A shooting at Coki Point beach between two taxi drivers has resulted in the arrest of Leon Samuel, 56, of Hospital Ground.
The shooting, which occurred Friday in full view of visitors and others at the popular tourist attraction, was the result of a dispute over passengers, according to the Daily News.
Samuel was arrested Tuesday, according to Wednesday's Independent.
The taxi driver who was shot in the arm, Felix August, is reported to be in stable condition at the Roy L. Schneider Hospital.
CHEE -YUN RETURNS TO TILLETT'S
Most people who attend a concert by violinist Chee-Yun in the Virgin Islands this week will do so because of her artistic credentials, not because she has a homepage on the worldwide web.
Still, for those who count the Internet among their sources of local information (and if you're reading this, that's you), the web site is well worth a look. It's not only a tried-and-true marketing tool; it's also an award-winning design and a pretty good read.
Chee-Yun, a fast-rising star in the relatively crowded ranks of classical
violinists, has had her own web page for three years. It's a practical tool in her professional development that includes not only the usual slick photos, biography, discography and "conversation" material, but also her current intinerary, including her recitals on St. Thomas, St. John, "Tortolla" (hey, nobody's perfect) and St. Croix.
And factoids ranging from the rarefied to the very down-to-earth. (An example of each: She performs using a violin that is 302 years older than she is. In her leisure time, she likes to listen to jazz and go dancing with friends.)
From her teens, Chee-Yun has benefitted from two-track marketing: as a technically and emotionally exciting musician and as a personable, fashionable and very "today" young woman. Her music credentials are impeccable. Born in Seoul, Korea, where she madeher first public performance at the age of 8, she moved to New York at 13 to study at the famed Juilliard School. She has captured two of the most coveted honors in the classical realm, a Young Concert Artists International Auditions competition in 1989 and an Avery Fisher Career Grant in 1990.
Since 1992, she has recorded five CD albums, all on the Denon label. Two were with the London Philharmonic Orchestra; the other three are solo releases with accompaniment on piano by her longtime collaborator, Akira Eguchi, who is with her for her current Virgin Islands tour. Chee-Yun has performed with many of the world's foremost orchestras, at many of the most prestigious recital halls and at the White House. Perhaps of greater significance to music lovers in the Virgin Islands, she has appeared twice before in the territory.
Her Virgin Islands debut came at Tillett Gardens in 1990 "where she swept the audience off — and onto — its feet," Classics in the Garden music director Tom Lloyd recalls. Invited back in 1993, she appeared both at Tillett Gardens (to a full house) and at Island Center on St. Croix.
Her 1999 tour has four stops — Tillett Gardens on Wednesday, the St. John School of the Arts on Thursday, Tortola's H. Lavity Stoutt Community College on Friday and Island Center on Saturday. The program is the same for all venues: sonatas by Beethoven and Grieg, "Romanian Folk Dances" by Bela Bartok and a concerto by Sibelius. All performances begin at 8 p.m.
St. Thomas concert tickets are $25 with the usual three-course, pre-performance dinner (this one featuring Asian cuisine) available for an additional $30. Limited seating is available at two-for-one pricing for students accompanied by adults. For reservations, call 775-1929.
The St. John program tickets are $25, and reservations are essential, due to the limited seating. Call 779-4322 to reserve.
On Tortola, tickets are $20 general admission, $5 for college students and
free to younger students. Call (284) 494-4994 for ticket outlets and further details.
At Island Center, tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. For ticket outlets and more information, call 778-5272.
Now, about that web site: You'll find it at http://summary.net/chee- yun/.
Enjoy.
Still, for those who count the Internet among their sources of local information (and if you're reading this, that's you), the web site is well worth a look. It's not only a tried-and-true marketing tool; it's also an award-winning design and a pretty good read.
Chee-Yun, a fast-rising star in the relatively crowded ranks of classical
violinists, has had her own web page for three years. It's a practical tool in her professional development that includes not only the usual slick photos, biography, discography and "conversation" material, but also her current intinerary, including her recitals on St. Thomas, St. John, "Tortolla" (hey, nobody's perfect) and St. Croix.
