Brenda Arrieta Killian (1977-2009)

I was scanning my home page on Facebook Friday night when a message popped up on the screen. It was from a young woman who had been stage manager for a play I did several years ago at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH). She asked, "Have you heard about Brenda." When I answered "No," she told me, as gently as possible, that Brenda had died of cancer that morning.

I first met Brenda at CSUDH when we were both cast in the play Boy by Diana Son. I was Papa Uber Alles and she was one of my daughters. Brenda was a wonderful actress and a better person. It seemed she always had a big unforgettable smile on her face. After she graduated in 2001, she went off to England where she obtained a Master's degree. When she returned, I first saw her when she walked into the lobby at Palos Verdes Players one night when I was working the box office. She was there to review the play for a local newspaper. We talked for a while, reminiscing about her trip to England, our time on stage together and a friend of mine at PV Players who had been her high school drama teacher.

The next time I saw Brenda was the fall of 2007 when I was cast at CSUDH in a new play, The Little College on a Hill which she had co-written for the Dominguez Bridge Theatre Company (DBTC). There was that huge smile and a warm hug for Papa from one of his many stage daughters. After the play closed, I saw Brenda one last time the late winter (or early spring) of 2008 when she told us at a DBTC meeting that her family was moving to Oregon. After that my only contact with her was when we became "friends" on Facebook and exchanged a note or two.

Brenda was too young and too bright to be taken from our midst. Her 2 young children lost their wonderful mother much too soon. There are a lot of us who have been struggling through this weekend trying to cope with this tragic, enormous loss. A full obituary written by Don Colburn of The Oregonian can be found here. It included this picture taken by Stephanie Yao Long of The Oregonian.

Look at that smile!! I'll never forget it or the young woman behind it! RIP Brenda. . . .

Middle of May Musings

It seems like more than just 4 days since my last post. The middle 1/3 of the month of May has been a potpourri of events, activities and happenings that have kept The Ancient One very busy indeed.

There have been the CCPT auditions and callbacks. In addition to a hoped for role in To Kill a Mockingbird, I am taking on a first-ever theater task for me this summer as I assist Director Heidi Dotson as a Producer for the Children's Popcorn Theatre production of Sluefoot Sue and Pecos Bill. It should be interesting.

There have been numerous events surrounding Alicia's completion of her 2 Masters Degrees including a Saturday evening reception/ceremony and Monday's graduation at Hebrew Union College's Los Angeles campus. To celebrate her accomplishments as well as Seth's new teaching credential and "permanent substitute for the rest of this school year" as drama teacher at Palos Verdes Peninsula High School, we hosted a party on Sunday evening. It seemed like at least a 100 people were here at the house (and in the yard) drawn from family, friend and the worlds of both Alicia and Seth as well as older brother Bill (even though he could not get here from New York). Then yesterday, Alicia left on a 2 week trip to Germany.

It's also been an intense "medical" period for the family. Back on March 28, I posted about my brother Andy's quadruple bypass surgery and his wife Sandy's hospitalization with MRSA. Fortunately, they found the right anti-biotic to which her infection responded a few days later. But it was 7 weeks before Andy was able to be awake and breathing on his own for any length of time. Finally, he is doing well in rehabilitation and late last week I was able to talk with him for the first time since the surgery. A great weight was lifted from my heart when I heard his voice.

Two weeks ago, my older sister Bobby, who lives in the Detroit area, had shoulder replacement surgery (a relatively new procedure). She is now doing very well in rehabilitation and is delighted with the near disappearance of what had been years of incessant pain. She can't wait to reach the point of having full use of both arms again.

And then today; Donna went in to have arthroscopic surgery on her right knee. It went well and quickly and the entire time at the hospital was only about 5 hours. She is home and resting. Hopefully it will be many years before she will have to go back for knee replacement surgery.

