The power of a smile

Finale of "Wonderland" featuring Dance Theater West students (Photo: Harrison Hurwitz)

I remember seeing lots of smiles when my young daughters (now in college) trained at Dance Theater West — on the faces of students, parents and teachers. Even their teen dancers, who always struck me as more collaborative than competitive. It’s something too often taken for granted or undervalued by parents who consider dance a solely individual enterprise in which having perfect technique is all that truly matters.

In reality, very few of the little girls and boys who study dance go on to careers in anything even remotely related. Long after the finer points of leaps and turns once mastered fade away, the person who executed them is still there. As are memories of experiences both in the studio and backstage. So watch for smiles as you’re looking for summer dance programs for your children — considering the intangibles being modeled and taught.

I smiled after learning that the Summer Dance 2012 program at Dance Theater West includes three musical theater workshops, remembering my daughter Jennifer’s final performance for one of their workshops with a “Les Miserables” theme. This year’s themes are “Chicago” (June 11-5), “Mary Poppins” (June 18-22) and “South Pacific” (June 25-29).

Kendall Brauer, Zebrina Tull and Emily Byler making DTW proud during the recent Scottsdale Arts Festival (Photo: Karen Travis)

These musical theater workshops include ballet, character dance, tap, jazz, singing, sign language and acting for ages 10 through teens. Workshops meet Mon-Thurs (10am-2:30pm) and times for Thurs/Fri performances are TBA. Each workshop is $200 (a $25 deposit is required with registration).

A ballet intensive for ages 11 through teens who’ve had at least two years ballet training takes place June 4-8 with an “Aladdin” theme. It features classical, lyrical, character and pointe (optional). The ballet intensive meets Mon-Thurs 10am-2:30pm — and there’ll be a final performance on Friday. The cost is $200 and a $25 deposit is required.

Dance Theater West also offers several summer dance options for children ages six to nine,” including “Kids on Broadway” — which features songs from kid-friendly musicals including “Annie,”  “Oliver,” “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” and more. This baby meets June 4-8 from 10am to noon with a final performance at 11am on Fri, June 8. The cost is $125.

“Once Opon a Mattress” for the ages six to nine set includes musical numbers from a Broadway musical based on the tale of “The Princess and the Pea.” Dance inspired by peas sounds a lot more fun than actually eating the darn things. This session takes place June 11-15 from 10am to noon, and the final performance is scheduled for 11am on Fri, June 15. It’s also $125.

“Creating a Musical” for ages six to nine takes place June 18-22 from 10am to noon. After each child picks a favorite musical, they’ll create a collective revue featuring monologues inspired by each musical’s history or fun facts — and participants will get to try their hand at group choreography. This session takes place June 18-22 from 10am to noon, with a final performance at 11am on Fri, June 22. Yup, this puppy is $125 too.

I suppose I should mention a final reason to smile here. While your little darlings are off dancing, you can enjoy a few of your own creative pursuits.

— Lynn

Note: Aftercare from noon-2pm is available for dancers in the 10am-noon sessions for six to nine year olds. It’s $15/day or $50 for all four days. Fans of “Once Upon a Mattress” will be pleased to learn that it’s being performed this month by Starlight Community Theater in North Phoenix.

Coming up: Justice tales, Art meets women’s wellness, Dance classes for grown-ups, Playing in the dirt

Update: This post has been corrected to reflect the fact that Karen Travis does not, in fact, leap about in a pink tutu and funky socks. — 4/2/12

Madcap musings

Madcap Theaters located in Centerpoint on Mill in Tempe

“Geeks’ Night Out” comes to Tempe this week as the Arizona SCITECH Festival meets “Third Thursdays” in Tempe’s Mill Avenue District — and the fine folks at Madcap Theaters host an Allied Paranormal Investigations team who’ll be “showing the equipment they use in researching potential hauntings.”

MADCAP's mission is providing affordable community-based performance space

Other “Geeks’ Night Out” happenings, taking place at various Tempe locations, feature everything from robotics to astronomy — plus a pop culture trivia competition. Think “Star Wars” vs. “Star Trek.” Folks can dress up like their favorite inventor or don the geek version of business attire for a tech job fair.

