Giancarlo Esposito Tells LanceAround, “I Love That You Asked Me That!”
Every actor dreams of the moment when the film director says, “You’re gonna hear from me!” At last year’s Florida Film Festival Giancarlo Esposito made that promise to LanceAround about his upcoming movie, Patriotic Treason. In preparation for this year’s festival, we thought you would enjoy the tale and we’ll play a video of their interaction.
Most people know Giancarlo from his brilliant portrayal of Gustavo “Gus” Fring in the hit TV show, Breaking Bad. At the 2014 Florida Film Festival, he gave a talk and answered questions after the screening of the 1989 Spike Lee movie Do the Right Thing in which Giancarlo plays the role of Buggin’ Out. Giancarlo’s incredible career began in the Broadway show Maggie Flynn when he was only eight years old, through more Broadway appearances, then TV and movies and continues through present day where he is preparing to produce, direct and star as Fredrick Douglass in the movie adaption of Patriotic Treason; a story about abolitionist John Brown.
It was amazing to experience this wise, kind-hearted man with his hearty laugh and penchant for inspirational stories. He is so different from the stoic, hard nosed “Gus” he portrays in Breaking Bad. During his talk to the audience, Giancarlo was inspirational:
“Always provide yourself with the ability, no matter what you do, to be creative in what you do. That is the juice of life.” He exhorts.
Then he continues, “Ask for what you want!
“Why don’t we do that?” He continues, “I mean, I need 16 million dollars to make this next movie [Patriotic Treason.] I met Warren Buffet. You know what I did the day before yesterday? I’ve been thinking about this for days…I wrote Warren Buffet an email. I tracked him down. It was a great practice. And I said, ‘Warren, I’m making a movie about abolitionist John Brown. I met you here. Here’s the photograph. We liked each others’ hats…’
“When do we ask for what we want?” Giancarlo muses in the middle of his story about Warren Buffet, “It’s so simple and easy. You have to know and be empowered that you have the right and deserve to ask the Universe for exactly what you want; where you want to be; how you want it to happen; what you want to come of it. Because in life, there is intention. And whether you realize it or not, if you don’t make a choice the choice is made for you. You make a conscious choice–you move towards the intention of what you desire–and the Universe knows if your intention is inclusive of all of us…or if your intention is selfish. And I’m telling you, when you have the right intention for your life, for your children, for your family, for your film, for your work…there’s no door that will not open for you…We must change the world from inside out!”
Listening to his words of wisdom, LanceAround became inspired and emboldened. At the end of the talk, LanceAround walked up to the stage, with his family in tow. He introduced Giancarlo to his mother, wife and sons. Then, after taking a deep breath, he said to him…
LanceAround Family with Giancarlo Esposito
“Giancarlo, I was a theatre major when I was in college. When I got out, I met this woman,” gestures towards Mrs. LanceAround, “married her and went to audition for my first professional role. This guy,” gestures towards NumberOneSon, “was only six months old. You talk about being bold. I carried him into the audition and I said, ‘This is my inspiration.’ I got my first professional role!”
Giancarlo smiles at LanceAround
LanceAround continues, “And then I became a family man. Today you’ve encouraged people to ask for what they want…”
Pause… “I want to be in your next movie.”
Giancarlo has an amused look on his face and says, “Ahhh…”
LanceAround says, “I don’t care if I’m just an extra…” Another Pause… “You can make me a lead if you want!”
At this, Giancarlo breaks out in a hearty laugh as he replies, “I love it!”
“How can I do that?”, concludes LanceAround.
“Alright, give me your contact number,” begins Giancarlo, “and write, ‘I want to be in your next movie'”
LanceAround grabs his business card and a pen from Grammy LanceAround and busily writes, “I want to be in your next movie” on the card. He hands the card to Giancarlo and says, “Thank you so much. I look forward to hearing from you.”
Giancarlo looks LanceAround in the eye and emphatically says, “You’re gonna hear from me. I love it. I love that you asked me that.”
Mrs. LanceAround has a delighted look in her eye and says to Giancarlo, “That’s so wonderful!”
Giancarlo repeats, “Don’t be surprised, you’re gonna hear from me.”
“I’m not going to be surprised. I trust you,” replies LanceAround.
Magical moments like this happen every day at the Florida Film Festival. Just Click Here to see the video about the time LanceAround asked Cary Elwes to give a hug to one of his Team Members who was having a birthday. Or Click Here to read the story of how LanceAround and NumberOneDaughter wound up sitting beside Emma Stone and then interviewing her at the opening night of the festival in 2010.
The Florida Film Festival 2015 starts this Friday. Don’t miss your opportunity to meet a great filmmaker! Here’s a recording of the interaction between Giancarlo and LanceAround:
Matthew Curtis and Mrs. LanceAround Discuss This Years Films
Florida Film Festival
10-19 April 2015
Enzian Theatre, Maitland, Regal Cinemas Winter Park Village 20 & RPX, and various other venues
LanceAround: Once again, as is our annual tradition here at the LanceAroundOrlando Blog, we’re here with Matthew Curtis, Programming Director for the Florida Film Festival. Every year we ask him to tell us what his five favorite films are for the Florida Film Festival…and he can never do it. Matthew likes all the films. He does not want to be pinned down and forced to select his favorites. So this year we’re going to do it a little differently…
Matthew Curtis: OK…
LA: Matthew, Give me two movies that are guaranteed to make me laugh.
MC: The Israel film, The Farewell Party, which, believe it or not, is about euthanasia in a retirement home…
LA:(interrupting) “Euthanasia?” I’m sorry, I said, “films that will make me laugh!”
