Saturday, February 3, 2007
A Night at the Barrow Street Theatre
Last night I saw three shows at the Barrow Street Theatre. Here's a summary review of what I saw:
Nilaja Sun's No Child was hysterical and touching. It's about Ms. Sun's experience as a "Teaching Artist" at Malcolm X High School in the Bronx. A one woman show, she does fabulous impressions of herself, the other teachers, the janitor, and best of all, the students. The switches from one character to another are seamless and the facial expressions and mannerisms of each character are so distinct that it appears that it's not being acted by the same actor. The play's ridicule of the New York City school system are wonderful and unfortunately, realistic. It is something definitely worth seeing.
365 days 365 plays, a project of playwright Suzan-Lori Parks in which she wrote a play a day for a year, could have used some work. The preformances were good, but the plays were lacking something and were hard to follow. It was short and free, though, and was interesting, if nothing else.
One of the highlights of the night was TJ and Dave. TJ Jagodowski and Dave Pasquesi are some of the most fabulous Improvers I've ever seen. They do an hour long, multi-character scene, with no previous planning. It's completely different each time, starting with just a stage and three chairs. They exchange characters and create new ones. It was plotless and wonderful, with great characterizations. They are definitely worth seeing, even if the show is really late.
Saturday, January 6, 2007
Translations
I just got back from seeing Translations, the Brian Friel play about Ireland that's currently on bway. It's a thickly intellectual play, but once you get past all of the latin and greek and the thick accents, it's really quite good.
It really makes you think, though. The british completely devastated Ireland. One of my favorite things was the part at the end, where Hugh, the teacher, starts quoting that passage about the Punic Wars, because it really is so true. I also found it shocking how the Irish were so much more educated than the British, and yet the British ran everything because they had money and power.
It was hard to understand, and my mind was racing the entire time, trying to keep up and understand it. I do like intellectual plays, though, and it was really very interesting.
One of my favorite things was watching the confusion between the people speaking English and the people who were supposed to be speaking Gaelic. It was both funny and true to the communication gap.
The set was gorgeous. It was a dirt floor, with a rickety old staircase and some stools and a giant door. What was really amazing was how they did the rain. It was real water and heard and looked exactly like rain. It was also great how the people came in soaking, just like they would be if they had just come in from the rain.
Overall, it was a very interesting play, and if you are in the mood for a deeply intellectual experience, you should definitely go see it.
It really makes you think, though. The british completely devastated Ireland. One of my favorite things was the part at the end, where Hugh, the teacher, starts quoting that passage about the Punic Wars, because it really is so true. I also found it shocking how the Irish were so much more educated than the British, and yet the British ran everything because they had money and power.
It was hard to understand, and my mind was racing the entire time, trying to keep up and understand it. I do like intellectual plays, though, and it was really very interesting.
One of my favorite things was watching the confusion between the people speaking English and the people who were supposed to be speaking Gaelic. It was both funny and true to the communication gap.
The set was gorgeous. It was a dirt floor, with a rickety old staircase and some stools and a giant door. What was really amazing was how they did the rain. It was real water and heard and looked exactly like rain. It was also great how the people came in soaking, just like they would be if they had just come in from the rain.
Overall, it was a very interesting play, and if you are in the mood for a deeply intellectual experience, you should definitely go see it.
Monday, January 1, 2007
2006 year in review
this year has been kind of strange. The second semester of 8th grade was living hell. Everyone hated each other, kudera killed me, things just sucked. But, like Lily said, I think of things in terms of grades. I don't know...ninth grade has been okay so far, but it's not over yet.
This year I went to...
Barcelona- It was fun. I love Europe. It was ruined slightly by the fact that I was sick and that my mom's wallet got stolen. Overall, it was good, though.
Philidelphia- visited cousins. no big deal.
