This solo autobiographical musical hits close to home for Taylor, who lived through the drama of having his partner John fall seriously ill. Rather than dealing with helpful and understanding relatives, Taylor and John found themselves battling family members, corrupt lawyers and negligent doctors. The pair, however, relied upon the power of love, humor and music to emerge victorious. Never one to shy away from a challenge, Taylor turned their experience into a musical, one in which Taylor performs all 32 characters and 10 songs.
“I was just amazed at the diversity of experiences we were able to outline of ballet pointe shoes / iron on transfer/ printable quote/ instant download/ inspirational quote/ motivational t-shirt/ have under him,” recalled former student Michael Caldwell, now a university music professor, “He did it all and he did it very well, The school district was getting three employees for the price of one.”, He went beyond the curriculum to model character, and he enforced his high standards with tough love, Caldwell recalls once sneaking into the back of the room after class had started by hiding behind his friend, a tuba player, He only realized his cover had been blown when Cross docked his grade..
“He uses a lot of dance steps that make the production very lively and entertaining,” McConnell said. Making the music come alive is the Oakland East Bay Symphony under the direction of Michael Morgan. “Michael’s glorious music along with the Mt. Eden (High School) Women’s Ensemble brings such richness to the production, and then you add the magnificence of the Paramount Theatre and it becomes an event to remember,” Lustig said. Also adding to the richness and fun of the production are the more than 40 student dancers, aged 7 to 17, who dance such roles as snowballs, mice, soldiers and candies.
Those results were on display throughout Sunday’s enjoyable program, which mixed 19th-century works by Rossini, Grieg, Saint-Saens, Suppé, and Borodin with Ravel’s early 20th century showpiece, Cabrera saved the best for last, His “Bolero” was elegant, powerful, and he drove it like a luxury vehicle, His command of dynamics was impressive, rising from a mere wisp of sound to a thunderous finale, Ravel’s rhythmic structure, often hammered out in lesser hands, came across with marvelous nuance, Every section contributed mightily, and every soloist seemed a key player, Flutist Monica Daniel-Barker, clarinetist Steve Sanchez, outline of ballet pointe shoes / iron on transfer/ printable quote/ instant download/ inspirational quote/ motivational t-shirt/ oboist Laura Reynolds, bassoonist Douglas Brown, saxophonist David Henderson, and percussionist Victor Avdienko were among the standouts..
DEAR CAROLYN: Do you have any advice for approaching or responding to the topics of body image, healthy eating and exercising with my tween daughter? Her body’s changing, and once in a while she laments the changes — nothing I’m concerned about, normal stuff. I also see these (relatively infrequent) comments as an opportunity to broaden the discussion from “looks” to feeling good and healthy and taking charge of your physical and emotional health. I wish my mom had taught me more, so I didn’t have to figure it out myself in adulthood, but I also have friends and a sister who’ve suffered from eating disorders, so I am so sensitive about discussions surrounding body image, food, exercise, etc.
