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Sep. 8th, 2019 11:54 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkat1. I'm making slow progress on the seemingly endless novel with no end -- I finally got to the section I was struggling to get to for the last year and a half. I sort of moved it up a bit, when I wrote it in long-hand, I'd put a bunch of stuff in there that was not necessary and repetitive, so I got rid of that, and shortened the time-line. This works better. Although I'm iffy on the locale. I may have to change that upon revisions.
Most of this book takes place in upstate New York and Martha's Vineyard. I need to make a trip to a few destinations upstate to make sure I got the lay of the land correct -- although a cursory understanding is all that is required, unless you plan to write long descriptive passages. (I've discovered this upon reading a lot of books in which it is clear (to me at any rate) that the people have never been there. Or if they have, it doesn't really matter -- it could be anywhere really, and I sort of forgot where they were half-way through.
Setting is more important in the fantasy, historical, horror and sci-fi genres than the mystery and romance genres. Mystery and romance are more character/plot specific, with setting as mere window dressing.
2. The dental appointment went well. They have a machine that takes a picture of your teeth in one shot. And it's painless. And not tedious. Took five minutes. X-rays done fast. Then a cleaning that took maybe twenty-thirty minutes. It wasn't that bad. Fairly pain free.
And yes, it cost me $360. Sigh. And no, it's unlikely Met Life will reimburse me.
This is why I don't go very often. A cleaning costs $180 (which I might get them to pay for) but anything over, you have to send the insurance paperwork to them long ahead of schedule. And there's a fee schedule. Dental insurance is the pits.
On the plus side? I have no cavities. I am in my fifties and I've NEVER had a cavity in my life. My secret -- I brush twice a day, and I am fairly rigorous about it. Also can not stand the feel of food stuck to my teeth. The Receptionist, Debbie, thinks I should go into advertising for proper teeth care. She also wants me to come in every six-months. Eh, no.
Teeth feel the same as before. No cleaner, and just as sore.
3. The New York Theater Group has provided a list of the 50 Best Plays of the Past Hundred Years. (OR rather the list-makers favorites. I'm skeptical of these lists even though I find them sort of fun, obviously.)
"The Number one play of the past 100 years is Arthur Miller’s 1949 play “Death of A Salesman,” according to Entertainment Weekly’s issue of July 5/12, 2013. Number 50 is Conor McPherson’s 1997 play “The Weir.” In-between are 48 other plays (the scripts, really, not any specific productions) that EW’s critics have chosen. (The print edition includes a brief description and explanation for each selection. I’ve linked each play below to its Amazon page, which provides a brief description of the play and a chance to purchase it.)
There are no musicals on this list. But beneath it is EW’s list of the 10 greatest musicals." [Well, of course not -- it's a list of plays not musicals. They aren't the same thing. Hello.]
Meme:
Bold what you've seen or read (they are plays, either works. Actually it's probably better if you've seen it. Since plays are meant to be produced and change depending on who is producing them. I know I've wrote a couple, and collaboratively did a read-through of one that I co-wrote.)
Italicize what you couldn't get through.
[Snark at their list and put in why you disagree with it or substitutions. (Because I certainly will - I despise Arthur Miller.)]
1. Death of a Salesman (1949) by Arthur Miller -- I think this is a highly overrated play that does do a great job of depicting the toxic maleness of our society, and how class and obsession with money, has been destructive. But I hate this play. I've read it and seen it, performed by Brian Dennehey and Dustin Hoffman. Preferred Dennehey, weirdly enough.
2. A Streetcar Named Desire (1947) by Tennessee Williams -- Seen it performed multiple times. And read it. Also performed scenes from it in high school for a theater class that I was in. (I'm a theater geek, but I hate the business and won't work in it. The problem with the arts is it attracts narcissistic assholes. Really, it's better working at a Rail Road, had a long discussion about this with a fellow theater geek and co-worker, who performs in his local repertory company. And he said the same thing.) It's an excellent play and I'd rank it above Death of a Salesman. Men love Death of a Salesman. So it gets at the top of the lists -- it's sort of the Breaking Bad of the theater world.
3. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?: (1962) by Edward Albee -- this is a much better play than Death of a Salesman, and a very painful one. It is a dissection of a marriage.
4. Long Day’s Journey into Night (1956) by Eugene O’Neill - I've tried to read it and watch filmed versions of it more than once.
5.Fences(1985) by August Wilson
6. Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes (1993-94) two plays by Tony Kushner - read portions of it and saw it.
7. Waiting for Godot: A Tragicomedy in Two Acts (1953) by Samuel Beckett - read and seen, hard play to read.
8. Pygmalion (1913) by George Bernard Shaw - read and seen. Not as nice as My Fair Lady, and a far more biting satire on the British class system and linguistics.
Not to mention somewhat biting on gender relations at the time.
9. A Raisin in the Sun (1959) by Lorraine Hansberry -- seen and read, also saw the sequel.
10.Our Town (1938) by Thornton Wilder -- seen, read, and performed a monologue from it.
11. Six Characters in Search of an Author (1921) by Luigi Pirandello -- One of my favorite plays of all time. It's brilliant in how it discusses family dynamics, how we view ourselves and art, and how art is in our interaction with it.
I've read it, seen it performed on stage, and wrote a paper on it.
12. The Glass Menagerie (1944) by Tennessee Williams -- I find this play more painful to watch than Streetcar. Seen, and read it, more than once.
13. Glengarry Glen Ross(1984) by David Mamet -- seen and read it. The movie is very well done. I actually find this play an entertaining counterpoint to Death of a Salesman -- it's a biting satire about a sales scam, and the desperation to succeed at all costs. I like it much better than Miller's play.
