#liz writes a concert review

[dustedmagazine]

Listed: Al Karpenter

Al Karpenter was originally Álvaro Matilla (from Barakaldo). In 2014, Mattin started to collaborate with him and in 2022, Marta Sainz and Enrique Zaccagnini from Santander joined. They’ve spent the years post-COVID in a fever pitch of noise collaboration, working with fellow experimenters Sunik Kim, Dominic Coles and Triple Negative on their album The Forthcoming and with CIA Debutante on another self-titled disc. Jennifer Kelly reviewed both in August, writing that, “Al Karpenter swamps threads of song in seething banks of noise and dissonance. You find yourself focusing on blaring surface noise, while sense and melody percolates somewhere underneath.” Here Mattin picks ten boundary-pushing favorites.

El Inquilino Comunista — “Cruel Off” (1992)

This track was actually in their first tape, which for me, was probably the best thing to come out of Getxo Sound, a small noise rock scene that happened in my hometown around the early 1990s. I remember getting this cassette and being blown away. I got inspired to see that there were bands doing things like this in my surroundings. Then I found out about other great bands like Cancer Moon, La Secta, Lord Sickness and Pop Crash Colapso. Now some of the members of El Inquilino Comunista play in other bands like Basurita and Trampas (where my very good friends Piji and Pablo play).

Hanne Boenisch — A Journey to the North Pole: A documentary about the Scratch Orchestra and Cornelius Cardew. (1971)

This documentary portrays the last tour of the Scratch Orchestra and the heated debates that they were going through, but also it documents the amazing experiments and street concerts that they were doing. After this tour, a split happened between the more Maoist-influenced section called the ideological group around Cardew, John Tilbury and Keith Rowe and the more anarchist and performative tendency that went into forming the Slippery Merchants. The tension between the artistic and ideological parts and their split reminds me of the division that occurred with Situationist International in 1961, in Gothenburg, where all the artists were expelled from the group.

Junko — Sleeping Beauty (2002)

I heard this record at Taku Unami’s house when I was on tour in Japan for the first time in 2004. I knew Junko from Hijokaidan, but this solo recording really cut through everything that I listened to before. It could be said to be concrete poetry or noise, but for me is something else that takes an existential level. What are we as humans when communication becomes only lubrication for commodification? This is not a form of primal scream but rather an expression of the impossibility of meaningful existence under capitalism.

Parmentier — Luxsound: 5 Untitled (1998)

Rosy Parlane and Dion Workman formed Parmentier when Thela — the New Zealand noise rock they both had with Dean Roberts — disbanded after a legendarily chaotic concert in New York in 1997. Parlane and Workman left their rock instruments and started an excellent electronic label called Sigma Editions and their band Parmentier. I saw them live in 1999 at the Sprawl in London, and I was so moved by this amazingly precise electronic music but made with a New Zealand noisy attitude which gave it a very warm character. I ended up becoming very good friends with Rosy, Dion and Dean and collaborating with all of them on different occasions.

Constant Pain — Demon Lover

Another band from New Zealand with Cameron Bain, Greg Cairns and Roddy Pain.

Cameron lived in London and used to play in the bands The Mean Streaks and Heliogabalus with Matthew Hyland (of Triple Negative). Roddy also had a short-lived band called Evil with Liz Matthews and David Mitchel, which was simply incredible. Both Cameron and Roddy took the rock spirit seriously, unfortunately to its ultimate consequences. Noise rock made with love and integrity.

Roberta Settels — “Landscape With 3 Tape-recorders And…” (1985)

I got this record, Isolation! Meinhof In Memoriam, when I was living in Stockholm, and I thought it was the coolest record ever. Settles self-published it on her label Music in Crisis after Caprice Records — an institutional label part of Musikverket (Swedish Performing Arts Agency) — refused at the last minute to publish it because they were scared of the political message of the record. Some of it reminds me of what the composer Bernhard Günter was doing in the 1990s but without any of the esoteric connotations. For me, this is a great example of how avant-garde music can meet radical politics.

Batile Alake — The Waka Queen

When Xabier Erkizia and I got to Lagos in 2014 to record Billy Bao’s Lagos Sessions, the first thing that we did was to go to Jazzhole record shop. The owner Kunle Tejuoso started to play us all these amazing records of Sakara, Apala and Waka Music at full volume, and Alake really struck a chord in us. For some reason, later on, Kunle would not tell the name of Alake as if she were some sort of sacred secret. Somehow, we managed to find out who she was, and since then, we have been in love with her.

Petrona Martinez — Le bullerengue (1998)

After that experience in Lagos, I have been searching for similar sounds that focus on percussion and voice in other places by tracing Afro-Caribbean music. The first thing that I got into it was Cuban rumba, especially Muñequitos de Matanzas. A couple of years ago, I was hearing a DJ session of Amuleto Manuela, an incredible Colombian DJ based in Berlin, and she played Petrona Martinez which is bullerengue from Colombia, and this got me into similar forms of music like Puerto Rican Bomba of el tambor from Venezuela.

Gérard Lockel — Gwo Ka Modènn (A.D.G.K.M - 1988)

Another interesting musical genre from the Caribbean is Gwo Ka from Guadalupe.

I discovered Gérard Lockel when I was researching Bèlènou, a fascinating group from Martinique mixing traditional Bèlè with avant-garde approaches. Bèlènou was founded by Edmond Mondésir and Léon Bertide, and I read that they were influenced by Gérard Lockel, so I went to the source, and it was life-altering. I quickly found out that I was not the only one deeply touched by his music, his records cost between 300 and 600 euros on Discogs.

Elvin Brandhi — Shelf Life (2019)

My friend Miguel Prado mentioned Elvin Brandhi, and she is doing some of the best stuff that I heard lately. She is collaborating with incredible artists and travelling all the time. A noise nomad and a fantastic improviser. The first time that I saw her was with Yeah You — the group that she has with her father — at an empty shopping mall in Glasgow as part of the extraordinary Counterflows festival, and it was magnificent. As far as I know, this is her only solo record.

[ramrodd]

Is Shakespeare's Othello about the fatal flaw of jealousy, or is it a more complex cultural critique?

COMMENTARY:

In 1968, Jogindra Kohli’s essay on Othello, above, is typical of  the woke analysis of post-modern historic de=construction of narrative as a polemic. The race consciousness is totally anachronistic of the spirit and experience of the play when it was first produced  After this picture was taken at Columbia University of Mark Shapiro sitting in the President’s Chair after a local political coup, this political perspective became Political Correct on all the  American college campuses of the liberal arts institutions like Indiana University.

At Indiana University, when this picture was taken, R. Emmett Eyrrell jr was creating buzz in the English Department with the publication of The American Spectator, which had promised, before the fact, to be the Conservative response to the Harvard Lampoon from basically a fellow traveler with the editorial board of the New Republic. The Young Americans for Freedom Lampoon.

It turned out to be little more than a collection of right-wing political fart jokes that could have been submitted as a peer-reviewed paper at C-PA.

This is not intended to be a ad hominem of Jogindra Kohli, but a continuation of my campaign to validate the wisdom of the Biden’s voters woke decision. The election in 2024 will come down to the woke vote based on LiZ Cheney’s version of January 6 and the anti-woke vote of Tucker Carlson’s version of January 6.  Jogindra Kohli is a child of the 60s, locked in amber. He is from India and on a spiritual journey that began in 1996. In 1968, Sergeant Peper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was at the top of Billboard and George Harrison had begun an new spiritual journey at the feet of an Indian guru and writing songs like this:

George Harrison While My Guitar Gently Weeps The Concert for Bangladesh

America was blowing up at the time. The SDS was employing Trotsky’s Insurgency Process as an anti-war/civil rights political strategy and the process is designed to introduce alienation and polarization through systematic and persistent sedition leading to regime change through domestic extremism and violent revolution. This led to the police riots at the Democratic Political Convention, in Chicago. If Kent State had happened that summer, what happened at the US Capitol on January  6 would have happened all over America, just like at Columbia University..

The race consciousness of the analysis is typical of the era and, as far as I am concerned, perfectly valid as a method of analysis in my tool box of literature appreciation. In terms of Critical Race Theory, Othello demonstrates that the roots of the Christian rationalization for America’s theory of labor based on chattel slavery were an element of the human condition long before Black Lives Matter.

At the time Mark Shapiro was sitting in the President’s Chair, I was attending ROTC classes in a Class A uniform. I couldn’t major in ROTC, so i took classes in English and German Romantic Literature, Epistemology, Ruby and Rifle Marksmanship.

For me, the dramatic tension pivots around the nature of Honor in the collision between the relationship between Duty and Honor of Othello and the Corleone Family Values definition of Honor of the civilian ethos, in particular, Desdemona’s father, Brabanzio .

