Spontaneous Musings

Half watching the West End Revival of Kiss Me Kate on Great Performances, and it's not very good. The one on National Theater Streaming is far better. Although the singer performing Lois Lane/Bianca is wonderful. And I like the intergrated casting. The difficulty with Kiss Me Kate is the misogynistic source material, and some of the Cole Porter songs do not date well, while others work quite well. Although the performances are quite good in places. And the guy who did the dance sequence for Too Darn Hot was a showstopper.

Yes, I am theater geek or a theater buff. Ask me about theater, and I can go on and on and on at length, with an almost encyclopedic knowledge. Same is true about television and film.

I fell in love with the theater in the fifth grade - when two tall black boys in a mostly white grade school in the 1970s put together a play as an alternative to playing baseball at recess. It was cold, and we had access to the gym. The play was Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (actually twelve dwarves, we had a lot of folks involved). I was cast as one of the dwarves. I was a tall dwarf, but not that tall - since I was after all only eleven or twelve at the time. My first theater role was a dwarf. To understand how amusing that is? You need to know I was taller than everyone but the two kids directing the play. I think one of their names was DJ or TJ, can't remember. They were wonderful. Kind, smart, and a nice barrier against bullying. No one dared bully or tease me when they were present.

( Read more... )

Sorry for the tangent. Long way of explaining why I enjoy listening to actor podcasts.

Speaking of?

Schmactors is back - basically it's two character actors (James Marsters and his buddy, Mark Devine) from theater, television, voice, and film discussing you guessed it, theater, film, television and everything in between.

I have a fondness for character actors, I seldom love the leads. It's a problem, since it's hard to find anything that they are in. I think the reason is - that I was a character actor. I'm always crushing on actors that seem to only get a few roles, and everything else is hard to find.
I started watching Buffy because of Anthony Head, who I followed there from his previous role on VR5. I'd fallen in love with him - in the stage musical Chess, when he briefly took over his brother's role in the London run of the musical way back in 1988. I'd seen him perform it live - three rows from the stage, or maybe four rows. He blew me away when he sang Pity the Child in that run, and I was in love. (I took a course in London for two months - where we read plays, wrote reviews on the stage productions that we saw performed, and discussed them in detail.)

At any rate, it's getting late...so here's a picture that I painted of people I've seen on the subway, from memory, proof that the subway is perfectly safe. They are. Don't believe the idiots who say otherwise, they clearly don't live in New York.

[Note it won't last forever, because FB is quirky about its links.]

I knew I was going to get in late last night so I took today off, slept in - and did a load of laundry. I've not been sleeping well of late. Decided to take another break from the news.

Television

I'm kind of half-watching the television series "SMASH" on Peacock- mainly to see how it varied from the musical I saw last night - because I couldn't remember it very well. Now that I am watching it? It's an unevenly written, mildly offensive, soap opera about the Broadway theater world, with musical numbers. And a odd obsession with Marilyn Monroe.

The Broadway Show kind of makes fun of it in places, and is a whole lot better. The Broadway Show points out why making a show about Marilyn Monroe doesn't quite work. Also, the Broadway Show doesn't fall into the tired trap of wrenching drama from pitting two women against each other, which the television series did.

I plan on also watching "Wicked" on Peacock this weekend. And making my way through old Buffy episodes. Weirdly? In the first season of Buffy, there are maybe four to five decent episodes.( Read more... )

By the way, the clothing that Buffy wears in S1 of that series is horrid. ( Read more... ) Xander has decent clothes - way too decent for a nerdy geek. (It's weird, his clothes go down hill after high school?) ( Read more... )
**

Eh, going to bed, I think.

Maybe I'll get more done tomorrow.

The Tony Awards - the 77th.

Watching Live, but also recording. Mother called to remind me - because alas I forgot about it again. I was watching Welcome to Wrexham S1 episode - A Journey Through Wales, and about how many castles Wales has. I watch partly to see if there's anything I want to attempt to see. I have TDF - which means I can get discounted tickets to various shows but don't always know where the seats will be.

