Benicia resident Peter Bray gained some notoriety after one of his songs, “Laid Off American Man,” was mentioned in a column by Herb Caen. Bray wrote the song in 1994 after Bechtel fired him.

BENICIA >> It's been 20 years since Peter Bray left the corporate world with a song in his heart. It brought him fame.

Yes, the longtime Benician wrote and recorded a song after being fired from Bechtel. The title was “Dismissed American Man.” He sent a cassette copy to legendary San Francisco Chronicle gossip columnist Herb Caen, who reprinted the lyrics and called Bray “my hero today.”

“He gave me the top six inches of it,” said Bray, a cheerful handyman and Benicia poetry group regular.

There is more. Within a week, Bray said he received a postcard from noted upstate New York folk singer Pete Seeger that said, “I just read Herb Caen. How do I get a copy of your song?” I thought, “How cool!” “

Two weeks later, Bray received another message in the mail from Seeger requesting a second copy.

“I thought, 'Okay, he liked it, he'll send it to Arlo Guthrie, Arlo will record it and I'll be home free!' I'm rich and fat and famous!” “

Unfortunately, “it didn’t happen,” Bray chuckled. “It’s a great thing, but I fix toilets.”

Bray, 71, still loves poetry and songwriting. He's been at it for more than 40 years, filling pieces of paper – and later notebooks – with rhymes about his children and other things that piqued his interest. He still performs at open mics where he uses humor to connect with listeners.

“If you can get the whole room to shut up and become quiet because you really speak in a low voice and bring it up, you can get the whole crowd of 30 people to move with you,” Bray said. who has self-published three volumes of poetry since 1972. “And then when you add something funny and make the same 30 people laugh, that’s just a kick in the butt!”

A native of Walnut Creek, Bray earned a master's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley in 1966. He worked in the defense industry for several years, designing rockets, before setting up his own business as a design engineer and graphic illustrator. He eventually got a job at Bechtel in San Francisco, where he worked as a graphics manager. After 10 years, he was laid off as part of a major downsizing.

“So I wrote ‘Laid Off American Man,’” said Bray, who has been writing poetry since the early ’70s. The song begins like this: “I do windows, I do floors, I do hallways, I do doors, I do everything I can, I'm a laid off American man!”

“I had a cassette, I had a cover and I sent it to Herb Caen,” Bray said. “And about a week later, I called one of my designers (at Bechtel) after I left and said, ‘Hey, how’s it going?’ He said, ‘PR is on alert.’ I said, ‘What are you talking about ?” He said, “You didn't see Herb Caen this morning? You'd better.” So I went to Raley, got the Chronicle, opened it up and he typed up all my texts.”

The final verses read: “I was vice president in charge of BD, with a mission statement and a cell phone, a company watch and a company loan, I was vice president in charge of BD.” Now I'm a gardener in the promised land, all my tools are in a one man van, now I do windows, I do floors, I do hallways, I do doors, do everything I can, I'm a laid off American!”

Not everything Bray writes or performs is funny. “Weeping at Starbucks” conveys his pain in the hours after his daughter's death from Crohn's disease in February 2012. It begins: “After house coffee and apple sales and ten thousand words of condolence via email, cell phone.”, cards and letters, it runs to that “Crying at Starbucks while the quiet chatter and overheard music compete.”

What drives his creativity? “It’s therapeutic for me and entertaining,” Bray said. “And maybe…it’ll be helpful to someone else.”

Contact Tony Burchyns at 707-553-6831.

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Nicolas Dromard is having high-flying fun as Bert, the chimney sweep in the musical “Mary Poppins,” on stage at the Detroit Opera House through January 2nd. Photo by Joan Marcus

TV's “Supernanny” may correct bad behavior, but only a nanny adds magical powers and flying with an umbrella to her repertoire.

The musical “Mary Poppins” opened yesterday at the Detroit Opera House and promises to delight children and adults alike through January 2nd.

Directed by producer Cameron Mackintosh, the Disney musical is based on the fantasy book series by PL Travers and the 1964 film starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke.

The popular childhood story follows a magical nanny who works for the hapless family of a cold banker and features popular songs such as “A Spoonful of Sugar,” “Chim Chim Cher-ee,” “Step in Time” and “Supercalifraglisticexpialidocious.”