Iago is without Honor and knows it, but he has a reputation for Devotion to Duty as one of Othello’s staff, which defines the absolute nature of Duty as the basis of Honor, going back to Socrates, Jesus and Cornelius. .

In the final analysis, Desdemona is betrayed by Honor, but is the paragon of Honor, herself. An argument could be made that she is a tribute to the virtues of Elizabeth I rising above the moral sludge of her court.

Venice was considered a moral cess pool by the Elizabethans for their subtle politics and Popish sympathies. The same thing happens to Othello in the Venetian society that happened to John McCain and the Keating Five. while General Michael Flynn can be compared accurately to the fusion of Iago and Benedict Arnold. West Point was never an option, academically for me and I never thought much about it, but, in retrospect, I thought the Honor Code was bullshit: it was too vulnerable to becoming weaponized by some asshole like Mike Pompeo at the head of the Honor Board.

Iago didn’t have a plan. He was an opportunity and committed to his own rational self-interests. Iago is the personification of the Virtue of Selfishness.

[harryseyebrows]

give me your experience in full detail about harry’s show... i need to mentally prepare myself for msg

1. there is nothing that can prepare you for the moment he first comes on stage. its indescribable. we spend so much time on here reblogging pictures and videos and interacting with content about or surrounding harry, that you can sometimes lose touch with the actual human person who its all for and about. but when you see him, its just.... amazing. theres not a strong enough word for it. and to be in a room where everyone is feeling that way? the palpable excitement and joy?? you can feel it in your blood

2. i know this point has been exhausted by anyone and everyone, but he is truly meant to be a performer. we knew this from when he was in 1d but nothing will ever touch him being on his own. you can tell that having the band up there makes him feel more comfortable, and given how much he interacts with them and makes them a part of the show, you know that him doing his ~solo stuff~ is not about trying to hog the spotlight. he’s a self-proclaimed narcissist, but dont be fooled; harry styles is a ham but he’s not selfish or arrogant. he still needs his support group, he still needs to be able to shard a bond with the people he performs with so that he can be confident and comfortable, and try to afford them the same. he works the stage like its the only thing he’ll ever do, giving it 110% with the most genuine adoration for his audience that ive seen from anyone, ever. he doesnt just wave blindly or make grand sweeping gestures. he looks at people, really looks at people, and tries to make a connection with individual people in a room full of thousands. im pretty sure if he had the time to do that with every single person, he would. he’s chatty and loves to joke, talking to people like theyre old friends, and just for a moment, he turns the dynamic between fan and celebrity on its head. he’s hardly ever still, moving and bopping along like he’s in his own little world, but that world also happens to house the audience and everyone else in the room. youre standing there, 1 of thousands of people, and you can feel like youre one-on-one with him. he’s just incredibly personable and good-natured. and then when he’s not being a professional nice young man, he’s exploding with energy and utilizing the entire stage and all of his limbs. ‘born for it’

3. he’s so funny. he’s goofy and charming and not afraid to be weird or awkward, and its just really admirable, to see him up there, clearly having a great time, laughing and smiling. i loved seeing the more ~private~ moments between him and the band, if anything can be considered private when performing. but he’s constantly grinning at them and making faces, sharing silent jokes or saying things in passing that we cant hear. and of course, you never quite know whats gonna come out of his mouth next when he spots someone or something that earns his attention from the audience. he pokes fun at people but he also pokes fun at himself. it’s just nice. comfortable, even, when he talks to people from the crowd. if youre in the back and out of range for what he can see, and he can make you feel like the only two people there, i cant even begin to imagine what it must be like when he has his laser beam focus on you, directly. 

4. his voice is incredible. all of the little runs and ad-libs that he does are great. i remember reading a quote from a while ago, when he was still in 1d, and someone had said that harry has a great ear and that harmonies and other such things come really easy to him. and i always think about that when i hear him sing live, whether in concert or in a video. the tone quality of his voice is so beautiful, even when its being amplified to crazy decibels. you can tell he puts his whole heart and soul into every song he sings, whether its a slow one like mmith or the absolute banger that is kiwi. and its so fun to hear his renditions of old 1d songs -- the arrangements are so good and its so nice to hear those songs with just his voice. sott is still just That Song™ and hearing it live is something that stays with you forever. 

5. THE OUTFIT. when the screen went up, i was so excited to simply see him that i wasnt even thinking about ‘oh what is he wearing’ until about 5 minutes in when i realized that i was no other than harris reed. harry has always marched to the beat of his own drum, and we’ve poked fun at his fashion sense for years, from the toe-revealing brown boots, to the double plaid button downs. and it wasnt really until the white gucci floral suit that, in my opinion, he started to really come out of his fashion shell in a big, loud, in your face way. its been so interesting to watch him experiment over the years with different trends, different styles, different vibes, etc. but now he’s still just as adventurous, if not MORE, but in a really refined and arguably more cohesive way. because while all of his outfits are different and wild, the unpredictability and diversity make up a category all on their own; they common thread among them is that they’re all so unique. and while we might not like every single look or every single suit, no one can deny that he’s going out there and putting his own stamp on the men’s fashion world. look at the number of little boys who adore him and put on printed suits to be like him. what he’s doing matters. and he looks so comfortable and so in his element when he’s on stage, wearing whatever flowy or glitter ensemble thats on the docket for that evening, prancing around and looking like he doesnt have in care in the world that his trousers are flared and he has a giant silky bow around his neck. i love that he appreciates new and adventurous designs, and it really pays tribute to his character that he supports different designers, like harris reed, whos still in school and is getting the recognition he deserves, 100% on his own merit but also because harry helped boost his platform. harry is doing his own thing, doing the whole glitz and glamour performance thing, but none of it feels cheap or over the top. its just right and really reflects his personality and style. go on with ur bad self, harry.

6. the butt. what can i say? its now an element of the show. she’s plump and proud. he worked hard to get her where she is and she deserves to be showed off. like two beautiful melons draped in fabric, whether it be a solid color, black, a print, or glitter. she does it all. and she does it well. AND shes au natural. no fat transfers here. just smooth, firm but also pleasantly supple, muscle and butt meat. surely youve heard of all you can eat buffets, but his butt takes it to a whole new level. that is a multi-course meal and then some. the glass of water you have when you wake up in the morning, parched and in need of something to help your dry mouth; breakfast, something healthy but still delicious... some thick maple and brown sugar oatmeal; lunch, a perfectly toasted grilled cheese with tomato soup; dinner, some top sirloin steak because you need some MEAT, accompanied by potatoes and another less starchy vegetable, perhaps a green bean?; dessert, cake of course. and all the snack in between. delicious. 

[glassprism]

Love Never Dies US Tour Review - 4/29/2018

As stated in my previous post, I’m going to attempt to write a more in-depth review while the show is fresh in my mind and while I am still able to decipher my notes (which were done in the dark and are pretty illegible). I’m not going to review every song, and where I do review it, I might just stick to differences from the Australian DVD or any other things I noticed. Because really, we all know how this show goes.

My cast for this show was:

Phantom - Bronson Norris Murphy (alt.)

Christine - Rachel Anne Moore (alt.)

Raoul - Sean Thompson

Meg - Alyssa McAnany (u/s)

Madame Giry - Karen Mason

Gustave - Jake Heston Miller

‘Til I Hear You Sing’: Unfortunately, the first song of the show was somewhat spoiled by the curtain, which featured this sun-like cut-out whose spikes ended up obscuring most of Christine’s portrait (so I never saw if it moved) and part of the Phantom.

Bronson Norris Murphy (BNM from here on out) had a fine voice. He immediately came off as a very tormented figure, hunched over on his chair and throwing himself around (”an emotional ball of angst” is how I thought of him and it pretty much stuck throughout the show). He was very theatrical in his gestures at times, which sometimes worked for me and sometimes didn’t. I also noticed, and enjoyed, how the show used a spotlight to show what is presumably daylight coming through, and how BNM sang to it as well as the portrait. Insert some meta here on symbolism about light and music and acceptance.

‘Coney Island Waltz’/‘Only For You’/’Ten Long Years’ - There’s not a lot for me to say here, except that the disappearance of that curtain with the sun cut-out vastly increased my enjoyment of the show, and I also noticed a quick appearance of a Monkey Girl, because why not throw in some visual shout-outs to the original as well?

As noted in my thoughts, Alyssa McAnany’s Meg was somewhere in a middle ground between Sharon Millerchip’s chirpier but more broken interpretation and Mary Michael Patterson and Summer Strallen’s angry, embittered version. Also, I have never shipped Christine/Meg harder than in LND, because I have friends I haven’t seen in two years, let alone ten, and I don’t talk about them the way Meg does. Karen Mason, as noted, was a bit of a weak point. Her Madame Giry was harsher with Meg than Maria Mercedes in the Australian DVD, and lacked the mystery (what remains of it in LND) of Liz Robertson’s Giry in London.

