevich

scandals are cited as the main reason.Rauner won’t negotiate a budget until he

passes his urnaround Agenda. So good newscame when Rauner decided not to tie hisprocurement-reorm demands to the passageo Fortner’s unding plan. And then moregood news came when top Democrats startedopenly talking about “building a bridge” tonext fiscal year, which begins July 1. Teycan’t pay the state’s obligations without alot more revenue, and they can’t raise taxes

without an agreement on the urnaroundAgenda. So they wanted to try to prevent asystemic meltdown in the meantime.

Te imminent closure o Chicago StateUniversity at the end o April, the severe

problems aced by several social-serviceproviders (including Catholic Charities), thepossibility that the legislature might not undK-12 schools this year, the state comptroller’sdecision to delay issuing legislative paychecksor two months, and the looming week-longlegislative Passover break all combined tocreate an extreme sense o urgency.

So Fortner’s op-ed came just at the righttime.

And things are starting to look up else-where, too.

Democratic state Representative JackFranks’ proposed constitutional amendmentto reorm the redistricting process sailedout o committee last week. Franks pledgedto include some changes suggested by (whoelse?) Fortner, and the Illinois Chamber sup-ports it, which possibly indicates where theRauner olks are.

Ending gerrymandering is part o the gov-

ernor’s urnaround Agenda. Madigan oncecalled redistr icting reorm a “plot” by Repub-licans. Yet he’s supporting Franks’ proposal .

Meanwhile, significant progress is beingmade in negotiations behind the scenes onworkers’ compensation reorm, one o Raun-er’s top priorities. People close to Madiganadmitted late last week that some reasonableprocurement reorms could be achieved.

Last week, rank-and-file legislators in bothparties became so disgusted with the impasse

that they orced their warring leaders just arenough apart to get something done. Fortnerhelped that process along by shining a bright,ocused light on a solution.

We’re not out o the woods yet. Finding away to finally end this disgraceul impassewill be ar more difficult than tapping anunused state und. And, heck, even thatwasn’t easy. Negotiations were heated,attempts were made at the eleventh hour topry even more spending out o Rauner, thingsbroke down time and time again, and Madi-gan ended the week with a nasty shot acrossRauner’s bow.

“ime will tell,” Madigan said via pressrelease, “i Governor Rauner has urtherintentions o destroying our state institutionsand human-service providers, or i he willbegin working with us to craf a ull-yearbudget that is not contingent on passage o hisdemands that will destroy the middle class.”

Rauner is almost always quick to respondin kind to these sorts o statements by Madi-

gan. Tis time, though, he let it go.

Rich Miller also publishes Capitol Fax (a daily political newsletter) and CapitolFax.com.

By Rich Miller

CapitolFax.com


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Business • Politics • Arts • Culture • Now You Know • RiverCitiesReader.com River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 23 No. 907 • April 28 - May 11, 2016 3

Sadly, some important duties o jour-nalism, such as applying evenhanded

standards on human-rights abusesand financial corruption, have been socorrupted by the demands o governmentpropaganda – and the careerism o toomany writers – that I now become suspi-cious whenever the mainstream mediatrumpets some sensational story aimed atsome “designated villain.”

Far too ofen, this sort o “journalism”is just a orerunner to the next “regimechange” scheme, dirtying up or de-legiti-

mizing a oreign leader beore the inevitableadvent o a “color revolution” organized by“democracy-promoting” NGOs ofen withmoney rom the U.S. government’s NationalEndowment or Democracy or some neo-liberal financier such as George Soros.

We are now seeing what looks like anew preparatory phase or the next roundo “regime changes” with corruptionallegations aimed at ormer BrazilianPresident Luiz Ignacio Lula da Silva and

Russian President Vladimir Putin. Tenew anti-Putin allegations – ballyhooed bythe UK Guardian and other outlets – areparticularly noteworthy because the so-called “Panama Papers” that supposedly

implicate him in offshore financial deal-ings never mention his name.

Or as the Guardian writes: “Tough thepresident’s name does not appear in any othe records, the data reveals a pattern – hisriends have earned millions rom deals thatseemingly could not have been secured with-out his patronage. Te documents suggestPutin’s amily has benefited rom this money– his riends’ ortunes appear his to spend.”

Note, i you will, the lack o specificityand the reliance on speculation: “a pattern,”“seemingly,” “suggest,” “appear.” Indeed, i

Putin were not already a demonized figurein the Western media, such phrasing wouldnever pass an editor’s computer screen.Indeed, the only point made in declarativephrasing is that “the president’s name doesnot appear in any o the records.”

A British media-watch publication, theOff-Guardian.org (which criticizes mucho the work done at Te Guardian), head-lined its article on the Putin piece as “thePanama Papers cause Guardian to collapse

into sel-parody.”But whatever the truth about Putin’s

“corruption” or Lula’s, the journalisticpoint is that the notion o objectivity haslong since been cast aside in avor o what’s

useul as propaganda or Western interests.Some o those Western interests now are

worried about the growth o the BRICSeconomic system – Brazil, Russia, India,China, and South Arica – as a competitorto the West’s G-7 and the InternationalMonetary Fund. Afer all, control o theglobal financial system has been central toAmerican power in the post-World War IIworld – and rivals to the West’s monopolyare not welcome.

What the built-in bias against these andother “unriendly” governments means, in

practical terms, is that one standard appliesto a Russia or a Brazil, while a more orgiv-ing measure is applied to the corruption oa U.S. or European leader.

ake, or instance, ormer Secretary oState Hillary Clinton’s millions o dollarsin payments in speaking ees rom wealthyspecial interests that knew she was a goodbet to become the next U.S. president. (SeeConsortiumNews.com’s “Clinton Stalls onGoldman-Sachs Speeches.”)

Or, similarly, the millions upon mil-lions o dollars invested in super-PACSor Clinton, Senator ed Cruz, and otherpresidential hopeuls. Tat might look likecorruption rom an objective standard but

is treated as just a distasteul aspect o theU.S. political process.

But imagine or a minute i Putin had beenpaid millions o dollars or brie speechesbeore powerul corporations, banks, andinterest groups doing business with theKremlin. Tat would be held up as de facto proo o his illicit greed and corruption.

Losing PerspectiveAlso, when it’s a demonized oreign

leader, any “corruption” wil l do, howeverminor. For example, in the 1980s, President

Ronald Reagan denounced NicaraguaPresident Daniel Ortega or his choice oeyewear: “Te dictator in designer glasses,”declared Reagan, even as Nancy Reaganwas accepting ree designer gowns and reerenovations o the White House unded byoil and gas interests.

Or, the “corruption” or a demonizedleader can be a modest luxury, such asUkrainian President Viktor Yanukovych’s“sauna” in his personal residence, a topic

that got ront-page treatment in Te NewYork imes and other Western publicationsseeking to justiy the violent coup that drove

Continued On Page 6

By Robert Parry

ConsortiumNews.comGUEST COMMENTARY

Photoscourtesy of GageSkidmore andKremlin.ru


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Dishonoring Harriet Tubman

When Harriet ubman died inin March o 1913, the U.S. $20bill bore George Washington’s

portrait and the inscription “Tis certi-fies that there have been deposited in thetreasury o the United States o America$20 in gold coin payable to the beareron demand.”

Later that year, Congress passed andPresident Woodrow Wilson signed t heFederal Reserve Act. Te ollowing year,the Federal Reserve issued a new $20

bill, adorned with the portrait o GroverCleveland. In 1928, the first $20 billbearing the visage o Andrew Jacksonappeared. Even though the FederalReserve had taken over the creation o“money” (loosely defined) rom the U.S.reasury, the note still promised that itcould be redeemed or gold at the U.S.reasury, or gold or “lawul money” atany Federal Reserve Bank.

Nearly 90 years later, as the reasury

announces that ubman’s likeness willgrace the next $20 bill, Federal ReserveNotes are just paper, no longer redeem-able in gold and sustained only by theaith o buyers and sellers in a govern-ment nearly $20 trillion o its owndebased dollars in actual debt – andeven deeper in the hole when unundedpromises o uture spending are takeninto account.

Due to a cumulative inflation rate o

more than 2,300 percent since 1913, a$20 bill today wil l buy goods valued at 83cents in 1913 currency.

Tat differential represents somethingthat ubman spent her whole lie fight-ing. I wonder how one o slavery’s great-est opponents would eel about havingher image appropriated or use on thesymbol o its resurgence – an instrumento debt representing the promises o poli-ticians to hold their subjects in perpetualbondage while taking the payments outo our hides.

ubman was no stranger to financialswindles like the Fed’s disappearing-gold scheme. In 1873, she ell victim toa private-sector cash-or-gold con thatended with her knocked out, robbed,tied up, and lef penniless in the woods.I doubt she’d have allen or the FederalReserve scam.

In recent years, a ew scattered politi-cians – most notably ormer U.S. Repre-sentative Ron Paul (R-exas), his son U.S.Senator Rand Paul (R-Kentucky), andU.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont)– have sponsored or supported legisla-tion demanding an audit o the FederalReserve System. Laudable, I guess – espe-

cially in the case o Sanders, who brokewith the Democratic Party to supportthe latest version o the bill even as heramped up his Democratic presidentialcampaign – but a little short o what Har-riet ubman might have expected.

