An actor must know how to act before he or she can successfully act goofy.

And if it’s a musical comedy, that actor better be able to sing and, as needed, dance while acting goofy.

Fortunately for local audiences, “Monty Python’s Spamalot,” opening tonight on the Mattie Kelly Arts Center Mainstage, features actors who can do all three, and do it well.

I must confess a bit of prejudice before I get into the details. I’ve been a Monty Python fan since Dean Martin introduced some of the group's earliest sketches on his mid-1970s summer variety show.

Being a fan of the British comedy troupe also gives me a critical eye toward anyone performing their material, so I was prepared to cast aspersions at any “Spamalot” bits not done well.

But there weren’t any.

It’s a hoot and a howl from opening to closing curtain.

Like the Flying Circus, “Spamalot” is essentially a collection of comedy sketches, wrapped, in this case, around the legend of King Arthur and the quest for the Holy Grail.

HOLY GRAIL, BATMAN!

Crestview actor Nick Trolian excels as Arthur, King of the Britains, playing the role with delightful pomposity while remaining seemingly oblivious to the lunacy surrounding him.

“Spamalot” puts considerable emphasis on The Lady of the Lake, a character missing both from some tellings of the legend as well as “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” the film that inspired the stage musical.

As The Lady, Meghan Erlacher’s extraordinary pipes steal the show on numbers including “Come With Me,” “The Song That Goes Like This” and “The Diva’s Lament.” Her voice is stunning; her comedic timing is superb.

As Arthur’s faithful servant Patsy, Stephen Shouse packs a backpack full of impish, youthful enthusiasm.

Another standout is Sean Royal as Sir Lancelot, a knight with a secret. Lancelot gets to dance a lot. During “His Name is Lancelot,” Royal’s costume comes with — I’m making an assumption here — enviable augmentation.

As fellow knights Sir Robin, Sir Galahad and Sir Bedevere, Javonte Coleman, Donovan Black and David Simmons admirably complete Arthur's crew, each getting an opportunity to do a fun bit of his shtick.

FAST-PACED FRIVOLITY

A comedy with cruddy timing falls flatter than plague victim Not Dead Fred  — a fun role well played by Sivu Schlegel, who also delighted as Prince Herbert.

To everyone’s delight, NWFSC’s “Spamalot” gallops along at a merry clip, barely giving the audience a chance to catch its collective breath before the next bit of tomfoolery.

As director Joe Taylor observed before the opening curtain, “The show the audience sees is actually a quarter of what’s going on backstage.”

You needn’t have seen “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” beforehand, but it does make a good primer — or refresher.

Those who, like me, have been Pythonized will giddily catch subtle homages to several favorite Flying Circus sketches, and be pleased to be in on the jokes.

A standing ovation is due the college’s Humanities, Fine and Performing Arts Division, the cast and crew for livening up our summer with sheer, enjoyable silliness.

WANT TO GO?

WHAT:“Monty Python’s Spamalot,” Northwest Florida State College’s summer musical comedy

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. July 16-19

WHERE: Mattie Kelly Performing Arts Center Mainstage

COST: $27 adults; $22 youths 18 and under

NOTES: Purchase advance tickets at the Box Office, 729-6000 or www.MattieKellyArtsCenter.org. Day-of-show tickets available at the door if available.

Email News Bulletin Arts Editor Brian Hughes, brianh@crestviewbulletin.com, follow him on Twitter, @cnbBrian, or call 682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 'Spamalot' brings inspired medieval lunacy to Niceville

CRESTVIEW — Retiring from his civil service job at the Eglin Air Force Base hospital gave Crestview actor Joe Perna the opportunity to pursue his real love: The theatre.

Thursday, “Soulmate Central,” the play he is directing, opens at the Panhandle Community Theatre in Pace.

The comedy by Rick Ready is particularly special to Perna: Ready wrote it as a wedding gift for the director and his former wife, Bonnie Marks.

“Years ago I was doing a show and I was in the process of getting married, and I was kidding around and said, “Why don’t you write something for Bonnie and me?’” Perna said.

