Lies, Spells, and Old Wives Tales

YOU'VE PROBABLY HEARD THE OLD SAYING STEP ON A CRACK BREAK. YOUR MOTHER'S BACK OR IF YOUR EARS RINGING, SOMEONE IS PROBABLY TALKING ABOUT YOU AND TO AVOID BAD LUCK, TRY KNOCKING ON WOOD. THESE ARE SOME OF THE MEDLEY OF OLD SAYINGS SUPERSTITIONS AND OLD WIVES. TALES. THAT HAS BECOME THE SUBJECT OF A NEW MUSICAL COMEDY IN SARASOTA WGCU ARTS REPORTER TOM HALL HAS ALL THE DETAILS. >> WORLD PREMIERE OF LIES SPELLS AN OLD WIVES. TALES IS PLAYING THROUGH MAY DONNELLY THEATER IN SARASOTA. >> WOW IS >> THE MUSICAL COMEDY IS A COLLABORATION BETWEEN WEST COAST, BLACK THEATER TROUPE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR. NATE JACOBS AND HIS BROTHER MICHAEL. THE SHOW CONNECTS AUDIENCES TO THEIR ANCESTORS AND THE COMMUNITIES IN WHICH THEY GREW UP. >> LISE FAILS AN OLD WIVES. TALES. IS A UNIQUE, BEAUTIFUL HERITAGE THAT'S PASSED THROUGH GENERATIONS. 2 FAMILIES BY THE MATRIARCHS, THE WOMEN WHO TEND TO GRAB THESE LITTLE THINGS ABOUT NIGHT ABOUT HAVING CHILDREN ABOUT MARRIAGE. ALL SAYINGS MAY SEEM LIKE SULLY SUPERSTITIONS. >> BUT THEY ALMOST ALWAYS CONTAIN A KERNEL OF TRUTH. IT. >> SPIRIT OF WEST OF NO GREAT NEED. AND I OUR STORY ON THIS CAN SAGE ADVICE ABOUT HOW TO NEGOTIATE LIFE'S VAGARIES. >> AND NAVIGATE THE SLINGS AND ARROWS OF OUTRAGEOUS FORTUNE THAT'S PRECISELY WHY THE INDOOR. >> OF IT'S JUST COMING DOWN TO A GENERATION PIKE. AND I'M TRYING TO GIVE IT TO YOU. SO THAT'S THE GOODNESS IN IT THAT I'M TRYING TO TEACH MY YOUNGER PEOPLE YOU KNOW WHAT I'VE LEARNED ALONG THE WAY. >> JACOBS HAS BEEN PONDERING THE CONCEPT FOR A FEW YEARS. >> IT IS AN IDEA THAT CAME TO ME ABOUT 3 YEARS AGO AND I JUST PUT IT OUT OF THE POST. IT. PUT IT ON MY COMPUTER SCREEN AT THE BOTTOM. >> TO KEEP IT BEFORE ME READ, YOU HAVE TO CHANGE TOO MUCH OVER. >> SEVERAL MONTHS AGO, THE TIME ARRIVED TO REPLACE PINSPIRATION WITH PERSPIRATION AND THE CORPORATE, THE SAYINGS IN OLD WIVES TALES. HE GREW UP HEARING INTO A COMPELLING MUSICAL SCORE. >> THINKING ABOUT THE WOMEN OF MY LIFE, MY GRANDMOTHER, MY MOTHER AND MY AUNTS AND HOW PREVALENT IT REALLY WAS DOING MY CHILDHOOD. HOW OFTEN I HEARD THAT STUFF IN OUR HOUSE AND OUR FAMILY GATHERINGS. AND SO I WANTED TO DO SOMETHING TO CELEBRATE THAT UNIQUE HERITAGE OF WOMEN PASS IT ALONG. SOMETIMES PEOPLE THINK THEIR LIVES. SOME PEOPLE WHO THINK THEIR SPELLS BECAUSE SO OFTEN AND THE OLD WIVES TALES THAT. MANY TIMES WITH THEIR ONLY WAY. TO BE A PART OF TEACHING AND MENTORING AND COACHING YOU THE YOUNG. >> OH, YEAH. >> SOME OF THOSE SAYINGS IN OLD WIVES, TALES OR CULTURE SPECIFIC. MANY MORE ACROSS RACIAL, ETHNIC AND REGIONAL DIVIDES. LIKE WHAT IT REALLY MEANS WHEN THE PALM OF YOUR HAND INCHES. I'M FROM ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI. >> SO DIFFERENT REGIONS. IT'S A DIFFERENT THINGS. SO WHEN I CAME DOWN HERE, >> WHEN THE HEAD IT'S THEY SAY MONEY COMING IN. IF THE LEFT HAND, IT SAYS THAT MEANS MONEY IS GOING OUT. >> WELL, IT WAS NEVER A DIFFERENCE IN MY REGION ABOUT WHICH CAN IT WAS IT FOR ME. IT'S YOU SCRATCHING ON YOUR >> THAT MEANS THAT THE MONEY IS COMING. ANOTHER SUCH A TRUISM. >> IS IT TAKES ONE TO KNOW ONE OF MY GRANDMOTHER TO MORE THAN MY MOM DROVE. IT TAKES ONE TO KNOW ONE. SO YOU'RE JUST SITTING THERE AND SOMEBODYS. THEY WERE, YOU KNOW, SON. SO SINCE ON SO ABOUT SO. AND SO, AS YOU SAY, WELL, IT TAKES ONE TO NOLA. AND I GOT OLD ENOUGH TO HAVE REALIZE WHAT SHE WAS SAYING IS THAT THEY ARE TO EDUCATED OFF A MILLION WITH THAT SUBJECT MATTER. SO THEY COULD NOT BE THAT EDUCATE UNLESS THEY'VE ALSO HAD EXPERIENCE IT IN THE SAME AREA. PART OF THE FUN FOR THE AUDIENCE TO SEEING WHAT SAYINGS AN OLD WIVES TALES MADE IT INTO THE SHOW. >> HOW THE JACOBS BROTHERS WILL OF THEM INTO SONG LYRICS AND STORYLINE ON THE WAY >> AND THAT THING, THE JACOBS ORIGINAL SCORE IS AN EXQUISITE KALEIDOSCOPE OF FOLK 30'S. DELTA RHYTHM AND BLUES 60'S, MOTOWN AND 2010 POP MADGEN OF PUBLIC WORKERS TRADED IN A RANGE BY DANCE AND ARE WELL, AND WEST COAST BY THEIR TROOPS, TALENTED CAST, DELIVERS THE GOODS. >> JUST TALENT GALORE. I COULD NOT HAVE ASKED FOR A BETTER FROM SINGING TO ACTING TO TELLING THE STORY OF LIVES BILLS, AN OLD WIVES, TALES. THIS STORYTELLERS, THERE'S SINGER'S. THEY ARE DANCERS AND ALL OF THAT HAPPENS ON THE STATE'S DOING THIS SHOW AND IT'S BEAUTIFUL. A BEAUTIFUL SHOW. >> YEAH, I LOVE THIS CONCEPT OF LIES SPELLS AND OLD WIVES, TALES AND IT WAS REALLY COOL THAT THE CREATOR NATE JAKE, IT ACTUALLY BROUGHT TO LIFE AND IDEA FROM A POST IT LOOKS LIKE A WONDERFUL SHOW. WHAT ELSE CAN YOU TELL US? >> IT REALLY IS A WONDERFUL SHOW. YOU KNOW, I GREW MY GREAT, GREAT GRANDPARENTS EMIGRATED FROM SICILY. SO GROWING UP MY BROTHERS AND I HEARD OF ALL OF THOSE OLD SAYINGS AND SUPERSTITIONS. THERE ARE A COUPLE OF NEW ONES BECAUSE THEY COME PRIMARILY FROM BLACK CULTURE LIKE THE FIRST PERSON WHO COMES IN YOUR DOOR ON NEW YEAR'S DAY HAD BETTER BE A MAN. AND IF YOU PUT YOUR PURSE ON THE FLOOR, YOUR MONEY WILL WALK RIGHT OUT THE DOOR. SO FROM THAT STANDPOINT, IT WAS AS EDUCATIONAL AS IT WAS ENTERTAINING. >> HAD YOU BEEN TO A PERFORMANCE UP AT THAT VENUE BEFORE I HAD NOT HAVE BEEN DYING TO GET UP THERE FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS. >> WEST COAST, BLACK THEATER TROUPE PERFORMS IN THE DONNELLY THEATER. >> IT'S A SENSATIONAL VENUES. GOT THIS BIG SPACIOUS LOBBY. THE SEATING RISES GENTLY FROM A GROUND FLOOR, A STAGE AND THE ACOUSTICS AND THE SOUND JUST PERFECT.