Auditing the Fed isn’t enough. Likeubman said: “Never wound a snake; k illit.” Bitcoin and other crypto-currenciesare the 21st Century ’s version o theUnderground Railroad. I the U.S. gov-ernment won’t kill the Federal Reserve,ree markets will.

Tomas L. Knapp (witter:@thomaslknapp) is director and seniornews analyst at the William Lloyd Gar-rison Center for Libertarian Advocacy Journalism (TeGarrisonCenter.org),where this article originally appeared.

GUEST COMMENTARY By Thomas L. Knapp

I wonder how one of slavery’s greatest opponents would feelabout having her image appropriated for use on the symbol of its

resurgence.

Harriet Tubman


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“Corruption” as a Propaganda WeaponYanukovych rom office in February 2014.

Incidentally, both Ortega and Yanu-kovych had been popularly elected but werestill targeted by the U.S. government and itsoperatives with violent destabilization cam-paigns. In the 1980s, the CIA-organizedNicaraguan Contra war killed some 30,000people, while the U.S.-orchestrated “regimechange” in Ukraine sparked a civil war thathas lef some 10,000 people dead. O course,in both cases, Official Washington blamedMoscow or all the trouble.

In both cases, too, the politicians andoperatives who gained power as a result othe conflicts were arguably more corruptthan the Nicaraguan Sandinistas or Yanu-kovych’s government. Te Nicaraguan Con-tras, whose violence helped pave the way orthe 1990 election o U.S.-backed candidateVioleta Chamorro, were deeply implicated incocaine trafficking. (See ConsortiumNews.com’s “Te Sordid Contra-Cocaine Saga.”)

oday, the U.S.-supported Ukrainian

government is wallowing in corruption sodeep that it has provoked a new politi-cal crisis. (See ConsortiumNews.com’s“Reality Peeks Trough in Ukraine.”)

Ironically, one o the politicians actuallynamed in the Panama Papers or havingestablished a shadowy offshore accountis the U.S.-backed Ukrainian PresidentPetro Poroshenko, although he got secondbilling to the unnamed Putin. (Poroshenkodenied there was anything improper in his

offshore financial arrangements.)

Double StandardsMainstream Western journalism no

longer even tries to apply common standardsto questions about corruption. I you’re aavored government, there might be lamen-tations about the need or more “reorm” –which ofen means slashing pensions or theelderly and cutting social programs or thepoor – but i you’re a demonized leader, theonly permissible answer is criminal indict-ment and/or “regime change.”

One stark example o these double stan-dards is the see-no-evil attitude toward thecorruption o Ukraine Finance MinisterNatalie Jaresko, who is touted endlesslyin the Western media as the paragon oUkrainian good governance and reorm.Te documented reality, however, is thatJaresko enriched hersel through her con-trol o a U.S.-taxpayer-financed investmentund that was supposed to help the people

o Ukraine build their economy.According to the terms o the $150-mil-

lion investment und created by the U.S.Agency or International Development(USAID), Jaresko’s compensation was

supposed to be capped at $150,000 a year, apay package that many Americans wouldenvy. But it was not enough or Jaresko, whofirst simply exceeded the limit by hundredso thousands o dollars and then moved hercompensation off-books as she amassedtotal annual pay o $2 million or more.

Te documentation o this scheming isclear. I have published multiple stories citingthe evidence o both her excessive compen-sation and her legal strategies or coveringup evidence o alleged wrongdoing. (See

ConsortiumNews.com’s “How Ukraine’sFinance Minister Got Rich” and “Carpet-bagging Crony Capitalism in Ukraine.”)

Despite the evidence, not a single main-stream Western news outlet has ollowedup on this inormation, even as Jaresko ishailed as a “reorm” candidate or Ukrai-nian prime minister.

Tis disinterest is similar to the blindersthat Te New York imes and other majorWestern newspapers put on when they were

assessing whether Ukrainian President Yanu-kovych was ousted in a coup in February 2014or just wandered off and orgot to return.

In a major “investigative” piece, the imes

concluded there was no coup in Ukraine while

ignoring the evidence o a coup, such as the

intercepted phone call between U.S. Assistant

Secretary o State or European Affairs Victo-

ria Nuland and U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine

Geoffrey Pyatt discussing whom they would

put into power. “Yats is the guy,” said Nuland,

and – surprise, surprise – Arseniy Yatsenyukended up as prime minister.

Te imes also ignored the observationo George Friedman, president o the globalintelligence firm Strator, who noted that theUkraine coup was “the most blatant coup inhistory.” (See ConsortiumNews.com’s “NY Still Pretends No Coup in Ukraine.”)

The Propaganda WeaponTe other advantage o “corruption” as

a propaganda weapon to discredit certainleaders is that we all assume that there isplenty o corruption in governments aswell as in the private sector all around theworld. Alleging corruption is like shoot-ing large fish crowded into a small barrel.Granted, some barrels might be morecrowded than others, but the real decisionis whose barrel you choose.

Tat’s part o the reason the U.S. gov-ernment has spread around hundreds omillions o dollars to finance “journalism”

organizations, train political activists, andsupport “non-governmental organiza-tions” that promote U.S. policy goals insidetargeted countries. For instance, beore theFebruary 22, 2014, coup in Ukraine, there

were scores o such operations in the coun-try financed by the National Endowmentor Democracy (NED), whose budget romCongress exceeds $100 million a year.

But NED, which has been run by neo-con Carl Gershman since its ounding in1983, is only part o the picture. You haveother propaganda ronts operating underthe umbrella o the State Department andUSAID. Last year, USAID issued a act sheetsummarizing its work financing riendly

journalists around the globe, including

“journalism education, media businessdevelopment, capacity building or support-ive institutions, and strengthening legal-regulatory environments or ree media.”

USAID estimated its budget or “mediastrengthening programs in over 30 coun-tries” at $40 mil lion annually, includingaiding “independent media organizationsand bloggers in over a dozen countries.” InUkraine beore the coup, USAID offeredtraining in “mobile phone and Web-site

security,” which sounds a bit like anoperation to thwart the local government’sintelligence-gathering, an ironic positionor the U.S. with its surveillance obsession,including prosecuting whistleblowers basedon evidence that they talked to journalists.

USAID, working with billionaire GeorgeSoros’s Open Society, also unds theOrganized Crime & Corruption ReportingProject, which engages in “investigative journalism” that usually goes afer govern-

ments that have allen into disavor withthe United States and then are singled outor accusations o corruption. Te USAID-unded OCCRP also collaborates withBellingcat, an online investigative Web siteounded by blogger Eliot Higgins.

Higgins has spread misinormation onthe Internet, including discredited claimsimplicating the Syrian government inthe sarin attack in 2013 and directing anAustralian V news crew to what looked tobe the wrong location or a video o a BUKanti-aircraf battery as it supposedly madeits getaway to Russia afer the shoot-downo Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in July 2014.

Despite his dubious record o accuracy,Higgins has gained mainstream acclaim,in part, because his “findings” alwaysmatch up with the propaganda theme thatthe U.S. government and its Western alliesare peddling. Tough most genuinelyindependent bloggers are ignored by themainstream media, Higgins has ound his

work touted by both Te New York imes and Te Washington Post .

In other words, the U.S. government hasa robust strategy or deploying direct andindirect agents o influence. Indeed, during

the first Cold War, the CIA and the oldU.S. Inormation Agency refined the art o“inormation warare,” including pioneer-ing some o its current eatures such ashaving ostensibly “independent” entitiesand cut-outs present U.S. propaganda toa cynical public that would reject much owhat it hears rom government but maytrust “citizen journalists” and “bloggers.”

But the larger danger rom this perver-sion o journalism is that it sets the stageor “regime changes” that destabilize whole

countries, thwart real democracy (i.e.,the will o the people), and engender civilwarare. oday’s neo-conservative dreamo mounting a “regime change” in Moscowis particularly dangerous to the uture oboth Russia and the world.

Regardless o what you think aboutPutin, he is a rational political leader whoselegendary sangroid makes him someonewho is not prone to emotional decisions.His leadership style also appeals to the

Russian people who overwhelmingly avorhim, according to public-opinion polls.

While the American neo-cons mayantasize that they can generate enougheconomic pain and political dissensioninside Russia to achieve Putin’s removal,their expectation that he will be ollowedby a pliable leader like the late PresidentBoris Yeltsin who will let U.S. operativesback in to resume plundering Russia’sriches is almost certainly a antasy.

Te ar more likely possibility is that –i a “regime change” could somehow bearranged – Putin would be replaced bya hard-line nationalist who might thinkseriously about unleashing Russia’s nucleararsenal i the West again tries to defileMother Russia. For me, it’s not Putin who’sthe worry; it’s the guy afer Putin.

So while legitimate questions aboutPutin’s “corruption” – or that o any otherpolitical leader – should be pursued,the standards o evidence should not belowered just because he or anyone else isa demonized figure in the West. Tereshould be single not double standards.

Western media outrage about “corrup-tion” should be expressed as loudly againstpolitical and business leaders in the U.S. orother G-7 countries as it is toward those inthe BRICS.

