Bus Barn Theatre presented its annual highly anticipated Follies production the nights of October 11, 12 and 13. The musical thespians roasted national, state and local politics. Below we bring just two of the show’s fine musical ditties — Ticked Off, a roast of the LASD vs. BCS learning disorder and Our Town, a roast of the 1950’s mindset still gripping our town.
Political luminaries attending included Assemblyman Rich Gordon and State Senator Joe Simitian as well as Anna Eshoo. Locally several city council candidates attended –Jeannie Bruins, Anabel Pelham and Jan Pepper. Courtenay Corrigan, councilwoman-elect at LAH, was a co-MC as was Mountain View Mayor, Mike Kasperzak. No Los Altos City Council members attended. Last year Council member Val Carpenter had been deeply dismayed by the satire. Too bad Los Altos School District Board members and candidates apparently missed it this year. They might have learned something about how a large swath of the residential community feels about their antics.
Ticked Off
(Tune: Pick Yourself Up, lyrics by Dorothy Fields, music by Jerome Kern, 1936.
New words by Vicki Reeder.)
LALAHPOLITICO: I think this rhyming really does sum up the non-parent community sentiment about the LASD Board and possibly the staff — Exasperation and disbelief and a readiness to throw the bums out.
School leaders,
Stop your fighting.
School leaders,
This is fright’ning.
It’s so awkward, it’s a scandal
That’s not the worst,
This school feud
Makes us fret, yet
Who will be
Teacher’s pet yet?
Better make a plan that works or burst.
This is fright’ning.
It’s so awkward, it’s a scandal
Standoffs impassible are not sound,
Opposing forces guard their ground,
So stop pickin’ fights,
Don’t be ticked off,
Start all over again.
Please be responsible, conciliate
Don’t throw your weight and litigate,
Just stop pickin’ fights,
Don’t be ticked off,
Start all over again.
You might need your mind rewired,
`Til all the kids in town have won;
We’re getting sick and tired,
Can’t you get the damn thing done?
You need a place for the Charter School,
That Hillview spot looks pretty cool,
Just stop pickin’ fights,
Don’t be ticked off,
Start all over again.
We’re getting sick and tired,
Can’t you get the damn thing done?
You need a place for the Charter School,
That Hillview spot looks pretty cool
It’s not impossible, it might fly
To build two schools three stories high,
So just pick your brain,
Dust off your thoughts,
Start all over again.
Don’t offer arguments, please don’t slip,
Don’t stonewall, but get a grip!
So just pick your brain,
Dust off your thoughts,
Start all over again.
Work like a board inspired
`Til those Charter parents like your looks;
Otherwise you’ll be fired,
Just a note in hist’ry books!
Please find a compromise, a real win-win,
Don’t make us go through this again!
Just pick up your pen,
Make a Plan P,
Start all over again.
Work like a board inspired
`Til those Charter parents like your looks;
Otherwise you’ll be fired,
Just a note in hist’ry books!
Bus Barn performs “Our Town” a satire of the still prevailing 1950’s mindset…
In Our Town
(Tune: There is a Tavern in the Town, traditional folk song, 1883.
New words by Vicki Reeder.)
There’s controversy in our town, in our town.
And fightin’ words are goin’ `round,
They argue `bout tall buildings ev’rywhere,
And excess shops for nails and hair.
Should we change the place for yuppies?
Keep the Pet Parade for puppies?
Can we boost our housing prices way up high, way high?
So many shops, they comes and goes, comes and goes
We hardly notice when they close;
Should we change our ways, what do we want to do?
Or stay in nineteen fifty-two?
Should we change the place for yuppies?
Keep the Pet Parade for puppies?
Some want to ban the banks from town, from our town
They say we better tear `em down, tear `em down.
The Costume shop and the Masonic Hall,
They may vanish, one and all!
What about the First and Main place,
Shall we let `em build a plain place?
Or hold out for a gateway, one with style, real style?
Adieu, adieu, typewriter store, what’s it for?
Do people go there anymore, anymore?
Should we change our ways, what do we want to do?
Or stay in nineteen fifty-two?
What about that group of Greenies,
Are they friend or foe or meanies?
There’s new developers in town, in our town,
They bought some property around (yes, around)
This could be good or just be mighty strange,
Cuz we’re not sure we want to change!
What about that group of Greenies,
Are they friend or foe or meanies?
Trust the Village `ssociation, and the Chamber too?
To do, to do, what shall we do?
Because I don’t agree with you, not with you!
We’ll just harp on cuz that’s the thing we do,
And stay in nineteen fifty-two!
We’ll just harp on cuz that’s the thing we do,
And stay in nineteen fifty-two!
