Wareham music and art lovers were treated to a double dose of culture! Eastern Bank was the scene for the latest presentation by Cranberry Coast Concerts, now in their sixth season of events. Friday night's show starred San Francisco bay area pianist, singer, composer and playwright Katie Ketchum in her original one-woman show, "Impressions of Mary Cassatt." Also on the program was long-time Onset artist Josie Thoms. Having created a reproduction of Cassatt's "Two Children Playing By The Seashore" for this musical, Thoms also  took a turn on stage and talked about her very rich experience as a creative artist.

The show, which played to an enthusiastic packed house, was set in Cassatt's home as the German's were occupying France in World War I. In addition to Ketchum's well-crafted songs and dialogue, the audience enjoyed an entertaining lesson in art history. Ketchum's well-researched musical included little-known facts about the artist's life, including a controversial handling of a reputed liaison between Cassatt and the French painter Edgar Degas. At one point in the play, Ketchum's Cassatt character blurted, "Edgar and I destroyed our letters to each other!" According to Ketchum, there is much recent evidence to support that these two artists were more than friends.

"Impressions of Mary Cassatt" appears Saturday, August 13, 4:00 p.m. at The Wamsutta Club, 427 County Street, New Bedford, MA, and Tuesday, August 16, 2:00 p.m. at Boston University in the George Sherman Union, 775 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA. For more information about this and other Cranberry Coast Concerts events, please visit:

www.CranberryCoastConcerts.com

or email: CCC@WhipMo.com

or phone: (508) 491-8888