Steven Helmer Publications

  I didn't make it to opening night, both because I was still getting over being sick and because my wife and I are taking turns rather than try to attend every performance, but I made it to our local community theater and watched my daughter in Radium Girls . Even if she wasn't in it, it is a play I would recommend. This is a powerful play that tells the true story of a group of young women who developed a variety of health issues while using radium to paint watches. Covering a period of several years, from the time they began experiencing symptoms through their fight for both compensation and an admission of guilt from their former employer, the play had me tearing up multiple times throughout. And, if you know me, you know that doesn't happen often. My daughter has been in several plays. This one is arguably the most memorable one and now I am going to need to take the time to watch the 2018 movie.

Synopsis: Marie's godfather gives her a nutcracker during a Christmas Eve party and her brother promptly breaks it. After the party, she falls asleep with the nutcracker and dream her Nutcracker is really a prince and, after saving her from rats, transports her to his kingdom, where another party is being held. You can read my review here:  https://wizzley.com/movie-review-the-nutcracker-1993/

The one that talks about how exhausting a child's extra curricular activities can be. My oldest daughter had her annual ice show this weekend (four 3-hour long shows in 3 days) and, while fun, it was a lot of work. As I joked with one of the other parents as we put away tables after the last show yesterday, my daughter is the figure skater but I was getting as much exercise as her. The show, Rapunzel's Story, did prove to be a big hit. There were some snags early on, such as the music cutting out at inopportune times (though, to their credit, the skaters kept skating as though it was still playing), a few other minor malfunctions and competition from prom, but we pulled together and made it work. I think the most memorable thing for me had to be my daughter's unintentional comic relief during the Saturday night show. She was supposed to sneak out during a scene change and hide out of sight until she made a surprise appearance a couple scenes later. They forgot to call...