‘Christine Disembarks’ - My main notes in here are “I hope they cut out the yodeling reporter” (they didn’t, but he was less obnoxious) and wondering why everyone else was affected by the rain except for Christine and Gustave, who showed no reaction at all, as if the Phantom was having a Thor effect where he creates a rainless circle around the people he likes. I did note that Jake Heston Miller’s Gustave had a very lovely voice.

‘What a Dreadful Town’/’Look With Your Heart’ - As stated in my quick thoughts, Sean Thompson’s Raoul was a bit all over the place in how sympathetic he was. On the one hand, he seemed more aggressive in this scene than Simon Gleeson or Austria’s Julian Looman (my favorite LND Raoul, because he was just so sweet). However, the show added in a touching moment here between Raoul and Gustave, where they both play with the music box, perhaps the one father-son bit between the two. He also has a loving embrace with Rachel Anne Moore’s (RAM from here on about) Christine, holding her close to him for several seconds. So it evens out, I suppose.

Nothing much to say about ‘Look With Your Heart’. I did think Anna O’Byrne played the mother-son moments a bit better, as she acted bit more mature in those scenes, but RAM did fine here as well. I might mention here that I adored RAM’s voice - fuller and richer than O’Byrne’s and clearer than Sierra Boggess’s. She doesn’t quite beat out Louise Fribo (my favorite Christine vocally, because she was luminous), but she came very close.

‘Beneath a Moonless Sky’/’Once Upon Another Time’/’Ten Long Years of Yearning’ - Probably one of the biggest differences I noted between the Lewis/O’Byrne pairing and the Murphy/Moore pairing was the emotion the latter poured into it. I think I wrote down something like, “BAMS is still stupid but at least they’re passionate about it.”

BNM did a lot with his physicality, hunching over, gesturing wildly with his hands or clutching desperately onto Christine. He could also be quite volatile emotionally, often shouting or weeping during his scenes. I did wonder if his constant crouching walk was an attempt to make his Phantom look older, but if so, it wasn’t quite successful - he raved and ran around too much to really look like an older man. RAM was quicker to panic, such as when the Phantom lifted Gustave, her voice breaking in barely restrained crying during other scenes, and at one point slamming her hands on the piano and screaming, “Who are you?!” at the Phantom. I think the pair were basically feeding off each other’s energy, which was interesting to watch, if sometimes overwhelming in just how much they SHOUTED at each other.

I also noted what looked like two almost-kisses, one in BAMS and one in OUAT. There also seemed to be a lyric change: after the Phantom says, “I had to, we both knew why!”, Christine says “I don’t know why” instead of repeating “We both knew why”. It was probably done to give the show a little more sense - Christine really didn’t know why the Phantom up and ditched her, though she probably guessed at the reason in the last ten years. Towards the end of the song, the Phantom described Gustave as, “Full of life.. full of you... my Christine”, to which I just wrote, “okay WTF Phantom.”

‘Dear Old Friend’ - I actually have very little to write here. Raoul’s concern for Gustave when the latter took off at the beginning of the song added some more sympathy points to him. Christine and Meg were bit too little-girlish during the song, holding hands and swinging them rather wildly. The crowd of loudly squealing fans around Christine, while Meg is ignored, was amusing. It was also here that I noticed how energetic my audience was, as they laughed at Madame Giry and Raoul’s lines: “It’s him.” “Him? (laughter) You work for him?” “Now so do you.” (more laughter)

Sean Thompson slightly flubbed a line, accidentally addressing Christine as “Madame Giry” (he’s only supposed to say “Madame”) when he tells her he’ll see her at the concert.

‘Beautiful’/’Beauty Underneath’/’Phantom Confronts Christine’ - I’ve always found Gustave singing Christine’s vocalization to be a tad creepy, and seeing it live has only reinforced this opinion. Watching the Phantom do the exact same hand movements he used for Christine in the original show on his son, and seeing Gustave breathe and arch his body in the same way as Christine, was... weird. BNM’s acting didn’t alleviate the creepiness in this scene at all, if anything increasing it by clinging onto Gustave’s shoulders and stroking his face. I think he was trying to convey how desperate the Phantom was for companionship and understanding, but didn’t quite make it work, at least for me. There was also a funny moment to me where it looked he shoved Gustave at a mirror so hard Gustave kind of face-planted into it.

The audience laughed when Gustave shoved the Phantom away in horror, which I thought was rather cruel.

BNM did an interesting thing during his confrontation with Christine, initially flinching away from her comforting hand, then accepting it and gripping it tightly. (”BNM is a walking ball of angst,” I wrote.) RAM was more emotional during this scene, sounding conflicted and pitying, but tore herself away from the Phantom forcefully at the end.

And we had Karen Mason’s Madame Giry finish off the song, and Act 1, with demonic-sounding scream, which basically described my feelings on the show so far.

Intermission - I spent my time writing down audience comments. Highlights: “This is terrible... I don’t like this at all” and “I think I need a refresher course... I don’t remember some of this in the first one...”

‘Why Does She Love Me’/’Devil Take the Hindmost’ - Not too much to say about the first song - I noted that Sean Thompson’s Raoul had a good voice, but also that I was too busy watching for the change from the bartender to the Phantom. His appearance got a good laugh from the audience.

I started thinking of DTTH as “the song of the fallen chairs”, because wow, barstools were everywhere on the ground. BNM started it off by twirling a stool out of his way and onto the floor, and Sean Thompson amped it up by tripping over three chairs at once as he stumbled around. I wrote down in my notes that he was really good at looking like a shambling drunk, but thinking over it now, I’m starting to wonder if he didn’t actually trip and fall and just covered it up well. He also played up Raoul’s distraught state at the Phantom’s revelations - less angry and more horrified, like everything he knew had fallen apart. It was a good take and I enjoyed it.

‘Bathing Beauty’ - The big change I noticed here from the Aussie DVD was that the Madame Giry + Meg confrontation did not have a set; instead the pair just spoke in front of the curtains off to the right. It was pretty minimalistic. Meg also appeared carrying her umbrella, and hurled it offstage when she shrieked “NO!” This presumably is how she shatters her (unseen) mirror, which the freaks note in the finale.

‘Before the Performance’/’Devil Take the Hindmost Reprise’ - I noted that, like in previous songs, RAM’s motherly take was a bit more girlish and light-hearted; while Anna O’Byrne was very much a grown woman and an idolized figure to Gustave, RAM was more of a playmate and companion, though still caring. Sean Thompson was, again, kind of aggressive, slamming his hand on Christine’s table at “this hell-spawned demon”. As in other scenes, RAM felt more fragile, a little more breakable, quickly descending into indecision and near-panic at the change in plans.

The Phantom’s appearance in Christine’s dressing room as also a scene that I felt looked far better on the Aussie DVD. The use of camera angles to obscure his appearance and catch Christine’s reaction, the slow pan to reveal the ominously wafting curtain and the Phantom appearing behind it, was very well done. Onstage, the Phantom just sort of... stepped through the window when Christine’s back was turned.

One really interesting thing was just how hypnotized RAM looked. Her gaze was blank and aimed straight ahead and her movements almost mechanical - after the Phantom dropped her earrings in her hand, her arm stayed upright for quite a while. It’s an interesting take and a clear callback to the entrancing qualities of the Phantom’s voice in the original, but it does no favors for giving Christine any agency, so... eeehhh. BNM got a round of applause at his last lines in this scene though, because they were pretty epic.

One last thing was that in the DTTH Reprise, Meg appeared on a railing far above the stage to sing the last line, rather than leading Gustave away as seen in the Aussie DVD.

‘Love Never Dies’ - This song is really not my favorite. Not bad, but not very interesting either. Only thing I thought was a change was that Raoul left when Christine was turned towards audience, so she ended up looking for him and just finding him... gone. This was different from the Aussie DVD, where Christine actually saw him leave, and I missed seeing Christine’s distressed reaction to that; here Christine just looked confused. Still, RAM gave it her all and she was quite the glimmering figure onstage. She got the longest ovation of the show for this song, and it was well-deserved.

Finale - BNM had some nice moments during ‘Ah Christine’, his hand lingering after Christine’s when she moved to read Raoul’s letter, and showing a great deal of concern, in voice and body language, when Christine began to panic. Doesn’t make up for, you know, the stalking and manipulation and possessiveness, but he made an attempt at trying to make the Phantom seem like an actually viable romantic option, I’ll give him that.

