OOOPps!
The info originally posted was wrong.
I have to dig a bit and get the new info. Sorry!!

[This message has been edited by Nard Kordell (edited 09-30-2003).]

I'm still searching for that Los Angeles play of Fahrenheit 451 that is suppose to open this Friday.
But here's some other 'stuff' in the meantime:

check out:
(scroll down a bit for F-451 info)
http://www.aquinnablibrary.vineyard.net/onebookoneisland03_page.html

ALSO:
The play, Fahrenheit 451,runs ...
October 3-4, 7PM
at Slater Auditorium
Norwich Free Academy, in Eastern CT.

check out: http://www.norwichfreeacademy.com/temporary2.html

Recent interview with Ray on Public Radio was yesterday, Sept 30th. 'The Faith Middleton Show'.
Anyone catch it? It's available from Public Radio on cassette.



[This message has been edited by Nard Kordell (edited 10-01-2003).]

Nard, is it possible you are thinking of the theatrical production of SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES, rather than FAHRENHEIT 451?

The play SOMETHING WICKED opens this Saturday at a theater in Santa Monica, California, and runs through November 8. Here's a link to the details:
http://www.reviewplays.com/something_wicked.htm

Hey! Thanks, Richard.

Bought a couple tickets for this weekend. I don't know how I got it mixed up somehow. Thanks.

Making a very brief comment on Ray's play, Something Wicked This Way Comes, from Ray's theater company, in Santa Monica, California.
Ray was there. I Took a couple pictures, and will place them on my web site. Ray was in good spirits. He spoke to the audience. And afterwards, pretty much anyone that attended the play had the great opportunity to meet Ray and all the cast members. All in all, a great event. Play runs until November.

Tuesday... Re-Call Election Day California

I was using someone's Toshiba lap top on message above and it took forever to type something because of the sensitivity of the keys, and kept ommiting messages...

Now...The Fullerton Library computer, with a normal keyboard...

I'm going to post a couple pictures I took at the Bradbury play...Unfortunately I didn;t have a digital camera with me and so it was only using a flash, at a couple opportunities that prevailed. One of them is when one of the actors was 1/2 hr late to the play. Ray was asked to stand up and talk about the history of the creation of Something Wicked This Way Comes. Ray spoke for a while, and really gave a great run down on its history. Interesting to know about the play...is that there are several places where it is different than the book. One is the place where Mr. Halloway embraces Mr. Dark with love that annihilates him. He is left as a shell of his former self. All evil is erased. Mr. Dark, as an actor, is the best Mr. Dark you could want. He unquestionably displays an aura of character that is really impelling. I talked with him after the play and found out he also teaches 6th grade English. Wow! What an interesting teacher he must be.

To Note:
Ray's comment about his health is... "it has not been easy." His left eye is blind and practically closed, and I doubt he sees well out of his right eye. Tho he does use a walker, it is with great difficulty. yet the man's mind is as sharp and active as anyone would want.

More later...

Nard: Thanks for the updates. Will be looking forward to more. Glad you got out there safe and sound. Best to your wife. Be sure to tell Ray hi from all of us.

[This message has been edited by Mr. Dark (edited 10-10-2003).]

A man that plays Mr. Dark as a sixth grade teacher? For God's sake! Looking forward to the pictures.

My wife and I attended the open night of SWTWC at the Edgemar Theatre in Santa Monica Sat Oct 4. We had a great time. One of the actors missed his bus from Westwood and the play started a little late, which was great since people got to visit with Ray. Following up on a lead obtained on this site from Dandelion, I had purchased copies of the two Post stories that never made it into any of Ray's anthologies. I asked Ray to sign the mags for me, and he said he considered the stories so terrible that he would not want them in any of his books. I didn't think that to be the case, but then I ain't the author. They will make nice additions to my ever growing Bradbury collection. Ray also signed my copy of the British edition of the book with the the Joe Mugnaini train cover. All in all a great weekend in my old home town. Gone are all the old amusement piers and the flavor of the area has become very upscale from what I knew in the late '50s. Probably for the better. But I still miss the carny atmosphere of the old Ocean Park Pier, later POP, and the old Venice Pier, now a fishing structure. Glad I was there when it was so much fun.

patrask:

Are you crazy? I was there, too. Sat right behind Ray. Now tell me how was this possible we didn't meet? Did you hang around afterwards? Where did you sit?

Nard
We sat third row up in the middle, beautiful wife with the ugly old white-haired guy. No we did not stick around at the end as the wife was tired (my wife is a kindergarten teacher and all she can think about this time of year is preping for next week) and so we went on to find some dinner and the hotel. The next day we toured Main street in what used to be called Ocean Park. Its now full of restaurants and upscale shops, a far cry from the area I remember as a teen. We went through the Museum, a house that once belonged to John P. Jones, the founder of Santa Moncia, and was previously located at Arizona and Ocean Ave, above the California incline. I remember the house being there. It was a fun weekend. Sorry we missed each other. Next time we should wear a sign around our necks, eh?

[This message has been edited by patrask (edited 10-11-2003).]

Maybe a scarlet RB??

This is actually not about the play at all, but another update on Ray's health. I just thought it would be nicer to post it here so it doesn't look like some sort of alert bulletin. I called his house today and talked with his wife, Maggie. Ray was out giving a lecture. She says he does not tire as easily as he did, but is tired following lectures as it takes him two or three hours to pull away from all the people wanting to talk to him. She still owns her car, but does not drive as "people of 82 shouldn't drive even if they can, but then there are some people of 22 who shouldn't drive either," that they don't know where the Stop sign is and one of her cats which accidentally wandered out was run over. We had a very nice conversation on the pros and cons of a house packed to the rafters with books and indoor cats! I asked when they had last been to France and she said two years ago--that one time all she wanted to bring back from Europe was this Gucci bag and within days of getting home, some cat had chewed a hole in the bottom! She finds it difficult to clear up, because not only does Ray get very temperamental when you move something such as a pile of books, they're running out of places to put them anyway. It was a thrill to me to hear her talk about visiting Jules Verne's house, as I am finally now reading his works (after years of meaning to.) She says Ray still uses the walker, but his leg is not stiff with the foot dragging, as it was when I saw him, because the more you use something, the better it gets. (The reverse of "use it or lose it.") "He has this mantra," a phrase he constantly repeats, "I'm walking wounded, but I'm walking!"

Thanks for the update on Ray, Dandelion. I'm so glad to hear he's doing a little better.

Hey Dandelion.

Thanks! great!

Wonder how well Ray really sees.
I didn't ask him, considering the setting in which I talked with him in LA last week. But it must be most difficult.

Realize how amazing Ray is dealing with everything. How valiant he works at it.

Often Ray has said that Hemingway gave up because of his broken body. Two plane crashes in a short period of time. Ray seems to have come to terms with that, and has 'decided' to run the race as an athlete instead of a one overwhelmed....