Harry Potter meets musical theater at Madcap Theaters in Tempe this month

A little something called “It’s a Musical Showcase” comes to Madcap Theaters for just two shows next weekend. It was conceived and created by a pair of ASU theatre majors, and it features fare you’ll have a hard time finding elsewhere — including a work from “A Very Potter Musical.”

“It’s a Musical Showcase” includes 14 songs, but only the first of two acts is dubbed “family friendly” so parents concerned about such things can opt for having the kids leave at intermission. Featured shows include “Chicago,” “Rent,” “Once Upon a Mattress,” “Wicked,” “Spring Awakening,” “The Little Mermaid,” “Avenue Q,” “Moulin Rouge” and more.

This view of Madcap's snack bar demonstrates that perception is everything

A digital arts festival called “PLAY” comes to Madcap Theaters next month thanks to UrbanSTEW. The festival “celebrates the union of art and technology” — and this year’s theme is “disability perception.” It’ll feature music, dance, activities and exhibits exploring human limits and abilities. Special guests include Crossing 32nd Street, Dulce Dance Company and ASU’s laptop orchestra.

There's plenty of artwork to enjoy in and around Madcap Theaters in Tempe

Temple Grandin, Ph.D., a professor of animal science at Colorado State University best known to most for her advocacy on behalf of those living with autism, comes to Madcap Theaters in March for an Autism Society of Greater Phoenix event that also features Dianne Craft, M.A., CNHP, of Child Diagnostics in Denver.

Three large rabbit sculptures surround a pond near Madcap Theaters

Grandin is a proponent of neurodiversity, the author of many works (including “Animals Make Us Human” and “Animals in Translation” with co-author Catherine Johnson) and the subject of a semi-biographical film (“Temple Grandin”) starring Claire Danes that was released by HBO Films in 2010.

Mellow Mushroom near Madcap Theaters is full of art ala skateboards

Those who favor venues with diverse “off the beaten path” offerings have a friend in Madcap Theaters. A geeky friend, perhaps. But a friend nonetheless. Learn more about upcoming events, included those noted above, by visiting Madcap Theaters at www.madcaptheaters.com.

— Lynn

Note: Click here for details about the Autism Society of Greater Phoenix 13th Annual Autism/Asperger’s Conference, and here to explore Mellow Mushroom offerings.

Coming up: A trio of Tempe galleries, Hands-on history

Artists fight hunger

I had good company while driving to Tucson on Tuesday for day one of this year’s Arizona Library Association conference with an “Imagine: The Future” theme. The E Street Radio channel on Sirius XM was airing a program highlighting “Hungerthon 2011” — which asks us all to “Imagine There’s No Hunger,” then work together to make it so.

The Hungerthon is part of WhyHunger’s campaign to end hunger and poverty through grassroots advocacy and action. WhyHunger was started by talk show host Bill Ayres and singer-songwriter Harry Chapin, and its programs include “Artists Against Hunger and Poverty.” Participating artists include Chicago, Santana, Springsteen and many more.

Younger, lesser-known artists have been doing their part right here in Arizona, painting bowls for something called the “Empty Bowls Project,” an international effort to end hunger. Their work will be part of Thursday’s Empty Bowls event at Scottsdale Community College — located at 9000 E. Chaparral Rd. just east of Hwy. 101.

SCC notes that Empty Bowls began in 1990 when a high school art teacher in Michigan and his students brainstormed fundraising ideas to support a local food drive. They decided to sell hand-painted bowls filled with soup — hoping the bowls, once emptied, would serves as reminders of those not fortunate enough to have full bowls or bellies.

Folks who attend the free gathering, taking place Dec. 1 from 11am-6pm, can buy a hand-painted bowl, filled with pasta prepared by SCC culinary arts students, for just $10.00. Or skip the carbs, and go big on just the bowls — which are great for taking along to all those holiday gift exchanges where you want to have something affordable but priceless.

I’m told you’ll have about 4oo bowls to choose from, created by children from Vista del Camino’s after-school program, Paiute Neighborhood Center’s after-school program, Horizon Community Center, Greenway Middle School and Fees Middle School. Also local Girl Scouts, plus teachers and students from the Scottsdale Unified School District.  

