After so many years of reviewing and seeing theater it is a constant battle to keep from becoming jaded.   The musical "Mary Poppins" would make one very susceptible for such cynicism. 

So for the Tuesday opening of the production that runs at Proctors 'till Sunday, I decided to go armed with protection.  I brought Zack, the 10 year old son of my daughter's best friend, who is like another daughter to me.  I thought if I could see the show through the innocent eyes of Zack maybe all the sentimentality that I expected would be viewed from a new perspective.

I didn't need to bother.   The musical won me over on its own terms.  It is exciting and at times even touching. Of course it is somewhat manipulative - come on - it's "Mary Poppins" - but at the same time the universal family values of love, respect and taking responsibility for those you love are stated without too much sentimentality. 

However, I am glad I brought Zack.  It was his first exposure to Broadway calibre musical theater and it blew his mind.  The sets and scenery in the show are spectacular and on the ride home he was asking questions about how they did certain things - often answering the questions himself.

What he didn't need to ask were questions about the emotional issues in the work.  A ten year old is very much aware of the family dynamics and when he is at a work that emotionally satisfies the audience it is a comforting experience - one that needs no elaboration.

Actually our conversation on the ride home was more about the difference between movies and stage.   Zack decided theater was "better" because it permitted you to use your imagination more.  In the show Mary Poppins flys, statues come to life and Bert dances up the wall of the stage and across the top and a banker has compassion for the individual.   Not much of these things do you encounter in real life.  But we accepted and enjoyed.  We were united by our imagination which permitted us to accept the impossible.

Mary Poppins has taught another life lesson..

There's nothing more pleasing than a happy accident.  On Saturday afternoon my evening plans went awry.   Terribly awry and I was left with nothing to do that evening.  Anyone who knows me understands the only thing worse than staying home alone on a Saturday evening is staying home on Friday and Saturday night on the same weekend.  Since I was home the night before, there was no way I would not go out on this Saturday.

I decided to attend "Four Seasons, Four Years - the Civil War: A Musical Journey."  It was being presented by Caffe Lena at Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs and the material was produced by Old Songs.  

I am neither a "folkie" nor a Civil War buff, but there is no denying the credentials of those involved with this project.   An added bonus was the 11 performers who are the cream of local folk artists. It was a brilliant experience that validated my personal axiom that you never can go wrong attending something presented by people who understand and practice quality in their lives and their art.

The premise of the piece created by Andy Spence (the artistic director of Old Songs) is to tell the story of the Civil War using authentic folk songs of the era.   There is a bit of narration to set the background for the song and at other times a letter or other correspondence is read to give a personal voice to the proceedings.  For the most part the narration is short and to the point.

The result is (depending on your point of view) an entertaining night that is an insightful educational experience or an educational experience that is enormously entertaining.  Either works.

The genius of "Four Season, Four Years" is that because of the authentic music of the era it makes a powerful emotional statement.  We've all read or heard letters written by those involved in the Civil War but the songs in the show represent a more general view of what was going on.  It is not the thought of an individual about a personal experience - the songs (though written by one person) represent the feelings of the population at large.  If it didn't they wouldn't have been performed or survived.

In my mind, this defines the value of any folk art.  It is created specifically for a moment in time and like the music in this piece, clearly expresses to us - 150 years later - the sense of what people were going through - their hopes, dreams. fears and concerns.  It is extremely honest, personal and very revealing.

Enhancing the experience was the interpretive skills of the performers.  There was never the sense that the songs were performed to satisfy the taste of a modern audience.  Because everyone of the eleven performers on stage are gifted individual artists they attempted to become a person performing the material during the Civil War. In many ways this song cycle was incredible theater.

Though most of the tunes are obscure songs there are a number of familiar songs in the presentation and often it was as if you were hearing them for the first time.  "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" has a rueful tone as it signals the end of a war in which everyone lost something. In much the same way when the show closes with "Home Sweet Home" the irony is sad and touching. The rendition of"John Brown's Body" begins almost as if a community chant and evolves into a powerful anthem. 

And speaking of anthems, when the performers build the emotions of  the first act ending with "Battle Hymn of the Republic," it is easy to visualize eager young men signing oaths to die for a cause.

The second act tells of those who died for a cause they didn't understand.  While the first segment sets up the political conditions that led to the war, the second half of the show focuses on the pain, suffering and misery the conflict caused for both side.    If the show could be improved it would be during the second act to offer less detail on every major battle by exploring the the thoughts of the participants.  It might sound callous, but the truth is history has made us almost immune to the suffering of that horrible war.  For example a touching rendition of "Tenting on the Old Campground" - about soldiers retiring for the night after a horrific battle doesn't need a set up.  We get the pain of loss through the music and the lyrics.   It is beautiful and painful at the same time. And when those emotions come from the music it is powerful.

Indeed, because of the music, I left Universal Preservation Hall thinking about the Civil War in a way I had never done before.   I really didn't learn too much I didn't know already but I felt touched by the people who lived in that period in a way I never felt before.

