Banned in Boston, cancelled in Atlanta, and flourishing in Tacoma, Calendar Girls is a hit. A group of middle-aged British women go from Tai-Chi to touching hearts. We saw very few empty seats on the Sunday matinée. From the look on the face of Managing Artistic Director Chris Serface, the previous two performances and subsequent […]
The Addams Family, the Musical Review – Tacoma Musical Playhouse
We grew up watching Father Knows Best, Leave It to Beaver, The Real McCoys, Ozzie and Harriet, and The Donna Reed Show. White bread family values. I graduated from Clover Park High School in 1964, and Peg from Rhine High in Kaiserslautern. It felt like our generation was out to change America and the world; […]
Tai Chi Diary
[From my 2008 archives] Saw the doctor last week. He did a lot of tests and said I am a “fall risk.” Suggested Tai Chi, said it would help with balance. Tried to do research but apparently there’s never been a decent Tai Chi movie in the history of the world. Jackie Chan’s Drunken Master […]
Letter: It's not about what, it's about who
She’s been asked to speak to a woman’s group. About grief. And what we’ve learned. As we’ve talked about her coming presentation and she shared her heart, it seems to me this will be my wife’s title: “It’s not about what, it’s about who.” Who came in the crisis; who listened; who cried, who cared. […]
Taste of Samoa at 4th Annual Tai Chi at the Fair
Lita Kuaea and Rumina Suafoa come from a large, boisterous Samoan family (seven daughters, two sons). They have more than 100 names on their immediate family’s Christmas list and they believe that Food, Family, and Faith (they say it capitalized like that) are the most important things in the world. The sisters who call themselves […]
Susanne Bacon Reads at Lakewood Pierce County Library
Would you like to travel to Germany with me? Not physically, of course, but to mind-travel while listening to a couple of chapters from my brand-new book “Home from Home”? Some of you might know that the chapters were originally published as a weekly column in The Suburban Times in Lakewood. And you might already […]
Brown's Point Diner – Restaurant Review
Sunday morning usually means breakfast with friends. We travel together and enjoy our favorite restaurants and explore new favorites as well. This particular Sunday we chose the Brown’s Point Diner in Northeast Tacoma. I had eaten dinner there before as well as attending a memorial for my book reading friend John who lived just up […]
Biloxi Blues Play Review – Lakewood Playhouse
I’ve seen some comments about “Biloxi Blues” being best produced by college drama programs. For me this only works for accessing actors in the right age group. I would guess that “Biloxi Blues” is not edgy enough for most colleges. My wife and I have seen Poonah the F***dog at the University of Puget Sound […]
Good Wok & Teriyaki Restaurant Review – University Place
We had to read the writing on the wall. My buddy Jim picked me up for lunch. I knew he had a tennis match at 1:15, so our lunch spots were reduced to places we could reach and still enjoy a leisurely meal. We chose the Good Wok & Teriyaki on Bridgeport Way in University […]