The Christmas Schooner (view product info) Sorry, your browser doesn't support Java(tm). "The Christmas Schooner is a moving, joyous celebration of the importance of tradition. Julie Shannon's richly melodic score, beautifully sung on this Songs from the Christmas Schooner CD is inspired—and that's a word I rarely use." - Sheldon Harnick The Christmas Schooner Book by John Reeger, Music & Lyrics by Julie Shannon, Directed by David Zak At Bailiwick Repertory through January 4, 2004 Excerpts from Tom Williams' review @Chicagocritic.com of the Bailiwick Repertory Theatre production of The Christmas Schooner: "Now in it's 9th season, the annual voyage of The Molly Doone as The Christmas Schooner sets sail into our hearts and our souls. It is a magnificent triumph, a work of art and first class theatre. **** "Bailiwick Repertory's production highlights fantastic choral singing with melodious harmonies and beautiful tones. Cynthia Stevens as music director and accompanist weaves the score with her terrific piano work. The cast is rich with fine acting as well as outstanding singing. Julie Shannon's wonderful lyrics in songs like 'We All Have Songs,' 'The Blessing of the Branch' and 'What Is It About the Water?' race right into you heart. John Reeger's book has fine story elements and an understanding of conflict facing immigrants concerning their ethnic traditions and establishing themselves as Americans. The play is honest without being laced with too much sentimentality.**** "Everyone in the ensemble sang their hearts out, and the numerous children in the audience were mesmerized with the show. I can't think of a better way to introduce musical theatre to children than this show. Later when they're taking their kids to see The Christmas Schooner, they'll tell them about the time in 2003 when they first witnessed the schooner's journey. Traditions get made with shows like The Christmas Schooner. Get your family to Bailiwick Repertory this holiday season. Highly Recommended - Tom Williams, November 29, 2003 " This heartwarming musical... reminds us... that life is precious and fragile as a glass ornament. Shannon's music is clear, strong, ... delicate... haunting [and] exuberant; it brings us on a journey as varied as the waters of Lake Michigan." - BACKSTAGE MAGAZINE "...a loving, lovely book, sparked with humor and graced with tender sentiment... a melodic score and stirring tale... a grand family tradition." - CHICAGO TRIBUNE " A marvelous musical... a perfect blend of story and song. Shannon's songs are beautiful, moving and melodious... There's also a good deal of humor. Absolutely recommended!" - Roy Leonard, WGN RADIO & TV "... refreshingly unsanctimonious a rare holiday treasure... a delightful blend of humorous and tragic songs... [This] touching slice of life [is] an inheritance to be treasured." - CHICAGO SUN-TIMES A 1996 "EDITOR'S CHOICE" - AMERICAN THEATER MAGAZINE Winner, 1996 "AFTER DARK AWARD" for "OUTSTANDING NEW YORK" Let's Fill Up the House with Stories and Songs Announcement by Parents' Choice of 1999 award (view product info) Sorry, your browser doesn't support Java(tm). " Teachers and performers Julie Shannon and Rives Collins infuse themes such as responsibility, diversity and uniqueness in their CD of songs and stories. Rives' storytelling is a little lengthy for a young audience but his delivery will keep them listening. The song "Who Knows the Story" asks children o identify various tales and is very appealing to little listeners. A 1999 Parents' Choice Approval." What is Parents' Choice? Founded in 1978, Parents' Choice is the nation's oldest not-for-profit evaluator of children's books, videos, toys, audios, software, television and magazines. The foundation's mission is to provide parents with information to participate wisely in their children's learning. Parents' Choice has long been viewed as the ultimate consumer guide to children's media for families who want to give their kids products that ignite imagination, stimulate creativity, and impart a body of knowledge, all the while being fun. Parents' Choice awardees have magic. They are selected only if they are fun for kids of various interests, achievements, ages, and backgrounds. The award-winning products captivate youngsters because they strike flint in their minds or laughter in their hearts. For a complete listing of the Spring 2000 Parents' Choice Award winners, please visit the Parents' Choice website: www.parents-choice.org. In conjunction with its media reviews and awards, Parents' Choice has initiated a number of children's literacy programs and projects, including Read to Achieve, Reading is Power, and What-Kids-Who-Don't-Like-To-Read-Like-To-Read, a booklist for reluctant readers. The foundation has donated more than 400,000 books, toys, computer programs, and videos to schools, libraries, and pediatric hospitals via corporate grants and the generosity of public-spirited volunteers. Top Let's Fill Up the House with Stories and Songs Amazon.com Customer Reviews (view product info) Sorry, your browser doesn't support Java(tm). A RARE GEM !, March 11, 2000 Reviewer: A music fan from Door County,Wisc. This CD is a delight! Full of "toe tapping" and hummable tunes and captivating stories. One of those rare CDs that both children and adults enjoy , so it's great for together-time at home or in the car. As a former college-level teacher of children"s literature, I especially appreciate the way the song "Who Knows the Name of the Story?" reinforces many of the classics. If you hear one that stumps you....it's time for a trip to the library