The two remain friends, and Marks is Perna’s assistant director for his third time directing “Soulmate Central” at PCT.

Primarily associated with the Stagecrafters theatre troupe in Fort Walton Beach, “I go through periods where I take a break and I branch out,” Perna said.

Last year he directed Neil Simon’s “Jake’s Woman” for Northwest Florida State College, and he would like a chance to work with Crestview’s View From the Stage community troupe.

Perna said he loves community theatre.

“It’s a lot of work; you don’t get paid,” Perna said. “The adulation is great, and I’m at the point where I really love doing it. Getting paid would be nice, but that’s another story.

His two favorite shows to direct are dramatically different.

“I directed ‘The Seven Year Itch’ and ‘Frankenstein,’” he said. “Those two I really loved. With ‘Frankenstein,” I added a lot of special effects that weren’t in the script because I like to think outside the box. It was a good experience.”

“I like the classics,” Perna said.

WANT TO GO?

WHAT: Panhandle Community Theatre’s production of Rick Ready’s “Soulmate Central”

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. July 17-19 and 24-26; 2:30 p.m. July 20 and 27

WHERE: Woodbine Theatre, 4646 Woodbine Road, Pace

TICKETS: $12; July 17 and 24 shows, $9. Reservations: 850-221-7599 or panhandle_community_theatre@yahoo.com.

NOTES: Contains adult subject matter. No one under 13 may be admitted.

Email News Bulletin Staff Arts Editor Brian Hughes at brianh@crestviewbulletin.com, follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian or call 850-682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview theatre buff takes director's chair in Pace production

Many parents assume their children will shun whole grains because they think they don’t like them, a University of Florida researcher says, but a new UF study may start to debunk that idea.

If whole grains are offered, kids eat them, according to a new study by researchers at UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. Specifically, former graduate student Allyson Radford and two faculty members found children ate whole- and refined-grain foods in equal amounts.

“We tried to choose foods we thought kids would enjoy, such as cereal bars, macaroni and cheese and SunChips and found that they ate the ready-to-eat snack foods the most,” said Radford, one of the study’s authors. “We were interested to see if they would eat the whole-grain foods as much as the refined-grain foods, and so we were pleasantly surprised that they would eat the same amount whether the food was whole or refined.”

Radford co-wrote the paper with assistant professor Wendy Dahl and professor Bobbi Langkamp-Henken, all of whom are in the food science and human nutrition department. The study was published online last week by the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Eating whole grains, combined with a healthy diet, may reduce the risk of heart disease and help with weight management, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Examples of whole-grain foods include popcorn, oats, whole wheat bread and brown rice. Refined grains, enriched and fortified with nutrients, include foods such as white rice and white bread.

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans call for at least half the grain consumers eat to be whole grains, and they urge adolescents to consume 5  to 7 ounces of grains daily with at least half being whole grains. National surveys suggest adolescents consume far less: about 1 ounce, or the grain contained in one slice of bread.

Federal dietary guidelines for the 2012-13 school year increased the whole grain required in school lunches. Starting this fall, schools must offer only whole-grain rich products.

The new rules requiring more whole grains in school lunches should result in adolescents eating more of them, Dahl said, but many parents believe their kids won’t eat whole grains.

General Mills funded a broad study on the impact of whole grains on immunity. As part of the study, Radford wanted to know if children could meet the 2010 dietary guidelines for whole grains. For the study, 83 students in a Florida middle school were randomly assigned to receive either whole- or refined-grain foods over a six-week period in 2010. Of those, 42 students were in the refined grain group, while 41 were in the whole-grain group.

Participants and their families were given refined-grain or whole-grain pasta, rice, bread and other foods to eat at home. And they were given whole- and refined-grain snack foods to eat at school.

Researchers interviewed students weekly to see what fruits, vegetables and grains they ate in the previous 24 hours. Before the study, participants were eating about one ounce of whole grain per day. During the study, students in both groups reported eating more than 6 ounces of grains each day, and those given whole grains reported more than half their grain intake came from whole grains, meeting the 2010 dietary guidelines.

