Recently, an inquiring mind placed a question on the website Quora.com where anyone can ask about anything on nearly any topic within reason. The question asked was stated as: If you can only bring twelve websites onto a desert island, what twelve would you take with you?
Over 100 entries were placed by folks that were able to pick their dozen websites that they would take on their virtual desert island or sorts. Of course, the choices folks placed were rather vast. Some replies were based on practicality i.e. what kind of service the websites provides, while others were based upon personal preference. (Hobbies, tastes, human background, etc.)
Among the many choices, a number of websites were mentioned more that others. The ones this writer noticed as top picks are listed below in their alphabetical order, presented as a baker’s dozen…
Amazon
CNN
eBay
Facebook
GitHub
Google
The Internet Archive
LinkedIn
Reddit
Twitter
Quora
Wikipedia
Youtube
It isn’t surprising why many people picked out the above list as these sites allow the user to gain knowledge, information, history, entertainment, as well as communication through social media. Perhaps that is why the internet as its known was invented in the first place!
Some picks by others were found as interesting. A number of people chose Pornhub to get assess to, well…porn, SoundCloud for music, Dictionary to look up words, OkCupid (or related websites) for singles or singles for the moment to find one another for a relationship or for a “hook up”, Instagram, Netflix, and the list goes up and onward!
As stated, many of these picks were based on necessity and as something to have on hand, but isn’t something that would mean a life vs. death situation. After all, the above “hit list” were sites that’s been around for a while (some going back to the 1990’s), while others took a bit of time to become popular, if not to eventually become a way of life!
However, one can make up their own desert island list. It would be based upon the person whose going to that so-called desert island, wherever or however it may exist. Interestingly enough, very few folks listed travel based websites. Perhaps if one is going to be stuck on that island, where would one go? Then again, it all depends on the island of choice. Hawaii is a better location than, an atoll somewhere in the South Pacific. So much for the traveling part!
———————————————————————————————————————
NEWS AND REVIEWS
Theatre 40 of Beverly Hills presents Kate Henning’s THE LAST WIFE, a dramatic play that takes its focus upon Katherine Parr, who would become the sixth and final wife of King Henry VIII, the ruler of the British empire.
David Hunt Stafford plays King Henry VIII. Olivia Saccomanno portrays Katherine Parr. She’s a widow that came from well bread stock. She becomes through default the mother to Henry’s children from his previous wife consisting of elder daughter Bess (Lily Daugherty) who later in life would become Queen Elizabeth I, adolescent aged Mary (Nathalie Rudolph), who would be known as “Bloody Mary”, and eight year old Eddie (Andrew Grigorian), who would be next in line as heir to the royal throne, becoming King Edward VI. The play opens with Henry within the company of Katherine, who he would eventually marry. She has a role in running the British empire with the study of ships to use for war by the Navy, the empire’s strongest military force. When Henry goes off to war with France, she become Queen by default. She is rather intelligent and knows how to run a nation, even trusting Henry’s daughters to become involved in some method of rule. However, Katherine has a fling with nobleman Thomas Seymour (Caleb Slavens). This causes a possibility for Katherine to be charged with the crime of adultery, and have her head cut off by guillotine–the same death as a few of Henry’s previous wives faced.
This play by Kate Henning takes a number of actual episodes of the King of England’s final years (he would eventually die and making his son king at the age of nine) and places its emphases on Katherine Parr. What also makes this play rather unique that it’s not a “costume epic”. (Henry VIII ruled in the 16th century). Every cast member is donning 21st century-era clothing. Henry wears a blue business suit, and Katherine wears a gown. Some of the dialogue is also from the present day as well. However, the play still sticks to the personna of the 1500’s, meaning there is no electronic devices in use, only hardcover books as literature and to discuss trade and war ship statistics.
L. Flint Esquerra directs this show that moves in a well paced fashion, in spite of the fact that its running time is two hours and twenty minutes, including intermission. However, one will receive their money’s worth as this play shows the emotional strength of the women roles in terms of power and respect–something that was missing during this period of time.
Jeff Rack, Theatre 40’s residential set designer, creates a set that resembles a lavish contemporary palace that consists of blue-green marbled walls, situated within its center a “grand” staircase that only consists of a few steps. This method shows how a king’s castle can be in a world of now that doesn’t resemble anything from the tudor era. Many old-fashion steak houses sports such a decor. This set is anything but!
THE LAST WIFE is a play that has a lot going for it, keeping the look and feel of a post-modern period. (The king doesn’t wear a crown, either!) But even with his presence, you know who should really be in charge! Rue Britannia!
