Corona del Mar Resident Lucie Courtois Shares Inspirational Message at Beyond Blindness Gala
By Christopher Trela | NB Indy
Beyond Blindness, the region’s leading provider of early intervention, education and enrichment, and family support services for children with visual impairments and other disabilities, hosted its seventh annual Vision Beyond Sight Gala on Feb. 29 at Mile Square Golf Course in Fountain Valley.
With the support of more than 200 guests, the event raised more than $240,000 to fund and build bright futures for children and families in Orange County.
Held for the first time on a weeknight, the 2024 gala took place on Rare Disease Day in recognition of Beyond Blindness’ commitment to empowering children of all abilities to live full and rewarding lives.
Beyond Blindness key speaker Lucie Courtois of Corona del Mar has received services from Beyond Blindness. She is a graduate of Corona del Mar High School and post high school completed independent skills and academic program at the California School for the Blind.
Lucie completed acting and scriptwriting courses with Inclusion Films by Joey Travolta, and has had private acting lessons from Access Acting in
preparation of an audition with “All the Light we Cannot See.” Lucie currently attends Orange Coast College in the Film School with a focus on her education in writing, film, and entrepreneur programs.
Lucie has developed a blind character and written three spec episodes for a Nickelodeon show that she is submitting for consideration. Her goals are to act and create work that includes all different types of people including people who ae blind.
At the event, Courtois spoke about how Beyond Blindness has supported her journey since birth, which includes more
than 20 eye surgeries.
“I have been part of the Beyond Blindness community since birth, but I am really part of two communities,” Courtois told the audience. “Yes, I am part of the Blind community, but I am also part of the sighted community. And guess what? So are you. Because so many of you have been part of my community and supported my journey, I can stand her today as a confident young woman.”
Courtois went on to say that she is working on fully navigating her Corona del Mar neighborhood, including safely and independently crossing Coast Highway.
“My goal for myself is to qualify to have a guide dog. My goal for my family is to be able to pick up my little cousins, Benjamin and Juliet, from school by myself on the last day of this school year,” stated Courtois, who added that “my dreams are much bigger than that though.”
In addition to writing a book and several spec scripts, Courtois aims to create work that includes all different types of people, including people who are blind.
“We don’t get to see enough people
with disabilities thrive. I want to change that for cast, crews, and fans. I want to tell stories that people can identify with and say, ‘Oh, that’s me!’”
Courtois acknowledged that Beyond Blindness changed her life in many ways, including giving her the courage and skills to live to her fullest potential.
“There is a reason I focus on telling stories that children can enjoy,” she said. “I see children as valuable and equal to me. I am friends with people of all ages and backgrounds. I see everyone as equal. That is my vision beyond sight, and I believe my world is much better for it. Beyond Blindness envisions this world, too, and your support makes it possible for people like me to be equally valued anywhere we go.”
Courtois ended her remarks by asking the audience to support other children and young adults who have visual impairments and other disabilities.
“Thank you Beyond Blindness for allowing me to share my story tonight, and thank you to all the supporters here tonight who have poured into my future.”
The President of the Beyond Blindness
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Corona del Mar resident Lucie Courtois and her mother Carol Trapani at the Beyond Blindness Gala.
GALA
Newport Theatre Arts Center’s Production of ‘The Drowsy Chaperone’ is a Compact Comedic Salute to Classic Musical Theater
By Eric Marchese | Special to the NB Indy
Billed as “a musical within a comedy,” “The Drowsy Chaperone” has been around long enough to have developed something of a cult following. Its reputation is well deserved as a compact, comedic show that both parodies and salutes the musical theater of the 1920s.
Originating in Toronto in 1998, the show has played worldwide. Now it’s Newport Theatre Arts Center’s turn to offer this valentine to Golden Age musical theater.
The brilliance of the show, conceived by Lisa Lambert, Greg Morrison and Don McKellar, is in its concept: A solitary devotee of musical theater shuts out the unpleasantries of contemporary life by bolting the door of his New York City apartment and playing LP recordings on a vintage gramophone.
Whenever feeling low, the character, known only to us as “Man in Chair,” dusts off his exceedingly rare two-disc recording of “The Drowsy Chaperone,” an obscure Broadway musical from 1928.
