RICHARD STEPHENS / PVT Cockroach Theatre dances the “Tarantella.” Advertisement

GOLDWELL -- Goldwell Open Air Museum's Halloween event could be called a howling success, perhaps as much for the sell-out attendance as for the howling winds that plagued the event last Saturday evening at the Red Barn Art Center near Rhyolite.

Outdoor events had to be either canceled or moved indoors because of the wind, which was powerful enough to carry away the rented portable toilets and even the eyeglasses of one of the museum board members who was serving as a parking attendant.

Ironically, however, it apparently returned a roof panel stolen by another party months before.

The wind did not hinder guests' enjoyment of "The Methuselah Tree," presented by Cockroach Theatre, dancing by members of Threshold Dance Theater, or singing by Beatty's Rodney Leach. Appropriately, the walls were hung with paintings by artist Sean Jones based on classic horror movies.

The event was titled "Albert's Tarantella" in honor of Albert Szukalski, creator of The Last Supper and other sculptures at the museum. Event organizer Suzanne Hackett-Morgan mused that the return of the missing roofing might have been "Albert asserting his right to participate from the afterlife ... he always liked being center-stage."

"I was pretty impressed with everyone who braced the distance and the weather tom come together for this very unique experience," said Hackett-Morgan. "At one point during the evening, I felt as if all of us were on a lifeboat braving the tempest.

"Almost everyone felt the wind was the 'fifth actor' in the play and really contributed to its tension. The stage manager from Cockroach Theatre said that the setting really made the play."

Hackett-Morgan said she was gratified by several things about the event.

"First is seeing the place put together at last and matching the vision I had for what we could do there. Second was the awareness that Goldwell has developed into a cohesive group project which is what I have always wanted.

"Finally, Goldwell feels like a part of the Beatty-Rhyolite community at last: people know who we are, and I think are more confident in our ability to bring projects to fruition."