The future of "Four Seasons, Four Years - the Civil War: a Musical Journey" is uncertain. It is a work that should not be neglected or discarded.  At the least it should be presented on every area college campus.   It's an important piece - musically and historically.  

For information on the show contact Andy Spence at Old Songs, Voorheesville, NY  765-2815, www.oldsongs.org

Like everyone else in the area I love July and August in this area but this year I'm beginning the think September might be the best month of all.  So far this year I've enjoyed the wine and food festival at SPAC, the Greek fest in Schenectady and the Irish fest in Ballston Spa.

Now I think I might have a new favorite.  On Sunday I went to Lake George and spent a couple of hours at Jazz on the Lake at Shepard Park and had one of the most mellow and enjoyable days of the summer.

Jazz on the Lake is a two-day event that brings great music to the area. Admission is free and it is as low-key as the music it presents.  I arrived a little after one and sampled a bit of John Tank and the Palace Reunion Band.  It was traditional jazz that went  off into its own world in a nice way.  He closed with "Canadian Sunset" and you might recognize about half of it as the traditional number.  The other half was a pleasant journey to places on jazz can take you.

I came up for Steven Bernstein and the Millennial Territory Orchestra.   The draw was this great trumpeter (and slide trumpeter) was leading featuring the songs of Sly.    It was a superior set that went everywhere in one of the fastest 90-minutes on record.    It was jazz at its best as it used coentemporary tunes to engage the audience while making each song its own

Not every number was a Sly standard.   In fact the final number was a new improvisation.  Bernstein explained to the audience it was a number new to the orchestra as he felt without risk it wasn't jazz.   It was pure jazz in the best possible sense of the term.

My only regret about the day was I didn't allow myself time to stay longer  I would have liked to hear
at least some of the John Benitez set with Donald Harrison Jr. but I had to leave. 

I did so promising to come back for two days next year.

September is Festival Month.  Although many are themed by musical genre - jazz, blues or bluegrass - often the music has a cultural affiliation.  

Yesterday I attended Irish 2000 Music Festival at the Saratoga Fairgrounds in Ballston Spa.   There were three stages of continuous music that covered every aspect of what one associates with Irish music.  There were enough traditional groups to satisfy anyone who has cried to the lyrics of "Danny Boy" and there was cutting-edge Celtic alternatives.  Best of all there was everything in between that help connect the two different styles of music.

The crowd was equally as diverse.  They ranged from grandma and grandpa to the newest arrival in the family.   The connecting device was that everyone was dressed in a shade of green.  If you have an allergy to the color green avoid the Irish Music Fest.

The walkways were filled with vendors of merchandise and food.   Most of the merchandise was Irish in some form - even the jewelry seemed dominated by green stones.  All the merchandise was Irish-oriented and yes, mostly in hues of green.

About the only thing not dominated by green was the food.  There was an endless line of food vendors featuring corned beef sandwiches, sausage and peppers, fried dough and any deep fried concoction that guarantees to induce a heart attack.   And what would an Irish Fest be without a number of pizza stands?

I was impressed with the fairness of pricing overall. I had one of the best corned beef sandwiches ever, served with cabbage on a hard roll.  It was only $8,  a price few pubs or restaurants match.  The beer prices were also fair.  $4 for domestic, $5 for Guinness, etc.   Considering the festival draws a thirsty captive audience the vendors could gouge.  They didn't.

This is the type of principle that makes the Irish Fest such a great event.  The mood is welcoming.  The music is eclectic and of high quality and the vendors try to serve.  All in all its a successful model of how to offer your customers a good time.

For most people the end of summer is Labor Day. Which means the start of fall is the day after Labor Day.  For me, the start of fall is the weekend after Labor Day because it is when SPAC holds its annual Wine and Food Festival.

Normally I avoid such things.  I find them crowded and impersonal. I've always thought of such events as a place where people go just to be seen.  Those impression tend not to hold true at the SPAC Wine Festival.  The vendors are friendly and willing to spend time answering questions and almost everyone I spoke with seemed genuinely proud of the product.  They were all extremely knowledgeable.  I learned a lot.

The people who attend are also very friendly and considering there are appears to be more than a thousand people in attendance that's a surprise.  People are dressed  for comfort.  You'll find  guys in cutoffs and ladies in elegant sundresses.   Mostly the attire is summer daytime cocktail party.

Don't go to the Wine Festival for the booze.   It is a wine tasting event and the pours are just enough to let you test the product.  You'd have to sip at a lot of booths to be greatly affected by the wine.
 But isn't that really the purpose of such an event?  To taste as many new varieties of wine as possible?  To accomplish that the taste buds should not be numb.

Bottom line is the wine fest is almost like a giant cocktail party with the wines being the topic of conversation.  Indeed standing at a table with strangers it  is easy to strike up a conversation by offering an observation on something you just tasted or by asking a question of the stranger who just tasted something in which you might have interest.  Don't expect to make a new life-long friend but you can have some friendly conversations.

There is a lot of food to be sampled as well.  Because the Italian Trade Commission there was a strong Italian influence.  More important there was a great number of cheeses which complimented the wines,  Most tables had pieces of Italian bread to absorb the wine and water to cleanse the pallet.  Best of all several area restaurants had booths there and offered unique samples of their food. For us common guys several booths were pumping out a lot a pizza bits.

