At the Dietrich by Hildy Morgan
We have so many exciting things coming up for your summer entertainment, that I’m not sure I can get everything in! We’ve been so busy (by “we” I don’t mean me, I mean those cultural folks – Margie and Erica) that it’s really been hard to keep up with everything they’re doing. Besides all those wonderful classes, there was the quilt raffle and great baskets on Founder’s Day (thank you thank you thank you to the best fundraising committee in the world! Bless all of you and all the work you do for us!) and then at night there was Gamut Theater and Macbeth at Lazybrook. Which, I have to say, was their best play ever!!! I love how they do the classics – true, they cut them, but they explain what’s happening as they go along so it makes Shakespeare accessible to everyone. And over 300 people came, proving there is an appetite for some pretty high-falutin’ stuff! Cool, hmmm?
And now, coming up this Sunday, is Jay Smar and stories and songs from the era when coal mining ruled a good deal of Pennsylvania. For all of you history buffs, I think you will find it fascinating. And many older people around here come from mining families. For me, I can’t even imagine going down into the depths of the earth, in total blackness, to dig coal. How brave those men were. And they did it to support the families they loved. Bless them all, and if you’d like to know more about their lives, come to the Dietrich at 3:00 on Sunday – and you will hear the songs and narratives that told their stories.
Of course, it isn’t just cultural that keeps the Dietrich hopping! We have so many fun movies for you coming up! Next Wednesday Tammy opens! Tammy, of course, is the brain child of Melissa McCarthy and her husband, in which she also stars along with Susan Sarandon. A road movie to top all road movies, I expect this will be worth some fine laughs, because McCarthy, by her nature, is one funny lady.
On July 2nd we have two showings of Yankee Doodle Dandy, one of our classics for the month. If you’ve never seen it on the big screen, come and give it a try. Of course, it’s a dated film. Made in 1942, it’s the story of George M. Cohan, the great American songwriter, song and dance man, Broadway hit-maker, just all around wunderkind. But, dated though the techniques used in the film may be, the story is wonderful and Cagney is so fine, you wonder why he ever played a gangster instead of just dancing his way through Hollywood. There is a scene where he dances up and down a long stairway that is grace in motion, and honestly, that scene alone is worth the price of admission. Do come and see it. It’s a grand old movie! Honest it is.
The rest of the movies we’re playing are grand, too. Jersey Boys continues to get applause from the audience, Dragon is quality kids fare and 22 Jump Street continues to amuse.
So have a great Fourth of July. It’s a lovely holiday, really, one where we can be outside, sharing food and drink with our dearest family and friends. It’s a time of remembrance and looking forward. We’re a great, big terrific country, full of diversity and generosity. Lately it seems as if we are so divided that we might never find our way back together. But don’t you believe it, folks! Look at our small towns. It doesn’t matter here if you’re a Republican or a Democrat, rich or poor, old or young, smart or…well…less smart. It matters that we live side by side and try to help each other. It’s true, we could use a bit more diversity, but that will come in time. And all the kindness and the opportunity and the tolerance for each other is represented by our beautiful Stars and Stripes. Or as George M. Cohan would say – “You’re a grand old flag, you’re a high flying flag, and forever in peace may you wave. You’re the emblem of, the land I love, the home of the free and the brave…” Oh, yeah!
See you at the Dietrich.
