Crossing the Lee Bridge
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‘Les Mis’
“Les Misérables” runs March 26-31 at the Landmark Theater.
Style magazine featured an interview with actor Andrew Varela this past week. An excerpt:
Based on Victor Hugo’s novel of the same name, the popular musical follows the lives of the proletariat in post-Napoleonic France. Weaving through uprisings, tuberculosis and poverty, Claude-Michel Schönberg’s emotive and melodious score has entertained American audiences since it first crossed the pond in 1987. The show comes to the Landmark Theater next week.
Though audiences may be familiar with the show through last year’s film adaptation, Varela says there’s nothing like seeing the musical as it was meant to be performed. And for those familiar with the stage version, this production is quite different from the original ’87 staging.
“We had a meeting with Cameron [Mackintosh, the musical’s producer] about doing the show in a much more modern way,” director Laurence Connor says. “I think the original production was quite an eclectic sort of production. It was very theatrical, and it was quite romantic in many ways. We took a slightly more realistic approach. [It’s] a bit grittier in places.”
This production eschews the minimalist sets and features new costumes and orchestrations. It also does away with the show’s signature rotating stage, a revolutionary set piece in all senses of the word in 1987. Instead, today’s musical uses high-definition projectors and plays off some of Hugo’s illustrations.
“It is every bit as powerful musically as the original,” Connor says, “it’s just a different way of telling the story.”
KaBOOM! Playground Effort for William Byrd Community House
William Byrd Community House is applying for a project from the non-profit KaBOOM! and are asking for residents to stop in and sign their petition (WBCH will have a copy at their front desk for people to sign). If WBCH is approved, there will be a design day around the beginning of April.
The local community is invited to participate. There will be a one hour youth session where children are encouraged to design the playground of their dreams. Then a 2-3 hour adult session. They are requesting about 15 parents or other non-staff community members to be involved. They will also be asking for volunteers for various teams (recruitment, fundraising, food, music, safety, logistics, construction, green, and youth involvement).
The Build Day would be June 7th. The playground would be open to the community. No details have been settled on, but WBCH is requesting a playground suitable for 5 – 12 year olds. To learn more about KaBOOM! or see photos of the existing playground, check out this link.
Pine Street Estate Sale
From Craigslist ad:
Estate Liquidation: Saturday and Sunday, March 23 and 24, from 9 am to 3 pm each day. Includes a large number of items in the 100 year old home and the old “Carters Dry Goods” store which is in the back yard and fronts on Idlewood Avenue. Actual address is 300 S. Pine St., Richmond, VA 23230. Large assortment of family antiques and jewelry including but not limited to those listed below:
Large collection of Mid-Century jewelry (rhinestones, pearls, brooches, earrings) by Lisner, Weiss, Coro, Monet, Trifari, Sarah Coventry and more, Scarab bracelets,
Antique gold cameo brooch and earrings
John Marshall High School yearbooks 1935 and 1936
Large collection of Christmas ornaments including Waterford, Gorham, Wedgwood, Baldwin Christmas Ornaments, several boxes of vintage ornaments
Collection of music boxes and clowns
Large train set by Gilbert American Flyer ca. 1957
Bavarian hand painted porcelain including cake plates, bowls, etc.
Vintage Fosteria juice pitcher and matching six petit juice glasses
Antique Sterling silver and silver plate
Service for 8 silver flatware
Norman Rockwell collectible plates with COA
Half dozen oriental rugs of various sizes and patterns
Almost new Janome sewing machine and large lot of sewing accessories
Antique oak wash stand
Beautiful student sized antique oak desk
Solid cherry step back cupboard by Statton
Ethan Allen 2 piece cupboard
Biggs drop side dining room table
Several antique rocking chairs
Large gold mirror above fireplace
Upholstered gentleman’s chair and matching ottoman with storage
Single bed with one year old mattress
Stereo components in cabinet, collection of albums
Too much to list it all!
We will take cash and debit/credit cards with photo identification
Letter in The Times Dispatch
From today’s Times Dispatch editorial page:
Editor, Times-Dispatch:
Dominion Virginia Power has a distasteful presence on the north side of the James River, near Oregon Hill. Two of the ugliest buildings in the city and a parking deck completely obliterate one of the most beautiful riverscapes on the James.