MC: You will laugh! It’s hilarious. It’s really good. And the documentary feature, The Desk, that’s world premiering, which is about a NY Times columnist that gets fired and hooks up with a very unruly New Zealand TV personality. That’s hysterical. Those two will make you laugh.
LA: Give me two movies that are just great drama.
MC:Wildlike is terrific. It’s a coming of age set in the Alaska wilderness. That is excellent. Imperial Dreams is a really good drama. It won Sundance “Best of NEXT” award last year. It’s about a young African-American man who gets out of prison and he’s gotta take care of his four year old boy. And his old gang boss is trying to get him back to the criminal life. He’s trying to hold out and become a writer so he can take care of his kid.
LA: Two documentaries we shouldn’t miss?
MC:Welcome to Leith, which is phenomenal. It’s directed by a UCF graduate and a University of Florida Doc institute graduate. Limited Partnership is incredibly moving. It’s about a married couple–a gay couple–that was married in the mid-70s in Boulder, CO and spent the better part of forty years trying not to have one of them be deported. This is decades before Proposition 8 and everything else. Unbelievably moving. Really powerful. Really good.
LA: Creative, experimental, unique?
MC: I would say unbelievably artistic would be the documentary Tomorrow We Disappear, which is about a slum in New Delhi, India. It’s basically an artist’s colony filled with puppeteers, magicians and acrobats–2800 families there–and the New Delhi government sells the land to a real estate developer who wants to build the largest skyscraper in India. All these families have to get relocated. The film is so artistic. It’s beautifully shot and edited! Really, really good! Then there’s a film called Cartel Land which is like Breaking Bad meets Game of Thrones; both below and above the border. That film just won not only the Sundance award for documentary directing, it won the cinematography award. And it’s stunning! Really good!
LA: Your favorite shorts program?
MC: Ahhh…That’s tough!…Uh…I don’t have a favorite shorts program.
LA: Ahhh, I tried to sneak it in there. I knew it wasn’t going to work. I wanted to get you to identify your favorite!
MC: I really don’t have one. You know, the domestic shorts program, we try to sprinkle, if there’s some “name” actors, we try spread them out. Like Oscar Isaac is in one. One of them is narrated by Nick Offerman (The Gunfighter.) We try to spread those out so all the star driven ones aren’t in the same program. Like normal, they do get progressively a little more twisted and perverse and disturbing. But…yea…I don’t have a favorite. The animated shorts programs are phenomenal. 8 X Very, Very Real: Doc Shorts is a Doc Shorts program with perhaps a little more focus than previous because it’s really about a bunch of eccentrics. Normally we use the Real Program just to have the short documentaries that don’t fit preceding the features either because they’re too long or they just don’t work. In this case, this selection of films really works together. And some of them are so odd and disturbing we couldn’t put them before a feature because they would overwhelm the feature.
LA: Which movie is going to have the audience running for the hills this year?
MC: We do have a film from the Ukraine that’s the most unique and idiosyncratic film we’ve ever played. It’s called The Tribe. It’s in sign language and there’s no subtitles, no music and no dialogue. It’s really intense. It’s about corruption, prostitution and gangs at a boarding school for the deaf. The corruption reaches up to the instructors too. The film is a challenge to sit through but incredibly rewarding. It’s won awards all over the world, including Cannes. It’s got some scenes that are so harrowing, people will be running for the hills.
LA: You get a call tonight: President Barack Obama has decided to come to the Florida Film Festival to watch a movie. He wants you to choose one movie for him. What movie is it going to be?
MC:Top Spin which is a documentary about the youngest ping pong champions in the US trying out for the Olympic team in 2012. It’s a stunning documentary; a huge crowd pleaser. The kids; their parents, trying to enable them to fulfill their dreams. It’s really wonderful. It’s one of our three family films this year. It’ll be here the second Saturday as a matinee and we’re bringing in one of the filmmakers from San Francisco.
LA: So, Top Spin is your favorite film!
MC: NO! It’s ONE of my favorite films! Put it this way…It’s a family film that’s so good we actually wanted it for the competition as one of the ten documentary features in competition. But there were complications with that so we’re playing it in a sidebar.
LA: One last question: We have a friend named Holly. She just had a rough year with some health issues. Her and her husband started their own business about sixteen years ago and it’s been real successful. We told her that because she’s had a rough year we’re going to treat her to a film at the Enzian for the Florida Film Festival. What movie should we take Holly to see?
Mrs. LanceAround: Like an inspiring, uplifting film.
LA: Definitely not a midnight short!
MC:Sunshine Superman about the father of base jumping is pretty remarkable and exhilarating. If you want to bring her to something narrative, X + Y is a film about a teenage boy with Asperger’s. He’s a math genius, and his mom is played by Sally Hawkins. The boy is Asa Butterfield from Hugo. The Coach is Eddie Marsan who is one of my favorite British actors. He’s on Ray Donovan and he’s been in a lot of movies. It’s just a really inspiring and touching drama.
LA: How many films this year?
MC: 177
LA: And how many have you seen?
MC: 175 of 177. The only thing I haven’t seen is the Disney Doc, Monkey Kingdom. They don’t send preview screeners and it hasn’t opened yet. And, ironically, one of the food films, The Search for General Tso. I love the trailer. It looks hysterical. I just haven’t gotten around to seeing it. Usually for the food films I let other people curate those. I want to see it. I just haven’t gotten around to seeing it. So 175 out of 177.
