Guests enjoy the sixth-floor party at Premier Plaza during "Art With A View," in Monroe LA, Dec 10, 2009.

Some of the social events I’ve attended have been held in some odd locations.

Last year, for instance, I participated in an art sale that took place in a parking garage. And I covered a fundraiser once on the rooftop of a hospital, where everyone was told with a wink to be very careful not to stray too close to the edge. Considering that was also an international beer-tasting event, it was somewhat exciting, waiting to see who would fall off first, and hoping it wouldn’t be me.

And I can now say that I’ve been to an art show that was held inside the normally stark multiple rooms of an office building, specifically at the Premier Plaza in Monroe, which graciously opened its upper-floor office space to local artists and guests once again this year for the 8th Annual “Art With A View” art exhibit on Dec. 10.

I had a chance to see the rooms ahead of time since I was also participating as an artist and had to hang work before the event. I became very curious to see how the layout would work once people arrived. Essentially, every artist had his or her own room along a series of hallways, with a few artists exhibiting together in the larger conference rooms.

Artist Coordinator Cindy Ingram, along with some other volunteers, was in the process of covering the available walls and corners with holiday decorations when I arrived initially. As I curiously watched the place come together, I thought, hey, this could be a nice event. After all, it’s inside, it’s comfortable, it’s quiet because of the carpet, and how many art shows do you go to where each artist has their own separate, enclosed space to personalize?

Katherine Putnam, Miss Louisiana 2009, with Hope Anderson, Miss Monroe 2009, at "Art With A View" - Premier Plaza, Monroe LA - Dec 10, 2009

Refreshment tables were decorated with flowery, feathery arrangements.

The next evening’s event turned out to be even better than I had anticipated, and if anything was more interesting because of the location.

The twenty or so rooms on the fifth floor were filled with original artwork, along with some of the hallways, and fifty-six artists were participating. The variety of work alone was captivating. It was like attending the monthly Artwalk downtown, but inside, with less walking and no chance of rain. There was something for everyone – jewelry, paintings, sculpture, and photography were at every turn.

Local photographer Cindy Blanchard, vice president of the Northeast La. Camera Club, had a great idea for an “Artists In Action” presentation, too, putting artists Rusty Patterson, Margaret Ellerman and Don Holloway atop three separate small platforms in the main room, where they were at work on their respective mediums as woodworker, painter and potter.

The organizers made a very wise decision this year to charge admission—it was previously free—and turn the event into a juried exhibition and a fundraiser for the Monroe Symphony Orchestra. They also included wonderful selections of hors d’oeuvres from Thyme Savers Catering and a never-ending supply of delicious wines and cheeses, plus custom-made drinks and martinis, and all while benefiting the symphony.

Pretty much everyone had a drink or a plate of food in their hands and was dressed to impress, including recent beauty pageant winners Hope Anderson (Miss Monroe) and Katherine Putnam (Miss Louisiana) who were crowned and circulating gracefully through the crowd.

The event actually took place on two separate floors, with a party on the sixth floor from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., and the art show on the fifth floor from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

It seemed as though it all could easily have turned into a labyrinthine maze of confusion, with guests not knowing where to go next. But it worked out beautifully. It was as though there was just one artistic discovery after another as guests wandered into the different rooms.

Left to right: Monroe Symphony Orchestra board member Phala Wright with Clay Coutoriaux, conductor, and board member Al Peterson, at "Art With A View" - Premier Plaza, Monroe LA - Dec 10, 2009

Candles and holiday lights gave the whole place a festive atmosphere, and tables and floors were embellished with assortments of red flowers, lovely white trees and feathered arrangements.

It helped, too, that there was always a table of food or wine wherever you looked and someone there to serve it, so that if all else failed you could always refill your glass, grab a snack and move on. There were enough guests to make this a well-attended event, while also allowing everyone the freedom to move around.

The Monroe Symphony contributed to the affair by having various groups of musicians playing music throughout both floors. During my time there, I enjoyed hearing a three-piece horn ensemble, a four-piece band with a xylophone, and a pianist.

The artwork was priced to sell as far as I could see, and I noticed a few guests walking around with a purchased canvas or photo tucked under an arm, which was a good sign for the artists and the symphony.

Joe Holyfield, the owner of the building, organized and sponsored the event for the last seven years, but this year got together with the symphony to make it even better.

Artist Jan Thibault talks with visitors to her exhibit. There were nearly sixty artists participating.

“Joe’s support of the arts has helped us so much,” said Marilyn Kopke, president of the symphony board of directors. “This is our only fundraiser this year, and the event went well, really beyond our expectations.”

