Photos

Oscar and I came to life last weekend at The State Theatre in State College, PA.  It was a joy to see this idea take human form.  Richard Biever, director and collaborator, and I are so grateful to everyone who participated in the production.  We did it all together – as a team.  Thank you all. Today’s blog will be … Continue reading →

Oklahoma! OK

Oklahoma! OK In 1995, I was invited to give a voice recital at a college in Kentucky.   I did it, but on the way home to PA, I promised myself that I would never put myself in that scary position again.  Immediately, I heard within, “Oh yes you will, but you’ll do it with Oscar.”  … Continue reading →

My Allegro

Last weekend while relaxing at Highland Farm, I noticed something new on the mantle of the fireplace.  Christine Cole, the owner and innkeeper at Highland Farm B&B, had framed a small article about Oscar.  The paragraph noted Oscar’s impetus to “experiment” resulting in the expansion of the musical theatre art form through Showboat (1927) and Oklahoma (1943).   These … Continue reading →

Infinite character and Soul

Stephen Sondheim said his mentor, Oscar Hammerstein II, had “infinite character.”  Young Sondheim adopted the Hammerstein family and spent as much time with them at Highland Farm as possible.  As a little girl, I daydreamed that Oscar was my father.  I often communed with him, his characters, and lyrics within my vivid imagination.  It satisfied … Continue reading →

The Beginning

“LET’S START AT THE VERY BEGINNING,” and as Oscar Hammerstein II wrote in The Sound of Music, “A very good place to start.” Why Oscar and I? I have come to realize that my love of Oscar’s characters and optimistic lyrics formed the bedrock of my childhood identity. I, Jessie May McNall, a bona-fide cockeyed … Continue reading →

2011 Sing Along Photo by Robyn Graham Photography

2011 Sing Along Jessie and Gordon Porth leading a Valentine’s Sing-Along in Oscar’s living room at Highland Farm, Doylestown, PA on February 12th, 2011

Introductory Blog

IN THE MIDDLE OF AN ORDINARY LIFE, Jessie discovered she was not who she thought she was. This turned her life upside-down, and it has never been better. Through this, she renewed a childhood kinship with Oscar Hammerstein II that has catapulted her into a new day filled with miracles.