Well This Is It 2010!

I know its early, but Things have been crazy at the flower shop.  Then right after Christmas I will be taking a short leave of absence on blogging until January... So here are a few Holiday favorites for you!
During "It's a Wonderful Life" my friend Eric (Who played George Bailey) found a song that pretty much describes the Casablanca's "neck of the woods" this time of year.

 (The song I believe is called "From the Family")

As most of you have read I strive to keep my place presentable, and the people who visit friendly and moral (for the most part). However I cannot help it that my patch of paradise just so happens to be located in Dog-patch U.S.A.  and this song pretty much hits the cultural nail on the head.

(Our 2010 Casablanca Christmas Card, from us to you!)

I'm not sure if I will get to post again before New Years, so lets cover that occasion too! Here we have the Cast of It's A Wonderful Life on closing night. For the very last show we brought out candles and sang after the curtain call.

 So just in case I dont appear back on the blog-o-sphere before 2011, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy New Years, Happy Boxing Day,  what have you!

And again, thank you So much for Stopping by Mick's I've loved sharing this last year with you and reading about all of your adventures and finds! Just for fun, tell me out of all my posts what your favorite one(s) have been this year!

Here's to 2011

-Mick-

The Giveaway Winner!

First of all let me say I'm sorry. I know this post should have gone up LAST Monday but this close to Christmas things have busy!   But you've waited this long, so let me introduce you to our "Grand Prize Authority"- Mary.

(Mary in pink, has just finished her Wichita Theater debuting role as Ruth Bailey in It's A Wonderful Life)

I asked her to pick a number between 1-16 and she came back with 8! Maria Stahl over at Shallow Thoughts From Iowa Is our lucky winner!

Maria send your Mailing address to me in an email and I'll send your prize on its way!

Thank you everyone for entering and reading, I will try to get a few more posts in before the new year!

-Mick-

It's A Wonderful Life & A Wonderful Review!

First, a word from our sponsers...

("It's A Wonderful Life, here at Mick's!")

It's A Wonderful Life Show

Drawing on a Hollywood classic for inspiration, The Wichita Theatre’s new presentation of “It’s A Wonderful Life” is sure to please local theatergoers.

A musical, the show features plenty of singing and dancing in addition to the timeless tale of George Bailey and the angel he helps earn wings.

With a cast of 35, ranging in age from 8 to 60, the play is set in the small town of Bedford Falls, where the Bailey Brothers Building and Loan Company is in direct competition with local curmudgeon and all-around bad guy Mr. Potter (played by Russell Madsen). As expected, Potter isn’t about to let a Bailey stand in the way of his plans to completely control the economy of the small town. Although it takes nearly 20 years, the evil old miser eventually brings George Bailey (played by Eric West) to his knees and has him attempting suicide on a snowy Christmas Eve. Clarence, George’s guardian angel, shows up and gives George the gift of seeing how bad life would have been in Bedford Falls if George had never been born.

Billy Brasfield delivers a standout performance as Clarence with his smooth, jazzy vocals and infectious stage presence. Brasfield also plays a key secondary character, but saying just who would be giving too much away.

Shara Spicer, in her first acting role, was delightful as Mary Bailey, George’s supportive, upbeat wife. West’s portrayal of George captures all the passion of the Jimmy Stewart original and brought a strong vocal performance to the part.

Nearly stealing the show with their charming antics were Margit Bale and Joseph Reed as Cousin Tilly and Uncle Billy. These two proved they could really shake a leg at the high school dance, and their comedic timing was right on the mark and consistent throughout the play. Utah Robertson is memorable as the loudly annoying but good-hearted Sam Wainwright.

Director Allison Fernburg does an admirable job keeping the large cast on task for this production. Opening night saw a few miscues, but those opening night jitters will disappear quickly now that the play is actually in its run. There were also some noticeable technical glitches in the sound and lighting areas, but these should smooth out as the holiday run continues.

All in all, “It’s A Wonderful Life” is a delightfully charming way to ring in the holiday season for the whole family. And who knows, an angel or two just might get their wings in the process!


*  *  *

Pretty exciting! No mention of the sets but that's fine, the directors, cast, and crew have shared an overwhelming amount of thanks, and I just keep telling them "I'm just glad you guys gave the the chance, and that it wouldn't be there with out the help of Sheldon & Patricia" ( I will say, I had a patron come up and tell me that the sets were 'better than the recent production of Cats'' another saying 'It's like stepping back and time and being right there with the characters!' and to me that's a HUGE compliment!)
 
It's a fantastic, wonderful show and although at times its nerve wracking iv secretly loved every minuet of it!  Be sure to check out this post to see all the cool things we did with sets and props for this musical version of "It's A Wonderful Life"!

-Mick-

We're All Set!

It's been a  HECK of a week! My little trio worked long into to bring life to Bedford Falls, but we could not have done it with out the help of the entire cast, crew, volunteers  everyone has done an AMAZING job to bring this production to life! So without further adieu, here's "It's A Wonderful Life"- according to Mick Jordan.

(The Bailey Dinning room, before)

(After!)

This was the first room we worked on, Sheldon cut the boards for the wainscoting I painted a plate here, radio there a few family pictures a viola! You have the Craftsman inspired dinning room of Ma & Pa Bailey.

(Mary Hatch's House, before)

(After!) 

My second favortie room on stage!  This house has the "left over victorian" feel to it, to make it period we painted 'vertical wall paper' and added lots of gold and gilt touches. High lights in this room include my new $101.00  vintage candlestick telephone,and the white radio from the kitchen of the Casablanca.