LA: There you have it, Matthew Curtis, with his picks of his “Almost Favorite” films for which he categorically refuses to say, “This is my favorite.” Just come see them all! The Florida Film Festival: April 10th through the 19th, 2015 at the Enzian Theatre and other local venues. Thanks, Matthew!
Impressive Crane Outside David & Heather’s Florida Vacation Home
[Editor’s Note: In today’s Part 2 guest blog, Heather Newham shares about the natural wildlife she discovers when her and her husband, David, enjoy their vacation rental home. It’s wonderful to read a post by someone from the United Kingdom; complete with references that may sound strange to American ears, such as a “villa” instead of a “home” or “rubbish bins” instead of “trash cans”–LanceAround]
We are so lucky to have a villa in Crescent Lakes that overlooks the conservation area. It’s an area of natural beauty, lit up at night by the glow worms, masquerading as holiday tree lights…I was shocked when I first saw them, but they are so beautiful.
We have a pool at our villa, so we spend a lot of time in the water enjoying the view. If you are very quiet you might be lucky enough to see a deer!..Two of our guests have told me that they have seen them, but I haven’t. We do see racoons quite often, and I love them, but people who live here see them as pests. I must admit they do have a great liking for exploring rubbish bins!! We often see egrets wandering around as well as the impressive cranes, which appear almost tame. Look out for the turkey buzzards that fly overhead. They can open and overturn your rubbish bins faster than racoons. The beautiful hummingbirds love the trumpet yellow flowers we planted in the hedge to keep our lanai lovely and private. You could actually bathe sans suit–except I’ve been told it’s against Florida law to do so…!!!
Eduado On Our Pool Deck
I love visiting garage/yard sales when we are here on a Saturday or Sunday. They are a fascinating insight into American life! My husband thinks I’m absolutely bonkers…but he comes with me, if only a bit reluctantly…I would like to introduce you to ‘Eduado’…He is our magnificent cactus that lives in the corner of our Lanai. I’m only telling you this because we bought him in a garage sale !! See…I told you garage sales are awesome!
We just had the screened cage over our pool repaired, so nothing can enter the lanai without permission….But the beautiful lizards try very hard to get in. Don’t do what my young son did once upon a time…Don’t try to catch them. Because when they feel threatened they discard their tails…Poor Josh had nightmares for some time when that happened to him. It took me ages to convince him that they re-grow them!!
Heather & David Love the Holiday Lights Around Disney’s Grand Floridian Hotel
[Editor’s Note: Today’s guest blog is from Heather Newham. She, along with her husband David, are from the United Kingdom. They own a vacation rental home right beside Disney World. Today she provides some insights on free activities at Disney World. –LanceAround]
From Heather…
We spent 3 weeks at our villa in Crescent Lakes during the winter Holiday Season. It’s our home in Florida, and we try to visit it at least twice a year, because we love it.
Holiday Lights on Jeter Bend Drive in Celebration, FL
The winter Holiday Season is a great time to visit, because it is such a magical place. We went to Celebration to visit the homes decorated with light displays. They are amazing!!…The displays on Jeter Bend Drive were particularly spectacular, and included synchronized sounds, water effects, snow and even Disney Films!! It was great to watch the local children screaming with delight.
I love visiting the Disney Parks, but it’s only recently that I have discovered some of the things you can do in Disney that are free. I guess everyone knows about Downtown Disney and the Boardwalk, but did you know that you can visit Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, even if you’re not a guest there, and enjoy sitting by the lake at 9pm watching the fireworks for free? We did this for the first time last year on New Year’s Eve. The fireworks at midnight are really awesome. I will never forget seeing the countdown in the sky and then the explosion of fireworks from 18 different locations erupting everywhere I looked. Just writing this now reminds me of the excitement I felt…I can feel that excitement right down to my toes!!! Disney offers so many unforgettable experiences.
I was talking to LanceAround and Mrs. LanceAround about my discoveries and they told me there are many more great things to do that are free. Such fun!!! You can visit all of the Disney hotels, and of course you can use many of the ferries, and the monorail to travel around. The LanceAround family took us to explore Disney’s Fort Wildnerness Resort campgound…Every night they have a sing-a-long with Chip and Dale and then show a Disney movie. When we arrived, we had just missed Chip and Dale, so we will have to go back again next time we visit, but we did make S’mores on the campfire while the movie played on the outdoor screen…I sound like I know what I’m talking about when I mention S’mores by a campfire, don’t I?…But I confess I only just discovered the delights of toasting a marshmallow and squeezing it with some chocolate between 2 graham crackers…Oh my…it tastes so good !!!!…I never encountered this in the United Kingdom…I’m taking this idea back home with me…Can’t wait to show my 4 grandchildren how to make S’mores!!!! I have bought some graham crackers to take home with me, but I’m not taking any Hershey chocolate–cos Cadbury’s chocolate is so much nicer!! Promise!!
I remember the day it was time to go back home…felt a bit sad…but I’ll be back again soon.
Mrs. LanceAround has a vivid memory of her first encounter with extreme prejudice.
When only 5-years-old and living in a poor southern town, Mrs. LanceAround’s poverty stricken family had to hire a young, inexpensive helper to assist her pregnant mother with household chores. One day, the kind, black female helper took Mrs. LanceAround onto a city bus. As she held her hand up the steep bus steps, the large elderly white bus driver, in a voice filled with anger and hatred, demanded the young black servant make a quick retreat to the back of the bus. He then leaned to put his face directly into the face of the scared, 5-year-old Mrs. LanceAround and, flushed with a hatred that caused him to appear more horrible than a misshaped Halloween devil mask, told the little, white girl, who had the audacity to hold the hand of a black woman, that she, too, must go to the back of the bus.
