The Greatest Storyteller Finale!
The birth of theater goes all the way back to pre-history. Long
before the formation of early alphabets; long before the ancient
Greek sagas of Homer; long before Egyptian clay tablets or
Babylonian scrolls, people sat in the dark around a fire and told
stories to each other..
Inspired by this old Irish proverb, "Around the hearthstone every
night, a storyteller lives forever," Long Beach author/producer Mariana
Williams organized and produced a series of storytelling programs last
year at the Long Beach Playhouse.
Open to residents in the 562 area code, they occurred in the
Spring, Summer, and Winter before a packed house and a panel of
judges who chose two winners from each event. Sponsored by the
Belmont Music Studio, the Long Beach Playhouse, and the Grunion
Gazette, the experiment proved that story-telling is alive, kicking,
and continues to thrive in the 21st-century.
Then last Thursday, the former winners of each segment competed
against each other in "The Search for the Best Storyteller in Long
Beach." No one expected a sold-out, standing-room-only audience
just before New Year's Eve; but a crowd of people showed up,
stamping, shouting, whistling, applauding, and enjoying the show to
the hilt.
Although two of the contestants didn't arrive, extra icing was
on the cake thanks to two professional guest judges who entertained
the audience with their own wild and wooly stories. The
performances of songwriter Paul Williams, Oscar, Grammy & Hall of
Fame winner (who just happens to be Mariana's husband); and Alan
Kalter, announcer of "The Late Show with David Letterman" (who just
flew in from New York), were flat-out hysterical.
Then they joined fellow judges Harry Saltzgaver (executive
editor of Gazette Newspapers), Jonathan Schnack (president of Naples
Improvement Assoc.), and John Capito (owner of Belmont Music
Studios), who sat respectfully in the audience.
Each of the contestants came prepared to tell a personal tale
in six minutes. Competing to be top dog were Bobby Lux, Jared
Wilson, Jeanie Frias, and Hitoshi Horode. All of them delivered
heart-warming accounts that were unanimously well-received.
Bobby Lux told the round-about road that led him to be an
actor/poet/story-teller. It started when he flunked out of high
school sports, only to find himself as an extra in a production of
"South Pacific." By contrast, Jared Wilson delivered a dramatic
hip-hop riff on wallowing in every sin on earth, then being born
again through his wife's love and the grace of Jesus.
Jeanie Frias delighted the audience with her far-out story about
a bus stop accident that turned her into a self-described "crazy
lady." In spite of hitting her head, splitting her lip, injuring
her arm, and bleeding, she insisted on going to her art class.
But Hitoshi Horode stole the show. After all the ballots were
counted, Horode's performance/story about being a fearless young
surfer in Japan--a show-off novice who got caught by a rip-tide that
could have killed him--earned him his well-deserved title. It all
happened 14 years ago, but people are still talking about Horode's
legendary escapade, because he is "The Greatest Storyteller in
Long Beach."
BTW: After rounds of applause, a vote was taken and it's
unanimous. The storytelling events will return this year, so keep
your eye out for them. You won't be disappointed.