or book store! This rare gem reminds us that learning can be fun and fun can be educational. Great songs, delightful & insightful stories, hearty laughs, December 14, 1999 Reviewer: A music fan from Seattle " This is the second album I've heard by noted storyteller Rives Collins and multi-award-winning songwriter Julie Shannon. (Their first album is "We All Have Songs, We All Have Stories" and our family adored it.) Whether at home or on car trips, we and our kids go nuts over Rives and Julie's work. Their songs and stories are wholesome, funsome, and then some! They so richly deserve the prestigious Parents' Choice Award this CD won. We find this material is perfect for children ages 4-10 and the adults who care about them--and that's us! Listen--your heart will thank you!" Our kids--and we-- hum along. It really grabs them & us !, October 10, 1999 Reviewer: motkeg@aol.com (see more about me) from Los Angeles " The Riddle Songs-- Who Knows The Name of the Story ? --got our kids totally animated & waiting for the time for them to come in on cue. The ingenuity of composition, along with keeping current with kids' interests, makes this material tops on our list. Try it--you WILL like it." Magical!, May 28, 1999 Reviewer: deckergirl@aol.com from Maryland " GREAT! FANTASTIC! Children and adults will sing along to the "Foot Stomping, Rockabilly, Ragtime too" music and will listen with anticipation to the stories being told. I have seen Julie and Rives perform live and their CD is the next best thing. You are transported. It is clear why their work is loved by children. "Let's Fill up the House" is a wonderful mix of stories and song. Children will ADORE IT! JUST DELIGHTFUL!:)." Top We All Have Songs, We All Have Stories in The Bulletin Storytelling Review, Vol. I (1999), prepared by the staff of The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (view product info) Sorry, your browser doesn't support Java(tm). " This is an impressive combination of stories and songs, and the original compositions by Julie Shannon have a bouncy, show?tune quality. Sung by Collins and Shannon with a chorus of talented children, songs include one in which children guess the names of well-known stories, an irreverent presentation of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," and a humorous plea for environmental conservation, in which every store and franchise has its place. In between the songs, Collins presents two personal stories: "The Diving Board" is about his daughter's first jump off the high diving board at the local pool; "Caitlin's Genealogy," a storyteller's welcome to his first child, is a poetic rendition of a family tree. Both stories, though specific to Collins' family, have an inherent, loving emotionality. The lengthy "Barney Peterson, Middle Kid," is a superb original tale about Barney, a child whose passion for dinosaurs drives everybody nuts until the magical night he helps save a dinosaur excavation site from destruction by developers. Underscored with Julie Shannon's exceptional improvisational piano, the stories are a happy combination of rib-tickling and heartstring-tugging. RECOMMENDED." " ...an impressive combination of stories and songs,...compositions by Julie Shannon have a bouncy, show-tune quality... humorous... poetic... loving emotionality... superb original tale ...underscored with Julie Shannon's exceptional improvisational piano... happy combination of rib-tickling and heartstring-tugging." " impressive... bouncy... humorous... poetic... loving... emotionality... superb... exceptional... happy combination of rib-tickling and heartstring-tugging." mm Top Sorry, your browser doesn't support Java(tm). The Musical Duo: Julie Shannon and Rives Collins (Composers of "We All Have Stories..." and "Let's Fill Up the House...") Sorry, your browser doesn't support Java(tm). " The real truth is that Shannon and Collins have some of the best tunes and tales..." - Nancy Maes, CHICAGO TRIBUNE "... high expectations are not only realized but transcended. Julie and Rives generate love and respect for young audiences and they respond in kind." - Barbara Garland Polikoff, Author, winner of Chicago's Carl Sandburg Award for Best Children's Book, l993 " Julie's songs are among the freshest and most honest I have heard in a long time. I hope you will enjoy her music as much as I do." - Conductor Mitch Miller (who launched the careers of Tony Bennett and hundreds of other entertainers) Rives' work is "creative, demanding, vibrant, and memorable...[He brings a rare] combination of enthusiasm..., thoughtful reflection..., brilliance..., compassion and warmth...." Tribute from Northwestern University on awarding Rives the coveted Charles Deering McCormick Professorship of Teaching Excellence "[A teller] of passionate conviction, Rives Collins exemplifies compelling storytelling." - CHICAGO TRIBUNE "[Julie Shannon writes] the kind of songs that play circles in the head, the sort of words that linger on the tongue like fine wine." - SUBURBAN TRIB (serving the Chicago suburbs) "Rives and Julie tell stories, play music, and sing so wonderfully, so infectiously, and so delightfully that you can't help but tap your toes and sing right long. I have never seen artists perform with such absolute joy in the performance, and I have never seen students and staff respond with such enthusiasm. What a rare gift they are!" - Anne Shimojima, Storyteller & Librarian, Braeside School, Highland Park, IL; co-producer, Wild Onion Storytelling Festival mm Top LMAMusic@aol.com Copyright © 2003-2004 Louisa May Alleycat Music. All rights reserved.