3 times is a charm
Image by ellesmelle
after this incident www.flickr.com/photos/elleko/4773020458/ , i decided to do it again at another location.
around 5pm on 07/22/10, i entered the whole foods market located on the corner of California and Franklin in San Francisco. over the course of our interaction, the loss prevention personnel whom i dealt with (1) threatened to knock my teeth out by pressing me to the ground, (2) told the police over telephone that i was staggering while i remained sober and seated as directed, and both a female employee and the loss prevention personnel was present while he did so.
i put 2 yogurts and a prepared green salad in my bag. the greens were meant for the man who sells Street Sheets in front of the WFM on the corner of Folsom and 4th. i looked for packaging materials that do not have logos on them, and went with the tin foil at the prepared foods counter. this entire sequence took about 5 minutes. as i exit the store, a man and a female employee wearing a name tag approached me and asked that i step back inside the store. i verbally told him, 'no.'
he said that he would have to put handcuffs on me if i didn't just walk in with him.
i told him he should put the handcuffs on me.
he asked why.
i said, 'so everyone can see.'
he put the handcuffs on me with my hands behind my back. he grabbed the cuffs. i draw the distinction because the guard was not just holding on to the cuffs, there were pushing and jerking actions which caused me to wobble as i walked and appear to be resisting him when he was pushing and jerking me around with my hands behind my back. i did not physically resist him.
as we walk back into the store, i repeated the following at a high volume (but not screaming of course, i was orating loudly.)
"AS YOU GO HOME AND FEED YOUR CHILDREN AND FAMILY TONIGHT, WHO'S GOING TO FEED THE HUNGRY? IT'S NOT HAPPENING ELSEWHERE, THERE ARE MILLIONS OF STARVING CHILDREN AND PEOPLE RIGHT HERE IN AMERICA."
as i was talking, the security guard said, "you're not going to be talking in a minute when you don't have no teeth."
"what?" i asked.
"cuz i'm going to drop you to the floor and all your teeth will get knocked out." he said.
"i'm not resisting you, i am just exercising my freedom of speech." said me.
i kept repeating it until they got me to the back of the store, behind the fish counter. we went up the stairs to the office overlooking the floor.
they put me in a swivel chair near the stairs leading up to the office. both the loss prevention personnel and the female employee who came outside with him are present. one of the first things he told me was that i am not allowed to be at that whole foods or any other whole foods. i said i know, and like i really want to go back to a whole foods. the loss prevention personnel mentioned the police and i asked if they were coming. he said that they had called the police.
he asked me why i was doing this, i told them. i was taking the greens to a guy i know who likes greens, he doesn't have the means to clothe, feed, and put a roof over his head even though he works all day, so i intended to help him. as for the yogurt, that's for people who ask for food and who are without teeth or have teeth problems. (this is true, lots of people asking for stuff complain about teeth problems or not having teeth. they like yogurt and fruit cups. soup is good, too, but they don't like it quite as much as fruit cups and yogurt.)
the loss prevention personnel says something to the effect of what right do they have to be picky when they're begging?
well, everyone has the right to choose their foods, of course. you're not suppose to eat jolly ranchers to forget about hunger when you need protein.
but i said the most obvious thing to him, "they have no teeth."
they asked if i was remourseful. i said,
"what are you, japanese?"
he also asked if i 'believe in god,' i said i was not religious. he is to repeat this. it is apparent that he had Christianity on his mind. at one point he asked loudly as if mocking me "you don't believe in a God?" there were further verbal attempts at breaching my personal boundaries, as will be described later in this piece.
i told them to call the police; this is because i don't like being in custody of a private business because at least the police's actions are restricted by the law. i told the loss prevention personnel this.
the security or loss prevention personnel was required to have a female employee present. that was the function of the employee who accompanied him outside. she remains sitting around having lunch.
he was a chatty fellow and made a lot of conversation, he told me that this was his second day at this location. i entertained him to be polite while i sat in handcuffs.
i asked them at first how much they made, 18/ hour? are they up to 23 yet? getting benefits? they were surprised at the questions. everyone knows how much entry level employees get paid, and these guys working at the storefront were never going to get above that wage at their glass-ceiling-limited dead end jobs.
they asked if i worked alone or if there as a group. i said there's a group of me. i work alone, duh.
did i only do this at only this store. i said that the actions of whole foods has proven itself time and time again.
he asked if i had been caught before. i said yes, 3 times at 2 different whole foods, 2x at the one on folsom and 4th and once at the one on potrero hill. he says, "then you have priors."
