”Menopause the Musical” is now on stage at Trinity Rep – went press night (Wed 6/10) .   I would say the audience was 90 percent female – probably no surprise there considering the subject matter – “Change, Change, Change – Change of Life” (of course sung to the tune of Chain of Love).   What makes the show a lot more interesting is the parody of the big hits of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s.   Some examples “Stayin’ Alive” turns into “Stayin’ Awake” and ‘My Guy” becomes a song about “My Thighs.”   Four women represent different walks of life:  a soap star, a professional NY Career woman; an “earth” mother type (aging hippie sort with sandals and headband) and a sort of dowdy Iowa housewife in the Big Apple because her husband is there for a convention.

     The audience (mostly women) roared as they recognize some of the symptoms of menopause include the “hot flashes” and “night sweats” and memory lapses.   At the end of the show, the actors invite everyone on stage and a bunch of women jumped right out of their seats and danced on the boards.    I had as much fun watching and hearing the audience react as I did watching the show.

  Over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, I flew home to see my parents.  They live in a very small, rural Midwestern town where the pace of life (at least compared to my own) is much slower.  I always joke around that the clock stopped somewhere around the mid 1960’s. 

    Needless to say, there isn’t much to do – no fancy restaurants, no high priced boutiques, no shopping centers (just a sprawling Wal-Mart) , no multi-plex theaters and not really any state-of-the-art anything.

   But my parents do have a tradition, that I treasure.   They go and decorate the graves of family members.   Some of the cemeteries are out of the way, down country roads or tucked away where time has taken its toll on gravestones and markers.   

     My parents will tend the area around the gravesites and set out fresh flowers.   My mother makes sure American flags are posted on the tombstones of relatives who served our country.    It’s a tradition that has meaning and reverence for long departed loved ones.  

    My mother’s great grandfather served in the Union Army, part of the Iowa regiment.   Her father (my grandfather) served in Korea.   My grandfather on my dad’s side was a veteran.   My family never forgets.   In this weekend’s travels to these gravesites, I learn a little more about my family history.  I thank my parents for this tradition and admire them for it.

   It was Saturday night, rainy, foggy, cool temperatures and I was headed to Coventry to an event raising money for the cultural arts program for an elementary school.  Why?   I was asked by a friend of a friend and because I have an extremely difficult time saying no to anyone that asks for a charitable cause.  So there I was headed to Nino’s Restaurant.

    Surprise, surprise, the room was filled with mostly parents, school staff, teachers, the Superintendent of the Coventry Schools and the principal of the Western Coventry School that was raising the money that night.

   What a pleasure to see parents out supporting their school system and their children.   The money will go to the cultural arts program at the school.  They hold a big Talent Show every year, which is a huge success and every child gets involved in some way or another.

   I loved the arts and for some students, they may find a lifelong pursuit or love in the theatre, music, arts, writing or who knows the many fields that spin off of the “arts”.   I told the crowd, I was a complete failure at anything with an “ology” on the end of it – an example would be biology.  So the arts fulfilled something for me.     That will most likely happen to other students along the way.  Congrats to these parents and teachers who understand what a cultural arts program can do and how it is vital to the complete education of a young student.

  I’m hoping that “header” will get your attention.  Cause you to stop, look and think.   Recently in Newport, it was “Persons with Disabilities Awareness Day.”   I was asked to help emcee the program.  Believe me, I learned a great deal more that after about living with a disability and how we can all do more to understand.

       Monica (I won’t use last names) is blind and chooses to use a seeing eye dog rather than a white cane.   She’s a strong woman with strong opinions.   I said she scares me just a little and if you had heard her, you might say the same.    Monica says just because she cannot see, does not mean she cannot think, cannot work, cannot excel in so many areas.   A challenge for her is that new appliances and even new technology comes with flat screens, such as the stove, DVD players, washers and dryers.   They all lack a tactile surface or a voice activated control.   Knowing Monica, every major appliance company will develop those features quite soon.   Monica says, just because she is blind, does not mean she can’t communicate.

     Steve (again no last name) on the other hand is deaf.  He signs. He’s been deaf since birth, but his intelligence speaks volumes.   Steve talked about the need for “captioning” at movie theatres and a desire for a greater understanding from the public that just because he cannot hear, does not mean he cannot read (he gave  a very funny example  about a flight attendant handing him a book/magazine in braille which he handed back and indicated he could see, he just couldn’t hear.  The flight attendant never returned with anything for him to read).   Oh, and yelling really does not enhance any understanding of what you might say to him. 

  “Pro”  is in a wheelchair because he has a little-known phenonmenon called “postpolio” syndrome.   He manuevers his chair quite well and is an outstanding public speaker.

     Each person has a disability, but each one is a strong individual.  Sometimes, I think we forget that and only focus on one thing such as  the seeing eye dog; the wheelchair; the signing.  

    Meeting Street held its  Prom tonight.   These are young people with various disabilities, some much more severe in medical terms than others.  But on this night, they are all just teenagers listening to loud music,  wearing their “prom” outfits and enjoying the night.  

   We all need to spend a day walking around a community with a blindfold on, or heavy earplugs to block out sound or in wheelchair and see what we can do to better understand the need to reduce the barriers and make every place accessible.