Proceeds from Thursday’s event — a collaboration between SCC and Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, Vista del Camino Community Center, the Paiute Neighborhood Center, Concerned Citizens for Community Health and the Scottsdale Unified School District — will “help restock the shelves at Vista del Camino’s Food Bank, a community organization that responds to numerous requests each year for emergency services of food, clothing and shelter.”

Art. Pasta. Easy holiday shopping. Making a difference. Life is good. 

— Lynn

Note: The SCC Jazz Band will play jazz standards as the event kicks off at 11am in the school cafeteria, located near the center of campus — and folks who attend early can also enjoy a silent auction for “higher end bowls” that’ll be awarded at 1pm. Only cash or checks will be accepted, but there is an ATM machine on campus.

Coming up: Gingerbread tales

Update: This post was updated to include photos taken during this year’s event — which runs until 6pm on Dec. 1. I bought the peace sign bowl pictured above, plus a heart theme bowl created by a Via del Camino teen named Amie who loves to cook. And I’m hoping I was the top bidder on a kokopelli bowl featured in the silent auction.

A tale of Times Square

On 9/11, it was Broadway performers who filled Times Square in NYC

The media has been flooding viewers with images of a recent mass demonstration in New York City’s Times Square — dubbed the world’s most visited tourist attraction. It was the site of an “Occupy Wall Street” march last Saturday night, which thousands of people attended.

I had plans that evening to meet my daughter at the Gershwin Theatre in the city’s famous theater district — home to all things wonderful and adored by Broadway fans. We had tickets to see the musical “Wicked” with fellow parent/student pairings from Pace University.

Mamma Mia! meets Priscilla Queen of the Desert in Times Square

I was already in the area exploring sites my husband recommended — the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building of the New York Public Library and the Morgan Library & Museum. I walked up Madison Avenue to 42nd street, then cut across to the theater.

I suspect this Mamma Mia! man wants to be a firefighter when he grows up

I could tell something was up because various police vehicles in my path were mobilizing and heading towards Times Square. My daughter discovered the protestors as she exited the Times Square subway station, and began to worry she wouldn’t make it to the theater on time.

The Godspell gang sang in Times Square for Broadway Unites on 9/11

Though she beat the curtain time for “Wicked,” a show we’ve previously enjoyed at ASU Gammage in Tempe, others weren’t so lucky — trickling in during the first half an hour of the show. I’m assuming it’s not a typical occurence along the “Great White Way.”

I like to see Times Square filled with folks from The Book of Mormom

The event reminded me that Lizabeth took a lot of pictures last month at a 9/11 commemoration in Times Square called “Broadway Unites.” As the world is watching for images of protests in places like Times Square, it seems the perfect time to remind folks of other gatherings that have taken place there.

Kara DioGuardi of Chicago poses with FDNYers attending Broadway Unites 2011

If you’re planning a trip to NYC, visit the Times Square Alliance online to learn about current offerings and events. Those of you who can’t get to New York for Broadway shows can enjoy touring productions at ASU Gammage, Mesa Arts Center and the Orpheum Theater in Phoenix.

More Times Square fun with folks from Priscilla Queen of the Desert

Fans of “Wicked” will be thrilled to know that the musical returns to ASU Gammage early next year (tickets go on sale at 10am on Mon, Nov. 28). Theater League presents “The Wizard of Oz” in the Valley this December, and true fans of the classic L. Frank Baum story will want to enjoy both shows.

Protestors are popping up all over the place these days, but remember as you’re planning travel to NYC that Times Square is more than just a site for periodic protests. It’s home to shows that amaze and bedazzle — and some of the finest entertainment our great country has to offer the world.

— Lynn

Coming up: Reviews of “Wicked” and “Billy Elliot The Musical” on Broadway

Tony Award winners heading to Scottsdale

Sometimes good news is bittersweet. I’m thrilled with the line-up of Broadway talent coming the the Valley during the 2011/12 season, but lamenting the loss of my best theater buddy. My 17-year-old daughter Lizabeth graduated Thursday night from Arizona School for the Arts in Phoenix, and heads to NYC this fall to start B.F.A. in acting studies.