As the show begins, Man in Chair (Christopher Spencer) shares with us the philosophy that drives his actions: “I just want a good story and a few good songs. I just want to be entertained. Isn’t that the point?”
And thus, through his starting and stopping the album, and imagining and
envisioning the show’s cast members, we get pretty much that entire show, framed by the main character’s thoughts, feelings and impressions of his all-time favorite musical.
“The Drowsy Chaperone” wouldn’t work, of course, unless the fictional musical at its core weren’t viable. A compendium of ’20s elements, McKellar and Bob Martin’s book draws inspiration from dozens of real-life Jazz Age musicals. It’s Lambert and Morrison’s music and lyrics, though, that really set the tone.
They’ve crafted only 11 songs (plus an overture), but this score has an authentic ’20s sound that’s reflected at NTAC by the look and feel of the musical numbers.
What’s also readily apparent about the show is the stark contrast between the real world inhabited by Man in Chair (and, by extension, us) and the songs, story and characters of the vintage musical he so loves.
Spencer’s Man in Chair does all he can to block out the world, fuming at every interruption, each of which “ruins” the delicate experience of enjoying the show.
The writers have purposely made the characters of the show-within-the-show stock, one-dimensional figures with exaggerated personality traits and overreactions to the twists and turns of the creaky plot.
“Drowsy” – the show we see and the make-believe show it depicts – is a frivolous yet delicious slice of Broadway musical cake.
Director Holly Jones’s cast of 22 sparkles from the leads and supporting cast members to an exceptional chorus, delivering a sweet, heartwarming show wherein each performer clearly revels in the comedically over-the-top nature of the fictional jazz-era musical they perform.
By the same token, Spencer throws himself into the role of someone who lives
vicariously through not just the obscure show he adores but stops the action here and there to relate the back-story of every Broadway personality (all fictional) who starred in the original “Drowsy Chaperone.”
The exuberant, bubbly opening number (“Fancy Dress”) introduces us to all of the key characters of the fictional stage musical, all of whom are purposely one-dimensional.
The titles of both shows – the one we’re seeing and the one the play is about – are defined when, early on, the chaperone (Shannyn Page) of the bride-to-be proclaims “champagne makes me drowsy!”
Near the top of the evening, both bride Janet (Jennifer Harmon) and groom Bob (Alberto Hernandez) are spotlighted. Hernandez is featured, first solo and then with Alexander Shearer as best man George, in “Cold Feets,” an exciting vintage tap number. Their scene is followed by “Show Off,” starring Harmon and featuring the company in just one of the show’s quintessentially ’20s musical numbers.
Harmon and Hernandez are paired in the endearing “Accident Waiting to Happen,” as the blindfolded Bob roller-skates around Janet, who invents the persona of French girl “Mimi.”
Every character in the show Man in Chair adores is appealingly simple, reflecting this devoted observer’s nostalgia for the simpler times of Broadway’s Golden Age.
Hernandez aptly portrays Bob as endearingly narcissistic. Then we meet stereotypical Latin lover Aldolpho, whose ridiculously funny self-love is given comedic exaggeration by Kyle Myers.
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Scene from “The Drowsy Chaperone.” Photo credit to Matt Bobke.
The Tennis Club at Newport Beach Country Club Hosts KidWorks’ Women’s Pickleball for a Purpose Tournament April 11
By Christopher Trela | NB Indy
The newest edition of KidWorks’ Women’s Pickleball for a Purpose Tournament is set to return to the pickleball courts at The Tennis Club at Newport Beach Country Club on Thursday, April 11 from 10:45 a.m. until 3 p.m.
The fundraising initiative is the brainchild of KidWorks Women, a dedicated committee of volunteers who selflessly assists the 30-year-old Santa Ana-based nonprofit that provides academic enrichment, personal development, and leadership programs for children and teens in Central Santa Ana.
Over the last four years, the KidWorks Pickleball Tournament has raised more than $220,000.
The success of the tournament largely depends upon sponsorships, which are on sale now. For information, please contact KidWorks Director of Development Lisa Gels at lisa.gels@kidworksoc.org or (714) 834-9400 x126.
“As a KidWorks Pickleball sponsor, you are helping to place students on a direct path towards college success,” said Gels.
