Footlights and Shadows

Résumé du livre

PREFACEFOOTLIGHTS AND SHADOWSDr. Luis Esteban LatorreThere are many faces of Larry Henares: historian (both as an observer and as a participant), futurist, engineer, economist, educator, industrialist, nationalist, author, columnist, essayist - and a culture-vulture, an aficionado of the performing arts, of stage and screen, of classic and concert music, and ballet. Most of his life he watched movies at least 3 times a week and never paid for a single movie ticket. Nor did he miss plays on Broadway and London West End, nor miss a performance of crooner Frank Sinatra, or ballet master Mikhail Baryshnikov, or opera singer Maria Callas, or mime artist Marcel Marceau, or conductor Arturo Toscanini or pianist Vladimir Horowitz or violinist Yehudi Menuhin, or the Beatles. He made home movies starring his children, depicting classic and original stories. And that is what his latest book is about, Footlights and Shadows, reprising all his essays on the performance arts, in the second biggest book of the 63 books he authored so far, all of 425 pages in 12 point, Times New Roman Font, 1.5-line spacing, in 8.5x11 inch pages. The biggest book he authored is The Sinatra Song Book, a labor of love, the most complete collection of lyrics of songs by Sinatra, containing more than 1,300 songs and a complete list of his recordings, all in 731 pages in the same format.You have heard of the Song of David, and the Song of Songs of Solomon. I now sing the Songs of Larry Henares which define, demarcate and suffuse the adult life of this great man. Favorite songs are those which reflect deeply one's desires and aspirations. Larry Henares met a beautiful girl named Cecilia Lichauco, hardly 16 years of age, never been kissed, never been embraced, never been made love to, so innocent, so virginal, trembling at the brink of womanhood - what is your favorite song, Cecilia? he asked. Then she sang her favorite song, composed by Richard Rodgers:The sweetest sound I'll ever hear, is still inside my head.The kindest words I'll ever know, is waiting to be said.The most entrancing sight of all is yet for me to see.And the greatest love in all the world, is somewhere waiting for me,Is somewhere waiting, waiting for me.It was precisely at that moment when Larry fell in love with her, and he wrote: "The sweetest sound I've ever heard was the song Cecilia sang to me. The kindest words I've ever known were when Cecilia said Yes when I asked her to marry me. The most entrancing sight of all was when I saw her in her bridal gown walking down the aisle towards me. And the greatest love in all the world was mine forever when she said I do and married me."And so they were married and had six children, and their theme song was "All the Things You Are" by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein:You are the promised kiss of springtime that makes the lonely winter seem long.You are the breathless hush of evening that trembles on the brink of a lovely song.You are the angel glow that lights a star, the dearest things I know, are what you are.Someday my happy arms will hold you, and someday I'll know that moment divineWhen all the things you are, are mine.Then came the sunlit days of youth and friendship with Dr. Victor Reyes, Rene Grande, Victor Lim, Nenec Paredes, JV Cruz - days of wine and roses, songs and laughter, sadly missed and long remembered, with songs from Les Miserables:Drink with me to days gone by, sing with me the songs we knewHere's to pretty girls who went to our heads, here's to witty girls who went to our beds.Here's to them and here's to you!Drink with me to days gone by, to the life that used to beAt the shrine of friendship never say die, let the wine of friendship never run dry!Here's to you and here's to me!Then came the heady days of of revolutionary Nationalism of Recto, Tañada, Pepe Diokno, Alejandro Lichauco, Chitang Guerrero Nakpil, I.P. Soliongco, Blas Ople (More inside)