New songs by Olivier Award winners George Stiles and Anthony Drewe also grace the stage production.

The show premiered in London's West End in 2004, with a Broadway counterpart premiering two years later.

It received seven Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical and Best Scenic Design.

A national tour began in Chicago in March 2009.

Nicolas Dromard takes on the role of chimney sweep Bert after spending the last 1 1/2 years as Fiyero in the San Francisco production of “Wicked.”

His enthusiasm for the plum part was evident during a recent telephone interview at a tour stop in Des Moines, Iowa.

“It’s such an incredible show,” Dromard said. “Of all the shows I have done, this is my favorite. I love performing it every night.”

He believes the timeless message speaks to everyone and still resonates today.

“Kids connect with the Disney magic and adults connect because they remember the movie,” he said.

“The story about the father trying to reconnect with his children and the mother feeling like she's lost her purpose – that's very timely, even though it's set in the early 20th century.”

The national tour is not Dromard's first foray into the role.

He was part of the original Broadway cast and understudy Bert before taking over the role of Gavin Lee.

While he realizes his performance will inevitably draw comparisons to Van Dyke's iconic performance, he's not worried about whether he can keep up.

“How great to have such a role model,” he said of the star. “I don’t try to copy anything he does, but rather put my own spin on it while staying true to the character.”

Born in Ottawa, Dromard began dancing at the age of six after being inspired by a film starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

He studied music at De La Salle High School, a performing arts school in Ottawa, and participated in community theater and dance competitions in Canada and the United States.

After high school, he planned to study music in college, but while in New York City to compete in a dance competition finals, he auditioned for and booked “The Radio City Christmas Spectacular” in Branson, Missouri.

From there, his theater opportunities grew – “West Side Story” at the Stratford Festival in Canada, the North American premiere of “Mamma Mia,” “Oklahoma!” and “The Boy From Oz” on Broadway, “Hairspray” in Toronto, the first national Tour of “Wicked” and “Mary Poppins” on Broadway.

Dromard puts his talents to work in the role of the lovable Cockney Bert, taking the lead role in several songs, acting as narrator and dancing up a storm in the peppy number “Step in Time.”

“That’s my favorite number,” he said. “I get to knock upside down – how could you not like that?”

According to Dromard, new melodies, including Mary's introductory piece “Practically Perfect”, fit perfectly with the original numbers and flesh out the stories of the main characters.

“It's a perfect mix of favorite songs from the film and Travers' book and new songs that fit together so perfectly you'd think the entire score was written at the same time,” he said.

Bob Crowley's bizarre stage design provides a much-vaunted backdrop for the stage action.

“The tour set is incredible,” Dromard said. “We have a house that is more like a dollhouse or a pop-up book.

“It starts closed, then at the end of the show I come out and do a little intro and it comes to life.

“It is visually beautiful and amazes the mind.”

The magical world of “Mary Poppins” unfolds at the Detroit Opera House through January 2nd.

Tickets, starting at $25, are available at the Fisher Box Office, Ticketmaster locations, www.broadwayindetroit.com and by calling 1-800-982-2787.

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CARMEL — “Mary Poppins” arrived at Carmel’s Outdoor Forest Theater as a musical production opening Pacific Repertory Company’s 2022 season.

This production ranks among the most ambitious ever staged at the 112-year-old theatre, with giant movable sets and aerial performances by flying actors made possible by the 40-by-20-foot truss and tower rig supporting the aerial maneuvers. Our heroine descends, umbrella held high, floating onto center stage in the person of Malinda DeRouen, whose portrayal of the beloved nanny is as “practically perfect” as Poppins herself. She’s an impressive presence with a gorgeous voice and confident charm.

Los Angeles Actors’ Equity member Corey Wright, in the role of Bert the chimney sweep, also nears perfection, a model of charisma and physical suppleness bursting with musical theater talent. DeRouen and Wright make an ideal and enchanting pair in these roles.

The play is directed and choreographed by Lara Devlin with vocal direction by Janice Marotta-Perl.

Devlin has fashioned a Forest Theater masterpiece guiding the 50-member cast and crew in a vibrant, fast-paced production with terrific acting, singing and dancing by the principals and the ensemble. This adaptation of the children’s stories by PL Travers and the 1964 Disney film featuring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke containing classic songs such as “Let’s Go Fly a Kite,” “Chim Chim Cher-ee” and “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.” New songs and additional music and lyrics have been added to this stage version co-created by Disney and Cameron Macintosh. Dialogue by Oscar-winning Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes adds more panache to the musical.

