Women Today

Our friends at Unity Hospice share a message about the traveling display "Portraits of Hope" to create awareness of Hospice Care and to give hope this February.
“Hospice” can be a frightening term. Yet, to those impacted by its comforting words, hands and care, “hospice” is synonymous with “hope.”

For the last several months, a unique display created by the Hospice Organization and Palliative Experts (HOPE) of Wisconsin, a statewide organization that provides education, legislative influence and partnership opportunities to individuals and organizations involved with end-of-life care, has been touring throughout the Green Bay area, raising awareness about hospice care. “Portraits of HOPE,” the traveling display, was created in 2007 upon the 30th anniversary of hospice’s beginnings in Wisconsin to help put a face on hospice care. Hospices throughout the state submitted photographs along with comments from patients, families, staff and volunteers.

What does “hope” look like? “Portraits of HOPE,” now on display through the third week of February at East Town Mall in Green Bay, best depicts “hope” in photos, but the words captured within the display can help paint a picture in print.

Joy Ride: “In the last 21 months, Dorothy has ridden a motorcycle, traveled to California to watch her daughters race in the LA marathon and prepares meals for the staff at the center.”

Gifts for the Journey: “John lives in his house with his dog, Diller. Even with congestive heart failure, he has remained very independent with the help of hospice and his caregiver, Barb. John enjoys playing cribbage, coin collecting and riding about town on his motorized scooter!”

Hospice is Dorothy. Hospice is John. Hospice is “hope.”
A not-for-profit health care provider, Unity is dedicated to ensuring that all individuals and the communities in which they reside have access to education, support and quality holistic care.

No doubt about it, “Wicked’ is big. From the enormous dragon hanging over the stage and oversized gears hanging at its sides to the backdrops, bridges and dramatic lighting, this is a huge production to be dropped on the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center in downtown Appleton.

There are some shows bring that Broadway feeling with them when they travel, and this is one of them. The detailed costuming, large ensemble dance numbers and those finely tuned voices of the show’s leads let you know that Oz, like Dorothy’s house, picks up and travels well.

The play is a skillfully told prequel of the familiar “Wizard of Oz” film. But although the staging enveloped me as I sat in the audience Thursday night, it was the story of friendship that truly carried the show. This solid foundation gives the story its heart offers a simple message that stands out amidst all the glitz surrounding it.

Donna Vivino plays Elphaba, who will come to be known as the Wicked Witch, and Katie Rose Clarke plays Glinda, who will become the Good Witch. They begin the play as determined enemies, a fact cleverly established in the song “What Is This Feeling?” However, a solid friendship develops and is tested by love, ambition and the Wizard himself.

The play skillfully answers some questions not cleared up by the movie, such as where the Tin Man, Cowardly Lion and Scarecrow came from, and looking back on the production it’s interesting to see the hints that were dropped during the show. The show also offers some commentary, quite thought-provoking for a musical, on just what “good” means.

I loved the play’s amusing dialogue, but it’s the big production numbers that I’d go back for. The opening sequence, “No One Mourns the Wicked,” and “Defying Gravity” scene at the end of the first act had me wishing I was holding my DVR remote so I could rewind the actors and watch them all over again.

I attended the play with my 15-year-old daughter, and this was an evening we’d both been waiting for since 2007, when it was announced that “Wicked” would be coming to the Fox Cities. We agreed that it was a fabulous production, and now we can’t wait to see it again.

Limited tickets are available. They start at $56 and can be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-982-2787 or online at foxcitiespac.com. Additional fees will apply when ordering by phone or online.

A day-of-performance lottery for a limited number of seats will be held daily for "Wicked," which will be at the Fox Cities PAC through Feb. 28.

Each day, 2 1/2 hours before show time, people who present themselves at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center ticket office will have their names placed in a lottery drum. Thirty minutes later, names will be drawn for a limited number of seats at $25 each, cash only.

This lottery is available only in-person at the box office, with a limit of two tickets per person. Tonight’s performance of "Wicked" will not have a lottery due to the Wonderfully Wicked gala.

Tuesday through Friday performances are at 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Sunday performances are at 1:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

On Feb. 26, there will be a 2 p.m. matinee performance. There is also a performance on Feb. 23 at 7:30 p.m.
For more from star Donna Vivino, see http://www.mywomenmagazine.com/blogs/blog1.php/2009/02/04/donna-vivino-talks-about-starring-role-a.

For a look at some of the people at Thursday night's performance, see Out and About at http://mywomenmagazine.com/modules/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=1247.

I was impressed by three things when I saw "Chicago" Friday night at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center: jazz, legs and a friendly star.

