Harried Potter

I had a few laughs trying to figure out the chemistry of the three musicians I was watching on the Hooker-Dunham stage Saturday night. Two of them, the fiddler Calum Pasqua and the piper Dan Houghton were young guys whose demeanor on stage was pretty self-contained. They didn't show a lot of emotion, they didn't move about, they just played, brilliantly. In between songs, Houghton told a good yarn, but when the song was on, he was pretty serious.
Then there was their partner, veteran keyboardist and accordionist Susie Petrov, who beamed at her young bandmates like a proud mother, was quite animated while playing, and was just generally effusive and unrestrained.

I wondered what their life was like on the road ... the two guys trying to sneak out sheepishly for a smoke or a pint, and Petrov, the maternal one, scolding them, teasing them, reminding them to take their mittens or scraves or whatever.

That probably couldn't be farther from the truth. Their chemistry was unusual, to say the least, but it hardly mattered. The playing was beautiful, and as Hooker-Dunham manager and Twilight Music man Barry Stockwell said, it was "the real deal." The three, who don't have a band name, played traditional Scottish songs, jigs and reels, many sung in Gaelic, and it was authentic and wonderful to hear.

Since I was a little boy, the sound of bagpipes has cut through me to some deep part of my soul, scorched me right to my primal core. I do have some Scottish blood. Houghton was a wonder on the pipes - a virtuosic soloist - and the sound was thrilling. Pasqua is one of the best young fiddle players I've heard, with a marvelously full sound and an expressive touch. Petrov's playing, like her demeanor on stage, was supportive and sensitive and reflected a deep love of the music and her fellow players.

All that, and a full house at the Hooker-Dunham added up to one pleasant evening, with a few laughs afterward with a good scotch in hand.

One of Brattleboro's hidden arts gems is The Loft.

Directed by Todd Roach, who is one of the real good guys in our local arts scene, The Loft specializes in presenting musicians who meld influences from other musical cultures with more familiar Western styles. Roach reaches around the globe to bring performers whose music reflects Latin, Asian, Caribbean, African, Indian and many other influences, with a particular emphasis on percussion. It's a nice addition to our local arts scene.

This Friday, On Ensemble will be performing there at 8 p.m., and it looks like a concert that shouldn't be missed. On Ensemble blends Japanese drums with turntable, Western drum kit, bamboo flute, Japanese zither and Tuvan throat singing into an amazing brew. A true case of East meeting West. I can't wait to get my ears around their sound.

Admission is $12, $8 for students. Call 802-380-6360 or e-mail loftarts@yahoo.com.

If you doubt the dedication of the young actresses who are presenting Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" as a two-woman show at the New England Youth Theatre this weekend, consider this: They've been working so hard, they've spent the night sleeping on on the NEYT stage — twice.

"I get scared," admits Rosa Palmeri, who shares all the parts with Allie Bliss in this high-energy adaptation of Shakespeare's play. It's been hard work, and the fact that there's a comfortable bed on stage as a set piece, prompted them to sleep there.

I can't help seeing a little bit of method acting in this approach, since a slumber party between two friends is the jumping off place for the play. I watched some rehearsal Tuesday evening, and the two actresses were putting out incredible energy, bringing all the characters to life, switching from one to another with a change of accent, costume and attitude.

At one point during rehearsal, as they struggled with a bit of stage business, director Peter Gould urged them on saying "Just go for it. Commit to it."

Judging from the fact that the girls have slept on the stage and they've each had to learn more than 900 lines, I'd say they're plenty committed.

Performances on "Twelfth Night" are Friday and Saturday, Jan. 11 and 12, at 7:30 p.m., with matinees on Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 13, at 3 p.m. The New England Youth Theatre is at 100 Flat St. Call 802-246-NEYT, visit www.neyt.org or e-mail michelle@neyt.org.

The best reaction I heard to Saturday's performance of "African Sanctus" at the Latchis Theatre came from the guy sitting next to me.

After the first movement — a rocking opener with heavy percussion and Brattleboro Community Chorus members singing their hearts out — he said "Whoa!" — in a breathy, awestruck, involuntary way, like a surfer whose been swept a mile down the shore by a powerful wave but has managed to stay on his board.

To me that says it all. Susan Dedell, the Community Chorus and the musicians involved deserve a great deal of praise for an energetic, deeply committed performance. The packed house at the Latchis — and isn't nice to see that big theater all filled up? — rose to its feet at the end for a standing ovation, demanding an encore. It was a memorable evening and a significant achievement in so many ways for all those involved.

Whoa!

Creativity is a key ingredient in handling young children. When you've got a kid in the throes of the terrible twos, as I have, you always have to stay one step ahead of them. You're creativity is always being tested, as you try to cajole, bamboozle and outfox them into doing the right thing.

It was in that spirit that I spent two hours last Saturday evening as a flea.

You see, I took my family to Sandglass Theater that afternoon to take in "Bubble and Flea," a show of enormous fun on a small scale as part of its Mid-Winter Sunshine Series. Taking in what I think is her first show in a theater (she'd seen other stuff, performed outdoors where she could roam around and be a kid), my 2 1/2-year-old girl had an absolute ball watching Ines Zeller Bass perform "Fritzi's Fabulous Flea Circus." It was such a treat watching my girl smile, giggle and watch with rapt attention as Fritzi performed his death-defying stunts.

Ines shared billing with Circus Smirkus founder Rob Mermin, who presented his "Bubble Brothers Soap Suds Circus" — actually performing stunts using bubbles — with equal measures of success and unpredictability. My 8-year-old girl really liked that, especially since Mermin encouraged audience interaction and gamely went on with the circus even though his fellow performers kept popping on him.

All told, it was a terrific afternoon that gave us much laughter and did exactly what it advertised — it brightened a winter's day.

It also tickled by 2 1/2-year-old so much that she insisted I spend most of the rest of the day as Fritzi. Apparently, I have a bright future as a flea.

Sandglass' series wraps up this Saturday with Ines' award-winning "Isidor's Cheek" on Saturday. Tickets are $8 and well worth it. For details, call 802-387-4051 or visit www.sandglasstheater.org.