The Marysville Academy for the Arts will mount a fullscale production this fall ofCarnival, taken from the gorgeous Broadway musical that in turn was based on the 1953 MGM movie Lili.

The film Lili inroduced the much-loved French ingenue Leslie Caron, and also starred Mel Ferrer, Zsa Zsa Gabor (in her heyday) and manda Blake, who would later become a TV legend as "Miss Kitty Russell," owner of the Long Branch Saloon in Gunsmoke.

Partial script credits for Lili went to writer Paul Gallico, who also wrote the childrens' lassic, Snowgoose, and the movie spectacular, Posiedon Adventure.

The story of Carnival is Lili's tale, and Lili's tale is another charming fable of the showfolk life. In it, an orphaned girl happens upon a troupe of performers from a travelling circus. A lame puppeteer unwittingly hires her, and she sings out her loneliness to the puppets and her performance becomes the traveling carnival's star attraction.

The most memorable song from the movie -- sung by every teenaged girl in New England for months and months -- was a paintive waltz written by Kaper and Deutsch, "Hi, Lily, hi-lo."

Here is a still taken from the movie scene where Lili sings to puppets:

Also, here are the lyrics.

(This is also an inside joke for some of the MCAA students who took part in the recent production of Grease. Notice that the lyrics from from the version done by Shelley Fabares, whose incorrectly pronounced last name figured in a minor way in a Grease bit.)

Carnival showcases the talents of MCAA’s young actors, musicians and dancers. First reports of the casting indicate that the ingenue-ous Dahni Trujillo and a yet-to-be-named classmate at MCAA will share the lead Lili role.

MCAA instructors Wendie Marks, Zenobia Brown and Jacque Dake will be director, musical director and choreographer, respectively.

Shows are scheduled for Oct. 16, 17, 18, 19, 30, 31 and Nov. 1 and 2. For tickets or more information call (530) 749-6157.

Don’t miss it.

The nationally-recognized, award-winning, Cultural Celebration is looking for quality culturally-diverse, entertainers, artists, crafters and vendors for the 5th Annual Cultural Celebration held at Town Center in Yuba City, October 18 from 10 a.m.-10 p.m.

For vendor information call Abbie Cesena, City of Yuba City Parks & Recreation, 822-4654.

New this year to Cultural Celebration is a 5k Run/Walk organized by the Yuba City Rotary Club and Yuba College - the Run/Walk will begin at 8 am at Yuba City Town Center and wind it’s way through Yuba City. For Run/Walk information call 822-4650.

Everybody loves a parade, especially a colorful one! Premiering this year is the Cultural Celebration “Unity” parade that was devised as a way to showcase Yuba-Sutter’s diverse heritage and promote unity.

The parade will begin at 10 am on Plumas Street at Forbes Street and end at the Cultural Celebration. The event is being co-produced by the City of Yuba City Cultural Celebration Committee and the Downtown Business Association. People from all backgrounds are encouraged to participate.

For parade information call 822-4725.

The last show -- Grease --.closed and the next one hasn't even been identified. That's the dread limbo all showfolk fear and despise, but can't avoid.

Acting and production work, be it stage or film, is essentially casual labor, only with intellectual and creative aspects to it.

A thespian's life is strikingly like that of a merchant seaman. The showperson scouts out auditions, tests for the part (or the craft work) and, if lucky, is called back and signed for the show.

A seaman scans the shipping board at the union hall for an open berth, throws in his book when one is called, and, if he has the rating and beats the competing seniorities, he heads for the ship, signs articles and has a job for the length of the voyage..

Sooner or later the ship returns and he lands back "on the beach"" again/ Then it's back to watching the shipping board for "the next thing smokin'," as mariners like to say.

It's a chancy life,. You never know what ship you might go, or where it will end up, or how lng it will last.

I remember a time in Charleston, S.C. when the Port Patrolman was claling out jobs at the morning shape-up.

"I have one for an oiler. It's a tanker headed for the gulf. It's a pierhead jomp (that is, the sailing board has been posted and youd better get there fast) . Do I have any books (most senior union rating cards)?"

Suddenly from the back of the hall, a suspicious-sounding voice piped up: "What gulf?"

Some savvy sailor was wondering whether taking the job meant committing to a ship bound for the Gulf of Mexico, a two week voyage, down and back, or for the Persian Gulf, which could mean anywhere from four to six months under a broiling sun..

"What do you care, what gulf," the patrolman shot back,?

He was right, of course, In the end, what does it matter to someone in the sea-going life where you are heading or how long it takes you to get there back, so long as you have a snug berth, a fair watch and mates who can tell a good sea story, or two?.

Similarly, for actors and creative technicians, it doesn't matter what show you're workign, so long as your involved.

Pierrette Jensen -- Grease co-director, actor, choreographer and costumier -- recently remarked along these same lines. She sounded very much like that long ago oiler vaguely worried about what gulf he might be find himself in, but not really caring when push came to shove.

"I'm always pulled in two directions when it comes to show biz. A part of me is full of ideas and anxious to start another production, and the other part of me thinks they end up being more trouble than they're worth. I always spend much more time than I should putting it all together - but I usually love the end product," Jensen said in an email.

It's a life, all right.