"i have no priors." i said.
then i told them about how my case got dismissed.
(this is how: www.flickr.com/photos/elleko/sets/72157622315956721/ )
i alo told them that i did this all over the world: in Japan and in France.
the loss prevention guy began to joke that i should be telling the truth.
a half hour later the police still has not arrived. the security guy began to get confused and i can tell because he was not keeping track of all of his conversations (losing his composure.) the girl who was sitting with us had to leave work. he explains to me that someone else has to present such that i can't accuse him of doing something if i got hurt. i said to him, "yeah, you're like a doctor." the security personnel was visibly nervous. i told him to calm down.
another female employee came to replace the previous one. this is a mature-looking lady who wore canvas shoes. i asked for some water and she fed it to me very courteously. i apologized to her for keeping her from getting off work.
he asked me again why i had to make him pull out the handcuffs, it could have been discreet. i said, "why would i want it to be discreet?"
the lady interjected, "it's part of her message."
the security personnel will go on to asking me this again. he does not understand but apparently everyone else in the office did. a few of them came around to have a look at me.
he told me that i am not allowed to be at that whole foods or any other whole foods
the security personnel started to tell stories about his previous encounters on the job with this employee.
he asked me again why i did this. i said that this company in particular (wfm) had changed the organics industry. i asked the lady,
"what is usda organic now? 70% organic and it is considered USDA organic." she didn't say anything. i said that because of this mass production that this company perpetuates, because their ambition to dominate the organics industry, the term organic no longer carries that meaning of care in production. people have to get more specific and say it's sustainable farming or tell you what kind of feed they use. whole foods has much to do with this coming to pass.
after a while, i began to do yoga as my back was starting to bother me after all the walking i had done. this is now about 45 minutes after they had taken me to the back of the store. i began with my feet on the ground and breathing to expand my abdominal cavity so my spine would straighten. i closed my eyes and expanded my lungs fully. at this point, again, the loss prevention personnel began talking to me. he said asked if i was religious, and i said i am not. he said, "well, you're praying to someone."
i said, "i wish on myself."
the guard began speaking over me as i said this. this is a common trick salespeople and street thugs like to use to assert authority over someone in front of others. i have encountered this so much in life, i no longer respond to it instinctively.
then he said to me that i am not allowed at this whole foods or any other whole foods. with my eyes still closed, i told him,
"i'll be sure not to do it in santa monica."
"any whole foods." he said.
"i won't do it there because they used to have security guards there that carried semiautomatic weapons. i definitely don't want a gun in my face."
he stopped talking to me and resumed speaking to the female employee.
i felt the tightness in my hips and sat with my legs crossed, each ankle stacked on top of the opposite knee and bent over my legs while i was in the chair. the loss prevention personnel began to get nervous and told me to stop. i was holding my pose and ignored him at first, he began to repeat this. i told him that if he would stop disturbing me while i was doing yoga i wouldn't fall. i did both sides and did another pose. this is also with legs crossed, but the knees are stacked. you also bend over your knees while you do this. the security personnel kept telling me to stop. (these are very good exercises for loosening the hips, btw.)
while i was still doing yoga in my chair, the security guy called the police again to ask for their eta.
i came out of my pose and was done. the security personnel was still on the phone. over the phone, the security personnel said to the operator that i had started to 'stagger' and for them to hurry.
i said, "what are you, lying to the cops now? i'm not staggering. i'm doing yoga. you're going to get yourself into trouble." i also told him that i didn't fall despite of him disturbing me, everyone knows that you don't disturb someone while they are doing yoga.