Our two visits to Dodger Stadium were discussed earlier here and here. And there were even a couple of other events I may talk about later. Well, I guess that's it for our Middle-of-the-Month-of-May-Madness. Soon to bed; after all, I was up at 4:00 a.m. today and it could take days for this old body to recover.

Meeting Some New (to me) Cousins. . .

We had a wonderful, very long day yesterday. A 1^st cousin of Donna's, one she hadn't seen in 40 years, was in Newport Beach for a couple of days. Bob Brenner and his wife Linda are visiting from Osage Beach, MO. So we picked them up in the morning, about an hours drive from our house, and continued on to San Diego for the day to spend time with Donna's parents. Bob had just one request of something he insisted on doing; eating at a good delicatessen. They simply don't have any Jewish style delis in his area of Missouri.

Below is a picture of Bob and Linda seated at D.Z. Akins, an outstanding deli in San Diego before lunch arrived at the table.

I mention that this was before the meal because Bob ordered what seemed like half the menu. . .and ate just about all that he ordered. He's a thin guy but he polished off a chopped liver appetizer platter, a potato knish and a corned beef sandwich. And all the time he was eating, he was regaling us with stories of their life in Osage Beach and other communities in which they lived before moving there. While Linda had been raised in southern Kansas, the rest of us (Donna's parents, Donna, me, and Donna's brother Ron) had ties to Detroit and recalled many stories about family dating back to the middle third of the last century. Linda didn't get a chance to say much but was busy with the matzoh ball soup and, if I recall correctly, a sandwich. Once the meal was over, Bob was happy for the rest of the day and then some. He had gotten his deli fix.

The rest of the afternoon was talking, talking, talking. Oh, the stories and the memories. Resa and Sy (Donna's parents) had moved to southern California about 57 years ago, not long after Donna was born. I left Detroit in 1961 and have only been back a handful or so times since. But we shared stories of the city, of families, of events, of places that we remembered. Bob shared a few more stories than the rest of us but we got our share in. And then for dinner, we made sure they got to eat at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants because we just knew that it couldn't be matched in their part of Missouri. Of course Bob, having eaten so much for lunch, ate very little for dinner; all he ordered was a bowl of freshly made guacamole.

After dinner, we drove Bob and Linda back to Newport Beach, talking all the way, and continued on home. I know how much Donna enjoyed seeing this cousin she hadn't seen since she was a teenager. For me, it was a chance to meet a part of the Brenner family I had only heard about. . .and to make some new, very dear friends.

Bob Welsh (1933-2007)

Bob Welsh was a friend of mine and one of the most unique people I have ever known. Often described as being "crusty" or a "curmudgeon," both of which he was, he also was one of the most delightful, fiercely independent individuals I have ever known. And I only really knew him in one aspect of his life, his love and interest in theatre. He was a phenomenal performer as is his wife Gloria Maxwell with whom I have shared the stage in 2 productions. He was an unselfish actor who could play comic and serious roles equally well. He had an unbelievable sense of timing on stage.

Cancer had taken over Bob's body and life. He fought it valiantly for many years but finally decided several months ago that enough-was-enough and decided that there would be no more treatments. I last saw him a couple of months ago along with fellow old f—t actors Ron Rudolph and John Brigante. Bob was obviously very sick and we knew that his remaining time with us was very short. But he was the gracious host and raconteur, telling wonderful, funny, theatrical stories with that beautiful twinkle in his eyes. As usual, he regaled us with tales of his life along the way. I don't know if our visit helped Bob, but he sure cheered us up. He was going to leave this life exactly as he lived it; on his own terms when he was ready. His last breaths were taken on December 6 with close family at his side.

At a memorial yesterday, I learned about parts of Bob's life about which I knew little. His role as a nurturing father who made sure his 4 kids would grow up as self-sufficient thinkers. His love of political debate especially with those, like me, whose views were so different from his. His long battle with the IRS over the payment of income taxes. His achievement as a Life Master in Bridge. His acceptance of all people at face value, never looking for ulterior motives. His genuine love of people. Listening to the comments of his family and friends, I wished that I had known him for more than just the past decade.

