Mountain Views News          Saturday, March 21, 2015

B3

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Mountain Views-News Saturday, March 21, 2015 


SEAN’S SHAMELESS REVIEWS: 

GEOGRAPHER

Jeff’s Book Picks By Jeff Brown

By Sean Kayden

THE WRIGHT BROTHERS 

by David McCullough


David 
McCullough, two-
time winner of the 
Pulitzer Prize, tells 
the surprising, 
profoundly 
American story 
of Wilbur and 
Orville Wright.
On a winter day in 
1903, in the Outer 
Banks of North 
Carolina, two 
unknown brothers 
from Ohio 
changed history. 
But it would 
take the world 
some time to believe what had happened: the 
age of flight had begun, with the first heavier-
than-air, powered machine carrying a pilot.
Who were these men and how was it that they 
achieved what they did?Far more than a couple 
of unschooled Dayton bicycle mechanics who 
happened to hit on success, they were men of 
exceptional courage and determination, and of 
far-ranging intellectual interests and ceaseless 
curiosity, much of which they attributed to their 
upbringing. The house they lived in had no 
electricity or indoor plumbing, but there were 
books aplenty, supplied mainly by their preacher 
father, and they never stopped reading.When 
they worked together, no problem seemed to be 
insurmountable. Wilbur was unquestionably a 
genius. Orville had such mechanical ingenuity 
as few had ever seen. That they had no more than 
a public high school education, little money and 
no contacts in high places, never stopped them 
in their “mission” to take to the air. Nothing 
did, not even the self-evident reality that every 
time they took off in one of their contrivances, 
they risked being killed.In this thrilling 
book, master historian David McCullough 
draws on the immense riches of the Wright 
Papers, including private diaries, notebooks, 
scrapbooks, and more than a thousand letters 
from private family correspondence to tell 
the human side of the Wright Brothers’ story, 
including the little-known contributions of 
their sister, Katharine, without whom things 
might well have gone differently for them.


THE SENSE OF DARKNESS 

by Cinzia De Santis


A world of intimacy, of smell and touch, is all 
Clara knows. Her blindness doesn’t bother 
her: she is gifted with an extraordinary sense 
of smell which guides her through life. Raised 
by her aunt Trinidad in a small village in 
Latin America, Clara becomes a renowned 
healer. She can smell people’s diseases and can 
heal them with her particular recipes. Their 
lives fall apart when members of a guerrilla 
gang bring to their home a wounded prisoner 
whom Clara has to heal. While she struggles 
to understand the feelings he produces in her, 
Trinidad’s past returns, carrying the power 
of an obsessive love, but, will it be enough to 
save hers and Clara’s lives? “...it is a story about 
love and magic - touched by the narrative 
power that Venezuelan writers can have - and 
also a fable that make us remember that the 
most important things are seen by the heart 
and not by the eyes” Javier Puebla, Cambio16


THE PRINCE OF TIDES: A Novel by 
Pat Conroy 


Pat Conroy’s masterpiece,a huge, brash 
thunderstorm of a novel, stinging with honesty 
and resounding with drama. Spanning forty 
years, this is the story of turbulent Tom Wingo, 
his gifted and troubled twin sister Savannah, 
and their struggle to triumph over the dark and 
tragic legacy of the extraordinary family into 
which they were born.Wonderfully wriiten and 
a great memorable story. 

Ghost Modern is the 
third album from San 
Francisco electro-pop act 
Geographer. The record 
marks Geographer’s first 
new material since 2012’s 
Myth. Geographer’s mastermind, Michael Deni, 
blurs the lines between electronic and alternative 
in creating an ethereal pop resonance. With Ghost 
Modern, Deni mostly avoids much of the spastic 
electronic beats with tranquil, tender structures 
to enthrall listeners. In fact, the direction the 
band is seemingly heading down is different than 
preceding journeys. There’s an incredible amount 
of elements that make Ghost Modern stand out as 
a deeper than expected type of release. Deni and 
company profoundly create a sonic palette that 
resemblances a dreamlike scenario. There are a 
wide assortment of instruments at work here too, 
including both live and drum machines, cello, 
violin, guitar, percussion, and piano. Nonetheless, 
Michael Deni’s most dominant instrument is his 
placid vocal abilities that have been extremely 
distinguishable over the years. While Ghost 
Modern is an ephemeral endeavor at 37 minutes 
long, the dreamy arrangements and strong 
vocals evoking pure catharsis makes the listening 
experience irrefutably exceptional. 

