december 30, 2010 bucks county herald page c5 (25) … · december 30, 2010 bucks county herald...

December 30, 2010 Bucks County Herald Page C5 (25)

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On this day, the temperaturerefuses to budge above 31 and thewinds howling through the sur-rounding farmland blow colder still.

The farm’s rich soil surroundingColleen Attara’s three-room cottagestudio takes on the fallow look ofwinter, its steely color reminiscentof cold oatmeal. Yet inside the stu-

dio colorful flowers bloom andgreet me.

They grow inside her windowsand in her still-life paintings, somepopping out in three-dimensionalfashion, rendering a palpable energythat reaches out as if giving you ahug, or saying, “Hey, cheer up, youcan do it.” The bold, bright flowers

are part of Attara’s signature; anoth-er is that they are all created fromreplaced business signs.

For Attara is an eco, or “green,”artist, recycling old signs and win-dows and turning them into engag-ing works of art. To Attara, there areno such things as old windows orsigns; they’re just canvases waitingfor her creative spin – and their newlives as works of art to brighten uphomes or businesses.

Attara’s creative spin is not anidle bromide, however, for if youdelve deeper into her paintings –really smell her “roses” if you will –you’ll find intelligent and spellbind-ing stories, many directed at encour-agement or at the very least, a tran-quil and inviting abode where you’dlike to relax and hang out for awhile. As if in her painting, theflowers thought the green shag car-peting was grass and grew wildly,Attara opts for lower case in hertitles, saying, “they look gentler inlower case.” Reminiscent of aMatisse boudoir, the room invites usin with its many colors, shapes anddesigns.

Attara often includes words in herpaintings, such as in her painting“where I long to be.” A beach scene,the four tropical colored cabanas orhouses hold a sign, each with oneword over its door: “Relax,”“Ponder,” “Rest,” “Stay.”

“I painted it in the middle of win-ter,” she says, having pictured itwhole in her mind first. “I couldeven smell it before I painted it.Atmosphere is very important tome. Sounds, scents, light.”

She paints with music on (“usual-ly WXPN’s ‘Free at Noon,’ RufusWainwright, Regina Spektor orclassical”) and candles burning.

The three windows in the roomwe’re sitting in, the middle studio,sport mismatched curtains.“They’re all different,” she says.“They inspire me to do what I do ...colors ... come flying out of me.”Attara also finds inspiration fromher fellow artists in the Artists ofYardley, where she is a board mem-ber. Her studio sits across from thegroup’s art center in the JanneyHouse on Patterson Farm. Like hercurtains, the artists are all different,she says. “I’m constantly inspiredby them.”

For the most part Attara’s a self-taught artist, yet the seeds for herartistic creativity stem from child-hood. “According to my family, Iwas always creating – sewing, writ-ing, building, painting.”

It wasn’t until 2002, however,that she started working full-time asan artist. Pulling a card out from adrawer, she shows me a miniaturepainting she did at the time whilesitting at a table in her home withher young daughter.

“It all started with this button,”

she says, pointing to a rum-coloredwood button glued to the card. Thebutton became a vase for her hand-drawn flowers. From that one but-ton, she created an interior where acup of coffee sits, its steam rising inwisps of black lines, waiting to bepicked up. To the right, a handbagwaits in anticipation of shopping, itsdrawn outline filled in by a tinyswatch of green, wooly material.

Reusing things, she says, justcomes naturally to her. “It’s the onlyway I’ve ever painted. As an eco-artist, I use recycled material to cre-ate art. Keeping things out of thelandfills, reusing things: windows,doors, plastics, glass.” Plus, shesays, “I like the way paint looks onglass. It looks dreamy ... creamy.”(Attara is also a reverse glass paint-ing artist.)

Even the paints she uses — mis-take or “oops” paint from homeimprovement stores — are discardsfrom the shelves. Sometimes she’llsearch for days to find the right col-ors to use in a painting. Oftenthey’re colors that normally youwouldn’t think would go together,but somehow, Attara makes themwork, creating a symbiotic and hyp-notic harmony.

Attara’s work is on view at “TheArt of Recycling” exhibition at AMano Verde in Lambertville, N.J.,until Dec. 31.

