Janet Paulin, remarkable Janet Paulin, not only sews, knits, crochets, makes beautiful doll clothes, (including shoes), but she is also in the dog rescue business. Last week while she and her husband Ray were sitting on their front porch enjoying the early summer evening, when who should appear in front of them but, as Janet says, a smiling four footed creature named Sam. The docile dog sat obediently as Ray Paulin checked Sam’s identification tags. A phone call was made and a little later Sam’s joyful family, mother Jane Canner and boys Willie and Max came around. Happy ending: The family was united.
Forest Park’s Nancy Greco, singer, is a consummate actress as well. “Dead Man’s Cell Phone” is a drama, as the playwright describes it, a “meditation about death, love and the disconnection” of our age. Everyone in our group felt it was a comedy. Everyone but me. The premise of the play is: a young woman, seated in a restaurant vigorously spooning up her soup. We see her face. We do not see the face of the man seated near her. He is just sitting, arms hanging down. His cell phone rings incessantly, annoying the woman. When she realizes the man is dead she answers his phone and carries on conversations with the callers. As the dead man’s mother, Nancy stole the show. The audience applauded her wildly when she took her bows. The playwright, Sarah Ruhl, is a native Chicagoan. She has earned numerous awards since graduating from Brown University. Ms. Rule is now on the faculty of Yale School of drama. In this offering she is alerting us to the fact that cell phones, ipods, wireless computers, etc. are changing us in ways we don’t understand. “No one is where they are. You talk to people but you never see them”. Well worth seeing and thinking about. You’ll get your money’s worth when you hear Nancy Greco perform, singing or acting.
Janet Paulin is excited about the 40th anniversary of the Women’s Exchange at 839 Oak Park Ave., (across from Pan’s a few doors north of the florist). The ladies are planning quite a gala Open House for the occasion on July 31 from noon – 8 p.m. Come, bring your friends. Don’t bring much money because everything is handmade and inexpensive. Refreshments, of course. Several Forest Park women are among the crafters including Janet herself, Thilonese Simmons and a sometimes contributor Karen Stuart.
Incidentally, crafters are needed for the 40th annual Holiday Art & Craft Fair Sunday, Nov. 2. Go to www.OPWE.org for applications.
It’s Dean’s List time and the University of Illinois wants you to know Christopher J. Dunaway (sophomore) and Emma Kathleen Fojtik (freshman) and John Lee (senior) are among the esteemed company. Also Christopher Cody graduated with a degree in engineering, and Maureen Sill has completed her master of library and information sciences degree. Congratulations!
Birthday greetings this week go to Millie Spinelli, Angela Nutley, Jenny Okolowicz, Brea McDonald, Sharon Good, Kathy Thiesse, Stehanie Mondragon, Kathy Huebner, Eric Neubeiser, Eunice Granados, Brett McNeill, Troy Molnar,Kevin Thompson, Eleanor Konkowski, Julian Apilado, Caludia Mandile, Mike Espinosa and Heather Byrnes.
CONTACT: jean@forestparkreview.com
Twitter: @FP_Review
Jackie is a former Chicago and Elmwood Park schoolteacher with an undying love for music, friendly pets and a host of life’s other treasures too numerous to list. She was born on the far southwest side of Chicago in a great neighborhood when it was a great time to be young.