A friend is gone but will not be forgotten. As I sit here thinking of Bob, I can hear his distinctive voice starting yet another story, "Let me tell you about the time. . . " Bob Welsh already is missed by all of us who knew him.

Hanukkah, or is it Chanukkah?

Tonight is the 5^th night of Hanukkah. Starting on December 4, the 8 day Festival of Lights began early this year. Well, not really; it begins every year on the 25^th of Kislev on the Jewish Calendar which is a lunar calendar. That is why it seems that Jewish holidays change every year. A full story of Hanukkah can be found here.

There are also different transliterated spellings of the holidays name; thus the title of this posting. Hanukkah and Chanukkah are the most usual ways we see it spelled in English, depending on who is trying to write the Hebrew word in our alphabet. I won't try to explain the pronunciation of "ch" here. If you haven't learned Hebrew or a guttural language, it comes out as a "k" or "h" sound depending on the word, but neither comes close to the true "sounds-like-clearing-your-throat" sound of the "ch."

Many see Chanukkah and Christmas as being related because they fall roughly at the same time and involve gift giving. But when I was young, there were no gifts given on Hanukkah, other than some "gelt," a small amount of money given to the children. Don't worry, I was not deprived of gifts as a child. My parents simply gave them to me on Christmas, "observing" the secular, commercial nature of the celebration in this country.

In our house, Donna takes great pride in decorating for the holiday. Below are pictures taken outside the house of some decorations and a lit Star-of-David which sits in a front window.

The inside of the house is decorated too! Much of Donna's Hannukiah collection (Hanukkah menorahs) is displayed on the hearth in front of the fireplace.

And the coffee table has another Hannukiah and lost of dreidels (a top like toy).

The family room counter also is well decorated this year.

And one last photo, that of the dining room table, taken just before friends in our Havurah arrived for the annual Hanukkah party on Thursday evening.

So there you have the visual presentation of Hanukkah in our house. And the food was wonderful too! I tried to keep my cardiologist happy by avoiding the traditional potato latkes, sneaking only 2 during the meal and using apple sauce instead of sour cream as the garnish. But to no avail, just looking and thinking about them led to a 2 pound weight gain overnight.

As this holiday season progresses, I wish a Happy Chanukkah to all. And may the coming year be one of peace and good health. Gut Yom Tov!

It’s Time to Show (Pictures) and Tell…

Well, we've been back from our trip for 4 days and it's time to talk about the parts of the trip I didn't write about earlier and share some photos. There were so many aspects of the week we spent in the Washington, DC area that it's hard to sort them out.

First, the primary reason we were there, as I've mentioned in earlier posts, was for my great-nephew David's Bar Mitzvah. It was a Saturday afternoon (Havdalah) service at Temple Beth Ami in Rockville, MD.

David did a wonderful, confident job with the readings from his Maftir portion in the Torah and his Haftorah. I was impressed with his commentary on a selection from Pirke Avot (Sayings of Our Fathers) which he chose because, in his own words, he did not understand it when he read it the first time.

David, the day before his Bar Mitzvah

While the service was warm and pleasant, it reminded me of how different the different branches of Judaism are from each other. We belong to a conservative congregation and there were parts of the reform Beth Ami liturgy that were quite different than what I am accustomed to hearing. But it was a joyous event and I thank David's family for honoring my sister, brother and me by asking us to remove the Torah coverings after it was taken from the Aron Kodesh so it would be ready for reading.

After the service, there was a wonderful dinner dance in the Temple's social hall. It was very much geared toward David and his friends although there was much to enjoy for all of us older folks. I mean, I even got up and danced and that doesn't happen very often.

Dancing the Hora (that's Donna front and center)

Proud parents Kate and Danny welcoming guests at the party with David and Sara

Second, as a result of the Bar Mitzvah, family gathered from around the country. A lot of pictures were taken and I'll share just a couple here.