“This is truly Monroe at its best,” added guest Tommy Usrey, president of the Northeast La. Arts Council.

Other event coordinators were Vickie Barnes, Chuck Bradshaw , Meredith Pate and Moses Miles. Kelly Wright Taylor created the wintery decorations, and artwork was juried by Christina Gray and Scott Higginbotham.

Plans are being made for another event next year on December 9, 2010. I suggest getting tickets to both the party and the art show. For more information, search Facebook for “art-with-a-view-monroela.”

For information about the symphony, go to their website, at www.bayou.com/symphony. Their next event is a Chamber Concert at The Assembly in West Monroe, on March 20, 2010 at 7 p.m.

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Co-stars Elizabeth Bennett and William Tatum.

I was waiting as patiently as possible for the new season at Strauss Theater to begin. I had missed the last one, and all the ones before that, because I only just moved up to the Monroe area late last year. Strauss is obviously “the” theater in Monroe, so I had my hopes up ever so slightly that I would discover a gem in the same manner as Le Petite in New Orleans, or Rivertown Repertory in Kenner, La. I had performed myself at both of these theaters in the past, and seen a fair number of shows, too, and can say that they are “the” theaters in that area, if you want to see the best productions.

At any rate, since the Strauss Theater seemed to be the only game in town for Monroe, I figured it either had to be really good, with a lot of local support and enthusiasm, or it would just be a slacker theater with lackluster productions that got by simply because they were, again, the only game in town.

So, I just saw the season opening, Thoroughly Modern Millie, and whoopee baby, it turns out that the Strauss Theater is really good.

Flappers, fer real, on stage at Strauss Theater.

Having come almost a year ago from probably the most theater-saturated city in the South, I’ll admit to some desperation right now to see live theater. I would have been happy with even a fair-hearted attempt at this show, really. But the crew at Strauss showed me such a good time that I’m still laughing about some of it two days later.

Some of the community shows I’ve been to elsewhere are met with a mass exodus at intermission. Even the lavish productions at Tulane Summer Lyric don’t always hold an audience.

That’s something this show doesn’t have to worry about in the least.

The opening number, “Not for the Life of Me,” from Elizabeth Bennett as Millie Dillmount, captured my attention in a big way and really gave the rest of the show something to live up to. Bennett’s voice has that classic Broadway sound, sharp and bright and enthusiastic, handed over with a giant, I’m-giving-it-all-I-got smile. She completely set the tone for the next two hours. Her second act solo, “Gimme Gimme,” was a real show stopper, too, and she gave it just as much energy, if not more, than her opening number.

I'll be checking out the movie soon, since the stage show was so much fun.

The youthful chorus jumped in with Bennett pretty quickly for “Thoroughly Modern Mille,” and thankfully had the stage space to show off the colorful costumes by Marcy and Mary Hall, and some spins, parades, and well-rehearsed choreography by Shawnee Corbin, along with a powerful, polished group voice that filled the room. I was hooked and held my breath in hopes that the whole show was would go at this pace.

Hats off to set designer Scot Baronet for his enjoyable 3D scenes of New York which gave some depth to the stage and went well with the roll-on office furniture. I liked Millie’s use of the office desk as a sort of comical way to scoot around the stage without actually standing up. I also thought the roll-on window ledge was effective, and kudos to Bennett and William Tatum, as Jimmy Smith, for being sure on their feet and their vocals during their ledge-top dance number, “I Turned a Corner.” Tatum, for his part, was well suited as the romantic interest for Millie.

Cast members from "Thoroughly Modern Mille" at Strauss Theater, Sept. 20, 2009. Left to right: Laura Sidders, Amy Medlin, Samantha and Lauren Matherne, and Gayle Frck.

The Hotel Priscilla scenes were a riot, with Jeanine Patton as Mrs. Meers and Josh and Jacob Branson as Ching Ho and Bun Foo. Mrs. Meers, as if her makeup wasn’t enough, had an appropriately rough and twangy Japanese accent to match her later exposure as a wannabe actress, and her “oh, wee-whee” take on “oh, really,” got a laugh on more than one occasion. The brothers performance of their very unexpected Japanese-only duet, a reprise of “Not for the Life of Me,” was hilarious. We kept expecting them to start singing in English, but the fact that they didn’t made it all the funnier, as they just kept going in Japanese or whatever it was, and playing it as though we understood every word.