I suppose it heralds a new stage in a relationship forged largely through our shared love of theater. I’ll be attending Valley theater events on my own, and she’ll be enjoying live theater on Broadway and throughout the region. Hopefully she’ll find time to call home now and then so we can swap stories.

Bebe Newerth has Tony Awards for her performances in Chicago and Sweet Charity

I’ll have plenty of Tony Award® winning powerhouses to take my mind off missing Lizabeth — Bebe Neuwirth, Tyne Daly, Patti LuPone, Jane Krakowski. Though it’s unlikely even their performances will never top my memories of watching Lizabeth perform in her final ASA Showcase at the Orpheum — where she and fellow theater students rocked “21 Guns” from “American Idiot” and did a twisted take on “Little Red Riding Hood” proud.

We’ve been enjoying art exhibits and live performances together at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts for as long as I can remember. Dance recitals. Outdoor symphony concerts. And most recently, an evening with Broadway legend Betty Buckley and Seth Rudetsky.

We were thrilled to see Kristin Chenoweth during her ARTrageous performance at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, though disappointed we’d missed her latte run to the local Starbucks. ARTrageous 2011, titled “An Evening on Broadway,” stars Marvin Hamlisch, Linda Eder and J. Mark McVey.

ARTrageous takes place Sat, Dec. 3 — making tickets or an evening of music together the perfect holiday gift. Choose the VIP ticket option if you’d also like to enjoy cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, dinner and an apres-concert desert reception — as well as local entertainment and a silent auction — to benefit the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts and the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art.

Hamlisch has not only a Tony Award®, but also three Oscars, four Emmys, four Grammys and three Golden Globes. When last Lizabeth was asked to write about a composer whose work she admired, Hamlisch was the logical choice. His music for “A Chorus Line” was recognized with a Pulitzer Prize, and we adore it.

Eder is a versatile vocalist who elevates everything she sings, from Broadway and jazz to country and pop. Her newest CD, titled “Now,” couples Eder’s artistry with that of Broadway and pop composer Frank Wildhorn. McVey made his Broadway debut as Jean Valjean in “Les Miserables” after his touring performance earned the Helen Hayes Award for “Outstanding Actor.”

Ben Vereen brings his musical autobiography to Scottsdale in November

Broadway fans should take note of at least two other offerings from the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts 2011/12 season. Tony Award® winner Ben Vereen performs a “musical autobiography” of his life titled “Steppin’ Out” on Sat, Nov 19. And the Tues, Dec 6 “Keyboard Conversations”® with Jeffrey Siegel (think concert plus commentary) features a “Gershwin and Friends” theme. (Check out the “Keyboard in the Sky”™ while Siegel tickles the ivories.)

I’d live on Broadway if they’d let me. I’d love to pop in and out of all sorts of theaters, and sneak occasional peaks at the daughter who’ll be honing her own acting craft just a few blocks away. But something tells me Lizabeth won’t be missing the theater together time nearly as much as me. And that’s as it should be.

— Lynn

Note: Click here to read a companion post featuring news of a new exhibit at the Scottsdale Civic Center Library — and related events that’ll up the exhibit’s fun factor.

Coming up: From Sondheim to South Park

Musings on “Billy Elliot”

A boy, a chair and an irrepressible need to dance (Daniel Russell as Billy Elliot, Photo by Kyle Froman)

There’s a scene near the end of the musical “Billy Elliot” — when Billy stands alone on stage holding his simple blue suitcase — that’ll always remind me of a very special night spent with my daughter Lizabeth.

In just a few months, she’ll be the one holding the suitcase, saying her goodbyes and leaving behind her hometown to follow her dreams in another city — possibly even NYC.

We saw “Billy Elliot” together Wednesday night, as her deadline to choose a college theater program loomed. It might have seemed an altogether different show any other night.

But that night, it felt full of messages meant for one particular mother and daughter who know their everyday time together is coming to an end.

For a young woman faced with multiple paths, all leading to different variations on a theme: the future. And all with no roadmap in sight.

Early in the musical, life feels pretty black and white for Billy and his family. But Billy discovers dance. His dad discovers Billy. And a community discovers a rainbow of greys.

“Billy Elliot” comes close to being one of my favorite pieces of musical theater — falling short in part because of uneven pacing and staging that feels unnecessarily complicated at times.