(Using 1x6 board we constructed a mantel for the faux fireplace)

One of my FAVORITE touches to this room  is the radio. In this scene in the movie George gets mad and storms out of Mary's house, she then goes to the record player and smashes the record in frustration. So with a little rigging I've put a tape recorder with about seven minuets worth of "Buffalo Gals Wont You Come out Tonight" (recorded directly from the movie credits) when the scene starts Mary presses play and its just as if the radio were working! When she storms over to the radio she simply presses stop and smashes the 78 record hidden in the player. It  worked so well it made me giddy, and that my friends doesn't happen very often!

 This afternoon during my lunch break at work I painted the same water color that Mary displays for George in her living room!

(The Home of George & Mary Baliey. Before/during)

(After!)

The term "Poor as church mice" comes to mind, but thats alright all George and Mary really need is eachother.

(The Bailey Bros. Building & Loan, before)

(After!)

I took inspiration from old pictures of offices in the Empire State Building. It's here that George jumps on the desk and trys to keep everyone calm during the depression, which leads into the musical number "We've Got to Stick Together."

(Part 2 Building & Loan)

Highlights include a fabulous antique type writer, and the "Class of 1939" group photo that my Grand Father is in from when he went to trade school in California.

(The Bridge, before)

(After!)

I used white quilt batting to substitute for snow, we drifted it on and around the eaves of the bridge, and sprinkled glitter so it will catch he light and sparkle like real snow.

(Potter's Office)

Quite possibly the most foreboding set on stage.  Note how the windows are shaped like tombstones, also written on the wall's in both Latin & English "The Root of Evil Is Greed" very fitting for Mr. Potter!

I've had so much fun working on these sets, I'm so thankful I was given the opportunity. I've loved working with the Directors Cast and Crew and I hope this might just be one show in a long line of set dressings for me! The hard work, the details, everything well its just... Wonderful.

-Mick-

Im In Charge of Sets, PERIOD!

Period sets that is!
Last Sunday Patricia and I closed the Casablanca up for the year. As most of you have read I'm currently in a musical production of "Its A Wonderful Life".  One of the first things I offered to bring the director was my grandparents white radio from the kitchen at the Casablanca, you know the one in the corner?

Yes, that's the one! Well I offered it up to the Director with the scene where Mary  breaks the record after George storms out of her house in mind. The Director loves the radio and asks if I would like to help her "set dress" and of course I said yes. She shows me a pair of lamps that she wanted to put in the living room of Mary's mothers house. You could just tell they were from the late 70's, she asked me what I thought about them, that she was going for "Gawdy old widowed lady's home"  I explained "Those are from the later 1970's and it shows, since the show takes place in 1928-1946 that's not gonna work. If you're going to do a period show it needs to be period correct. So if its out dated gawdy in the 1920's you are wanting then you will have to go late Victorian."  That must of impressed her, because she replies "Okay, sounds like you know what your doing, your in charge of sets I'm giving you full reign." Hehehe dear readers,  
worlds have been turned on such statements...
Its not that our amazing director doesnt know about period stuff Its just with the 100,000,000 other things a director has to do she didn't have time to sweat the small stuff! She often tells me that the set dressing is her least favortie part about putting on a show,  which is great because now I get to sweat the small stuff for her, and love it!)
The Director had already picked out the main wall colors, yellow for a dining room set, a plum color for Mary's living room, and a blue for the George and Mary's house. When I started the walls and only bee just been painted their primary color.

 (Ma and Pa Bailey's dinning room)

(

(Mary's Mothers Living room)

(The Bailey Building & Loan Office)

(The infamous Bridge, after reconstruction)

I also have George and Mary's house on my list, but I didn't take a before picture.  Its been a crazy week, I'd like to introduce you to my partner in crime Sheldon.

His hair is shorter now, you might remember him as "Potsie" in Happy Days!  He and I have have become a fantasist team! ( The current joke at the theater is that "Mickey makes it look pretty, Sheldon brings it up to code!" )  I could not have done anything with the sets without him, I CAN paint, hang, coordinate, and decorate with the best of them... I CANNOT cut a straight line to save my life. So just in case one one else says it i'm saying it now

THANK YOU SHELDON! 

This week we have pulled several staying until 2:00A.M. nights up at the theater but thus far the results have been amazing!  I know you'll provably want to riot, BUT I will reveal all the before and after pictures later this week (I'm still putting finishing touches on the sets) I can tell you that you'll be seeing the following styles Victorian, Craftsman, and Early Post-War 1946 on the interior sets as well as a slew of antiques and treasures form my grandmas barn.  It will be worth the wait, this is my first big independent project since college and I'm having the time of my life running rampid though the mid 1930's! 

-Mick-

P.S.
Dont forget to sign up for the giveaway I'm hosting on the post before this one, it ends next Sunday!

The Giveaway!

In celebration of one year of blogging, lets give some free stuff away!


A small piece of 50's/60's Bar-cloth, some Casablanca Postcards, and the Book "Kitch Deluxe"!
The book was one of my first reference guides to retro and vintage, its a chronicling of most hings mid-century and from whence they came.

There's more to this prize, but I haven't gathered it up yet!

I have been going non-stop all this week at the theater trying to get the sets done for "It's A Wonderful Life" I'll have more on that Monday provably I've got some exciting news and such but im holding out!

You know the rules for the giveaway, leave a comment on this post and or post about it on your blog for a second entry.

Good luck!

-Mick-