Residents@JV

'42nd Street'

As it has been noted in previous writings, Sunday afternoon is a good day for the residents of Jacob’s Village to participate in activities. Although a bit hectic, everyone is available. The pace of operation is cranked up usually into a higher gear to accommodate an early afternoon appointment. Take for instance Sunday, July 15, 2007. When everyone returns home from church, freshens up, and has a quick lunch, it’s time to get back on the road again. Sherry May, a school teacher and FOJV, donated tickets for the residents and staff of Jacob’s Village to see “42nd Street”. This marks the 19th year the Evansville-Vanderburgh School Corporation and the Public Education Foundation has sponsored a series of Summer Musical’s for Evansville, IN. Their production this year was being held downtown at the Center, Thursday, July 12 through Sunday July 15. Sherry has volunteered to provide tickets for the finale matinee at 2:00pm on Sunday, for the second year in a row. The Jacob’s Village bunch of Wanda, Debbie, Donna Kay, Mike, Scott, home coordinators Gloria and Angel found reasonable parking places in the Center’s parking lot about 1:30 pm. Michael was missing from the bunch but planned on having his sister drop him off and meet the others in the lobby after celebrating his mother’s birthday. Everyone located a seat in the handicap area, including Michael, and good seats they were in the 3,000 seat auditorium. The Jacob’s Village bunch is no stranger to the accommodations having been in the same area on different occasions to see shows before. “42nd Street” has a large cast ensemble for their many song and dance numbers. It is based upon an unglamorized look at the tough realities of backstage life, giving many references to the Depression Era behind the footlights of a ‘putting-on-a-show’ type of play. A charismatic and talented young woman in singing and dancing from Allentown, PA, dreams of performing on Broadway. She auditions tirelessly for leading roles in many of the day’s musicals but never gets the part. Just by chance, while an ensemble member of a new musical ‘Pretty Lady’, the star leading lady of the production breaks her leg a couple of days before the opening. She is offered the role, accepts, and becomes a star. So, the phrase used to wish someone luck before a performance, ‘Break a Leg’, found its origin. In the same tradition and stemming from MGM’s first sound film in 1929, The Broadway Melody, it is another backstage musical. Nominated for best picture in 1933, it was the first of three landmark musical films by Warner Bros. to revitalize the musical film genre. “42nd Street” is the second longest running musical in Broadway history behind A Chorus Line. The Jacob’s Village bunch sends a Big Heart Thank You to Sherry May for providing the tickets for them.

posted by J V Resident Blog @ 12:06 PM