And factoids ranging from the rarefied to the very down-to-earth. (An example of each: She performs using a violin that is 302 years older than she is. In her leisure time, she likes to listen to jazz and go dancing with friends.)
From her teens, Chee-Yun has benefitted from two-track marketing: as a technically and emotionally exciting musician and as a personable, fashionable and very "today" young woman. Her music credentials are impeccable. Born in Seoul, Korea, where she madeher first public performance at the age of 8, she moved to New York at 13 to study at the famed Juilliard School. She has captured two of the most coveted honors in the classical realm, a Young Concert Artists International Auditions competition in 1989 and an Avery Fisher Career Grant in 1990.
Since 1992, she has recorded five CD albums, all on the Denon label. Two were with the London Philharmonic Orchestra; the other three are solo releases with accompaniment on piano by her longtime collaborator, Akira Eguchi, who is with her for her current Virgin Islands tour. Chee-Yun has performed with many of the world's foremost orchestras, at many of the most prestigious recital halls and at the White House. Perhaps of greater significance to music lovers in the Virgin Islands, she has appeared twice before in the territory.
Her Virgin Islands debut came at Tillett Gardens in 1990 "where she swept the audience off — and onto — its feet," Classics in the Garden music director Tom Lloyd recalls. Invited back in 1993, she appeared both at Tillett Gardens (to a full house) and at Island Center on St. Croix.
Her 1999 tour has four stops — Tillett Gardens on Wednesday, the St. John School of the Arts on Thursday, Tortola's H. Lavity Stoutt Community College on Friday and Island Center on Saturday. The program is the same for all venues: sonatas by Beethoven and Grieg, "Romanian Folk Dances" by Bela Bartok and a concerto by Sibelius. All performances begin at 8 p.m.
St. Thomas concert tickets are $25 with the usual three-course, pre-performance dinner (this one featuring Asian cuisine) available for an additional $30. Limited seating is available at two-for-one pricing for students accompanied by adults. For reservations, call 775-1929.
The St. John program tickets are $25, and reservations are essential, due to the limited seating. Call 779-4322 to reserve.
On Tortola, tickets are $20 general admission, $5 for college students and
free to younger students. Call (284) 494-4994 for ticket outlets and further details.
At Island Center, tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. For ticket outlets and more information, call 778-5272.
Now, about that web site: You'll find it at http://summary.net/chee- yun/.
Enjoy.
WAPA BOARD COULD GET RADICAL OVERHAUL
The nine-member Water and Power Authority board could see eight new members if Gov. Charles W. Turnbull decides to replace three members whose terms have expired.
As it is, he needs to fill two vacancies and designate three new government officials who serve at the governor's pleasure -— so that alone would create a new majority on the WAPA board.
The only WAPA board member whose term hasn't expired is J. Arthur Downing of St. Thomas, the chairman. Downing's term began in June 1996 and expires this June.
The terms of three other board members — Cecil A. George and George C. Parrott of St. Thomas-St. John and Harold Brown of St. Croix — expired in September.
The three government members tapped by former Gov. Roy L. Schneider to the WAPA board were Public Works Commissioner Lindel A. Williams; Nellon Bowry, director of Management and Budget; and Attorney General Julio A. Brady. All three have resigned, so Turnbull must designate three people in his administration to replace them.
Under Virgin Islands law, the governor can name any three government officials to the WAPA board. The other six members may not be local or federal government employees and require Senate confirmation.
Members serve three-year terms, which are supposed to be staggered to allow continuity on the board. By law, members continue to serve until their successors are confirmed and sworn in.
Editor's note: See the full list of WAPA board members under "Boards and Commissions" in the Data section of Community.
As it is, he needs to fill two vacancies and designate three new government officials who serve at the governor's pleasure -— so that alone would create a new majority on the WAPA board.
The only WAPA board member whose term hasn't expired is J. Arthur Downing of St. Thomas, the chairman. Downing's term began in June 1996 and expires this June.