As much as I hate to say it, my brother, sister and I are the "older generation" of the Cohanim. That's Andy on the left, Bobby in the middle and "baby" me. (What can I say; I have always been and always will be the baby.)

And below is the California branch of the family; Donna and me with Seth and Alicia.

There were many nieces and nephews and cousins there too but I decided to keep this at a manageable length and I don't have pictures of all of them.

We did get a chance to spend Labor Day in DC at the Holocaust Museum. It is important to note that this museum urges us to never forget what happened to millions of Jews, gypsies, political dissidents, homosexuals, Poles and other nationalities at the hands of Hitler. Since World War II, unfortunately, we have seen too many other instances of genocide.

For me, the most emotional moment on the main museum tour is walking through a railcar that had been used to transport people to the concentration and death camps.

Although, to my knowledge, I had no family members lost in the Holocaust, I have many friends who did and I know a number of survivors. And, ironically, my first role when I started acting was that of Mordechai Weiss in the play A Shayna Maidel by Barbara Lebow. It focuses on the reunification of a Jewish family following World War II. The emotions I experienced at the Holocaust Museumin were similar to what I felt in that role .

Finally, we took an additional side trip, driving to Baltimore to visit with Rabbi Ron Shulman and his wife Robin. As I mentioned in my post the day after our return, they moved to Chizuk Amuno Congregation 3 years ago, following 21 years as our Rabbi and Rebittzen here. It was such an enjoyable afternoon and evening getting caught up with them. The synagogue is magnificent. While I do not have a picture of the outside of the building, I do have one of the main sanctuary.

We had visited downtown Baltimore early in the day, having lunch at a restaurant in Fells Point, before driving out to the synagogue. And the day was topped off by a Rabbi led tour of Jewish sights in the city followed by dinner at a kosher Chinese restaurant.

Wow! We really did a lot in 6+ days! No wonder it has taken several days to recover from the trip. Now we can sit back and enjoy the memories and pictures from the journey. Ok – enough "show and tell."

Back home from DC

Well, we have returned from our week in the Washington, DC area and a fine trip it was. We arrived home last night rather tired from the journey but with wonderful memories of my great-nephew’s Bar Mitzvah, the gathering of family member we see too little of, visiting with our former Rabbi Ron Shulman (who moved to Congregation Chizuk Amuno in Baltimore 3 years ago) and his wife Robin, and actually finding time to take in some of the sights in Washington. Going through security at Dulles Airport yesterday made us even more aware of how much more pleasant it is flying in and out of Long Beach on Jet Blue whenever we can rather than using LAX.

Now it’s back to trying to get used to a normal routine. I still plan to do a separate blog on David’s Bar Mitzvah and perhaps one on the Holocaust Museum. But first I must get caught up on my sleep. I do like my own bed!

A Good Weekend . . . without Theatre

It was a good weekend filled with fun although it seemed a little strange. It was the first weekend following the close of Culver City Public Theatre's (CCPT) 6-week 2007 season. It was sort of nice not having to head to the park for the 10:00 a.m. call or to think about remembering lines. However, I really did miss those young audience members who made King Midas such a memorable performance experience every weekend of the run.

I do offer just one last theatre photo (provided by Laura Boccaletti) and then on to other things. It shows Heidi Dotson (in the center) who wrote the script and directed King Midas receiving a bouquet of roses during the curtain call from The Ancient One and Sharon Savene. Heidi, who also is a CCPT board member, is one of those special people who work enormously hard and for whom it was a pleasure to be a cast member. She was brave enough to offer me the title role and she brought some acting talent out of me that I was not aware I possessed. And so, a public thank you to Heidi.

As for this past weekend, it was wonderful. On Saturday evening we attended the wedding of Nicole Schiff and Daniel Brozost. We have been friends of the Schiff's since we moved to Palos Verdes in 1982. We watched Nicole and her sisters Shanti and Arielle grow up. The wedding was held at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. The ceremony was framed by "the breathtaking three-story Blue Cavern aquatic exhibit." It was truly a magnificent evening.