Investigative reporter Robert Parry brokemany of the Iran-Contra stories for Te Asso-

ciated Press and Newsweek in the 1980s. Heis the editor of ConsortiumNews.com, wherethis article originally appeared. His latestbook, America’s Stolen Narrative , is availableat Amazon.com and BarnesAndNoble.com.

GUEST COMMENTARY By Robert Parry ConsortiumNews.com

Continued From Page 3


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RiverCitiesReader.com

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Vol. 23 · No. 907April 28 - May 11, 2016

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THEATRE By Mike Schulz [email protected]

Say “Uncle” !Tony Nominee Lee Blessing Debuts His New Comedy at New Ground Theatre, April 29 through May 8

At the very end o Anton Chekhov’s

1897 tragicomedy Uncle Vanya, twoo the play’s principal characters –

Vanya and his niece Sonya – sit quietly at atable at their Russian estate, each lament-ing the departure o their recent houseguests. Tey’ve endured all manner oemotional hardships over the stage hoursprior, and as they prepare to ace more inthe lonely years ahead, Sonya delivers oneo theatre’s most amous closing mono-logues, climaxing her speech by telling

Vanya not to ear – God will show pity onthem. “We shall rest,” she says, gently, justbeore the curtain alls. “We shall rest.”

Hopeully, or Vanya and Sonya, 119years constitutes a long-enough rest.Because thanks to a playwright’s imagi-nation and a rather inconvenient (andfictitious) wormhole, Chekhov’sUncleVanyacharacters are continuing theirsagas in author Lee Blessing’s debutingcomedy Uncle, a world-premiere produc-

tion by Davenport’s New Ground Teatrerunning at the Village Teatre rom April29 through May 8.

“Sometimes you just don’t know wherethings come rom,” says Blessing, with alaugh, regarding his sci-fi-comedy continu-ation o Chekhov’s masterpiece. “I’d seen amodern update o Vanya not that long agoin Los Angeles, and around the same time Isaid to mysel, ‘Wouldn’t it be interesting towrite a play about a guy who suddenly has acosmic wormhole open up in his backyard,but doesn’t want it? Doesn’t want the thingsthat come out o it?’ And so, or some oddreason, I put those things together.”

Te guy with the wormhole, in Uncle, isthe Chekhov scholar Paul, who’s obses-sively working on a book about UncleVanya when the space-time miracleappears. Te things that come out o it, atfirst, are shrieking humanoid entities thatthe too-busy-or-this Paul and his aston-ished Uncle Waring promptly kick back

into the void.Yet beore long, what pops out o the

wormhole are beings ar more recognizableto Paul, and, no doubt, to Chekhov-savvytheatre-goers: the Uncle Vanya characters

Sonya, Yelena, Astrov, Serebryakov, andVanya himsel, who have no idea whythey’re no longer in 19th Century Russia,and can’t athom why they’re now in 21stCentury America. Paul’s lie, meanwhile,begins to turn into its own kind o Chek-hov play upon the arrival o his deeplyconused guests, one rie with intellectualdebates, romantic entanglements, proes-sional pitalls, and serio-comic ennui. Witha wormhole.

Blessing, whose arms-negotiation two-hander A Walk in the Woodswas a 1988ony Award nominee or Best Play, is nostranger to resurrecting amed theatricalfigures or new stage adventures, as his1991 comedy Fortinbras concerned eventsin Elsinore ollowing the demise o Shake-speare’s Hamlet. But while Uncle (whichI’ve had the great pleasure o reading) isevery bit as hilarious as Fortinbras, andeven quite moving, Blessing says the plays

bear only a superficial resemblance to oneanother.

“In Fortinbras,” says the Los Angeles-based playwright, “I bring back characterswho were alive in Hamlet but are dead now,

and are ghosts, and are haunting the castle.And when people interact with them, whatthey discover about the ghosts is that post-death, they’ve all seen the errors o theirways, and are now acting very much theopposite to the ways they acted in Hamlet .

“Whereas in this play,” says Blessing oUncle, “they didn’t die. Tey were simplytransitioned, transported, rom onedimension to another. So there’s no reasonor them to have changed – they’re still whothey are, you know? Tey’ve gone throughexactly the same experiences, and said thesame things, and elt the same things, asChekhov’s characters.

“So it was very pleasurable writing thesecharacters that I’d spent my whole careerenjoying, and simply extending their expe-riences.” He laughs. “For one’s own crassand comic purposes, o course.”

Ibsen with Comedy and IronyRevered or his short fiction and such

seminal stage works as Te Seagull, TreeSisters, and Te Cherry Orchard, Chekhov

Continued On Page 13

Jordan Smith, Bill Peiffer, Jake Walker, and Maggie Woolley in New Ground Theatre’sUncle


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Non-seculariousThe Bible: The Complete Word of God (abridged), at the QC Theatre Workshop through May 1

In the beginning, Brent ubbs directed a

play. And the production was without orm

and void; darkness was upon the ace o the

show. And the spirit o Brent moved upon the

three-person cast. And Brent said, “Let there be

humor,” and there was laughter. And Brent heard

the giggles, and it was good. And Brent said,

“Behold, I have provided everything necessary or

entertainment.” And he knew that it was heavenly

… even though yours truly, on Saturday, missed

out on several probably heavenly scenes.More on that later. But thank the Almighty

that ubbs (himsel a Reader theatre reviewer)

was tapped to direct the QC Teatre Workshop’s

Te Bible: Te Complete Word of God (abridged),

because only St. Peter knows how this produc-

tion would have turned out in a lesser director’s

hands. ubbs, along with ellow cast members

James Fairchild and Jeremy Mahr, perormed

bits rom (nearly) every book o the Bible in 90

minutes, and rom the opening command o “Let

there be light” to the closing musical version othe Book o Revelation, these three comedians

never stopped moving, singing, dancing, or

laughing with their over-the-top, audience-

interactive approach.

Fairchild played roles ranging rom Abraham

to the Easter Bunny, and his timing, beautiul

singing voice, and childlike characterizations

were wonderul throughout the perormance.

Being a big man, Fairchild sweated nearly literal

buckets to keep his chapters o the show highly

energetic and outlandish.

ComedySportz veteran Mahr was the most

biblical-looking o the cast, sporting a ull, dark

beard that complemented his large stature. He

strummed his guitar several times (including at

the show’s start with his soulul “In the Begin-

ning Blues”), and clearly having honed his acial

expressions through years o practice, demon-

strated the ability to say a great deal with just the

squint o an eye or pucker o his lips. Mahr was

perect or Te Bible’s perormance type, easily

and simultaneously interacting with castmates

and audience members alike.In addition to directing, ubbs had his hands

ull keeping pace with Mahr and Fairchild, and

my avorite ubbs character was his portrayal

o Pontius Pilate as a WWI pilot . On Saturday,

ubbs stopped the show or three to our minutes

while he mimed shooting down airplanes – mug-

ging to the audience the whole time, and milking

every second he could.

Te Bible (written by Adam Long, Reed

Martin, and Austin ichenor) was presented, in

this production, in a black-box-ish setting withno theatrical set per se. However, it was noted in

the pre-show announcements that there were

over 200 props gathered or the show, and Lis

Athas and yson Danner deserve kudos or

organizing such a large stockpile or the actors.

As lighting designer, Danner also made the most

out o his multiple light cues without overload-

ing the stage, helping to ocus the constant and

renetic action.

But while, as a reviewer, it is anticipated, and

customary, that you stay through an entire per-

ormance, I was unortunately called away or anemergency at my office on the night I attended.

Fortunately, though, my 21-year-old son Ben

was with me, and agreed to take notes during my

absence. And having lef beore Act II began, I

returned about halway through the act to find

Ben laughing out loud and having written several

pages o positive notes on the scenes I’d missed.

One o his avorite parts was the Last Supper

sequence, in which Leonardo da Vinci’s amous

painting was projected onto flats that had the

aces cut out or each apostle; ubbs and Fairchildspent the scene filling in those aces to re-create

conversations between the apostles and Jesus.

Ben also loved it when Jesus multiplied bread and

fish to eed the masses by throwing the ood into

the audience, and especially enjoyed the Tree

Kings debating zodiac signs and comparing

presents that each had acquired or baby Jesus.

For the more undamentally minded among

you, this particular version o the Good Book

might be cause or worry. (I so, I’d advise bring-

ing your minister.) Rest assured, however, that

the cast works hard to take a tongue-in-cheek

approach without offending the audience – an

approach most clearly illustrated in their respect-

ul handling o the crucifixion – and makes Te

Bible: Te Complete Word of God (abridged) a

nearly religious experience that every Quad-

Cities-theatre – and comedy-lover should see. I

you do see it, I’m sure you’ll join me in looking to

the heavens, raising your hands, and shouting a

joyul, “ Amen! ”

Te Bible: Te Complete Word of God (abridged) runs at the QC Teatre Workshop (1730 Wilkes

Avenue, Davenport) through May 1, and moreinformation and tickets are available by calling(563)650-2396 or visiting QCTeatreWorkshop.org.

THEATRE By Je Ashcraft

Jeremy Mahr

WATCH IT

mediacomtoday.com

Charlie Kaufman's painfullyacute and trenchantstop-motion-animated comedy

keeps your brain hummingthroughout, and in the vocal

personages of David Thewlis, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Tom

Noonan, it also does quite anumber on your heart.