The terms of three other board members — Cecil A. George and George C. Parrott of St. Thomas-St. John and Harold Brown of St. Croix — expired in September.
The three government members tapped by former Gov. Roy L. Schneider to the WAPA board were Public Works Commissioner Lindel A. Williams; Nellon Bowry, director of Management and Budget; and Attorney General Julio A. Brady. All three have resigned, so Turnbull must designate three people in his administration to replace them.
Under Virgin Islands law, the governor can name any three government officials to the WAPA board. The other six members may not be local or federal government employees and require Senate confirmation.
Members serve three-year terms, which are supposed to be staggered to allow continuity on the board. By law, members continue to serve until their successors are confirmed and sworn in.
Editor's note: See the full list of WAPA board members under "Boards and Commissions" in the Data section of Community.
CABLE TV RATES TO GO UP
Cable TV subscribers in St. Thomas and St. John will see an increase in their bills of $4 to $7 a month as of March 1, depending on the level of service received.
A letter to the company's 14,000 customers announcing the hike went out 30 days in advance, as required by law.
Andrea Martin, general manager of St. Thomas-St. John Cable TV, said the company could no longer afford to absorb the rising costs of programming and operations without the increase.
She said programming costs go up every January because contracts with carriers such as CNN have built-in increases. Overhead for equipment, engineering, construction and personnel also contributed to the need for increases, according to Martin.
The company's last rate increase was in 1995, Martin said, which programming costs have risen 35 percent since then.
Examples of the new rates:
— The 33-channel Expanded Service Package goes from $13.99 to $17.99.
— The 65-channel Maximum Value Package goes from $57.05 to $64.05.
The non-satellite Limited Service Package remains at $10.16 a month.
The Cable TV operation has been beset by problems since Hurricane Hugo in September 1989, when it was owned by Knight Communications.
Randy Knight sold the company to Sandler-Mezzanine Group just before Hurricane Marilyn hit in September 1995. As a result of damages from Marilyn, Sandler-Mezzanine filed for bankruptcy.
Bank of Nova Scotia wound up with the company and sold it in December 1997 to Jeffrey Prosser's Innovative Communications Corp., which nows owns it.
A letter to the company's 14,000 customers announcing the hike went out 30 days in advance, as required by law.
Andrea Martin, general manager of St. Thomas-St. John Cable TV, said the company could no longer afford to absorb the rising costs of programming and operations without the increase.
She said programming costs go up every January because contracts with carriers such as CNN have built-in increases. Overhead for equipment, engineering, construction and personnel also contributed to the need for increases, according to Martin.
The company's last rate increase was in 1995, Martin said, which programming costs have risen 35 percent since then.
Examples of the new rates:
— The 33-channel Expanded Service Package goes from $13.99 to $17.99.
— The 65-channel Maximum Value Package goes from $57.05 to $64.05.
The non-satellite Limited Service Package remains at $10.16 a month.
The Cable TV operation has been beset by problems since Hurricane Hugo in September 1989, when it was owned by Knight Communications.
Randy Knight sold the company to Sandler-Mezzanine Group just before Hurricane Marilyn hit in September 1995. As a result of damages from Marilyn, Sandler-Mezzanine filed for bankruptcy.
Bank of Nova Scotia wound up with the company and sold it in December 1997 to Jeffrey Prosser's Innovative Communications Corp., which nows owns it.
CRONKITE ENJOYS SEABORNE'S 1ST TORTOLA FLIGHT
If Seaborne Aviation was looking for publicity, it got a little more than it possibly could have bargained for Monday when famed CBS News anchorman Walter Cronkite showed up at the West End ramp in Tortola for the company's inaugural flight.
Cronkite, an avid sailor, currently has his boat in British Virgin Islands waters. He was curious about the seaplane and was invited on board, an invitation he snapped right up for a flight which, according to Chief Pilot Marcus Sessums, he thoroughly enjoyed.
No stranger to all kinds of aircraft, Cronkite was enthusiastic about the flight aboard the DeHavilland Twin Otter, Sessums said.