Yesterday provided another special and exciting event. Donna's voice teacher, Bradley Baker, occasionally has his students perform at an "open mike" night he sponsors at the M Bar in Hollywood. This time Donna led offer the entertainment with Unchained Melody. What can I say; my unbiased opinion is that she was truly outstanding. And thanks to friend Jim Shneer, I offer the below photo which is pretty good considering the lighting (or lack thereof).

A number of friends were there to cheer Donna on in her 2^nd M Bar appearance and to support the other performers as well. If I'm not mistaken, based on their comments at dinner after the show, they shared my assessment of her performance. Bradley and pianist Byron Smith rounded out the evening, with performances that add a seasoned-professional touch.

So the first weekend following CCPT came to an end. It was great. . . I survived the "weekend after" with flying colors. And now for more of the same with, as will become evident in later posts, a bit of travel added in.

Memories of jogging and marathons. . .

It's strange how the mind works. There I was just driving along and suddenly the word "marathon" popped into my mind. And then it brought back memories of the years I lived in Springfield, Illinois and old friends in the Springfield Roadrunners' Club and the 3 marathons which I entered and finished. As I recall. The Springfield Roadrunners organized somewhere in the mid-1970's. I am not clear on the exact year but it might have been about 1974 (+/- 1 year). As I started writing this, I was surprised to find, as signified by the link above, that the club still exists, and has a website which appears to have been created in 2000. None of the names I came across on that site were familiar to me and that seems logical since I left Springfield early in 1982. But that's not where I thought I was going with this.

I'm trying to remember why I started jogging. It may have been recommended by my primary care physician; in those days I think we called him a family practice doctor, Stuart Yaffe. He wanted me to lose weight (and I weighed less then than I do today) and mentioned that he jogged most days in Washington Park, about a block from the old house I had recently bought. And so I started. And as it built up I started running in local 5K and 10 K races. Not very fast but respectable finishing times and I did earn an occasional age-group ribbon. I started getting Runner's World magazine which was not nearly as flashy as it is today. But from reading it, I decided I wanted a pair of New Balance shoes. But they were relatively new on the market and not to be found within striking distance of Springfield. As it happened, I was scheduled to go to Boston and, while there, I bought a pair of NB 320s (I think that was the model number) and to my knowledge was the first person in Springfield to own a pair of New Balance.

Somewhere along the way I decided I wanted to train and run a marathon. And eventually I did run in 3: The Marathon Marathon at Indiana State University in Terre Haute; the Drake Relays Marathon in Des Moines, Iowa, and one whose sponsorship I can't remember that was on the grounds of Allerton Park and Retreat Center which was a continuing education center of the University of Illinois near Monticello, IL. And I trained hard. . .well as hard as a somewhat overweight guy in his mid-30s could train. And occasionally I overdid it. At one point I was the local expert on plantar fasciitis, sometimes called a "heel spur," which in my case was incredible pain along the tissue of the bottom of my foot that connect the heel bone to the toes. Actually, as I recall, rest was the best way to treat this pain but that was not a viable choice when training for a marathon. But I survived the inflammation and did complete all 3 races.

I did find a good description of the Marathon Marathon (sponsored logically enough by Marathon Oil) on the blog A Portrait Of The Runner As A Thirtyish Man.) While I did finish in well over 4 hours, it was a painful experience. The temperature on the day I ran was in the low 90s. I was made ill by the smell of creosote soaked ties in a railroad yard along the route. I did hit the proverbial wall and hurt so badly I should have quit. But I was too stubborn to do so and, with a fair amount of walking instead of running, finally made it to the finish line where I was immediately carried into a first aid tent and treated for heat exhaustion. Perhaps the highlight of the day was on the drive back to Springfield when we stopped at an A&W Root Beer stand where I had the best root beer float I ever had. I can still taste it today, more than 30 years later.


