tive. Before intermission, & ENTERTAINMENT the crowd was rendered speechless with a rendition of the Suite from The Polar Express. Afterward, things picked right back up with a Bob Krogstad medley called “The Bells of Christmas.” During the nostalgic sing-alongs, the audience belted out familiar tunes such as “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” and “Frosty the Snowman.” The night concluded with a cheerful encore of “Sleigh Ride,” slapstick and all. Creating an orchestral performance that leaves people in such high holiday spirits may be a challenge, but the Santa Barbara Symphony’s Holiday Pops made it clear that it can be done! —Daisy Finefrock
REVIEWS
There couldn’t have been a more perfect start to the evening than the caroler’s classic “Deck the Halls.” Guest conductor Andy Einhorn’s joyful presence matched the energy of the upbeat music. The game changed when Noll walked onstage in a dazzling sequined burgundy gown, shortly to be followed by two more dress changes—each just as magical. Noll wowed the audience with her elegant poise, operatic singing, and charming banter with maestro Einhorn. The duo’s playful discussions touched on meaningful personal connections and their reasons for picking the specific arrangements. The night’s most exquisite moments came when all the forces joined together and the groups morphed into one beautiful collec-
GIVE THE GIFT OF WINE
THIS HOLIDAY SEASON
THEATER
IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE: A LIVE RADIO PLAY
G
DAVID BAZEMORE
ive yourself a present for the holidays White to capture George’s romantic imagiand see this play. Like nation. As Lana Sherwood, a jazz quintet adapting Teri Bibb ranges widely, from a standard from the great the dark and tempting Violet American songbook (e.g., to Zuzu, the Bailey’s youngest the Miles Davis group, “My child. Funny Valentine”) and minIt’s the radio gimmick of ing it for all the heart and having a small handful of heft and feels it’s worth, this individual actors play so many stage version of the clasmultiple roles that gives It’s a sic 1946 Frank Capra film Wonderful Life: A Live Radio takes a chart full of changes Play so much sizzle. Peter Van —the script of Capra’s movie Norden is on fire as Freddie —and plays it loud and live, Filmore, the announcer, and as Mr. Potter, Bill Bailey, and with fresh ears. Matthew Floyd Miller many others. Louis Lotorto Teri Bibb, Matthew Floyd Miller, lends a kinetic charge to the Peter Van Norden, Hannah flies through the rapid transitions he must undergo in role of George Bailey by way Tamminen, and Louis Lotorto order to voice Harry Bailey, of playing Jake Laurents, the radio actor and lead. Radio Mr. Martini, and several othactress Sally Applewhite ers as the radio actor Harry “Jazzbo” HeyPresented by ETC. (Hannah Tamminen) wood. It’s Lotorto’s final turn as the angel At the New Vic, provides a surefooted Clarence that puts the finishing touch on this Sat., Dec. 7. Shows through Dec. 22. and seductive Mary fabulous Christmas creation. —CD
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Single Bottle Box for $9.99 Two Bottle Box for $14.99
BOOKS
THE DRY HEART
O
n the first page of Natalia Ginzburg’s short novel The Dry Heart, the unnamed narrator shoots her husband, Alberto, between the eyes. It’s a startling opening, although the story soon leaves the murderous present for the narrator’s fraught past. It’s true that Alberto has a dry heart, but so, it initially seems, does the narrator herself. How-ever, as the novel unfolds, we come to sympathize with the rejections, large and small, that she has received during an unhappy childhood in the Italian countryside and an aimless young adulthood in the unidentified city where she now lives. In addition to enduring unfavorable comparisons to her glamorous cousin Francesca, she puts up with her husband’s affair, even ironing his clothes and preparing him flasks of tea before
he goes off on trips with his lover. The book’s title in Italian is È stato così —roughly, “It was like that” —which befits the weirdly straightforward nar narrative. As a reader, it’s hard not to constantly urge the narrator to step up and do something to change her cheerless life, though of course we know from the opening page that she eventually will do something drastic, indeed. The Dry Heart was first published in 1947, and translated by Frances Frenaye in 1952, but this reprint by New Directions feels very contemporary. Yes, we may find the narrator’s passivity puzzling and her final homicidal impulse extreme, but Ginzburg expertly shows us how a beleaguered woman might arrive at a point where “the time of conventional and clear-cut answers had come forever to a stop.” —David Starkey
WINES FOR TOASTING THE HOLIDAY SEASON We are stocking up for the holiday season and we have an amazing assortment of wines to accompany any holiday meal. Our team of certified sommeliers are here to help you find that perfect bottle from our extensive selection of wine from around the world.
(805) 770-7701
www.wineplusbeer.com
Inside the Santa Barbara Public Market FREE UNDERGROUND PARKING INDEPENDENT.COM
DECEMBER 12, 2019
THE INDEPENDENT
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