“Your support ensures our deserving students will continue to benefit from robust college and career programs,” said KidWorks CEO and Executive Director David Benavides. “Activities like our College Apps Academy, Campus Crash and mentorship programs are designed to prepare first generation, low-income students on their journey towards college success.”
The 2024 tournament committee members from Newport Beach are chair Debbie Trammell, along with Kathy Ursini, Lori Junkins, Heather Gaughan, Sharon Roy, Jill Schriber, Ellen Small, Wendy Hafer Cox, Susie Luer, Beth Hallert, Sharon Rinker, Holly Anderson and Kyle Team, who is also
Use this QR code to go to NewportBeachIndy.com to get all the news and lifestyle information in Newport Beach
a KidWorks board member. Other committee members are Janet Dichiro and C.C. Knowles of Corona del Mar, and Betsy Flynn of Laguna Hills. Also participating in the event is Leslie Seidner, a member of the KidWorks Advisory Council and resident of Newport Beach.
Sponsors committing thus far to the tournament include: Presenting Sponsor - The Gaughan Family; Court Sponsor –Oltmans Construction, Champions Of The Court - The Ammerman Family, Frome Family Foundation and the Schlinger Family
Foundation; Darling Dinkers – Wendy Hafer Cox, Cathy Frandsen, Beth Hallet, MB Realty Solutions, Shelly Read and Claudette Shaw; Queens Of The Kitchen - Kathleen Bauer, Helen Fedalan, KPMG, Schriber Family Fund, Kyle Team and Sandra Wirta; Lovely Lobbers – Holly Anderson, Victoria Clement, Tammi Cluck, Sandy DeYoung, Susan Graham, Irrelevant Team, C.C. Knowles, Heidi Lynn, Charlotte Saydah, Barb Siegel, Kathy Ursini and Veloz-Lori & Mitch Junkins. The rosé wine sponsor is Zotovich Vineyard and Winery.
SALES
ADVERTISING SALES TEAM Carol Josepher, Chris Mattingley, Dawn Lindeman , Mara Hertel
PRODUCTION MANAGER Tina Leydecker tina@firebrandmediainc.com
ADVERTISING & CIRCULATION: Tel: 949-715-4100 | Fax: 949-715-4106
For the past decade, nearly 100 percent of KidWorks high school students have graduated on time and have gone on to pursue higher education.
To learn more about the upcoming tournament, please visit www.kidworksoc. org/pickleball.
Since 1993, KidWorks has helped children, youth and families living in underresourced neighborhoods in central Santa Ana.
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DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS Tiffany Thompson
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The 2023 pickleball committee (L to R): Heather Gaughan, Sharon Roy, Kim Carpenter, Beth Hallett, Debbie Trammell, Kathy Ursini, Wendy Hafer Cox, Lori Junkins, Corinne Morgenstern, Kyle Team, Lisa Gels, Jill Schriber.
Renaissance Newport Beach Hosts Table for Ten Culinary Extravaganza Benefitting Pascal Culinary Arts Scholarship
By Christopher Trela | NB Indy
Among the many wonderful annual charity events featuring culinary creations from local chefs and restaurants, one stands out from the rest: Table for Ten, this year held at the Renaissance Newport Beach on Sunday, March 3.
The event showcases more than 40 top chefs who each orchestrates and prepares masterful dinners created tableside for 10 guests.
Exquisite wines and other libations were paired with the cuisine, and the tables were masterfully decorated by each restaurant.
Nearly $300,000 was raised for the Pascal Olhats Culinary Arts Program at Saddleback College Culinary Arts School, named after the famed local French chef who has owned and operated several well-known Orange County restaurants, including Tradition by Pascal in Newport Beach.
The event began with a festive cocktail reception featuring small bites and cocktails plus a silent auction featuring everything from fine wines to boutique beauty items.
Once the reception ended, attendees entered the ballroom to find their tables, each adorned with colorful themed flora
goat cheese emulsion and kombu, paired with a white wine from Argentina. The beet tartare masqueraded as beef and was a tasty intro for what was to come.
and unique objects.
I was fortunate to sit at the Mayor’s Table at Lido House table, where chef Riley Huddleston (one of my favorites in OC) had created a multi-course menu that started with an amuse bouche of banana and caviar (cherry roasted banana butter, banana blini, and caviar).