My 2^nd Marathon was the one held in conjunction with the Drake Relays. A history of its first 25 years can be found here. It started near the State Capitol in downtown Des Moines and the course wound up to the stadium at Drake University. The race ended inside the stadium just prior to the final events of the Relays. And I was lucky. With a time just under 3:45, I was one of the last runners allowed to finish inside the stadium. It was the highlight of my "athletic career;" entering a stadium filled with nearly 20,000 track fans and doing a finishing lap around the track being cheered by the real athletes warming up on the infield for their own races. As I recall, I was so high, I grinned all the way back to Springfield after the race.

I can't find any references to the marathon held in Allerton Park. I know that there were many of us from the Springfield Roadrunners who participated. I was having a rough time during the final 1/3 of the course when a fellow Springfield Roadrunner, who had finished well ahead of me, showed up at my side somewhere between 22 and 23 mile markers and ran along cheering me on to the finish line. He was a pleasant fellow named John Block, who not only was a good runner but he served as Secretary of Agriculture in Illinois and in Washington, D.C. under President Ronald Reagan. I will always remember John because without him I never would have finished that marathon.

Of all the races I ran, mostly at the 5 and 10K distances, I remember more detail about the marathons. I remember friends like Stu Yaffe, John Block and Carmen Chapman. I remember the trips with club members to the races and especially meals in St. Louis, probably the best carbohydrate loading city in the country for fans of pasta and great Italian food.

When I moved to southern California in 1982, I tried to keep up my running but it gradually faded away, a victim of my knees and the very hilly roads of the Palos Verdes Peninsula. I did run one 10K race after moving here and by the undulating end I knew that it was probably my last competition. And it was. But I still have many good memories.

An afterthought – when I started running in the 1970s, there were occasional articles that no one who had ever run and finished a marathon ever had a heart attack. Well, that was a myth that was put to rest. And I am also proof that it was a myth, having had a mild heart attack 11 years ago, an angioplasty and insertion of a stent a year after that and, 3 years ago (August 30, 2004) an emergency triple coronary bypass operation. Yet, I am healthier today than I have been in decades and I do give the years of my distance running part of the credit for my simply being alive today; that and some phenomenal doctors and a great hospital.

Hairspray. . .the Movie

Fun evening. Met friends Diane & Jim Shneer for dinner and then saw the film Hairspray.

Lots of fun. Great music; the kind I grew up with. An evening with a lot of smiling.

A Midsummer Night. . .

A real treat last night. With friends Sandy & Mike Buttitta, we went to see Shakespeare Festival/LA's Bard in the Garden production of a Midsummer Night's Dream at the South Coast Botanic Garden. We got there early with our chairs and coolers filled with food and beverage for a relaxing picnic and a night of great entertainment.

I have probably seen Midsummer. . . six or more times in my life. This production was a jazz version with contemporary music and great costumes, including zoot suits. The "Central Avenue" influence was clear in the performance, set and music. The cast not only could act but also sing and dance backed up by a jazz trio. The words were Shakespeare's. The music was not, with such standards as Central Avenue Breakdown (by Lionel Hampton), It's Only a Paper Moon, Dream a Little Dream of Me, A Kiss to Build a Dream On, I've Got you Under My Skin. . . you get the idea. Truly a well done and unique production.

Below are photos of the program cover and the setting:

A truly delightful evening. And now to get ready for Weekend 3 of CCPT.

Stage Managers Rule. . .

Every actor who has performed on stage knows the importance of the Stage Manager. Generally, once a show opens the Director hands over the reins to the Stage Manager who makes sure that each performance goes on as scheduled and serves as a super problem solver. It requires someone who is an expert in everything from technical theatre to psychology.

