Music of the Heart

Composer/librettist Ricky Ian Gordon discusses his new version of Orpheus & Euridice, inspired by the AIDS-related death of his partner

BY JONATHAN RIGGS

FRONTIERS: Your award-winning piece really gets reimagined.

RICKY IAN GORDON: Andreas Mitisek wanted to stage my Orpheus & Euridice at and in an Olympic swimming pool. It felt very exciting and novel to have the pool double for Earth, the River Styx, and the Underworld. I love that Long Beach Opera takes these kinds of risks.

Todd Palmer, the clarinetist, commissioned you to write the piece in 1995, but it was a struggle since your partner, Jeffrey Grossi, was dying from AIDS. How'd you break through?

I woke up at four in the morning and literally had a vision: I saw the Orpheus & Eurydice myth as telling my story. Todd would be Orpheus and the soprano would be the narrator and Euridice (with an “i” instead of a “y”). I sat down at the dining room table, hot with energy, and wrote the whole text.

The myth is about a musician who uses song to charm Hades into restoring his beloved dead wife. She can return with him to Earth, alive, if he doesn't look back on the way. Sadly, he does.

It's mythologizing what happened between me and my lover. It's such a tribute to Jeffrey. Really, in the end, so much work was born out of that particular pain, and joy, and love. I've written a companion piece called Green Sneakers. After Jeffery died, I was staring at his sneakers in the closet and I wrote 17 poems about the day we bought them. There's a line in Orpheus: “As she slept he wept bitterly and dearly growing more and more bereft as in increments she left.” When someone you love is dying of AIDS, every day something else about them dies. The idea that the musician has to literally go to hell and come back-it was such a primal piece for me.

Why should people check it out?

Todd is one of the greatest clarinetists alive. Elizabeth Futral is practically a movie star soprano-she's one of the most beautiful voices ever. I would like to think that I'm an important voice in the world of music. The story is heartbreaking, and beautiful, and universal, and mythological—and it's certainly adventurous to stage something in a swimming pool. It's a world premiere of a new version of the piece-an event worth leaving your house for! Unless Project Runway's on. Then I don't blame you!

Orpheus & Euridice plays February 17-19 at Belmont Plaza Olympic Pool, 4000 Olympic Plaza, Long Beach. For tickets, visit www.longbeachopera.org, or call 562/439-2580.

COMMUNITY

Like a Good Neighbor

John Wilson’s Neighbors Plus Insurance specializes in serving the Long Beach LGBT community

BY SYLVIA RODEMEYER

John Wilson had been plodding along in the high-stress world of insurance for twenty-two years before the commute and anonymity became too much to take. Having spent much of the last two decades living in Long Beach, he felt like he never got to connect with the city or community because of his dedication to his career. In 2005 Wilson decided to combine his talent in the insurance industry with his love of Long Beach and start Neighbors Plus Insurance Services, a comprehensive company that specializes in personal lines of insurance for cars, homes, motorcycles, and more.

Neighbors Plus Insurance Services is an independent agency located in Long Beach that offers competitive insurance products through reliable companies, including Mercury Insurance Group, Travelers Property Casualty, Drive Insurance from Progressive, and others. “I've lived in Long Beach for twenty years,” Wilson explains, “and it's so much nicer to work closer to home and be a part of the community—both the gay and lesbian community and the greater Long Beach community.”

Neighbors Plus Insurance Services, a “Pop and Pop” agency prides itself in offering a personalized touch. They’re open Monday through Friday, with Saturday hours by appointment. “We're available six days a week and will answer any question about services that anyone has.” Wilson says. “What it boils down to is that we want to be the go-to source in the community for all insurance needs, and by being local, available, friendly and knowledgeable, we hope to achieve that.”

Since its inception, Neighbors Plus has seen growth in a struggling economy. Wilson's partner Gene has since joined him in the business. “A lot of people are switching because we understand the specific circumstances in families and other situations.” Wilson says of his LGBT clients.

Neighbors Plus Insurance Services is located at 4195 Viking Way, Long Beach. For more information, visit www.neighborsplus.com, or call 562/627-1961.

SCENE

Play Times

The International City Theatre unveils its ’08 season

BY JAMIE WETHERBE

Long Beach’s International City Theatre recently announced its 2008 lineup including five contemporary plays by American writers, from Cabaret to The Grapes of Wrath. “Each of the plays reflects the American experience in some way,” notes ICT artistic director Shashin Desai. “Our season opener is Cabaret. I know, it’s set in Germany but it’s also the classic American musical.”

