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LAKEPORT, Calif. – Lake County Theatre Co. by special arrangement with Samuel French, INC., by Marc Camoletti proudly presents “Boeing-Boeing.”

Show times are the first three weekends in March.

Set in the late 1960s, be transported to an apartment in Paris where lothario, Bernard, entertains his three fiancées.

The air hostesses are from all over the world and they are all his “one and only.”

Enter his old school friend Robert and you have the makings of a fun, flirty and fantastic LCTC production of “Boeing, Boeing.”

Directed by Gary Deas and produced by Peggy Barthel, the cast includes some of Lake County’s finest actors and actresses.

Bernard is played by John Tomlinson, local film and theater professor with Mendocinco College. The innocent Robert is played by Tim St. Cyr, a virtual newcomer to LCTC.

The air hostesses are Zoe Richardson, Diana Schmidt and June Clarkin-Wilson. No one will soon forget the dry humor of Bernard’s housekeeper, Bertha, played by Lisa Eden.

The shows will take place starting at 7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays. There will be no show on March 8.

The production will be held at the Little Theater at the Lake County Fairgrounds.

Tickets in advance are $12 and at the door they are $15.

You can purchase your tickets online at www.lakecountytheatrecompany.org.
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KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The “Coffee House Concert Series,” presented by the Unitarian Universalist Community of Lake County, kicks off its third season on Saturday, Feb. 23.

Held at Fore Family Wines in Kelseyville, the season kick-off concert includes six talented local acts, each performing three songs.

Performers include singer Andrea Blair from Cobb, local guitarist Jim Williams, the singing duo of Brian and Deborah of Love Rocket, singer Gigi Cohen & Friends, the multi-talented Bill Bordisso and Humdinger, featuring Bordisso on accordion, and the bluegrass and Irish duo of Don Coffin and Andi Skelton.

The concert begins at 7 p.m. at the Fore Family Tasting Room, located at 3920 Main St. in Kelseyville.

Tickets are $15 and are available in advance at Watershed Books in Lakeport, at the Fore Family Wines Tasting Room, online at www.uuclc.org, and also at the door. Award-winning wines and snacks will be available.

The Coffee House Concert Series will feature a concert each month, often featuring nationally know performers, including some Grammy award winners. In addition, many of Lake County’s finest Americana and Folk musicians will perform. For more information on the series, call 707-812-2788.
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‘COLD PURSUIT’ Rated R

Prolific for his vengeance-seeking action roles late in his career, Liam Neeson’s image as the righteous pursuer of justice in films like the “Taken” franchise took a big hit with a self-destructive interview tinged with disturbing racist sentiment.

In the terminology of tennis, Neeson’s talk was an unforced error that undermines “Cold Pursuit,” which is unfortunate in that this Norwegian-inspired thriller taps into dark comedy as if it were an homage to the Coen Brothers.

A humble snowplow driver in a Colorado ski resort town, Neeson’s Nels Coxman is honored as the Citizen of the Year for his upright dedication to his community and as a faithful public servant.

Yet, his life is soon completely upended when his only son Kyle (Micheal Richardson), an airport baggage handler, is killed by drug cartel thugs over a missing cocaine shipment. Kyle’s death is ruled an overdose, but Coxman suspects otherwise.

Without the benefit of his usual “particular set of skills” in other action films, Neeson’s character faces a learning curve in the killing business, but he seems to catch on fairly quickly.

His first clue to the identity of his son’s killers leads to a bleached-blonde scumbag named Speedo (Michael Eklund) who mockingly dismisses Coxman as an “old man” before getting pummeled to death.

As the others responsible for his son’s murder soon meet their fate, the crime boss Trevor “Viking” Calcote (Tom Bateman) takes notice and mistakenly thinks a rival Native American gang has started a turf war.

An arrogant psychopath, Viking wages a custody battle with his ex-wife over his young son that he treats with disdain, telling him to read “Lord of the Flies” as a manual for coping with life.

A good chunk of the middle portion of the film is devoted to Viking’s brewing conflict with the Native American drug gang under the control of the inscrutable White Bull (Tom Jackson), who seeks his own brand of justice when his son is killed.

Meanwhile, a patrol team of the ski town’s police officers, veteran (John Doman) and an eager rookie (Emmy Rossum), have little to do, outside of writing parking tickets, other than engage in a lot of amusing banter that adds to the film’s comic tone.

“Cold Pursuit” revels in its quirky pitch. One of the best comical scenes takes place at an upscale resort hotel when the clerk asks the Native American gang attempting to get a room if they have a “reservation,” an innocent question perceived as a cultural affront.

Filled with gallows humor and black comedy (thugs have ludicrous nicknames like “The Eskimo,” “Santa,” and “Limbo”), “Cold Pursuit,” which allows Liam Neeson to engage in another killing spree, is delightful pulp fiction.

“Cold Pursuit,” though at times somewhat disjointed, excites with its morbid wit and offbeat characters, tapping into the spirit of Quentin Tarantino films and Leonard Elmore novels.



‘PROVEN INNOCENT’ ON FOX NETWORK

As the title implies, “Proven Innocent,” the new legal drama on the FOX network, focuses on a team of lawyers taking the cases of persons in jeopardy of being wrongfully convicted for serious criminal offenses.

The Chicago-based Injustice Defense League, consisting of defense attorney Easy Boudreau (Russell Hornsby), investigator Bodie Quick (Vincent Kartheiser) and podcaster and communications director Violet Price (Nikki M. James), are up against prosecutor Gore Bellows (Kelsey Grammer).

