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Monday Morning Roundup


by Stephen Becker 16 May 2011 8:04 AM

Today in the roundup: The votes are in on The Arts of Collin County, reviews of Fort Worth Opera’s The Mikado and replacing Garrison Keillor.

CTA TBD

THE VOTES ARE IN: On Saturday, Frisco voters chose to revoke the city’s right to sell $16.4 million in bonds earmarked for building The Arts of Collin County. The project has three “owner” cities – Plano, Allen and Frisco – but with no money coming in from Frisco, the project’s future is definitely in jeopardy. “It doesn’t look good,” Plano Mayor Phil Dyer tells dallasnews.com. “I don’t want to say it’s impossible, but I can’t see it.” In other election news, Lyric stage founder Steven Jones is now on the Irving school board.

THE REVIEWS ARE IN: Fort Worth Opera opened its 1980s take on Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Mikado over the weekend. And how you enjoy that transition will likely decide how you enjoy the show as a whole. “The G&S purists will be aghast, but everyone else will have a great time,” Gregory Sullivan Isaacs writes on dfw.com. “In its zany way, this all makes sense,” Scott Cantrell writes on dallasnews.com. “A young cast mostly proves convincing even in mature roles, and diction is commendably crisp.” Also in the positive category is Martha Heimberg. “All happy expectations were fulfilled big-time by a youthful and athletic cast in this bold, witty and joyously performed production,” she writes on theaterjones.com. “These first-rate singers also proved themselves accomplished actors and willing dancers, as well.” Your next chance to catch it is Sunday.

WHO’S NEXT?: If you’re a regular listener of A Prairie Home Companion on KERA (Saturday’s at 5 p.m., Sunday’s at 10 a.m.), you know that Garrison Keillor is retiring from the show in the spring of 2013. And even though he’s not going anywhere for two years, the question of who might replace him is already blowing around. Keillor doesn’t really suggest a full-time host in an interview with The New York Times, but he does have a dream guest host – Stephen Colbert. We’ll second that.

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  • Garrison Keillor has too monumental an ego to think anyone could possibly fill his shoes. I mean, why else would he SING every week? That show would be a lot more enjoyable if he confined himself to talking and writing, and skipped the warbling.