There is an otherworldly quality to the Mid-Shore--ghosts seem to rise up from the Chesapeake; and quaint towns hold the spirits of their historic pasts. Oxfords Robert Morris Inn is still home to its colonial namesake; while the Kemp House in St. Michaels is host to the restless specter of Robert E. Lee. Murdered actress Marguerite rides the elevator of the Avalon Theater; and Wish Sheppard stalks the halls of the Denton Jail. Near the witching hour; the eerie sound of the swinging body of "Bloody" Henny Insley can be heard on the grounds of the Dorchester Courthouse. Author and ghost tour guide Mindie Burgoyne takes a chilling journey into the supernatural lore of Marylands Mid-Shore.
#1412303 in eBooks 2004-04-10 2004-04-10File Name: B00142EJHI
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Narrowly. but interestingly focusedBy Deborah VFirst off. if you pick this book up. you need to love the ballet Sleeping Beauty and what Russian ballet brings to the table for the genre. It focuses on the 1999 reproduction of the 1890 work of Sleeping Beauty by the Maryinsky (formerly Kirov) Ballet and Theater. The 1999 version was faithful to the 1890 work and sparked much dialogue within the ballet public.As the author states on page 131:"If the 1890 production of Sleeping Beauty was meant to awake. like Aurora. from a long sleep in 1999. the revival seemed more like Giselle emerging from the grave to some: the production returned to haunt members of a St.Petersburg ballet public that loved to reminiscence about 1890 but actually preferred that the past remain there. Like all reconstructions. the 1890/1999 production of Sleeping Beauty occupied a strange half-life: it was neither a truly radical nor a genuinely conservative gesture."The author delves into this unique translation that did its best to recreate what was performed in 1890 by interweaving history. politics. and art. This is a ballet that has been performed and interpreted by many. The 1890 version is the first production of this famous ballet. As the years went on and choreographers and dancers interpreted the ballet. the original productions staging. dancing and art faded into the background.Tim Scholl allows you to revisit the past and compare it to today as his rhetoric searches for the "authentic" Sleeping Beauty. As one person mentioned in the book after viewing the reproduction of the 1890 Sleeping Beauty at the Met--it changed the way they forever would view the ballet.The author includes fascinating reviews of the original ballet. One of my favorites was from the Theater Echo (page 176):"A new ballet!...An occasion in the ballet anthill!...As always. there are many who like it and many who dont! On one hand: lovely. delightful. And on the other: dissatisfaction and spiteful whispering with crooked smiles on the lips. Ummmyeah! The costumes really are good! The sets. very nice. but whats the sense of it? They didnt skimp. but with money you can make any sort of set you want!...Theres no plot and no dancing!"Sounds like with the reproduction that this review is apropos today.