The firm’s rising star defense attorney Madeline Scott (Rachelle Lefevre) has a personal stake in exonerating the falsely convicted because as teenager, along with her brother Levi (Riley Smith), she was sent to prison for the killing of her high school best friend.

After being absolved of the murder and getting a college degree while spending 10 years in prison, Madeline went on to graduate from Yale Law School at the top of her class and then partnered with Easy Boudreau, the lawyer who helped overturn her conviction.

Surprise (not really), the prosecutor who put Madeline in the slammer is none other than Gore Bellows, a slick political opportunist now planning a run for Illinois attorney general based on his track record of criminal convictions.

While the arrogant Bellows doesn’t have a mustache to twirl, Kelsey Grammer brings to this role the right measure of somber conviction and slippery smugness to fulfill the necessary plot device of a villain ending up in the League’s crosshairs.

Meanwhile, there are many ongoing flashbacks to the murder of the high school girl that, at least in the early stages, leave unanswered questions, such as whether Madeline or her brother might really be innocent after all.

These questions are certainly not doubted by the prosecutor who put the sibling behind bars. Gore Bellows still holds the opinion that Madeline is guilty, telling her the very same when they meet in court.

“Proven Innocent” doesn’t seem to be on a path to be as compelling as a modern-day “Perry Mason” or other appealing courtroom dramas that don’t immediately come to mind. Friday nights could be better spent on something else.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
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Foreground, Elizabeth MacDougall; background, Elena Casanova. Courtesy photo.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – A diverse range of musical styles on the keyboard will be presented at the Soper Reese Theatre on Sunday, March 10, by seven well-known professional pianists from the region.

Musicians will combine their talent and years of experience to benefit fundraising efforts for the arts and education in Lake County.

The Lake County Friends of Mendocino College is partnering with the Soper Reese Theatre to sponsor the eighth annual Pianists Benefit Concert.

The afternoon begins at 2 p.m. with a no-host reception featuring fine regional wines from Lake and Mendocino counties, followed by the concert at 3 p.m.

A silent auction of items donated by businesses and individuals will be held during the reception and intermission. All proceeds benefit the two sponsoring organizations.

Lake County artists Tom Ganoung and David Neft will be joined by Mendocino County performers Spencer Brewer, Elena Casanova, Patrick Fitzgerald, Elizabeth MacDougall and Ed Reinhart. The concert will feature all the pianists on stage throughout the performance as they converse about their life experiences and play a variety of musical selections.

Persons or businesses interested in supporting this fundraising effort are invited to become sponsors. Sponsors receive preference for premium reserved seats. Please contact the Soper Reese Theatre at 707-263-0577.

Sponsors to date include Anonymous Donor, Bernie and Lynne Butcher, Peggy Campbell CPA, Community First Credit Union, Annette and Jon Hopkins, Lakeport Furniture, Susie LaPointe, Law Office of Judy Conard, Natalie Marino, Pat and Lori McGuire, Dennis Rollins and Cindy Ustrud, Jim and Wilda Shock, Strong Financial Network and Tomkins Tax Consultants.

Tickets are $25 for regular reserved seats and $30 for premium reserved, and may be purchased online at www.soperreesetheatre.com or from the Travel Center, 1265 S. Main St. in Lakeport, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The theatre is located at 275 So. Main St., Lakeport. For more information call 707-263-0577.

“The Lake County Friends, an affiliate of the Mendocino College Foundation, was created to benefit students and programs at the Lake Center. We are delighted that proceeds from this benefit concert will enable us to continue support for the Lake Center campus in Lakeport,” said Wilda Shock, chairperson of Friends.

Proceeds from past concerts have funded scholarships for Lake County students at Mendocino College, a chemistry laboratory and tutors at the Lake Center. Shakespeare at the Lake in Library Park this summer will also receive support for production expenses.

The Soper Reese Theatre is a restored performing arts venue operated by an all-volunteer management team under the auspices of the Lake County Arts Council. “Concert proceeds will be dedicated to the theatre’s Restroom Re-do renovation project which will modernize and expand facilities, and meet ADA standards,” according to Mike Adams, executive director.
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Ted Kooser. Photo credit: UNL Publications and Photography.

Liz Ahl was once a very talented graduate student in our creative writing program at The University of Nebraska, but she's long since moved on to teach at Plymouth State University in New Hampshire.

The following villanelle is from her handsomely printed chapbook entitled A Thirst That's Partly Mine, from Slapering Hol Press, in Sleepy Hollow, New York. Her most recent collection, Beating the Bounds, was published in 2017 by Hobblebush Books.

Aquarium, February

When ice outside makes daggers of the grass,
I come to where the tides of life still flow.
The water here still moves behind the glass.

In here, the seasons never seem to pass—
the sullen shark and rays still come and go.
Outside the ice makes daggers of the grass

and coats the roads. The meditative bass
won't puzzle how the blustery blizzards blow.
The water here still moves. Behind the glass,

rose-tinted corals house a teeming mass
of busy neon creatures who don't know
"outside." The ice makes daggers of the grass

and oily puddles into mirrors. Gas
freezes in its lines; my car won't go,
but water here still moves behind the glass.

No piles of valentines, no heart held fast—just sea stars under lights kept soft and low.
Outside, the ice makes daggers of the grass;
in here, the water moves behind the glass.

American Life in Poetry does not accept unsolicited manuscripts. It is made possible by The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Poem copyright ©2008 by Liz Ahl, "Aquarium, February," from A Thirst That's Partly Mine, (Slapering Hol Press, 2008). Poem reprinted by permission of Liz Ahl and the publisher. Introduction copyright ©2019 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction’s author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006.

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