So far, we've had a performance from Alicia Keys, and the cast of Hell's Kitchen (I still have no idea what that musical is about - it feels like a jukebox musical - which usually doesn't work for me), and an on-stage riff from Pete Townsend for Pinball Wizard from the Who's Tommy (I adore the Who, but I saw the original version in 1992 and also the film version with Roger Daltry and Elton John), complete with his red beanie.
Townsend still has it. Some folks are Clapton fans, I'm a Townsend fan and a Who fan. (It was well done presentation - so I'm tempted. The lead looks a lot like a young Daltry and has the same charisma.)
( a running commentary on the tony's and musical performances presented )

It's getting late, I'm signing off.

My father used to say that, along with things like "Good on you", and "Wherever you are, There you are", and "That's Alright? It's alright." He's been on my mind a lot of late, and I couldn't seem to stop talking about him over the holiday. It was as if...he was everywhere, yet nowhere at the same time. If that makes any sense? While down there...mother asked if I wanted my father's left over art supplies, and the wooden suitcase style box that he carted them around in. Also, she wanted me to take his watercolors, which he worked so hard on, and was so proud of, and display them - once she was gone, or if anything happened to her. Here's one of them, and I took pictures of all five. I like them, so I'll take them, no problem. (My father and I had similar tastes in art.)



Although home really is where the folks I love are.. it is nice to be in my own space again, with my laptop, my own bed, fridge, kitchen, etc. My life is in NYC, my Momma is in Hilton Head. Such is life. Also the people I love are kind of across the globe. And in NY, of course.

Also as lovely as Hilton Head is, I did miss NYC in some respects. ( Read more... )

It was a lovely and uneventful visit. Mother has a persistent cough, but it wasn't a contagious one. Although she became convinced this morning, for some reason or other that it was COVID. So insisted on taking a test in her armchair. I tried to tell her it was supposed to be done on a hard service - but to no avail. She took another one after she dropped me off at the airport, and it was negative too. I think it may be a blood pressure medication issue. But she will check with her doctor again. I worry about her, but alas, there is nothing I can do.

We did enjoy each other's company, talked about my Dad, whom she misses every day - but has managed to find a way to enjoy her life without him there. She's lonely though, I think. But she has friends, and people who care about her. Also, in a way, having my father at the Preston and their separation helped her get used to his absence, at least enough, to make it bearable. She reminds me a lot of her own mother, in her resourcefulness and determination to find the joy in small things. I try to emulate them both.

**

I'm not a fan of regaling folks with the gifts that I've received or provided. Let's just say, everyone was grateful and happy. I found this season - that I felt very ambivalent about Christmas. Although I did help Momma decorate her tree, and remove the decorations. It turned out nicely, I think...



She put the other decorations up herself. But the tree - she discovered she could get maintenance to put up and take down. They do so many, and do it faster than we do. There was a brief scare though - on Thursday night, we had a deep freeze, and Mother felt the need to drip her outside faucets. (I figured okay, that's not a big deal, and let her go out and do that. Big mistake.) Mother, without telling me and for reasons that escape me, decided she had to put sheets over her hibiscus and a fern. She was trying to protect them. And due to where the hibiscus is located, she almost fell over. Actually she did, kind of fall, but didn't hurt herself. Just over-exerted herself. She came back inside, wheezing, and I got worried. I also told her not to do that again, and next time to ask me to do it. It was completely futile of course - since it was windy, and the wind blew the sheets off the plants. Both got frozen, and she lost the hibiscus, alas. (Also, most likely the fern.) Hilton Head doesn't usually get temperatures below 32 degrees F.

***

My brother got COVID, most likely from his trip up to Montreal with his family. Fever, cough, sore throat, no voice. His doctor told him to hold off on taking the anti-virals. He's feeling better today, but now, his wife seems to have come down with it. (They had four of the five vaccines, but not the biavalent. I've also had four of the five, but the biavalent, not the booster in May. Also I was all Pfizer, they were all Moderna. Mother has had five of the five - all Moderna. Niece got COVID twice, once in May, and again in October or November, so she's probably immune at the moment.)

He apparently went to a spa that is operated off of a barge in Montreal. And had one of the best prepared meals of his life - six-seven courses, with a different wine entry for each course.