Lizabeth and I agree that the music is a bit hit and miss. Our favorites are those you may be most familiar with — including “Once We Were Kings,” “Solidarity” and “Electricity.” “Dear Billy,” during its second incarnation, made both of us weep.

There’s plenty of dancing for ballet and tap fans, much of it delivered by tiny packages of power and pizzazz.

Scenes that couple the dancing of a young Billy (Daniel Russell the evening we attended) with his older, future self (Maximilien A. Baud, who has danced with Ballet Arizona) are particularly poignant — and beautiful to watch.

Those who see “Billy Elliot” will promptly get their politics, puppetry and pirouette fix. All served up with a heavy dose of teen angst and midlife musings. Plus a barrel of belly laughs — and a bit of cross-dressing.

Were it not for lots of language unsuitable for young children, I’d have to put “Billy Elliot” right up there with “Annie” at the top of the list for shows most likely to make kids fall in love with not just watching musical theater, but performing it as well.

I’d have worried, when my children were less than 12 or so, about exposing them to some of the language (and one particular gesture) in this show. Lizabeth missed her first opportunity to see a touring production of “Chicago” for just that reason.

But today I’d favor a different decision. Because, as Billy discovers when sent on an errand at a local dance studio, children don’t always know they love something unless given the opportunity to see it. 

For me, the sheer joy of watching young cast members dance forgives a whole lot of “piss off” type material. I may have to see the show again just so I can spend more time watching Billy. (Lizabeth is already planning to take her dad.)

I was rather captivated, my first time around, by the tiniest pig-tailed girl in the show — Cassidy Hagel (“Ballet Girl”). And Griffin Birney (“Michael”) is beyond-belief-funny.

Still, it was another child who really tugged at my heart Wednesday night. I hope she knows how terribly proud I am of her, wherever she decides to follow her dreams.

— Lynn

Note: “Billy Elliot” is being performed at ASU Gammage in Tempe through May 8. Click here for show and ticket information.

Coming up: Jennifer’s marching orders

Easter bonnets, Broadway style

As Easter Sunday drew to a close last weekend, it suddently dawned on me. For the first time since we’ve had children, there were no Easter baskets at our house.

We’ve long celebrated Easter as more of a cultural tradition than a religious observance, so bunnies and baskets are the mainstay of our celebration.

I suggested to my husband James a few years ago that it might be time to let the baskets go. All three kids were in high school and college — so they knew not to wait up for the bunny to magically appear.

But he wasn’t ready to give up the tradition. I suspect his affection for chocolate was to blame, or perhaps it was his hesitance to admit that our children weren’t really children anymore.

Oddly enough, I found myself missing those Easter baskets on Monday. Even wondering how Christmas might be different once our youngest heads to college in the fall.

But then I heard about the “Easter Bonnet Competition” — a 25-year-old tradition that “celebrates and concludes six intensive weeks of fundraising by the theatre community benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.”

I’m starting to question my decision last Saturday to actually get on that plane from the East Coast back to Arizona. Were Lizabeth and I still near NYC, I’d be hopping over to the Minskoff Theatre for Monday or Tuesday night’s “Easter Bonnet” event.

This year’s “Easter Bonnet Competition” features “more than a dozen companies of Broadway, Off-Broadway and touring productions offering skits, songs and dances, as well as bonnets created specially for the event.”

The celebration features a cast including “many of the season’s biggest Broadway performers.” Those scheduled to appear include Robin Williams, Judith Light, Dan Lauria, Christie Brinkley, John Leguizamo, Heidi Blickenstaff, Roger Rees, Josh Gad, Andrew Rannells, Jose Llana, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Jayne Houdyshell, Maxwell Caulfield, Ron Kunene and Tshidi Mayne.

Think “Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo,” “Lombardi,” “Chicago,” “Ghetto Klown,” “The Addams Family,” “The Book of Mormon,” Wonderland,” “Good People,” The Importance of Being Earnest,” “Cactus Flower,” and “The Lion King.”

You get extra points if you can match the actors to their respective shows, although the only prize I might have to offer is a cracked or crushed chocolate bunny from the half-price bin up at the local drug store.