The revered newsman is enjoying a BVI vacation with his wife and friends aboard his yacht "Wjente.”
Clement "Cain" Magras, acting Tourism commissioner, was also aboard the flight.
"It was a real thrill to meet the man and it was certainly unexpected," Magras said of Cronkite.
Magras said Cronkite expressed concern about the rules regulating boat traffic between the U.S.V.I. and the B.V.I.
Magras said Cronkite told him the current rules hindered flexibility in his sailing schedule.
The acting commissioner says he is exploring a plan that would allow pleasure vessels to clear Customs and Immigration one time instead of the two-fold, time-consuming procedure now in place.
The Marine Committee of the St. Thomas-St. John Chamber of Commerce, in a position paper presented in the spring of 1997 to former Gov. Roy L. Schneider, asked the governor to work with the delegate to Congress to establish a “free sail zone” within the waters of the British and U.S.
Virgin Islands.
Magras was excited about the new seaplane service, which will save untold hours for many local business people. The flights take 15 minutes as opposed to a 45-minute ferry ride and the wait for the afternoon return trip.
It will also be possible now for the Crucian business person to make the trip easily in one day. This will be a boon for the economies of both islands, Magras noted.
Seaborne plans to initiate Tortola service Monday, Feb. 8. It will offer flights three days a week — Monday, Wednesday and Friday, at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. There will be through service from St. Croix on all flights.
The fare will be $80 round-trip from St. Thomas and $130 from St. Croix. All
service is to the West End ramp in Tortola.
Cronkite, an avid sailor, currently has his boat in British Virgin Islands waters. He was curious about the seaplane and was invited on board, an invitation he snapped right up for a flight which, according to Chief Pilot Marcus Sessums, he thoroughly enjoyed.
No stranger to all kinds of aircraft, Cronkite was enthusiastic about the flight aboard the DeHavilland Twin Otter, Sessums said.
The revered newsman is enjoying a BVI vacation with his wife and friends aboard his yacht "Wjente.”
Clement "Cain" Magras, acting Tourism commissioner, was also aboard the flight.
"It was a real thrill to meet the man and it was certainly unexpected," Magras said of Cronkite.
Magras said Cronkite expressed concern about the rules regulating boat traffic between the U.S.V.I. and the B.V.I.
Magras said Cronkite told him the current rules hindered flexibility in his sailing schedule.
The acting commissioner says he is exploring a plan that would allow pleasure vessels to clear Customs and Immigration one time instead of the two-fold, time-consuming procedure now in place.
The Marine Committee of the St. Thomas-St. John Chamber of Commerce, in a position paper presented in the spring of 1997 to former Gov. Roy L. Schneider, asked the governor to work with the delegate to Congress to establish a “free sail zone” within the waters of the British and U.S.
Virgin Islands.
Magras was excited about the new seaplane service, which will save untold hours for many local business people. The flights take 15 minutes as opposed to a 45-minute ferry ride and the wait for the afternoon return trip.
It will also be possible now for the Crucian business person to make the trip easily in one day. This will be a boon for the economies of both islands, Magras noted.
Seaborne plans to initiate Tortola service Monday, Feb. 8. It will offer flights three days a week — Monday, Wednesday and Friday, at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. There will be through service from St. Croix on all flights.
The fare will be $80 round-trip from St. Thomas and $130 from St. Croix. All
service is to the West End ramp in Tortola.
THOSE YOUNG SHINING STARS
For anyone who has doubted the wisdom of Reichhold Director David Edgecombe's commitment to fostering the talent of young artists on St. Thomas, they had to become converts last Saturday night.
The "Youth Expression" concert, performed by past STARfest participants, was a testimony to his vision.
STARfest has never been just about having your moment on stage, but is rather an intensive two-month seminar in production values.
Being able to sing or dance is just the beginning of a performance. Participants learn how to hold a microphone, how to command the stage, and how to integrate choreography where appropriate. They are privy to how a show is constructed, literally from the ground up. They become familiar with set design, entrance and exit cues and lighting design, all the elements that add up to a great, or mediocre, performance.