Their first single, “I’m Ready“ is a warm tune that 
features honeyed melodies and airy vocals. The 
musing tune is a skillful demonstration of delicate 
arrangements paired with a heartbreaking cello. It 
opens up the record with much beauty and grace 
indicating this record sound much sweeter than 
previous records. “Need” has a slow build up before 
catching any momentum. Deni’s vocals elevate 
high with this serene tune. “You Say You Love Me” 
includes synth-y undertones that add a certain 
spacey vibe to the track. The tempo is faster than 
the first two tracks, but it doesn’t take away from 
the emotional aspect of the song. The strongest new 
song from Geographer is “Too Much.” Deni’s soft 
vocals paired with a completely layered musical 
structure of numerous instruments at work are 
striking to say the least. The way Geographer 
crafts music effortlessly bestows the listeners 
with the purpose to paint their own picture from 
each individual song. With the combination of 
heartfelt, personal lyrics and piquant melodies, 
Ghost Modern establishes Geographer as a band 
delivering the highest form of commitment to 
artistry. The craftsmanship behind “Read Your 
Palm” is unquestionably beautiful. While just 
under two minutes, the harrowing quality heard 
is by far breathtaking. The aptly titled “Patience” 
soothes and relaxes the mind. It’s an unrushed 
piece of art that combines the dual forces of piano 
and violin to form a rhapsody that could melt 
hearts. It’s one of the few songs off the record that 
reaches four minutes in duration, but the celestial 
tune isn’t something you would want to ever end. 

“Keep” starts with some mighty drumbeats before 
it unravels into the fastest tempo song off Ghost 
Modern. It’s more in vein with previous records, 
however, remains suitable for this compilation. The 
summery attributes attached to “Keep” are perfect 
for the spring release. It completely serves as a 
dance-worthy addition to the record. Geographer 
wraps up the album with the appealing, “Falling 
Apart.” This lovely closer is very reflective as it 
follows suit to the other echoes and noises Ghost 
Modern has demonstrated with prior tracks. The 
composition of smooth vocals and an airy structure 
lead to another strong offering for what may be 
deemed Geographer’s most established work to 
date. The range of beauty on Ghost Modern is 
immeasurable. Those readily eyeing something to 
be stimulated by on an emotional and mental level 
need not to look any further than Geographer’s 
latest and greatest contribution yet. 

Grade: 9 out of 10

Key Tracks: “I’m Ready,” “Need,” “Too Much,” 
Keep”


On the Marquee: Notes from the Sierra MadrePlayhouse


PUTTING IT TOGETHER

By Artistic Director, Christian Lebano

By the time you read this we will have opened Stephen 
Sondheim’s revue Putting it Together which we are 
offering in repertory (our first ever!) with Einstein is 
a Dummy. Estelle Campbell and I were invited to see 
a production of Putting it Together last Fall by Kristin 
Towers-Rowles who was starring in that production at 
another theater. We were bowled over by the wonderful 
performers and, of course, by the beauty of Stephen 
Sondheim’s music and lyrics. I told Kristin (who has 
appeared at the Playhouse in 6 RMS RIV VU and in A 
Lovely Lineage – her sold-out Sunday Series tribute to 
her acting family) how beautifully I thought the show 
would fit on the SMP stage and that I thought our 
audiences would love it. This started a conversation 
between Kristin, the director-choreographer Cate 
Caplin and me about bringing this production to Sierra 
Madre. We decided not to transfer the production 
but to reconceive it for our theater. And now several 
months after first seeing the show it has opened and is 
everything we could have hoped for. It really is a treat 
for music-lovers – and it looks fantastic on our stage. I 
hope you’ll come see (hear) it. 

 This has been a big undertaking for us and we are 
so grateful to all the people who made it possible 
but especially the community sponsors who have 
donated to our production: Steinway Piano Gallery 
for providing the gorgeous baby grand used in 
the show; Friar Tux of Arcadia for the handsome 
tuxedos; and Sierra Madre’s T-Neer for once again 
hosting our opening night party. I am so thrilled 
how the community is coming together to help the 
Playhouse in our ambitious goal to becoming the 
premier intimate theater in the San Gabriel Valley.

 Einstein is a Dummy is a big hit with the kids from 
local schools who are coming to see it. You only have 
four more chances for general audiences to see it at 
Sunday 2:30 matinees: March 22 and 29 and April 5 and 
12. Please bring your kids, it really is a wonderful show 
– and wait until you see the video projections. SMP has 
never done anything on this scale (and I’m not sure we’ll 
be able to do it again – it really taxed our resources) and 
it is truly magical.

 “Putting it together” is certainly what we are trying 
to do at the Playhouse – as we continue to fulfill 
our mission to provide quality productions which 
celebrate the American experience. Oh, and now we 
are in rehearsal for The Odd Couple – boy have we put 
together a terrific cast for this show. You’ll hear more 
about it soon, but I’m very excited about it.

 As always we do this for you – our SMP family – 
whose support and loyalty mean so much to us and for 
whom we hope we bring pleasure and joy and moving 
experiences in the theater. Please let me know how you 
think we are doing. Reach me at ArtisticDirector@
SierraMadrePlayhouse.org