A song between these three later, “Muquin,” is the closest I’ve ever come to actually watching a really good Saturday Night Live skit, live on stage, from back in the day when SNL was sincerely funny.

The early duet between Bennett and Lauren Matherne, as the petite Miss Dorothy Brown, made me think of the impeccable match-up of Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth in Wicked. Their voices went together perfectly and they had the smiles and characterizations to match. I couldn’t get enough of either of them.

Melissa Tucker turned in a good, hard-nosed role as Miss Flannery, and she pulls off one of the funniest lines in the show–“my family is known for our elbows,” which I’m laughing at again as I write this.

Gayle Frick deserves a note also for her exceptionally well-sung role as Muzzy Van Hossmere, the classy lounge singer who gives Millie a shoulder to lean on.

From left: Sarah Keyes, Schylar Berry and Allison Tugwell.

Possibly one of the funniest scenes I’ve ever seen on stage happened during the second act between Matherne and Troy Wold, impeccably cast as the pretentious and sporadically soused boss-man Trevor Graydon. One moment, Wold is dictating to his new stenographer, and the next–and I mean this happened in a blink–he launches into a scene right out of the recent movie, Enchanted, where he is smitten by the blinding beauty of Miss Dorothy and has no other way to express it except through SOOONNGGG!  His delivery was absolutely on target as he stood there with hand-on-heart, and Matherne’s reaction as the lovestruck hummingbird was perfect. The audience was in stitches, watching these two swirl and bound around the stage in ridiculous, squealing, musical bliss.

I was impressed with the “The Speed Test,” which had Millie surrounded by a set of office workers clad in alternating colors of stockings, and everyone tapping at the speed of typing as Millie did her best to maintain her new job as Graydon‘s stenographer.

The music director and choreographer deserve a hand for the excellent dancing and choral parts, which were a good leap better than I had prepared myself for. Getting a chorus together vocally is a challenge, but this group made it look easy, and I was constantly impressed with how big they sounded. I even wondered if they weren’t being embellished by a light overlay of vocals on the recorded music. I don’t think that was the case, however, and it was all the more impressive to listen to them sing as they danced and even did flips here and there.

From left: Morgan West, Charity Wilkins, Jacob and Josh Branson, Amy Medlin, Beaux Coleman and Nathanael Medlin.

I especially appreciated this chorus and that they stayed active during their scenes that were shared with the leading roles. It’s easy to waste an ensemble and have them stand stock-still, but this group added a whole new dimension of realism and production, especially during the Tie-One-On Club party scene and “The Nuttycracker Suite,” and also “Long as I’m Here with You.” They were an integral part of the dancing and acting, extremely energetic, and also kept life in the scenes by interacting as groups in the background while the leads moved into solo parts. I constantly had my eyes going from one part of the stage to another trying to catch all the activity, and was never disappointed.

Overall, the ensemble parts were impeccable and gave me all I could have asked for, and more. Fairly often, the energy of a local theater group can far outshine the road-wearied repetition in a large, traveling Broadway show. I haven’t seen the road version of this show, but it would be tough to outmatch the gusto this cast gives it.

Director Jon Baccarini with Jeanine Patton at "Thoroughly Modern Mille" at Strauss Theater, Sept. 20, 2009.

Director John Baccarini did a wonderful job casting the roles and has managed to find the perfect pacing. It might actually help that they’re using a recorded CD for the music rather than a live band, since this forces the speed to stay where it should, at least musically. But Baccarini never lets the cast slow down, even during scenes where you might forgive it, and this alone does wonders to keep things interesting. There’s an awful lot going on backstage, I’m sure, what with ensemble costume changes and complete walls of scenery dropping down from the ceiling, but we’re kept blissfully in the dark, so to speak. I was surprised at how much happened and how quickly, without some sort of major screw-up.

There were a few flops here and there, of course. The lights went out for a few seconds during the window ledge scene, but Bennett and Tatum wisely kept going and didn’t seem fazed by the interruption; also, I’m pretty sure there was a moment during one of Bennett’s office scenes when a verse of music got skipped, or something odd, but Bennett did such a nice job of looking busy that she made it through this without much damage, and jumped right in with her two toe-tapping chorus girls at her next opportune moment.

This was evening of theater well-spent. Baccarini has it all polished it to an enjoyable and highly entertaining musical, while also leaving room for his cast to convey that footloose, and thoroughly modern, 1920’s feel.

You can still catch this show, Sept. 24-27. Call 318-323-6681 for reservations.

The Strauss Theater’s next productions are Barefoot in the Park in November, and The Adventures of Robin Hood for children in late October.

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