DPF 4-H camp- my best year there so far, I think. I stayed for three weeks. I made new friends, I became better friends with others. I became a nature nerd. I played with hermit crabs. I ran through Big Ben. I discovered a new love for swimming really far underwater and looking at crabs and stuff. I left my Declaration of Independence at home, but remembered my periodic table. I told too many school stories. I slept out in the arboretum. I took a picnic out to the cliffhouse and played never have i ever with counselors. I won honor cabin. I sang Sondheim in the bathroom, the girls unit, and, of course, the woods.
Cooperstown, NY- A really cute little town. I hated the baseball hall of fame, but I loved that museum that I forget the name of. The buildings were cute and it was fun.
Seneca Falls, NY- I loved Seneca falls. I stayed at a really nice B&B. I saw the women's rights museum.
Niagara Falls- This place is overrated. The town is disgusting and hokey. The falls are cool, but it has too much hype.
Geneva On the Lake & Cleveland, Ohio (family reunion)- The family reunion was a lot of fun. I hung out with cousins I never see, and ones I see often. I saw the place where my grandfather grew up. I swam in Lake Erie.
Block Island- I love Block Island. I go there every year. I got held up by the remnants of a hurricane and stayed an extra day. It was fun.
Sanibel Island, FL- I love thanksgiving. It's yummy.
Louisville, KY- It's sad that my great-great-Uncle Herman died, but he did live to 95, and he had a great life. It was great seeing a bunch of relatives I never see. It was sad and sweet at the same time.
This year I saw... [theatre,opera, dance, etc]
Little Shop of Horrors- It was great. It's not the best musical, but Hunter did it well.
Brick '06- This was amazing. I loved Dizzy and Vinyleater especially. The whole thing was brilliant. I love Brick.
The Government Inspector- This was a ton of fun, especially since I knew everyone in it. It was a funny, bizarre play, and it was a good production, especially considering it's 7-9.
Merchant of Venice- This was AMAZING. I'm still absolutely blown away by it. It was soooooooooo good. The cast was amazing, the interpretation was amazing. I like it so much better than the movie version. The acting was perfect, the set worked, the blocking was great, everything was amazing.
The Skin of Our Teeth- The production was good. The play is the most bizarre I've ever seen. It was really surreal.
Ragtime- La Guardia blows me away. It was amazing. The whole thing was so professional, and the people who played Coalhouse, Mother, and Sarah were really amazing. The whole thing was great. The set was wonderful.
Company- It was good. The musical itself is amazing. The production was pretty good but I had a lot of problems with it. It was good, though.
A Chorus Line- A Chorus Line was great. The people weren't great singers, but they could really dance. It was a lot of fun.
La Traviatta- I liked it. I don't remember that much about it, since it was almost a year ago, but the set was great. It was good.
Manon- This was a really weird ballet. I couldn't really figure out what was going on a lot of the time, but the guy who played the male lead was great. It was really good.
Meh...I'm sure I saw some other theatre but i can't remember it . That's all I feel like doing for now.
This year I went to...
Barcelona- It was fun. I love Europe. It was ruined slightly by the fact that I was sick and that my mom's wallet got stolen. Overall, it was good, though.
Philidelphia- visited cousins. no big deal.
DPF 4-H camp- my best year there so far, I think. I stayed for three weeks. I made new friends, I became better friends with others. I became a nature nerd. I played with hermit crabs. I ran through Big Ben. I discovered a new love for swimming really far underwater and looking at crabs and stuff. I left my Declaration of Independence at home, but remembered my periodic table. I told too many school stories. I slept out in the arboretum. I took a picnic out to the cliffhouse and played never have i ever with counselors. I won honor cabin. I sang Sondheim in the bathroom, the girls unit, and, of course, the woods.
Cooperstown, NY- A really cute little town. I hated the baseball hall of fame, but I loved that museum that I forget the name of. The buildings were cute and it was fun.
Seneca Falls, NY- I loved Seneca falls. I stayed at a really nice B&B. I saw the women's rights museum.
