This Is Westfield 2009 a Must for Businesses and Organizations in the Region

Page 18 Thursday, February 19, 2009 The Westfield Leader and The Scotch Plains – Fanwood TIMES A WATCHUNG COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PUBLICATION WSO, Flamenco Dancers Offer Special Version of Carmen By GREG WAXBERG time, following her performance of opera is based) and Alexander Specially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times Manuel de Falla’s El Amor Brujo Pushkin’s poem “The Gypsies” all WESTFIELD — Even though last February. contribute to the WSO’s telling of the Georges Bizet’s Carmen is one of Flamenco, fast-paced Spanish story. the most familiar operas ever writ- dancing native to the gypsies, is a Six flamenco artists, representing ten, it has never sounded quite like natural showcase for Carmen be- Carmen, Don Jose, Escamillo and this. cause the opera’s title character is a three other characters, will dance, Music Director David Wroe and gypsy, the opera features flamenco- accompanied by guitar, percussion the Westfield Symphony Orchestra style dancing and the story takes and the voice of Flamenco singer (WSO) are collaborating with the place in Seville. Ruben Lopez Jesus. Almost all of the Omayra Amaya Flamenco Dance The free-spirited Carmen seduces movements in the suite feature danc- Company to perform the Carmen the soldier Don Jose, only to cast him ing. Suites as a combination of orchestral aside when she falls in love with the “The dancing tells the story in ges- music and flamenco music. bullfighter Escamillo. Don Jose stabs ture, rather like the narrative of a The concert, which begins at 8 her at the end of the opera. classical ballet based on a story, such p.m. on Saturday at the Union County The suite that the WSO will per- as [Tchaikovsky’s] The Nutcracker Performing Arts Center (UCPAC) in form is a combination of musical or [Prokofiev’s] Romeo and Juliet. Rahway, marks the premiere of this styles and literary sources. Events There will be continuous Flamenco choreography. Ms. Amaya is appear- from the opera, the novella “Carmen” dance to both types of music,” Mr. ing with the WSO for the second by Prosper Merimee (on which the Wroe said. There are 10 movements in this Linda Condrillo for The Westfield Leader and The Times Carmen Suite, representing the most REMEMBERED FONDLY…Daughter of Dizzy Gillespie, Jeanie Bryson, cancelled a Valentine’s Day performance after Surprise Celebrity Guest famous music in the opera. They in- her husband Coleman Mellett, a guitarist in the Chuck Mangione band, died Thursday night in the plane crash outside clude the dazzling Act I Prelude, Buffalo. The following article is reprinted in homage to Mr. Mellett, an East Brunswick resident and frequent performer known as the Toreadors because the at 16 Prospect in Westfield. (February 23, 2006 archives) Impresses WHS Thespians music is played in the final act when By SUSAN MYRILL DOUGHERTY “I remember being horribly ner- the bullfighters arrive; Carmen’s Specially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times vous — really sick to my stomach,” “Habanera” and “Seguidilla”; a vig- Bryson Cancels Performance After WESTFIELD – Not everyone likes she said, “but the more you do it, the orous dance that begins Act II; surprises, but the cast of Westfield easier it becomes.” Concerning audi- Escamillo’s “Toreador Song,” when High School’s tioning for the role he dramatically describes a bullfight; (WHS) Kiss Me in Young Franken- the Intermezzo, and the Nocturne. Husband Perishes in Plane Crash Kate thoroughly stein, which re- Ms. Amaya, who portrays Carmen, Editor’s Note: We received notice course. Her birthday was just the other Ms. Bryson was getting the same enjoyed the one cently closed on is excited that she will tell Bizet’s on last Friday that Jeanie Bryson day, and I had been cleaning out the signals, but from a different source. Her presented by its Broadway, she story with such exuberant dancing. cancelled her show, scheduled for basement and came across about 25 good friend, Toni Lissman, the man- drama director said the most “Flamenco brings a rawness and an Valentine’s Day in Trenton, after news years of sheet music, demo tapes and ager of Town and Country Wine – the Daniel Devlin on nerve-racking part elegance that transport your imagina- that her husband, jazz guitarist recordings on cassette. One of them Trattoria’s cheese supplier – mentioned Friday, February 6, was that writer/ tion and provoke emotions,” she said. Coleman Mellett, seen above, and was a tape she made for me singing one the same thing. when students re- producer Mel Also on the program is the overture Gerry Niewood of Glen Ridge, both of the songs she wrote when I was about One