To this day, Mrs. LanceAround cannot understand how it is possible for one human to feel such contempt for another human simply based on the color of their skin. We were intrigued with the concept of a play based on the true story of a female African-American activist and a hate-filled leader of the KKK who were asked to co-chair a committee to assist with the desegregation of schools in Durham, NC in 1971. Would it be possible to create enough of a story arc that would engage an audience for nearly two hours?
Orlando Shakes’ production of The Best of Enemies demonstrates it’s not only possible, it’s wonderful. The playwright has selected a topic that could have easily lent itself to simplistic stereotyping; yet somehow he created a script filled with moments that were at once humorous, deeply moving, educational and profane. The actors plumbed the depth of both pathos and humanity. The direction was crisp and well-paced. The simplistic sets and dynamic lighting created the perfect atmosphere as the production fully utilized the intimate theatre to draw the audience directly into several scenes within the story. There were even several times where the lack of dialogue provided the most insightful and touching moments; such as a scene where the two protagonists were silently stapling papers together, or when they were clapping during a gospel song. Such is the power of this story that even these moments had the audience riveted to their seats, soaking in every last morsel of action.
The Entire Cast Participated in the Talk Back
The spontaneous standing ovation mingled with the muted sobs of the audience at the end of the show indicated that everyone in the theatre experienced the same emotionally cathartic release as had Mrs. LanceAround and I. The matinee performance concluded with an audience “Talk Back” when Orlando Shakes Artistic Director, Jim Helsinger, led the entire cast in a Q & A with the audience.
The first person to speak was Darryl, a black man who attended the performance with his white girlfriend, Julie. Darryl didn’t ask a question. Instead, with tearful emotion in his voice, he thanked the entire production crew for staging a play of this importance in our local Orlando Theatre. Mrs. LanceAround was touched by the way he allowed himself to be so vulnerable with his comments. The applause of the audience told her she was not alone with her appreciation of Darryl’s courage.
Julie and Darryl Loved the Play
I caught up with Darryl and Julie at the end of the Talk Back. Darryl explained that his mother was a member of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama that was bombed on Sunday September 15, 1961. Mercifully, his mother was not at the church on that day. For him, this play was personal. Based on the questions the audience asked and the answers given by the actors, it was obvious that everyone was touched by the powerful themes in this production.
Anna Carol, who played the wife of the KKK member, explained that she was born in 1985 in Minnesota. It was a much different world than the 1970’s of North Carolina. She had to do extensive research for her portrayal. She, and several audience members, discussed how they could relate to this issue by comparing it to the proliferation of bullying in schools today. Richard B. Watson who portrayed the KKK member, on the other hand, grew up in the south. He had only to recall conversations with his Aunt and Grandmother to help him create the voice and character of a someone struggling with desegregation. “The script is your Bible when creating a character,” he asserted, “What’s not in the script, you have to fill in.”
The Best of Enemies was produced in partnership with the Holocaust Memorial Resource & Education Center of Florida. It is, quite simply, another fantastic production by the talented people at Orlando Shakes. And for the lucky readers of my blog who come to Central Florida seeking more than a mouse™ it provides the perfect evening of entertainment to enhance your vacation plans. For our local friends, this play is a must see!
LanceAround and Mrs. LanceAround on Their Wedding Day in 1987. “To Love Another Person is to See the Face of God.”
The Face of God
When Mrs. LanceAround and I married 27 years ago we wrote our own wedding vows. I don’t know that I can quote my entire vows verbatim, but I am absolutely certain of the last six lines. As I gazed into Mrs. LanceAround’s eyes on the best day of my life I said to her:
“Take my hand
. . . And lead me to salvation
Take my love
. . . For love is everlasting
And remember the truth that once was spoken
. . . To love another person is to see the face of God.”
Undoubtedly many of you will recognize these as the last lines of the unforgettable musical Les Miserables. When we were dating, Mrs. LanceAround and I had the pleasure of seeing the original Broadway cast perform at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. before their Broadway opening. What an experience! To this day we consider it the greatest theatre experience we have ever had.
Grammy and Grandpop LanceAround baked a homemade cake for our wedding and on it they inscribed, “To Love Another Person is to See the Face of God.”
Les Miz–The Musical
Those of us who have come to love this musical often refer to it as “Les Miz”; which seems to fit it like a warm blanket snuggles you in winter. Over the years we have seen countless versions of Les Miz in many different cities (the theatre show–please don’t ask about last year’s movie.) Every time we see the show we both sob uncontrollably when Fantine, Eponine and Jean Valjean sing those last six lines.
When it was announced that our local theatre group from Orlando Shakes was opening their season with Les Miz, Mrs. LanceAround and I were a little concerned. The show is a historic epic, with a huge cast, large battle scene and complicated sets. The staging of the creation of the barricade from the student uprising of June 1832 in Paris is often referred to as the most memorable part of the original Broadway production. Could our small, regional theatre pull off such an ambitious production? Turns out they did with flying colors. (Do you hear the people sing?)
The Plot (No Spoilers)
For those unfamiliar with this popular adaptation of Victor Hugo’s tome, allow me to provide a brief, no spoilers, synopsis.