Niagara Falls- This place is overrated. The town is disgusting and hokey. The falls are cool, but it has too much hype.
Geneva On the Lake & Cleveland, Ohio (family reunion)- The family reunion was a lot of fun. I hung out with cousins I never see, and ones I see often. I saw the place where my grandfather grew up. I swam in Lake Erie.
Block Island- I love Block Island. I go there every year. I got held up by the remnants of a hurricane and stayed an extra day. It was fun.
Sanibel Island, FL- I love thanksgiving. It's yummy.
Louisville, KY- It's sad that my great-great-Uncle Herman died, but he did live to 95, and he had a great life. It was great seeing a bunch of relatives I never see. It was sad and sweet at the same time.
This year I saw... [theatre,opera, dance, etc]
Little Shop of Horrors- It was great. It's not the best musical, but Hunter did it well.
Brick '06- This was amazing. I loved Dizzy and Vinyleater especially. The whole thing was brilliant. I love Brick.
The Government Inspector- This was a ton of fun, especially since I knew everyone in it. It was a funny, bizarre play, and it was a good production, especially considering it's 7-9.
Merchant of Venice- This was AMAZING. I'm still absolutely blown away by it. It was soooooooooo good. The cast was amazing, the interpretation was amazing. I like it so much better than the movie version. The acting was perfect, the set worked, the blocking was great, everything was amazing.
The Skin of Our Teeth- The production was good. The play is the most bizarre I've ever seen. It was really surreal.
Ragtime- La Guardia blows me away. It was amazing. The whole thing was so professional, and the people who played Coalhouse, Mother, and Sarah were really amazing. The whole thing was great. The set was wonderful.
Company- It was good. The musical itself is amazing. The production was pretty good but I had a lot of problems with it. It was good, though.
A Chorus Line- A Chorus Line was great. The people weren't great singers, but they could really dance. It was a lot of fun.
La Traviatta- I liked it. I don't remember that much about it, since it was almost a year ago, but the set was great. It was good.
Manon- This was a really weird ballet. I couldn't really figure out what was going on a lot of the time, but the guy who played the male lead was great. It was really good.
Meh...I'm sure I saw some other theatre but i can't remember it . That's all I feel like doing for now.
Friday, December 29, 2006
A Chorus Line
I went to see A Chorus Line last night. It was really quite good. There were a few things I had some problems with, but overall it was wonderful.
The thing that really bothered me is that a lot of the people really couldn't sing. Diana and Maggie could sing, but Cassie, who has the biggest solo, couldn't. It was really annoying, because the song was right over her voice break, and at the beginning, she wasn't belting, so it would just switch between her chest voice and her head voice, which was really bad in the first place, and it sounded terrible. And then when she started to belt, it was really grating and even more nasal than belts usually are.
One of the great things was that everyone could dance, and I mean really dance. Some of the best dancers were Paul, Cassie, and basically everyone.
My favorite people in it were Diana (Moralis), because she could sing, dance, act, and she was spunky and fun. We saw an understudy, but she was still amazing. She was really great. Paul was also amazing. He couldn't really sing, but he could really act and boy could he DANCE. He was an amazing dancer and it was really great just to watch him. Sheila was also hilarious and had a great stage presence.
I like how they did the set, completely bare except for a line on the floor, and sometimes with mirrors on the walls, because it felt like a real dance studio.
Overall, it was a really fun show, and I would definitely suggest seeing it if you get the chance.
The thing that really bothered me is that a lot of the people really couldn't sing. Diana and Maggie could sing, but Cassie, who has the biggest solo, couldn't. It was really annoying, because the song was right over her voice break, and at the beginning, she wasn't belting, so it would just switch between her chest voice and her head voice, which was really bad in the first place, and it sounded terrible. And then when she started to belt, it was really grating and even more nasal than belts usually are.
