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Upcoming Events for A Harpo and Ariel A Harpo, for
the Child In Us AllPublic Library in Houghton, Sat.
July 11 at 12 PM; Harpo will goof around, share toys, and at 12:30, will do his stage
act, then show the Marx Brothers movie, "Animal Crackers." Refreshments will be served. Harpo will have toys to give away.IN THE WORKS: July 4th: Harpo may be
at the Lake Linden/Hubble parade, or the Dollar Bay Parade. AUG: Art
Fair: Harpo may be at the Copper Harbor Arts Fair, roaming with his toys.
More details will be posted as they become available.************************************************************
More About A HARPO: A
performance artist, my Harpo is an interactive, roving entertainer who also does a short stage act which was performed
in a re-creation of Vaudeville in 2006. The skit was written by me, (Ariel), and has improved since then, (as well as
my harp skills.) All ages love my Harpo, even those who don't know who he was. Often, the toys he shares
are given away. Children of all ages enjoy them. A Harpo has appeared
at various community events, including fairs, parades, fundraisers, and private performances. Known to friends as Harpo, A Harpo pays tribute to the original Harpo, who didn't speak while
performing, (though he really could talk). He wore a wig, which were different shades of red, though the lighter
ones looked blond in the movies, which were in black & white, though there are very rare colorized versions of their films,
they're very hard to find. The net has a couple of color clips. My Harpo wears a blond wig, but also has red hair.
Like the original, I use the horn, gestures, props, and whistling to help me get my message across, my whistling is very
soft, and I can play harp, though not like him, but I'm teaching myself, just as he taught himself. People are
amazed at my resemblance to him, and say I have the moves. I focus
on Harpo's childlike side, playing to the max the overgrown kid who puts 5 fingers up when asked his age. The original
Harpo would be over 100 by now. Spreading joy, fun, love, and laughter is all I wanna do. Though many say Harpo was a clown, I disagree, and don't think he played it as such, though he may seem to
be "clown-like." I'm not a clown. Harpo is just an overgrown kid, and so am I. Soon Harpo may have a partner for the
stage act, the revised skit is still in the planning/development phase. Details will be posted when the skit
is ready.
Harpo can do harp solos or the skit before,
between, or after other acts.
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Ariel, the Singing Harpist:
at Good Times Music, Saturdays at 12:30, before the main act.
Dates: TBA
More About ARIEL,
a singing harpist, playing soft rock, folk, and original songs. Before discovering Harpo, Ariel
sang and played guitar for many years, and even made some home recordings. Ariel has always been a soloist,
though not by choice. Most of that career was in Southern CA. Ariel is a community volunteer, and will soon
be reading a story for children at the Houghton Public Library, date not yet set. Ariel can entertain before, between, or after other performers. Ariel has appeared at a few public and private events in the Keweenaw and Houghton area.
Enjoy Harpo or Ariel at your special occasion- I've often played as myself,
then switched to Harpo at the same event.We play at various community functions; we can even provide background music with the harp.As either person, I'd love to entertain at private
events, especially for those who are homebound. I've done this before, and even showed a Marx Brothers movie! Our fee is negotiable.
WE ARE FAMILY FRIENDLY ENTERTAINERS!We belong to the KP Chamber of Commerce
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In all I do, especially as an entertainner, I feel a great responsibility
to set a positive example. I'm deeply concerned about what passes for entertainment these days, though there's always
been "racy" material out there. The Marx Brothers had adult situations, but they weren't obscene.
Adults should watch the movies with their children. For example, in 1 movie, two brothers wear black faces; in other
movies, they make bad ethnic jokes, but not out of predjudice, they just thought that was funny. In 2 movies, Harpo
played with a gun, but never hurt anyone. It was funny because no one expected it. Children need to understand
this and the difference between entertainment and reality, in what they see, read, watch, and hear. In Harpo's day, children got out and played more. Harpo was very active, playing various games that
required physical skill, and games that challenged his mind. When he grew older and his health was failing, he saw how
TV was replacing those games, and longed for the days of his youth. I'm sure if he saw today's children, he'd say, "Get
up off your butt, get outside and PLAY!" As a child, I was very
inactive, though I was encouraged to get out and play. Most my days were spent sitting around listening to the radio.
My health suffered because of it. I didn't have much guidance or love, so I didn't feel motivated to bother.
I didn't watch too much TV, but all I learned came from the radio, TV, and my intuition. Harpo came from a loving family. Although they were poor, they were very close. Harpo didn't want
to be on stage, but his mom had other ideas. Soon he grew to love it, and when he had to retire, he didn't want to.
When I created my act, I imagined how Harpo might do it. I
think he'd enjoy how I play him, and I think his famly would, too. In Feb, '08 I got the courage to write his son, Bill
and tell him how his dad changed my life. Though I don't expect a reply, I hope he enjoyed my story. Harpo wrote a book, called, "Harpo Speaks," though that wasn't his preferred title.
His son, Bill, also wrote a book, aptly titled, "Son of Harpo Speaks." Bill has his own website, too, at sonofharpospeaks.com.
Read Harpo's first, then Bill's. Harpo was a miracle to me, an answer
to a prayer. Whenever I can, I love telling the story of how it all began. Perhaps one day I'll have more pages
so I can tell it here. For a short time, my site at Geocities will remain active; there's a page for A Harpo, that explains
how this most unlikely career came to be.
While playing Harpo keeps his memory alive, it is also my wish that people unfamiliar with him, and the times
he lived in, will discover and enjoy the music, films, books, and history of an era long gone. My way of thanking him
for the miraculous change he brought to my life, is in playing him well, and sharing him with others. As long as we
remember him, Harpo will live on, as he does in my heart. There will never be another like him.
If you have any doubt the arts can change lives, my story
is living proof that it can- and DID.
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I sincerely appreciate all the compliments
and kindness shown to me since this career began in 2006. There are many I could thank who helped make it possible.
Amazing things have happened to me since then, many small miracles which I shall always treasure. Many people say I'm
a reincarnation of Harpo, but that's impossible, I was 8 years old when he died. Some say I channel him, but if that
were true, shouldn't I be able to do everything he did? "Honk, honk!"
If
you want to see the Marx Brothers movies, TCM occasionally runs them, you can also order them on the internet; some public
libraries have them, too, if not, they may be able to order them. Check back here often to see when A Harpo will
be showing a movie at the public library in Houghton. They don't have any, so Harpo brings his own.
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For more details, and scheduling infoCONTACT:a.harpo AT yahoo.com(replace the
word at with the at sign and remove the spaces). (906) 483-0157If no answer, leave message there or at(906) 369-0073More About Us: The site at Geocities will be closing soon, another site will replace it, see it
here:
A Harpo & Ariel, the 2in1 Entertainers
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