14. August: Osage County (2007) by Tracy Letts -- no memory of it, but I know I've either seen or read it.
15. True West (1980) by Sam Shepard -- didn't like it.
16. The Iceman Cometh (1946) by Eugene O’Neill
17. Look Back in Anger (1956) by John Osborne - vague memories of it.
18. A View from the Bridge (1955) by Arthur Miller
19. The Little Foxes. (1939) by Lillian Hellman -- I like the Children's Hour better.
20. The Real Thing (1982) by Tom Stoppard
21. Master Harold and the Boys (1982) by Athol Fugard - don't remember it very well.
22. The Homecoming (1965) by Harold Pinter -- couldn't get through it.
23. Ruined (2008) by Lynn Nottage
24. Mother Courage and Her Children (1941) by Bertolt Brecht
25. Six Degrees of Separation (1990) by John Guare -- seen only.
26. Doubt (2004) by John Patrick Shanley
27. Top Girls (1982) by Caryl Churchill
28. Present Laughter (1942) by Noel Coward -- couldn't get through. May try again.
29. Noises Off (1982) by Michael Frayn -- LOVE. Best comedy that I've seen.
30. Marat/Sade (1964) by Peter Weiss -- love, they perform Marat in an insane asylum in Paris.
31. The Lieutenant of Inishmore (2001) by Martin McDonagh
32. Machinal (1928) by Sophie Treadwell
33. The Norman Conquests(1973) trilogy by Alan Ayckbourn
34. The Bald Soprano (1950) by Eugene Ionesco
35. M. Butterfly (1988) by David Henry Hwang
36. The Dybbuk (1920) by S Ansky
37. Saved (1965) by Edward Bond
38.Topdog/Underdogby Suzan-Lori Parks
39. The Front Page (1928) by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur - the basis for "His Girl Friday"
40. Accidental Death of an Anarchist (1970) by Dario Fo.
41. Picnic (1953) by William Inge
42. Journey’s End (1928) by R.C. Sherriff
43 The Odd Couple (1965) by Neil Simon
44. The orphans’ home cycle (1962-2009) nine short plays by Horton Foote
45. The Women. (1936) by Clare Boothe Luce -- this play doesn't survive well.
46. What The Butler Saw (1969) by Joe Orton
47. Awake and Sing! (1935) by Clifford Odets
48. The Piano Lesson (1987) by August Wilson
49. Uncommon Women and Others (1977) by Wendy Wasserstein
50 The Weir (1997) by Conor McPherson
Eh...there are so many left off this list. What about the Greek plays? Okay, it did say from the last 100 years, so that leaves everything before 1900 off the list. I like Children's Hour better than some of these. Also, some of the Woody Allen plays are missing. And a lot of Christopher Durang's plays, and Les Liasons, also Tom Stoppard.
The 10 Greatest Musicals, according to EW
1. Guys and Dolls
2. Gypsy
3. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
4. Oklahoma!
5. West Side Story
6. Cabaret
7. A Chorus Line
8. Rent
9. Carousel
10. The Book of Mormon
I've seen everything but Book of Mormon -- I listened to the music from Book of Mormon -- it has a horrible score. Nothing memorable, so I didn't bother with it.
And it most likely won't survive well as a result.
I'd have replaced it with Fiddler on the Roof. Guys and Dolls isn't as good as either Cabaret, West Side Story or Carousel. Sorry it's not. Also they left off
Jesus Christ Superstar -- which has more resonance than say, Mormon.
I don't know...Rent is a bit overrrated. There's a few take away songs, but it's also VERY dated. I know I've listened to it multiple times.
I'd also put Carousel above Oklahoma -- better songs, and a better book.
I despise Gypsey, so it wouldn't even make my list. I'd replace that with My Fair Lady or Evita.
Really this is so subjective.
What would my list be? Hmmm. I wouldn't rank them, it's like ranking desserts, not possible.
1. Jesus Christ Superstar
2. West Side story
3. Sweeny Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street
4. Into the Woods
5. Carousel
6. Rent
7. Les Miserables
8. Evita
9. Cabaret
10. Pippin
4. Beautiful September Day -- should take a walk. Teeth hurt and I need to eat. So will do that first.
Most of this book takes place in upstate New York and Martha's Vineyard. I need to make a trip to a few destinations upstate to make sure I got the lay of the land correct -- although a cursory understanding is all that is required, unless you plan to write long descriptive passages. (I've discovered this upon reading a lot of books in which it is clear (to me at any rate) that the people have never been there. Or if they have, it doesn't really matter -- it could be anywhere really, and I sort of forgot where they were half-way through.
Setting is more important in the fantasy, historical, horror and sci-fi genres than the mystery and romance genres. Mystery and romance are more character/plot specific, with setting as mere window dressing.
2. The dental appointment went well. They have a machine that takes a picture of your teeth in one shot. And it's painless. And not tedious. Took five minutes. X-rays done fast. Then a cleaning that took maybe twenty-thirty minutes. It wasn't that bad. Fairly pain free.
And yes, it cost me $360. Sigh. And no, it's unlikely Met Life will reimburse me.
This is why I don't go very often. A cleaning costs $180 (which I might get them to pay for) but anything over, you have to send the insurance paperwork to them long ahead of schedule. And there's a fee schedule. Dental insurance is the pits.
On the plus side? I have no cavities. I am in my fifties and I've NEVER had a cavity in my life. My secret -- I brush twice a day, and I am fairly rigorous about it. Also can not stand the feel of food stuck to my teeth. The Receptionist, Debbie, thinks I should go into advertising for proper teeth care. She also wants me to come in every six-months. Eh, no.
Teeth feel the same as before. No cleaner, and just as sore.
3. The New York Theater Group has provided a list of the 50 Best Plays of the Past Hundred Years. (OR rather the list-makers favorites. I'm skeptical of these lists even though I find them sort of fun, obviously.)
