When Hairspray came to the hometown of Broadway's original Amber Von Tussle, Laura Bell Bundy, there was a surprise waiting for the touring Amber. 
Laura's mother, Lorna Bundy-Jones, was backstage an hour before showtime bearing a big pink gift bag for Pearl Thomas, the touring Amber. A humble, familiar smile broke across Pearl's face when she saw Lorna. Having researched LBB, Pearl knew Lexington was the Broadway actress' hometown. What's more, she had seen photos of Laura and Lorna backstage at Wicked, when Laura was playing Glinda in the Broadway blockbuster.
"That's where she grew up," Lorna said of Laura, motioning toward the Lexington Opera House stage. She also introduced Pearl to Opera House program director Luanne Franklin, who taught Laura to dance at her Town & Village School of Dance in Paris. Apparently everyone will be chatting a bit more over the weekend.
So what was in the bag? Well, Laura had told her mom to get Pearl something 
pink, so Lorna presented the Denver actress with a big, pink, comfy robe (photo, left). Pink is the signature color of Laura's new role, Elle Woods, in the forthcoming Broadway production of Legally Blonde. As they parted company, Lorna told Pearl that maybe the next time she came through town, it would be as Elle.
There was a strangeness for Lorna is seeing two things she was exceedingly familiar with, Hairspray and the Opera House, in the same space. She stopped for a moment to examine the Hairspray merchandise booth in the Opera House lobby, and marveled backstage at the reduced-size set pieces for the tour. She will catch Pearl's performance as Amber this weekend. Asked what she she thought of getting a visit from Laura's mom, Pearl said she was, "Ecstatic!"
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About Rich Copley & Copious Notes
- Raised by opera-loving parents in a rock ’n’ roll world, Rich Copley has parlayed his broad interests into his career writing about arts and entertainment. Since 1998, he has covered performing arts, film and faith-based popular culture for the Lexington Herald-Leader, the daily newspaper in Lexington, Ky. It’s a pretty broad beat, but Rich delights in finding influences of the past in the present and showing fine arts fans the value of pop culture, and vice versa. ~ Copious Notes is a blog covering that broad spectrum. If you want to read about specific areas of interest, such as theater or opera, click on one of the categories to the right and you will be whisked away to all posts in that category. Also, look around the blog for links; multimedia items such as photo albums, videos, and interviews with artists; and other nuggets. Have fun, and thanks for dropping in. The header for this blog was designed by Danny Kelly and the illustration was drawn by Camille Weber.
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November 11, 2006
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Stories and reviews
- Music review: Walter Tunis on Alan Jackson at Applebees Park
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- Stage: Candace Chaney on LCT's 'Lily's Purple Plastic Purse'
Questapalooza 2008
- In it's third edition, Questapalooza attracted 6,500 people to Quest Community Church in Lexington, Ky., on Aug. 31, 2008. The music lineup was Kirk Franklin, Kutless and needtobreathe. In addition to the tunes, festival goers enjoyed carnival attractions, contests, heard a sermon and witnessed baptisms.
Ichthus 2008
- The 2008 Ichthus Festival was a roller coaster ride. The week started with the first project by Ichthus Ministries' environmental initiative: ECOS (Earth Commission, Operation Simplify). Then there was the severe thunderstorm June 9 that leveled 14 out of 19 tents at the festival site, with only two days left to open. And it did open, earlier than ever with a Thursday morning battle of the bands. That was followed by one of the hottest Ichthus days ever, and we aren't just talking about Skillet's set the night of June 12. The next day was Friday the 13th, and it turned out to be unlucky for the fest, with thunderstorms scuttling the evening lineup. But as it often has, Ichthus rallied with a fun and worshipful Saturday. The Herald-Leader crew was out there all week. Here's our photo album.
UK Wind Ensemble goes to China
- May 19 to 29, 2008, the University of Kentucky Wind Ensemble is taking a trip to China, where it is scheduled to play six concerts and visit seven cities. The tour finds China eagerly anticipating the 2008 Summer Olympics while also mourning the loss of tens of thousands of its citizens to a devastating earthquake on May 12. This photo album begins with images taken by the Herald-Leader's Whitney Waters at event's leading up to the ensemble's departure.
Actors Guild of Lexington
- Actors Guild of Lexington's early spring production is Tom Stoppard's brainy drama, Arcadia. The show is a mystery over several centuries involving math, science and literature. Here's a look at some images from the show, which runs through April 6 at the Downtown Arts Center, by Herald-Leader photographer Charles Bertram. The photos are copyrighted by the Herald-Leader.
Winter Jam 2008 - Rupp Arena
- After years of going to -- excuse us while we clear our throats -- Louisville, Winter Jam finally came to Kentucky's true big house, Rupp Arena, March 6, 2008. That gave Lexington a heaping helping of MercyMe, BarlowGirl and Skillet, as well as others. This is a little record of the event.
UK Opera Theatre
- The University of Kentucky Opera Theatre is presenting its production of Engelbert Humperdinck's "Hansel and Gretel" through March 8, 2008 at the Lexington Opera House. To give more students a shot at the stage, and for the sake of the singers' voices, two casts were fielded for this production. University of Kentucky photographer Tim Collins shot both casts. Here's a selection of those images.
Amber Rhodes
- Lexington Native Amber Rhodes is a budding country star, shopping a hit independent release around the country, hoping to land a recording contract with a major label. To take a peek into the life of an aspiring country star, and to see how much work it is, I went down to Nashville to spend a day with Amber, as she works to get her name out there. Here are some pictures from that trip. All photos are copyrighted by the Lexington Herald-Leader.
Summer Theatre 2007
- Between June 21 and Aug. 2, eight new plays or musicals opened in the immediate Lexington area. That was an extraordinary number of shows for a summer in the Bluegrass State. Here, we offer a photo album from behind the scenes and on stage.
Ichthus 2007
- Ichthus 2007 took place June 14-16 at Ichthus Farm in Wilmore, Ky. Among the featured performers were Switchfoot, Relient K, Newsboys, Third Day and Phil Keaggy (photo, above).
Laura Bell Bundy
- On April 29, 2007, Lexington native Laura Bell Bundy realized her dream of creating a role in a Broadway musical when she took the stage of New York's Palace Theatre playing Elle Woods in 'Legally Blonde.' It's a goal she'd been working toward since age 10, when she played monstrous child star Tina Denmark in the Off Broadway hit 'Ruthless.' Her 'Legally Blonde' performance earned Bundy a Tony Award nomination for best leading actress in a musical. Over the years, Herald-Leader photographers have chronicled Bundy's career. These are some of their best shots, along with a few other photos.
Superchick's Generation Rising Tour in Winchester
- Superchick's Generation Rising Tour came to Winchester's Central Baptist Church, May 11, 2007. Joining them were DecembeRadio, Krystal Meyers, Nevertheless and Group 1 Crew. Photos by Rich Copley.
Stephanie Pistello
- Stephanie Pistello graduated from Lafayette High School and Transylvania University. She went to New York to pursue an acting career, but returned in August 2006 with her New Mummer Group to present Tennessee Williams' "Candles to the Sun" at Actors Theatre of Louisville.
The Shakespeare portraits
- Since 1999, the Herald-Leader has previewed the Lexington Shakespeare Festival with profiles and environmental portraits of the actors or directors involved in each show. This is a gallery of those fantastic images.
That's my best friend Pearl. She called me that night after she met Laura's mother and was so humbled and so ecstatic really and truly. Very proud of her!! :)
Posted by: Meghan Ivey | November 12, 2006 at 11:16 PM