The reprise of ‘Beauty Underneath’ was pretty awesome, and I really hope Jake Heston Miller had fun on top of that spinning walkway (which looked like it was moving really fast, I was impressed). McAnany’s Meg was, as before, more accusatory towards the Phantom, rather than Millerchip’s completely broken, crazed Meg. The gunshots brought quite a few gasps from the audience. RAM did a pretty good job at sounding like she was dying, gasping and singing in short breaths (though still very prettily, of course). I also enjoyed BNM’s reaction to her death, which was less of a big “NO” and more of a series of “Oh no, no God-” before transitioning into the “NO”.

I’m actually not a fan of how the ‘Love Never Dies Reprise’ at the end (Gustave accepting the Phantom while a refrain of ‘Beautiful’ plays is kind of heavy-handed, but I preferred its quieter ending), but as before, BNM played it off nicely, clinging onto Gustave’s coat when he sang. His reaction to Gustave removing his mask was quite good, his hunched over position giving me the sense of resignation and defeat, which turned to slow awe when Gustave touched the deformity.

Ending thoughts - Show got some pretty good applause (someone literally yelled “BEAUTIFUL!” right as the lights went down), and a standing ovation for RAM. Sean Thompson’s Raoul got some boos - why does Raoul hate still exist, le sigh, especially when Madame Giry came off as more villainous? The cast started singing ‘Love Never Dies’ together as RAM and BNM appeared, and there was a BCEFA speech from Karen Mason which got some good laughs. And then I was out of there. I bought a program and had hoped to do some stagedooring, but the cast was taking donations and selfies for BCEFA, so I decided to just head home (though I did snag a shot of BNM and RAM, just without me in the photo). Overall, a quick summary:

Bronson Norris Murphy - Pretty good for an LND Phantom. Sometimes overdid the theatricality of his movements, and was a bit too creepy in some scenes, but played up the Phantom’s instability and desperation while doing his best to add in some more sympathetic moments.

Rachel Anne Moore - Incredibly good voice, Christine felt a little younger and more fragile than some of the others I’ve seen, with some intense passion and love for singing. She and Bronson Norris Murphy had good chemistry together, and played off each other’s emotions very well.

Sean Thompson - Decent Raoul, had a couple of nicer moments, particularly with Gustave and in DTTH.

Alyssa McAnany - Good, strikes a midway point between broken and angry but which is not quite memorable.

Karen Mason - Sharp-ish voice and very harsh towards everyone around her, but I guess she’s playing up the villainous aspect and in that, she succeeds.

Overall, the story is still predictable (my mom guess the entire plotline in the car back home and she’s watched the original maybe once) and the characterizations and continuation of the themes and development of the original are shoddy, but the cast is strong, the music is gorgeous, and the sets and costume design are a lavish riot of color and spectacle, so if you can shut your brain off for 2.5 hours and are willing to spend a couple hundred dollars, you might enjoy it, as I found myself doing so.

[prairiechzhead]

PrairieChzHead Rewatches Poldark S3 Legally-US Ep 7/UK Ep 8

You know the drill...

But in case you don’t, I’m revisiting the answers I submitted to @poldarkpodcast last summer when S3 aired in the UK to see if I still feel the same as I did. 

Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t. 

This week’s episode came with a content warning about sensitive content. Weird, though. There was no warning about Rev. Toe Sucker TWO EPISODES AGO!!! 

Anyway, on with the show...

What did you think of this week’s episode?

This episode totally made up for last week. Between the people in the fandom claiming that Ross still loves Elizabeth (because of a deceptively edited teaser trailer) and those claiming Demelza wants to get even for what happened in S2, I was ready to start downing anti-anxiety medication like Pez. After this episode, I feel vindicated!!!!!

The line in question was not in the US version of the trailer for this episode. As I’m writing this, it’s before the episode airs on PBS. I’m tired and my ears are still ringing from the Foo Fighters concert I went to on Saturday. I’m not in the mood to pay attention to the edits that PBS does, so if there is no scene where Ross seems to be telling Demelza that he loves Elizabeth, that was all in his imagination. He was imagining being able to tell Demelza that he’s so over Liz, but given how Demelza nearly ripped his head off and ripped him a new butt hole last week after his aunt died, Ross doesn’t want to take the chance of Demelza ripping him another brand new orifice, so he wisely keeps his epiphany and his feelings to himself. 

Like this version of Demelza would ever listen to him anyway. 

But...since this scene will be on the DVD released in the US, this needs to be said: 

Ross is not in love with Elizabeth. 

Let me repeat this for the people in the back. 

Ross is not in love with Elizabeth.

Favorite Scene:

The scene in the church with Ross & Elizabeth because it was true to the novel and it was needed. It was needed not just because it’s an important part of the story, but because it seemed to kill this argument that Ross still loves Elizabeth and that this is justification for what Demelza will do. I also liked the “dream” sequence, which was meant to show the audience what Ross was thinking is a close second, because the first step in becoming a better communicator is to be able to admit to the truth to yourself. Baby steps, folks. Baby steps.

In case you didn’t hear me the first three times:

Ross is not in love with Elizabeth. 

Don’t make me hit that caps lock key. 

Least Favorite Scene:

Ossie raping Morwenna after he was told by Dwight that he had to abstain from sex. That was horrible in itself, but the cutaway to the moon and the waves crashing was cheesy.

We don’t actually see him rape Morwenna. It cuts away from the action to the aforementioned waves crashing. 

Favorite New Character:

Emma. I love her sass, but I also love how she seems to be astonished that a man (Sam) wants her for herself. Yes, he also wants to convert her. But the way this is playing out, Sam’s desire to bring her to Christ seems almost irrelevant.

Emma is still my new favorite character. I still love her sass. 

Least Favorite New Character:

Ossie “Insatiable Sex Hippo” Whitworth. (I read a review of E7 that referred to him as that. I will never get that nickname for him out of my head.). Rapes his own wife and pervs on his sister-in-law.

Pervs on his sister-in-law’s feet, to be precise.  

What Made Me Cheer:

Call me petty, but I thoroughly enjoyed Caroline’s side-eye and Ross’s slow clap. I wasn’t gratified so much because this was towards Hugh and Demelza, but after listening to the people on the “Let’s Blame Ross for Demelza’s Decisions because He Neglects Her” train, go on and on about this all week, both actions felt like like vindication.

Yes, I’m projecting. Yes, I’m being petty. Forgive me, but it was a long week.

I’m a sucker for a good side eye. 

And a good, sarcastic slow clap. 

That said, this scene is one instance where I wish there was more time given to this particular storyline or even just doing one novel for S3. In the novels, Demelza was actually very torn about her feelings for Hugh. Many, many times, she rebuffed him and told him no. Then he would suggest something that wasn’t so forward, and she’d agree to it. One example was him sending her poetry hidden in letters whose content she could share with Ross. In the show, this lengthy process of refusal and giving a little was distilled down to a song. It wasn’t a bad song. I just wish they’d had more time for plot development. 

It’s difficult for me to listen to this song. Because they’re distilling months and months of action in the novel down to a song which Demelza sings in public, they’re taking something that was private and stayed private and making it public. Now all of Cornwall knows that Hugh Armitage is trying to seduce a married woman and the married woman in question isn’t exactly, clearly, and without doubt telling him no. She’s also doing this in front of her husband, in public, which has to be humiliating for Ross. 

I don’t care what he did in the past. I don’t care how much he supposedly neglects her (which I don’t believe he does). I don’t care how difficult it is for him to discuss his feelings. 

Nobody deserves to be publicly humiliated like that, having their “dirty laundry” aired in public. Perhaps it never occurred to anyone that this scene, while conveying that Demelza was telling Hugh “no”, was perhaps unintentionally a passive-aggressive, unconscious dig at Ross on her part, too. 

What Made Me Want To Throw Things:

Prudie encouraging Demelza to go after Hugh. Really, Prudie? Weren’t you the same person who tried to discourage Demelza from having that revenge fling with Capt. Mustache, I mean Mac Neill?

1. Prudie may be representing what’s in Demelza’s head, but on the surface, it still makes the character look hypocritical. 

2. When Demelza says to Ross “Be patient with me as I’ve been patient with you.” 

Excuse me, but when in the last few episodes have you ever been patient with Ross?  You haven’t been patient with Ross. You weren’t patient with him on TV after he cheated. He asked you to be patient with him after his indiscretion, and you rolled your eyes at him. Now you’re making snide, passive-aggressive remarks and giving him the side-eye because you’re looking for reasons to be angry with him and expecting him to read your mind, which he can’t do. 

Ugh, I just can’t even anymore with you, Show!Demelza. 

Performance of the Week

Aidan Turner. I’m supposed to explain why I think so, but his performance in this episode speaks for itself.