"The Number one play of the past 100 years is Arthur Miller’s 1949 play “Death of A Salesman,” according to Entertainment Weekly’s issue of July 5/12, 2013. Number 50 is Conor McPherson’s 1997 play “The Weir.” In-between are 48 other plays (the scripts, really, not any specific productions) that EW’s critics have chosen. (The print edition includes a brief description and explanation for each selection. I’ve linked each play below to its Amazon page, which provides a brief description of the play and a chance to purchase it.)
There are no musicals on this list. But beneath it is EW’s list of the 10 greatest musicals." [Well, of course not -- it's a list of plays not musicals. They aren't the same thing. Hello.]
Meme:
Bold what you've seen or read (they are plays, either works. Actually it's probably better if you've seen it. Since plays are meant to be produced and change depending on who is producing them. I know I've wrote a couple, and collaboratively did a read-through of one that I co-wrote.)
Italicize what you couldn't get through.
[Snark at their list and put in why you disagree with it or substitutions. (Because I certainly will - I despise Arthur Miller.)]
1. Death of a Salesman (1949) by Arthur Miller -- I think this is a highly overrated play that does do a great job of depicting the toxic maleness of our society, and how class and obsession with money, has been destructive. But I hate this play. I've read it and seen it, performed by Brian Dennehey and Dustin Hoffman. Preferred Dennehey, weirdly enough.
2. A Streetcar Named Desire (1947) by Tennessee Williams -- Seen it performed multiple times. And read it. Also performed scenes from it in high school for a theater class that I was in. (I'm a theater geek, but I hate the business and won't work in it. The problem with the arts is it attracts narcissistic assholes. Really, it's better working at a Rail Road, had a long discussion about this with a fellow theater geek and co-worker, who performs in his local repertory company. And he said the same thing.) It's an excellent play and I'd rank it above Death of a Salesman. Men love Death of a Salesman. So it gets at the top of the lists -- it's sort of the Breaking Bad of the theater world.
3. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?: (1962) by Edward Albee -- this is a much better play than Death of a Salesman, and a very painful one. It is a dissection of a marriage.
4. Long Day’s Journey into Night (1956) by Eugene O’Neill - I've tried to read it and watch filmed versions of it more than once.
5.Fences(1985) by August Wilson
6. Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes (1993-94) two plays by Tony Kushner - read portions of it and saw it.
7. Waiting for Godot: A Tragicomedy in Two Acts (1953) by Samuel Beckett - read and seen, hard play to read.
8. Pygmalion (1913) by George Bernard Shaw - read and seen. Not as nice as My Fair Lady, and a far more biting satire on the British class system and linguistics.
Not to mention somewhat biting on gender relations at the time.
9. A Raisin in the Sun (1959) by Lorraine Hansberry -- seen and read, also saw the sequel.
10.Our Town (1938) by Thornton Wilder -- seen, read, and performed a monologue from it.
11. Six Characters in Search of an Author (1921) by Luigi Pirandello -- One of my favorite plays of all time. It's brilliant in how it discusses family dynamics, how we view ourselves and art, and how art is in our interaction with it.
I've read it, seen it performed on stage, and wrote a paper on it.
12. The Glass Menagerie (1944) by Tennessee Williams -- I find this play more painful to watch than Streetcar. Seen, and read it, more than once.
13. Glengarry Glen Ross(1984) by David Mamet -- seen and read it. The movie is very well done. I actually find this play an entertaining counterpoint to Death of a Salesman -- it's a biting satire about a sales scam, and the desperation to succeed at all costs. I like it much better than Miller's play.
