In 1865; Heinrich Portscheller emigrated to Mexico from his native Germany; perhaps motivated by a desire to avoid compulsory military service in the Austro-Prussian War. The scion of a well-known family of masons and master builders; he had the misfortune to disembark at Veracruz during the Franco-Mexican War. Portscheller and his traveling companion were impressed into the imperialist forces and sent to northern Mexico. Sometime following the Battle of Santa Gertrudis in1866; Portscheller deserted the army and eventually made a place for himself in Roma; a small town in Starr County; Texas. Over the next decades; Portscheller acquired a reputation as a master builder and architect. He brought to the Lower Rio Grande Valley his long heritage of Old World building knowledge and skills and integrated them with the practices of local Mexican construction and vernacular architecture. However; despite his many contributions to the distinctive architecture of Roma and surrounding places; by the mid-twentieth century he was largely forgotten. During nearly fifty years of historical sleuthing in South Texas and Germany; W. Eugene George reconstructed many of the details of the life and career of this important South Texas craftsman. Containing editorial contributions by Mary Carolyn Hollers George and featuring a foreword by Mariaacute; Eugenia Guerra and a concluding assessment by noted architectural historian Stephen Fox; Master Builder of the Lower Rio Grande: Heinrich Portscheller at last permits a long-overdue appreciation of the legacy of this influential architect and builder of the Texas-Mexico borderlands.
#681072 in eBooks 2016-11-10 2016-11-10File Name: B01M99I5GL
Review
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful. Existential Theatre At Its FinestBy Vanessa ClarkAs someone who saw the original New York Theatre Workshop show before David Bowies passing. my connection to this play will differ from those whore reading this coldly without having seen the play at all. and especially if they havent watched The Man Who Fell To Earth. or read the book.Do you have to have seen the play first before reading this? Not necessarily. Should you watch The Man Who Fell To Earth before reading this? Yes. because since this is a sequel. thats a must.So with all that being said. theres another thing to keep in mind with Lazarus as a play in general: its not perfect. It almost feels unfinished. It doesnt quite work on its own. with a lot of characters that arent developed when they should be. with not much of a plot to begin with. and with the songs not all exactly quite fitting in with the context of the events surrounding it. For that reason. the mixed reviews are indeed understandable. but what does work is this: its one of David Bowies last parting gifts to us. and its perfect just the way it is as a testament to one mans talent and one mans final dream fully realized. that he was thankfully alive to be able to see come into fruition and to see in person before his untimely death. It also works as existential theatre at its finest. Its not meant to have any real plot to it. not meant to really give us answers to anything. Only questions. questions that will only make us think as well as feel and ultimately love. Thats why I wouldnt recommend anyone taking the play too literally or trying to figure out what it all means. Its a play about questioning the meaning of identity. life. love. and death. Even the songs are more or less a glimpse into an alien who is a man who cannot die. an interior dialogue into the mind of Thomas Jerome Newton. told in song. On paper. the play doesnt quite come to life as much as it does in person. The play is very visual. utilizing pretty fascinating special effects that unfortunately and obviously here. its not there. and it also demands a lot from the actors physically. and surprisingly all this is not even described.So if one were to read this coldly. it will understandably turn one off from reading it. and/or from wanting to see it. But one should see this play. because its something more special and very memorable in person. Unfortunately. Lazarus doesnt translate well in print. admittedly. But I still read through it in one sitting. but it helps that I saw the play first with everything about it still so fresh in my head a year since Ive seen it. I loved that they included the lyrics of all the songs in this play; that was fun to read. especially with the three new Bowie tracks "No Plan." "Killing A Little Time." and "When I Met You." Maybe that alone is partly why one should own a copy of this play. but Id say this is also a must-have for fans of the play. if they saw it in person. Or if one just wants this because theyre a Bowie fan. to have it as just one other thing as part of their Bowie collection. its great for that too. Love the play or hate it. though. one things for sure: it may not be a play that will stand the test of time. but like the Starman himself. for all who were so lucky to have seen this. it will remain with us. and while we may never have a DVD of Lazarus. at least we have this. and that definitely counts for something.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Loving the alienBy Jane DoeKnowing he would not live to see his 70th birthday. legendary musician David Bowie approached playwright Enda Walsh with the idea of creating a play with music based upon the fictional character. Thomas Jerome Newton. with whom Bowie had been obsessed for almost 40 years after having portrayed him in a film. "Lazarus" is the result of their collaboration. Newton. insane from grief and alcohol. is an all too human immortal alien. betrayed and abandoned by his earthly lover. unable to distinguish fantasy from reality. hallucinating wildly. or just possibly actually being visited by an angel who leads him to peace and escape.The story does not flow in a linear fashion. and the music. mostly from Bowies back catalogue. does not draw us along the wild swoops and swirls of Newtons disintegrating mind. The new songs are wonderful. and having all of the the lyrics in front of me as I write lifts me up. Because. in the end. the message is of eternal love and hope. I count myself fortunate to have seen the original New York City production.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. An awesome transcription of the musicalBy kungfu_kitten77An awesome transcription of the musical! Does not contain the guest appearance from Alan Cumming from the Broadway run.