Heida Reed for the church scene and the genuine hurt she displayed at George’s snubbing of her. It also seemed to be that something clicked or sparked or lit a fire under Elizabeth this week, too. Perhaps it’s because George isn’t around that Elizabeth has found her backbone, especially when she learned that Ossie doesn’t give two f*cks about his own wife and getting her help. Heida did a wonderful job running the gamut on Elizabeth’s feelings.

I was annoyed with the fandom when I picked Aidan, but I’m going to stay with this pick anyway. And I’m still going to stick with Heida as performance of the week, too. 

Observations.

Strong, Feisty, Modern Demelza does not work with the Hugh storyline in The Four Swans. It doesn’t work because what is missing is the angst she experiences in the novels because she is so conflicted about her feelings towards Hugh. While I am glad that the “I wish I could be two women” speech was included in the show, it actually rings hollow with TV Demelza. It doesn’t feel like she’s conflicted. It feels more like she’s either asking Ross for permission to use the “free pass” or she’s telling him that she is going to cash in her “free pass”, so to speak. The angst and inner conflict that is missing is necessary for us to be able to both be angry or upset with her for her decision and sympathize with her turmoil. That’s part of why this story is so difficult to take in the novels. When Demelza let that drawing from Hugh fly off into the wind, I really didn’t care, because I know that Feisty, Modern Demelza is going to play the “I’m neglected” card (even though she isn’t neglected) and do what she wants anyway and as a result, deliberately hurting this man she says she loves (Ross).  It’s also because of this that I find I can’t really hate Hugh now, even though his characterization is basically true to the books. It’s easier to hate him when he was inserting himself into Demelza’s life and subtly manipulating her and being the cause of her conflict. It’s more difficult to hate him when he doesn’t have to try very hard because Modern Demelza is going to do what she wants anyway.

The other aspect of Modern, Feisty Demelza that does not work goes back to S2. She was angry, and her anger and hurt were justified. But she also said things, things like reminding Ross that they both took a vow to “forsake all others”. Modern, Feisty Demelza, who is probably going to do what she wants, because she’s Modern and Feisty, is about to become a Flaming Hypocrite. And that is really not sitting well with me at all.

I stand by this original observation. 

You cannot give an 18th century character 21st century values and norms, but keep the setting and everyone else around this character in the 18th century. 

It. Does. Not. Work. 

Women were assertive in the 18th century. Women were strong in the 18th century. There were even women who refused to put up with other people’s crap in the 18th century. The difference between those women and the woman of today is how she went about this. 

This is Book!Demelza. I’ve been re-reading/binge listening to Black Moon and Four Swans. Book!Demelza can calmly make her point and get Ross to actually stop and think without resorting to bitchiness. That’s called maturity. A woman in her twenties was far more mature in the 18th century than a woman in her 20s in 2017. Life was a lot rougher back then. A person went from childhood to adulthood. There were no “teen years”. And if you were poor, you grew up pretty fast, too. It’s not realistic for a woman with Demelza’s background to regress into an immature teenager. It’s just not. 

I’m so tired of this trope that says that a woman is only strong if she acts like a bitch. It’s a load of crap. Book!Demelza’s strength is quiet, but it is there. 

The other part of this I still stand by is that by changing up Demelza’s characterization in S3, she risks being hypocritical, especially when you go back to watch the end of S2 and take note of the things she said when she was the one who was cheated on. 

Other Observations:

Did they really have to give Armitage a white horse? 

Prudie should think twice about shit-talking her employer and encouraging Demelza to shag with Hugh. 

The baby playing Valentine is too adorable for words. 

An observation I missed last week, but someone on Facebook brought it up: If Tholly is the new grave digger in Sawle, how does he hold the shovel and dig with one hand? 

Yes, I know that Tholly, besides being Tholly and doing what Tholly did in the novels, is also a stand-in for other characters, like Jud, who was written out of the show because Phil Davis left. But did anyone ever think about the fact that Tholly has a hook hand before having him take on Jud’s book job of grave digger? 

Think about it? Tholly steered the boat when the gang went to Roscoff to rescue Dwight because he couldn’t row a boat with one hand. So why is he a grave digger? How does he work a shovel? Magic? Is Tholly secretly a Jedi and uses Jedi Mind Tricks to dig graves? 

Pledge drive is coming up in two weeks. Know how I know? Because I’m seeing ads for the quarterly airing of the latest Celtic Woman special. You know it’s pledge drive time when your local PBS station airs various musical programs featuring bands my mother liked in the 60s, Daniel O’Donnell, Celtic Woman, or someone specializing in woo. 

Next week is the season finale. The season finale frustrated me a bit back in August. Rewatching the show while indulging in the audio book versions of the Poldark novels actually helps me not be frustrated with the show. You should try it some time. 

[washpostpr]

Job posting: Classical Music Critic

The Washington Post is seeking an elegant and perceptive writer who will describe, decode and delight in the world of classical music.

We are looking for an experienced critic who can report, write and review with style and impact. But we want someone who can do more than write a great concert review. Digital music distribution has changed how classical music is sold, heard and enjoyed, so that changes what we expect from a critic. They should be prepared to jump into controversies of the moment with distinctive insights, and write for a general audience about the performances, musicians and music that matter.

The critic will cover the National Symphony Orchestra and the Washington National Opera but also reach outside the Washington, D.C., region to write about classical music across the nation and the world. We expect the critic to be eager to build a digital audience through social media.

This opening is based in our Washington, D.C., newsroom and is not eligible for remote work. As with all arts criticism, this position involves working some nights and weekends.

If interested, please send a resume, a letter outlining your vision for the role and three clips (as pdfs) to Liz Seymour (liz.seymour@washpost.com), David Malitz (david.malitz@washpost.com), Mitch Rubin (mitch.rubin@washpost.com), or Tracy Grant (tracy.grant@washpost.com) by Oct. 11.

[artistjojo1228]

Rambling Reviews: Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall (2011)

*I’ve seen this so many times, I lost count in the first two weeks of October, 2014*

I don’t believe there was ever any doubt that when the 1986 musical, Phantom of the Opera, turned 25, there would be a huge celebration. Fittingly, like its counterpart, Les Miserables, the subsequent performance was recorded and later sold on DVD. Now, I’m warning you now, this was the very first version of Phantom of the Opera I ever saw, so, naturally, I might be blinded by my nostalgia for this.

The story is centered on the Opera Populaire (which, funnily enough, translates to “Popular Opera”), an opera house in Paris that is mainly based off the real-life Palais Garnier. It’s here that the Phantom (who went by “Erik” in the original novel), a mad genius who was born deformed, falls in love with a beautiful young soprano, Christine Daae. He teaches her to sing, and she (for a while), only knows and regards him as the “Angel of Music” that her dead father promised to send her on his deathbed. Then, things get extraordinarily complicated when Christine’s childhood friend, Vicomte Raoul de Chagny, comes back into Christine’s life and tries to win over her heart (let’s just say that this doesn’t go over too well with M. le Fantome).

Let’s get this out of the way early, the singing is incredible, and I feel it should be, considering they got quite a few top-notch West End perfomers involved. Ramin Karimloo (for the curious, it’s pronounced “Ra-MEEN”) played the Phantom, and by God, he was incredible on all fronts (singing, acting, mannerisms, etc.). Even to this day, his portrayal of Erik is pretty much a defining portrayal for me (again, blame the whole nostalgia factor). Sierra Boggess was also amazing as Christine for the exact same reasons (particularly with the singing). This was actually Hadley Fraser’s first turn-out in Phantom of the Opera, and I thought that, as Raoul, he was a great singer, but on recent analysis, I’m starting to agree with people who say that he had anger issues as Raoul. However, I do hope that he gets to play Raoul again or maybe someone else in this play, because I hear that, otherwise, he’s a great actor. The supporting cast was equally great, and honorable mentions go out to Wendy Ferguson (Carlotta), Wynne Evans (Piangi), Liz Robertson (Madame Giry), Barry James (Firmin), and Gareth Snook (Andre).

As for the music, I don’t think it’s any surprise that it’s one of the most recognizable aspects of the show. Whilst I admit to preferring the first act to the second, I have to admit that the entire score is amazing. My favorite songs from this musical include the title song, “Music of the Night,” “Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again,” “Point of No Return,” “All I Ask of You,” and “Down Once More/Final Lair.” All of these songs were handled quite beautifully in this production, and the orchestrations were magnificent. On a less popular note, though, I felt that the choreography in some places just kind of flailed about. However, I will note that the only place where I found this to be a huge problem was with “Hannibal.” Aside from that, it was fine.

Now, let’s get to what I’m sure is quite divisive, the sets. See, this production was staged in the Royal Albert Hall, and seeing as it’s a concert hall, there was no chandelier crash, and the sets were, for the most part, provided by LED lights. Now, considering that I saw this live between me rewatching this and the time I’m writing this (July 11, 2017), I still say that these are okay. Yeah, it sucks that the chandelier didn’t rise above the audience or crash onto the stage, but I do understand, since they had to work with what space they had. Besides, I don’t think any of that should detract from an otherwise stunning performance.

