Theatre L’Homme Dieu, 2024 (Part 1)

September 2

Since 1961 Theatre L’Homme Dieu (TLHD) has contributed to the vibrancy and allure of Alexandria and the Lakes Area by presenting exceptional theatre and entertainment. Theatre L’Homme Dieu produces and presents exceptional live theatre, fine arts and educational programming that celebrates culture and nurtures community, enriching the quality of life throughout Alexandria, the Lakes Area and Central Minnesota. ~ TLHD

June 15

Brass bands are all very well in their place – outdoors and several miles away. ~ Thomas Beecham

The signing of the Sex Pistols was a turning point for Virgin. It put the company on the map and, over the years, attracted bands such as Genesis, the Rolling Stones, Lenny Kravitz, and Janet Jackson. It also attracted Culture Club, who were ground-breaking. ~ Richard Branson

[The theatre, facing the stage . . . ]

My first manager was Gordon Mills, who I’d met right at the beginning. We shared a flat in London and traveled with rock bands doing one-nighters. Later, he became a songwriter and manager whose stable was Tom Jones, Gilbert O’Sullivan, and myself. ~ Engelbert Humperdinck

[The theatre, facing the audience . . . ]

England is a profoundly bizarre place that has produced thousands of bands the world has worshipped. ~ Gene Simmons

[The theatre’s executive and artistic director faces the audience . . . ]

The Stones were more dangerous than other bands of the Sixties. It looked like they had more fun than the Beatles – like they stayed up later. ~ Alex Lifeson

[The performers facing the audience . . . ]

Most people know we’re kind of one of the only bands around right now that will admit that we’re Republican. ~ M. Shadows

[The performers performing . . . ]

Whitesnake more than most rock bands would get a very significant percentage of women in the audience and those were the ones I’d hear the voices because from where I am on stage is a pretty good spot. ~ David Coverdale

I have been influenced by many different artists at many different stages of my life. Starting out, it was people like Elton John, Billy Joel, Ben Folds, and Fiona Apple. As I got older I got deeper into the work of bands like the Beatles, artists like Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, Etta James, and Joni Mitchell. ~ Sara Bareilles

My dad and mom were in bands: the Soda Jerks, Fat Time, Girls at Play – which is a play on Men at Work. ~ Sia

[Ruthie has a meet up after the show with one of stars. She happened to learn that like herself, and her sister, he is an alum of Indiana University . . . ]

June 25

I’m sure Sting’s a lovely guy. It’s just that nobody wants to be seen as that holier-than-thou thing. That over-earnestness is a bit of a problem with people in bands and celebrities or whatever. ~ Jarvis Cocker

[We missed this one as we were in St Cloud Hospital for a visit for Tom . . . ]

July 5

All I really wanted to do was make an album that was going to be just back to what I like to do… And it was a coincidence that these new bands, this new wave of bands, were doing Alice and Iggy rock. ~ Alice Cooper

It was a splendid summer morning and it seemed as if nothing could go wrong. ~ John Cheever

[Kiwanis Beach on Lake L’Homme Dieu, where the glitterati gather for Alexandria summers . . . ]

I have a total irreverence for anything connected with society except that which makes the roads safer, the beer stronger, the food cheaper and the old men and old women warmer in the winter and happier in the summer. ~ Brendan Behan

I definitely listened to country music. I don’t think I listened to hair bands as much as I did Bruce Springsteen and U2 and Aerosmith. ~ Julianne Hough

[On the theatre grounds for the outdoor concert . . . ]

If God came down here with the box that had the reason for living in it, I’d like to find just 2 words: The Music. That would be neat. ~ Garth Brooks

[To paraphrase Sam Cooke, I don’t know much about (or care for) country music. But everything I’ve heard about Garth Brooks’ personal life, I have to give him two thumbs up . . . ]

I believe that the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin are two of the greatest rock bands ever! ~ Jesse Ventura

[The theatre’s executive and artistic director faces the audience . . . ]

I think early on in my career, I was heavily inspired by bands like Throbbing Gristle and Test Dept, and films of David Lynch, for example, where the soundscape plays a very important role in the listening experience. ~ Trent Reznor

[As I recall (usually seldom), one of the musicians herein is the son of a retired Alexandria school teacher . . . ]

It’s funny how a chubby kid can just be having fun, and people call it entertainment! ~ Garth Brooks

Happiness isn’t getting what you want, it’s wanting what you got. ~ Garth Brooks

Just keep taking chances and having fun. ~ Garth Brooks

Life itself is the most wonderful fairy tale. ~ Hans Christian Andersen

[Another beautiful evening in Vacationland USA . . . ]