We polished off the delightful morsal so enthusiastically that Chef Huddelston went around the table doling out extra helping of caviar, which we eagerly ate off of the back of our hands.
Next up was Tamai family farm beet tartare, with yuzo kusu cured yolk, wasabi,
Our next course was Spring Peas with super seed mole sauce, feta and borage, paired with Kistler chardonnay. This was a delightful dish, with the peas floating atop a thick pea sauce.
Then came beef short rib with Bloomsdale spinach and citrus marmalade. A beautiful dish, hearty yet at the same time somewhat delicate.
The dinner ended with California pavlova: lemon meringue, grilled strawberry reduction, compressed strawberries, tonka cold cream, verbena essence and candied Meyer lemon. Wow—a delicious ending to a sensational dinner.
As we enjoyed the dessert course, the live auction was held featuring an array
of exclusive items including unique trips, chef experiences, luxury goods and rare wines. One item that caught my attention: a giclee of an original painting by Chef Pascal Olhats that captured his trip to Venice, Italy. Yes, I was the high bidder and now have the artwork framed and on my wall.
The event benefited the Pascal Culinary Arts Scholarship Program at Saddleback College Culinary Arts School, which creates life-changing financial grants for
• ROOFING REPLACEMENTS/REPAIRS
• BALCONY DECK STRUCTURAL RECONSTRUCTION
• ROOFING WATERPROOFING
• EXTENSIVE DRY ROT/TERMITE REPAIRS
• SHEET METAL FOR HARSH COASTAL ENVIRONMENTS
• IN DEPTH SPECIFICATION/STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING
• INTERIOR DAMAGE REPAIRS
• BALCONY RAIL SYSTEM DESIGNS/GLASS/CABLE
• PROFESSIONAL PAINTING SERVICES
• DOOR & WINDOW REPLACEMENT
• STUCCO/PLASTER RECONSTRUCTION
• RAIN GUTTERS/CHIMNEY CAPS
• SKYLIGHTS/ATTIC VENTING SYSTEMS
clockwise: Table for Ten Founder and Director Kristin Martin, Title Sponsor Mary Murfey. Photo by Tony Lattimore.; Amuse bouche banana and caviar. Photo by Chris Trela; Mayor’s Table Chef Riley Huddelston and Chef Pascal Olhats. Photo by Chris Trela.
• 399 pieces of editorial coverage resulting in 200 million media impressions
• 18 million advertising impressions
• 1 million social media impressions
• +502% digital website growth from Phoenix
• +3% overnight visitors
• +7% hotel occupancy
• +3% average visitor spend
“We are extremely honored to receive Visit California’s Poppy Award for Best Public Relations Campaign,” said Gary Sherwin, President & CEO of Visit Newport Beach. “Our ‘Big Game Getaway’ campaign exemplifies our commitment to creating innovative and dynamic marketing campaigns within the tourism industry. This recognition underscores the success of our marketing team’s efforts in showcasing Newport Beach as a desirable destination year-round, and we are thrilled to continue inspiring travelers to experience the charm and excitement of our coastal destination.”
“The past two years have seen tremendous growth, resilience and innova-
City Manager
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You can also find more information on upcoming meetings of the General Plan Steering Committee and General Plan Update Advisory Committee, the resident groups formed to provide recommendations, solicit input and help engage the community.
In addition to launching online input opportunities, the City will be at local events throughout the community over the next several months to gather opinions and answer questions about the General Plan. We will also include periodic updates and involvement opportunities in this newsletter.
I encourage you to visit the Newport, Together website at https:// newporttogether.mysocialpinpoint.com/ and participate! If you have questions or comments, please email gpupdate@ newportbeachca.gov.
Improvements Underway at Port Carney, Port Westbourne Public Restrooms
Construction began earlier this month to upgrade the Port Carney public restroom at 1910 Port Carney Place and the Port Westbourne public restroom at 1876 Port Westbourne Place. These are the final two locations of the City’s Fiscal Year 2022-23 restroom rehabilitation project.
The upgrades include a new paint, roofing systems, plumbing fixtures, LED light fixtures, tiles and automatic locking doors.
