A lot has happened since Thanksgiving. I have received a full bill of health from my surgeon. The cardiologist has determined that I do not have any defects in my valves, and although I have high blood pressure, with a change in medicine, everything will be much better. And so far, it has been improving. I still get winded, but I recover much quicker.
I have since done another opera. Rigoletto was wonderful, although it still was more difficult than I thought it would be. Climbing stairs and running around was bit more taxing than I had hoped. I need to really push harder in exercising and getting back into shape. But I do recover faster now, and that is a good thing. And now I’m working on Elixir of Love for March. This is one that I have been looking forward to doing for ever. And what great music this opera has. It is wonderful. I have also been rehearsing for a show with Salty Dinner Theater, “Arthur and Lancelot: For Love of Guinevere.” It is a fun Valentine’s day version of the Camelot story, and I get to play Merlin. It’s been a lot of fun to prepare.
I also directed my first show for Holladay Arts Council. It is a reader’s theater production of “Dear Liar.” It is a play that chronicles the letters written between George Bernard Shaw and Beatrice Stella Campbell, the actress who originated Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion. It is a wonderful play that chronicles the love these two people built over forty years. So, I’ve been busy.
For a little over the last year, I have been reviewing shows for Utah Theater Bloggers Association. It all started out as a way to get free tickets to see shows. Anyway, UTBA has been around for two years now, and at the annual get-together of UTBA reviewers and staff, they announced a reboot to the website, and some new features that are coming up for UTBA. Then at the end of the evening, they said that they had talked about giving out awards, but decided not to do that. But as they were going through stats and looking at what had happened over the previous year, they said that there was one person that they couldn’t help but recognize. They said that this person had done a lot to make UTBA what it is and to improve the quality of what UTBA is now. They felt that they needed to award the reviewer of the year to… Tony Porter. It was a great shock, but a very pleasant surprise.
I wrote 22 reviews, with at least one review each month of the year. They also said that the quality of my reviews helped to raise the bar on the website. It was a very nice honor.
Quote of the Day:
“The only exercise some people get is jumping to conclusions, running down their friends, side-stepping responsibility, and pushing their luck! ~Author Unknown”