The center of the show revolves around the life of Jean Valjean, a poor French peasant who got caught stealing a loaf of bread in an effort to keep his young nephew from starving. He was sentenced to five years in the Toulon prison. His sentence ballooned to 19 years after several attempts to escape. Once he served his time, he was paroled, but had to carry a yellow parole card and present it to the authorities of every town he entered. This resulted in him becoming an outcast and, therefore, deciding to break his parole. An encounter with a very loving and forgiving Catholic Bishop ignites a spiritual transformation. In disguise, Valjean becomes a rich, well respected businessman.
Enter Fantine–A very pretty, young French peasant who was seduced by an upper class student. He subsequently dumps her before learning she was pregnant. Alone and with child, she did her best to earn a living but found the French society of the mid 1800’s to be very cruel to unmarried mothers. Desperate, she resorts to selling her belongings, her hair and, finally, her body to provide money for her child, Cosette, who lives with an opportunistic innkeeper couple and their preferred natural daughter Eponine. Fantine works in the factory owned by the disguised Jean Valjean. When she is unjustly terminated, she blames Valjean for failing to help her in her time of need. Realizing his blindness to her innocent plight, Valjean vows to raise Cosette as his own child.
Enter the Ahab-esque Javert–Who pursues Valjean throughout his entire life, determined to re-incarcerate him for breaking his parole. One can both admire and pity his simplistic, black & white fever pitched commitment to obeying the law and administering justice.
As Cosette and Eponine grow up, they both fall in love with Marius, a young revolutionary and idealistic student who, along with his friends, are sympathetic to the horrible living conditions of the Parisian peasants. All of this comes to a head on June 5, 1832, when the students build a barricade in a revolutionary attempt to take control of the city. This part of the tale is based on actual events. Meanwhile Javert finally catches up to Valjean while Eponine’s parents’ attempt to exact revenge on Valjean for taking Cosette from them.
It’s a sprawling, somewhat complicated and epic tale made even more powerful by the enchantingly haunting score with dozens of beautiful and memorable lyrics. Weaving throughout the story are dramatic moments of despair, revenge, idealism, passion, injustice, hope and, most of all, redemption. As Valjean sings to Cosette and Marius near the end of the show “…It’s the story of those who always loved you…” and shortly thereafter he concludes with “…And remember the truth that once was spoken, to love another person is to see the face of God!…”
Beautiful yet heart wrenching!
Here’s a glimpse of the production at Orlando Shakes:
This powerful piece of theatre has been translated into 22 different languages, performed in 42 countries and over 319 cities. In 1989 in Australia over 125,000 people attended one performance in Sydney, making it the largest crowd to have ever attended a theatre show. To date, over 70 million people have seen a live, professional performance and many, many more have seen or heard a Les Miz movie, TV special, cast recording or song. Remember the Susan Boyle phenomenon from Britain’s Got Talent? Yes, that song was from Les Miz! The London production of Les Miz is the longest running musical of all time, celebrating its 10,000th performance in January of 2010.
Introducing Les Miz to Steve and Holly
With all this exposure, it’s a rare treat to find someone who has never seen the show or, at the very least, doesn’t know something about the story. We say it’s a treat because we love to introduce people to this incredible tale.
Our good friends, Steve & Holly, are well known and respected in the vacation rental home community. They have been an enormous help to us in our business. To say, “Thanks” to them, Mrs. LanceAround and I took them to the Orlando Shakes production of Les Miz on Thursday. Since I review shows in this blog, Orlando Shakes was kind enough to give us a comp ticket and we were then lucky enough to purchase the last three tickets available with seats beside each other. Mrs. LanceAround and I did not know Steve and Holly were completely unfamiliar with the story. But in an ironic twist, Holly’s father had seen this video of the Orlando Shakes cast performing in a flashmob at The Mall of Millenia in Orlando and he had emailed her this link:
To be honest, I was a little nervous about watching the show with Steve and Holly. I knew I would cry at the end. I always do. On the other hand, I told them I was jealous. I clearly remember that night, 27 years ago, when Mrs. LanceAround and I first walked into the Kennedy Center totally unfamiliar with the story of Les Miz. The lights dimmed and we sat spellbound for three hours as the most majestic theatre performance we had ever witnessed unfurled in front of us. The Orlando Shakes is a small, regional theatre. But it’s staging of Les Miz was just as fantastic; just as memorable. As I was penning this review, Steve sent me an email that said, “Holly and I were just talking about how much we enjoyed the other night. I can’t thank you enough. We are big fans of Les Miz now.”
After the show, we walked out to the lobby of the theatre and met the talented young actress who portrayed Fantine. She, along with other cast members, were collecting donations for a local HIV charity. As we made a donation, we enjoyed hearing her tell about the passion that everyone in the cast has for this musical and how spiritual an experience it is for them.
The Roughans from Ireland (Did You Know They Were Irish?)
While speaking with her, a delightful couple from Ireland named the Roughans saw my press pass and assumed I was associated with the theatre. They pulled me aside to tell me how much they loved the show. Several times they mentioned, with obvious pride, that it was an Irishman, Colm Wilkinson, who did the original portrayal of Jean Valjean on Broadway and in London. When I told them that Mrs. LanceAround and I had the privilege of seeing Colm in the Washington D.C. production they enthusiastically nodded their head and told me, again, that Colm was Irish. Mr. Roughan also mentioned that he saw Colm perform, in Ireland, before he became famous. “Did you know he was an Irishman?” he asked again.
The Winning Ticket
As the evening came to a close and our hearts were warmed by the fantastic production we had just witnessed, we were walking out of the theatre when I suddenly remembered that earlier in the evening I had purchased all of us a 50/50 raffle ticket to help support the theatre. Each evening they sell tickets with half the revenue going to the theatre and the other half going to the person who wins the raffle. We checked the winning number and, as if the stars had filled the darkness with order and light (sorry Javert), Holly held the winning ticket.