***

Over the holidays, mother and I went to the musical A Christmas Story at the Hilton Head Self Family Arts Center - which puts on repertory and touring productions of various musicals and plays throughout the year. In the past, we've seen Hello, Dolly, My Fair Lady, Mary Poppins, Singing in the Rain, White Christmas, Newsies, and a few others. Some are better than others. Mother and I went in with low expectations for this one. (Last year they put on Elf, which we skipped, since neither of us have been able to make it through the film version - let alone a musical adaptation. At least we enjoyed the film version of A Christmas Story.)

It was a lot better than I thought it would be. ( Read more... )

****

I think the Universe took pity on me, and decided to give me an uneventful holiday? I didn't get sick. Allergies weren't an issue. No flight delays (outside of a very brief one on the way down. The flight crew was late coming out of Boston, so we were delayed about an hour, if that). By the LaGuardia is amazing. ( Read more... )

When I got into JFK - it was wall to wall people. My god, I've not seen that many people in an airport in a long time. ( Read more... )

***

Mother saw six movies over the holiday.

1. The Last Duel (Hulu) - starring Jodi Comer, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Adam Driver. Directed by Ridley Scott. We were pleasantly surprised by it. It's actually a very good movie. Adapted from a true story - it is told in three perspectives. ( Read more... )

[Available on Hulu]

2. Bullet Train - this was enjoyable and funny. A kind of action/comedy. It stars, Brad Pitt (making fun of action heroes again), Sandra Bullock (she's not really seen through most of the movie), Joey King, and a whole lot of other folks. Directed by David Leitch.

It's fast action. About a group of seemingly unrelated folks brought together on a Japanese Bullet Train to Russia. Except - they are all somehow connected to a Russian Assassin, known as the White Death (portrayed by Michael Shannon). It's better to go in blind, so won't tell you anything else. Half the fun is figuring it out. Mother and I were having a blast figuring out the movie, with it's fast talking banter, and twists and turns.

[Available on Netflix]

3. Glass Onion: Knives Out Mystery directed by Rian Johnson, who is having fun parodying, satirizing and playing homage to Agatha Christie's
parlor room mysteries. Standing in for Hercule Poirot, is Daniel Craig's bumbling Benoit, who has a thick Southern Twang.
( Read more... )

[Available on Netflix.]

 
4. Wild Mountain Thyme by John Patrick Shanely, who apparently did Moonstruck. (It's not Moonstruck). It stars, Christopher Walken, Emily Blunt, Jamie Dorman, and Jon Hamm.

I found it to be a bit slow in places. ( Read more... )

[Available on Hulu]

5. Code Name Banshee - stars Antonio Banderas in a small role. It's okay.
Lots of action. Kind of boring. I went to sleep during it. ( Read more... )

6. Charade - Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Walter Matheu, George Kennedy, and James Coburn round out the cast of the best Hitchockian film not directed by Hitchcock. It was also recently added to the Library of Congress - one of the 25 selections added to that film library.

It's an interesting film. Charming and twisty. Also, suspenseful. I'd forgotten most of it - even though I'd seen it at least twice previously.

It's available on TCM Movie Classics.

***

Yawn.

Going to bed. I got up early - and had a busy day. Tomorrow will be busy too - my goal is to get rid of things, while waiting for a package. Friday - I plan to go into the city and buy a new, short, coat from Macy's.

Leaving you with a picture of the beach. It was too cold to go to the beach until roughly Tuesday afternoon. So mother and I went, she only went as far as the boardwalk. She can't walk very far. But there's a little gazebo there that she can sit and wait at - which overlooks the ocean. It's a new addition. I walked out to the water - since it was low tide and the beach was flat as a pancake, flatter actually, and the water exceptionally calm.

I kind of did absolutely nothing today, outside of dabbling at the beginning of the fantasy novel I'm trying to write. It now has foot notes and Gaelic.

Don't.

I know it's tempting.

But just don't.

You know who you are. ;-)

**

Is it just me? Or does it seem like over half my generation's father's are dying of Alzheimer's? Hugh Jackman, who is 53, just lost his father to Alzheimer's. His wife is 13 years older than him, which I found interesting. He was born in 1968 and she was born in 1955.