(Same day as DVD.)

The confident, quick-witted

comedy partners Tina Fey and Amy

Poehler are alternately spiky andendearing in director JasonMoore’s slapstick, and their shared performance rhythm makes them

immediately believable astemperamentally opposite

best-friend sibs. (Same day asDVD.)

This action-franchise finale hastension and grandeur andoutstanding visual effects, yettucked amidst them are tiny,beautifully human touches thatmake its world of Panem one that,in the end, truly seems worthsaving. (Same day as DVD.)


9/20


Movie Reviews By Mike Schulz • [email protected] Song of Ice and MireTHE HUNTSMAN:WINTER’S WAR

Imagine a live-action version o Disney’sFrozen minus the songs and charm, anddesigned by the production team behindHBO’sGame of Trones. Tat’sTe Hunts-man: Winter’s War . Now stop imagining that,

because it’ll give you nightmares – thoughprobably more coherent ones than the night-mare that is this tonally baffling hodgepodgeo suffocating seriousness, incoherentlystaged combat, and baggy-pants comedy.

Hollywood’s latest attempt to jump-starta ranchise when none was warranted,Winter’s War is both prequel and sequel toSnow White & the Huntsman, 2012’s deli-ciously dark adult airytale that memorablycast Charlize Teron as the malevolent

Ravenna. But because one evil queen isapparentlyso-o-o-o our years ago, thistime we’re treated to two: Teron in a pairo extended cameos, and Emily Blunt asRavenna’s sister Freya, who has a supernat-ural command over ice and looks – coin-cidentally, I’m sure – like a cross betweenDaenerys argaryen and Frozen’s Elsa. (Letit go, indeed.) Chris Hemsworth returns asSnow White’s sword-wielding HuntsmanEric, though Snow hersel is conspicuously

absent, having been replaced in the heroinedepartment by Jessica Chastain’s archerSara. Tere are also some “unny” dwarsplayed by non-dwars Nick Frost, RobBrydon, Sheridan Smith, and AlexandraRoach, whose diminutive statures appearto have been crafed hal by CGI andhal by the perormers walking on shoedknees, like im Conway’s Dor. oss themall into a plot salad involving kidnappedchildren, grubby soldiers with Stockholm

Syndrome, hostile land takeovers, more-hostile rom-com banter, and possessiono the abled Magic Mirror, and you havedebuting director Cedric Nicolas-royan’sexpensive and egregious mess – a movie

so determined to cater to everyone that itcouldn’t conceivably exhilarate anyone.

o their credit, the actors have everyreason to sleepwalk through this thing anddon’t. You can giggle, as I did, at Hems-worth’s and Chastain’s heavy and incon-sistent Scottish brogues and still recognizethat they’re playing ormulaic roles withlegitimate eeling and casual wit. You canbemoan the constrictive, insulting natureo Freya and yet appreciate Blunt’s welcome

reserves o emotion. You can smile at thedwar quartet’s lame jokes and slapstickantics because they’re being delivered withsuch cheeky aplomb. And you can be grate-ul to Teron merely or showing up, hergleaming eyes and terriying grin ensuringthat the perormer’s ew moments o incan-descent devilishness are moments yourelish. Yet rom the renzied choreographyto the underwhelming visuals to the mean-ingless battles – at one point, a fistfight

erupts in a tavern solely because fistfightsalways erupt in movie taverns – Te Hunts-man: Winter’s War is an excessively busybummer, its title’s punctuation mark sug-gesting that this big-budget continuation,as is the norm this millennium, is reallyOnly the Beginning. Hollywood has coloncancer, and it’s starting to look terminal.

ELVIS & NIXON

In the first scene o Elvis & Nixon, staffersto our 37th president inorm their boss oa meeting with the King scheduled or thesecond hal o his traditional napping hour,and Nixon, with expected grace and tact,briefly considers the news beore grimacingand barking, “Who the --- set this up?!”Initially, I was thinking the same o LizaJohnson’s movie, a fictional dramatizationo 1970’s legendary Oval Office encounterboasting Kevin Spacey as Nixon, which

seemed odd, and Michael Shannon as Elvis,which seemed breathtakingly nuts. Eighty-five minutes later, however, I lef my screen-ing thinking I’d rarely beore seen anythingso unexpectedly, charmingly nuts. It’s really

just a throwaway wisp o a film – an hour ogooy preamble ollowed by 20-odd min-utes o humorously awkward conversation.But Johnson directs the proceedings withthe exact light-comic touch required, andwhile Spacey is very, very unny, Shannon

is more accurately astonishing, triumphingover his perceived miscasting with effort-less panache and rather staggering power.He’s genius in a jumpsuit.

It’s impossible to ignore, or much careabout, the excessive padding, with toomuch time spent on the petty bureaucratictravails o Nixon’s aides (Colin Hanks andLuke Evans) and the girlriend woes oPresley’s devoted assistant Jerry Schilling(Alex Pettyer). Yet beginning with that

stealth-bomb punchline o the openingsequence, Elvis & Nixon is replete with ter-rific gags and conceits: Elvis’ airport run-inwith an Elvis impersonator who calls theKing’s look “not bad”; H.R. Haldeman (theexcellent ate Donovan) bristling withincredulity at Presley’s request or a meet-ing; the volume o concealed firearms Elvisand his two-man posse leave with WhiteHouse security. Johnson’s smart pacing

and composer Ed Shearmur’s jaunty scorekeep events moving with smoothness andstyle, and every last moment with Spacey isa delight; anyone worried about presiden-tial overload afer our seasons o Houseof Cards is worrying in vain. (Between hisamusingly satiric ricky Dick vocals andmastery o Nixon’s crazed flash-smile, it’slike getting a eature-length version o oneo Spacey’s peerless talk-show appearancesin which he lovingly channels Brando or

Pacino or Jack Lemmon.) But the filmbelongs to Shannon, who creates a singular,complicated, and somehow equally hilari-ous and moving Presley through whatseems like sheer orce o will. Whethermourning his lost twin or railing againstthe communism o the Beatles (Presley andNixon are riends in paranoia), he may notbe Elvis, but he’s unquestionably MichaelShannon’s Elvis – a sad, lost, lonely, unail-ingly hopeul figure who you deeply want

to believe was as beautiully human in lieas he is in Shannon’s portrayal. Catch thisElvis beore he leaves the building.

For reviews of Te Jungle Book, Barbershop:Te Next Cut, Criminal, and other currentreleases, vi sit RiverCitiesReader.com.

Follow Mike on witter at witter.com/ MikeSchulzNow.

Charlize Theron in The Huntsman: Winter’s War


10/20


What’s Happenin’Growing up in Rockord, Illinois, Miles Nielsen played guitar and wrote songsrom a very young age. His ather was a requently touring rock star. Guests atamily d inners included Steven yler, odd Rundgren, and the members o Guns N’Roses. Given all that, it should be no surprise to learn that Miles Nielsen would growup to be ... a pharmacist.

Just kidding. He’s a musician, too. Tat was just a cheap trick.And speaking o Cheap rick ... !I you’re Miles Nielsen, you’re inevitably going to be compared to your dad Rick Nielsen,

the lead guitarist and chie songwriter or that legendary Rockord-based band. Tankully,though, i you’re Miles, you’re also going to have no problem escaping the shadow o yourüber -amous ather, as audiences at Maquoketa’s Codfish Hollow Barn will realize when Miles

Nielsen & the Rusted Hearts play their Codfish Hollow Barnstormers concert on May 7.Perorming a blend o Western-influenced rock and classic-’60s soul, with elements

o pop, roots, and country added or good measure, Nielsen and his ensemble releasedtheir debut album in Miles in 2009, and ollowed it with Presents the Lonely Hearts in2012. As is stated in his MilesNielsen.com biography, however, the band’s influencesare proudly 20th Century, with “Otis Redding’s classic soul and Jellyfish’s cult power-pop recordings,” “the country-esque drawl and growling guitars o om Petty & theHeartbreakers,” and “the subtly sensual undercurrent o Ray Charles” among thestylings Nielsen & the Rusted Hearts hope to evince.

I the musicians’ reviewers are to be trusted, mission accomplished. Chicago’sRedEyepraises Miles Nielsen & the Rusted Hearts or “combining classic American sounds with

some rock-radio-riendly hooks,” while the Chicago Sun-imes raves that Nielsen “plays anethereal mix o pop and olk-rock.” ConsequenceOSound.net, meanwhile, writes that theband’s genre-deying sound is “warm, lived-in, and just a little bit rootsy,” with the musi-cians’ 2016 single “Strangers” singled out as “a must-listen or ans o Fleetwood Mac and,oh, what the hell, Cheap rick.” (AsGlide magazine adds, “Papa should be proud.”)

Tat single, by the way, comes rom Miles Nielsen & the Rusted Hearts’ third album, Heavy Metal , which is being released on April 29. And you know what that means, right? You’ll onlyhave nine days to commit the whole thing to memory beore the band’s Codfish Hollow concert.So get cracking! Musicians hate it when you don’t sing along to all o their songs at top volume!

What? Tey don’thate that? Hmmm ... . So that’s why I got kicked out o that Wiggles concert ... .