The run for Les Miz at Orlando Shakes is now closed. It has been a smash hit with sold out audiences. You may wonder why we even review a show that is no longer available to see? The answer is simple. The lucky readers of my blog need to know about this jewel of a theatre located in the heart of Orlando. It’s a wonderful organization that produces fantastic shows. If you are local to Central Florida, it should be a routine part of your entertainment plans. If you are visiting from out of town, check their website and schedule your trip to coincide with a show that is of interest to you. I guarantee it will make your vacation to Central Florida more enjoyable and more memorable.
Don’t Miss the Next Show
The next production at Orlando Shakes, The Best of Enemies, opens next week. It’s produced in partnership with the Holocaust Memorial Resource & Education Center of Florida. It tells the almost unbelievably true story of a radical KKK leader and an African-American civil rights activist who are forced to serve together during the racial desegregation of Durham SC schools in 1971. What happens next?
For goodness sake, go see the show. If it’s anything like other shows at Orlando Shakes you will thank me.
Heidi & Daughter Join LanceAround Family (& # 1 Ember’s Adolfo) at MK
[Editor’s Note: Today Heidi Strawser continues her series of posts where she joins the LanceAround family at Disney’s Magic Kingdom for a preview of the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ride. Enjoy!–LanceAround.]
Last month, I shared about our Dream Breakfast at Disney’s Contemporary Resort with the LanceAround family. This time, I’d like to share about our fun day at the Magic Kingdom . . .
I mentioned that we were each issued some goodies upon leaving the breakfast. One of those goodies was a ticket to the Magic Kingdom! So, our group set off for a day of fun (and heat!) in the park.
Over the years, I’ve come to love visiting Walt Disney World with my family. But, there’s something really special about being able to spend time with friends at the parks. It’s like a whole new experience! You get to see the park through your companions’ eyes, which often gives you a whole new perspective on things.
We entered the park just in time to experience the Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! Street Party. Seeing Minnie & Mickey, along with other friends from Disney and Pixar, all dressed up in their party attire, is a great way to kick off any day! It’s hard to stand still.
From there, we strolled the park, taking in some of our favorite attractions.
In addition to our park ticket, we had also been given a free lunch voucher. So, after some fun in Tomorrowland, we all decided it was time for some down time and lunch at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe. LanceAround and Mrs. LanceAround are vegetarians; two of their sons are vegan. I decided that, in honor of my non-meat-eating friends, I would try the Vegetable Sandwich. I have to admit, it was actually quite good.
Chillin’ at Cosmic Ray’s
One somewhat interesting aspect of our day was that we got stuck on SEVERAL rides! I can see getting stuck on one – it’s happened to us many times over the years (usually on the Haunted Mansion). But, we got stuck on at least THREE rides that day – Haunted Mansion (of course!), The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, and Pirates of the Caribbean. Our trip through Pirates was definitely the most interesting, as we were stuck for quite some time! Eventually, a Cast Member came out and announced that the best way for us to “get free” would be for all of us in the boat to rock together from side to side. Needless to say, that caused quite a bit of laughter. Eventually, after LOTS of rocking, we did set off again, only to get stuck once more! I caught a bit of the event on video and, while the quality is too horrible to even show it to you, it makes me laugh every time I see and hear it!
All in all, we had a fabulous day and made some great memories. Later, I’ll share more specifically about the Festival of Fantasy Parade and our experience with the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. I hope you’ll stop back. In the meantime, feel free to visit my personal blog for more Disney fun!
[Editor’s Note: Today’s guest post, including photos and video, comes from our friend Heidi of Heidi’s Head. –LanceAround]
Ever since our visit to Disney in 2009 – when we stayed at a Florida Dream Homes – I’ve had a dream . . .
I’ve dreamed of moving to Florida and working for Walt Disney World or for LanceAround & Mrs. LanceAround at Florida Dream Homes. FDH provides vacation rental homes for guests traveling to the Disney World area of Central Florida.
Last week, I got a small taste of what that dream might look like, if it were to become a reality. And, I have LanceAround & Mrs. LanceAround to thank for that! (I’m going to be writing a series of posts for the LanceAround blog, sharing our experiences from that day, so I hope you’ll stop back and check out more posts in the weeks to come!)
A few weeks ago, my daughter Ashley and I were in the Central Florida area, working for a homeschool curriculum vendor at the FPEA (homeschool) convention, held at the Gaylord Palms. I got in touch with LanceAround to see if he might be able to show us some Florida Dream Homes, since we’re planning a big family trip for January. We were planning to stay an extra day or two in the area anyway. LanceAround said, “sure,” and told us we’d make definite plans closer to time.
A few days before we were to meet up with LanceAround, he called and asked if we’d be ok with a little change of plans — he’d still show us a few homes, but he wondered if we’d mind if he treated us to a Disney breakfast and maybe some other fun surprises. Who could say no to that?
LanceAround and Mrs. LanceAround picked us up at the Gaylord Palms and we set out on our day’s adventure.
Sweet Ride!
First stop was to see a few Florida Dream Homes. Then, we stopped at their personal home to pick up the rest of the LanceAround family. We were excited to see the “Florida Dream Homes mobile” – hopefully we’ll get a ride in it someday!
Our next stop was at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. We were to be the LanceAround’s guests for our very first Industry Meeting at Disney World. (Man, I hope it’s not my last!)