Well, Saturday night's grads did the Reichhold and themselves proud. They were confident and professional as affirmed by the enthusiastic response.
The "Youth Expression" concert was one of the shows originally scheduled for the 20th anniversary season's grand opening. However, due to Hurricane Georges, it, along with two other concerts, had to be postponed. The other two, also featuring STARfest alum, are scheduled for Feb. 27 and March 13 respectively.
Saturday, Feb. 27, will be four-time Calypso King Louis Ible Jr. in concert for the first time. As all in the community know, Ible is a seasoned and galvanizing performer. We are incredibly excited to be featuring him for a full-length concert, where he will perform not only those songs we all know and love, but also material that many will be hearing for the first time.
Saturday, March 13, will find Vince Chapman and Inflight with special friends on the Reichhold stage.
Chapman was the musical director for the first three STARfests. His band Inflight is based in Maryland. They describe their sound as a combination of contemporary jazz and smooth R&B with a touch of funk for fuel.
Joining Inflight as guest vocalists will be Terrance Gumbs (STARfest 1) Shakima Jones (STARfest 2 & 3) and Elton Callwood (STARfest 3).
Be sure and treat yourself to these two nights of great entertainment and appreciate how much these STARfest STARS have grown.
Editor's note: Renee Heider is the grants production manager at the Reichhold Center for the Arts.
The "Youth Expression" concert, performed by past STARfest participants, was a testimony to his vision.
STARfest has never been just about having your moment on stage, but is rather an intensive two-month seminar in production values.
Being able to sing or dance is just the beginning of a performance. Participants learn how to hold a microphone, how to command the stage, and how to integrate choreography where appropriate. They are privy to how a show is constructed, literally from the ground up. They become familiar with set design, entrance and exit cues and lighting design, all the elements that add up to a great, or mediocre, performance.
Well, Saturday night's grads did the Reichhold and themselves proud. They were confident and professional as affirmed by the enthusiastic response.
The "Youth Expression" concert was one of the shows originally scheduled for the 20th anniversary season's grand opening. However, due to Hurricane Georges, it, along with two other concerts, had to be postponed. The other two, also featuring STARfest alum, are scheduled for Feb. 27 and March 13 respectively.
Saturday, Feb. 27, will be four-time Calypso King Louis Ible Jr. in concert for the first time. As all in the community know, Ible is a seasoned and galvanizing performer. We are incredibly excited to be featuring him for a full-length concert, where he will perform not only those songs we all know and love, but also material that many will be hearing for the first time.
Saturday, March 13, will find Vince Chapman and Inflight with special friends on the Reichhold stage.
Chapman was the musical director for the first three STARfests. His band Inflight is based in Maryland. They describe their sound as a combination of contemporary jazz and smooth R&B with a touch of funk for fuel.
Joining Inflight as guest vocalists will be Terrance Gumbs (STARfest 1) Shakima Jones (STARfest 2 & 3) and Elton Callwood (STARfest 3).
Be sure and treat yourself to these two nights of great entertainment and appreciate how much these STARfest STARS have grown.
Editor's note: Renee Heider is the grants production manager at the Reichhold Center for the Arts.
CLINTON PROPOSES RUM-TAX INCREASE
President Bill Clinton has included in his fiscal year 2000 budget a proposal to return to the Virgin Islands the entire $13.50-per-proof gallon federal tax levied on V.I. rum.
This is an increase of $3 over the present $10.50 per gallon returned to the V.I. government.
Experts estimate the difference could mean an extra $12 million into the coffers of the financially strained territory.
Until this year the territory had gotten back $11.30 in federal excise taxes on Virgin Islands rum but last fall the Congress refused to leave it at that level or boost it to the full $13.50 as V.I. officials had hoped.
After attending the official White House announcement, Delegate to Congress Donna Christian-Christensen said, “I am pleased the president has again proposed this increase to assist the territory’s economic recovery. While we were unable to accomplish this increase by the end of the 105th Congress, I believe the inclusion in this year’s budget will provide the needed push to obtain congressional approval when it is considered later this year.”
