Move over, baby zebra. Baby tiger triplets? You’re yesterday’s news. Budweiser had no fewer than 15 baby Clydesdales born this winter and spring, and they’re ready to show them off for the first time this weekend. There’s just one catch: You have to drive to Boonville.The foals (no, “baby Clydesdales” is sadly not the correct term for these little cuties) currently reside at Warm Springs Ranch, which is just a bit west of Columbia. The 300-acre ranch serves as Budweiser’s breeding facility and opened in 2008.The ranch regularly offers tours and public events, and this weekend, it’s doing something new called the Mane Event: Spring Training. It’s your chance to watch the Clydesdales train for their wagon duties … a.k.a. the Hitch. click to enlarge WARM SPRINGS RANCH Squee!
We’re told the foals currently are a range of sizes. Some were born in January and are already 300 pounds or so; the younger ones are just three weeks old. But don’t expect to see anyone take their first steps: Clydesdales are born weighing 150 pounds or so and can walk from day one — two qualities that your mom is likely thrilled weren’t part of the deal for your infancy.Tickets start at $30; book yours online here.
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Before there were theories about the devastating effects of social media or video games or Tide Pods on young brains, there was one about comic books. 

“Back in the day, Dr. [Fredric] Wertham was really good about scaring parents about what appeared in comics,” says William Harroff. “He decided comic books are responsible for juvenile delinquency in my generation, the Baby Boom generation.”

Wertham’s impact wasn’t subtle. His anti-comics advocacy led to the 1953 U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency, Harroff says.

“They surely did burn a whole gob of comics, and they put the industry basically out of work by about 1953,” he adds.

Harroff and his wife, Charlotte Johnson, explore the comics scare of 1948 to 1952 and the impact of Wertham’s 1954 book Seduction of the Innocent in their exhibit Who Knows What Evil Lurks in the Hearts of Men (and Women) in St. Louis?, which is now open at the St. Louis Public Library’s Central Express branch (815 Olive Street, Suite 160). click to enlarge Courtesy William Harroff William Harroff’s artwork explores the comics scare of 1948 to 1952.

Harroff and Johnson’s work takes the form of borderline psychedelic comic collages that explore comics censorship. To make them, Haroff taps a technique often used by Wertham.

“Dr. Wertham would take tiny snippets from the comics, a shoulder that he said, ‘Oh, look, that’s clearly a vagina. Or, hey, this word balloon. Look at those words. Think of the secret message that’s sending to your kids,’” Harroff says. “I take small, tiny little micro sections of comics from the 1950s, the same ones that were burned and banned. And then I do my little magic, using generally Photoshop and Illustrator, to create the strange little comics that I do today.”

Wertham’s impact isn’t just history to Harroff. It’s his personal origin story.

“I learned to read by reading comics, and so I’ve probably been a comic book reader now about 67 years of my 70 years on Earth,” he says. “I’ve loved comics from the very beginning because I just thought there was magic there.”

Harroff loved comics so much that he adopted the moniker “Wascally Wee Willy” as a nod to his role model, Bugs Bunny. (“It just sounded right to be a William and say ‘Wascally Wee Willy’ and other people seem to enjoy that as well.”)

Initially, he read the somewhat bland comics that came in the Wertham’s wake. Then Stan Lee and Jack Kirby got together to form Marvel in 1961. 

“Suddenly the industry and the American population was ready for a new kind of comic to come back,” Harroff says. He, like many, was captivated. click to enlarge Courtesy William Harroff William Harroff took on the moniker “Wascally Wee Willy” as a nod to his role model, Bugs Bunny.

But despite Marvel’s popularity, not everyone was into comics, much less took them seriously. In school, people teased Harroff, and in art school he’d literally get his hands slapped for drawing them.

Things have changed with the popularity of the Marvel superhero movies and shows such as the Walking Dead. Comics are now mainstream.

But Harroff says that we should remain vigilant against influences such as Wertham. “[We need to] let creative people be creative whenever we can,” he says. 

That’s where his work — a reminder of the mistakes of the past — comes in.

Check out Who Knows What Evil Lurks in the Hearts of Men (and Women) in St. Louis? through the end of the month at the St. Louis Public Library’s Central Express branch (815 Olive Street, Suite 160). Admission is free and the show is open during library hours from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Email the author at [email protected]

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Matthew Lopez’s The Inheritance Part 1 & Part 2 is a brilliant exploration of the legacy of AIDS on the lives and communal history of gay men. Last week, Tesseract Theatre Company stunned audiences with the beautifully connected and performed Part 1. This week, Director Stephen Peirick and an exceptional cast complete the story with a truly unforgettable and affecting Part 2, the St. Louis premiere of the heartfelt and moving conclusion.

The play opens with the supporting characters lovingly describing an old farmhouse in upstate New York. The house is owned by Walter, a recently deceased gay man, and was a gift of sorts from his longtime partner Henry. Since Walter’s death, Henry has been spending a lot of time with Eric Glass, and he asks Eric to marry him. Eric, still reeling from the loss of his apartment and a breakup with his fiancé Toby Darling, hesitates at first but later says yes. Unfortunately, a happy ending is not guaranteed as the self-destructive Toby crashes the wedding with Leo, a youthful sex worker who counts Henry among his clients. From this point, Part 2 thoughtfully unravels the relationships and lies, revealing each character’s truth and leading to a conclusion that is deeply affecting, painful and, somehow, resonant with love and hope.

Chris Kernan, as Eric Glass, and Tyson Cole, as Leo, are the center of this complex story, and their bond of friendship, though initially unlikely, is authentically derived and compelling. Both performers fully inhabit their character’s essential humanity and worth. Though they care deeply about each other, Henry and Eric’s relationship remains tenuous and ultimately untenable, particularly as Eric finally finds meaning and purpose in his life at Walter’s house. John Hey deftly moves through Henry’s guarded layers and the wall he’s built around his emotions. Henry eventually finds peace in a lovely coda at the end of the story that’s tender and emotionally cathartic. 

Though featured less in Part 2, Gabriel Paul is mesmerizing as he reveals Toby’s confusion and inescapable suffering. Toby’s final scene is a moment of understated trauma that’s tremendously effective and well connected. Jacob Schmidt and Sean Seifert once again remind us of young Walter and Henry’s lasting love, filled with joy and affection, while Margery Handy and Nic Tayborn are heartbreaking as Margaret and the memory of her son Michael. Stephen Henley, Donald Kidd, Alex C. Moore, Kevin O’Brien, and Kelvin Urday complete the talented cast, and each has strong, memorable moments. 

In addition to the evocative performances, superb direction from Peirick and excellent stage craft from lighting designer Tony Anselmo and sound designer Jacob Baxley ensure the audience remains fully engrossed in the compelling and realistically intertwined story.

While seeing Part 1 is not required to understand and enjoy Part 2, it is recommended. The two parts seamlessly flow into one another, and seeing the first provides greater understanding and appreciation for the second. The Inheritance is a theatrical triumph that reconciles and expertly integrates an era many would rather ignore or forget with the present state of gay men in America. More than that, it is an important reminder of the legacy and determined resilience of queer people and of their right to live openly and unashamed, to love who they love and to rightfully claim their space in the world. 

The Inheritance Part 2 is written by Matthew Lopez and directed by Stephen Peirick. It is presented by Tesseract Theatre Company at the Marcelle (3310 Samuel Shepard Drive) through Sunday, May 5. Showtimes vary. Tickets are $25 or $40 for both parts at tesseracttheatre.com.

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