They did that in Newport – it was a great idea.   And kudos to Richard and Maria Korn who made the decision to make their businesses accessible way before the American Disabilities Act was signed into law.  They were honored for thoughtfulness and understanding.  So if you head down to Newport, stop in at “Yesterday’s” and thank Richard – although we all call him “Biggie” for being the type of guy who doesn’t believe in barriers!

(L to R) Brian McEleney as Fierson and Anne Scurria as Maude (background); Miriam Silverman as Midge (foreground) in Shapeshifter by Laura Schellhardt.(L to R) Joe Wilson, Jr. as Douglas, Fred Sullivan, Jr. as Mike (foreground) with Brian McEleney as Fierson, Miriam Silverman as Midge. Photo: Mark Turek.

    The play itself, well, it wasn’t one that I followed easily.  I understood the use of the Celtic and Viking mythology and followed the concept of  “creating myths” to explain the unexplainable.   But I just didn’t love the show.   Thankfully, it’s only 90 minutes.  The acting was good, especially Brian McEleney as “Fierson” the old man of the remote fishing village and Anne Scurria as Maud.

     Miriam Silverman handled the lead role as “Midge” quite well.   I guess it just gets back to the point,  I found it not to my liking.  Maybe it was just too philosophical or something.  Maybe I wasn’t in the mood for that type of play.   Whatever, the reason, I still found moments in it. 

  The concept of a “shifter” is sort of fascinating, in that humans change into other beings or dragons change into women.  One of my favorite lines from the play comes from “Maud” who tells the young girl “Death and Life here” are “one and the same.”

(L to R) Stephen Thorne as Tom and Rachael Warren as Mairie.Photo: Mark Turek.

  First, I’m sorry that I haven’t responded to each and every one of you who took the time to send me a congratulatory message about my twenty years here at WPRI-TV.    I’ve been going over these e-mails (nice to do when you are in a less than perfect mood) and thinking about all the wonderful people I have met over the two decades I’ve worked at this station.

  It’s not just my professional life, but my personal life, golf life and charity life as well.    Great friends over the years.   People ask me what stands out over the years?  What stories have you covered?  Which personalities and politicians and newsmakers have made an impression?   It’s not easy to come out with a short list, because it would be  an extensive column of names and places and events.

     I’d love for all of you to send me your favorites and we can discuss them.

They don’t all have to be positive, because we all know this news business tends to dwell on the negative, the ugly, the tragic and the most graphic and dramtic stories and pictures.   But life isn’t all negative and this discussion shouldn’t be either.  So let me hear from you!

Another one of those “getting to know your family and friends”  survey-like e-mails landed in my inbox today.   Dozens of them have been passed along over the past couple of years.  You know the ones, where they ask you questions, you answer then forward on to a group of people.

    Today I decided not to fill it out, not to forward it to anyone.  My reason is that my friends should know by now “What’s my favorite color?”   If I prefer to live by an ocean rather than a lake?  What’s my favorite drink, dog breed, sandwich, day of the year, season, if I would rather eat blueberries than cherries and who really cares what was the last movie I saw?

     But I have to admit, I read all the answers from the ones who put me on the list.   Some are often hysterical, some are a little boring and some are quite original.  

   It seems I’m always on the list as to “most likely not to respond” - so if that’s the case, why keep me in the loop?    Oh, by the way, keep sending them filled out because I do love reading them, even if I don’t want to share!

 Okay,  I don’t really expect anyone to call me doctor, but on Sunday May 3rd, I received an honorary doctorate from New England Tech.   I was deeply honored to receive this “Doctor of Humane Letters” recognition.

   Doug Flutie also received the special designation and then delivered the commencement address.    What a great guy.  Before we marched into the Convention Center, we spent time together in the “robing” room.   He’s still very handsome, youthful looking really and “down to earth.”   Flutie loves his sports and talked about his “40’s age group” baseball team.   Like every aging athlete, he says he pays for the aches and pains the next day and  always has to load up on the Advil.   He remains extremely competitive, which I think is just part of his DNA.  

  Everyone wanted their picture taken with him.  He accomodated them all. As we sat on the stage for over seven hundred graduates to receive their diplomas, he talked quietly about his love of sports.   Down the road, he hopes to spend more time in Florida where he and his wife bought a beach house in a very isolated area.  

   I just want to thank all the staff at New England Tech who made it such a memorable day for me.  NET President Richard Gouse is such a great guy.

  Meeting Flutie was a rare and unexpected pleasure.   His speech to the graduates was all “off the cuff.”  I asked him before we went in, if he had a written speech.  He told me, he started one and then decided to just put a few thoughts on a note card.   His message was basically that no one expected him at his size to excel in football.  But he found ways to do that.  He told the graduates they need to find their skills and use them.  But probably most important was his message of giving of yourself.  He does that now, even though he admitted he took awhile to come to that point, to possess that knowledge that helping others should be a part of all our lives.

   It was a tremendous day.  I’m sorry my parents couldn’t be there, but I’ll send them video and some great pictures of Karen Adams and Heisman Trophy winner Doug Flutie!

Eyewitness News and WPRI 12 are celebrating Karen Adams’ 20th anniversary with the station.

We welcome you to leave your congratulations, well-wishes, or fondest memories you may have of Karen during her two decades in Rhode Island