The musical has a titilating storyline involving murder and deception. There's no doubt that Roxy Hart (Bianca Marroquin) killed her husband, but flashy lawyer Billy Flynn (Tom Wopat) has ways of obscuring the facts with razzle-dazzle.

The plot moves forward with some fantastic musical numbers. It opens with "All That Jazz," and introduces the female inmantes with attitude in "Cell Block Tango." Roz Ryan delivers a powerful "When You're Good to Mama" as jail matron "Mama" Morton.

The singers are backed by an orchestra containting a number of local musicians. Marc Jimos, Jeff Erickson, Forrest Mankowski, Pat Phalen, Rand Skelton, David Sawall, Kyle Samuelson, Yuliya Smead, Steve Lewandowkis and Charles Ledvina did a subperb job of giving the musical its jazz-enfused energy.

The dancers were nothing short of amazing. Who knew limbs could kick that high and stretch so easily? The Bob Fosse-inspired choreography was a treat, especially in "All I Care About," the number that introduced lawyer Billy Flynn, played by Wopat.

Wopat had a strong voice and solid but not overwhelming stage presence. Years ago I saw Robert Goulet in "South Pacific." Even though I knew little about him, the moment he walked onstage I got the feeling of "That's Robert Goulet and he's a star." I didn't get that feeling with Wopat, but I still enjoyed seeing him in the role. He sounded wonderful and hit the mark with the delivery of his lines.

I was impressed by Wopat before he got onstage that evening. Before the show, he was in the lobby, dressed casually and wearing a baseball cap. He was promoting and authographing his new CD, and also signed "Chicago" merchandise.

Perhaps I still have stars in my eyes from growing up in the 1970s and seeing him on "Dukes of Hazzard," but I certainly didn't expect Luke Duke to be mingling with fans before the show. But he was aimable and happy to chat.

Onstage, the character Wopat played is a master of deception. In person, Wopat was friendly, down-to earth and not too egotistical to work the crowd before the show.

I liked him onstage, but also admired him for the extra effort he put in to further his career. It's a reminder that that having a shot being a star requires an awful lot of work on the ground.

To see some of the people who attended "Chicago" Friday evening, see our Out and About page at http://mywomenmagazine.com/modules/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=938.

Breast cancer survivor Christine Danielson, who’s on the cover of the most recent issue of Women magazine, did a great job of offering uplifting advice to those with breast cancer when she was interviewed this morning on WFRV Channel 5.

Danielson spoke with anchor Wendy Neuberger and talked about getting through her tiring treatments with support of friends and the knowledge that things would get better.

To see her interview, visit the Channel 5 Web site at http://www.wfrv.com/content/news/firstnews/default.aspx and click on the video link.

To read more about Danielson, see her story in this month’s issue of Women at www.mywomenmagazine.com.

My son has been studying the 1970s in his high school history class, so when l learned that "Frost/Nixon" was going to be presented at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center in downtown Appleton I knew just who to invite.

For me, Watergate was a vague memory from my childhood. For my son, it was a long-ago piece of history. On Tuesday night, actors Stacy Keach and Alan Cox brought it to life in a way that was thoroughly entertaining.

I didn’t know what to expect when we entered the theater Tuesday night. I thought perhaps we would see a recreation of David Frost’s 1977 interview with President Richard Nixon, with the principal actors having a Q&A session for a few hours. I envisioned us struggling to say awake and perhaps leaving at intermission.

I could not have been more mistaken. Instead of simply recreating the interview, the play delved into all that went into making it come fruition, and made it clear how high the stakes were for both parties.

British talk show host Frost was desperate to prove he could succeed on American television, and almost sacrificed everything he had to get that chance. Nixon wanted a way to remind Americans of his accomplishments and perhaps return to the political scene. Only one could get what he wanted.

The play used supporting characters (Brian Sgambati as one of Frost’s researchers and Ted Koch as a staunch Nixon supporter) to explain exactly how important this moment in history was to both parties. Their asides were used to great effect, as a narrative that tied the scenes together and clarified the historic events, a relief to someone like me whose memory of that era is fuzzy.

The production made successful use of television footage, using it in place of grand sets to set the scene and bring us back in time. My son noted that the sound effects also added the perfect accent when the play transitioned between scenes.

The acting was also a pleasure to watch. Keach as Nixon and Cox as Frost played their characters superbly, capturing mannerisms, speech patterns and motive.

The presentation we saw Tuesday night presented history in a way that was entirely new to me. It was visually engaging, riveting and even humorous. It kept my son and I enthralled for its entire running time of an hour and 45 minutes. My son called it the best play he’s seen at the PAC to date.

Watergate was a low point in American history, but Frost/Nixon turns it into a theatrical highlight that’s well worth seeing.

P.S. See who else enjoyed the show by checking out our Out and About site at http://mywomenmagazine.com/modules/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=727.