I have been lucky over the past 12 years to work with some truly outstanding stage managers but the one who is the crème de la crème is Suze Campagna who currently is keeping us in line for both Much Ado About Nothing and King Midas (where she was a last minute volunteer to help). Suze always seem to have a smile on her face as she wrangles actors, makes sure the set is in place and deals with all the little problems that always seem to come up. She has the ability to be firm and pleasant at the same time. (Below are pictures of Suze at rehearsals of Much Ado About Nothing in Culver City, one at the Vet and the other at Carlson Park.)

I first met Suze when I began performing with Culver City Public Theatre (CCPT). I'm not sure but I think she has stage-managed 5 plays in which I have appeared. And there is one special characteristic of Suze that makes life a lot easier for both Suze and the cast members. It is what she calls her red box (which I believe has grown to 2 tool boxes) which contains everything that she might need to repair a set, fix set pieces and props, hold costumes together and help actors deal with headaches. I'm sure that many stage managers have an equivalent to Suze's red box. But how many of them also include a couple of pairs of men's black socks; there is always someone who forgets to bring theirs.

Suze has become a dear friend as well as a favorite stage manager. I am sure I speak for all actors who have worked with her when I say THANK YOU!

See you in the park on Saturday Suze. And I will be on time or I know my cell phone will be ringing. You are the best!!!

A Bunch of the Boys Were Whooping it Up. . .

Ron Rudolph turns 75 next week. So his friend Vince DiFiore called a bunch of us to come out and celebrate this auspicious occasion. This morning 8 of us, including Ron, gathered in the local Ruby's for breakfast and (loud) story telling. We had a great time (as can be seen by Ron's face below) although I am not sure all the other customers were delighted at the raucous sounds generated by a bunch of white-haired fellows.

I'm not certain but I think I first met Ron when we performed with the Prime Time Players in Once Upon a Mattress about 9 years ago. I talked about this year's production, in which Ron was a co-star here. I've only done 2 of the Prime Time shows but Ron has been in many.

We also performed together in the Los Angeles Jewish Theatre's 2003 production of Paddy Chayefsky's The 10^th Man. That was a time of cementing friendships between myself, Ron and John Briganti (who also was at the breakfast today). We formed a carpool to make the commute from the South Bay to Hollywood for rehearsals and performances. We spent many long hours on the Harbor and Hollywood Freeways. Since that time, the 3 of us get together on a semi-regular basis for lunch. Occasionally, a 4^th member of that cast, Larry Gelman comes in from Hollywood to join us as we share so many memorable stories about our acting experiences.

I have a special place in my heart for Ron. Three years ago, after I had triple-bypass surgery, he not only visited me but was the person who got me out of the house first, taking me for lunch at a local restaurant where John joined us. That was the real start of my full recovery.

So, Happy Birthday Ron (even if it's a week early)! You and Kathy are truly good friends.

A day with friends at the Griffith Observatory

Great day today with Havurah friends at the Griffith Observatory. As you can see (below), we all posed with Albert Einstein.

The planetarium show was outstanding and the film in the Nimoy Theatre on the construction of the building was fascinating as were most of the exhibits. And we actually enjoyed the cafeteria food. After the group photo (above) I took the opportunity to get a few pointers from old Al for myself.

Visiting the Observatory is a must for visitors to Los Angeles (as well as for those of us who live in the area). The only downside today was the shuttle bus ride back to the parking lot by the L.A. Zoo. The streets of Los Feliz were clogged and the usual 10 minute ride took a full hour. Griffith Park was simply inundated with Easter outings in spite of the gloomy weather.

The Annual Passover Seder. . .

Last night was our annual Passover Seder. It was average size this year with 27 people joining us. It wasn’t close to the record 54 of 2 years ago. (That is not likely to happen.) It was the usual eclectic mix of people; neighbors, friends from many of our worlds, Alicia and Seth’s friends, Bill's old college friends who have been joining us since the late 1980's, even a Methodist minister who has now been with us on the first night of Passover for 4 years. I believe this year a majority of the participants were actually Jewish. Often that is not the case. The ecumenical nature of our seder helps make it very special. After all, freedom is a universal value that crosses all religions, races and ethnicities.

