We went to the Barbara Mann to see the Book of Mormon. It had received many accolades, but we didn’t care for it very much. The subject matter was often pretty gross and unpleasant, plus it was anti-religious, especially towards the Mormons; as well as condescending and/or obnoxious towards a variety of groups including blacks, gays and women.
However, the musical song and dance numbers were often wonderful, such as “Hello” which opened the show (see below).
The show is about the pairs of young men who are sent on two year religious missions all over the world to try to gain converts to the Mormon Church. In the opening number, a group of missionaries dressed in their usual black pants, white shirts and ties, with name tags, perform this lively number called “Hello.” The song is about how they go from door to door, ringing doorbells, with their sacred texts of the Latter Day Saint movement.
They try to interest people in their religion with the ultimate goal of baptizing them. This show is set in a primitive village in Uganda, so the young Elders have their work cut out for them.
The Barbara Mann Theater has a high, grand entrance-way illuminated by the lights shown in the photograph above. The packed house seemed to love the show and gave it a standing ovation with whistles and cheers, although some folks around us left at intermission.
ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST OF BOOK OF MORMON with the opening number “Hello!”
Tina works at the French bakery in downtown Fort Myers. Photo By Paul Goldfinger. Her brioches make fine French toast.
Brioche from “Hey Peach” in Bradly Beach. Paul Goldfinger photo in Eileen’s Ocean Grove kitchen. 10/3/25. The plan is to make French toast.
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor Blogfinger.net. 10/3/25
Speaking of French toast in Ocean Grove, two Grovers have opened one of the finest bakeries around called “Hey, Peach” in Bradley Beach. That bakery has first rate pastries and breads, but they also have authentic croissants and brioches.
Erin and James have hung two of my French black and white photographs in their shop. One is of the Parisian waiters which is on the cover of a book being distributed around the world in multiple languages. And the other is of a morning foggy French country farmers’ market revealing a display totally devoted to foie gras.
Eileen Goldfinger’s OG kitchen has a French flavor with the chef ‘s tile above. I went to “Hey, Peach ” today where the enthusiastic staff sold me macaroons, a sourdough baguette, authentic croissants , a brioche. (above) and a cream puff.
Mel, who runs the front-end display department, tells us that their brioches are often purchased for French toast.
When I saw the brioche today, at first I thought it was a round challah since the High Holy Days just ended, but Eileen had just reposted her French toast recipe using challah, and then I recalled the brioches sold in Ft. Myers Florida to use for French toast.. (above).
To use the bumpy “Hey, Peach” brioche for French toast, Mel suggested that we slice the bumpy top off leaving a flat surface for French toast slices.
ALAN ARKIN (She keeps his blood pressure normal–a non-pharmacologic therapy)
Gasparilla Island. Florida.Paul Goldfinger photo. 2014 Click to enlarge.
RONALD NALDI This is a Neapolitan song recorded by Mr. Naldi. (Ocean Grove’s tenor). “A Vuccella” is from Vol II of an album of Italian songs—– Torna a Surriento.
La Creperia and Café. Tampa, Florida. Paul Goldfinger photo. Click once to enlarge. 2018.
JOSEPHINE BAKER “Nuit d’Alger”
And below is a link to another Josephine Baker song called “I Have Two Loves.” The scene is Paris, and that is a very Parisienne thing to do, and tres dangeroux.
Naples, Florida. 2015. By Paul Goldfinger. Click once to enlarge.
SIMPLY RED “Every Time We Say Goodbye” from his album Simplified
This is one of my all time favorite songs. Words and music by Cole Porter for a stage show in 1944.
The lyrics are appreciated viscerally and down to your soul. One of the cleverest lyric lines in music occurs when it goes, “There’s no love song finer, but how strange the change from major to minor, every time we say goodbye.”
If you listen carefully you might be able to appreciate the change in chord progression during that line from A flat major to A flat minor—a brilliant musical moment where the music and lyrics match exactly and the meaning is deepened by the chord change.
Paul Goldfinger photograph. Bunche Beach. Ft. Myers, Florida. Spring. Click once to enlarge. Blogfinger.net
“One who has found a wife has found goodness and has brought forth favor from God” – Proverbs 18:22
By Paul Goldfinger, MD, Editor Blogfinger.net, Ocean Grove, NJ. USA. (“The Golden Land” as my immigrant grandparents used to say.)
Passover seder. It is a happy holiday. Despite the war in the Middle East, Jews travel back jot Israel ust to celebrate Passover with family and friends. USA Today
At the Passover seder, the ceremonial and traditional meal, “Solomon’s Song of Songs” (from the Bible) is read. Much of it is about romantic love, but it also has something to say about spring. And the main purpose of the seder is recall the story of the Jewish people as they were rescued from slavery over 3,000 years ago.
A Haggadah is a guide book which is read at seders. There are many versions of Haggadahs, and one could search Blogfinger’s archives by typing in “Passover” into the search box at the upper right. Two were written by an Ocean Grover.
As those attending a seder know, everyone gets a chance to read. The father says, “Like all people, our people in ancient, pastoral times celebrated the liberation of the earth itself from wintry darkness, and rejoiced in the yearly rebirth of nature.”
This is beautifully described in Solomon’s ” Song of Songs” read by the mother: It is from Meyer Levin’s Israel Haggadah for Passover.
For, lo, the winter is past,
The rain is over and gone;
The flowers appear on the earth;
The time of singing is come,
And the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;
The fig tree putteth forth her green figs,
And the vines in blossom give forth their fragrance.
And here is a Passover poem for 2023 by our friend Igor Timkovsky, immigrant, American patriot, and lover of Ocean Grove. He will return this summer.
Dear Paul and Eileen,
It ‘s hard to say it’s yet or over.
Time will shed light to show us what’s true.
Let us celebrate.
Have a good Passover
To you and yours! It’ll lead us through.
Best wishes.
Thank you, Igor.
Paul Goldfinger photo. Neptune Township April 16, 2019. Spring is emerging.
I met a young man in the Miami Airport. He was waiting for the same Newark connection that we sought. He is an Orthodox Jew who was reading from a large book of the Talmud. We talked, and he is a full time student at a rabbinical college in Lakewood, New Jersey.
His college with 6,500 students, all men, is the largest yeshiva in America and is called BMG. (Beth Medrash Govoha.) It is an elite school and it is competitive to get in. Everyone studies the Jewish guidebook “The Talmud” from morning till night. Only a minority become pulpit rabbis. Some stay for graduate degrees. The rest go on to other careers including law and medicine.
Typical huge class in Lakewood college BMG. Web information. There can be 1,000 men in one study class.
This student married one year ago, and his wife is “in real estate.” Now he is returning home for Passover.
The Hebrew name for this holiday is Pesach, and that is also my Hebrew name. All my uncles called me “Pesach” when I was a kid. I asked this student why he thought my Mom would have chosen this name for me. He said that it is because Passover is a holiday that represents wonderful events for the Jewish people.
GRAHAM BICKLEY with THE NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA From South Pacific
