PeoriaStory

Irish Music at Heartland

WASHINGTON, IL -- An evening of Irish music, presented by the group Cherish the Ladies, pleased the audience at the March 18 concert at Five Points in Washington. 

There were no traditional classical pieces on the program, only Irish pieces, some traditional, some new,, but all with similar rhythm and sounds, and backed by the orchestra. 

The show was enlivened by two male Irish dancers who were brilliant -- Decian Crowley and Colin Barkell. The leader of Cherish, Joanie Madden was also lively in announcing the numbers with stories about some.

The group Cherish had just arrived from Washington DC where it performed for President BIden and his guest the Irish ambassador.  So "from Washington to Washington," Madden said. She was made a US National Heritage Fellow in 2021, "the nation's highest honor for folk artists,"  according to artistic director and conductor David Commanday in his message in the program.

Irish folk music is fun in small doses, but I wonder whether some Irish composers of traditional classical music could have been included in this program. Oh well....

 -- Elaine Hopkins

 

Legally Blonde, the Musical

PEORIA, IL -- Legally Blonde, the Musical danced into the Peoria Civic Center Theater on March 14 and plays on March 15 before leaving.

It's a good show, with terrific sets and special effects, but with a serious flaw -- most of the dialogue and song lyrics were very hard to understand.   Whether that was the fault of a poor sound system or inexperienced actors remains unknown.

The actors danced well, and the plot of the show was obvious so the lack of clear speech wasn't too much of a problem.

Alas there were no printed programs, only a flier with a QR code that could be read on a cell phone.   So the actors and their backgrounds remain unknown.  I doubt this was an Actors Equity company. The actors lacked the polish of experience. 

Since ads can pay for programs, it's inexplicable that printed programs are not available, and a blot on an evening's entertainment.

 -- Elaine Hopkins 

"That's What SHE SAID" in Peoria

PEORIA, IL -- The 2nd annual show  'That's What SHE SAID'  in Peoria took place on March 4 to a packed audience at the Art Inc. auditorium. 

The show, part of a national organization, features local women telling their stories.  The speakers were compelling as they told how they overcame difficult childhoods, medical emergencies and other issues, to become lovely middle class women with mainly professional jobs capable of presenting strong performances to the audience.

The stories are a reminder that everyone, regardless of race or class, goes through something.

But  -- after all these women confess stories from their lives, in public, then what? 

 

There was no call to action or anything like that, no movement-building, or coalition-building, or even a mention of women's political issues such as equal pay or abortion rights.  An uplifting song ended the evening.

 

However -- as a friend said, "sometimes sharing stories can lead to movements or coalitions in unseen ways." So there's hope.

 -- Elaine Hopkins