You can click here to check your answers. Or here to see highlights of last year’s competition. Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS reports that “the previous 24 competitions have raised more than $42 million.” Makes me wonder if we need to suggest a similar event for Congress.

Tuesday night’s performance will honor select actors with “top fundraising” and “best presentation” awards. Awards are being presented by Harvey Fierstein (“La Cage aux Folles”), Sutton Foster (“Anything Goes”) and Daniel Radcliffe (“How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying”).

For those of you who missed the memo, consider this a gentle reminder that we can all stop calling Radcliffe “Harry Potter” now. And you can drop the “Equus” wand jokes too. Better to tastefully applaud Doris Eaton Travis — an original Ziegfeld Girl who died last year at the age of 106.

Several productions, including “Billy Elliot,” are scheduled to perform and present their own fabulous takes on the Easter bonnet. I’m big on “Billy” this week because the touring production opens Tuesday night, April 26, at ASU Gammage in Tempe.

Also “The Addams Family,” “Avenue Q,” “Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo,” “Chicago,” “Freud’s Last Session,” “La Cage aux Folles,” “The Lion King,” “Mamma Mia!,” “The Phantom of the Opera” and “Priscilla Queen of the Desert.”

Others taking part include the national tours of “Les Miserables,” “The Lion King,” and “Wicked” — all shows we’ve enjoyed at ASU Gammage in recent years. Those who’ve missed it on previous tours can watch for “Wicked” to return to Tempe Feb 15-March 11, 2012.

Valley families eager to see the school edition of “Les Mis” can head to Peoria for the Creative Stages Youth Theatre production running through April 30. The new 25th anniversary production of “Les Miserables” comes to ASU Gammage June 7-12, 2012.

Folks attending the 2011 “Easter Bonnet Competition” in NYC will also experience the work of “Dancers Responding to AIDS” and “R.Evolucion Latina.”

I’ll be glued to the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS website later this week in search of photos of the 2011 event and news of dollars raised in the ongoing effort to beat AIDS.

But first, I’m off to hit the clearance bins in search of hollow chocolate bunnies and fluffy marshmallow chicks. I just hope James hasn’t beat me to it.

— Lynn

Coming up: More new season announcements

The “Jersey Girls” tour

Lizabeth enjoyed seeing the musical “Jersey Boys” on Broadway earlier this year while visiting NYC with her dad. By day they checked out college and conservatory programs. By night they sought the perfect balance of plays, musicals and Italian food.

Last weekend, it was my turn to travel. But we didn’t hit NYC. Instead I headed with my daughter to New Jersey, home to Fairleigh Dickinson University — where Lizabeth has been accepted into the musical theater program.

While there, Lizabeth sat in on an accounting class — which I think she enjoyed more than most math classes she’s been a part of. And we toured an exhibition of student art that I’ll be featuring in an upcoming post.

Before making the trip, I knew very little about the state. Except that it gave birth to rockers Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi, and a couple of reality TV shows — “Jersey Shore” and “The Real Housewives of New Jersey.”

I’ve seen their governor giving animated versions of conservative talking points on TV, but I wasn’t so impressed when I tried to drive on New Jersey roads — many full of potholes, low on lighting and lacking lane lines. (“Infrastructure” is not a dirty word.)

We’d have seen a lot more of New Jersey if we hadn’t been met at nearly every intersection with a “No Left Turn or U-Turn” sign. Especially since “please make the next legal U-turn” was a favorite command of the GPS in our rental car.

We spent a lot of time driving through small towns in and around the Borough of Florham Park, home to one of FDU’s two New Jersey campuses. Much of our time was spent in Madison, where we found a delightful book store, vintage clothing shop, cupcake bakery and toy store.

Lizabeth loves roaming the aisles of educational toy stores — where she finds all sorts of things that remind her of bygone childhood days. I marveled when she pointed to a stacking toy and recounted her difficulty in sequencing the colored rings correctly as a child, something I didn’t notice at the time.

Our other Jersey finds included small museums, amazing thin crust pizza, a Shakespeare theater and signs for streets with names like “Dickens” and “Abby Road.” At times, it seemed like every street was named for another destination, leading us to joke about our “world tour” through New Jersey.