Call 215-736-1911.dcercone1@verizon.net

Diana Cercone: Profile

Color blooms from Colleen Attara’s Yardley studio

"her paint spilled across the valley."

"the icing on the cake."

Millman and Dwyer: On stage

Promises made and promises brokenI am sure that when producers

sold shares to “Promises, Promises”they led with the idea that, with SeanHayes and Kristin Chenoweth in theleads of Chuck Baxter and FranKubelik, they had a sure thing.

Burt Bacharach songs are classic,and these two stars in the lead roleswill guarantee a return on theinvestor’s investments.

And indeed, next to a great storyline that was originally seen in BillyWilder’s "The Apartment" and over-all an excellent Burt Bacharachscore, the main reason to see thisrevival are the leads.

Chenoweth is her generation’sBernadette Peters. She is a quirkypetite, perpetually upbeat diva withan incredible voice. Hayes, as well,is a performer who I am more thanhappy to say is someone so incredi-bly talented that he could probablymake a routine out of reading thephone book.

Regardless of material, an audi-ence is going to be entertainedwatching either of these performersdo what they do best. Rob Ashfordas the director and choreographerhas allowed them to do that, and thathas created a most enjoyableevening for anyone who is luckyenough to catch this show.

All of the above is true and whatalso is true is it could have been bet-ter. The director could have madedifferent choices, could have pushedthe actors a bit more out of theircomfort zone and could have jetti-soned the additional songs that weretotally unnecessary to the plot andstuck out like a growth.

The song additions were not awise choice. All the other songsworked organically with the script,as well they should. They were writ-ten for the show and their lyrics andmelodies were references to the dia-logue and mood that preceded them.

This is not a piano bar or karaokenight where “I Say a Little Prayer forYou” must be sung nightly. “AHouse is not a Home” was sungmore appropriately in the televisionshow “Glee” where Chenowethagain pined for a man she could nothave. Let me hear these songs on aCD so I can enjoy the vocal perform-ance and that is it. Do not put themwilly nilly into a scripted showwhere they seem out of place.

The actors chosen for the leads areclose to right for their roles but notexactly. The story is about a bache-lor, Chuck Baxter, who works for abig insurance company,Consolidated Life. He is an officeworker with aspirations of being ajunior executive. He gets caught up

in renting out his apartment to hissuperiors so they can have steamyaffairs with their secretaries or who-ever without their wives finding out.

JD Sheldrake (Tony Goldwyn) isvice president of personnel andinsists on exclusive rights to theapartment. In the meantime, ChuckBaxter wants to have his ownromance with a waitress at the com-pany cafeteria, Fran Kubelik.

Kristin is too perky and she need-ed to lose the California blond look.She should have gone a little lessrosy cheek cheerleader.

Kubelick is a fascinating girl witha mood swing. There should be aneedy person under her smile andthat is something that never cameacross.

Sean Hayes has a great comicphysicality. He is reminiscent ofJerry Lewis whom he played in theCBS TV movie “Martin and Lewis,”where he received a Screen ActorsGuild nomination for that role.

I do wish that when he sang “SheLikes Basketball” that he did theoriginal staging. This is director RobAshford’s choice but JerryOhrbach’s original 1969 version wasmore believable and sincere and had

a better emotional build. Ashfordbrings in the chorus …. that songonly needs the actor to bring it home.

On the plus side, the Ashfordopening sequence with office work-ers on rolling desks and coat rackswas awesome. And I am not under40, so I do not use that word lightly.

There is a moment in the showwhere Chuck Baxter feeling totallyrejected picks up Marge MacDougalat a bar. This is a show stoppingmoment with a great song called “AFact Can Be a Beautiful Thing.”MacDougal’s is a plum role that haswon a Tony for both ladies whoplayed the role on Broadway,Marion Mercer in 1969 and KatieFinneran in 2010. When Finneranbecame pregnant, she was replacedby the delightful and equally unin-hibited free-spirit Molly Shannonfrom “Saturday Night Live.”

Though different choices couldhave been made or executed by thedirector, anyone who sees this showduring its run which closes Jan. 2,will be delighted by a wonderfulshow and cast ... and that is a prom-ise you can believe in.

“Promises, Promises” continues atThe Broadway Theater.

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Sean Hayes and Kristin Chenoweth star in “Promises, Promises.”.