Thursday, November 25, 2010

Wicked - Canon Theatre

I had high expectations for this show, I had heard a lot about it and tried to see it in Chicago in 2008. It met many of my expectations.
The show itself was quite good but overall too many saccharine moments, sticky sweet girly parts of love and friendship I could have done without.
This being said, I have coined a phrase to describe the show. Just before the intermission, the witch sings "Flying Gravity" and flies for the first time and it was (here's the phrase) "Wet-Your-Pants Good". Amazing moment in theatre I'll never forget.
Richard H. Blake as Fiyero underwhelmed, I didn't buy him as the leading man, but Chandra Lee Schwartz as Glinda was great and Jackie Burns as the lead Elphaba was perfection.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

256?

There's an episode of the Simpsons where Bart is watching TV and he sees a commercial for the new Gamestation 256.  He says: "256?!?  And here I am stuck with this useless 252!" and he kicks the old console into the fire.

I just tried to put the new Lego Harry Potter game, which I already bought, on to my Ipod, and it turns out mine is a second generation Ipod and it won't work on it.  

What's this, the newer Ipod is very slightly faster?  And here I am stuck with this old piece of crap! (tosses in cat's dish).   
Cat: Meow?

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Equus - Hart House

I'm in the intermission now. The play is fantastic, moving, transcendent. I remember after watching it in London in 2007 wanting to see it again so I could comprehend more of it. I had forgotten that with time but I am glad I get this opportunity now.
The play unravels slowly like an onion and draws you in with each layer, each breath, each movement.
The stage was almost bare in London and I prefer this staging, a series of swings.
The play is finished now. The acting is brilliant with the two leads carrying the show, Martin Dysart as the psychiatrist and the beautiful and talented Jesse Nerenberg as Alan Strang. Both acts of the play build to a crescendo and with Jesse it's a fever pitch. During the height of these scenes you don't move, you don't look anywhere else, you barely breath he is so transfixing.
Claire Acott as Alan's mother seemed at different points to be trying different accents and would break her speech pattern by saying more sophisticated words in a more sophisticated voice, which was distracting.
One more thing about the lead Jesse, to play a scene with such open emotion and to do it while naked on stage for about 15 minutes takes remarkable skill, especially for someone so young. Bravo.

Anderson Cooper, monkeys, and the BUNNY!

Saturday, November 13, 2010

How to Succeed in Business (Without Really Trying)


At 7 pm on September 1, 2011, I will be on Broadway in NYC watching Daniel Radcliffe in "How to Succeed in Business (Without Really Trying)".
More details of the trip to follow, looking forward to it!