he corrected himself and said to the operator i was doing yoga.
he avoided talking to me further. the lady told me that doing breathing exercises will help with the back, i told her that i was doing that at first but then realized that it was related to my hips.
i sat with them and waited for another half hour or so. the police arrived about 1.5 hours after the store had taken me into their back office.
the police officers took statements from the store's employees. after some conversation, they told me that i had a right to make a statement. i said i'd like to but they didn't hear me say so. the security personnel was hoping i was a celebrity or something. he said to the police officers that i was targeting whole foods. the officers laughed and smiled and started to banter with me.
they got me a ticket (pictured,) and i headed back for Brent's down California St.
someone carrying a Whole Foods bag caught up to me to have a conversation with me. this also happened at the Folsom and 4th location. this is the ticket from that time:
www.flickr.com/photos/elleko/4773020458/
that time, when the police left, another person carrying a Whole Foods bag who said that they used to be employees for WFM caught up to me as i left the store and we spoke at length. he has a Caribbean accent, said that he did some programming, and that he was from Maryland. i invited him to the local hacker space (noisebridge,) but i failed to meet up with him, but i told my friend to be on the look out for him and to give him a tour if he should arrive.
i gave each of them my contact info.
i had a conversation with this person. we walked up the hill toward Grace Cathedral. i invited him to continue speaking to me because i was on a roll. he agreed. so i brought him to the side courtyard of the Grace and we spoken at length. we spoke about religion and philosophy and all sorts of stuff. i told him how i had declared myself the mcQueen. i also told him about my activities at the Levi's storefront on Valencia, which created security jobs that consisted of 10 hour days with no breaks at /hour, i learned this from the first security guy they hired to watch the entire street when the police station is like 200 ft away. (the security guard is a guy from Brooklyn who is a drug recovery psychologist. he thanked me for creating his job. at which point i said to him: 10 hour days with no breaks, is that even legal? the security company is getting for you. in the state of California, anything beyond an 8 hour work day is overtime. for an 8 hour shift, you get a 30 minutes meal and a 15 minute break. if there is overtime, you get more breaks. i told that guy everything, too, and he said i have the potential to become a really important psychologist. i said to him that i need to be more effective, that's why i am an artist.)
edit: 10/2009
the result
Happy Tails: Billy
Image by LollypopFarm
Hi,
After posting a good-bye to Billy on the Lollypop Farm wall on facebook, someone requested that I write a "Happy Tail" about Billy. It took some time, but I think I can do this now.
I can start this story stating that I had a dog, Randi, from the time I was 6 years old until I was 23. We were never parted ... she even went to college with me (reasons why I never lived on campus). When she did die, at age 17, I was DEVASTATED and stated that I would never have another dog ever again.
Seven years later, in September of 2003 I saw Billy at Lollypop West and knew that we should be together. I wasn't sure if it was the "This is all a mistake, and I don't know why I'm here" look on his face, or the way he leaned his entire body into my few fingers placed through the kennel, but I just knew I had to take him home. I had to check with my husband (who was sure I was nuts after I told him it was love at first sight) and my landlord (I was ready to move if he said, "no,") but it was all a "go," and Billy came home with me shortly thereafter. I remember him pulling me from car to car in the parking lot that day (we needed to work on those leash manners), looking up at me with each car as if to say, "Is this one yours? I'm ready to go home."
Our first week at home was rough. I didn't know what toys he liked (I bought a bunch of stuff, just in case), and I was afraid of what he might do. His previous owners stated that he soiled the house and scratched at doors and windows. Luckily, all he did in the first week was eat a bar of Irish Spring soap (the resulting BM from this was not pleasant!), and pulverize a roll of toilet paper. (I later realized that he was just making confetti to celebrate his new home!) OK ... a few more anti-boredom toys were added, and a LOT more exercise. He never soiled the house or scratched at doors and windows.
