Venice-Art-Tours Blog

2008...the year of the rat...Gambi Su!

Well, not in the Chinese calendar, but in our pantomine calendar. January 10 & 11 will see 3 performances of Dick Whittington at the Teatro S Margherita. Laurie wrote it and is directing with about 14 local actors, including me. I play Master Muggins the idiot first mate on the Good Ship Leaky Lil. I was groomed for this role. My sidekick is Bosun Bilge played by Frank O'Halloran, another veteran of the stage.

The sets (7 painted 3 metre by 3 metre canvases) are ready (Geoff Leckie and I painted them) and we are transporting them this PM in a boat to our side of town. An unpleasant task since it's 2° C and on the lagoon, a tad chilly in an open boat. Bosun Bilge is driving the boat.

Getting back to rats. British readers will know that Dick Whittington is the man who, according to pantomime legend, freed London of rats in the 15th century. In our story, he will free Venice from pantegane, and that is a monumental task.

One day of set up, 3 days of reheasrals, bang. Show time.

The theatre we are using was at one time a movie theatre (1940's). During a show, a local recently told us, someone up front would yell "Gambi Su!" or "Legs up!"  as a rat or two were spotted scrambling beneath the seats. How appropriate for our panto.

Christmas...

In Venice for Christmas.

Beautiful and cold day, ice blue skies, sun shining, if low in the sky, and Venice very empty at 9:15 AM as we left home for church. Waterbus was vacant, stroll through an empty S Marco Square. We left church at 1 PM (yes it was a long service as the Metropolitan was presiding and, among other things, the parish priest read the Patriarch's Christmas message in both Greek and Italian with each reading taking 15 minutes, Holy Cow!). Nevertheless, the Good News is "Xristos gennatai doxasate! Christ is Born! Glorify Him!" 

TheTemperature in church was about 5°C lower than outside. Outside was 6°C. But we are used to that, I wearing longjohns, Laurie her fur. So when we exited we discovered that Venice had filled up during the preceding three hours especially with Italiani here for the day and also with thousands of Japanese.

While on the waterbus home up the Grand Canal we saw a number of gondola convoys packed with Japanese, some with "singing" gondoliers. Yikes, being in a gondola with a wind whipping across your face on a freezng day listening to that. As we passed the Japanese flotilla, the Japanese all waved to us on the waterbus. This waving business is beloved of Japanese. I would guess it's the need to be recognised as being here. Similar to the Japanese incessantly requesting that their pictures be taken before well known monuments or signposts. It is one's attempt to place themselves, to overcome the estrangement and homelessness of man in the 20th century. As the American novelist Walker Percy suggests, it is a signpost in a strange land to fix their existence.

Last night (Chrismas Eve) dinner at sculptor Joan Fitzgerald's Fenice apartment. Other guests were  Jerret Engel and Cort Tramontin who make documentary films and are in transit to New York from the townships near Capetown. Also there was Alan Benjamin, Venetian resident, man about Venice, ex New Yawk. Chef Mauro Stoppa from Certosa (in the lagoon) made some scrumptious fish courses, all former residents of the lagoon itself. Thank you Joan and Mauro.

Went to midnight mass at Santo Stefano on the way home. What a dreary affair: terrible organ playing, no singing, inaudible prayers, temperatures at 4°C, no joy, underdressed (from a fashion point of view) parishioners, rote prayers and responses. Nothing like St Ignatius Loyola on 84th Street, St Pat's, Farm Street, or even St Francis de Sales on East 96th Street.

Sculpture by Joan Fitzgerald.

Happy Christmas, All!  (PS, grandson to the right...)

 

 

Welcome, Conor Timothy Brick...

The name game is over.

Caroline gave birth 20 December to a 7lb 7oz baby boy and he shall be called as above. A lovely solid Irish name. There was a Conor, Conchobhar MacNessa, who was the king of Ulster and, according to legend, was born on the same day as Christ. So our Conor slightly missed the day. Otherwise all is well with both. Heading to Dublin for an introduction January 14th.

Next five or so weeks look daunting: finishing sets, line learning, props, other logistics for the big pantomime (Dick Whittington); pantomime itself - 3 performances at the theatre 10 & 11 January (please come); visiting Dublin to meet Conor, Caroline and Gavin right after panto; four days in Vienna to see Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg and to see some art; 3 days in Palermo then 4 in Napoli (Pompei). A couple of tours in between. A day trip to the Italian alps to open up the mountain house for stepson and pals for skiing. Am tired just writing it.

Sharpton again... (and another Calatrava update (!))

The Rev. Al's lawyer made a statement yesterday which says all you need to know about this creep...

"I can't think of a time when the Rev. Sharpton wasn't under investigation," he said.

Calatrava: City now says the people-mover for the handicapped  has been certified and will be ready in four months. Therefore, look to bridge opening in April. Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished. Stay tuned.

What's in a name?

My daughter, Caroline, is 9 months pregnant. We visited her in Dublin while she was in her eighth month, in fact, we stayed with her and her husband. In the quiet after dinner one night the subject of names arose, well, I brought it up. I suggested that I do not wish that my daughter and her husband, Gav, to name a child after me. She knew that anyway and I felt the chances of that happening was .001% but I felt the need to reduce it to 0%, just in case they had lost their collective wits in the "run up" (as English newsreaders say) to the birth.

"Jack" was at the top of their name list. Not John, Jack. "There was no St Jack - no Catholic priest would baptise a child 'Jack', for the love of Pete", I exclaimed. I learned that Jack is a very, very popular name in Holy Catholic Ireland now. "What about Stephen, John or Sean, James or Seamus, Thomas, Edmund, Edward..."I went on, and on. I, of course, recited this litany just to steer her toward more traditional Christian names. And to be honest, Jack, was the only really designer name in the running. My gentle rant was not at her but young people who often value worthless novelty. "Forget popularity: there'll be 5 Jacks in his class, just another pea in a pod, go for Edmund, Sebastian, Raphael, Christopher." (By the way, don't you hate the way smart Alecs named Christopher abbreviate their name "Xfer" these days. Is Christine "Xine"? Xfer is a transfer to the Northen Line and Xine is a sex magazine.)

No, I say, please climb that rock of Irish tradition, honor the martyrs, appreciate the language, all of which made Ireland the great land it is.

Caroline, darling, if you happen to be reading this, any name will be okay, really...(as long as it's Edmund or Thomas).

With Love, Dad -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Calatrava Bridge Update...   

The story continues. Today's papers explain that you can forget the bridge this year and next year. It transpires that the motorised tram for handicapped people which will run up and down the centre of the bridge is not ready, has not received official approval from the authorities, and apparently is on hold as there was insufficient money allocated for it. The city is saying forget 2008.  As a sidebar, it also transpires that the builders made a significant construction error which required scrapping 30 tons of steel. Maybe it can be used for some lame sculpture for the Biennale two years hence. Maybe they could use the bridge itself - work in progress.