Snacks served at school were the most popular grain foods the kids ate.

“Encouraging consumption of whole-grain foods that require little to no preparation may be the most effective means of increasing whole grain intake at home,” said Radford, now a UF research study coordinator in food science and human nutrition.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Offer kids whole grains; they’ll eat them, study shows

GAINESVILLE ─ Parents sometimes link the Internet to negative social behavior, but some children use the Web to learn about their communities, a new University of Florida study shows.

While most research on young people’s media use focuses on negative effects, UF Professor Rosemary Barnett sees it as a good thing.

“Two key factors to consider are the nature of the content and how it is used,” said Barnett, who teaches in the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, part of UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. “The ability to tap into a phenomenal amount of information so easily and quickly on a variety of topics has allowed the Internet to enhance education for children.”

After a 12-year-old Lakeland girl who endured cyber-bullying committed suicide in September 2013, the American Academy of Pediatrics changed its media exposure policy. The group now recommends children use media for entertainment no more than two hours each night. They make an exception for online homework.

While the UF/IFAS study gave clues to children’s general Internet use, it focused on how students use the Internet to learn about their communities.

In the study, 133 children with an average age of 13 went to after-school programs at community centers in Volusia and Seminole counties. The children, all of whom qualified for free or reduced-price lunches, did not have computers at home and had never used the Internet outside of school.

Children used the Internet for about 30 minutes to an hour each day, Barnett said. They were taught to search for certain topics and shown approved web pages.

The study, published in the current issue of the Journal of Youth Development, showed children knew more about their community, based on their use of the Internet and other media at the community centers.

Researchers surveyed students at the end of each of the study’s three years. Students answered questions about “community connectedness.” They answered the questions on a 1 to 5 scale, with 1 meaning you strongly disagree and 5 meaning you strongly agree.

Children’s responses to the community connectedness questions increased from an average 2.95 after the first year to 3.42 after the third, a statistically significant increase, said Caroline Payne-Purvis, state coordinator for UF’s Children, Youth and Families at Risk program.

Researchers also measured community knowledge on the same scale, asking the students their sources of information.

Children said they learned community issues from several media sources, but their Internet-use score rose from 3.52 to 4.04. Of particular interest to Barnett was the fact that kids read newspapers and magazines more – their score on that question going up from 2.78 after the first year to 3.46 after the third.

These finding encourage Barnett.

By increasing at-risk children’s exposure to various community-based websites, Facebook pages and other social media, she said, they learn to use the Internet in a positive way.

Besides Barnett and Payne-Purvis, the research team included Gerald Culen, an associate professor in family, youth and community sciences at UF and Jeffrey Neely, a former UF graduate student and now assistant professor of journalism at the University of Tampa.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Kids’ ‘community’ knowledge from Internet leaves researcher hopeful

Did you know that the majority of household pets in the U.S. are overweight? Studies have shown that 53 percent of dogs and 58 percent of cats are either overweight or obese.

Those percentages have increased in recent years, with a whopping 99 million pets now living a dangerously unhealthy lifestyle.

Responsible and loving owners need to pay attention to the health and fitness needs of their pets to ensure they live long, happy lives. The American Veterinary Medical Association offers tips to help parents and children understand how they can help their beloved dogs and cats shed a few pounds and maintain a healthy weight.

Top Tips to Keep Pets in Shape

1.       Limit the amount of food you give them.  Just like with humans, it's important to control your pet's food portions. Pay attention to the instructions on your pet's food label and feed your furry friend according to the recommended amount of food per serving.

2.        Avoid giving too many treats. All pets love their special foods and treats, and it's hard to say no to those big eyes and wagging tails!  While you want to reward your pet for good behavior with a tasty snack, it's important to remember that those treats are usually packed with calories. The occasional treat is fine, but avoid the temptation to overindulge your pet.