As I got to know Billy, I remember thinking how strange it was that he didn't know what toys were. I had to teach him to play ball (which became his ULTIMATE pastime) and how to use chewy toys. He had a stuffed animal frog which he loved and carried where ever he went. He slept with it at night, snuggled up under his head. We then started working on basic manners and socialization skills. He progressed quickly, and soon I realized what a "people dog" he was.
He started going to work with me some days at the nursing home, and he loved everyone as much as they loved him. Even those who said they didn't like dogs liked him after they got to know him. From there he went on to earn his AKC Canine Good Citizen award and pass his Therapy Dog International test with no problem.
Billy was a celebrity wherever he went: people would come out of their houses while we were walking to greet him; visitors, staff, as well as residents at the nursing home would seek him out daily, and fuss over what a good dog he was. After he retired, up to this day, people still ask for him and wonder how he is doing.
Billy was just an amazing dog: so loving and so smart, so obedient. He loved me so much, and I loved him equally--maybe even more. He went every where with me: work, vacation, swimming, the barn, on trail rides (I've been riding horses since I was 6) and never left my side unless I told him to wait somewhere for me. Regardless of where I told him to wait, or how long he had to wait, he waited right there for me to come back, never moving an inch. He heeled so well, that he was always to the left side of me, with or without a leash. The only exception to this rule was after I had children--he would walk next to the baby in the stroller or walk with the one lagging behind the group, making sure that everyone was OK.
He had a huge variety of tricks he would perform: shaking hands, rolling over, spinning around and around, playing dead, etc. ... and if you had a highly desirable treat in your hand, he may spontaneously start doing all of his tricks--one after another--hoping that one of them was the one he had to do to get that treat! What a ham!!!
Things seemed to be going well until he had an incident (Easter morning) when he woke up howling and dragging his back legs. I had no idea what had happened, but I was so sure that I would be losing him that day. As I drove to Orchard Park Emergency vet clinic, I came to terms with the real possibility that I would have to drive home without him. By the time we got there, he was standing in the back seat, happy and wagging his tail again. X-rays showed that he had, at one time, broken two vertebrae and that he had some degree of deformity from that. The vet noticed some scars on the inside of his legs, and thought that maybe he had been hit by a car at some time in his life. I felt so bad for him, as I also remembered that his previous owners had left him to "roam free" when they were not home. The temporary paralysis was probably caused by him sleeping on a big fluffy bed and might return at any time. After some steroids and the purchase of a new, firmer orthopedic bed, Billy was back to chasing balls around the backyard and had no further issues for years.
Everyone used to ask me what breed he was. Although we will never know for sure, he had the pit bull smile and tongue curl, the howl of a hound (and boy-oh-boy could he tree a 'coon in no time!) and some other breed which made one ear stand up all of the time, and the other ear stand up about 2% of the time. He was very active but could cuddle for hours at night while watching a movie (all 60 pounds of him). If his previous owners were accurate, Billy was 7 going on 8 when they dropped him off at the shelter. He was with me just short of 8 wonderful years.
I had to make the decision to euthanize Billy as I watched him deteriorate. I knew for a while he had some kidney failure, but the damaged area to his spine started to develop further deformities, putting pressure on his spine. While he never complained of pain, I saw the look on his face when he could no longer control his urine (he was truly ashamed of himself, poor thing) and the terror when, on two occasions his back end went out and we had to help him up. At this point I knew it was time. Luckily, our vet said that he would come out to the house.
On July 15 I said goodbye to Billy in the sun, on a favorite blankie, with his "froggie," with lots of hugs and kisses. I swear I could feel my heart breaking. I know that part of me died with him, and I will never, ever again know a dog like him.
What I do know, is that I can love another dog again ... not in the same way, but with the same strength. I brought Bella (a funny setter/spaniel mix with the energy of 10 dogs) home from Lollypop Farm on April 30, as I knew Billy's time was dwindling, and my other dog, Onnie (a mixed breed-Lab/chow/some type of herding dog?--whom I rescued directly from a bad situation), did not do well at home alone.
