Waterbury lost one of its greats this weekend. Carmine Capobianco lived his live to its fullest and left behind creative work that will help future historians understand Waterbury in 20th century. I consider myself very fortunate to have known him. He was a genuinely kind, warm-hearted person with a sense of humor that made the world a little brighter.
A couple of months ago, I happened to be checking out the Seven Angels Theatre website and was pleasantly surprised to see that Lou Diamond Phillips would be starring in the world premiere of his new play, Burning Desire, right here in Waterbury. Now, I'm not by any means a fangirl of actors. I don't get starstruck. But when I saw that Lou Diamond Phillips (who was so wonderful in La Bamba, Stand and Deliver, Young Guns, a guest appearance on Psych, and now on Longmire) was going to be performing here in Waterbury, at Seven Angels, I immediately bought tickets.
Jacques' Theater was a legendary downtown landmark during the first half of the 20th century. Jacques' (pronounced "Jake's") opened in 1886 on the corner of Abbott and Phoenix Avenues as Jacques' Opera House. It began as a premiere theater; by the 1940s it had become a burlesque theater. The building was demolished in the 1950s.
The theater was established and managed by Eugene "Jean" Jacques
(1855-1905),
who was born in Plymouth but grew up in Waterbury. His father, John J.
Jacques, was a physician and pharmacist who operated a drug store
downstairs in their apartment building on the Green, near Exchange
Place. Jean worked in his father's drug store for years before
launching himself into the theater business.
Here are some photos from Friday night's performance of Shakespeare's Richard III in Library Park by Shakesperience Productions. The weather cooled off nicely, and there was a very pleasant breeze. The performance was great, with a very powerful ending.
There will be another performance Saturday at 8 p.m. and a final performance Sunday at 2 p.m. If you like theater, or Shakespeare, or just want to try something new, go see it.
Shakesperience will also be performing The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe at 10 a.m. Sunday.
Nat Angstrom as Richard III
Before going to see Richard III, I went to a special book discussion at Barnes & Noble. Shakesperience's Artistic Director, Emily Mattina, and author Joan Szechtman discussed Richard III: Fact vs. Fiction, which was perfect as a lead-in to seeing the performance.
Justine Whittemore Chase (born in 1906) was a daughter of Waterbury's Frederick Starkweather Chase and Elsie Rowland Chase--the same Chase family that founded and owned Chase Brass & Copper. Fred Chase and his large family lived at 165 Grove Street with eight servants (as listed in the 1910 and 1920 Census Records). The family also had a home overlooking Lake Quassapaug in Middlebury. A portrait of Justine's sister, Frederika, is at the Mattatuck Museum.
A few years ago, I picked up a memoir Justine Chase published in 1988, A World Remembered, at John Bale Books. Many of the illustrations were paintings by her mother, Elsie Rowland Chase. It's a lovely little book, with a very nice blurb by May Sarton, one of my favorite authors, on the back cover.
Justine Chase, from the little I can glean (mostly from the book's dust jacket), had a fascinating life. Her poetry was published in the Atlantic Monthly, she collaborated on several plays, and held leading roles in several Broadway plays including Kind Lady. When that play was produced as a film starring Basil Rathbone, Chase appeared as his wife Ada.
Justine Chase as Ada, in Kind Lady (1935)
The movie can be watched on YouTube, broken into nine segments. Chase first appears about seven minutes into the third segment (embedded below), playing the supposedly ailing wife of Rathbone's con artist role.
Shakesperience Productions is performing Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest at their new home on Bank Street (in the former M.A. Green building). Last night's show was great -- and sold out. There are three more shows next weekend, Friday & Saturday at 7:30pm and Sunday at 2pm.
One of Waterbury's native celebrities is Rosalind Russell (1907-1976), who grew up on Willow Street and later went on to star in great movies including His Girl Friday (with Cary Grant) and Auntie Mame. Her last visit to Waterbury, for the premiere of her film The Girl Rush, ended with the catastrophic flood of 1955.
The Silas Bronson Library will be hosting a celebration of her 100th birthday on Monday, June 4 at 7pm. Mayor Jarjura will make a proclamation about "Rosalind Russell Day"; there will be a book talk & signing by Bernard F. Dick, author of recent publication Forever Mame: The Life of Rosalind Russell; and birthday cake.
Shakesperience Productions' Second Annual Shakespeare in the Park. Picnic on the lawn with the timeless tale of love, action, and family feud, Romeo and Juliet. Resident artists join with actors in our community to bring this classic work to life.