Cabaret, according to Desai, hasn’t been done professionally in Los Angeles for a decade, and ICT plans to stage things a bit differently. A section of the theater will be converted into the Kit Kat Club, where patrons can order drinks from actors playing waiters. “We’re doing it like it should be done, the way it’s done in New York,” says Desai, “and we are bombarded with requests to sit at the tables.”

If you can’t snag a seat at the Kit Kat Club, ICT is offering a new perk, the theater partners with nearby businesses offering patrons discounts at about 20 local restaurants. For $139, theatergoers can opt for the dinner package that includes a pair of tickets to ITC’s current production and a three-course dinner for two at The Sky Room or L’Opera, five-star restaurants located within a block of the theater. “People going out have money,” says Desai, “what they don’t have is time.”

During its 12 years as Long Beach’s resident professional theater, ICT has received almost 200 awards including the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle’s most prestigious honor, the Margaret Harford Award for Sustained Excellence in Theatre. “We’ve been very successful,” says Desai. “We’ve had wonderful artists who like to come and work with us.”

But Desai doesn’t measure success by awards alone. ICT’s community outreach programs have been hailed as some of SoCal’s finest. In addition to offering free shows (and sometimes transportation) to families, students, and seniors, ICT created a touring production of Pollution Solution!, an original musical that entertains and teaches kids about the environment, and PACT (Performing Arts & Classroom Teaching), a program in partnership with the Long Beach School District to increase classroom learning in and through the arts. “I’m very proud of [the programs],” says Desai. “Theater isn’t just about doing shows but reaching out to future generations – if you don’t have that, you don’t have anything.”

ICT’s plays for 2008 include:

Cabaret (Feb. 5 - March 9)

Park Your Car in Harvard (April 29 - May 25)

The Sweepers (June 10 - July 6)

Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune (Aug. 26 – Sept. 21)

The Grapes of Wrath (Oct. 14 – Nov. 9)

Tickets range from $32-$60. For more information and show times, visit www.ictlongbeach.org.

COMMUNITY BRIEFS

A taste of wine at Taste of Life

The 2nd annual Taste of Life wine-tasting event offers a chance to sample various wines and help HIV/AIDS patients who need emergency assistance paying their bills at the same time. “It's a relaxing afternoon where people get to socialize while sampling some nice wines,” says Gary Bowie, executive director of Long Beach AIDS Foundation, the event's sponsor. “The first one we did last May was so popular, now we're planning to do it two or three times a year.” Over a dozen wines will be poured, while proceeds benefit the AIDS Life Emergency Fund. A Taste of Life is Sunday, March 2 from 3-6 p.m. at Wine Crush, 3131 E. Broadway in Long Beach. For more information, visit www.lbaidsfoundation.org.

Coronation aboard the Queen

The Queen Mary will be overflowing with royalty as the new Emperor and Empress of Long Beach are crowned. Voting for the new monarchs is Saturday, Feb. 23 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Hot Java, 2101 E. Broadway in Long Beach. The winner will be announced at a special dinner ceremony show on Saturday, March 1 aboard the Queen Mary. It's all part of the weekend Coronation celebration, themed this year as “Hotties on Harley's.” “This is for everyone, leather, drag, boys, girls, gays, straights,” says the current reigning Empress Jacquelyn. For tickets, call 310/252-7068 or visit www.longbeachimperialcourt.org.

Fridays in the South Bay

Although the South Bay Center is “between homes” while a new office is sought, their weekly social events are still going strong. On Friday, Feb. 15, they'll meet at the AMC Rolling Hills Theater on Pacific Coast Highway at Crenshaw at 6:45 p.m. for their movie night, then gather afterwards at nearby Cupid's Hot Dog Crunch and Cream, 2599 Airport Drive in Torrance for coffee and conversation. And on Friday, Feb. 29, they're planning something unusual, but are mum about the details. “Not very often there is a fifth Friday in February, so we're doing something very special,” says South Bay Center director Dottie Wine. For more information, call 310/328-6550 or log onto www.southbaycenter.org.

Healthy alternatives

The popular Health Freedom Expo returns to Long Beach offering workshops, seminars, and demonstrations centering on alternative and natural methods of healing. Featured speakers are Kevin Trudeau, author of the bestselling Natural Cures “They” Don't Want You to Know About, actress Mariette Hartley discussing healthy aging, and actress Marilu Henner talking about healing foods and healthy eating. The expo also features hundreds of alternative and natural healthcare exhibitors' booths. The expo runs Feb. 22-24 at the Long Beach Convention Center, 300 Ocean Blvd. Tickets are $15 for individual days or $25 for the entire weekend. For more information, visit www.healthfreedomexpo.com/longbeach.