FREE EBOOK - SPEAK OUT BEFORE YOU DIE

SPEAK OUT BEFORE YOU DIE - 2nd book in my "cozy mystery-noir-romance" series is currently FREE for the eBook, today and tomorrow, August 31st. Take at look over at Amazon and download your FREE copy.

The series is set in New England in the post-World War II era, a world in flux, where our centuries-old cities were being sliced through with super-highways, where city dwellers were moving to a place that used to be farmland and now was called suburbia.  Even in a place as old as New England, there was newness -- and it was sometimes very strange, especially for a guy like Elmer Vartanian, who had spent seven years in prison. 

The second in the “Double V Mysteries” series reunites wealthy Juliet Van Allen and ex-con Elmer Vartanian on New Year’s Eve, 1949. Guests are gathered in a snowbound Hartford, Connecticut, mansion for the wedding of Juliet’s widowed father to an elegant younger woman just after the clock strikes midnight. When Juliet finds what appears to be a threatening note directed at her father, she calls Elmer to pose as a hired servant to help ferret out the danger…but midnight is approaching and time is running out. There may be murder as the old year dies.

Race Rock Light

Photo by J.T. Lynch

Race Rock Light is on dangerous reef southwest of Fishers Island, south of the Connecticut coast. New England has its share of dangerous waters, and our many lighthouses dotting the coast give testament to this area being one of the so-called “graveyards” of the Atlantic for the number of shipwrecks over the years.  In just one year alone, 1837, eight ships were lost on Race Rock reef, where the tide forces the current with great power.

Photo by J.T. Lynch

Some believe Race Rock Light to be haunted, which perhaps presents another kind of danger, but that’s another story.

Photo by J.T. Lynch

It was built in the 1870s, and just the rock ledge which forms its foundation took seven years to construct. The Fresnel lens was automated in 1978.  It is currently maintained by the New London Maritime Society.

Photo by J.T. Lynch

Have a look at this website for more information and some fascinating lore about the Race Rock Light.

Photo by J.T. Lynch

Eugene O'Neill Statue - New London, Connecticut

JT Lynch Photo

The boy sits on the gray boulder by the City Pier, looking out into the harbor. A poignant figure immortalized as a statue, he will forever be a child on this spot.

He is Eugene O’Neill, and the spot is New London, Connecticut. One of America’s finest playwrights, and a Nobel laureate in literature, O’Neill spent his summers here until 1915.  His father, actor James O’Neill, took a house on Pequot Avenue, and called it Monte Cristo Cottage, a few years before Eugene was born in the late 1880s. 

JT Lynch Photo

The figure wears the lace-up boots, the diminutive cap of a child of the late nineteenth century. He is alone, a boy with much on his mind, who perhaps needs the solitude.

Much has been written of Eugene O’Neill’s troubled family—he wrote much of that himself—and there is a seriousness in the expression of the statue that indicates perhaps burdens too heavy for a child to carry, that the man will continue to shoulder the rest of his life.

JT Lynch Photo

It is believed that O’Neill wrote two of his plays here in New London, the rare comedy, Ah, Wilderness!, and the dark tragedy based on his own family, Long Day’s Journey Into Night. Not only did he write them here, but New London is the setting for those stories.

JT Lynch Photo

What is he writing on the pad of paper in his lap?  Is he drawing the boats on the harbor, or as he looks beyond the mouth of the Thames River, does he seem some less bleak future out towards Long Island Sound?

Is he taking notes on his own future?  He is not at play.

JT Lynch Photo

The statue was unveiled in 1988, some 35 years after O’Neill’s death (Monte Cristo Cottage was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1971).  The sculptor is Norman Legassie. The image is based on a photograph of young Eugene by Nikolas Mury.

Nikolas Mury Photo

The bronze has tarnished to green, but the compelling, enigmatic expression remains.

JT Lynch Photo

Theatre on Mt. Tom, Holyoke, Mass. - Calling for Interviews

 

Comedy and Tragedy on the Mountain:

70 years of Summer Theatre on Mt. Tom, Holyoke, Massachusetts

By Jacqueline T. Lynch

1895-1930s: Vaudeville and operetta

1930s WPA Theatre
The Pioneer Valley Drama Festival - 1940
The Valley Players – 1941 – 1962
Casino-in-the-Park 1963
Mt. Tom Playhouse – 1964-1965

I'm currently writing a book on theatre on Mt. Tom - from the late 1800s to 1965.  I'd to interview anyone with connections to The Valley Players, or the Mt. Tom Playhouse -  actors, staff, ushers, or members of the audience with any memories they’d like to share.  I hope to have the book out by the end of the year.

Contact:

Jacqueline T. Lynch at JacquelineTLynch@gmail.com...or write to:

PO Box 1394

Chicopee, MA 01021.

I’d be happy to interview you in person (in the western Massachusetts, northern Connecticut area) , or over the phone, at your convenience.    You can also just drop me a note with anything you have to say, if you’d rather not be interviewed, but please include your name.

Thank you.

Cape Playhouse Celebrates 90th Season - Dennis, Massachusetts

The Cape Playhouse in Dennis, Massachusetts is celebrating its 90th season this year.

Founded in 1927, it was the workplace, and for many, a training ground, for so many famous stage and screen actors. 

Have a look at this previous post on my Tragedy and Comedy in New England blog on Ruth Gordon's impressions of performing at the Cape Playhouse in the 1930s.

