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Spring has arrived and I find myself getting
ready to write a new column for a slick maga-
zine based in Palm Springs, "One and Only."
I will be writing about travel, dining and boxing.
The publication, a division of High Roller XT,
will make its debut in June. The website where
you can experience the lifestyle is: www.HighRollerXT.com
I just returned from a whirlwind week in the San
Diego area where I got to see some wonderful
theatre, hear great music and even managed a
couple of tourist and cultural attractions. Even
caught a few chilly days on the beach.
Guests at LEGOLAND in Carlsbad, CA on
March 11 were first to see the highly anticipat-
ed Freedom Tower at the re-opening of Mini-
land New York. The new attraction soars 28
feet amid the New York skyline.
The special event featured performances by
"America's beloved tenor" Daniel Rodriguez,
the touring company version of "Stomp" and
hip-hop violin playing teenage brothers "Nuttin'
But Stringz."
The Freedom Tower uses 70,000 Lego bricks,
more than any other Miniland building and the
spire itself is 8 feet high and taking three days
to build. The whole tower took four months to
complete with a crew of just 10 people whereas
the actual building in NYC is estimated to take
more than four years to build and scheduled for
2009. By the way rumor has it that Jimmy Hoffa
is secretly buried in the cement in the upper
portion of the tower at LEGOLAND.
This is a wonderful theme park and I highly rec-
omend it for the whole family.
A couple of other wonderful attractions is the
Leo Carrillo Ranch State Park and the Making
Music Museum.
The ranch was home to a fine actor Leo Carrillo
and his family. Construction started in 1937
and was completed in 1940. Carrillo conceived
many of the building's designs as he outlined
the footprint of each in the dirt. He preserved
the original walls of the 1880's Kelly family ad-
obe and incorporated them into the newly de-
signed hacienda. A real treat!!!!! "Hey Ceesco."
The music museum is also a great place and
covers everything from John Phillip Sousa to
Louis Armstrong, Elvis, the Beatles and much
more. There are five rooms featuring voices
of musical greats, old instruments and a hands
on recording studio. A must!!!!!!
One of my favorite little theatres is the North
Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach. I
took in a delightful production of Herb Gard-
ner's "A Thousand Clowns" under the fine dir-
ection of Ralph Elias.
A tale of Murray Burns who is a free spirit, a
comedy writer and pop philosopher. He is also
the cartaker of his ten-year-old nephew Nick.
When child welfare gets involved, the world of
personal responsibility threatens to erode Mur-
ray's personal sanctuary.
This comedy has plenty of laughs and has a
fine cast. Through April 3rd.
One of the real highlights of my trip was a play
entitled "I Just Stopped By To See The Man"
by Stephen Jeffreys and directed by Seret Scott at The Old Globe theatre.
Taking place in the summer of 1975 about an
old black man Jesse Davidson, a blues legend living in a modest cabin with his daughter in the
Mississippi Delta. She is a fugitive from the law
and he is long believed to be dead. Into this
quiet world comes Karl, a rock musician from
England whose band has become famous play-
ing Jesse's music. He is obsessed with the idea
that Jesse is alive.
A superb cast with Henry Afro-Bradley as Jesse,
Manoel Feliciano as Karl and Tracey A. Leigh
as Della. An excellent piece of theatre.
Broadway San Diego featured "Stomp" at the
Civic Theatre. A very interesting and exciting
production.
"Stomp" is a movement of bodies,objects,
sounds-even abstract ideas. The cast uses
objects like trash cans and covers, brooms,
matchbooks etc. to create symphonies, rhy-
thms and dance routines.
"Stomp" started on the streets of Brighton, Eng-
land. Creators Luke Cresswell and Steve Mc-
Nicholas were in a group of streee performers
commonly known as "buskers" trying to grab
people's attenion. Busking is an old custom in
the UK dating back to booth theatres erected
at village fairs in the Middle Ages.
If you are lucky enough to get a ticket, the San Diego Chamber Orchestra under the direction
of Maestro Donald Barra is a real treasure.
This was a memorable evening with guest
soloist, violinist Livia Sohn featured in Violin
Concerto in E Minor, opus 64 by Mendelssohn.
Also on the program was Beethoven's Egmont
Overture, Opus 84 and Symphony No. 40 in
G Minor, K. 550 by Mozart.
This wonderful orchestra plays in different ven-
ues as St. Paul's Cathedral in Downtown San
Diego, Fairbanks Ranch Country Club in Ran-
cho Santa Fe and where I was lucky enough
to be in attendance at Sherwood Auditorium
in La Jolla.
Another musical treasure is Mainly Mozart
throughout the San Diego and Baja areas. I
attended a Spotlight Series program at the
magnificent Neurosciences Institute in La
Jolla.
Treasures of the Chamber Music Repertoire -
Piano Quintet featuring Ida Levin, violin; Cyn-
thia Phelps, viola; Ronald Thomas, cello; Tim-
othy Pitt, bass and Anton Nel, piano. The pro-
gram included: Mozart - Rondo in D Major, K.
485; Mozart - Gigue in G Major, K. 574; Ross-
ini - Duo in D Major for Cello and Bass; Schu-
bert - Quintet in A Major for Piano and Strings,
D. 667 "Trout"; Faure - Piano Quartet in C
Minor for Piano and Strings, Opus 15.
What a delightful evening of great music and
musicians.
So many musical treasures in the San Diego
area and another is the Westwind Brass. This
ensemble features a kaleidoscope of music
from the Baroque of Handel and Bach to the
jazz sounds of Dave Brubeck and Thelonious
Monk.
The Brass is in residence at the San Diego
Museum of Art and they tour throughout the
country. Members include Frank Glasson and
John Wilds on trumpet, Barry Toombs on horn,
Bill Yeager on trombone and Brent Dutton on
tuba.
I delighted in listening to the music from their
new "Jazztet" CD at a private soiree for mem-
bers only in La Jolla
................ciao
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