14. August: Osage County (2007) by Tracy Letts -- no memory of it, but I know I've either seen or read it.
15. True West (1980) by Sam Shepard -- didn't like it.
16. The Iceman Cometh (1946) by Eugene O’Neill
17. Look Back in Anger (1956) by John Osborne - vague memories of it.
18. A View from the Bridge (1955) by Arthur Miller
19. The Little Foxes. (1939) by Lillian Hellman -- I like the Children's Hour better.
20. The Real Thing (1982) by Tom Stoppard
21. Master Harold and the Boys (1982) by Athol Fugard - don't remember it very well.
22. The Homecoming (1965) by Harold Pinter -- couldn't get through it.
23. Ruined (2008) by Lynn Nottage
24. Mother Courage and Her Children (1941) by Bertolt Brecht
25. Six Degrees of Separation (1990) by John Guare -- seen only.
26. Doubt (2004) by John Patrick Shanley
27. Top Girls (1982) by Caryl Churchill
28. Present Laughter (1942) by Noel Coward -- couldn't get through. May try again.
29. Noises Off (1982) by Michael Frayn -- LOVE. Best comedy that I've seen.
30. Marat/Sade (1964) by Peter Weiss -- love, they perform Marat in an insane asylum in Paris.
31. The Lieutenant of Inishmore (2001) by Martin McDonagh
32. Machinal (1928) by Sophie Treadwell
33. The Norman Conquests(1973) trilogy by Alan Ayckbourn
34. The Bald Soprano (1950) by Eugene Ionesco
35. M. Butterfly (1988) by David Henry Hwang
36. The Dybbuk (1920) by S Ansky
37. Saved (1965) by Edward Bond
38.Topdog/Underdogby Suzan-Lori Parks
39. The Front Page (1928) by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur - the basis for "His Girl Friday"
40. Accidental Death of an Anarchist (1970) by Dario Fo.
41. Picnic (1953) by William Inge
42. Journey’s End (1928) by R.C. Sherriff
43 The Odd Couple (1965) by Neil Simon
44. The orphans’ home cycle (1962-2009) nine short plays by Horton Foote
45. The Women. (1936) by Clare Boothe Luce -- this play doesn't survive well.
46. What The Butler Saw (1969) by Joe Orton
47. Awake and Sing! (1935) by Clifford Odets
48. The Piano Lesson (1987) by August Wilson
49. Uncommon Women and Others (1977) by Wendy Wasserstein
50 The Weir (1997) by Conor McPherson
Eh...there are so many left off this list. What about the Greek plays? Okay, it did say from the last 100 years, so that leaves everything before 1900 off the list. I like Children's Hour better than some of these. Also, some of the Woody Allen plays are missing. And a lot of Christopher Durang's plays, and Les Liasons, also Tom Stoppard.
The 10 Greatest Musicals, according to EW
1. Guys and Dolls
2. Gypsy
3. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
4. Oklahoma!
5. West Side Story
6. Cabaret
7. A Chorus Line
8. Rent
9. Carousel
10. The Book of Mormon
I've seen everything but Book of Mormon -- I listened to the music from Book of Mormon -- it has a horrible score. Nothing memorable, so I didn't bother with it.
And it most likely won't survive well as a result.
I'd have replaced it with Fiddler on the Roof. Guys and Dolls isn't as good as either Cabaret, West Side Story or Carousel. Sorry it's not. Also they left off
Jesus Christ Superstar -- which has more resonance than say, Mormon.
I don't know...Rent is a bit overrrated. There's a few take away songs, but it's also VERY dated. I know I've listened to it multiple times.
I'd also put Carousel above Oklahoma -- better songs, and a better book.
I despise Gypsey, so it wouldn't even make my list. I'd replace that with My Fair Lady or Evita.
Really this is so subjective.
What would my list be? Hmmm. I wouldn't rank them, it's like ranking desserts, not possible.
1. Jesus Christ Superstar
2. West Side story
3. Sweeny Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street
4. Into the Woods
5. Carousel
6. Rent
7. Les Miserables
8. Evita
9. Cabaret
10. Pippin
4. Beautiful September Day -- should take a walk. Teeth hurt and I need to eat. So will do that first.