Smile and chuckle

You know, not all Laughing for a Living is a knee slapper. I spent a great weekend in Holland and Saugatuck seeing fantastic professional theater, which I enjoyed tremendously, even though I don't remember too many belly laughs. Saturday I saw I Remember Mama at Hope Summer Repertory. It's a warm family saga with plenty of light moments and a chuckle or two -- especially when Uncle Chris is teaching his great nephew how to curse. Then Sunday I saw Five Guys Named Moe at Mason Street Warehouse and all I can say is Moe, give me Moe! This show features a snappy, high-energy male quintet singing the 40s jazz of Louis Jordan, smooth and sassy. And get-outta-your-seat fun, at times. Read my reviews on Encore Michigan

Zimmer's zingers

Enjoyed a few chuckles today with Kim Zimmer, the West Michigan native who has reigned over soap operas for more than 30 years. Kim has a new book coming out Aug. 2 and it's just as straight forward as she is. Balls-to-the-wall is the way she describes it. "I'm known for being honest," she told me in a phone interview from her New Jersey home. "Fans deserve to know the truth. Why lie about anything?"  She blamed the producers for the demise of "Guiding Light"  in 2009, and likened their decisions to "Springtime for Hitler," the planned-to-fail musical that's the central joke of "The Producers." The show was torpedoed by cutting corners and staff, she said, ignoring the fans and trying to appeal to a new audience. I couldn't help but think how closely that scenario parallels the demise of newspapers.

More Laughing for a Living

Not to be outdone by my new release, Great News Town,  my memoir Laughing for a Living is now being featured on  Self-Publishing Spotlight a service of the Kalamazoo Gazette. Check it out -- and please recommend the book if you like it.  I'll be talking about both books at 7 tonight at Schuler's Books and Music on Alpine. See you there.

Two beeps or not two beeps?

No puns are worse than Shakespeare puns and there a puns a plenty in Return to the Forbidden Planet, which opened Friday at Hope Summer Repertory Theatre. What an energetic show.  I couldn't believe that small, 9-member cast could create such a whirlwind of activity. Of course, having a score with more than 20 rock tunes including "Wipeout," "Great Balls of Fire" and "Shake, Rattle and Roll"  had something to do with it. And when everyone in the audience joins in a mass hand jive to reverse polarity... well, it was just another day of laughing for a living!

More than laughing

Spent the day working with my son, Ryan Wallace, on the cover of my new book, Great News Town, which is coming out in July. What fun! He's such an artist. I had a simple idea, he took over and created something amazing. He's so particular about every splatter of blood. It has to look just so. Bet you've guessed that the new book is NOT about laughing.

Shrek Trek

I can sympathize with that ogre living in the swamp after the storm that hit Grandville last night as I was getting ready to head to the opening at DeVos. Actually, the storm was sort of the fiery dragon in my daylong quest to review Shrek. I'm spending the week at Glen Lake working on my next book (that's another story) and attending the annual Peninsula Writers retreat. But I couldn't give up a chance to review the biggest thing to hit Grand Rapids stages in years. After a three-hour drive, I arrived just as the sky was darkening. I had barely turned on my computer to check messages -- no Internet at Glen Lake -- when the rains came down and everything went black. Just try putting on makeup in the dark. I probably looked like an ogre. I got soaked getting into the car and soon discovered Grandville had become a swamp. Road after road was underwater. I spent more than a half hour trying to find a way to the Interstate. I finally got downtown, but even with an umbrella, my nine-year-old companion and I were soaked. But from the momen Shrek hangs up his laundry -- a flag-size pair of jockey shorts -- in the first number, I knew it would all be worth it. Very funny show, lots of attitude, spunky music, fantastic effects, but too long, I'm afraid, for many of the whiney kids in the audience. (Sorry, do I sound like an ogre?)

More laughter, more living

Although I continue to write reviews for The Press, I added a new notch to my belt this week with my first review appearing on the Encore Michigan web site. It was a great opportunity to return to The Barn in Augusta, which I hadn't been able to review for The Press in about five years. It was such fun to see everyone again -- and more than a few laughs in Escanaba in Love. Tonight I'll be reviewing another show for Encore, Children of Eden at Hope Summer Repertory Theatre, another great theater I haven't had the opportunity to see in a few years. I'm really looking forward to the show. Here's the link for the Escanaba review. http://encoremichigan.com/article.html?article=4772