Lastly, I want to talk about the story itself, and please keep in mind, I’m speaking as someone who hasn’t quite finished the original novel yet. Now, aside for one or two major plot holes that I’ll get to a second, I really liked the story. Yes, I’m sure the original novel was better in this department, but I think that, as a whole, Andrew Lloyd Webber did a pretty good job in adapting the story from page to stage (although, how this same story suffered so much when being adapted again for the 2004 film starring Gerard Butler and Emmy Rossum, I’ll most likely never know). As for that plot hole, I think the “Point of No Return” scene doesn’t make that much sense these days. Yes, Erik’s attempting an Italian accent and he’s wearing a hooded cloak, but I think that the characters and in-story audience should have realized that Piangi’s voice had changed and that he lost quite a bit of weight. I mean, I can accept the interpretation that Christine might be going along with it, but there’s still the fact that she’s heard this guy’s voice before. Aside from that, though, I really liked this story.

Overall, this was an amazing production fitting for a play that had recently turned 25. The acting/singing is incredible, the songs are beautifully written, the story still holds up (for the most part), and they did a great job with working with the stage they had chosen. Also, keep in mind that the performers only had two weeks worth of rehersal before this! I’d definitely recommend this for any fan of the musical or just the story in general. In the meantime, can someone please remind me that I can go into just as much detail with something that doesn’t involve having been an obsession of mine?!

95/100 A

[thepermanentrainpress]

CONCERT REVIEW: PONYTAILS W/ PEACH PYRAMID AND KIN KANYON AT THE FOX CABARET - APRIL 12TH, 2019

Three local bands, three equally entrancing performances. On April 12th, Vancouver bands Ponytails and Kin Kanyon teamed up with Victoria’s Peach Pyramid for a night of chill vibes, good music and the occasional drink or two (if so desired). The event was held at the Fox Cabaret, which is a small, intimate venue – making listening to these bands all that much more special.

Vancouver band, Kin Kanyon (pictured above), opened the show full of energy and charisma. Their psychedelic guitar vibe did a really good job setting the tone for the night, along with a soulful drum beat. They played some tracks off their new EP Trace of Love; the two that stood out to me the most were “Fauxtown” and “Every Time I Dream” – both of which made this introverted girl want to get up and dance. “Fauxtown” is a much more upbeat song with retro/funk elements, while “Every Time I Dream” has a chill feel and primarily features that psychedelic guitar sound.

Peach Pyramid took the stage next with soft and harmonious female vocals. With Jen Severtson on lead vocals, three backup singers, keyboard, bass, guitar and drums, there was a lot going on on such a small stage—but it was also a whole lot of awesome. They performed songs from their album Repeating Myself. There was so much emotion in their songs, and a whimsical vulnerability to each one. As soon as they played their first song, I found myself turning to my friend and simply saying, “Wow.” There was a really nice balance of upbeat songs versus the more mellow tracks that they performed. One of my favourites was “Trying,” where the vocal harmonies came together in a euphonic way, and the instrumentals layered beautifully.

Headlining was Ponytails, who gave an absolutely captivating performance. Beyond the songs themselves, the stage presence was phenomenal. Armed with great hair (and beard) and a tambourine in hand, frontman Harvey Merrit stole the show. There was a lot of hip action, arm movement, and of course fantastic vocals. The instrumentals were equally as enchanting, decorated with psychedelic guitar and indie pop-rock drums. Their sound is a truly well-melded concoction of various genres—something that needs to be heard (and seen) to be properly understood.

“We’re going to be singing about love and friendship,” lead singer Harvey Merrit announced before they started their set. These themes were true throughout their songs and brought a lightness and liveliness to their performance.

The concert was intended to celebrate Ponytails’ single “Just Yours” – which is a fantastic song to say the least – as well as debut the song’s music video. Unfortunately for concert goers, the music video wasn’t finished in time for the show—but they say it will be ready soon. The guys also performed songs from their self-titled album. They are also in the middle of writing their full-length LP, which should be out in June.

I wasn’t familiar with any of the bands before attending this concert, but I can confidently say I am now a fan of all of them.

Written by: Liz Douglas

[tonguetiedmag]

concert review: killer in the mirror tour

The electricity of excited chatter melded with a perfect breeze fills the air as fans pack into the intimate, 250 cap Denver venue, The Larimer Lounge. It’s a Sunday night downtown, the sun is on its way down, and concert-goers are about to experience an unforgettable sold-out night of the “Killer in The Mirror” Tour.

Personally, my feelings at the beginning of the night can be conveniently summed up by the graphic printed on the shirt Maxx Danziger (Set it Off, Drums) chose to wear -- “low expectations, high hopes”, but a few songs into the first set of the night were enough to show me otherwise.

De’Wayne Jackson took the stage to warm up the crowd for the night with a bouncy energy and was undoubtedly the underdog of the evening. In my experience, audiences don’t have the best habits about paying their attention to the first artist on the bill-- but Jackson’s infectious sass and passionate, precise diction demanded it. Even for someone who doesn’t typically enjoy music of Jackson’s genre, it was hard to resist the urge to bounce off of the unstoppable, dancy energy he exuded. Through his candid and relatable honesty, as well as his clear natural ability to let loose on stage, De’Wayne Jackson captured concert-goers quickly despite technical difficulties and playing to a crowd that originally seemed uninterested. The environment cultivated by the rapper can best be described as feeling like you’re at a house party with close friends rather than at a venue with a performer on a stage and a crowd below. Jackson’s free-spirited, fun vibes were something to be savored.

Moving forward through the night, duo Chapel, consisting of Kortney Grinwis (drums) and Carter Hardin (vocals, keyboard, guitar) would be next to take the stage. Chapel’s style was a sharp contrast from what the audience saw from De’wayne Jackson-- and I loved it. Chapel offers softer jams, perfect for a rainy day in, or for a morning drive on a crisp fall morning. The seamless rapport between Grinwis and Hardin added greatly to their likeability, and the contagious grins they shared when fans screamed lyrics back at them was nothing to ignore. Although those who were familiar with the duo in the crowd seemed to be few, their passion for the band was loud and proud. Although some say Chapel’s style of music is boring, their stage presence is there and their effort to keep the crowd engaged is working. The pair added funky spins on slower songs to add some spice to the unique experience of a live show versus listening to a record, and peaked intrigue through covering the well-known Khalid song, “Young Dumb & Broke”. They also treated fans to a performance of a newly-written and unreleased tune, titled “Mushy Gushy”. I had the opportunity to chat with them after the show, and, when asked what food he would compare the Denver show to, Carter Hardin replied with, “Chick-Fil-A chicken nuggets, because after you have one good [song], you think you’re done, but then it’s like, ‘oh wait no, there’s like 6 more nuggets!’”.

Upon Chapel’s departure, the crowd was restlessly impatient from their excitement for what was next. When headliner Set it Off did take the stage, they opened with a particularly popular song, “A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing”. The electricity within the audience was hot, and the four-piece kept it that way kept it that way their entire set.

Set it Off, (commonly referred to by fans as “SIO”) was not what I was expecting-- the band has a distinct flavor to their sound I’ve yet to experience in post-early 2000’s music. They give everything good about modern-day boyband vibes, mixed with the perfect amount of rock and roll edge to offer something refreshingly unique to today’s scene.

What struck me most about the evening was the diversity of the crowd SIO brought in. Ranging everywhere from starstruck young teens to their dancing Dads who were more than happy to be there, or from college kids to a friend-group of moms, the act had something to offer for everyone.

SIO has that “it” factor, that everyone looks for, but never truly understands what it is until they see it in front of them. Not a single part of the crowd went unserved; lead-singer and frontman, Cody Carson, was nothing but interactive the whole night. From frequently holding hands with those in the first few rows and singing passionately to them while he did so, to standing on top of the middle of the crowd to rock out with the back half, (as well as going in to parts of the crowd off to the side that the stage setup didn’t allow to be easily performed to), Carson didn’t miss a beat.

Guitarists Zach Dewall and Dan Clermont gave a fantastic performance as well, moving as much as their instruments would allow and offering huge smiles to singing fans. Drummer Maxx Danziger offered a unique humor and subtle sass in his performance that I greatly enjoyed. When asked what food he would compare Sunday night’s show to, Danziger replied with, “A Chipotle burrito-- you don’t know what you’re gonna get, but it’s always good,”.