Miles Nielsen & the Rusted Hearts perorm in Maquoketa alongside Amasa Hines,the Way Down Wanderers, and Susto, and more inormation on the night is availableby visiting CodfishHollowBarnstormers.com.

Music Great WhiteRascals Live Friday, April 29, 8:30 p.m.

On April 29, the Moline venue Rascals Live will host aspecial concert event with the Grammy-nominatedrockers o Great White, who’ve been releasing albumsor more than 30 years. And I can’t begin to tell youhow happy I am to finally write an article on the group,because ever since the concert’s booking was announced,I’ve been unable to get Great White’s biggest hit – “OnceBitten, wice Shy” – out o my head. Maybe a discussiono the band’s other achievements will do the trick.

Afer being signed by EMI America at the end o1983, Great White’s sel-titled debut album was releasedin early 1984, and the band immediately ound greatsuccess on the road, opening or Judas Priest and sup-porting Whitesnake in its Slide It In tour. Great White’sindependent release Shot in the Dark ollowed in 1986,and by the time o 1987’s Once Bitten ... .

My my my ... I’m once bitten, twice shy, baby ... .Sorry. Lost my train o thought. As I was saying, acertain 1987 album hit the charts and went platinum inApril o 1988. It was the next year, however, that GreatWhite achieved its greatest popular success, headliningconcert tours alongside Bon Jovi and going double-platinum with its ollow-up album ... wice Shy .

My my my ... I’m once bitten ... .Damn it! Anyway. Since then, Great White released

another eight albums including Psycho City, Can’t GetTere from Here, and the gold-certified Hooked ; touredwith the likes o Kiss and the Scorpions; perormed

alongside Bad English, Skid Row, Guns N’ Roses’ Slash ... .

My my my ... .Okay, you know what? Tis isn’t working. Instead,

lemme try to purge that insanely catchy hook through alittle quiz. Which o these Great White singles are rom1987’s Once Bitten ... , and which are rom ... wice Shy ?

1) “Te Angel Song”

2) “Lady Red Light”3) “Mista Bone”4) “Rock Me”5) “Save Your Love”6) “One Bitten, wice Shy”

A) Once Bitten ...

B) ... wice Shy

Great White perorms their all-ages show withadditional perormances by the Brandon G ibbs Bandand Doug Brundies, and more in ormation and ticketsare available by ca lling (309)797-5497 or visitingRascalsLive.com.

A n s w e r s : 1 – B , 2 – A , 3 – B , 4 – A , 5 – A , 6 – B . W e l l , t h e s o n g ’ s s t i l l s t u c k i n m y h e a d . B u t h o p e f u l l y , i t ’ s n o w s t u c k i n y o u r s , t o o . H e y , i f I ’ m g o n n a e n d u r e t h i s , I a t l e a s t w a n t c o m p a n y .

MusicMiles Nielsen & the Rusted Hearts

Codsh Hollow Barn

Saturday, May 7, 7 p.m.


11/20


by Mike [email protected]

Music Harry Connick Jr.Adler Theatre Wednesday, May 11, 7:30 p.m.

he legendary singer, actor, pianist, and composer Harry Connick Jr. will perormat Davenport’s Adler Teatre on Wednesday, May 11.Connick has sold more than 15 mill ion albums in the U.S., more than 28 million

worldwide, and has landed 11 number-one albums on the Billboard op Jazz Albumschart, more than any other artist in history.

Connick’s musical talents have earned him three Grammy Awards and two Emmy

Awards, as well as ony Award nominations or Best Origina l Musical Score and BestActor in a Musical.

Connick’s television credits include roles on Cheers, Law & Order: SVU , and a our-season stint on Will & Grace, plus three years as a judge on American Idol .

Connick’s movie credits include roles in Independence Day, Hope Floats, P.S. I LoveYou, and a pair o Dolphin ales.

Connick’s albums We Are in Love and Blue Light, Red Light were certified double-platinum, and 1994’s When My Heart Finds Christmas was certified triple-platinum.

Connick helped organize 2005’s A Concert for Hurricane Relief in the wake oKatrina, which generated $50 mill ion in contributions or the American Red CrossDisaster Relie Fund.

And as May 8 is Mother’s Day, I’m going to stop now, because the only thing myown mother would like more than shorter articles rom me is a big-ass photo o HarryConnick Jr.

Happy Mother’s Day, mom!For tickets to Hary Connick Jr.’s Davenport concert, cal l (800)745-3000 or v isit

AdlerTeatre.com.

MUSICFriday, April 29 – Family Groove

Company. Jazz and funk musicians inconcert, with an opening set by The Low

Down. Redstone Room (129 Main Street,

Davenport). 9 p.m. $11.50-14. For tickets

and information, call (563)326-1333 or

visit RiverMusicExperience.org.

Saturday, April 30 – Minus Six. The

guitar-less rock band in concert, with anopening set by The Real Quaid. Rock Island

Brewing Company (1815 Second Avenue,

Rock Island). 9 p.m. For information, call

(309)793-1999 or visit RIBCO.com.

Saturday, April 30 – David G.Smith and Julie Christensen. Singers/songwriters perform an album-

release show and fundraiser for the

QC Alzheimer Greater Iowa Chapter.

Redstone Room (129 Main Street,

Davenport). 7:30 p.m. $11.50-12. For

tickets and information, call (563)326-1333 or visit R iverMusicExperience.org.

Saturday, April 30 – Lolo. A CodfishHollow Barnstormers concert with

the singer/songwriter, with sets by

William Wild, Field Report, Canyon

Spells, Yoko & the Oh No’s, and Land

of Blood & Sunshine. Codfish Hollow

Barn (5013 288th Avenue, Maquoketa).

5 p.m. $20-30. For information, visit

CodfishHollowBarnstormers.com.

Sunday, May 1 – Quad City WindEnsemble: To Infinity & Beyond . Springconcert with the area musicians conductedby Brian L. Hughes, with a performance

of “Carnival of Venice” by 2016 Charles B.

DCamp Young Performer’s Competition

winner Jacy Betzel. St. Ambrose University’s

Galvin Fine Arts Center (2101 North

Gaines Street, Davenport). 3 p.m. Free. For

information, visit QCWindEnsemble.org.

Wednesday, May 4 – The GoodLife. Concert with the Nebraska-basedindependent musicians, with opening

sets by Tim Kinsella and Bedroom Shrine.

Daytrotter (324 Brady Street, Davenport).7:30 p.m. $12-15. For tickets and

information, visit Daytrotter.com.

Friday, May 6 – Charles Bradley & His

Extraordinaires. Soul musician performs

in support of his new album Changes,

with an opening set by the Candymakers.

Daytrotter (324 Brady Street, Davenport).

7:30 p.m. $28-35. For tickets and

information, visit Daytrotter.com.Saturday, May 7 – Horseshoes &

Hand Grenades. Concert with the

bluegrass and Americana musicians, withopening sets by Flash in a Pan and Earth

Ascending. Redstone Room (129 Main

Street, Davenport). 9 p.m. $11.50-14. For

tickets and information, call (563)326-1333

or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.

Monday, May 9 – The Lettermen. Annual

concert events with the internationally

touring pop performers. Circa ’21 Dinner

Playhouse (1828 Third Avenue, Rock Island).

Noon plated lunch, 1 p.m. show, $51.73;

6 p.m. buffet, 7:15 p.m. show, $58. For


extension 2 or visit Circa21.com.

Tuesday, May 10 – J oe Bonamassa.Blues-rock guitarist and singer/

songwriter in concert. Adl er Theatre (136

East Third Street, Davenport). 8 p.m. $79-

125. For tickets, call (800)745-3000 or visit

AdlerTheatre.com.

THEATREFriday, April 29, through Sunday,

May 8 – Uncle. New Ground Theatrepresents a debuting play by Tony Award

nominee Lee Blessing, directed by ChrisJansen. Village Theatre (2113 East 11th

Street, Davenport). Friday and Saturday

7:30 p.m., Sunday 2 p.m. For tickets and

information, call (563)326-7529 or visit

NewGroundTheatre.org.

Friday, April 29, through Sunday,May 8 – Sweeney Todd . StephenSondheim’s Tony-winning musical

classic in a co-presentation with Opera

@ Augustana, directed by Jerry Jay

Cranford. Augustana College’s Potter

Theatre (3701 Seventh Avenue, RockIsland). Friday and Saturday 7:30 p.m.,

Sunday 1:30 p.m. $10-14. For tickets and

What Else Is Happenin’

Jamie Hochmuth and Stuart Buthod inSweeney Todd @ Augustana College – opens

April 29 (Photo courtesy of the AugustanaPhoto Bureau / Lauren Becker)

Continued On Page 12


12/20



Augustana.edu/arts.Saturday, April 30, through Sunday,

May 8 – The Magical Lamp of Aladdin.Author Tim Kelly’s student-performed

adaptation of the popular legend, directed

by Jessica Sheridan. Davenport Junior

Theatre (2822 Eastern Avenue, Davenport).

Saturday 1 and 4 p.m., Sunday 2 p.m. $6-8

at the door. For information, call (563)326-

7862 or visit DavenportJuniorTheatre.org.

