Give Me a ‘J’! And a ‘J’! And a ‘J’!
Only in Austin, which must always go its own way, would you spell culture with three ‘J’s. But given how much the local arts scene has benefited from the mighty support and advocacy of Jo Anne Christian, Jane Sibley, and Jare Smith — known collectively as “the Three ‘J’s” — it’s difficult to imagine culture in Austin without them. Individually, the ‘J’s have been vital forces in the growth and development of some of the city’s leading cultural organizations: Christian for Austin Lyric Opera, Sibley for the Austin Symphony Orchestra, and Smith for Ballet Austin. Collectively, they have led the drive to transform Palmer Auditorium into a state-of-the-art performing arts center. A month of these columns wouldn’t be enough space to list all the cultural activities this troika has a hand in; suffice to say they’re committed to their causes and ornery enough to keep fighting for them ’til they win. Case in point: the Palmer crusade, which they embarked on six years ago and are still battling through the ARTS Center Stage organization. After rallying the city around the project, winning the endorsement of voters in a citywide vote, and helping raise the first third or so of the cash to pay for the $50-75 million makeover, you’d think they might be spent and ready to pass the torch. But the ‘J’s are still in the battle and, as if to prove it, this week they announced a $3 million gift for the future Long Center for the Performing Arts, a gift they will make with their husbands, Dr. Ernest and Sarah Butler, Michele and Brad Moore, Carolyn and Marc Seriff, Bank of America, and a group of anonymous donors. This project is well on its way, but if you have any doubts as to its eventual completion, well, let me give your number to one of the ‘J’s and I’ll bet they can persuade you otherwise. For more info, call ARTS Center Stage at 482-0800.
Darling Lily!
Lily Tomlin kicked off her new national tour of The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe with a real love fest at Bass Concert Hall last Thursday. The 3,000 or so folks in the house were effusive even by Austin standards; they could hardly wait to get to their feet and once they started applauding, they had a hard time stopping. For her part, Tomlin beamed and enthusiastically told the crowd how much she loved Austin and what a special city it was to her. It might have seemed like so much concert booshwah — “Aus-tin, are you ready to rock?” — but for the mention of UT Theatre Department Professor Emeritus Ruth Denney, whom the performer befriended during a visit here in the Seventies. And seeing Tomlin embrace Denney at a reception following the show, as well as spend an hour chatting merrily with anyone who approached her, contributed further to the idea that this was no ordinary stop on the tour.
As for the show itself: More than a decade since its debut, the script by Jane Wagner is a marvel — still astonishingly tight, weaving sharp observation with bright one-liners and a gallery of vivid characters — and Tomlin’s performance of it as crisp as autumn. I was struck this time around by the show’s similarities to Our Town, by Thornton Wilder. It has the same simplicity of setting, same sense of theatricality, same direct address to the audience, same expansive view of humanity, same sense of human folly, same compassion, same generosity, same touch of the cosmic. Who knows if this play will live on next to Wilder’s, but it deserves to.
This article appears in October 8 • 1999.