The band also incorporated a tasteful amount of choreography into their performance, transitioning without incident, and enhancing that special “something” that makes them who they are. Additionally, they treated fans during the encore to an acoustic medley of songs not otherwise on the setlist-- a refreshing change, which gave the crowd a more up-close and intimate experience with the four-piece in their entirety.

The excitement from the crowd never wavered throughout their set, and the act ended with euphoria shared throughout the building.

After the show, I spoke with lead-singer Cody Carson who chose to compare the evening to a Rib-eye steak when asked what food he would compare the night to, because it was “savory and over too soon”. When I told him it was my first time watching his band, he responded with “welcome to the family”. That open-armed mindset that the men of Set it Off offer seems to be a key reason why those who love their art keep coming back for more-- between said friendly relationship they hold with fans, incredible stage-presence, passionate, gritty vocals, and how fun the troupe clearly have on stage with one-another, it’s not hard to figure out why they’ve been able to stay on top of their longevity since forming in 2008.

Overall, what made the night worth it was the consistency of stage presence among the performers-- although each act felt wildy different in terms of style from the previous, the un-fakeable fun each performer was having on stage felt impossible to not feed off of. The Killer in the Mirror tour has a good time to offer to a wide variety of music fans, and if you’re fortunate enough to be living in one of the remaining cities on the tours’ run, you won’t want to miss it.

Although the tour is coming to a close, you can check if The Killer in The Mirror tour is stopping near you in its home stretch here, and if you missed them on this run, not to worry-- the musicians confirmed to attendees that another US tour is currently being planned.

Check out De’Wayne Jackson online:

https://twitter.com/idewaynejackson?lang=en

https://www.facebook.com/idewaynejackson/

https://soundcloud.com/idewaynejackson

Check out Chapel online:

https://www.facebook.com/ChapelUSA/

https://twitter.com/chapelusa?lang=en

https://www.instagram.com/chapelusa/?hl=en

Check out Set it Off online:

http://www.setitoffband.com

https://www.facebook.com/setitoffband/

https://twitter.com/SetItOff?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Article by: Liz Holland

[newyorktheater]

Stephen Sondheim, now 89 years old,  first began writing a musical about the real-life eccentric and significant Mizner Brothers when he was 23 years old; paused in his efforts when he learned that Irving Berlin was already writing one; then, when Berlin abandoned the project, took it up again 40 years later. The musical that Sondheim and librettist John Weidman eventually came up with, now called “Road Show,” is getting a thoroughly enjoyable production through Saturday night with a sublime cast as part of the Encores Off Center summer concert series.

The rocky road to “Road Show” is nearly as fascinating as the story told in“Road Show” – about Addison Mizner, architect and closeted homosexual who created the city of Boca Raton, and his older brother Wilson Mizner, con artist, womanizer, drunk, jack of many trades including celebrated Broadway playwright (!) and screenwriter. Together the Mizner brothers were largely responsible for the Florida real estate boom and bust of the 1920s.

Sondheim and Weidman came up with a complete version of the musical in 1998, but this was just the first of four versions over the next decade, each with its own title (“Wise Guys,” “Gold,” “Bounce.”). The version at City Center is largely the darker one that was first presented Off-Broadway as “Road Show” at the Public Theater in 2008, with one major change, which fits in with the format of Encores: Director and choreographer Will Davis frames “Road Show”  as a radio drama, complete with one of those red lights that says “On The Air,” old-fashioned microphones, and scripts always in hand. (The scripts in hand was one of the trademark features of the Encores series long ago, now largely abandoned.)    Still, Davis features props and visual jokes along the way, as we follow the extraordinary (and often true) picaresqueadventures of these two entrepreneurial Americans. These start when their mother (Mary Beth Peil) urges both Addison (Brandon Uranowitz) and Wilson (Raúl Esparza)  to go prospecting for gold in Alaska. Addison is successful at finding a gold mine.  Wilson, a compulsive gambler, bets their claim at a poker game – and wins, but trades it in for a saloon.   This sets up the dynamic between the two, the love-hate relationship. It’s enough to make Addison split, and go on the road – to Hawaii, India, Hong Kong, Guatemala…postcards and props from each to illustrate the song – eventually winding up as architect in Florida, thanks to a rich scion he falls in love with and exploits, Hollis (Jin Ha, who made his impressive Broadway debut in M. Butterflyand is spectacular here.)

Wilson has his own adventures, with more failed ventures than successes, and also wind up in Florida.  All the while their long-deceased father (an, as usual, wonderfully deep-voice Chuck Cooper) periodically admonishes them, and lectures them on the American dream.

Does “Road Show” now deserve a  place in the canon of American musical theater?  That’s the question that surely attends any production of the show, for many reasons – because of its initial and continued mixed critical reception; because it’s the last original musical Sondheim has produced, and it’s never been on Broadway; and just because this is Sondheim we’re talking about.

I’ll take a cue from the Supreme Court and render a narrow judgment, avoiding  a generalization based on comparisons to Sondheim musicals that have more clear and resonant narratives and memorable tunes.  The “Road Show” at City Center is a delightful production in every way.  There are so many small delectable moments – such as seeing Esparza doing a consummate showman’s soft shoe in the background – and the clever, vaudevillian aura of much of the score, enhanced as usual by Jonathan Tunick’s lush and lively orchestrations, is punctuated by several gorgeous songs. In “Isn’t He Something,” Mama seems to be complaining to Addison about her other son — about how Wilson never writes, and says things she would never dare to say – but it all turns out to be in admiration:

Carelessness and being free of care, aren’t they the same? Some men live to be good, Some men live to be bad,

Some men live just to sparkle. and doesn’t he sparkle? See how he glides! Isn’t he something!

    In “The Best Thing That Ever Has Happened,” Addison and Hollis sing:

  They say we all find love

I never bought it. I never thought it would happen to me.

Who could foresee?

You are the goddamnedest thing that has happened to me, ever.

  “Road Show” may not be the best thing I’ve ever seen, but, as presented by Off Center Encores, see how it sparkles.

  Road Show

Music & lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Book: John Weidman Director-choreographer: Will Davis Orchestrations: Jonathan Tunic Set designer: Donyale Werle Costume designer: Clint Ramos Lighting designer: Mark Barton Sound designer: Leon Rothenberg

Cast: Chuck Cooper, Raúl Esparza, Jin Ha, Mary Beth Peil, Brandon Uranowitz, Brandon Contreras, Rheaume Crenwhaw, Daniel J. Edwards, Marina Kondo, Jay Lusteck, Liz McCartney, Matt Moisey, Shereen Pimentel, Sharone Sayegh, Vishal Vaidya

  Road Show Review: Sondheim Tries Again with Raúl Esparza and Brandon Uranowitz Stephen Sondheim, now 89 years old,  first began writing a musical about the real-life eccentric and significant Mizner Brothers when he was 23 years old; paused in his efforts when he learned that Irving Berlin was already writing one; then, when Berlin abandoned the project, took it up again 40 years later.

[bethestaryouareradio]

Be the Star You Are!® Summer Star Express

July 2017 Newsletter for BTSYA

 Miracle Moment®

In less time than it takes to tell what a tough day you've had, you could be relaxing already.

~Source unknown

 A Message From Our Founder, Cynthia Brian

 Summertime and the living is easy or perhaps easier, at least that’s what the songs tell us. Kids are out of school, families enjoy vacations, barbecues, concerts, and cookouts. Interestingly for many of the volunteers of Be the Star You Are!®, we are busier than usual reading books, writing reviews, planning radio broadcasts, and working on new book projects. Since spring, eleven new teen book reviewers have joined our STAR Book Review Team and our Book Review Coordinator, Maria Wong is posting new reviews daily. Read reviews at http://www.btsya.com/book_reviews.html. Chelsea Pelchat, our Teen Event Coordinator planned a pop-up orchestra recital on Saturday, July 15th at 2:30pm at Aegis Living in Moraga, California with our musician volunteers. More info at http://www.bethestaryouare.org/events .Elizabeth Aquilar, our Newsletter Director, continues to assemble this monthly circular in between her exciting travels. Read about her latest adventure here.

I am busy proofing the final publishers copy of my new book, Growing with the Goddess Gardener, with pre-orders available now at http://www.cynthiabrian.com/books. 25% of the proceeds from the book will benefit BTSYA. Our most exciting news is our work on the third book in the Be the Star You Are!® series, Be the Star You Are!® for Millennials, with extraordinarily poignant chapters from 30+ BTSYA volunteers, supporters, and radio personalities. 100% of all proceeds will be directly donated to BTSYA to continue our uplifting, life-enhancing literacy and positive media message programs. This is a gift of love is keeping me very occupied with writing, editing, proofing, and communicating with our talented contributors. In 2018 we will base the themes of our weekly radio broadcasts on StarStyle®-Be the Star You Are!® and Express Yourself!™ Teen Radio to a specific chapter in the book, inviting authors and experts with complementary ideas. It is going to be a spectacular season and the book is going to be a fabulous read.