While Billy is gone, and I miss him dearly, Onnie and Bella are there for me, and I am there for them. Onnie doesn't have the personality to go to work with me, as she is a one-person dog, but Bella has gone to the nursing home a few times and seems to help the residents in the healing of the loss of Billy. She will never be Billy, nor will I ask her to be. I have learned that the benefit of having loved an animal far outweighs the pain of the loss when we lose them.
Billy taught me so much, and filled each day of my life with so much love and happiness, as do each of my other dogs. Billy taught me that I was not being unfaithful to my previous dog by loving another and that, by saying I would never have another dog again, I was depriving myself of so many good times as well as depriving another dog a good, happy home.
Attached are some of my favorite pictures of Billy ... one of sir handsome himself collarless right after a summer outdoor bath, one of him running on the beach, playing ball in Cape Cod, and one of him laying in the sun. I hope all the staff and volunteers at Lollypop Farm feel so good about the job they do, knowing that you are able to provide these animals with another opportunity to find their forever home and brighten so many lives. Thank you so much!
Onnie, Bella and I will see you at Barktober Fest!
Sincerely,
Jennifer R.
Happy Tails: Billy
Image by LollypopFarm
Hi,
After posting a good-bye to Billy on the Lollypop Farm wall on facebook, someone requested that I write a "Happy Tail" about Billy. It took some time, but I think I can do this now.
I can start this story stating that I had a dog, Randi, from the time I was 6 years old until I was 23. We were never parted ... she even went to college with me (reasons why I never lived on campus). When she did die, at age 17, I was DEVASTATED and stated that I would never have another dog ever again.
Seven years later, in September of 2003 I saw Billy at Lollypop West and knew that we should be together. I wasn't sure if it was the "This is all a mistake, and I don't know why I'm here" look on his face, or the way he leaned his entire body into my few fingers placed through the kennel, but I just knew I had to take him home. I had to check with my husband (who was sure I was nuts after I told him it was love at first sight) and my landlord (I was ready to move if he said, "no,") but it was all a "go," and Billy came home with me shortly thereafter. I remember him pulling me from car to car in the parking lot that day (we needed to work on those leash manners), looking up at me with each car as if to say, "Is this one yours? I'm ready to go home."
Our first week at home was rough. I didn't know what toys he liked (I bought a bunch of stuff, just in case), and I was afraid of what he might do. His previous owners stated that he soiled the house and scratched at doors and windows. Luckily, all he did in the first week was eat a bar of Irish Spring soap (the resulting BM from this was not pleasant!), and pulverize a roll of toilet paper. (I later realized that he was just making confetti to celebrate his new home!) OK ... a few more anti-boredom toys were added, and a LOT more exercise. He never soiled the house or scratched at doors and windows.
As I got to know Billy, I remember thinking how strange it was that he didn't know what toys were. I had to teach him to play ball (which became his ULTIMATE pastime) and how to use chewy toys. He had a stuffed animal frog which he loved and carried where ever he went. He slept with it at night, snuggled up under his head. We then started working on basic manners and socialization skills. He progressed quickly, and soon I realized what a "people dog" he was.
He started going to work with me some days at the nursing home, and he loved everyone as much as they loved him. Even those who said they didn't like dogs liked him after they got to know him. From there he went on to earn his AKC Canine Good Citizen award and pass his Therapy Dog International test with no problem.
Billy was a celebrity wherever he went: people would come out of their houses while we were walking to greet him; visitors, staff, as well as residents at the nursing home would seek him out daily, and fuss over what a good dog he was. After he retired, up to this day, people still ask for him and wonder how he is doing.
Billy was just an amazing dog: so loving and so smart, so obedient. He loved me so much, and I loved him equally--maybe even more. He went every where with me: work, vacation, swimming, the barn, on trail rides (I've been riding horses since I was 6) and never left my side unless I told him to wait somewhere for me. Regardless of where I told him to wait, or how long he had to wait, he waited right there for me to come back, never moving an inch. He heeled so well, that he was always to the left side of me, with or without a leash. The only exception to this rule was after I had children--he would walk next to the baby in the stroller or walk with the one lagging behind the group, making sure that everyone was OK.