Construction is expected to be completed by the summer. During construction, portable restrooms are provided for public use. Parking in the area may be temporarily reduced and pedestrian detours may be established for safety.
tion from California’s travel industry,” said Caroline Beteta, President & CEO of Visit California. “This year’s Poppy Award-winning campaigns inspired visitors from around the world to rediscover California, highlighting our state’s welcoming spirit and abundance of world-class experiences.”
This year’s Outlook Forum celebrated record attendance, welcoming more than 800 attendees. A panel of industry marketing experts selected the winners of the Poppy Awards in nine categories, awarding winners in both business and destination categories.
Crafted by California artisan Nicholson Blown Glass in Auburn, Poppy Awards are bestowed every two years to acknowledge the best of California’s tourism promotion.
Outlook Forum is the premier travel industry conference for California, the No. 1 tourism destination in the United States. Outlook Forum brings together C-suite executives and industry decision-makers from California’s hotels, rental cars, attractions, restaurants, retailers and other travel businesses, as
well as representatives from Visit California’s global network of offices.
Founded in January 2013, Newport Beach & Company is a non-profit organization established to serve as the official marketing agency for the city of Newport Beach. The agency brings together all of the marketing entities connected to the Newport Beach brand and is designed to oversee separate business units that include Visit Newport Beach, Celebrate Newport Beach, Enterprise
Newport Beach and Newport Beach TV. For more information, please go to www.VisitNewportBeach.com.
Visit California is a nonprofit organization with a mission to develop and maintain marketing programs – in partnership with the state’s travel industry – that keep California top-of-mind as a premier travel destination. For more information about Visit California and for a free California Official State Visitor’s Guide, go to www.visitcalifornia.com.
City Teams Mobilize for Oil Sheen Response
Staff from Newport Beach’s police, lifeguard, and harbor departments mobilized on Friday, March 8 in response to an oil sheen off the coast of Huntington Beach. The oil was initially reported about three miles from the Huntington Beach coast.
The oil did not appear to pose a threat to Newport Beach. However, police and lifeguard personnel were deployed on vessels and monitored the Newport Beach shoreline closely for signs of incoming petroleum. City staff stayed in close contact with partner agencies throughout the incident and were prepared to take appropriate actions if evidence of oil was discovered in Newport Beach.
Fortunately the oil sheen -- which was later estimated at 85 gallons -- did not reach Newport’s beaches and was largely cleaned up by Saturday, March 9. The incident response was led by the U.S. Coast Guard and State Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Bonita Creek Community Center to be Upgraded
Construction began on Monday, March 18 on improvements to the Bonita Creek Community Center at 3010 La Vida.
The project will install a new roofing system, plumbing fixtures, LED lights fixtures, flooring, ceiling tiles, paint and automatic locking doors.
Construction is expected to be completed by the summer. During construction, portable restrooms are provided for public use. Parking in the area may be temporarily reduced and pedestrian detours may be established for safety.
All sports fields, the basketball court and nearby playground will remain open to the public throughout construction.
OASIS Volunteers Invited to Annual Recognition Luncheon
April 17
The OASIS Senior Center will host its annual Volunteer Recognition Luncheon on Wednesday, April 17 at noon.
If you have volunteered at OASIS within the past year, you are invited to attend and enjoy a delicious catered lunch.
Please RSVP by April 11 by calling (949) 644-3244.
The lunch will be held at the OASIS Senior Center, 801 Narcissus Ave.
Fall Completion Expected for Superior Avenue Bridge, Parking Lot
The new pedestrian/bicycle bridge and parking lot project at Superior Avenue and W. Coast Highway is expected to be completed in September, following delays from the recent rainstorms.
The bridge itself is nearly complete. Steel tension strands were recently added (as seen in the photo below) and minor items such as lighting and railings will be installed in the coming weeks.
The retaining walls facing W. Coast Highway are also complete. With these walls in place, the contractor will start building foundations for the staircase that will connect the bridge to the sidewalk below.
Work continues on a retaining wall along the backside of the parking lot. The foundation for this wall has been constructed and the remainder of the wall will be completed by early April.
Be Well Mobile Crisis Response Update
The Be Well mobile crisis response team operates in Newport Beach 12 hours a day, 7 days a week to respond to mental and behavioral health crises. The mobile unit is staffed with mental health specialists and works closely with the City’s police and fire departments.
