Author: thatneilguy

Freelance writer. Musician. Songwriter. Actor. Ukulele evangelist. Coffee Achiever.

From the Deep Archives – It’s Showtime, Folks: “Fosse” at the Peace Center

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Theatre preview originally published in MetroBeat

It’s all in the fingers, held apart with hands outstretched, elbows tucked in, full of energy. Dancers call it Fosse hands.

Bob Fosse choreographed every detail of a dance routine — the drooping eyelash, the bowler hat cocked at a rakishly precise angle, the pinky finger curled at just the right moment. You don’t see a lot of big chorus lines and beauty pageant smiles in Fosse numbers. You do see a lot of skin.

Bob Fosse died in 1987, at age 60, but his work lives on in the musical tribute that bears his name. Fosse – the Musical premiered in 1998, won three Tony awards in 1999 (including Best Musical) and arrives in a touring production at the Peace Center, January 2-6. The show has no plot: it’s more of a journey, an evening of song and dance highlights from one man’s extraordinary career, work that encompasses theatre, film, television and even ballet. Continue reading “From the Deep Archives – It’s Showtime, Folks: “Fosse” at the Peace Center” →

Threads of Victory Documentary Script

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Logo for the exhibit Weaving Our Survival: Upcountry Stories of World War II
Logo for the exhibit Weaving Our Survival: Upcountry Stories of World War II

One of my favorite projects involved writing the script for the documentary Threads of Victory: Upcountry South Carolina During WWII. I worked with Don Koonce of Ferncreek Creative, who did the real shooting and editing, and Dr. Courtney Tollison, a history professor at Furman University and staff historian for Upcountry History Museum. As she told me, I had to take her three years’ worth of research and interviews on the subject and condense it into a twenty minute documentary. I loved working on this and am still amazed by some of the wonderful material we got from local veterans. The finished film received a National Award of Merit from the American Association for State and Local History in 2008.

In 2009, I was asked by Dr. Tollison to write copy for the year-long museum exhibit Weaving Our Survival, encompassing more stories of the WWII era as it was lived locally. Once again, my role was to assimilate and condense her extensive research material into flowing, manageable, readable chunks. She published a lot of the material in a book, World War II and Upcountry South Carolina: ‘We Just Did Everything We Could’.

Where Angels and Mortals Meet: Oakdale Cemetery Documentary Script

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Oakdale Cemetery DVD
Oakdale Cemetery DVD

I wrote the script for the documentary Where Angels and Mortals Meet about historic Oakdale Cemetery in Wilmington NC. It’s a gorgeous, garden setting and I really enjoyed reviewing the history then turning it into a travelogue-like narrative.

Here’s a link to more information from the Friends of Oakdale Cemetery.

Below is a review that appeared in the 2009 Newsletter of the Gravestone Studies Association

The history of the cemetery, including famous and interesting burials, along with the history of the area is well explained in the narration and through stunning current and historical photographs.

The production quality of this video can only be described as outstanding. The photography is breathtaking. The viewer is taken on a stroll among the flowering shrubbery, the tombstones and crypts and the magnificent trees. One cannot help but want to visit the cemetery.

Tourists as well as local residents will enjoy this video. It will also attract, and retain, the attention of community leaders. The video will be a constant reminder that Wilmington has a treasure in this park known as Oakdale Cemetery.

I find myself envious not only of this wonderful cemetery but also of the DVD itself. Many cemetery friends organizations will watch this video and grind their teeth wishing that they too could produce something of this quality.

– Hugh T. Harrington

Commandments

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Short story by Neil Shurley. My favorite story I’ve written. Originally published in Rosebud Magazine.

Until it became time for me to enter elementary school, Mother and I lived in Vegas, where she cocktailed six shows a week at the Stardust. I spent showtime in a back room straining to hear the headliner’s act, although laughter and applause were the only real sounds that carried through the walls.

I’d pass the time reciting passages from the bible chapters Mother and I had studied that week. I took great pride in memorizing verses for the upcoming Sunday’s lesson assigned for my Beginning Christians class.

Before the show Mother would quiz me as she pulled on her little outfit.

“Psalm 23,” she would say as she wiggled into her fishnet hose.

“The Lord is my shepherd,” I’d reply, tiny fist gripping hairpins which Mother would extract one by one. “I shall not want.” Continue reading “Commandments” →