Lyric Opera presents 'Gift of the Magi'
What's coming up at the Yuba-Sutter Regional Arts Council, I'm told, is the "The Gift of the Magi."
The play tells of two young, impoverished newlyweds — Jim and Della Dillingham of New York City — in the early 1900s who find themselves on their first Christmas Eve together as husband and wife with no Christmas presents to share and little money to purchase that special gift each very, very much wants to buy for the other. What Jim and Della do on Christmas Eve to acquire the money needed to buy that special gift shows true love.
O. Henry, a master of short stories, used as his example for Jim and Della's giving the magi of ancient times. "Magi" were advisers to emperors who searched the night skies, interpreting every heavenly movement as a sign to their kings about how best to conduct the affairs of the empire.
O. Henry, by the way, was the pen name of William Sydney Porter, who lived in North Carolina and died in 1910. His short stories are well known for their wit, wordplay, warm characterization and clever endings.
Now this is not the ordinary version. This is an opera, according to Joaquina Johnson of the YSRAC.
Porter wrote it one night with his book editor sleeping on the sofa waiting for the manuscript, she related.
It starts Nov. 6 and runs for a couple of weeks. Details to follow.
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This is off topic slightly, but I could not resist quoting it.
This is from the British Guardian, written by their reporter, Haroon Siddique:
"As bailed-out bankers celebrate the return of bonuses, life is not looking so rosy for 13-year-old Kane Middleton and his hamster. He has become one of the youngest workers to lose his job during the recession.
"The teenager from Clophill, Bedford, has been made officially redundant from his paper round with no prospect of a payoff, leaving him short of money to spend on his pet hamster, Splodge.
"Kane received his notice from Letterbox Direct in the post last week. It read: 'It is with considerable regret that we write to inform you that your contract of employment with Letterbox Direct will be terminated for reasons of redundancy with effect from 19 October.
"'You will not be required to work your notice period and therefore this date will be your last date of employment within the company.
"'We have fully assessed opportunities for redeployment within the company but there appears to be no suitable alternative jobs available at present.'
"What hits England first, hits us next."
With paper boys laid off, what about actors? They were not paid much (if anything) to begin with.