We saw plenty of freeway signs pointing the way to NYC and other points of interest, but exercised remarkable self control in ignoring each and every one of them. Instead, we admired the state’s magnificent blossoming trees, birds with brightly-colored breasts and charming rows of closely-spaced homes.

I got my NYC fix at our hotel one night, watching a Charlie Rose interview on PBS. It featured cast and creative team members of the new Broadway play titled “Bengal Tiger at the Bahgdad Zoo” — including playwright Rajiv Joseph, director Moises Kaufman and actor Robin Williams.

If Lizabeth ends up choosing a school on the East Coast, we’ll have plenty to explore in New York, New Jersey and places beyond. Maybe we should pitch a cable network about starting a new reality series called “Real Museums of New Jersey.”

They’ve got some impressive offerings — including the “American Hungarian Museum” in Teaneck, the “Center for Latino Arts & Culture” in New Brunswick, the “Edison National Historic Sight” in West Orange and the “Museum of Early Trades and Crafts” in Madison.

Also the “Meadowlands Museum” in Rutherford, the “Walt Whitman House” in Camden and the “Grounds for Sculpture” in Hamilton. The latter sells jewelry by local artisans in its “Toad Hall Shop” (unlike “Toad Hall” at Scottsdale Community College, which offers school tours centered on desert habitats and wildlife).

Half the fun of having a daughter on the East Coast would be traveling to get there. I don’t hold up terribly well with long flights, little sleep and lousy coffee, but I can take the pain if I can just figure out how to schedule Chicago layovers lengthy enough to allow for visits to Chicago’s many theaters and museums.

Our trip to New Jersey ended with a stop to refill the gas tank in our rental car — where a nozzle gone awry soaked me in the flammable liquid, which made for fun times cleaning up in one of those tiny airport bathrooms with sinks that dispense weak trickles of water for just five seconds at a time.

Picture a “Real Housewife of Arizona” struggling to wash the gasoline out of her clothing, hair and a single shoe while mothers with small children try their best to fathom what they’re witnessing.

I must have done a decent job, because I made my first trip through airport security without any extra screening — realizing soon thereafter that one of my favorite earrings now lives in a bathroom sink in Newark.

As our plane from Chicago to Phoenix made its descent, Lizabeth eagerly pointed out some of our favorite Tempe haunts. Harkins Theatres at Tempe Marketplace. Tempe Center for the Arts. ASU Gammage. Even the “In & Out Burger” we’d craved while eating at “Five Guys” in New Jersey.

In the end, whatever Lizabeth’s college decision, we’ll always have great memories of our own quirky “Jersey Girls” tour. Still, I hope she’ll never lose that “it’s good to be home again” feeling.

— Lynn

Note: Click here to learn more about New Jersey museums and here for information on other tourist attractions.

Coming up: A “Bad Hair Day” in New Jersey

Chicago envy?

I spent an evening in Chicago once — if a trip to and from the airport and a concert venue counts. It was many years ago, and I made the journey with my youngest daughter after a foiled attempt to meet the Jonas Brothers during a Phoenix meet and greet.

The Phoenix concert venue erred in getting us the wristbands and details needed to attend the Phoenix meet and greet, an opportunity Lizabeth won through a contest sponsored by one of her favorite stores. So we tried again in Chicago, but fared no better.

I’ll spare you the details, although I have Chicago on the brain this weekend because Lizabeth, now a 17-year-old high school senior, is there visiting one of her top three college/conservatory choices — and seeing the play “God of Carnage.”

This poster (from All Posters) features a Richard Cummins photograph of the Chicago Theatre

When I think Chicago, I think museums. I think deep-dish pizza. I think Barack Obama. I think cutting-edge theater, and plenty of it. And sometimes I even get “Chicago envy” — wishing Phoenix had the same wealth of diverse theater options.

But I enjoyed a bit of an attitude adjustment Friday when I read some thoughts sent via e-mail by Tom Tiding, writer and sole performer in the 2011 Phoenix Fringe Festival piece titled “Twisted: Greeting Card Moments Gone Bad.”