The ensemble includes outstanding portrayals by Rob Devlin and Chrissy Brooks as George and Winifred Banks, whose misbehaving children, Michael and Jane, require the services of the nanny extraordinaire. Bright young actors Heidi Witten-Forsythe, Zoe Ushakoff, Caden Devlin and Daisy Pearl Ashby alternate performances as Michael and Jane. D. Scott McQuiston and Bri Slama amuse as the Banks family servants and Lyla Englehorn aces the terrifying Miss Andrews, the nanny, who sings the new number “Brimstone and Treacle” with searing effect. Katharine Andrade White sings the poignant “Bird Woman” song with DeRouen. James Brady makes a dandy gruff bank chairman, George Banks’ boss.

Patrick McEvoy’s impressive sets on wheels weave in and out of the story’s locations: rooms in the Banks’ residence, London streets and parks, Bert’s rooftops and George’s bank establishment. Numerous special effects add more scenic delight, among them Mary Poppins’ magic carpet bag out of which she draws a hat rack, a cup of tea, her umbrella and other unexpected items.

From attire changes of the ineffable Mary Poppins to the garb of park statues coming to life, the townsfolk, chimney sweeps, the Banks family and more, Ziona Goren’s costume designs add flair and fun to the show. Lighting designer Derek Duarte benefitted from the tower rig, to which he added banks of lights that deftly enhanced the visual elements as the story evolved. Tony Nocita’s sound design provided smooth orchestral accompaniment for the soloists and chorus, though some spoken dialogue was lost, particularly from the young actors.

“Mary Poppins” at the Forest Theater is a lovely outdoor setting. The show plays Thursdays through Sundays through Sept. 18. For tickets and information call 831-622-0100 or see www.pacrep.org for further information.

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CARMEL — “Mary Poppins” arrived at Carmel’s Outdoor Forest Theater as a musical production opening Pacific Repertory Company’s 2022 season.

This production ranks among the most ambitious ever staged at the 112-year-old theatre, with giant movable sets and aerial performances by flying actors made possible by the 40-by-20-foot truss and tower rig supporting the aerial maneuvers. Our heroine descends, umbrella held high, floating onto center stage in the person of Malinda DeRouen, whose portrayal of the beloved nanny is as “practically perfect” as Poppins herself. She’s an impressive presence with a gorgeous voice and confident charm.

Los Angeles Actors’ Equity member Corey Wright, in the role of Bert the chimney sweep, also nears perfection, a model of charisma and physical suppleness bursting with musical theater talent. DeRouen and Wright make an ideal and enchanting pair in these roles.

The play is directed and choreographed by Lara Devlin with vocal direction by Janice Marotta-Perl.

Devlin has fashioned a Forest Theater masterpiece guiding the 50-member cast and crew in a vibrant, fast-paced production with terrific acting, singing and dancing by the principals and the ensemble. This adaptation of the children’s stories by PL Travers and the 1964 Disney film featuring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke containing classic songs such as “Let’s Go Fly a Kite,” “Chim Chim Cher-ee” and “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.” New songs and additional music and lyrics have been added to this stage version co-created by Disney and Cameron Macintosh. Dialogue by Oscar-winning Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes adds more panache to the musical.

The ensemble includes outstanding portrayals by Rob Devlin and Chrissy Brooks as George and Winifred Banks, whose misbehaving children, Michael and Jane, require the services of the nanny extraordinaire. Bright young actors Heidi Witten-Forsythe, Zoe Ushakoff, Caden Devlin and Daisy Pearl Ashby alternate performances as Michael and Jane. D. Scott McQuiston and Bri Slama amuse as the Banks family servants and Lyla Englehorn aces the terrifying Miss Andrews, the nanny, who sings the new number “Brimstone and Treacle” with searing effect. Katharine Andrade White sings the poignant “Bird Woman” song with DeRouen. James Brady makes a dandy gruff bank chairman, George Banks’ boss.

Patrick McEvoy’s impressive sets on wheels weave in and out of the story’s locations: rooms in the Banks’ residence, London streets and parks, Bert’s rooftops and George’s bank establishment. Numerous special effects add more scenic delight, among them Mary Poppins’ magic carpet bag out of which she draws a hat rack, a cup of tea, her umbrella and other unexpected items.