He had a huge variety of tricks he would perform: shaking hands, rolling over, spinning around and around, playing dead, etc. ... and if you had a highly desirable treat in your hand, he may spontaneously start doing all of his tricks--one after another--hoping that one of them was the one he had to do to get that treat! What a ham!!!
Things seemed to be going well until he had an incident (Easter morning) when he woke up howling and dragging his back legs. I had no idea what had happened, but I was so sure that I would be losing him that day. As I drove to Orchard Park Emergency vet clinic, I came to terms with the real possibility that I would have to drive home without him. By the time we got there, he was standing in the back seat, happy and wagging his tail again. X-rays showed that he had, at one time, broken two vertebrae and that he had some degree of deformity from that. The vet noticed some scars on the inside of his legs, and thought that maybe he had been hit by a car at some time in his life. I felt so bad for him, as I also remembered that his previous owners had left him to "roam free" when they were not home. The temporary paralysis was probably caused by him sleeping on a big fluffy bed and might return at any time. After some steroids and the purchase of a new, firmer orthopedic bed, Billy was back to chasing balls around the backyard and had no further issues for years.
Everyone used to ask me what breed he was. Although we will never know for sure, he had the pit bull smile and tongue curl, the howl of a hound (and boy-oh-boy could he tree a 'coon in no time!) and some other breed which made one ear stand up all of the time, and the other ear stand up about 2% of the time. He was very active but could cuddle for hours at night while watching a movie (all 60 pounds of him). If his previous owners were accurate, Billy was 7 going on 8 when they dropped him off at the shelter. He was with me just short of 8 wonderful years.
I had to make the decision to euthanize Billy as I watched him deteriorate. I knew for a while he had some kidney failure, but the damaged area to his spine started to develop further deformities, putting pressure on his spine. While he never complained of pain, I saw the look on his face when he could no longer control his urine (he was truly ashamed of himself, poor thing) and the terror when, on two occasions his back end went out and we had to help him up. At this point I knew it was time. Luckily, our vet said that he would come out to the house.
On July 15 I said goodbye to Billy in the sun, on a favorite blankie, with his "froggie," with lots of hugs and kisses. I swear I could feel my heart breaking. I know that part of me died with him, and I will never, ever again know a dog like him.
What I do know, is that I can love another dog again ... not in the same way, but with the same strength. I brought Bella (a funny setter/spaniel mix with the energy of 10 dogs) home from Lollypop Farm on April 30, as I knew Billy's time was dwindling, and my other dog, Onnie (a mixed breed-Lab/chow/some type of herding dog?--whom I rescued directly from a bad situation), did not do well at home alone.
While Billy is gone, and I miss him dearly, Onnie and Bella are there for me, and I am there for them. Onnie doesn't have the personality to go to work with me, as she is a one-person dog, but Bella has gone to the nursing home a few times and seems to help the residents in the healing of the loss of Billy. She will never be Billy, nor will I ask her to be. I have learned that the benefit of having loved an animal far outweighs the pain of the loss when we lose them.
Billy taught me so much, and filled each day of my life with so much love and happiness, as do each of my other dogs. Billy taught me that I was not being unfaithful to my previous dog by loving another and that, by saying I would never have another dog again, I was depriving myself of so many good times as well as depriving another dog a good, happy home.
Attached are some of my favorite pictures of Billy ... one of sir handsome himself collarless right after a summer outdoor bath, one of him running on the beach, playing ball in Cape Cod, and one of him laying in the sun. I hope all the staff and volunteers at Lollypop Farm feel so good about the job they do, knowing that you are able to provide these animals with another opportunity to find their forever home and brighten so many lives. Thank you so much!
Onnie, Bella and I will see you at Barktober Fest!
Sincerely,
Jennifer R.
Officer and a Gentleman World Tour
Image by Eva Rinaldi Celebrity and Live Music Photographer
An Officer and a Gentleman The Musical To Play Sydney Lyric Theatre, The Star
Tonight of An Officer and a Gentleman enjoyed its Sydney, Australia premiere at The Star's Lyric Theatre at Ultimo.
