LAFAVE LIVES!

posted by James Reel

    Ever wonder what happened to former Arizona Daily Star music critic Ken LaFave? Well, he's had all sorts of professional adventures hither and yon, but right now he's out on his own, trying to make a living mainly as a composer. (He still writes words, too; he's responsible for the good preview of The Threepenny Opera in today's Star.) If you'd like to hear some of Ken's latest music, and you're inclined to drive up to Tempe to do so, you can catch his concerto for electric guitar and wind ensemble at ASU this weekend, and an opera inspired by the painting American Gothic at ASU next weekend. For details, check my article in the East Valley (formerly Mesa) Tribune.

IN MEMORIAM

posted by James Reel

    The latest Tucson Weekly includes my rather harsh review of Top Hat Theatre Club’s DOA production of Murder at the Vicarage:

James Mitchell Gooden runs the theater; he has directed this production, and plays a major role on stage. Gooden is not directly the problem, except insofar as he may be stretching himself too thin, and unwisely mounting shows too big to be supported by the available talent pool. He's trying to build an ensemble, but he hasn't yet recruited enough seasoned actors to populate a 13-character play, and he shouldn't be charging full admission for us to observe his training program.

    I’d also like to draw your attention to something more serious, a series of little tributes to my friend and colleague Chris Limberis, who died of leukemia last Saturday. Limbo, as we called him, was a tenacious reporter and, despite his modesty, a real character. The finest of the tributes, moving in its heartfelt simplicity and its ability to tell you everything you need to know in just a few words, comes (as expected) from Renée Downing:

    I knew him only by name when I finally got myself introduced to him. Famous Chris Limberis turned out to be lovely company. He was sweet and cheerful and funny, with beautiful, self-effacing manners, an encyclopedic knowledge of everything Tucson and a bottomless, spitting contempt for corruption and stupidity. Chris was proudly Greek, devoutly religious and deeply kind. He was also a fierce, old-school reporter who never let go, even when he felt like hell. That was probably most of the time for the last few years.
    Here's how dear Chris was: He once sent me a thank-you note for a get-well card.
     I will miss him terribly. Tucson will miss him, without ever realizing what it lost.