Wednesday, May 4, throughSaturday, July 2 – Sister Act . Tony-

nominated musical comedy based on thehit movie, directed by Jim Hesselman. Circa

’21 Dinner Playhouse (1828 Third Avenue,

Rock Island). Friday, Saturday, Wednesday,

and May 4 and 5: 6 p.m. buffet, 7:15 p.m.

pre-show, 7:45 p.m. show. Sunday 4 p.m.

buffet, 5:15 p.m. pre-show, 5:45 p.m. show.

Wednesday 11:45 a.m. plated lunch, 1 p.m.

pre-show, 1:30 p.m. show. $42.50-48. For


extension 2 or visit Circa21.com.

Friday, May 6 – Spill . Leigh

Fondakowski’s play presented through RiverAction’s and the QC Theatre Workshop’s

RiverStages Play Reading Series, featuring a

post-play discussion on spills and clean-

up in the upper Mississippi. Butterworth

Center (1105 Eighth Street, Moline). 7:30 p.m.

Donations encouraged. For information, call

(563)322-2969 or visit RiverAction.org.

Friday, May 6, through Su nday,May 15 – Almost Heaven: Songs of

John Denver . Stage celebration of thelegendary pop/folk singer, directed by

Courtney Crouse. Timber Lake Playhouse

(1815 Black Oak Road, Mt. C arroll). Friday

and Saturday 7:30 p.m., Saturday and

Sunday 2 p.m. $17-25. For tickets and


TimberLakePlayhouse.org.

Monday, May 9 – Ragtime: The Musical. Tony-winning Stephen Flaherty and Lynn

Ahrens musical based on the E.L. Doctorow

novel and Oscar-nominated movie, in a

Broadway at the Adler presentation. Adler

Theatre (136 East Third Street, Davenport).

7:30 p.m. $15-45. For tickets call (800)745-

3000 or visit AdlerTheatre.com.Tuesday, May 10, through Satur day,

May 14 – The Prince & the Pauper .Commedia dell’-arte presentation of

Mark Twain’s beloved story. Timber Lake

Playhouse (1815 Black Oak Road, Mt.

Carroll). Tuesday through Friday 1 p.m.,

Wednesday through Saturday 10 a.m. $6.

For tickets and information, call (815)244-

2035 or visit TimberLakePlayhouse.org.

DANCESaturday, April 30 – Russian

Fairytales. Ballet Quad Cities presentations

of Stravinsky’s Petrushka and The Firebird ,

with live accompaniment by Orchestra

Iowa. Adler Theatre (136 East Third Street,

Davenport). 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. $10-31. For

tickets and information, call (309)786-3779or visit BalletQuadCities.com.

COMEDY Sunday, May 1 – Red Green. The

touring handyman comedian returns

in his I’m Not Old, I’m Ripe! tour. Adler

Theatre (136 East Third Street, Davenport).

7 p.m. $52.50. For tickets, call (800)745-

3000 or visit AdlerTheatre.com.

VISUAL ARTSFriday, May 6 – Gallery Hop!

Demonstrations, performances, works

for sale, and more with local artist s

at a variety of different venues in

downtown Rock Island. 6-10 p.m. Free.

For information, call (563)424-1210 or visit

RIDistrict.com or Midcoast.org.

Saturday, May 7, and Sunday, May 8 –

Beaux Arts Fair. Annual outdoor celebration

of fine art and crafts, featuring vendors, live

music, food, children’s activities, and more.

Figge Art Museum Plaza (225 West Second

Street, Davenport). Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.,Sunday 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Free. For information,

visit BeauxArtsFair.com.

EXHIBITSaturday, April 30, through Sunday,

May 8 – Young Artists at the Figge:

Bettendorf Schools. Annual exhibition of

works by elementary art students. Figge

Art Museum (225 West Second Street,

Davenport). Tuesday through Saturday

10 a.m.-5 p.m., Thursday 10 a.m.-9 p.m.,

Sunday noon-5 p.m. Free with $4 -7museum admission. For information, call

(563)326-7804 or visit FiggeArtMuseum.org.

EVENTSSaturday, April 30, and Sunday, May

1 – Monster Jam. Touring event in which12-foot-tall, 10,000-pound machines soar

over and smash through obstacles. iWireless

Center (1201 River Drive, Moline). Saturday 7

p.m., Sunday 2 p.m. $18-48. For tickets, call

(800)745-3000 or visit iWirelessCenter.com.

Friday, May 6, through Sunday, May8 – Cirque Italia. Aquatically themedstunts, acrobats, and comedy with

the touring “water circus.” Mississippi

Valley Fairgrounds (2815 Locust Street,

Davenport). Friday 7:30 p.m.; Saturday 1:30,

4:30, and 7:30 p.m.; Sunday 1:30 and 4:30

p.m. $10-50. For information and tickets,

call (941)704-8572 or visit CirqueItalia.com.

Saturday, May 7 – Night to Beat theBig “O”: Talk Teal . Fifth-annual fundraiserhosted by the NormaLeah Ovarian Cancer

Initiative featuring live music by Soul

Storm, food by Chef James, live and silentauctions, and more. Crow Valley Golf

Club (4315 East 60th Street, Davenport). 7

p.m. $60. For tickets and information, call

(309)794-0009 or visit NormaLeah.org.

What Else Is Happenin’


Parent TrappedBaby with the Bathwater , at Scott Community College through April 29

Christopher Durang’sirreverent Baby with theBathwater is the current

production at Scott Com-munity College, and upon myarrival about 25 minutes priorto showtime, I enjoyed a ewmoments o the sweet music-box soundtrack, thinking ita clever juxtaposition to the

darkly comedic arce that wasto ollow. However, a ew min-utes o it were enough or meto get the idea, and because those sounds wereall that was in the offing regarding pre-showmusic, the next 22 minutes o waiting seemed,well, a bit long. Perhaps the music box alsoignited my inner grump, because, with only aew exceptions, I did not find much comedicrespite in the words and actions that ollowed.

Directed here by Kevin Babbitt, Durang’s

play is a twisted arce that combines ditzydafness with off-the-wall literary reerences

and characters that occasionally utter their

subconscious thoughts unfiltered and unrelated

to anything else taking place. It also eatures

sudden, unexpected moments o grimness.

(BWB contains elements o child abuse, at least

on an emotional level, but because it’s presented

so outlandishly, one can accept it in the name

o arce.) Creating such radical shifs o thought

and changes in mood and tone takes a def, light

approach, as well as an ability to slip witty rep-

artee trippingly off the tongue through bright,

quick pacing. SCC’s opening-night production,

unortunately, was lacking in these elements.

Much o the acting, even by those with consider-

able stage experience, was on a rudimentary

level, and there were a ew moments in which

the only tripping was the occasional stumble

or awkward pause in the delivery o lines. In

addition, reaction to other perormers – one o

the most important elements o acting – was

ofentimes a missing actor.

BWB opens with two new parents, John(John R. urner) and Helen (Sara Kutzli), who

don’t have a clue about what to do with their

newborn baby. Tey also can’t decide whether it’s

a boy or a girl (the doctors have told them they

can decide this later), and they coo to it sweetly

it one minute only to yell and scream at it the

next. Teir parenting style is rom the School o

Insane, and ofen includes alcohol, arguments,

and fits o odd behavior, such as instantly and

inexplicably lying down on the floor.

urner’s previous work has included somefine portrayals o Shakespearean characters.However, BWB’s John is a role he’s notnaturally well-suited or, and his perormancewould have benefited, I think, rom more

specific direction regard-ing character believabilityand comedic timing. Kutzli,meanwhile, is new to me, andI would have enjoyed her morehad she delivered her lineswith a more natural speaking

voice. Perhaps it was a case oopening-night nerves, but hercomedic potential was re-

quently lost in her tendency tospeak in an unnaturally highregister, and moments that

should have conveyed various strong emotionswere instead just loud and flat.

But then: Enter the Nanny (Melanie

“Medusa” Hanson) with an umbrella, suggesting

Mary Poppins with a dark side. In her first scene

on Friday, Hanson initially had a bit o difficulty

establishing consistency o character. Later,

however, in the Jack-in-the box scene, Hanson

really comes to lie, and delivers some great linesembellished with superior timing, wonderul

acial expressions, and a bold, wacky laugh. At

that point, her perormance begins to give us a

true sense o the comic madness o residing in

Durang territory, and I really enjoyed that scene.

Max Robnett portrays the young man Daisy,

the son o the aoresaid hapless parents. And

when he took the stage or a series o mono-

logues and interactions with a psychologist

(written as an offstage voice, but presented here

as an on-stage character portrayed by ]acob

McLees), I immediately responded to Robnett’s

competent, varied line readings and ability to

draw a believable, likable figure. His work was

very good, and his characterization very effec-

tive in portraying Daisy’s conused sexual iden-

tity, difficulty in finishing college, and struggles

with writing a paper on Jonathan Swif.

With her lovely and natural comicdemeanor, Wendy Czekalski manages toprove that there are no small parts (eventhough I wish she had not been so under-

utilized here), and rounding out the cast areJenny Knox, Jamie Childe, Erica VanderVelde,and Astrid Carreon in a production that,based on audience reactions, appeared to pro-

vide an evening o entertainment. I think thisBaby with the Bathwater has its limitations,but kudos to Scott Community College orproviding its students an opportunity to learnand grow through the medium o theatre.