One of the great things was that everyone could dance, and I mean really dance. Some of the best dancers were Paul, Cassie, and basically everyone.
My favorite people in it were Diana (Moralis), because she could sing, dance, act, and she was spunky and fun. We saw an understudy, but she was still amazing. She was really great. Paul was also amazing. He couldn't really sing, but he could really act and boy could he DANCE. He was an amazing dancer and it was really great just to watch him. Sheila was also hilarious and had a great stage presence.
I like how they did the set, completely bare except for a line on the floor, and sometimes with mirrors on the walls, because it felt like a real dance studio.
Overall, it was a really fun show, and I would definitely suggest seeing it if you get the chance.
Monday, December 25, 2006
Happy Holidays
so, it's Christmas. I'm leaving in about 15 minutes for Southboro, Massachusetts, where my cousins live, and I'll be back tomorrow, so that's cool. I love Southboro.
I'm Jewish, technically, but my dad's not, so it's Christmastide and I'm listening to my christmas playlist, which consists of parts of Handel's Messiah, Now That's What I Call Christmas, Christmas Bells from Rent, some Simon & Garfunkel, and some silly JoCo Christmas songs. It's fun. I'm on the Rent right now, which is fun and a nice break from all this Jesus shit.
I got two Moleskine notebooks, a sketchbook and a ruled notebook, and a check from my grandparents, and gorgeous ruby earrings from my parents because they're my birthstone. And then I'll get more in Southboro. But I dunno, I love presents, but I'm not crazy like I was when I was little. They're fun, though.
I should probably go now, but happy holidays everyone, and see you after break!
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Sweeney
I listen to Sweeney Todd way too much. Whenever I'm mad or sad or whatever, I listen to Sweeney, which is probably not a good thing, considering the subject of Sweeney. I don't know...it just says so many true things about human nature and revenge. I love Epiphany, because I just think it says so many terrible things about humanity and society and et cetera.
I think that's part of the reason I love Sondheim. Unlike all of the shitty Webber-esque/Disney happily-ever-after musicals, Sondheim isn't afraid to tell stories with real people who do things with consequences. Every time I see Sondheim, I feel that he's just unclothed human nature and laid in bare and naked and ugly, but true, for all the world to see.
That's what really annoys me about Disney movies and (god forbid) musicals. They're so deceiving. We all have our residue from the fairytales of our childhood. We all want our own little happily ever after. But whenever I see a musical or read a book or see a movie where everything ends happy, I feel deceived and lied to. That's not how real life works, so why should we dream of it? No one is always happy, even if they have a good life and money and healthy relationships. No one lives happily ever after. No one lives ever after, after all, whether it's happy or not.
I think that's part of the reason I love Sondheim. Unlike all of the shitty Webber-esque/Disney happily-ever-after musicals, Sondheim isn't afraid to tell stories with real people who do things with consequences. Every time I see Sondheim, I feel that he's just unclothed human nature and laid in bare and naked and ugly, but true, for all the world to see.
That's what really annoys me about Disney movies and (god forbid) musicals. They're so deceiving. We all have our residue from the fairytales of our childhood. We all want our own little happily ever after. But whenever I see a musical or read a book or see a movie where everything ends happy, I feel deceived and lied to. That's not how real life works, so why should we dream of it? No one is always happy, even if they have a good life and money and healthy relationships. No one lives happily ever after. No one lives ever after, after all, whether it's happy or not.
Life
So I got a blog. Yeah, I know, I'll probably never post to it, but i felt like it. I like Blogger as a template, and I can import it into facebook which is cool.
I'm on break right now, which is awesome. Christmas is tomorrow and I go up to Massachusetts. I dunno, I'm not that happy right now, just because I'm kind of bored and emo-ish about life right now. Things aren't that great, I guess...I don't know.
But Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows...I don't know, the title is kind of bullshit, but I'm way excited.
I'm not particularly inspired right now so I'm going to go.
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