3.       Never give your pet people food.  Certain human foods, including chocolate, cheese, and onions can be lethal for dogs. Other foods, including grapes and certain nuts, can also do damage to a pet's health and even increase their weight. So fight the urge to give in to the begging for people food and say no.

4.       Have them consume food slowly. It's a scientific fact that both pets and humans put on more weight if they speed through their meals. To keep your pet from gorging on their food, try and give them their meals in smaller increments over a period of time. This will help regulate their metabolism and help them fight off additional weight gain.

5.       Exercise. Lots of it.  Simply put, your pet will be healthier and in better shape with increased exercise. While it's easy to walk dogs or have them run outside, it's also crucial to keep cats active. You can keep your feline in "purrfect" shape just by playing with them from time to time.

6.       Vets are your pets' best friend. As a responsible pet parent, you should take your dog or cat to the vet at least once a year. Nobody is more qualified to help you keep your pet in top form than your family vet!

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 6 tips to help your pet stay fit, trim this summer

Keeping your home and business cool and comfortable is what gets us through this time of year and Gulf Power customers can still save on their electricity bill — even with the high temperatures — by following these helpful tips:

Set your thermostat and leave it

During the summer, your air conditioner is the biggest consumer of electricity. For many homes, it accounts for more than half of the summer electricity bill.

•Set your thermostat at 78 degrees or higher. For every degree below that setting, you’ll use 10 percent more electricity on the cooling portion of your electricity bill.

•Set the thermostat even higher when at work or away from home for long periods of time, but no more than five degrees higher.

•Change or clean your air conditioner filter regularly. Dirty filters restrict airflow and reduce efficiency.

•Use your ceiling fan for more comfort. Only turn it on when you’re in the room. Ceiling fans only cool people, not rooms.

•Clear outside AC units of plants or brush so they can run more efficiently.

Sign up for Energy Select

Energy Select is an advanced energy management and pricing program offered by Gulf Power that can help you save money and energy.

You get:

•A thermostat you program for comfort and savings.

•Online Programming – You can now program your Energy Select thermostat from any computer with internet access.

•A special rate that features four different prices based upon the time of day, day of week and season. And, because the price you pay is lower than the normal rate 87 percent of the time, you can choose to buy electricity during lower-priced periods, which saves you money and energy.

•FREE installation.

Insulate

•Increase attic insulation, which can save you up to 30 percent on cooling and heating costs.

•Insulation is measured in R-value, which is a measure of resistance to heat flow. So the higher the R-value, the better the insulation value.

•Experts recommend you use an R-value of R-38 in ceiling areas.

•Check your windows and doors for air leaks. Install weather stripping or caulking if needed.

Refrigerator

•Choose the right size refrigerator for your needs. Larger models use more energy. Open and close the refrigerator door quickly. Know what you want before opening the door.

•Make sure your refrigerator door seals are airtight. Check it by closing a piece of paper in the door, half in and half out. If you can pull the paper out easily, you may need to make some adjustments or replace the seal.

•Keep your food covered. Moisture buildup in the refrigerator makes the air inside harder to cool.

Dishwasher

•Run the dishwasher, dryer and the stove after the sun goes down to avoid adding heat to your house.

•When using the dishwasher, turn off the drying cycle if you don’t need dishes right away.

•Wait until the dishwasher is full before running it. Partial loads can use just as much water and power as a full load.

Lighting

•One of the best ways to save energy is to simply turn off lights that aren’t in use.

•Use fluorescent lighting or CFLs when possible. They last about 10 times longer than incandescent lamps. And, they can produce four times more light than standard incandescent lamps for the same amount of energy.

•Use one large bulb instead of several small ones in areas where bright light is needed.

•Use smaller lamps in work areas, like sewing areas and computer desks, so you don’t light the entire room.

•Lighter-colored walls, drapes, blinds and upholstery reflect light. Dark colors absorb heat and require more artificial light.

Customers can get a free Energy Checkup online or at your home with an appointment. Gulf Power energy experts will analyze your house and electricity use, and look for ways to make the house more energy efficient.

Just call 1-877-655-4001.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 6 areas that will help save energy this summer