|
|
|
| Current Issue |
|
|
| Resources |
|
|
|
A Different Kind of Fame
| Article
# : |
19994 |
|
|
Section : |
LIFE
|
| Issue
Date : |
8 / 1992 |
3,058 Words |
| Author
: |
John C. Tibbetts
John C. Tibbetts, an associate professor of theater and film
at the University of Kansas, contributes regularly to national
music publications and is editor of the recently published
Dvorak in America.
|
"More people come to my readings these days than to my political rallies," quips Eugene J. McCarthy. More than a hundred parents and children have gathered at Borders Book store in Kansas City to meet the legendary politician. It is an unsusal occasion because the retired Minnesota senator and former presidential candidate appears not as a statesman but as a storyteller. He is giving a reading from a volume of his children's stories, Mr. Raccoon and His Friends. He eases himself into a rocking chair in the children's books section. At his back is a shelf of Peter Rabbit books. To his right is a shelf of First Books. He seems right at home in these whimsical surroundings, despite his careful manner and conservative black suit.
"Mr. Raccoon was a careful, logical creature," begins McCarthy, balancing the book in his right hand and peering out at the children grouped at his feet. "He was a certified public accountant, so he always liked to balance his thoughts."
As he reads about the adventures of Mr. Raccoon, Mr. Badger, the Squirrel family, Mr. Frog, and the other denizens of Riverside, some of the children trace the words in the books in their laps with stubby fingers; others grow a bit restless and begin to squirm. Now and then McCarthy pauses, resting his chin on his palm. After the reading, he discourses amiably with the adults on diverse matters.
Mr. Raccoon and His Friends is a popular, apolitical children's book. The occasion of McCarthy's Kansas City visit is the world premiere of a stage adaptation of this book at the Coterie Theater, one of the most prestigious children's theaters in the country. (Among the Coterie's other distinguished world premieres over the last few years was, for example, a new musical play, Dragons, by Sheldon Harnick, librettist for Fiddler on the Roof.)
McCarthy admits that he is as curious as anyone about the stage adaptation. Although he has been in contact with the Coterie personnel for many months now, he has not yet seen a complete script, "Of all my books," McCarthy tells the guests afterward, "Mr. Raccoon is the one most people want to talk about. Now with this new play version, I'm finding more interest in it than ever! There might be a whole new career opening up for me!"
It's been a full career already. In 1948, he won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives Fourth district of Minnesota. Ten years later, he was elected senator from Minnesota and served on the Finance and Foreign
...
Read Full Article
Look for this article in Ask.com
|
|