Baby with the Bathwater runs at Scott Com-

munity College’s Student Life Center (500Belmont Road, Room 2400 through DoorFive, Bettendorf) through April 29, and moreinformation is available by calling (563)441-4339 or e-mailing [email protected].

THEATRE By Dee Caneld

John R. Turner and Sara Kutzli


13/20


Say “Uncle” !was a native Russian who lived rom 1860

to 1904 and was, says the 66-year-old Bless-ing, “one o the first playwrights that I trulyell in love with.

“He’s the first great modern playwright,”Blessing continues. “In a sense, he tookwhat [Henrik] Ibsen had achieved andwas able to add the elements o bothcomedy and irony to plays in a way thatwas particularly his, and has basically beenthe template or most dramatists since histime. He took a completely new approach

to looking at human behavior and how weunderstand it. And he’s still, I think, o al lthe great dramatists, the one who affectseverybody the most directly.”

Arguably, Uncle Vanya – which concernsthe visit o a doctor and his much youngerwie to the title character’s rural estate – isthe title most requently associated withChekhov, and or Blessing, “Vanya wascertainly the one I ell in love with mosteasily. Tat’s partly because, in the 1960s,

I happened to see a televised version o aproduction which had starred [Laurence]Olivier and Michael Redgrave. I can still vividly recall the scene between Vanya andDr. Astrov in the play’s ourth act.”

Beyond Blessing’s long ondness orChekhov, though, he says the appeal orevisiting the author’s Vanyacharacters inUncle stemmed rom a natural inclinationto explore lie through a literary prism.

“Writers, o course, have a right to writeabout the whole world they see aroundthem,” says Blessing, “and we sometimesorget that part o that world is literature.It’s only natural that a writer would be, in asense, most inspired by other literature. Andwhat is literature but the world we see aroundus translated into a different dimension?

“So, in a way, just as this play [Uncle] isabout multiverses or multiple dimensions,it’s about examining a world o experiencethrough literature. And while there are ewplaywrights whose works I would like to

employ and emulate, Shakespeare and Chek-hov are in a class by themselves that way.”With a laugh, Blessing adds, “I don’t think I’llbe doing this with a lot o other writers.”

Uncle’s author, however, knew it wouldn’tbe enough to merely plant Chekhov’sVanya characters in a modern time periodand scenario. Consequently, he devised thecharacter o the fixated writer Paul, who, inthe play’s first pages, greets his wormhole’sinitially monstrous guests with a comedic

disregard bordering on annoyance.Yet while Paul’s blasé dismissal o his

backyard miracle is very unny and some-times riotously mean (as in the early stagedirection “Paul shoves the creature back

into the wormhole”), Blessing doesn’t see

him as Uncle’s anti-hero.“I have nothing but sympathy and

affection or Paul,” he says. “I think thatany writer, any scholar, any antiquarian,understands this phenomenon o beingso wrapped up in your subject matter – sopassionately involved with it – that youkeep constantly missing the big picture interms o human relations. I think that’sPaul’s biggest challenge.

“And I eel like I can orgive the poor

guy or being good at some things andnot so much at others,” Blessing contin-ues. “He does have to learn some lessonsabout relationships, and the mistakeshe made along those lines,” which Paulcertainly does afer realizing that he’sgradually alling into the Vanya role oWaffles, the impoverished, cuckoldedlandowner who lives on Vanya’s estate.

“Like people who love Shakespearemaybe a little too much, or who love

Arthur Conan Doyle a little too much, Paulloves Chekhov and his literature so muchthat all you have to do is suggest the set-ting,” says Blessing with a laugh, “and Paulalls right into it.” And into a role that’ssimilar to Waffles, whom Blessing calls“this sort o cheerleader, server, and ool.”(Paul’s emergence as the Waffles figurecomes as happy news to Vanya and Astrov,who, Blessing says, “are delighted to finallyfind a position o superiority over Paul.”)

For obvious reasons, what eventuallytranspires as Paul gets to know his literaryidols, and as they get to know the ritu-als o 21st Century America, is best lef asurprise. But beyond all o Uncle’s terrifi-cally enjoyable narrative turns, there’s alsoan early metaphyiscal twist that makesBlessing’s latest an even more deliciousmind-bender than Fortinbras: Yelena, in apassing retort, actually makes reerence toChekhov himsel.

“In our world,” explains Blessing,

“they’re literary characters. But in theirdimension, they’re real people, and mighteasily have known him [Chekhov] as ashort-story writer, which he was moreconsistently successul as. Tey mightwell have read his stories. Being stuck outthere on the estate, they wouldn’t have seenhis plays,” he says with a laugh, “but theymight have read them.”

His Is the Language of DramaBlessing says that Uncle took “maybe six

months in terms o getting to a couple odrafs,” and in May 2015 he hosted a LosAngeles reading o the comedy, ollowingit later that month with another reading at

the Playwrights’ Center in Minneapolis.

Te play’s first staged reading or audi-ences, however, took place at the ArkansasNew Play Festival in Fayetteville last June,and Blessing says the experience was enor-mously beneficial, especially in regard tothe conception o Paul.

“In a way, we automatically have interestin the Chekhovian characters,” he says.“But the aspects o the play that aren’t Chekhovian had to be invented. So I wenton to work a lot on Paul. Tere were lots

o changes or his character – working ondifferent back stories or him, modiyingthe relationships he has with the othercharacters ... , that sort o thing. In a playlike this, when you’re bringing back someo the most amous and powerul charac-ters in modern drama, you find that youhave to punch up your purely invented leadcharacter so we have equal interest in him.”

Yet despite the fixes Blessing elt he stillneeded to make ollowing the Arkansas

readings, the playwright says, “I was verypleased that those audiences connected aswell as they did to the play. Fayetteville iswhere the University o Arkansas is, andthere are a lot o extremely well-read peoplethere, as there were in the other places I’vehad the play read. But there’s always someconcern that although a person may knowtheatre, or be in theatre, they may not knowChekhov that well. Or i they do knowChekhov, they may not know Uncle Vanyathat well.

“So I tried to write this play so that itwould be enjoyable to someone who justsort o knew what Chekhov was about ingeneral,” Blessing says. “O course, thebetter you know Chekhov, and the betteryou know Uncle Vanya, the more un you’llhave with it. But I think it’s also un or aperson who doesn’t know Chekhov well atall. Te undamental strokes with his dra-maturgy are what everyone uses now – hisis the language o drama – so I would think

most people would at least relate to that.”Many more people will have the oppor-

tunity when Uncle enjoys its New GroundTeatre presentation at month’s end, withcompany ounder and Artistic DirectorChris Jansen directing Jake Walker asPaul, Michael Carron as Vanya, VictoriaHouse as Sonya, Maggie Woolley as Yelena,Jordan Smith as Astrov, and Bill Peiffer,double-cast as Serebryakov and Paul’sUncle Waring. (No word yet on who, or

what, plays the wormhole monsters, butI’m dying to find out.)

Numerous other Blessing works havebeen produced locally over the years:Fortinbrasat St. Ambrose University in

2007; Eleemosynary at the Green Room

Teatre in 2008; Independenceat the Harri-son Hilltop Teatre in 2008 and R ichmondHill Barn Teatre in 2011. (Yours truly,as an Augustana College student in 1987,even appeared in the Blessing one-act NicePeople Dancing to Good Country Music.)

But Uncle’s New Ground staging wil l mark the very first ul l production thatBlessing’s latest will have received, and it’sthe author’s ourth play produced by thecompany over the past 11 years, ollowing

2006’sTe Winning Streak, 2008’s A Bodyof Water , and 2013’s A Walk in the Woods.

“Chris and I have known each other along time,” says Blessing, who first madeJansen’s acquaintance when he was agraduate student, and she an undergrad, atthe University o Iowa in 1975. “And whenshe said she was looking or a new play thisseason, I thought, ‘Well, you know what? Iwrite new plays.’”

He laughs. “So I thought, ‘Why not

debut it at New Ground?’ And I’m veryhappy I’ve chosen to. I’ve been very pleasedwith the work she’s done on other plays omine, and I’m really looking orward toseeing this one, finally, in production. Tatshould be a real pleasure. It’s really unlikeanything I’ve ever written beore.”

It’s also arriving, coincidentally,during a rather ertile period or Chek-hovian salutes. Not only will ChristopherDurang’s ony-winning Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike enjoy an area production atRichmond Hill this June, but off-Broadwayis currently hosting two separate takes onTe Seagull (the Pan Pan theatre company’sTe Seagull & Other Birds and AaronPosner’s comedic Stupid _____ Bird ), witha new Broadway mounting o Te CherryOrchard also recently announced.

“Sometimes there’s just a vogue orsomething,” says Blessing. “In the ’70s and’80s, people were updating a lot o Shake-speare. But they’ve also updated Chekhov

rather regularly, and it keeps happening,both nationally and in litt le clutches otheatre experience. And I think that hap-pens with Shakespeare and Chekhov, morethan anybody else, because they’re sort oour grammar in theatre. And it delights usto keep going back to them.”

New Ground Teatre will present Uncle atthe Village Teatre (2113 East 11th Street,Davenport) from April 29 through May 8.

Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m., and moreinformation and tickets are available bycalling (563)326-7529 or visiting New-GroundTeatre.org.

THEATRE By Mike Schulz [email protected]



14/20


Ask the

AdviceGoddessBY AMY ALKON

Got A Problem? Ask Amy Alkon.171 Pier Ave, #280, Santa Monica, CA 90405

or e-mail [email protected] (AdviceGoddess.com)©2016, Amy Alkon, all rights reserved.

What You Seethe Is What You GetMy boyriend o a year used to fly

into rages. He and his ex had huge, ugly

screaming fights. He now uses “mental

tricks” to stay calmer. Obviously, rage is a

bad thing, but it’s also a passionate thing.

Is it crazy to worry that he doesn’t care

enough about me to get really angry?

– Fretting

When the cops come to the door, it usually

isn’t to say, “Your neighbors called and saidthey heard you loving each other really loudly.”

Rage isn’t a sign o love; it’s a sign o bademotion management. Research by doctorand behavioral neuroscientist Emil Coccarofinds that people who are prone to angryoutbursts – responding to every slight likesomebody just nuked Rhode Island – haveexaggerated activity in a part o the braincalled the amygdala. Tis is a set o lima-bean-sized structures that basically work

as a security guard, identiying threats (orpotential threats). As neuroscientist JosephLeDoux explains it, the amygdala makes a“quick and dirty” assessment that dangeris aoot – beore rational thought can getinvolved – and releases chemical messengersto get us to leap into action, as in “Do some-thing before you die!”

But because the amygdala is an evolution-arily ancient structure – one we share withsheep and hamsters – it’s not all that dis-

cerning. In act, it makes a lot o mistakes.Tat’s because our chances o survival arebetter i we jump out o our skin at a rustlingin the leaves that turns out to be nothing –rather than being all “Yeah, that could be adeadly poisonous snake, but I’m not lettingit get in the way o a good bong hit.” Still,socially, a hypersensitive amygdala can poseproblems – such as our going all Kill Bill onsomebody’s ass when they, oh, graze ourarm reaching or a coffee lid.

Chances are that what your boyriend haslearned to do through these “mental tricks”is redirect his attention rom the amygdalato the newer, think-ier “rontal” parts o thebrain. Yes, your brain is about as easily ooledas Aida, my six-pound Chinese crested. Te vet holds out a treat in one hand so Aida won’tget hopped up about the other – which is enroute to her butt with the same size ther-mometer they use on the Great Dane.

Your boyriend’s newound cool isasign – showing that he gets that rage is to

problem-solving as a chainsaw is to hang-nail eradication. O course, many peoplerealize that they’re doing something totallycounterproductive – and remain all pedalto the metal down Stupid Avenue instead oinvesting the effort your boyriend did (anddoes) to respond differently. As or the notionthat his not blowing his top means he doesn’tcare about you … right. Nothing says you’vegot the lukewarm-ies or somebody liketreating them with love, patience, and respect

instead o giving in to your initial impulse tostab them in the neck with a ork.

Free (Scared) WillyI’m a woman with a high sex drive.

My boyriend and I live a long plane ride

apart. Months can go by between visits.

On our first day together, he typically has

erectile dysunction. Te next day, every-

thing’s good. However, it’s hard to not take

the first day personally. Afer we’re apart

or a while, shouldn’t he be raring to go?

– Concerned

A classic car that’s been garaged or thewinter can also be hard to start, but thatprobably isn’t a sign that you need to lose aew pounds and sex up the undies.

Luckily or the car, it just needs a battery jump, not reassurance rom the tow truckdriver: “You’ve still got it, Impala!” For a man,however, first-day-back jitters can easily turn

Mr. Happy into Mr. I Dunno What Happened.Tis occurs because emotions aren’t justeeling-flavored thoughts; they have physiolog-ical underpinnings. Anxiety is a cousin o ear.Te same area in the brain – the amygdala –sounds the alarm, chemically messaging yourbody to prepare it to fight or flee. Your body,in turn, shuts down processes not requiredor that, like digestion, and diverts blood flowwhere it’s needed most: to your heart and thelarge muscles (in your arms and legs) thatyou’d use to hit back or run. (Sadly, the “thirdleg” does not count as an actual leg.)

Te thing is that i your boyriend doesn’teel pressured to put on a big show, the showmight just happen. On your first day together,tell him that you just want to cuddle andreconnect – and act like you mean it. Youroverriding goal should be making him eelcomortable – though not the way an ERnurse would, by cutting off his jeans while he’sasleep with a big pair o surgical scissors.

Letting the Chips FallDavid G. Smith, April 30 at the Redstone Room

When Blue Grass, Iowa’s David G.Smith recorded his last studioalbum, he actually cut enough

material or two records. Given the consis-tently topical/political nature o 2014’s OneHouse, a listener might expect the lefoversto taste a little like ... lefovers.

As the singer/songwriter/guitarist saidin an interview last week – in advance othe local album-release show orFirst Love

– “Tis one covers quite a bit o territory. ...Tis record is a little bit more on the soferside o things, maybe a litt le more intro-spective. It’s unny how a group o songscan seem to fit together.”

Indeed, it’s easy to hear that the recordis bound in sorrow; hal o the songs dealwith lives and loves lost.

“Tis sixth album kind o brings meup to square one as ar as my artist’s lie,”Smith explained. “Tese songs were writ-

ten a while ago, a lot o them. Tey’ve beensitting and waiting patiently to be noticed.... It’s kind o a bit o ate involved here, thatall o this shows up on one record.”

So First Love – Smith’s third studioalbum – doesn’t reflect a bleak period but isinstead a “compilation ... o several roughpatches” experienced both personally andby others. “Carrie,” in act, was initiallywritten in the 1970s. (Smith said he’s writ-ten roughly 1,500 songs over the decades.)

Te album eases the listener into thedepths, leading off with a song that will beamiliar to Smith’s ans – a remixed versiono his wonderul “Fear” with newly recorded

vocals – and the appropriately titled gentle-ness o “Ocean Soul.” Te title track hintsat the album’s primary theme (“First love /afer the last one died”), but “Nightlie in theStix” keeps things light with its backwoodscampfire unk, and “Lost in You” ably cap-tures comortable and comorting love.

From that point orward, though, the

record mostly swims in dark waters: deathstoo soon, Alzheimer’s disease, a relationshipended. Smith, as is typical with his songwrit-ing, omits narrative specificity, preerringinstead to concisely sketch emotional states.

So “In the Silence” isn’t explicitly aboutAlzheimer’s, but it’s clearly enough aboutdementia – and about how disease canerode the seemingly solid oundation opersonality: “She used to be this one thing... / But now there is this something new.”

(Smith’s April 30 Redstone Room showis also a undraiser or the Greater IowaChapter o the Alzheimer’s Association.)

And the lyrics o “Carrie” only hint,subtly, that the subject is gone, with the

piano, cello, and vocals acting as both alament and contemplative celebration. Smithisn’t an artul lyricist – his heart is alwayson his sleeve – but his songs have an earnest

directness and simplicity in word and treat-ment that’s effective and appealing. Evenwhen tracks such as “In the Silence” and“Carrie” lack storytelling detail, the genuineeeling in delivery gives them orce.

And as heavy as the album is, “I Can’tell” effortlessly brings the listener backto the surace on the back hal, playullyevading the consequences o lie’s poorerchoices with its rerain o “Tat’s anotherstory / I can’t tell.” Te song eatures Keb’Mo’ on guitar and America’s Got alent ’sAlicia Michilli on background vocals –chastising and egging on the narrator.

Getting both o those guest artists was just another example o things alling intoplace on First Love. Michilli filled in oranother artist who was supposed to sing onthe track – beore she reached the semifi-nals on the NBC show in 2015.

As or Mo’, Smith explained that he wasrecording in Nashville with producer BlueMiller. “We’re setting up mics, and ... I said,

‘It would be really cool to have somebodylike Keb’ Mo’ on this song, doing some slidework.’ ... Little did I know he [Mil ler] had

just met Keb’ ... and little else did I know thatKeb’ just lived around the corner rom Blue.

“And only in Nashville does this k ind ostuff happen.”

David G. Smith will perform on Saturday, April 30, at the Redstone Room (129 MainStreet, Davenport; RiverMusicExperience.

org). Te 7:30 p.m. show also features JulieChristensen. ickets are $11.50 to $12.

For more information on David G. Smith,visit DavidGSmithMusic.com.

MUSIC By Je Ignatius [email protected]

David G. Smith, photo by Roger D. Feldhans


15/20


FREE WILL ASTROLOGY By Rob Brezsny

Go to RealAstrology.com to check out Rob Brezsny’sEXPANDED WEEKLY AUDIO HOROSCOPES

& DAILY TEXT MESSAGE HOROSCOPESThe audio horoscopes are also available by phone at

1-877-873-4888 or 1-900-950-7700

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Te

oracle I’m about to present may becontroversial. It contains advice that

most astrologers would never dare to offer anAries. But I believe you are more receptive thanusual to this challenge, and I am also convinced

that you especially need it right now. Are youready to be pushed urther than I have everpushed you? Study this quote rom novelistMark Z. Danielewski: “Passion has little to dowit

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