Thursday, July 22, 1999
Three women, a van and the power of performance poetry
BY JIM KNIPPENBERG
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Herewith a tale of 36 cities, three women, a van named Wilma and a wandering tour of performance poetry . . .
That would be former Cincinnati public relations exec Marty McConnell, 26, and Chicago pals Heather Gawronski and Andi Strickland, collectively known as The Morrigan.
What they're doing is crossing the country in Wilma, sleeping in it, sneaking 4 a.m. sponge baths in the bathroom of whatever Kinko's is close.
They've been doing performance poetry, a cross between a reading and performance art, since June 4.
McConnell is known here from her days in Newport at York Street Cafe's poetry nights, says Ria Davidson. She was McConnell's boss at Environmental Technologies & Communications Inc. until McConnell went corporate and moved to Chicago two years ago.
The cool thing about the tour, besides the oomph it takes to chuck a high-paying job and hit the road, is everything's chronicled on their Web site (www.themorrigan.com) in tell-all journals. Sleeping on the beach, jumping in a ditch to hide from thugs, performing on two hours sleep: “Everything you ever wanted to know about these people and life on the road,” Davidson says.
Their poetry, McConnell says, is “largely political, highly personal and yes, feminist. Not male bashing ... very frank. Not for network TV. (They call themselves the Wandering Uterus Tour.)
The Morrigan is a Celtic goddess representing rage, frenzy and ghostly appearances. Oh, and also equipped with a howl so eerie it caused people to die of fright.
Now we're hearing the road show will be here Aug. 5, probably downtown at Carol's on Main, in cabaret.
Hmmm. Might want to leave a Kinko's open that night, OK?
GIANT STEP: Don't things just keep getting better for Todd Louiso, a School for the Creative and Performing Arts grad ('88).
Already under his belt are films Jerry Maguire and A Cool, Dry Place, a sitcom name of Phenom ('93), two guest shots on Chicago Hope and some TV movies.
Now this: He just finished 10 weeks in Chicago shooting High Fidelity. He plays Dick, one of two employees in a vintage record store owned by John Cusack.
“My son's sooo private, he's going to kill me,” said dad Jack Louiso, director of Cincinnati Children's Theatre. “But it's a big role. It takes place in the store, so Todd is one of three main characters.”
The film is in post production with a release date TBA.
POSTPONED: This for folk watching the newsstands: Hang on.
That from LaVetta Forbes, publisher of Beverly Hills 90212. Her California magazine covers parties around the world. It averages 100 color pages per edition and is published four to six times a year.
Forbes was here in '98 for two parties: The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center gala Sept. 26 at the Westin and a dinner party for Rosa Parks the night before.
Her verdict at the time? “I'm awed ... “sophisticated and fun; ... beautiful and chic ... like European aristocracy.”
She also said she would feature the weekend in this year's June issue in a Parties of the Millennium feature. But she's decided to ditch her summer issue and moved the story to November. “I want to be closer to the end of the year, when it really builds.” (For those who keep calling Eye, there's no word yet on where it will be sold locally.)
Knip's Eye View appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Have an item to report? Call Jim Knippenberg at 768-8513; fax: 768-8330.
Psst! appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Have an item to report? Call Jim Knippenberg at 768-8513; fax: 768-8330.
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