night, the two stopped in for hearsed in the Brooks was there. to Gioacchino Rossini’s most famous musicians with the Chuck Mangione five or six. I played it for her on her dinner and, according to Ms. Bryson, school’s audito- “Being in a $50 opera The Barber of Seville. Rossini Band, were birthday and the words came right back “From the moment we walked in the rium. million produc- originally wrote the overture for an among the passengers who were on to me as if they were sung yesterday.” door, we knew we found our home.” He had arranged tion was really, earlier opera, but he re-used it for Continental Connection flight 3407 Her mom also wrote the lyrics for When the couple talked to the owners, for Michele really great,” she Barber, and that is how the world when it crashed outside Buffalo Thurs- Ms. Bryson’s recording “Deja Blue.” they discovered they had something Ragusa, the star of told the audience, knows it. The overture does not con- day night, killing 50 people. Her album Some Cats Know for Telarc, else in common. Paper Mill who recognized tain any melodies from the opera, but The musicians were scheduled to a label that has released several of her Although they had never met, both Playhouse’s 2008 her facial likeness it is just as much fun as the opera and perform Friday night at Kleinhans Mu- recordings, is a tribute to Peggy Lee. A Ms. Bryson and Trattoria co-owner production of Kiss to Ms. Mullally, always a delight to hear. sic Hall in Buffalo. selection of her CDs is available at the Chris Boyle worked together – in dif- Me Kate and the the Karen Walker The remainder of the concert will Mr. Mellett, 33, had taught at Golden Trattoria, and Ms. Bryson is happy to ferent ends of the restaurant – 15 years replacement for character from feature the orchestra and WSO vio- Age Fretted Instruments in Westfield. autograph them. ago in Madison at the Cook Plaza Café. Megan Mullally in “Will and Grace.” linist Byung-kook Kwak in Pablo de The following article ran almost three She married her husband of two years, The musicians and the restaurateur took Broadway’s Young When the aspir- Sarasate’s Zigeunerweisen (Gypsy years ago exactly, February 23, 2006, whom she warmly refers to as “Coley,” it as a sign, and the rest, as they say, is Frankenstein, to be Susan M. Dougherty for The Leader/The Times ing actors asked Melodies). Like Carmen, part of the and is being reprinted in memory of Mr. at Dizzy Gillespie Park in Cheraw, S.C. history. a guest speaker. SURPRISE STAR…Westfield High for advice, she was piece is lyrical and romantic, and part Mellett, whom many knew from his In attendance were Mr. Gillespie’s first Ms. Bryson has performed in inter- It seemed like School’s drama director Daniel Devlin honest. “Be sure of it is fast and furious – one of the playing at 16 Prospect (the former cousins, Renee Wilson and Hanson nationally acclaimed jazz clubs all over just another Friday introduces Michele Ragusa, a Broad- you have your wonderful showcases for a violinist. Northside Trattoria). MacIntosh. Mrs. Wilson and husband, the world. Out of the 20 something way star, to the cast of the WHS spring afternoon re- musical in a surprise visit on February education. Have It will be an evening in Spain, cour- Chris and Tim Boyle, proprietors of Jack, hosted the couple’s wedding party. countries she has toured, she counts hearsal. After vo- 6. Ms. Ragusa, who just closed in Young other skills to fall tesy of a Frenchman, an Italian and a 16 Prospect, said they were both “very No stranger to big names himself, Brazil as the most memorable of all. cal warm-ups with Frankenstein, played the role of Kate in back on,” she Spaniard. saddened by the news of the loss of Mr. Mellett is Chuck Mangione’s gui- “The music is imbued in the Brazilian musical director the Paper Mill Playhouse’s production warned. “This is a Coleman. Mr. Mellet’s talents on the tarist. He started playing music early culture. The people there are very Ken Horn, direc- of Kiss Me, Kate, the spring musical that tough business.” Like Trains & Taxis guitar were known to some of the best on, first on the piano. “My father played knowledgeable about indigenous mu- tor Mr. Devlin gave WHS will present in mid-March. Students were musicians in the entertainment indus- a little guitar, so I started getting inter- sic – all kinds of music, really, and they the orders, “We’ll riveted when she Travel to Crossroads try. I cannot begin to imagine the grief ested in that. Then I took guitar lessons love jazz. I can remember once when I run through the opening number first reminisced of the biggest improvisa- GARWOOD – Indie-soul band this loss has caused his wife Jeannie, a from a nun.

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