Yummy Disney Breakfast
Breakfast was waiting for us – a huge buffet complete with Mickey waffles and the wonderful fruit that we’ve come to expect at Disney! (I could seriously eat their pineapple and strawberries ’til they are coming out my eyeballs! So sweet and delicious.)
After breakfast, was a Disney presentation all about the new Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ride, which was set to officially open that Wednesday. We were also told about some other new surprises in the works at Disney.
The event concluded with them passing out Magic Kingdom park tickets to each of us in attendance, along with free lunch vouchers and Fast Passes for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. I’ll be sharing about our experience on the train, our lunch, and the new Festival of Fantasy Parade in future posts.
Oh, and did I mention they gave us Seven Dwarfs Mine Train backpacks too? Now, if only we could get our hands on those awesome shirts that the Cast Members were wearing at the event!
Our morning was definitely the stuff that dreams are made of, and the rest of the day was pretty awesome too! Please stop back for the rest of the story, or feel free to visit me over at my personal blog to find out what’s going on in Heidi’s Head.
Paul Sorvino is a renaissance man. In addition to being an excellent actor, he is also a sculptor, singer, chef and even a poet.
He was at the FFF to promote his newest film, Last I Heard. It was an OK film about a Mafia mobster who spent 20 years in prison and must now face life as an old man with a failing heart and no longer as “a king made of steel.” Paul was also present for a Q & A after the Enzian faithful were treated to a big screen showing of the Martin Scorsese classic film Goodfellas.
While the LanceAround team enjoyed both movies, we found them both to be average at best. Goodfellas, of course, is a well known Scorsese vehicle that showcases his spellbinding direction, an A list of actors, great humor and wonderful cinematography. But we agree with the handful of critics who site the lack of a sympathetic character and the seemingly mindless plot direction that keep this movie from getting our highest accolades. Last I Heard has similar issues, only the direction and script are even less stellar.
Paul Sorvino, on the other hand, gave a great performance–not only in the movies–but also as he spoke with the audience after each show.
With a booming voice, ability to don just about any accent, dramatic stories and even his stubborn instance that one puts “gravy” and not “sauce” on top of spaghetti (yes, he meant tomato “gravy”) Paul had the audience spellbound as he answered one question after the other. While listing his talents, he mentioned that he was a poet and a chef. He demonstrated the latter by going into great detail of the “proper” way to prepare the pasta “gravy,” insisting that one should never cook with extra virgin olive oil–that’s only for salad because it turns bitter when cooked. But hearing him list “poet” as one of his talents, LanceAround raised his had and asked, “I’m wondering if Chef Paul would be kind enough to recite for us a portion of your favorite poem you’ve ever written?”
Paul introduces the poem by referring to it as “a love poem.
“Upon seeing a beautiful woman at a party, whom I did not speak with, but thought about her for three weeks–an enchantingly beautiful woman. I was single at the time. I just thought about her and I wrote a poem about her. She was so impressive to me.”
He then found out where she worked and called her, asking if it would be ok for him to read her the poem. She said, “go ahead,” and here’s the poem Paul wrote and recited to this unknown woman:
My love is youth, O Speak my heart,
her face is light enshrined.
Her eyes are gems of rarest hue
whose secret flames do shine.
Her brow is like the sculptor’s wish
of Lambert’s swift design.
In marble depths sweet nature lives
O peace, my heart, resign.
The audience clapped and clapped.
The woman he recited the poem to was silent for about 30 seconds. Then she said, “Where are you.” They dated for six months.
Paul ended the Q & A by proving that even as old as he was, he was still a formidable tenor. He sang a verse of “O Sole Mio” which he claims was inspired by his aunt, a beautiful blonde child who lived in Naples when the song was first composed.
He sang and the audience again burst into thunderous applause.
Mrs. LanceAround with Jonathon Narducci Director of Love Me
Prior to the feature documentary we had the short Tim And Susan Have Matching Handguns. This two minute documentary short adds nothing to its title, except, perhaps the knowledge that one of the main reasons given for buying matching handguns is so they can quickly exchange ammo, in the event they need to. To paraphrase Seinfeld, if your biggest need is to be able to quickly exchange handgun ammo, perhaps making sure your handguns match is the least of your problems. On to the main attraction…
This year is shaping up to be a great year for documentaries and Love Me is no exception. In the film, filmmaker Jonathon Narducci joins busloads of men who travel to the Ukraine in search of new love. The film follows several of these men as they attempt to establish a relationship with women who, in many cases, do not even speak their language. Before the trip to the Ukraine, some of the men “met” some of the women through the company “A Foreign Affair” using their website called “LoveMe.com.” LanceAround considered not even revealing the name of the website because he highly recommends you have nothing to do with them. You will understand the reason for staying away from this website when you read the following exclusive interview he and Mrs. LanceAround conducted with filmmaker Jonathon Narducci after watching the movie at the Enzian Theater.
LA: At one point in the movie, a man asks his Ukrainian bride to give him his ring back because she just made it clear she did not want to be married to him. The movie does not show it, but did he get the ring back?
JN: Yes
LA: At some point during the movie at least two different men expressed concern that they were being scammed. In your opinion, were they being scammed?
JN: Everyone was being scammed.
LA: Excuse me?
JN: They all were being scammed. The nature of the industry is to do little scams. That’s the economy of tourism in the Ukraine, beyond the sex industry. They come up with little scams to do to everyone. Everyone was being manipulated and lied to. It’s marriage and sex tourism in the Ukraine.
LA: While watching the movie, I didn’t get the impression that everything was a scam. Did I miss something or what is the disconnect?
