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PCEC goes to Broadway and West End
Master of Ceremonies Roger Fox welcomed everyone to The
Tavern for the Pattaya City Expat Club’s regular Sunday meeting on June 6.
After the usual announcements, he invited any new guests to introduce
themselves. After the usual announcements, he called on fellow member David
Garmaise. David’s hobby is to collect classic movies and shows, excerpt
interesting portions, and then create his own DVD presentations. At a
previous Sunday meeting, David took everyone to the movies showing excerpts
from well known, and sometimes not so well known, movies. This week, David
took everyone to the theatre by showing excerpts from Broadway (New York)
and West End (London) stage plays and concerts in the park from England.
MC for the day, and PCEC’s resident mangosteen peeling
expert, Roger Fox introduces Chris Parsons of Pattaya Players, to talk of
their next production.
His video, entitled Broadway in Concert, began with a
rendition of Hello Dolly by Lee Roy Reams and then the famous Dolly herself,
Carol Channing. Many of the songs and artists were quite familiar. After
Hello Dolly, the audience was then treated to the song Cabaret (sung by
Leslie Garrett, Ruthie Henshall, and Michael McCarthy) and Mein Herr (sung
by Ruthie Henshall), both from the well known play, Cabaret. This was
followed by Julie Andrews singing Camelot from the play by the same name.
Julie was also featured singing Wouldn’t it be Loverly and I Could Have
Danced All Night from My Fair Lady. Some other excerpts were All That Jazz
from the play Chicago sung by Ruthie Henshall; Back in Business from the
play Dick Tracy sung by Liza Minnelli; Everything’s Coming Up Roses from the
play Gypsy sung by Angela Lansbury; and many more. Madeline Kahn’s rendition
of (Not) Getting Married from the show Company was very funny and elicited
quite a bit of laughter from the audience.
Also at last Sunday’s meeting, Chris Parsons and Wendy
Kahn from Pattaya Players invited everyone to come see their production of
Loot. Chris said this was a play written by Joe Orton, a British playwright
who shocked, outraged, and amused audiences with his scandalous black
comedies.
Main speaker, and PCEC member David Garmaise, took
everyone to the theatre by showing excerpts from Broadway (New York) and
West End (London) stage plays and concerts in the park from England.
In this performance by the Pattaya Players, Chris said
the play is a wild parody of detective fiction taking jabs at established
ideas of death, the police, religion, and justice. Loot follows the fortunes
of two young thieves, Hal and Dennis who together rob the bank next to a
funeral parlor where Dennis works. Returning to Hal’s house, where Hal’s
mother had recently died, they hide the money in her coffin. When police
Inspector Truscott arrives at the house, the plot turns topsy turvy as Hal
and Dennis try to keep him off their trail.
Watch out katoeys - the thespians are coming - again!
Chris Parsons and Wendy Kahn from Pattaya Players invite everyone to come
see their production of Loot.
Chris, who played the role of Dennis, and Wendy, who was
Assistant Director, said they were certain everyone would really enjoy the
show. Although the ticket price was 1,000 baht, they pointed out it included
a Buffet Carvery dinner at Eastern Grand Palace. He reminded everyone that
the play had two performances; one on Friday, June 11 and again on Saturday,
June 12.
After David’s and Chris’s presentations, Roger updated
everyone on upcoming events and called on Judith Edmonds to conduct the
always informative and sometimes humorous Open Forum where questions are
asked and answered about living in Thailand and Pattaya in particular.
Aquanauts now perfect for 3 years as four new instructors certified
From left, Master Instructor Meg Smith, new OWSI Lana Brook,
IDC Staff Instructor John McGraw (back), new OWSI Greg Kuchan, Course Director
Roger M. Smith (back), new OWSIs Jonathan Davis and Stephen Bodell, and Master
Instructor Gary Tytler.
Aquanauts Dive Centre made it a full three years with a 100
percent pass rate on the Professional Association of Diving Instructors exam
when four more of its professional scuba diving interns passed their exams with
flying colors in Pattaya.
Lana Brook and Stephen Bodell of the United Kingdom, Jonathan
Davis of Australia and American Greg Kuchan sailed through their three-day exam
May 18-20 at Pattaya’s Discovery Beach Hotel. All are off to new adventures
around the world teaching as PADI Open Water Scuba Instructors.
May’s instructor training also saw the certification of
American John McGraw - who first became an instructor at Aquanauts is 2009 - as
an IDC Staff Instructor.
The four graduations now make it three full years since
anyone has failed an instructor exam at Aquanauts, the only dive center in
Pattaya that can say that. The center, in fact, is so confident in its training
methods, only Aquanauts offers interns a written guarantee.
This was the second IDC Aquanauts has done under PADI’s new
2010-format Instructor Development Course. The IDC has been shortened from nine
days to seven with the dropped material moved online for students to complete
before the classroom session begins.
While students do appreciate sitting in the classroom for a
shorter period of time, the accelerated schedule does play on the nerves. Up
until the last day before the exam, Bodell was still nervous about his physics
knowledge, but once he got to the exam he found it was easier than expected. All
the students agreed Aquanauts’ thorough teaching methods results in the exam
being easier than the IDC.
Whiffenpoofs “Live in Pattaya”
14 charming young men from Yale University, known as the Whiffenpoofs,
thrill Pattaya music lovers at the Siam Bayshore Hotel.
Sue K
On the 5th of June, 14 charming young men from Yale
University, known as the Whiffenpoofs, came down to thrill Pattaya music lovers
as they performed at the Siam Bayshore Hotel as part of their annual global
tour.
The group is one of the world’s oldest and most famous
American a cappella legends. Founded in 1909, the Whiffs began as a senior
quintet that met for weekly concerts, and now they tour the world with their
raucous performances. They have performed for a range of spiritual and political
leaders, including Mother Theresa, the Dalai Lama and presidents Reagan, Bush and
Clinton, and in venues such as Carnegie hall and the Lincoln Center. They put in
about 200 performances a year!
The group’s repertoire draws on a long tradition of original
arrangements from many styles and eras, ranging from classical and jazz, to
English folk songs and even 60’s Motown hits. This year’s performances included
musical numbers made famous by composers like Irving Berlin, George Gershwin,
and Cole Porter.
The Foyer at the Siam Bayshore was packed with music lovers
comprising of hotel guests and Pattaya residents.
Until the next time they sing their way here again, we thank
them for a lovely evening of a cappella in Pattaya.
Pattaya’s very own world famous entertainer,
Kamala Sukosol joins the
Whiffenpoofs on stage.
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