The red carpet premiere was well attended by media and celebrities, and its understood the production is likely to match if not exceed the hype.
Producer John Frost said that more hard-won world premieres were in store.
"Not just Australian stories, but international stories that can be exported to international markets," Frost said.
Producers from Germany, South Korea, Canada, New York and London were at tonight's opening.
Frost said the million budget for An Officer And A Gentleman was about half what it might have been if it was developed in New York or London.
"Things are just easier and cheaper here, and in New York and London, you're so far out of town (doing the set building) trying to get it right and get it fixed," he said.
Frost said the process of developing new musicals, as opposed to simply remounting a successful overseas version, would help build production skills for the creation of new musicals in the future.
"What this is doing is establishing people like (An Officer And A Gentleman) director Simon Phillips, his choreographer and his assistants, to do new stuff they're not used to doing, because they are used to doing stuff that's already been done and what we are trying to do is to broaden that experience so a lot more directors and a lot more writers get that opportunity," Frost added.
Later next year and early 2014 Frost expects to mount world premieres of Dream Lover: The Bobby Darin Show and Red Dog. His production of Doctor Zhivago is approaching the end of a six month-long run in Seoul and will then be mounted in New York.
The Media Man and Music News Australia agencies were overheard agreeing "Another world class production put on by The Star and Lyric Theatre".
The pitch:
A new musical based on the Paramount Pictures-Lorimar movie "An Officer and a Gentleman" written by Douglas Day Stewart
Music and lyrics by Ken Hirsch and Robin Lerner
Book by Douglas Day Stewart and Sharleen Cooper Cohen
Director Simon Phillips
Choreographer Andrew Hallsworth
Set and Costume Designer Dale Ferguson
Lighting Designer Matt Scott
Musical Director Dave Skelton
Associate Director Dean Bryant
Producers Sharleen Cooper Cohen and John Frost
In association with Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros Theatre Ventures
Based on the hugely successful Academy Award-winning film, this new production has been adapted for the stage by the original screen writer, Douglas Day Stewart and co-writer Sharleen Cooper Cohen, with music and lyrics by Kenny Hirsch and Robin Lerner. It will be produced by Sharleen Cooper Cohen and John Frost, and directed by Simon Phillips (Priscilla Queen of the Desert The Musical).
The talented cast that will bring this timeless story to life includes Ben Mingay (Jersey Boys) as Zack Mayo, the classic angry young man who grew up in a "sewer" and dreams of flying jets and parlaying this skill into a better life; Amanda Harrison (Wicked) as Paula Pokrifki, the young factory worker who dreams of becoming a nurse and finding a better life without selling out for it, like everyone around her; Kate Kendall (Next to Normal) as Lynette Pomeroy, Paula's best friend who is determined to marry a flier to escape her dead end life, no matter what it takes; and Alex Rathgeber (The Phantom of the Opera) as Sid Worley, the likeable Okie son of a Navy Admiral who is the class "superstar" at the Naval Academy.
A hit across the ages, the 1982 film has become a phenomenon in cinema history, recently listed by the American Film Institute as one of the top ten love stories in cinema history. Featuring the iconic hit song "Up Where We Belong" and a new score by hit song writer Ken Hirsch and Grammy nominee Robin Lerner this timeless tale of struggle, success, friendship and love promises to be the musical blockbuster of 2012.
An Officer and a Gentleman is a triumphant story of working class heroes surviving great tests; a classic modern day love story about a working class boy and girl who must overcome their upbringing and personal weaknesses to accept life and love.
His Story, Her Romance.
Websites
An Officer and a Gentleman - The Musical official website
www.anofficerandagentleman.com.au
The Star
www.star.com.au
Sydney Lyric Theatre
www.sydneylyric.com.au
Echo Entertainment
www.echoentertainment.com.au
Eva Rinaldi Photography Flickr
www.flickr.com/evarinaldiphotography
Eva Rinaldi Photography
www.evarinaldi.com
Music News Australia
www.musicnewsaustralia.com
No comments:
Post a Comment