Featured++Events

The Tully Drama Club presented //__A Christmas Carol__// a few weekends ago. Needless to say, the show was a huge success! L. Shahan’s portrayal of Scrooge was magnificent. We all know the story. Scrooge is a huge Bah Humbug. He travels with three ghosts and when he returns, he is Mr. Nice Guy. Her transition from Mr. Miser to Mr. Thankful was refreshing, to say the least. Her talents as an actress are obvious and it is my belief she has great things ahead of her. She was supported by a strong cast, and together they made the show as realistic as an on-stage performance could be. The music was much better than expected. With B. Meixell on piano, the cast was in good hands. Aside from a few sour notes, everything sounded fine. He was supported by his assistant/sound effects advisor A. Estabrook who put a lot of work into all the random sounds you heard. Their concentration helped the cast feel at home on stage. Good work guys! The directors, Mr. and Mrs. Ralbovsky as well as their assistant J. Tabone did an amazing job with the acting and the set. Stage crew and sound/light board were also on top of their game. With just a few mistakes with lines, the cast did a commendable job and we look forward to the Drama Departments next production!
 * __A Christmas Carol__**

On December 16, 2007, the Tully Community for the Arts will be presenting their annual Sing-A-Long Messiah at the High School. Composed by Handel in 1742, it became on of his most famous Oratorios. How about a little history lesson? Handel was not having much success with his operas, so he decided to turn to the poor mans opera, or an oratorio. An oratorio is essentially an opera without staging, props, or costumes. Should you attend a performance of The Messiah, it would simply just be a chorus, 4 soloists, an orchestra and their conductor. (Note: Picture below) The story follows that of the Bible and focuses on what else, The Messiah. Here's a brief sum up, as found at http://gfhandel.org/messiah.htm.
 * __Sing a song of Messiah__**
 * I** (i) The prophecy of Salvation; (ii) the prophecy of the coming of Messiah and the question, despite (i), of what this may portend for the World; (iii) the prophecy of the Virgin Birth; (iv) the appearance of the Angels to the Shepherds; (v) Christ's redemptive miracles on earth.
 * II** (i) The redemptive sacrifice, the scourging and the agony on the cross; (ii) His sacrificial death, His passage through Hell and Resurrection; (iii) His Ascension; (iv) God discloses his identity in Heaven; (v) Whitsun, the gift of tongues, the beginning of evangelism; (vi) the world and its rulers reject the Gospel; (vii) God's triumph.
 * III** (i) The promise of bodily resurrection and redemption from Adam's fall; (ii) the Day of Judgement and general Resurrection; (iii) the victory over death and sin; (iv) the glorification of the Messianic victim.

Handel must have felt a stroke of genius, for he wrote they entire oratorio, all 3+ hours of it in 28 days. He was locked in his room, often refusing food to finish his work. The famous oratorio features the famous Hallelujah Chorus at the end of the 2nd part. For those familiar, it is well known that it is customary to stand during this piece. But why? Well, during a performance way back when, King George II suddenly stood up in the middle of the song. No one knows why, whether it was because he was moved by the music, the lyric "King of Kings" was thought to be about him, or he simply wanted to leave, but as custom back then, whatever the King did, so did the people. And stand they did. This tradition has since been fulfilled for every performance known to me.

Now what kind of person was Handel? He sounds like a genius, well groomed man, no? Well he was not. He was known for his enormous appetite. In an account by his servant, Handel once asked for 8 place settings at his table. The food was prepared and brought, and the servant noticed the company had not yet arrived. Upon asking who the company was, Handel responded with saying "I am the company!!" and used his talent of swearing in 7 languages to put the servant out so he could eat. Another well known fact about Handel is his temper. Before a performance of one of his operas, the lead soprano told Handel she refused to sing one of his arias. Ultimately, Handel convinced the young women to sing it. How did he do this? He picked her up, and hung her out of the 3rd story window by her feet until she agreed to sing. And sing she did. (Note: A picture of Handel can be seen below.) .

So, remember the date. December 16th, 2007 at the High school. Downbeat at 6:30 p.m. Featured soloists include fellow students Troy B, Erin R, Amy R, Lilly D, Marlee D, Ben M, and Jeff K as well as past student Joe R. Remaining solos have been split between adult figures in our community including