From attire changes of the ineffable Mary Poppins to the garb of park statues coming to life, the townsfolk, chimney sweeps, the Banks family and more, Ziona Goren’s costume designs add flair and fun to the show. Lighting designer Derek Duarte benefitted from the tower rig, to which he added banks of lights that deftly enhanced the visual elements as the story evolved. Tony Nocita’s sound design provided smooth orchestral accompaniment for the soloists and chorus, though some spoken dialogue was lost, particularly from the young actors.

“Mary Poppins” at the Forest Theater is a lovely outdoor setting. The show plays Thursdays through Sundays through Sept. 18. For tickets and information call 831-622-0100 or see www.pacrep.org for further information.

The post ‘Mary Poppins’ has profitable touchdown in Carmel – Monterey Herald appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

MONTEREY – A fast-moving storm brought about a third of an inch of rain to the Monterey Peninsula from Monday night through Tuesday morning, not only bringing useful moisture to the area but also slowing morning commutes.

“It was a nice little system that happened quickly,” said David King, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Monterey office. “It made a number of showers from Sonoma County and San Francisco all the way down to Monterey County.”

While the storm tapped tropical moisture through an atmospheric river, it wasn’t as severe as last month’s storm, which brought gusts of winds in excess of 50 mph and rain in Monterey County, causing minor flooding and widespread power outages. The Monterey County’s regional fire protection district responded to a mudslide in the River Road area Tuesday morning, with the scars from the River Fire likely contributing to the mess.

The Monterey County regional fire protection district responded Tuesday to a mudslide along River Road south of Salinas. (Courtesy of the Monterey County Regional Fire Department)

“There were a few pulses that were a bit stronger, but mostly we just had nice little rain showers overnight,” said King.

Monterey Airport received 0.38 inches of rain from the storm while Salinas Airport received 0.52 inches of rain. Watsonville received 0.93 inches of rain. The weather service said the rain-shadow effect was fully effective, with much of the San Jose area and the southern Salinas Valley receiving less than 0.05 inches of rain. King said Big Sur and the Santa Lucia Range saw just under an inch of rain in most locations.

“I can’t really comment on the word ‘drought’ because it really is owned by the state, but what we can say is that the atmospheric flow that came in late October and the addition from it certainly add to the fire concerns to disperse. ” he said. “It really helped wet most of the fuel in Monterey County, so any kind of fire concern is incredibly, incredibly minor right now.”

Rainfall totals vary from normal but are close to 200% along much of the Monterey Peninsula and Upper Salinas Valley, King said, while warning that most rain usually falls later in the year.

“We beat that compared to the current average for what we’d expect by early November, and that’s because we usually get our rainfall after Thanksgiving,” he said. “January and February are the big months to get precipitation events. That is certainly a lot of precipitation very early in the year and we are happy to take it, we do not give it back, but we are only at the beginning (the rainy season). “

The forecast calls for the area to dry out for the remainder of the week, with sunny conditions and highs in the Monterey Peninsula in the mid-1960s and lows in the mid-1950s.

“We know we’re entering a slightly drier period,” said King. “We don’t expect too much rainfall before Thanksgiving.”

A muddy field between Castroville and Moss Landing on Tuesday morning. (Tom Wright – Monterey Herald)

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The weather service says rain is needed as winter is drier than normal

The mountains of La Plata and San Juan are bare on the southern slopes on Saturday, but Monday through Wednesday the mountains should be covered in snow as a weather system moves through the area. (Jerry McBride / Durango Herald)

A large amount of moisture from the Pacific Ocean, known as the “atmospheric river,” flows into southwest Colorado.

“Basically, it’s this heavy cloud of moisture that comes in from the Pacific,” said Erin Walter, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Grand Junction. “It’s like this continuous stream, almost like a jet, but in the form of moisture.”

Over the weekend, the atmospheric river dumped over 5 inches of rain in the San Francisco area, Walter said.

Most of the moisture from the storm system in California is drained over the Sierra Nevada and Great Basin, with southwest Colorado receiving the last bit of rainfall on Tuesday.

“We’re not going to see snowflakes like we did in the Sierra Nevada, but we’re going to see some precipitation,” said Walter.

