When the Huang family came to Philadelphia in 1986 from a small farming village in Canton, China, they could not speak English, and all of their earthly possessions could have fit into the closet of a one-room apartment. But like so many poor immigrant families before them, the Huangs refused to put a ceiling on their ambitions. The father, Rong Hui, now 62, began working in Chinese restaurants because that was the only employment opportunity available to him; his longest tenure was five years at Yangming in Bryn Mawr.
Fine acting helps overcome convoluted plot on Hill stage
by HUGH HUNTER
Gordon Miller is a theater producer who is trying to stage his new play. He connives to house the entire cast in his brother-in-law’s hotel, but he is now bankrupt and cannot pay the bill. When hotel executive Gregory Wagner shows up, Miller schemes to ward off eviction by playing one hotel employee against another.
Stagecrafters is now running Room Service, a farce by John Murray and Allen Boretz. A Broadway hit in 1937 (later a Marx Brothers movie), the play moves at breakneck speed. Nearly 15 characters come and go through multiple doors, and director Catherine Papas faces the challenge of not allowing the pandemonium on stage to degenerate into chaos for us.
Mt. Airy visitor edits sacred music despite her blindness
by PAMELA ROGOW
Obviously, the study of medieval and Renaissance musical literature is a challenge. Rats have nibbled away at some of the great works. A knowledge of both the French and Italian languages is mandatory. Musical training is essential. A visual as well as aural memory is required. The repositories are almost all in Europe, where funds for American students are scarce.
Add to these hurdles one that makes Jessica Bachicha’s plan all the more extraordinary: she has been blind since birth. Her goal is to edit sacred music of the Middle Ages and Renaissance so that it can be made more accessible to modern audiences.
Last week, the 24-year-old from New Mexico flew to Philadelphia from the University of Leeds, where she is halfway through a three-year Ph.D. program in musicology. She came to our area to learn the Opticon, a tactile electronic aid.