This week, the Be Well team:
• Transported a person to the Costa Mesa Bridge Shelter.
• Transported three people to crisis stabilization units for treatment.
• Transported a person to an urgent care center for treatment.
• Transported a person to a homeless services provider.
The mobile crisis team is dispatched through the Newport Beach Police Department. To request service, dial 911 or call the Police Department’s nonemergency line at (949) 644-3717.
Homelessness Update
This week, the City’s homeless outreach and response teams:
• Placed a person in housing at the Placentia Veterans Village after a stay at the Costa Mesa Bridge Shelter. The person experienced homelessness for four years.
• Transported two people to homeless service providers.
• Completed a referral to the Yale Navigation Center for shelter.
• Completed 15 new enrollments in two weeks and updated 16 transferred cases.
• Continued to shelter people. Twentyfive people who had been experiencing homelessness in Newport Beach are sheltered in the Costa Mesa Bridge Shelter.
L to R: Julie Coker, President and CEO of San Diego Tourism Authority.; Erin Rose, Senior Brand Director of Visit Newport Beach; Gary Sherwin, CEO & President Visit Newport Beach; Ashley Johnson, CMO & SVP of Visit Newport Beach; Caroline Beteta, President & CEO of Visit California.
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Board of Directors is Newport Beach resident Carol Trapani, Lucie Courtois’ mother.
Held for the first time on a weeknight, the 2024 gala took place on Rare Disease Day in recognition of Beyond Blindness’ commitment to empowering children of all abilities to live full and rewarding lives. This year’s reimagined event, which took place at Mile Square Golf Course in Fountain Valley, also included a VIP experience with World Blind Golf Champion Jeremy Poincenot, who later served as the evening’s keynote speaker and spoke about his triumphs and the challenges he faced since losing his sight at age 19.
The event raised more than $240,000, which will go to supporting nearly 500 children and more than 800 family members each year through innovative programming and services including two new inclusive preschool classrooms and a recently expanded Low Vision Optometry Clinic.
For more information, please visit www.beyondblindness.org.
Pickleball
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KidWorks develops students who are:
• Life Ready: Developing the whole person so they can make wise decisions and thrive
• Learners: Educating students so they have a brighter future
• Leaders: Preparing young leaders who make a difference
The outcome is self-reliant young adults who are equipped to succeed in life and are motivated to give back.
For nearly a decade, KidWorks celebrated that almost all of their high school seniors graduated on time and all continued their education.
To learn more about KidWorks and to read its success stories, please visit www. kidworksoc.org.
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Dalton Nguyen and Sean Farrell comically menace as mobsters disguised as pastry chefs, and Mark Wickham enjoyably underplays the role of Underling, the stereotypically British servant.
Director Jones, musical director Kyra Cohen and choreographer Maureen Russell pull together the show’s spoken, musical and dance elements, keeping us floating along with the characters.
Through the dozens of photos, playbills and posters on the walls of Man in Chair’s home, the design team of Jim Huffman, Joshua Serrano, Michael Corcoran and Leslye Wanthal delivers a virtual shrine to musical theater, and Jenny Wentworth’s costumes and Kat Scott’s wigs re-create the look of a full-blown late ’20s musical.
In Newport Beach, though, it really all comes down to Spencer, a superb actor who has graced countless Orange County stages for many years.
Spirit Run
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To learn more about Spirit Run, visit: https://www.newportspiritrun.org/.
According to information from the Spirit Run website, from 1983-2010, Spirit Run was presented by PTAs from five Newport Beach elementary schools which shared its net proceeds.
In 2010, Newport-Mesa Spirit Run, Inc. (NMSRI), a California 501(c)(3) nonprofit, was founded to continue Spirit Run and share its net proceeds with schools throughout the Newport-Mesa Unified School District.
Also, since 2017, any school, youth sport, or youth cause may apply to fundraise with us.
NMSRI’s Board of Directors are unpaid, volunteers dedicated to continuing Spirit Run, youth fitness, providing free event entries to underprivileged students, and donating event net proceeds to participating schools, youth sports, and other youth causes.
So far, more than $370,000 in cash has been donated to schools, sports teams, and other youth causes.