In addition to the rum tax rebate, the president's budget contains $1 million to protect threatened coral reef ecosystems, Christensen noted.
“These funds will allow us to prevent the destruction of our coral reefs which are so important to maintaining a quality tourism program,” she said.
This is an increase of $3 over the present $10.50 per gallon returned to the V.I. government.
Experts estimate the difference could mean an extra $12 million into the coffers of the financially strained territory.
Until this year the territory had gotten back $11.30 in federal excise taxes on Virgin Islands rum but last fall the Congress refused to leave it at that level or boost it to the full $13.50 as V.I. officials had hoped.
After attending the official White House announcement, Delegate to Congress Donna Christian-Christensen said, “I am pleased the president has again proposed this increase to assist the territory’s economic recovery. While we were unable to accomplish this increase by the end of the 105th Congress, I believe the inclusion in this year’s budget will provide the needed push to obtain congressional approval when it is considered later this year.”
In addition to the rum tax rebate, the president's budget contains $1 million to protect threatened coral reef ecosystems, Christensen noted.
“These funds will allow us to prevent the destruction of our coral reefs which are so important to maintaining a quality tourism program,” she said.
UNITED WAY FALLS $80,000 SHORT OF GOAL
Even though United Way set its goal lower than last year, the agency is still about $80,000 short of its $490,000 goal at the end of its campaign.
But Thyra Hammond, executive director of the United Way of St. Thomas-St. John, said she expects more money to come in even though the campaign has officially ended.
She said employee campaigns usually account for about 50 percent of funds raised, according to Tuesday's Independent. And Hammond thinks there is still about $25,000 out there in employee contributions.
The United Way goal for 1998 was $490,000, down $10,000 from 1997. The agency has collected $408,466 so far.
Agencies funded by the United Way include the Boy and Girl Scouts of America, Civil Air Patrol, Downstreet People, Catholic Charities, American Red Cross, Shaky Acres, Dial-A-Ride and the Victim Advocate Program.
Hammond attributed the outcome of the campaign to a variety of factors -— Hurricane Georges and general concern about the economy among them.
Hammond said she hopes to have met the $490,000 goal by March when the annual victory party is held.
But Thyra Hammond, executive director of the United Way of St. Thomas-St. John, said she expects more money to come in even though the campaign has officially ended.
She said employee campaigns usually account for about 50 percent of funds raised, according to Tuesday's Independent. And Hammond thinks there is still about $25,000 out there in employee contributions.
The United Way goal for 1998 was $490,000, down $10,000 from 1997. The agency has collected $408,466 so far.
Agencies funded by the United Way include the Boy and Girl Scouts of America, Civil Air Patrol, Downstreet People, Catholic Charities, American Red Cross, Shaky Acres, Dial-A-Ride and the Victim Advocate Program.
Hammond attributed the outcome of the campaign to a variety of factors -— Hurricane Georges and general concern about the economy among them.
Hammond said she hopes to have met the $490,000 goal by March when the annual victory party is held.
HAZELLE OFFERS 'LOVE, LAUGHTER' SATURDAY
Virgin Islanders prepare: Hazelle Goodman is getting ready to take the stage again this weekend, and for two worthy causes.
The theme is "A Night of Love and Laughter," but the Trinidadian entertainer describes it as "a night of comedy" and an "opportunity to
play."
"It's really a night for a good time, outrageousness and letting your hair down," she said.
The actress/comedienne's performances at St. Croix's Island Center on Feb. 5 and St. Thomas's Reichhold Center for the Arts on Feb. 6 will benefit the non-profit organization Wider Opportunities for Women (WOW) and the V.I. Breast and Cervical Cancer Early detection program, a division of
the Health Department.
" You can't say 'no' to something like that," she said.
The high-powered, one-woman show will feature Goodman playing up to 12 characters who will engage in impromptu dialogue with audience members about topics and themes she feels all audiences can relate to: weight, man and woman relationships and even some political issues such as immigration.
Each character is unique and yet universal because there is a blend of cultures and backgrounds such as Hispanic, Caucasian and Caribbean, such as the oldest character of them all, Millie.