The weather held up most of the day but about 4 pm, when many people were getting ready to leave anyway, a storm swept through the grounds.  It never seemed dangerous but most people who were still at the Fest took shelter in one of the many brick buildings on the SPAC grounds.  It was no trouble and even a little exciting.

All in all - a very nice start to the fall season.

As much as I love entertainment, I've never been able to figure out why the public bestows on actors, singers and dancers the gift of wisdom. I feel the same way about athletes. Because someone can cry on cue, carry a melody or throw a ball doesn't make them smart. Certainly some smart people do these things, but not all who do these things are smart.

Shirley MacLaine is one of those smart people who can act, sing and dance. Her appearance at Proctors on Friday was remarkable to observe. The first section was a photo show of all the people she's met and interacted with over her career. We are talking almost every world leader during the last quarter of the 20th century. On the show biz side her connections with Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack was also on display.

The thoughts of why these world leaders would want to discuss anything of import with an actress ran through my mind during that part of the event. I wrote it off to the probability that even the powerful are media-whores.

When MacLaine started interacting with the audience. many of those "why" thoughts came into play. Why were all these people lining up to tell her how much she's influenced their lives and why do they think she has the secret to the mysteries of life. I wanted to shout - she's an actress, who in her youth could sing and dance. She's not a guru.

However, as the Q & A went on I began to rethink my stance. Yes, if MacLaine were not a famous movies star she probably wouldn't have met the Kennedy's, the Dali Lama, President Reagan and others. But what I ended up admiring about MacLaine was the way she used her access as an educational tool. It became very clear that she is extremely intelligent, committed to life and is a searcher of truth. She was fortunate enough to meet the smartest and most powerful people in the world. She was wise enough to learn the from them the shortcomings of power and intellignece. Because of this learning, she never fawns and as a result her self-confidence and composure are both calming and reassuring.

Most important, at Proctors, MacLaine never acted as if she had all the answers. What she understands is her devotion to exploring the unknown has put her on a path. She believes that path is right for her and might be right for others. She doesn't lecture and simply talks about what she's learned and what she believes. She leaves it up to you to accept, modify or dismiss he notions.

She doesn't care if you travel with her. For her its the journey that is important and she knows that journey must be made alone. How refreshing it was to hear someone who is convinced about the validity of their own beliefs not insisting that they are the only truths that have to be accepted by all.

If only our politicians would take that same approach.

I've long believed that the community, in general, tends to overlook the cultural advantages of having a college in our midst. The current production of "Great Expectations" at the University of Albany is but one example.

It continues at the Performing Arts Center at the Washington Avenue campus until Saturday. Performances are 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are only $12 and $8 for seniors. A better deal you will not find. Take advantage.

"Great Expectations" is an adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel by Chad Larabee, who also directs the work. He sets the time between 1953-1968 and moves the location to the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and in Washington, DC. He eliminates, combines and renames characters but essentially focuses on the story of Pip - here named Hub - and his journey to find his identity and accept himself for who he is rather than what he thinks he should be.

This concentration on Hub/Pip's search for self makes a college campus an ideal location for the world premiere of the work. Not only does it have a special resonance to most of its audience, it has a talent pool appropriate to the age of the characters. Wisely, to fill the roles of two older characters the production goes off campus to enlist the talents of Carol Charniga as the eccentric spinster Victoria Piedmont and Patrick White as the criminal Thomas Summerset.

The students are not only age appropriate they are talent appropriate. The leads, Justin Mancuso as Hub, Kristyn Youngblood as Stella and Cecelia Gray as Sissy/Kim, offer honest performances that display talent and training. The rest of the cast is also very good as they create an array of characters that are fully realized.

The sets appear impressive, but they do not always serve the play. There is a two-tiered set that is rolled back and forth - but since more than 90% of the action is played on one level - why have two? It's a case of because you can doesn't mean you should. The Washington apartment set is also overdone. But being fair, tech students in a theater program need to learn their craft as well, which makes overdone forgivable on a college campus. And truth is - no harm, no foul.

Larabee's adaptation is smart and functional. Because so much has to be condensed even to bring the performance time to the current 2 1/2 hours, the play appears to be as much a work "suggested by" as it is an adaptation. I mostly missed the shadings of character and motive in the supporting cast - especially with the criminal Sommerset who's reasons for helping Hub and his actions at play's end are rushed and lack the important depth of meaning they deserve. Too, Hub's transformations from good to vain and back again seem abrupt and would be helped by some transitional scenes. However, I doubt that anyone would sit through a four hour production.

The thing I most appreciate about "Great Expectations" is that the minor flaws add to the experience. How satisfying to see talented young actors working to bring alive and make contemporary great literature. Sorry to say, you don't get much of that at local community theaters.

Sadder to say, we won't be getting any more of this at the University at Albany as the theater program is being eliminated. If you thought the idea of dropping theater was crazy - go see "Great Expectations" and realize it is a truly insane and destructive plan.