Sunday, April 22, 2012

Belle Prater's Boy: Novel Turned Musical!

We've just returned from a great weekend in Paris, VA. A monumental weekend, really. My dad, John Krumich, has been working for the last 6-7 years to write a musical on the Newberry Honor novel Belle Prater's Boy by Ruth White.

Yesterday we watched it staged as a reading of excerpts, with songs from the musical. Our hearts swelled as we listened to the beautiful music of SCORE (Strings Choral Orff & Recorder Ensemble - see previous post), and then heard, for the first time, the story and music of his musical.

It was an emotional day for everyone included, especially Dad, & Jim and I were thrilled to be a part of it! We are so proud of the work and sweat he's put into this project. It was yesterday that he finally got to see it come alive in front of an audience!
Jim, Dad, Mom, Willem, & Me
I sat with a steady (err... pretty steady) hand and flip-videoed the entire performance. I hope to show parts of it to my students because we read this novel earlier this year. They LOVED the book because they could relate to the rural, Appalachian town, and some could relate to the heartache and loss exhibited throughout the novel.

If you haven't read this novel, you should! It's beautifully written with solemn themes but it's livened-up by great story-telling and jokes, too. It's a classic.

We wish we could see the full reading this Saturday, but we'll look forward to hearing about it from afar. If you're in the Loudoun County area, check it out this weekend at Franklin Park Arts Center on Saturday!
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Health update: I had a doctor's appointment last week and we discovered that my INR was too low. I have an increased dose and I will go back for some lab work on Tuesday. The headaches are fairly light, though ever-present in the evenings. It's fairly strong right now. My neck pain is still present, too. Jim chauffeured me this weekend because I am still not supposed to drive long distances. Knitting still proves to be my therapy in the evenings :)

Our road trip to Maine is officially happening!

5 comments:

  1. Love that book, and can imagine it is amazing on stage! What a great experience. :)

    Glad your trip to Maine is still on. One of my favorite vacations was our trip to Acadia.

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    1. Shayne, we were just talking about you today! Jim was asking about your rain basins in the basement and I said that we should ask you in person sometime. I've been speaking about you and your house and showing him pictures, but he didn't realize we actually have a connection with you! One day... this summer, perhaps! :)

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  2. HI Kathe, Oh..I wish I could've been there too to see and hear the concert. When are you going to Maine? I think you just vacation in places that have Moose :))))

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    1. Haha! You may be right... the Virgin Islands didn't have moose, though ;)

      We are heading out on our anniversary, since Jim takes his boards on July 7th.

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  3. Thrilled beyond measure that you and Jim, and also Willem and Mom of course, could attend and share in this big moment for me. Love, Dad

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