So which audience members get selected?
"I don't look for anything," she said. "I just go where the character leads me."
This interplay between performer and audience requires a certain rapport, and Goodman describes the Virgin Islands audience as warm and supportive.
Because she is often performing, Goodman said she is constantly preparing for new performances by writing, studying lines and rehearsing but she also prepares physically through diet and exercise and spiritually by meditating and sitting still.
"I try to keep as much of the energy as possible," she said.
Goodman has been described as the "HBO powerhouse" after being signed by an HBO executive for a television special for which she was nominated for a Cable Ace Award.
She has also co-starred in a Woody Allen film, "Deconstructing Harry," with silver screen greats such as Robin Williams, Kristie Allie and Demi Moore.
Goodman is no stranger to the Virgin Islands and was featured at Reichhold in February last year and most recently on both islands in October for a WOW conference.
Tickets for her Reichhold performance range from $15 to $40 and are on sale at Modern Music, Chicco's, Krystal and Gifts Galore, Color of Joy and the Reichhold box office on St. Thomas and through the Island Center box office on St. Croix.
For more information call Dionne Carty at 774-9000, ext. 4643.
The theme is "A Night of Love and Laughter," but the Trinidadian entertainer describes it as "a night of comedy" and an "opportunity to
play."
"It's really a night for a good time, outrageousness and letting your hair down," she said.
The actress/comedienne's performances at St. Croix's Island Center on Feb. 5 and St. Thomas's Reichhold Center for the Arts on Feb. 6 will benefit the non-profit organization Wider Opportunities for Women (WOW) and the V.I. Breast and Cervical Cancer Early detection program, a division of
the Health Department.
" You can't say 'no' to something like that," she said.
The high-powered, one-woman show will feature Goodman playing up to 12 characters who will engage in impromptu dialogue with audience members about topics and themes she feels all audiences can relate to: weight, man and woman relationships and even some political issues such as immigration.
Each character is unique and yet universal because there is a blend of cultures and backgrounds such as Hispanic, Caucasian and Caribbean, such as the oldest character of them all, Millie.
So which audience members get selected?
"I don't look for anything," she said. "I just go where the character leads me."
This interplay between performer and audience requires a certain rapport, and Goodman describes the Virgin Islands audience as warm and supportive.
Because she is often performing, Goodman said she is constantly preparing for new performances by writing, studying lines and rehearsing but she also prepares physically through diet and exercise and spiritually by meditating and sitting still.
"I try to keep as much of the energy as possible," she said.
Goodman has been described as the "HBO powerhouse" after being signed by an HBO executive for a television special for which she was nominated for a Cable Ace Award.
She has also co-starred in a Woody Allen film, "Deconstructing Harry," with silver screen greats such as Robin Williams, Kristie Allie and Demi Moore.
Goodman is no stranger to the Virgin Islands and was featured at Reichhold in February last year and most recently on both islands in October for a WOW conference.
Tickets for her Reichhold performance range from $15 to $40 and are on sale at Modern Music, Chicco's, Krystal and Gifts Galore, Color of Joy and the Reichhold box office on St. Thomas and through the Island Center box office on St. Croix.
For more information call Dionne Carty at 774-9000, ext. 4643.
CHEE-YUN RETURNS TO TILLETT'S WEDNESDAY
Chee-Yun, a Korean violinist who is widely recognized in the music world as one of today's most gifted young musicians, returns to Tillett Gardens this week.
The concert is scheduled for 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 3, and those who have heard Chee-Yun play here before say it's a must-see musical event.
Chee-Yun has made a major name for herself in international musical circles, and is a past winner of the Young Concert Artists International Auditions.
Call Tillett Gardens at 775-1929 for ticket information.
The concert is scheduled for 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 3, and those who have heard Chee-Yun play here before say it's a must-see musical event.
Chee-Yun has made a major name for herself in international musical circles, and is a past winner of the Young Concert Artists International Auditions.
Call Tillett Gardens at 775-1929 for ticket information.