THE LAST WIFE, presented by Theatre 40 and performs at the Reuben Cordova Theatre, located within the campus of Beverly Hills High School, 241 South Moreno Drive (off little Santa Monica Blvd.) Beverly Hills, until February 18th. Showtimes are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights at 7:30 PM, and Sunday afternoons at 2:00 PM.
For ticket reservations or for more information, call (310) 364-0535, or via online at http://www.Theatre40.org
———————————————————————————————————————
Santa Monica’s Morgan-Wixon Theatre presents Ken Ludwig’s modern classic MOON OVER BUFFALO, a comic farce about a pair of thespians that has seen their better days working on the stage, and getting their last gasp chance for a much needed comeback–with the usual comic results!
It’s the summer of 1953, and performing at the Erlanger Theatre in Buffalo, New York are George and Charlotte Hay (Edwin Scheiberner and Wendy Way). They were in their prime a number of years before. Their career has since faded quite a bit, as well as their marriage. The two are performing within a touring company of a pair of plays; Cyrano de Bergerac and Private Lives, both playing in rep. Although George’s portrayal of Cyrano is just passable, he receives an important phone call that informs him that film director Frank Capra is seeking a couple to appear in his next feature, The Scarlet Pimpernel, and will be coming into town to view their performance! However, George tends to hit the sauce too many times, giving his performance as a picked affair. Adding to this mix is their daughter Rosalind aka “Roz” (Desiree Gillespie), Charlotte’s deaf-as-a-post mother Ethel (Rebecca Tudor), Paul (Eric Pierce), a fellow actor and Roz’s ex-boyfriend that still hangs around, Howard (Josh Breeding), Roz’s current fiancé and works as a local TV weatherman, Eileen (Haley Rade), a young actress who had a fling with George and is carrying his child, along with their attorney Richard (Jack Strong), this crew does what it takes to get their own acts in order, and might give George and Charlotte’s acting career (and marriage) one final shot of success!
This play by the master of post-modern stage farces Ken Ludwig, is a perfect example of a screwball comedy where charactors do and say outlandish things as an attempt be as normal, people running in and out of doors in some sence of hurry, along with a few mistaken identities thrown in for good measure! These humorous bits makes this play very funny for what it is. In this Mogan-Wixon version, the cast of eight keeps up with the fast pacing hijinks that this show demands, thanks to Michael Thomas-Visgar’s stage direction. Zach S. Johnson-Dunlap provides the costume design that is of the period (1950‘s) as well as providing the Cyrano “nose”, and William Sawyer’s set design features a number of doorways (to make quick entrances and exits), as well as the usual backstage objects one can find within a ragtag theater, such as photos of leading stars on its walls, various props from past unmentioned stage plays, as well as a few furnishings since there isn’t a lot of sitting still here!
It really doesn’t matter how many times one may have seen this show somewhere before as it just gets better over time! This is why MOON OVER BUFFALO is been hailed as a modern classic. A few stage pieces can’t even boast this fact!! But it still has to be seen at The Morgan-Wixson in order to prove itself right!
MOON OVER BUFFALO, presented by the Morgan-Wixson Theatre Guild, and performs at the Morgan-Wixson Theatre, 2627 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica, until February 14th. Showtimes are Friday and Saturday nights at 8:00 PM, and Sunday afternoons at 2:00 PM. A special talk back session where the cast and crew discuss their performing as well as taking questions from the audience, occurs after the presentations held on Friday, January 26th, and Sunday, February 4th.
For more information as well as ticket reservations, call (310) 828-7519 or via online at http://www.Morgan-Wixson.org.
———————————————————————————————————————
ACCESSIBLY LIVE OFF-LINE
is a presentation of Linear Cycle Productions
Details@AccessiblyLiveOffLine.com
AccessiblyLiveOffLine@gmail.com
Details@LinearCycleProductions.com
http://www.AccessiblyLiveOffLine.com
https://www.facebook.com/accessiblylive.offline
@AccessiblyLive (Twitter)
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEHxSllfDItpWh3z8vuUb_w
(Accessibly Live’s channel on YouTube)
http://www.LinearCycleProductions.com
#AccessiblyLiveOffLine
(Look for us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and see us on YouTube!)
ACCESSIBLY LIVE OFF-LINE (C) 2018 Linear Cycle Productions. All rights reserved. The views and opinions are those of the writers, and not necessarily of the staff and management. ‘Nuff said!
ACCESSIBLY LIVE OFF-LINE 