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 Anyone who is familiar with and enjoys Russian playwright Anton Checkhov’s work will become fascinated with the parallels of the characters in Pulitzer Prize winner Donald Margulies’ homage to the writer with his play “The Country House.”

This is a new version of this grand old chestnut that opened to rave reviews  and awards in London in 1986 and on Broadway in 1988. With the same music by Andrew Lloyd Weber and based on the novel “LaFantome de L’opera” by Gaston Leroux, the production at the Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco is directed by Laurence Conner with a gusto and drive that keeps everything moving at a fast pace.Producer Cameron Mackintosh decided to bring a new "Phantom” theatrically to the stage, and he has succeeded with new magnificent sets by Paul Brown and a little different take on the story line, which still ends the same way.This updated “Phantom” still has the marvelous music, and the basics stay the same. The story moves on the same path as the original but sets, costumes, choreography and a younger Phantom and Christine are offered in a faster moving story.The chandelier still hovers and flashes and intimidates, the Phantom still creates havoc, and the new steep and almost invisible stairs that take Christine and the Phantom to his lair under the Opera House is fascinating. The huge production number “Masquerade” number that opens the second act replaces the sweeping staircases in the older production with mirrors. The cast seems to be a little cramped, but the costumes by the late Maria Bjornson overwhelm with color and design. All are well lit by Paule Constable and made clearly audible by Mick Potter and, most importantly, a fine orchestra under the baton of Dale Rieling.I felt Chris Mann’s Phantom lacked the chemistry and bravado that other Phantoms have delivered, and his voice didn’t seem to have the punch that should have been there (perhaps he was not well.)  Katie Travis’ Christine was full and clear with a fine sound. The rest of the cast gave a smooth supporting performance.There is an old adage that says, “If it ain’t broken don’t fix it.”I don’t think the original “Phantom” was broken, but I guess we must go with the times. A new generation will see this production and probably shake their heads the next time it changes 30 years from now.All in all, this "Phantom” will entertain.

Since the beginning of time, growth has been unstoppable and it will always be so.  Even in cities that are fully built out, plans are then made to build up. Such is the pressure to develop housing to meet the needs of the ever-growing population in communities across the world, including Gilroy.In a recent Santa Clara County Valley Water District report, it’s predicted that the population growth for the county will increase by about 550,400, or from 1,880,900 in 2010 to 2,431,300 by 2035. And some of these newcomers will probably be looking to locate in Gilroy.Our elected leaders address the need for controlled growth by planning for development 15 to 20 years from now.There is a small, vocal segment of our community that has an "I am aboard, so pull in the gang-way" mentality. They do not want Gilroy to add another resident EVER. They often raise the objection that Gilroy doesn’t have enough water for further development, unaware that residential consumption is much less than for agriculture.Zero development is not realistic. It is not healthy. A vibrant economy must continue to grow at a controlled and measured rate. If Gilroy is to grow, the north central area, the so-called 720 acres, is the sensible place for new neighborhoods.The worst examples of growth are those that are not properly planned, which is why the city has acted to ensure the North Gilroy Neighborhood District (NGND) is one such plan being considered.While controversy remains over this issue, readers should know that the NGND plan was vetted by many members of the community at town hall meetings and was endorsed by a nearly half of the General Plan Advisory Committee, community members tasked with recommending Gilroy's future land use vision. Nine of 22 members were absent for the final vote, which was 10-1-1 in favor of the controlled growth plan.The strategy of controlled growth includes the growing of business and job opportunities. All go hand in hand if a city is to prosper. To ensure prosperity, it takes leaders with a vision.The common denominators of dying cities are that they are stale and lack growth. Factoring in new, controlled growth is a primary strategy to ensure that downtowns and local businesses thrive. Otherwise, as the population ages and sons and daughters move away, stores are forced to close and nothing replaces them, causing the city to spiral to a slow death.The first sign of deterioration is the city’s quality of life, including maintenance of streets and parks, quality of safety (police and fire), repairing damaged sewers, city services we all demand and take for granted, retooling our aging infrastructure and buildings, all which takes hundreds of millions of dollars.  The VisionThe GPAC and the City Council understand that neighborhood districts, walkable, public transit-oriented communities, cannot happen by developing a few acres at a time. It takes large scale planning to get schools where they belong, roads and intersections in the right places, and to be sure the community flows. These projects also provide the funding to fix current problems, such as the Day Road/Santa Teresa mess we have now. It would also allow the city to build the long-awaited Buena Vista/101 interchange that is key to the city's master plan for traffic.Also, Gilroy desperately needs active senior housing. The plan is to build roughly 1,000 seniors-only, clustered housing units in the North Gilroy district. Seniors pay taxes, but place far less than average demands on public services like police and schools.Certainly controversy over the NGND/720-acre issue continues to spur debate. However, there are important reasons for continued growth and our citizens understand that growth is important to the future financial viability of the city. But growth needs to be carefully planned or we will have sprawl. The NGND plan is an exemplary example of the way future growth should be planned.Ronald L. Kirkish is a retired semiconductor engineer and 31-year Gilroy resident. He can be reached at (408) 309-9390 or hykirkish@Charter.net. He wrote this piece for the Dispatch.

Is Wild Iris Drive off Mantelli Drive a publically maintained street?  If so, how can they restrict people from walking there?

I came to Lee Vining on the Tuesday prior to the Mount Hoffman Challenge to spend time in the eastern Sierra, easily California's most scenic region. I knew of an old mining town named Bennettville just east of Yosemite over Tioga Pass, but I had never been there. This was an excellent opportunity to take a look.

Whitney Pintello directs Pintello Comedy Theatre's version of six-time Tony nominated "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" with loving care and gets the most from each dysfunctional character.

Broadway By The Bay knows how to put on a show.