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Posts published in “Arts & Entertainment”

Elf the Musical

Spreading Holiday Cheer for All at the Mount

By Elysian Alder | Editor-in-Chief

Photo by Laura Cavanaugh via Theater at the Mount

On Saturday, December 2nd, Mount Wachusett Community College’s Theatre at the Mount (TAM) put on a spectacular performance of their holiday show, Elf: the Musical, a stage adaptation of the hit 2003 film of the same name.The musical follows Buddy (David Allen Prescott)—a human raised by the elves (who are “Happy All the Time,” according to the show’s opening number) at the North Pole—as he sets out on a journey to New York City in search of his real father…and his true identity.  read more

Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials

Everything Old is New Again in the Doctor’s Latest Adventures

By Tom Hill Jr. | Observer Designer

Image Copyright BBC

November 23, 2023 marked the 60th Anniversary of the longest-running science fiction program in history: a little BBC show called Doctor Who. To celebrate its 60 years on our television screens, three special episodes were released.

For the uninitiated, Doctor Who is the story of an alien known as the Doctor and their various companions. They travel through time and space in a ship called the TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimension in Space), solving mysteries, fighting monsters, and just generally experiencing the weird wonders of the cosmos. The Doctor has the ability to “regenerate” when they are about to die, a process that changes every cell in their body, leading to different physical appearances and personality quirks, but remaining the same character. This was a mechanic introduced to keep the show running when the first actor to portray the Doctor, William Hartnell, left the role. To date there have been thirteen “main” actors who have portrayed the Doctor, with occasional “one-off” appearances from other actors in the role.  read more

No, Thanks

By Desiree Leader | Observer Contributor

Turkeys used to roam free here
now they are yours for the taking
along with everything else…the buffalo
that are almost extinct
and live only on farms, for food.
The water,  no longer clean,
the land of the brave that is free no more –
paid for with your taxes
and our blood.

Malaria blankets
paved trails of tears.
We have our reservations
about giving thanks,
about your feasts with the food
that we taught you to grow
until you grew so big there was no room left

For us
at the table.
Celebrate your holiday of giving thanks?
No thanks. read more

Jumping June

By William A. Lefrancois | Observer Contributor

When May is done, when the flowers bloom have begun.
When the showers of April, the parched earth have soaked.
When water meets soil, seeds of life erupt to begin life’s run.
Brilliant blooms and verdant fields, colors in which the earth is cloaked.

June jumps to life, the following months seek their awakening.
Bright sun fills the skies, puffs of white decorate a powder blue canvas.
Stirrings of life are seen, nature responds to June’s beckoning.
The greenery of life covers every rock, bright light reaches every crevice. read more

Becalmed

By Elysian Alder | Assistant Editor

Harken to the plight of mariners in search,
A dire fate that oft doth besmirch,
As if bewitched by the sorcery of thee,

Cast adrift on the endless sea…

FROM THE POET’S TREASURE BY VITO

***

At dusk, the sinking sun cast long shadows across the ship’s deck, and a creeping sense of melancholy knotted itself tightly in Donovan’s chest. The sea lay placid, as still as a pond, and seemed just as unmoved as it had been the past two days, leaving their ship adrift on the endless waters, motionless and alone. Stagnancy had led most of the crew below deck to seek shelter from the scorching sun, and the lack of wind or motion had rendered the elements unbearable. read more

The Dunks Line

By Reed Fitzgerald | Observer Contributor

Wrapping right to left,

Never left unattended

People will always come

For coffee and doughnuts.

Do not worry if they run out

Of rich frosted rolled in sprinkles,

There is an array of others

To choose from.

From coffee swirled with pumpkin

Perfect for the promise of cold

Evenings, even though the coffee

Is cold itself.

When you reach the bottom

Of your cold or hot morning in a cup

Or take you last bite of sweet

Relief from bitter and think

Is there not a bit more?

Do not worry. The line still wraps read more

May Commences!

By William A. Lefrancois | Observer Contributor

Four months have come and gone; the new year marches ahead.

May arrives with flowery blooms; in verdant splendor it is met.

As the sun rises higher and brighter; no longer the cold to dread.

Spirits soar with the daylight; suddenly surreal surroundings set.

In each person hope rises; sorry frowns turn to happy smiles.

Friendships blossom as the buds bloom; anger and malice take a holiday.

Driving along country roads brings joy; dazzling colors light the miles! read more

A Poetry Slam Dunk

Literary Magazine ‘A Certain Slant’ is a Certain Success

By Annabelle Kennedy | Observer Contributor

Photo by Tom Hill Jr.

Spring has sprung at MWCC and that means it is time for our own literary magazine A Certain Slant to come out by the end of April. A Certain Slant is a celebration of poetry, short fiction and paintings created by MWCC students themselves. Michelle Valois, a professor in the English department, edits and puts them together in a print magazine style.

            For the past 20 years, Valois has been heading up the literary magazine. “I took it over from Professor Arthur Marley who started the magazine, sometime in the 1980s,” said Valois. Being a writer herself, she knows the excitement of seeing your name in print for the first time. read more

The Plan

By Isabelle Mascary | Observer Contributor

“Tell me, what it is you plan to do

With your one wild and precious life…”

Wonderful question you ask.

I plan to tackle every task.

What do I plan to do with

my wild yet precious life?

I plan to liberate others and

help build their self-esteem.

You know, the ones who have lost their voice,

often the ones left with no choice.

Ones who are lost and confused,

the ones, tormented and abused.

The ones society wants to forget,

the ones who can forgive, but can never forget. read more