Visitors to the river are denied a spectacular view of the rapids and boulders located in the area. Residents of Oregon Hill, bikers, walkers and hikers on the trail as well as tourists and visitors in Hollywood Cemetery would have difficulty respecting Richmond’s new name, River City.
Why is Dominion Power even there? And if it must have this location, perhaps its executives could come up with a plan that would not disfigure our lovely river and riverbank in this way.Mary Virginia Beane. Richmond.
Saturday Rose Work Day For Hollywood Cemetery
I mentioned this earlier, but the Times Dispatch also recently ran a nice story on volunteer effort at Hollywood Cemetery, scheduled for Saturday.
Now come this post from Hartwood Roses’ FaceBook page:
Two days to go until our big Rose Work Day at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond. I’m feeling freakishly calm and prepared at this point … so much so that I’m beginning to worry that I have forgotten to do something. (I don’t THINK I’ve forgotten anything.)
I just finished the rose map. It’s all divided into sections that show what each team’s responsibilities will be. 130 roses, divided by 12 teams of 2-3 volunteers = a very rewarding morning’s worth of work!
(Have I told you lately how excited I am to be doing this?)
Keys Found On S. Laurel
Found on sidewalk of 200 block of S. Laurel Street. Please get in touch if you recognize them.
Sierra Club Responds To Water Rate Budget Debate
Today the Sierra Club Falls of the James group released the following statement in response to Mayor Jones’ announcement earlier this month:
Sierra Club Declares Only “A Partial Victory” On Richmond Water Rates and Calls For More Reform
The Sierra Club Falls of the James group’s Executive Committee listened to Mayor Dwight C. Jones’ budget announcement from last week that calls for reducing the City of Richmond’s water service fee. We were pleased to hear the Mayor refer to it as an important conservation issue that deserves immediate attention. By almost halving the residential base charge from $49 a month to $26 a month, and making sure that higher users pay more for their use, water utility reformers can declare a partial victory as the City moves to a ‘conservation rate’ structure. We do appreciate this step forward.
At the same time, the creation of a fund for helping low income residents with water bills needs more examination. While the Sierra Club is not against assistance for low-income residents, there is concern that this measure will complicate the overall rate structure and add more bureaucracy to the public water utility. Instead of financial assistance for water customers, the DPU would be wiser to offer a substantial discounted volume rate like Henrico for those customers who use 3 ccf or less of water/month. This would have a twin aim of setting a conservation goal for its customers and providing an affordable water bill for those willing to conserve water.
If the City were going to create this additional assistance program, then it would be wise to consider additional conservation measures. For example, the Sierra Club notes and agrees with Councilperson Parker Agelasto’s suggestion to use a portion of the assistance program’s funds for a new appliance rebate program, low flow adaption kits, as well as other conservation incentives. Other cities fund programs like this to help their citizens modernize and conserve their water resources and make them more self-resilient.
At this juncture, we urge Richmond citizens to listen and follow the budget debate carefully. It has been noted already that, despite the proposed reduction in the base rate, the rise in volumetric rates may mean increased overall bills for residents in the future and more revenue from the sale of a basic necessity. We do not believe that the water utility has shown justification for the relatively high base rate. The Mayor’s proposal is not revenue neutral: with the proposed higher volume rate, the base rate could be reduced to $20/month and, even a 10% drop in water use, still be revenue neutral. The DPU’s Payment-In-Lieu-Of-Taxes (PILOT) demands scrutiny because the base service charge could be reduced further if the DPU is not paying more than required into the general fund. There still exists the glaring differences in residential water prices between the City and the surrounding counties, which may in effect be encouraging suburban sprawl.
In short, despite the Mayor’s positive step, we expect that water rate reformers may have some very good reasons for calling for further reform. Again, Mayor Jones deserves credit for his conservation record, which includes the establishment of RVA Green, the City’s first sustainability plan. That said, we would be remiss on this subject if we did not call for further action.
Light Snow on Laurel Street
Earth Hour This Saturday
On Saturday, March 23rd, between 8:30 and 9:30pm local time, you can join the Earth Hour movement to by turning off your lights and electric devices to raise awareness about climate change and the importance of a healthy planet.
2013 marks the 9th anniversary of Earth Hour, an event that has grown to include hundreds of millions of people, businesses, and governments around the world.