Pascal
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culinary arts students in Orange County. Working with Saddleback College Culinary Arts Program, the program focuses on making an impact for culinary students showing a financial need and that are currently enrolled in classes and meet the GPA criteria. The goal is to provide scholarships to as many deserving students as possible each year.
Venue Host for the event was Chef Paul Bauer, Renaissance Newport Beach. Honorary Chef was Kyung Carroll, The Resort at Pelican Hill Chef. The Scholarship Chair was Pascal Olhats. The title sponsor was Mary Murfey.
For more information, visit www. Tableforten.org.
Man in Chair is a vulnerable focal figure who gradually opens himself up to us and who exults in and is mesmerized by each successive musical number, and Spencer superbly embodies his character’s preference to immerse himself in the world of theater versus contending with life.
The actor expertly gradates the intensity levels of Man in Chair, which satisfyingly offsets the frivolity of the show within this show.
As such, isn’t Man in Chair just a bit like any of us who love great musical theater?
“The Drowsy Chaperone” is a fantasy framed by reality that proves, at NTAC and elsewhere, that we can have both.
Newport Theatre Arts Center, 2501 Cliff Drive, Newport Beach. Through April 14. Running time: One hour, 45 minutes (no intermission). 7:30 p.m. Thu.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Tickets: $30. Ticket purchase / information: 949-631-0288, www.ntaconline.com.
FURAY
4/20 GEOFF TATE
4/21 VONDA SHEPARD / JACK TEMPCHIN
4/25 ISRAEL VIBRATION & Roots Radics
4/26 FIVE FOR FIGHTING with s t R ing Q ua R tet
4/27 KIDS OF CHARLEMAGNE ( s tee Ly d an t R ibute )
4/28 BOB ANDERSON (F R ank s inat R a t R ibute )
5/3 OZZY vs AC/DC
5/4 STEVE TYRELL
5/5 OINGO BOINGO FORMER MEMBERS
5/7 BLUES TRAVELER
5/8 JUDY COLLINS
5/9 CALIFORNIA GUITAR TRIO
5/10 TOMMY TUTONE / WHEN IN ROME
5/11 PAT BOONE
5/15 MR BIG - The Big Finish Tour
5/17 JOHN CRUZ
5/18 VENICE
5/19 THE LETTERMEN
5/22 THE WAILERS
5/24 DSB (J ou R ney t R ibute )
5/26 BLACKHAWK
5/31 YACHTY BY NATURE
6/1 STEELHEART
6/6 HOWIE DAY 6/7 ROBERT JON & The Wreck
6/8 THE ENGLISH BEAT
6/9 GARY HOEY
6/14 AMBROSIA
6/15 CHEST FEVER ( t he b and t R ibute )
6/16 ELVIN BISHOP - Big Fun Trio
6/21 DESPERADO ( e ag L es t R ibute )
6/22 DESPERADO ( e ag L es t R ibute )
6/29 SKELETON CREW ( g R ate F u L d ead t R ibute )
7/3 IAN MOORE
7/5 WALTER MICHAELS BAND
7/6 SHINE ON (P ink F L oyd t R ibute )
7/12 YYNOT
7/13 FAST TIMES - t he u Ltimate 80 s t R ibute !
7/14 THE CREAM OF CLAPTON BAND feat. Will Johns & Noah East
7/19 THE 5TH DIMENSION
7/20 Y&T 7/26 KEN GARCIA 7/27 BOB SCHNEIDER 7/28 BOBBY GRAY
8/1 CASH’D OUT (J ohnny C ash t R ibute ) 8/3 CUBENSIS ( g R ate F u L d ead t R ibute ) 8/17 PIANO MEN: GENERATIONS
8/23 SUPER DIAMOND
8/24 SUPER DIAMOND
8/29 THE PETTYBREAKERS ( t om P etty t R ibute )
8/30 MIDGE URE
8/31 MICK ADAMS & THE STONES 9/8 An Evening with JOHN LYDON 9/14 JOURNEY USA (J ou R ney t R ibute ) 9/15 BENISE: Fiesta! 9/22 JANE MONHEIT 9/25 ANA POPOVIC 9/27 DAVE MASON 10/3 ZEBRA 10/6 DAVE HAUSE 10/18 GARY PUCKETT & THE UNION GAP 10/20 THE YOUNG DUBLINERS 11/23 RUFUS
