Places To Go,  Book Look,  Movie & Videos,  The Arts,

Calendar, Games,  Crossword

Book Reviews Elsewhere  (fresh daily from the Web)

 Movie Reviews Elsewhere  (fresh daily from the Web)

Places To Go

'Murder in the Hearse Degree'

[FEB. 12, 2003]  ^"Murder in the Hearse Degree," Tim Cockney, Hyperion, 320 pages. Genre: mystery

Hitchcock Sewell, the dashing, witty, debonair undertaker, is back in this fourth and highly anticipated novel in the series by Tim Cockney.

Hitch's adventures begin when Libby, a former lover, temporarily moves back to town with her two children in tow. Following his breakup with Julia (his wacky, ravishing best friend and ex-wife, for those of you not familiar with the series), Hitch and Libby spent several uninhibited months together.

Hitchcock decides to look her up and is filled in on the particulars of her hasty return. She did indeed marry Mike, but due to marital discord has left him to sort some things out. It appears that following the disappearance of their nanny, a brief dispute erupted between the two, and Mike struck Libby.

[to top of second column in this review]

Libby enlists the aid of Hitch to help her discover the whereabouts of the nanny, and in keeping with the general atmosphere of the "Hearse" series, a body turns up. The body is that of the shy nanny, who apparently committed suicide by leaping from a bridge. At first glance, case closed, but upon further investigation, Mike's (Libby's soon-to-be ex) wedding ring is found in the nanny's room, and the shy nanny appears to have been very much pregnant.

In the subsequent turn of events, Hitchcock is nearly run down by a car, causes a young man to be killed, meets an interesting young lady, tangles with politicians and cults, and eventually -- with the help of his ex-lawyer, sometime private investigator, troubled friend -- solves the case.

Tim Cockney's latest contains his trademark amount of romance, suspense, humor and all-around fun that I have come to expect in all of his novels. He is the author of four Hitchcock Sewell mysteries. He has been a story analyst for many major film and television companies, including American Playhouse, ABC and Hallmark Entertainment. He grew up in Baltimore and now lives in New York City.

[Bobbi Reddix, Lincoln Public Library District]

• Lincoln Community Theatre

• Logan County Arts Association

Lincoln College presents 'Orpheus Descending'

[FEB. 12, 2003]  Lincoln College Theatre Department will present the drama "Orpheus Descending" Feb. 20-23 at the Johnston Center for Performing Arts on the college campus.

"Orpheus Descending," by master playwright Tennessee Williams, is an adaptation of the Greek myth Orpheus, set in the 20th century. It tells the story of a young man who must rescue his love from the pits of modern urban violence and gossip, as opposed to mythological Hades. The play can be described as pleasant and philosophical.

Show time is at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 20; Friday, Feb. 21; and Saturday, Feb. 22; with a matinee performance at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23.

Ticket prices are $5 for adults, $3 for children and senior citizens. To reserve tickets call (217) 732-3155, Ext. 280, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

[Lincoln College press release]

Concert will feature winners of concerto-aria contest

[JAN. 29, 2003]  NORMAL -- Five Illinois State University School of Music students won the school's concerto-aria competition Jan. 22 and will be featured performers in a March 5 concert at 8 p.m. in the Center for the Performing Arts

Jurors in the competition were Roger Garrett and Linda Farquahson of Illinois Wesleyan University.

This year's winners are junior trumpeter Ryan Elliot of Saginaw, Mich., representing the brass area; master's degree student and pianist Kristof Kovacs of Budapest, Hungary, representing the keyboard area; Ying Wang, a master's degree student and cellist from Beijing, China, representing the string area; senior baritone vocalist Kevin Prina of Washington, representing the voice area; and piccolo player Megan Lomonof, a senior from Oak Lawn, representing the woodwind area.

Earning honorable mentions in the competition were violist Colleen Kuraszek, a freshman from Lake in the Hills, and flutist Elizabet Varga, a master's degree student from Bloomington.

The concert March 5 will spotlight the five winners. They will perform individually with the Illinois State University Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Glenn Block, director of orchestras. The orchestra also will play Bernstein's overture to "Candide."

[News release]

'Epic Proportions'

[JAN. 8, 2003]  DECATUR -- Theatre 7 - Decatur's Community Theatre will present the comedy "Epic Proportions" in February at the Decatur Civic Center Theatre. Tickets for the production go on sale to the general public beginning Monday, Jan. 13, at the Decatur Civic Center Box Office.

"Epic Proportions" is set in the 1930s, when brothers Benny and Phil find themselves in the Arizona desert as extras in a huge historical epic film. Before they know it, Phil is directing the movie and Benny is starring in it. To complicate matters, they both fall in love with Louise, the assistant director of extras.

The Theatre 7 production is directed by Jayson Albright.

Cast members are Jayson Albright, Shawn Becker, Doug Bishop, Peter Churukian, Amy Hoak, Tim Haworth, Alison Logan and Matt Tucker.

Performance dates and times are Feb. 7, 8, 14 and 15 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 9 and 16 at 2 p.m. For ticket information, call the box office, (217) 422-6161.

For more information, visit www.decaturnet.org/theatre7.

[Theatre 7 press release]

LCT 2003 season

[DEC. 9, 2002]  Lincoln Community Theatre is pleased to announce three productions selected for the summer of 2003.

Kicking off the 32nd season of live theater for the Lincoln community will be the hilarious musical "Nuncrackers." This fun-filled show is a continuation of the antics of the dauntless, darling nuns of Mount St. Helen's Convent who delighted Lincoln audiences in the "Nunsense" series several summers ago. Audience participation, one-liners, a rum-soaked fruitcake, dueling sugar plum fairies and dear Sister Amnesia will definitely start the summer theatrical season with humor and fun.

The July production, "Steel Magnolias," is one of our best ensemble productions. The familiar, bittersweet story touches all the emotional peaks and valleys of life in a small Southern community. From wise-cracking Truvy to unsure Annelle, the characters in this poignant play promise to touch everyone with both laughter and tears.

[to top of second column in this article]

Ending the season on a patriotic note, LCT's final production of the summer will be "1776," a stirring, yet humorous musical featuring a large cast representing our founding fathers. Humor abounds with fast-paced dialogue involving Ben Franklin, Henry Lee and other early congressional characters, along with catchy, patriotic music.

To kick off the holiday season, Lincoln Community Theatre is offering holiday gift certificates for season memberships for the summer 2003 season. Certificates can be mailed directly to the receiver or to the gift giver. Certificates for adult memberships are $20 each, and those for children through eighth grade are $12 each. Requests for gift certificates may be sent to LCT, Box 374, Lincoln, IL 62656. Further information is available at (217) 732-7542 or by visiting the LCT website, www.geocities.com/lincolncommunitytheatre.

[Judy Rader, LCT publicity chairman]

Lincoln Community Theatre's box office, phone 735-2614,  is open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday for the summer season. The office is located in the lobby of the Johnston Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of Lincoln College.

Performances of "Dearly Departed" are scheduled for July 12-20, and "The King and I" will be presented Aug. 2-10. Show times are 2 p.m. on Sundays and 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

The LCT mailing address is Lincoln Community Theatre, P.O. Box 374, Lincoln, IL  62656; e-mail: lincolncommunitytheatre@yahoo.com.

Visit the LDC website at www.geocities.com/lincolncommunitytheatre/index.html. Pictures from past productions are included.

Back to top