"1863" is moving to 2013. A lack of male actors-only seven of the 18 needed auditioned-has forced a group to postpone the production of "1863," which was scheduled for Oct. 26-28 at the Smoot Theatre. Producer Charlie Matthews told me Tuesday night he hopes the show, which depicts the importance of Parkersburg residents in the formation of West Virginia in 1863, can appear at the Smoot next April or May. "This will allow us to go out and find more men" for the show, Matthews said. The two female roles have been filled. The play, in the works for four years, was written by Joyce Ancrile based on two of Dave McKain's books. Presenting the show next year would coincide with West Virginia's sesquicentennial celebration.
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Mountaineers Phil and Sharon Scholl threw a party at their Ohio River condo in Marietta during the Sternwheel Festival last Saturday. Among those attending the Ohio Street dinner party were two of Phil's classmates from the Parkersburg High School Class of 1960, Tony Mohwish and Roy Spader, along with their wives, and 1960 Parkersburg Catholic High School graduate Dr. Mike Morehead. Scholl, Mohwish, Spader and Morehead seemed to know everyone who lived in Parkersburg during the 1950s and '60s. Phil and Sharon (a New Martinsville native) grilled ribs and chicken on their front deck, a great place to watch people and the fireworks and listen to the music during the festival. Phil prepared the chicken Crete style, with garlic, lemon, olive oil and oregano. John Phillips, who co-owned the former Wilson's IGA on Seventh Street in Parkersburg and is a 1959 graduate of PHS, brought homemade cinnamon and sour cream cheesecakes to the party.
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Parkersburg native Jill Seale, an artist/designer/humorist, was asked to help put together gift baskets for President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and their families at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, where she lives. Seale said she researched what the president and vice president liked and didn't like and added appropriate items from her company to the other North Carolina items. Food was not allowed, so Seale could not include the delicious North Carolina barbecue sauce, she said. Obama's basket contained books by North Carolina authors, UNC headbands for the girls, beaded bracelets from N.C. artists, a silver dogwood blossom pin, "Barchitecture" products, kitchen towels with a design of dogwoods (because the Obamas cook and clean in the White House so often, Seale writes with her typical humor), coasters with "Y'all" sayings on them, girly fashion-house parody tissue packs, "Wall Sneeze Journal" tissue packs and a copy of Seale's "Stark Raving Motherhood" book. The Biden family basket contained books, a tie, beaded bracelet, nautical items and Seale's "Nun for the Road" items because the Bidens are boaters and Catholic, she said. At the DNC, Seale visited friend Arianna Huffington of the Huffington Post at the Internet newspaper's "Oasis," which had healthy food, massage therapists, yoga instructors, a meditation room and makeup refreshing. Seale, who owns a creative design company in Charlotte, is a 1979 graduate of Parkersburg High School and the daughter of Karol Goldstein of Parkersburg.
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Arlos "Bub" Smith, Nashville songwriter by way of Vienna, recently emailed me an update on his music projects. Smith, a 1983 Parkersburg High School graduate, said he has written a song for country singer Jerrod Niemann's album "Free The Music" set for release in early October. Smith also has songs in Craig Campbell's album due out this year. Smith is very excited about a song, "Little Soldiers," he wrote with David Kroll, who will be singing it on "The X Factor" TV show featuring judge Simon Cowell. The song can be heard on YouTube at little soldiers video/arlos smith. Smith asks that Parkersburg area residents vote for Kroll.
Contact Paul LaPann at plapann@newsandsentinel.com