Here is the remainder of the 2016 season:

THE MUSIC MAN

Book, Music & Lyrics by Meredith Wilson

July 5-23, 2016

THE MAY QUEEN

by Molly Smith Metzler

July 26-August 6, 2016

CABARET

Music by John Kander, Lyrics by Fred Ebb

August 9-20, 2016

THE MOUSETRAP

by Agatha Christie

August 23-September 3, 2016

Congratulations to this historic playhouse, with a fond wish for many more seasons to come. See their website for more info.

Big Band Swinging in Springfield, Massachusetts

JT Lynch photo

The joint was jumping on Saturday night at for the Springfield Armory Reunion and commemoration of  the 1943 Benny Goodman concert that was held on the Armory grounds. The war workers got a special treat that day in 1943, and so did the visitors to the Springfield Armory National Historic site when Dan Gabel and the Abletones recreated a 1940s Big Band concert.

It was fantastic.

Though inclement weather drove the concert indoors this year (it’s usually an outdoor celebration), and while unfortunately, band leader Dan Gabel was not in attendance, the show was a delightful success.

The orchestra delivered a variety of peppy ditties, slow romantic ballads, and jubilant jazzy hits of the golden age of the big band era that moved some to dance, some to sing, and all to marvel at the excellence of this tight group of musicians.

Their vocalist (in the old days it was “girl singer”) is Elise Roth, who looked the part in a period gown, rhinestone necklace and bracelet, bold lipstick, and her hair coiffed appropriately. More than illusion, the most exciting and charming aspect of her performance is that she sang in the style of the 1940s big band songstresses.  This is an attention to detail that is worth noting and marveling over; for this is not mere mimicry, but a demonstration of educated interpretation of a music genre that is intricate and complicated.  Ms. Roth has her roots not only as a jazz vocalist, but also as a classical vocalist, who studied at the New England Conservatory of Music.

Dan Gabel, whose knowledge and appreciation of big band music is something wonderful, has gathered into this 18-piece orchestra colleagues, friends, and former students like a pied piper (he plays the trombone himself), and he clearly picks only the best. Craig Robbins, recent magna cum laude graduate of Berklee College of Music in Boston, plays jazz trombone and also sang two numbers, the lovely ballad, “The Way You Look Tonight,” and the swinging, “The Lady is a Tramp.”  Jim Gancarz, drummer, belted out the beautiful, “Berkeley Square” (“boy singers”), and did a mean Gene Krupa imitation throughout on the drums.

These three singers are young, as, indeed are most of this orchestra, and if the first surprise is seeing young people so gloriously talented, so knowledgeable, and so comfortable performing this music which has ceased to hit the popular music charts a couple of generations ago—the second surprise is suddenly realizing their age doesn’t matter.  It’s the music that matters, and they drew a standing ovation from the crowd last Saturday for their truly thrilling musicianship.

JT Lynch photo

John Clark on bari sax and clarinet took on the role of leader and emcee in Dan Gabel’s absence, and he provided humor, and a pleasant ease of guiding the audience, as much as the musicians, from one song to the next.

I was especially looking forward to this event because I’ve followed Dan Gabel and his bands (he also helms the High Society Orchestra which plays music of the 1920s), and always hoped to have an opportunity to catch one of their gigs—which play mostly in the eastern part of the state.  Having him come out to western Massachusetts and the Springfield Armory National Historic Site was a joy, and I was determined not to miss it.  I’ll remember it for a long time to come.

You can learn more about Dan Gabel and the Abeltones here at the website, and at the Facebook page. The orchestra has also produced some CDs.  Look for his upcoming events here.

Dan Gabel and the Abeltones Coming to the Springfield Armory

This coming Saturday, July 9th is an auspicious day for western Massachusetts, as Dan Gabel and the Abeltones are coming to the Springfield Armory.

Mr. Gabel is a young man whom I have not yet had the pleasure to see perform in person, but whose career and music events in eastern Massachusetts I've been following on his Facebook site.  A big ban enthusiast (who has his own big band, as well as other smaller combos), a scholar on the work of singer and bandleader Vaughn Monroe, and a high school music teacher, Gabel is a marvel of energy, enthusiasm, and rich in talent.  The evening promises to be a real treat for lovers of swing music and an appreciation for one young man who is preserving it.

Details on the Armory event from this press release:

SPRINGFIELD — On Saturday, July 9, the Springfield Armory National Historic Site will commemorate the 1943 Benny Goodman concert which was held on the Armory grounds. Attendees will enjoy the sounds of Dan Gabel and the Abletones, hear rousing vocalists, and swing on the dance floor after free swing lessons. Admission is free.

The evening will begin at 5:30 p.m. with free swing-dance lessons from instructors Michele and Bob Barker. Pre-concert and intermission shows will feature the Small Planet Dancers of Springfield, performing World War II-era dance routines.

The main concert, running from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., will feature Dan Gabel and the Abletones, an 18-piece big band. Gabel played with the Glenn Miller Orchestra and Tommy Dorsey, and is considered an expert on big-band-era music. The ensemble features lead vocalist Elise Roth.

Attendees are invited to bring a chair or blanket and enjoy a picnic supper or purchase items from the food vendor on site. The museum, which is wheelchair-accessible, will remain open during the concert. In the case of rain, the concert will move into Building 2 (Scibelli Hall) of Springfield Technical Community College (STCC), where it will be held in the gymnasium.

The Springfield Armory National Historic Site commemorates and preserves the site of the nation’s first armory, established in 1794. Managed with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, STCC, and the National Park Service, it is the home of the world’s largest historic American military firearms collection. The site is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and admission is free. For more information, call (413) 734-8551 or visit www.nps.gov/spar.