Large seders were a tradition in Donna’s family. Each year now as we remove furniture from our living room to free up space for additional tables and chairs, I think back to the seders at the Brenners when I first got to know them in the early 1980s. The one difference is that their seders were mostly family members, often distant cousins who happened to be in town and no one had seen in decades. Ours, outside of immediate family, are attended mostly by friends, acquaintances and colleagues.

The seder service and discussion were relatively short, as is usually the case. Alicia introduced some new elements as she often does. The food was incredible; Donna’s chicken soup with matzoh balls was the best in memory.

There was just one problem; that also seemed like a family tradition. The kitchen sink backed up. It only seems to happen when there are numerous guests present enjoying a multi-course meal. So dishes were washed in the bathroom sink and it did little to dampen the joyous spirit.

None of these seders would occur if not for Donna’s incredible work for weeks before the event. My role generally has been to help move and setup furniture and my natural propensity to complain about the grocery bills. It seems that every year after the guests are gone, we claim that this is the last year of such a massive effort. But then the next year rolls around and planning, invitations, food prepartion, and furniture moving begain once again.

I’m sure this is what Tevye meant by TRADITION!

A good weekend. . .

It was a good weekend. Saw 2 musicals and were revisited by old friends, Nancy and Bob Bond.

First, Saturday night I saw many of my friends performing with The Prime Time Players in "70, Girls, 70" at the Norris Theatre. (See previous post here .) It was a wonderful opening night performance. The music was great, the voices strong, the comedic timing tight. Just a pleasant experience although I felt the script was not as good as I would have liked. But I always enjoy seeing friends perform and I am reluctant to name folks in case I forget someone. Oh well, I'll do it anyway. . . Kudos to Gloria Maxwell, John Briganti, Kathy and Ron Rudolph, Joan Perkins, Sandy Gunn and all the other talented Prime Timers.

Sunday, old friends Nancy and Bob Bond (preiviously introduced here) were back in L.A. on their way back to Hamilton, NY from their vacation in New Zealand and Australia. We spent the better part of the day with them as they shared experiences and went with us to see the Palos Verdes Peninsula High School production of Chicago. Another great performance. Collectively, the strongest set of voices I have ever seen in a high school production. And it didn't hurt that younger son, Seth, was technical director whose fine work was visually apparent in the set and lighting. After the show, we introduced Nancy and Bob to what they said was about the best Mexican food they have ever eaten. Of course, being from upstate New York, they don't get much opportunity to savor flavors from south-of-the-(California) border.

All-in-all a wonderful weekend. Now to get serious about finishing tax returns, getting set up for Passover, and the last 3 weeks of rehearsals leading up to the opening of King Kalimari on April 13.

Old Friends and Good Memories

We had lunch today with Nancy and Bob Bond (from Hamilton, NY) who were passing through LA on their way to New Zealand and Australia. Nancy and I go back nearly 40 years when her late husband, Bob Fairbanks, and I were colleagues at SUNY Albany. I thought of when that carefree soul was taken from us too soon in January, 1970 (if my memory serves me right). We laughed about moving a large aluminum rowboat into their house and placing it under the Christmas tree for their 3 sons. The following spring, I was the lucky one who got to take the boys to see their first major league game and watching their wide-eyed wonder when they first saw Yankee Stadium. And then Nancy married Bob Bond and blended their families with 6 kids and they have made a beautiful life together for the past 35 years.


Bob, Nancy and me outside of Gaetano's Restaurant in Torrance

Oh those memories. When my son Bill was small (he’s 39 now) we spent a lot of time with Nancy and Bob and it was very special even if some of the details have become fuzzy around the edges over the years. It was good to see them again and share the “good old days.” This was a day that added to that feeling of wonderment about how our lives evolve and the mazelike journey we take from youth through the many decades of our existence. Thank you Nancy and Bob.