July 9

Before Rent, there was Tick, Tick… Boom!. This autobiographical musical by Jonathan Larson, the Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning composer of Rent, is the story of a composer and the sacrifices that he made to achieve his big break in theatre. Containing fourteen songs, ten characters, three actors and a band, Tick, Tick… Boom! takes you on the playwright/composer’s journey that led to a Broadway blockbuster. His girlfriend wants to get married and move out of the city, his best friend is making big bucks on Madison Avenue and, yet, Jon is still waiting on tables and trying to write the great American musical. Set in 1990, this compelling story of personal discovery is presented as a rock musical filled with instantly appealing melodies and a unique blend of musical theatre styles. Everyone will love this youthful, endearing and thoughtful piece, and will surely embrace the universal ideal of holding onto your dreams through life’s most difficult challenges. Tick, Tick… Boom! features a three-person cast showcasing strong pop/rock singers and allowing performers to make creative character choices. ~ Playbill

You have succeeded in life when all you really want is only what you really need. ~ Vernon Howard

A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives. ~ Jackie Robinson

Ships that pass in the night, and speak each other in passing, only a signal shown, and a distant voice in the darkness; So on the ocean of life, we pass and speak one another, only a look and a voice, then darkness again and a silence. ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

[The theatre’s executive and artistic director faces the audience . . . ]

Find ecstasy in life; the mere sense of living is joy enough. ~ Emily Dickinson

[The cast: Matt Riehl (as Jon), Suzie Juul (as Susan), and Phinehas Bynum (as Michael) . . . ]

You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life. ~ Victor Hugo

So it was out of necessity that Blackheart was born. I think it’s great that now, 25 years later, we’re not only putting out our own music, but are able to put out music by other bands. That’s really exciting for us. ~ Joan Jett

July 18

By all these lovely tokens September days are here, With summer’s best of weather And autumn’s best of cheer. ~ Helen Hunt Jackson

The sudden appearance of mushrooms after a summer rain is one of the more impressive spectacles of the plant world. ~ John Tyler Bonner

[Pre-performance fine dining at the Lure Lakebar on another Chamber of Commerce picture perfect weather day in the greater Alexandria Metropolitan Statistical Area . . . ]

Look, when I started out, mainstream culture was Sinatra, Perry Como, Andy Williams, Sound of Music. There was no fitting into it then and of course, there’s no fitting into it now. ~ Bob Dylan

[I notice our fine dining partners have obtained front row seats for the theatre . . . ]

The regular crowd shuffles in. ~ Billy Joel

[The audience stares down the stage . . . ]

Everything about Sinatra was good. He had the ability to pick great songs, and once Sinatra had sung them, that pretty much was it. He pretty much put his stamp on everything. ~ Willie Nelson

[The theatre’s executive and artistic director faces the audience . . . ]

Frank Sinatra took me to a whole new planet. I worked with him until he passed away in ’98. He left me his ring. I never take it off. Now, when I go to Sicily, I don’t need a passport. I just flash my ring. ~ Quincy Jones

[Andrew Walesch as Sinatra . . . ]

Sinatra had a lot of mood swings, but he was wonderful to my wife Barbara and to me. He made no bones about who he liked and who he loved, and he had this great charisma. When he walked into a room, it stopped. I’ve only seen that happen with Ronald Reagan. ~ Don Rickles

[The 7th inning stretch . . . ]

When Sinatra said, ‘For my money, Tony Bennett is the best singer I’ve ever heard,’ it changed my career completely. He was my best friend, and I was his best friend… but I was never part of the Rat Pack. ~ Tony Bennett

I’ve been fortunate that when Frank Sinatra was in concert, he would say, ‘Here’s a song by a wonderful young songwriter, Jimmy Webb,’ and I’d be in the front row and stand up. That gets people talking about you. ~ Jimmy Webb

Well, I met Frank Sinatra and Bob Dylan in the space of 15 minutes. Frank Sinatra kissed me on the lips. He kissed me on the lips. And then he gave me a filterless cigarette. And then I met Bob Dylan. I came off all lightheaded and had to go sit on his dressing-room steps. ~ Kate Moss

July 23

Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated. ~ Confucius

[We attended Opening Night! Jami babysat the cats while Ruthie and I were off to Camp Brosius, Indiana University’s Family Camp in Elkhart Lake, WI, the following week. While babysitting she thought enough of this production to see it two nights in a row . . . ]

Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them. ~ Dalai Lama

The truth is you don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow. Life is a crazy ride, and nothing is guaranteed. ~ Eminem

It was a splendid summer morning and it seemed as if nothing could go wrong. ~ John Cheever

Summer ends, and Autumn comes, and he who would have it otherwise would have high tide always and a full moon every night. ~ Hal Borland

We do not remember days, we remember moments. ~ Cesare Pavese

[The theatre’s executive and artistic director faces the audience . . . ]

Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them – that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like. ~ Lao Tzu

I dreamed I was a butterfly, flitting around in the sky; then I awoke. Now I wonder: Am I a man who dreamt of being a butterfly, or am I a butterfly dreaming that I am a man? ~ Zhuangzi

A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality. ~ Yoko Ono

Up Next: Part 2