The people seated about under the cottonwoods are much smarter than the Methodists we used to know. Cultivation has modified the soil and the climate, as it modifies human life. The old inhabitants will tell you that sandstorms are infrequent now, that the wind blows less persistently in the spring and plays a milder tune. The grass grows thicker over the dunes than it used to, and the streets of the town are harder and firmer than they were twenty-five years ago. To the east the sand hills shine white as of old, but the empire of the sand is gradually diminishing. The paper lanterns which hang among the trees are foolish toys, only dimming, in little lurid circles, the great softness of the lunar light that floods the blue heavens and the high plateau. The Methodists are giving an ice-cream sociable in the grove about the new court-house. It's a difficult and subtle task and she does it beautifully, and that aspect alone takes the whole program up several notches.MOONSTONE again, in the year 1909.

(Probably nothing here for Dead Head or hippie type parents.) It is worth mentioning that Lori Stinson, who does the singing for Allison Elliott, does a marvelous job of singing for a role that grows from 'a raw natural gift' to an enthralling trained voice. Churchy parents or musty grandparents will like this quite a bit, too. The major message here is 'be all that you can be.' And with great production values, nice costuming, and uniformly nice performances, it is a nice family dessert. This makes it feel a bit less than some of the BBC adaptations from the same time period but it does suit the story. The production in general feels a little studio bound. That's a nuance that older audience members may find a bitter aftertaste. There is a subtle undercurrent of older men 'helping' the lead a long in way that is neither entirely savory nor entirely honest for our leading lady it is clear in the performances in of the men, but impassively ignored in the performance of the lead.

This hits a perfect tone for a teen audience,, and makes for a special that is very family friendly (although the story line is more teen than pre-teen).

This PBS/Mobile Exxon theatre production unfortunately suffers a bit from both the casting and the performance tone of many Hallmark theatre productions the writing and many performances are on the sweet side, even if the story is not. This is a story of a young girl from a small town who has a real gift for music and who has to decide between a normal life and an exceptional life. I really liked this story when it aired on TV because I really like this particular period of music, and there is quite a bit of music in this TV play.

Cather song of the lark