“I chose to debut ‘Twisted’ in Phoenix,” wrote Tiding, “partly because there’s such a can-do attitude in Arizona.” Then he added the following:

“Phoenix has this fantastic growing arts scene where it just feels like anything is possible. When I began researching the arts scene in Phoenix, I was blown away by the diversity of people’s experiences– I started reading your posts, and it’s just like a breath of fresh air. It’s so inclusive and positive.”

“I’ve got long-time friends in Arizona,” wrote Tiding, “so I know the past few years have been tough, but I think that can-do attitude is what will get everyone through the tough economic times and some of the divisions that go with that.”

I think I’d like this fellow even if he didn’t have such fine taste in blog posts. Seems he grew up in a family that always made homemade greeting cards for each other. “Mine,” he quips, “tended to be on the more sarcastic side.”

After seeing his cards displayed at an art exhibit, Tiding got requests from folks who wanted to buy them. Once retailers got ahold of the cards, they started asking Tiding how he ‘got so twisted.’ Tiding began sharing “snippets on the true stories behind the cards” — and the play “Twisted” was born.

There’s nothing like uncovering evidence to support one’s own convictions. So when Tiding shared the following, I felt vindicated in my advocacy for a crayon in every corner: “My family always made sure we had something we could draw or write with,” he wrote. “Mostly because it was cheaper and they didn’t have any money.”

Tiding, who nowadays works with a D.C.-based group called “Speakeasy,” includes plenty of family anecdotes during his “Twisted” piece. So those of you not whizzing off to Chicago for a show next weekend needn’t worry that you’re missing cutting-edge performance art.

Trust me when I tell you that his family is anything but typical. And that the only thing Chicago has on Phoenix when the Phoenix Fringe Festival comes around each year is the perfect pie.

— Lynn

Note: Twisted Tidings is “a greeting card company for people who want to throw up when they read greeting cards.” You can enjoy Tiding’s twisted theatrical performance April 8-10 at Modified Arts (as part of the 2011 Phoenix Fringe Festival).

Coming up: Another cool artist who crafts poetic e-mails

Art meets egghead

Now you can enjoy great art in museums, books and online exhibitions

I’ve been meaning for some time to explore a bit of the new Google “Art Project” that allows visitors to tour various museums and enjoy close-ups of more than 1,000 artworks.

This morning I fired up my laptop to discover the Google logo decked out in sculpture by Romanian artist Constantin Brancusi (1876-1957), considered by many a father of modern art.

The first thing I noticed was the egg-shaped appearance of some of the works — an observation that surely betrays my lack of sophistication in this realm of the art world. But, hey — we all have to start somewhere.

I’ve toured several of the world’s great museums, including those of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. My favorites include the British Museum in London and the Louvre in Paris.

For museums not featured in the Google Art Project, there are always books and airplane tickets

Though I can’t tour them anew using Google’s “Art Project,” I can “visit” two other museums high on my list of favorites — including the Uffizi Gallery in Florence (one of my favorite European cities) and the Museum of Modern Art in NYC.

You don’t even want to know my reaction to learning while my husband was back East with Lizabeth recently that they’d made it one day to the NYC M & M factory but not the MoMA. (I calmed a bit, but only a bit, after he explained that only one of the two is open on Mondays.)

If I kept a “bucket list,” it would likely include touring the many art museums of Chicago, plus museums in several regions of California from Los Angeles to San Francisco.

I’m also ever so eager to tour the National Museum of the American Indian and the Newseum in D.C. — home to another personal favorite, the United States Holocaust Memorial and Museum.

The Google Art Project features museums in America and abroad

Google’s “Art Project” features museums in several cities (sometimes more than one museum in a single city) — including Amsterdam, Berlin, London, Madrid, St. Petersburg and others.

Visitors to the Google “Art Project” are met with two immediate choices — viewing artwork or exploring a museum.

The “create an artwork collection” feature allows folks to create personalized online collections complete with comments, and to share their collections with others.

While I’d rather Valley families explore our local museums, youth theaters and other performing arts venues during the long President’s Day weekend — I have to admit that the Google “Art Project” makes for a mighty fine “plan B” for those who prefer to sit out the rainstorms.

— Lynn

Note: Click here to learn more about The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA — and here to learn about our very own Phoenix Art Museum

Coming up: Classic tales (and tails) come to Scottsdale theaters