Southwest Colorado has warm conditions that will be a big factor in how much rainfall the area falls, Walter said.

“We see higher amounts of snow on Tuesday morning, and then, when the system goes through, a little colder air will come in behind it,” said Walter.

A cloud of moisture known as the atmospheric river is moving across the states and will bring rain to southwest Colorado on Tuesday. (Jerry McBride / Durango Herald file)

Cities along US Highway 160 should expect about a quarter of an inch of rain on Tuesday, with some areas potentially seeing higher, localized rainfall of about half an inch.

“For Durango, Cortez, and Pagosa Springs, I would expect at least a quarter of an inch,” said Walter.

As for snow, Silverton is expected to get about an inch of powder in town, with about 5 to 20 inches in the higher elevations of the San Juan Mountains.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released its winter outlook for temperature, precipitation and drought on Thursday. This is the second year in a row La Niña, according to NOAA. The seasons of La Niña are caused by above-average sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific.

“The southwest is sure to remain a region of concern as we anticipate below-average rainfall with the drought continuing in most areas,” said Jon Gottschalck of NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center.

In southwest Colorado, temperatures are expected to be 40 to 50% higher than normal, rainfall 33 to 40% lower than normal, and drought conditions expected to worsen.

“Any moisture is definitely welcome,” said Walter.

njohnson@durangoherald.com

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Robert Schwentke’s devastating “The Captain”, a black and white widescreen film from World War II, is a diabolical variation on Nikolai Gogol’s classic “The Inspector General” from the 19th century.

Based on an astonishing true story of the “hangman of Emsland”, the film tells the story of Willi Herold (a great Max Hubacher), a very Aryan-looking, 19-year-old German soldier who pretends to be the captain of the air force in command of his three-axle service car, the two Weeks before the end of the war, gathered a gang of crazy Nazi murderers and wreaked havoc behind the lines. The real Willi, a chimney sweep by trade, was brought to justice by the British and guillotine executed after the war.

We meet Schwentke’s Willi for the first time when he is fleeing from other German soldiers who are chasing him and shooting him from an open truck, provided he’s a deserter. Willi hardly escapes, finds the company car with its uniform in a suitcase and puts it on, if only to warm up. But the impressively tailored garment soon takes over and transforms Willi into an officer with the commanding demeanor, voice and gestures of the Air Force elite. He even has a monocle.

Captain Herold and the diabolical gang he gathers enter a Nazi labor camp and pretend to be on a mission for the Furher himself to report on conditions behind the lines. After Herold and the other Nazi soldiers raised the bloodlust of one of the commanding officers and threw drunken dinner parties where starving prisoners provide entertainment and fighting breaks out and spreads across the premises, they execute most of the camp’s inmates.

“The Captain” is the story of a con man who leads a group of armed sociopaths in a reign of terror made possible by the pandemic that was sparked in the late stages of an evil war. It’s a cautionary story for these demagogic, saber-rattling times. While the Gogol touch is there, “The Captain” also suggests a feature film version of Francisco Goya’s “Los disastres de la guerra” from World War II. In one scene, Willis barbarians open fire on prisoners in a trench with an anti-aircraft gun and tear the victims to pieces. In another, Herold steps through a forest over a carpet of human skeletons.

That this grueling masquerade could ring so many artistic and psychological bells makes it all the more remarkable. The young Swiss actor Hubacher makes Willi’s transformation from a weak, frightened private man into an imperious, absolutely merciless “Captain Herold” absolutely credible. Frederick Lau is frighteningly memorable as one of Herald’s maniacs. Some later scenes play out like a dinner-theater version of Luchino Visconti’s “The Damned” (1969). But nothing that the writer and director Schwentke (“Allegiant”, “Red”, “RIPD”) has done indicates that he had such a great film as “The Captain” in him.

The fact that Schwentke, who was born in Stuttgart, used the seal of approval he had earned in Hollywood for this real World War II story with Florian Ballhaus-Linsen, would almost give hope if the film wasn’t so deeply dark and disturbing. The ending is very different from the real story. But it’s a fitting conclusion for the larger-than-life antihero. A parade during the credits suggests that Willi lives on in a colorful modern Germany and thus in all so-called civilizations of the West.

(“The Captain” contains extreme violence, cruelty and nudity).

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