SHOW SALUTES IRISH HOLIDAY CUSTOMS.Byline: P. Catherine Shanks Special to the Daily News Irish tales of Christmas past and present are coming to the Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. Civic Arts Plaza's Kavli Theatre on Saturday with a ``A Celtic Christmas.'' The show will feature Will Millar, former leader of the Irish Rovers, and an intimate cast of dancers, musicians and storytellers. ``This is not the big, slick Las Vegas Las Vegas (läs vā`gəs), city (1990 pop. 258,295), seat of Clark co., S Nev.; inc. 1911. It is the largest city in Nevada and the center of one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the United States. show,'' said Millar, who began developing his Celtic Christmas program five years ago when the Canadian-based Hospice Society asked him to perform for terminally ill Terminally Ill When a person is not expected to live more than 12 months. Notes: Any gifts given out by the afflicted person at this time may be considered as a dispersion of the estate rather than a gift. patients. He responded by assembling a touching collection of Christmas memories from his boyhood. The stage production that resulted closely resembles a warm fireside gathering, complete with the sights, sounds and scents of an Irish Yuletide celebration. In ``A Celtic Christmas,'' Millar assumes the role of seanachie - the storyteller. He credits his grandmother for his storytelling gene, touched with a wee bit of obligatory Irish blarney Blarney, village, Co. Cork, SE Republic of Ireland. Those who kiss the Blarney Stone, placed in an almost inaccessible position near the top of the thick stone wall of the 15th-century castle, are supposed to gain marvelous powers of persuasion and cajolery. . He also identifies with one of his characters, a tinker who finds good fortune in unlikely circumstances. When everyone in the kitchen is suddenly swept out to sea, only the itinerant tinker in the corner remains to retell re·tell tr.v. re·told , re·tell·ing, re·tells 1. To relate or tell again or in a different form. 2. To count again. Verb 1. the terrifying ter·ri·fy tr.v. ter·ri·fied, ter·ri·fy·ing, ter·ri·fies 1. To fill with terror; make deeply afraid. See Synonyms at frighten. 2. To menace or threaten; intimidate. tale from town to town. ``I ended up sitting on the window when everyone else was hurled into the sea, taking my music, my stories and my tin whistle on the road,'' said Millar with a laugh. Without hesitating, he added, ``And the moral of that story is give up your day job and become a musician.'' The thread of humor runs through even the most poignant of tales in ``A Celtic Christmas.'' Millar tells the story of the wren boys who collect money from door to door to pay for a feathered and somewhat ``fishy'' funeral. Audience members with culinary inclinations will enjoy the recitation rec·i·ta·tion n. 1. a. The act of reciting memorized materials in a public performance. b. The material so presented. 2. a. Oral delivery of prepared lessons by a pupil. b. of a genuine recipe for ``Mock Goose.'' ``This dainty dish for Yuletide contains no feathered creature of any shape or description,'' said Millar of the convoluted concoction. Millar touches on ancient Celtic ceremonies and festivities fes·tiv·i·ty n. pl. fes·tiv·i·ties 1. A joyous feast, holiday, or celebration; a festival. 2. The pleasure, joy, and gaiety of a festival or celebration. 3. preceding the birth of Christ. A standing stone in the field provides the basis for one of his tales. Christmas trees and many of our holiday trappings and customs harken har·ken v. Variant of hearken. Verb 1. harken - listen; used mostly in the imperative hark, hearken listen - hear with intention; "Listen to the sound of this cello" back to early Ireland. ``The Romans were burning all the books, but the monks in the safety of Ireland were frantically copying anything they could get their hands on,'' Millar said. With a laugh, Millar went on to say that many of our Christmas customs were invented solely to appease the pagans. Millar will open ``A Celtic Christmas'' with a warm welcome to his honored guests. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the musician and the bard, people of all ages will relate to some part of his festive bill of fare. ``There's something about our old ways that's appealing - especially to the over-40 crowd,'' said Millar, adding that people are more responsive than ever to home values and grass-roots traditions. The curtain will rise on a simple set. A Victorian table and an old oil lamp will decorate the center stage as the seanachie begins his tale: ``There's love and laughter here, and a steamy mug of Christmas punch to warm the mind to the possibility that we will have the time of our lives.'' Members of the featured cast of ``A Celtic Christmas'' are Bob O'Donovan, Ian Millar and Davey Walker. ``A Celtic Christmas'' will begin at 8 p.m. Tickets are priced from $16 to $26 and are available at the Civic Arts Plaza box office or through Ticketmaster. |
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