He's among the few film actors out there that I still adore and have not been decimated by social media's gossip train.

Oh, the Ellen DeGeneris like on FB was actually a scam. There are scammers on FB. I reported it. Unlikely they will do anything. But I find it via Snopes. Here is the link to Snopes outing the scam. I'm tired of this.
I've blocked the page.

**

There's this great quote I found in a contemporary romance novel of all places.

Because there is no way an introvert and a criminally picky eater can go to a dinner party and come out alive."

Each time the stupid doctor tells me to cut something out my diet, I think...okay are you intentionally killing what is left of my social life?

I remember when I was diagnosed as gluten intolerant.

Doctor: What's wrong?
ME: This is going to kill my social life.
Doctor: Are you one of those people who lives to eat?
Me: Yes, although that's hardly the issue here.
( Read more... )
**

Just finished watching the filmed adaptation of the Broadway Stage Musical Dear Evan Hansen, which is depressing. It tries to be uplifting, but it doesn't quite accomplish it. ( Read more... )

Random Picture of the Evening

I think I forgot to post about this?

1. According to FX Has Ordered a Bob Fosse Limited Series with Sam Rockwell and Michelle Williams, which is being executive produced by Lin Manuel Miranda

FX has ordered a limited series based on the life of Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon with Sam Rockwell and Michelle Williams attached as the series leads, Variety has learned.

Based on “Fosse,” the biography written by Sam Wasson, the untitled eight-part series tells the story of the romantic and creative partnership between Fosse and Verdon. He was a visionary filmmaker and one of theater’s most influential choreographers and directors, while she was the greatest Broadway dancer of all time. Together they changed the face of American entertainment at a perilous cost. Featuring Fosse’s choreography, the series explores the hidden corners of show business, the price of pursuing greatness, and the suffering inflicted in the name of art. Production on the series is slated to begin in the fall with the show set to launch in 2019.

Lin-Manuel Miranda, Thomas Kail, Steven Levenson, and George Stelzner will executive produce, with Rockwell and Williams also executive producing. Levenson, who will serve as showrunner, wrote the premiere episode which will be directed by Kail. Nicole Fosse, daughter of Fosse and Verdon, serves as co-executive producer and oversees The Verdon Fosse Legacy. Co-producer Andy Blankenbuehler is the choreographer.

This, I think, is wickedly cool. I love Fosse. But, the main deal is not the music, but the dancing.
Fosse wasn't a composer, nor was Vernon, they were dancers and choreographers -- and insanely talented ones. Also his dance style is hard to do, it looks easy, it's not. That's what is so amazing about it. He moves a part of the body one way, than another in the opposite way. Also it's a highly sexualized and erotic method of dance.

I'm a fan of Bob Fosse. Seeing all his films and three revivials of his theaterical works. Pippin, Chicago, and Dancin. The films that I've seen are: All That Jazz, Sweet Charity, Damn Yankees, Chicago (which didn't really do Fosse justice), Pippin (the original film of the Broadway presentation with Ben Vereen and William Katt)...

But I find Rockwell and Williams interesting choices -- neither strike me as dancers. However they fit the look of Foss and Vernon. And neither was Roy Schneider who Fosse chose to play him in his own bio-pic of his life story, All That Jazz.


2. Also... Hamilton Movie Released in 2020 with bidding starting at 50 Million for distribution rights

The much-anticipated movie of Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s smash musical, wrapped two years ago – but won’t appear in cinemas for at least another two.

According to a report in the The Wall Street Journal, a recording of the stage version was shot in 2016, shortly before the departure of Miranda from the cast, and it is this – rather than a film adaptation – which will be released. Citing two insiders, the paper said that it won’t be seen until at least 2020, presumably to maximise attendance at the stage versions still playing.

Studios are apparently bidding for the rights to distribute, with a price tag of as much as $50m (£38m).

Which means those of us who can't figure out how to see it without spending a fortune, finally will get an opportunity to.

A social media friend on FB advised me that she knew people who had seen it many many times. And I thought, eh, you probably do not want to advertise that unless you find people judging you for well...