Bride From The Ukraine?
JN: I think it was more of a choice to avoid making the expose film. I think when you say, “oh I made a film about mail order brides.” I think most people think it’s going to be an expose. I made a conscious choice to avoid that. I catch some of the aspects of it in there, but the reality is the people that did “make it” were not getting scammed. They met a person. They met and they actually fell in love–or some interpretation of their version of love–whether it’s coincidence or some kind of, I don’t know, situation that works for both people…I mean, marriage is a partnership. It’s not just love. I called it Love Me because that’s the name of the company and I think that’s what those guys wanted…and ultimately probably what I want…but I didn’t want to dive too deep on the negative and make it an expose. It also would have been too simple, too obvious of a film. Going into the film, I was much more idealistic. I thought I would have equal parts women from Ukraine and equal parts men from America but the reality is that I’m an American man…so it’s coming through my lens, my perception, my consciousness, my awareness of the way it is. I don’t understand what it is to be a woman–and I don’t understand what it means to be a Ukrainian woman–so we tried to show their story, show what they gave up for these men, as much as we possibly could. But that was the challenge.
LA: But how many Ukrainian women actually moved here? According to your numbers…
JN: I went on five tours with two different companies. Average tour was probably about 30 guys.
LA: So 30 guys and you said that there were around 200 women at a town…
JN: Yea…We go to three towns…
LA: That’s 6000 Ukrainian women…
JN: No, I’d say we’re talking about 600 Ukrainian women that they get exposed to…
LA:… And how many of those get married.
JN: In my experience, I saw two…
LA: Two out of…
JN: Yes, the percentage is beyond low…Now, would the company say something differently? Totally. They’ll give you numbers, but they can’t manufacture those numbers. We can’t even get those numbers from the state department. It’s a K1 Visa. It’s a very weird visa. It’s a visa for people…something to do with “altruistic”… I can’t even remember the legal term…basically it’s a “love visa.” And it’s really easy to get, so it’s bizarre.
LA: I understand. Here’s what I’m struggling with as a member of the audience…after watching this film…
JN: …You believe it’s possible…
LA:…Well, my thought is, “This company is legitimate.” Yes, I would expect the percentages to be very low, but a couple people did wind up with some marriages, you wind up with a baby, it seemed more legitimate than I was expecting. And now, talking to you and hearing the Q & A afterwards, I’m like, “Whoa, that film didn’t portray the reality I’m hearing now.”
JN: I can definitely agree with it possibly being inaccurate with the numbers of guys we show–since we show five guys–basically we’re choosing those guys based on narrative arcs–not necessarily on their interests. There were more charismatic people that we left out because nothing happened. I was basically showing this process from beginning to end. I hope it doesn’t legitimize the business too much; because there’s a lot of illegitimate aspects to this industry. That’s why we kept in some of those sketchy aspects. Ultimately, there’s no way I can prove anything. I was really trying to go for a more humanistic love story and showing people that are really desperate and looking for love. Because everyone’s dating online now; this is just like a bastardized version of that. It takes it to another level. Also, I will note this, in Columbia, in the Philippines it’s a much higher of a response from what I understand; there’s a lot more marriages that happen compared to the Ukraine.
LA: So let me ask you this…30 guys on the tour?
JN:…Yes…
LA: You’ve been to the 3rd city. You’re on the bus. You’re driving back to the airport ready to go home…what are most of the 30 men saying at that point?
JN: Most of them, at that point, honestly, they’re on a sex tour. I’d say the majority of them originally go over there looking for a wife…They’re being sold that they can find a wife in a week…because these women are also being sold something that’s sort of bullsh*t. But everyone believes that. After day two they realize that prostitution’s very cheap. They realize that prostitution’s very accessible…and they’ve never had the access to this…they’ve never traveled abroad before…They’re going to the sex destination of Europe. A lot of these guys are mostly confused as to why they even came, except for they had a good time…and they’re drunk…the majority of them. I’d say about 30% are very pragmatic people…people that are self aware and honest and not seeing the thing in front of them and just grabbing it and eating it. They were the ones we ended up following because they were the ones that were honest with themselves and honest with us. And I think that was the same with the woman. That’s who we mainly included in this film.
LA: In your opinion, does John Adams [one of the principles for the website], in his heart of hearts, know that he is running a scam?
JN: No. No. I think John concentrates on that one in a thousand. And that’s what makes him honestly happy. And you know it’s his livelihood. He’s not a bad guy. I can tell a bad person from a good person. He’s not a bad guy. I think it’s just the industry he’s in. And you know what, I only went to one country he operates in. I’m sure that they operate a lot differently in some other countries. I know they would. Ukraine is a rough place with an industry that’s been developed over 25 years of doing this. It’s not strange for him to be operating a company that has stuff that goes awry. I think he maybe turns a blind eye to a lot of it. But he has to follow laws that are enforced by FBI so he can’t do anything too intense.
LA: There must be a lot of clients who demand to get their money back, who report to the BBB, “I spent $10,000 and this is all a scam…” Did you encounter any of that?
JN: Oh, yeah, definitely, basically we hired a lawyer to go through their website. They basically just spell it out for you…they [the clients] are just not willing to read it. It’s like, “We can’t guarantee that these are the people writing these letters. We can’t do this. We can’t promise this.” The ultimate reality is that everyone in the Ukraine has Skype and a laptop and more internet connectivity than here. The fact that they have to use these translation services…it’s the men choosing to do so. They’re making that choice because they want to live in that virtual reality. They want to stay there.
Lance Around Orlando 