Poetry is a genre of writing that can elicit strong emotions from readers and listeners alike.
Local storyteller Paul Leone will aim to recreate the emotions surrounding the death of President Abraham Lincoln as he takes the stage of the Carl Cappa Theater at the Robert H. Jackson Center in Jamestown on Saturday night with a dramatic interpretation of Walt Whitman's ''When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd.'' The performance is scheduled within a week of the anniversary of Lincoln's death on April 15, 1865, and Leone said he has always been acutely interested in the Civil War time period and has liked to observe this particular monumental date in American history by immersing himself in the poem each spring.
''I began to use the poem as my own sort of celebration or remembrance of this event,'' Leone said. ''I got so the poem touched me so deeply, and I thought all along that it lent itself very well to a dramatic presentation.''
Article Photos
Paul Leone will present a dramatic reading and musical adaptation of Walt Whitman’s ‘‘When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d’’ on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the Robert H. Jackson Center.
P-J photo by Dave Emke
Leone first presented the poem publicly - along with the musical accompaniment of The Kerry Byard Family of Sherman - at the Jackson Center in 2009. The Byards add flute, cello and violin parts to the performances that Leone says add more color to the presentation.
Kerry Byard's flute-playing, for example, is used to represent one of the poem's pervasive symbols - that of a thrush sounding in the distance. Leone said that there are three symbolic references throughout the poem: the thrush, the Western star and the scent of the lilacs.
When Whitman received word of Lincoln's death, Leone said, he was at his home in Brooklyn and went outside and dusk in his grief-filled state. He then sat down and wrote the poem about the loss of an American leader whom he admired and revered, and about whom he also wrote several other poems, including the famous ''O Captain! My Captain!''
Leone said that he would like to see the reading become an annual event and a communitywide observance of American history.
''I don't want it to simply be my own observance,'' he said. ''Ideally, I'd like to do this presentation every year, but I'm subject to my musicians' availability.''
For the performance, Leone gets into the character of Whitman and attempts to portray his grief and dispair as accurately as possible on stage. He said that the poem itself and its mournful verses get him into character, and the musical accompaniment definitely helps as well.
He said the atmosphere at the Jackson Center's Cappa Theater also helps set the mood, as its high ceiling and intimate environment keeps the audience close to the performance but at the same time enveloped in the darkness.
''I don't find it hard to get into the mood at all, because of the rhythms and the power of the words in the poem,'' Leone said. ''I am extremely involved with this poem - every time spring comes around, this is where I direct my attention. It's constantly in my consciousness, highly emotional and inspirational.''
While the poem is filled with melancholy, Leone said, it comes with a message of understanding and hope.
''There's this beauty of the American landscape and democracy - that's what this poem is about,'' he said. ''By the end of it, Whitman has come to a resolution. This traumatic event has happened, but he's still inspired and still sustained by the landscape.''
Leone said there are portions of the poem that will bring him to tears. The musical composition of Kerry Byard plays well into those emotions, he said, adding that he and Byard mapped the poem out together and discussed what feelings should be brought out by the music in which sections.
''Kerry just did a beautiful job with it,'' Leone said. ''And fortunately, the part that's most emotional for me, after that stanza ends there's a long period where the musicians take over. ... That works well, so I can get myself composed.''
Prior to the performance, Leone will provide the audience with a contextual placement of the poem, putting them in the proper frame of mind for what they are about to hear.
''Whitman is not that easy, so there needs to be a little context - both historically and artistically,'' he said.
Calling the poem one of the top dozen pieces of work in American literature, Leone said he hopes more people in the community will be able to appreciate it through Saturday evening's performance.
''It's a masterpiece of literature in America, and it's a treasure,'' he said. ''I just can't say enough about it, and I'm just delighted I'm getting a chance to do it this year.''
Leone and the Byard Family will present a requiem performance of ''When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd'' at the Robert H. Jackson Center, 305 E. Fourth St. in Jamestown, on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. The show is expected to last about an hour, and refreshments will be provided afterward.
Pre-sale tickets are available for $6 at the Jackson Center, the Fenton History Center and the Reg Lenna Civic Center. Tickets at the door the night of the performance will be $8.
Other things to do around the area:
What: Banff Mountain Film Festival - an international film competition featuring the world's best footage on mountain subjects.
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 12
Where: Reg Lenna Civic Center, East Third Street
Cost: $15, adults; $12, students and children; $14, RPTI members with card (member discounted tickets must be purchased at RTPI)
For tickets, call 665-2473 ext. 221 or visit www.rtpi.org. Tickets will also be available at the door.
* 0 miles from downtown Jamestown.
What: Lake Erie Wine Country: Wine & Art Weekend
When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
Where: 21 wineries between Silver Creek, N.Y., and North East, Pa.
Cost: Free; no tickets or reservations are required.
For winery locations or other information, visit www.lakeeriewinecountry.org. For information on participating artists, visit www.northshoreartsalliance.com.
* approximately 30 miles from downtown Jamestown.
What: Natural Eggs and Decorations
When: 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Audubon Center and Sanctuary, 1600 Riverside Road
Cost: $10, members; $12, non-members
Reservations are required by Thursday. Bring up to six hardboiled eggs per person; white work best.
For more information, visit www.jamestownaudubon.org or call 569-2345.
* 7.4 miles from downtown Jamestown.
What: Black Swan
When: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Where: Reg Lenna Civic Center
Cost: $7, adults; $4.25, children
For details, visit www.reglenna.com.
* 0 miles from downtown Jamestown.
What: Hip-Hop Dance Classes
When: 5 to 6 p.m. Thursday
Where: Infinity Visual and Performing Arts Center
Cost: $5
Details: call 664-0991.
* 0 miles from downtown Jamestown.