I mean it would be one thing if the show was accessible. But it's not. Most of the people I know can't afford to see it.

So bragging about seeing it mulitple times...sort of makes you look like a greedy asshole. You know the person who eats all the pies, when there are starving kids looking through windows watching you do it?

I decided not to point this out to her. If she can't figure it out on her own...

Finished watching the 1980 video of Pippin this afternoon courtesy of Netflix, complete with Bob Fosse's original choreography and staging.

To see a sample, go here: http://youtu.be/k1cZRnQ5ftg

The best thing about this was the dancing and music. Also Ben Vereen is amazing.

Here's two versions of the opening number Magic to Do, with Ben Vereen and the revival with Patina Miller. The first is more jazzy, with a magic show vibe, the second has a cirque de soliel or circus act vibe.

( Read more... )
But you really have to watch this video to understand: http://youtu.be/k1cZRnQ5ftg

The video is a marvelous satirical and clever critique of the drive for War. It's a feat of dance and song that few musicals come close to equaling.

The story itself is a simple and relateable one, it is about the son of Charlemagne who wants to find meaning in life, wants to accomplish something extraordinary, to find his corner of his sky. So he tries solidering, then the simple joys (hedonism), social justice and revolution, being emperor or ruler, and finally a simple land-owner, husband, and father. Bored to distraction, he leaves and the players attempt to convince him to do the last big magic act - set himself on fire and go out in a burst of flame. He refuses and chooses to go back to his life as a land-owner, with no costumes, makeup, flourishes, or lights. When asked if he feels like a coward or feels wonderful. He states, no just trapped, but hey since this is a musical comedy? Yay!

There some truly wonderful and timeless songs in it - including: War is a Science, Corner of the Sky, Magic to Do, Spread a Little Sunshine, Morning Glow, Simple Joys, and War is Glory.

Still want to see the revival, just not as badly as before. The book is witty in places and unlike HAIR, not dated.

2. Read an interview in EW this weekend with yet another Hollywood filmmaker, you may have heard of him? Joss Whedon? Here are some snippets:

( Snippets from Joss Whedon Interview in Entertainment Weekly )

Okay, I know Lady Gaga is becoming incredibly mainstream pop right now - but I like this new song.
It's Born This Way, and it's incredibly comforting and reassuring - particularly in a media culture that is pushing the opposite.

( Lady Gaga's new Song Born This Way - to Listen to )
Actually, I like Lady Gaga - she has a great voice and catchy songs. In the music dept - two shows this week had great musical numbers - one was Grey's Anatomy - which was a word song, but I can't remember the name of it or the artist, the other was The Good Wife with the song "and the bells ring no, no, no, no." Possibly the best use of music in a tv show for a long time. Grey's overdoes on the music montage, often making it impossible to understand what people are saying - because they have a habit of playing songs over dialogue. Once they played a song over voice-over and dialogue - causing me to turn on the close captioning in annoyance. Speaking of Grey's - did you know that Nicholas Brendan is playing the nasty rapist on The Private Practice (I don't watch Private Practice - but I see the previews often during my fastforward through commercials.). Found that ironic in a weird way. You'd have to be a Buffy fan, experienced fandom wars during season 6 of that series while it was airing (note fans can be bug-shagging crazy) and be inside my head, I guess, to understand why.

Been listening to music a lot the past few days. Work got so bad, that I decided to bring my i-pod to work with me to a)block out the venting conversations, and to concentrate, and b) lower my blood-pressure. As a result have discovered something - if you want to reduce stress and anxiety? Listen to music. It actually works better than the tv or the internet, both of which can be known to raise blood pressure and stress. Another stress reducer? Glee - combines music and snarky comedy (okay only if you like snarky comedy and musicals, if you don't - you might want to avoid).

Speaking of musicals? Spiderman : Turn off the Dark is getting slammed by the critics all of a sudden.
I guess they finally got tired of waiting for the thing to actually open, and went to previews.
( a NY theater geek's take on the Spiderman musical stuff )


Hmmm..since I have Monday off, maybe I'll stay up late Sunday and watch the Grammy's? Want to see Lady Gaga's performance and the Rolling Stones. I think they are performing.