We will again have a booth at the Pear and Wine Festival in September and are seeking sponsors. Thinking ahead to our 20th anniversary in 2019, we are in search of a talented event coordinator to help us celebrate. If that person is you, please email me at Cynthia@BetheStarYouAre.org.

Enjoy summer. Stay cool! (And I have a few easy tips for you to do just that listed below!)Swim, play, spend time with family and friends, and take it a bit easier. You deserve a break and if you can’t have a week long holiday, try Karen Kitchel’s 6 Minute Vacation below.

Whatever you do, make time to make a difference in the life of someone else. Everyone counts.

With gratitude and joy for your support,

Cynthia Brian

Founder/Executive Director

Be the Star You Are!®

PO Box 422

Moraga, Ca. 94556

925-377-STAR

www.BetheStarYouAre.org

www.BTSYA.org

Cynthia@BetheStarYouAre.org

 TIPS ON STAYING COOL THIS SUMMER

1.     Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine when it’s hot as they cause dehydration.

2.     Use sunscreen every day and reapply as directed.

3.     Wear a hat and cotton clothing.

4.     Avoid sports and high-energy activities when it’s really hot, especially mid day.

5.     Take a dip in the pool, wade in a river, swim in a lake, play in the sea, or just take a cool shower.

6.     Relax in the shade. A cold cloth around your neck helps.

7.     Keep ceiling fans on, close draperies and window treatments during the heat of the day. Open windows for cross ventilation when the temperatures are lower at night.

8.     Make sure your pets have plenty of water.

Enjoy this wonderful season of the year when you can be outside in nature.

6 MINUTE VACATIONS

By Karen Kitchel

              Summer disappears so quickly that we all need to pack in as much vacation time as possible.  While trips to faraway places are nice, our bodies and souls can use fun breaks far more often than we can pack a suitcase.

            Consider taking a six-minute vacation every day this summer.  Begin by making a list of the little things you enjoy doing like eating an ice cream cone, picking some wildflowers,  listening to your two favorite songs,  looking at vacation photos from years ago,  or closing your eyes and imagining you are in Bora Bora enchanted by the turquoise water.  Then take that list and schedule six minute vacations on your calendar for every day that's left of summer.

            You just might find these six minutes every day are your favorite part of summer.

Karen Kitchel is passionate about helping those in need. As President of the Cheerful Givers nonprofit organization, she helped to bring birthday gifts to more than one million less fortunate children. Prior to that, she created a corporate university at BI Worldwide.  Currently she serves meals to the homeless, is a job coach, teacher, writer and mentor. She can be reached at karenkitchel@comcast.net.

 Somewhat Sleepless in SeattleAn Update from Liz Aguilar Leaving home again to start up research wasn't easy after having a month of vacation at home. While I loved the idea of traveling again, I had gotten quite comfortable enjoying home, family, and friends. But the longer I explore Seattle, the more I love it more each day. I'm extremely grateful and lucky to have already made wonderful friends and to have supportive mentors working with me in lab on my research. For those of you who may not know me as well, I'm majoring in biochemistry and minoring in computer science with the hopes of someday pursuing graduate school to study computational biology. With my work, I'd love to be able to help make advances in medicine by understanding the underlying cause of genetic diseases. The University of Washington in Seattle has so far provided me with a wonderful environment to personally grow and learn from other peers who are also motivated to make a difference through their work. While research has been enjoyable, exploring the city has given me a greater appreciation for the culture and the beautiful pacific northwest. Last weekend, I went on a seven mile hike with several friends in the Bandera Mountains, which are just an hour away from the city. While the hike was long and challenging, the gorgeous views and sights were absolutely stunning. It truly reminded me of when I was back in Switzerland! I hope to continue making these memorable experiences and I hope to also share them with you. I hope you are all doing well and that you also manage to take time for yourself to enjoy this wonderful summer! p.s - Seattle hasn't had a drop of rain since late May!

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[gmnewmusic]

http://www.altwire.net/2017/07/06/concert-review-slightly-stoopid-st-augustine-amphitheater/ Check out my coverage of Slightly Stoopid Iration J BOOG The Movement on Altwire today Photos by Ablynn Photo bonus #instax photos on Get Mantras : Modeling, Writing, and More by Liz Peña ☀️🍍🌺🌴 Does your band need coverage of a record or show, including full professional photos? Contact us today!

[13thfloornz]

Liz Gunn shares her thoughts on James Taylor’s concert, last night at Vector Arena…

“This is our first gig of our Down Under Tour. What a wonderful way to start the tour!” said the very tall, ever-slim and self-effacing James Taylor to his appreciative Auckland audience of largely baby boomer generation at Vector Arena last night. The love was mutual. 

Taylor is one of the best-selling music artists of all time with over 100 million records sold and the first non-British signing by the Beatles to their Apple label, back in the day, after Paul McCartney was bowled over by the heart in his writing and his mellifluous vocals.

The first thing that hit me, hearing him live, is how fully he has retained those dulcet tones which are the hallmark of his singing, right through his now 68 years. It’s a voice that has an almost unnerving youthful quality to it, and in only one song did I detect any strain negotiating the higher notes. For many of the songs, it was as pure as the vocalising on that huge hit album Sweet Baby James which was received as a folk-rock masterpiece and sold hugely when it was released in February 1970.

For a career to span that length of time, and to be able to fill a large arena like Vector (with upper levels curtained off) is a huge feat. And a reflection of his unquestionable talent. It’s not just the effortlessly tuneful soulful voice, but also an endearing, even slightly goofy charm, and an ability to connect with his audience with humour and a quiet humility, in between the songs while he changes a series of acoustic guitars. He seems to warm the audience as much with his joking asides as with the relaxed vocals. “ Here’s a Buddy Holly tune” he intoned before his second song,” which we like to do with some frequency, if not every day” and he launched into -what else?- Every Day.

  In one of his later asides he promises that the night will include  “ ..some new tunes”. A pause. Then with that self-effacing sweetness,  “Not many. And we’ll get it over with quick. It’s like taking off a band aid- just get it over with quick” . The audience laughed and breathed a sigh of relief. They have come for the hits that have served as part of the musical backdrop to their generation, and most want that dish warmed up and served again.

I wondered, in spite of the laughter, whether that is what James Taylor the Artist also wants in his heart of hearts? How do you sing the same songs- as beautifully lyrical as they are- night after night, tour after tour, for forty-plus years, and still keep them fresh? It’s like asking a great actor to come on stage every night for over four decades to deliver the same play, the same lines, and each night present the play as if it’s the first time it has been performed. Even the greatest, most in-this-moment kind of performer could struggle pulling off that feat.

And the bigger question is whether it feeds the soul of the artist who might feel caged by the very success that has brought him the audience adoration. I suddenly understood why Bob Dylan refuses to be snagged by his own success and simply performs what he wants, with no catering to audience expectations. I suspect James Taylor is too empathetic a character to disappoint his audience expectations thus.

That said, where JT (or Stringbean as is his other nickname) seemed to me to really glow in his performance,  was with his most recent material. He said it would be like the pain of a bandage being pulled off but I found it quite the opposite.

Beautifully worked, sung from his heart, with his total engagement in the meaning and the lyrics, these latest songs will stay with me long after last night’s show.  Today Today Today is from Before This World, his 16th album and the first in 13 years. It acknowledges his own surprise that he is still here.  In his introduction to the song, he tells us it harks back to his original signing to Apple in 1968 after auditioning for Paul and George when the Beatles were at their zenith.” I was like a chiuawawa on methamphetamine” he quips, but then counters with “ It was like someone opened a door and my life was on the other side of it” . A heart-melting image.

What human could not relate to that? The dream of living a life doing the thing that makes your heart sing- and in the case of JT, has made the world’s heart sing for decades? The song has a little country feel to the folk-rock descending scale of major to minor notes. But perhaps it’s his delivery of the lyrics that most touches me: The bell is about to ring/The big girl she’s about to sing/Today, today, today/The world will open wide/And I’m running with the tide/It’s time to cut this side/And I must not miss my ride/Somehow I haven’t died/And I feel the same inside/As when I caught this ride/When first I sold my pride/The way ahead is clear/My heart is free from fear/I’ll plant my flag right here/Today, today, today.

That line ’Somehow I haven’t died’ refers to the relentless struggle he faced for much of his early career,  marred as it was by a ferocious and voracious heroin addiction which eventually cost him his marriage with Carly Simon. Even his friend John Belushi expressed his concern to Taylor at JT’s self destruction in a warning that was eerily prescient for Belushi himself.

Taylor today seems in a calm, good-humoured and contented space, and from this fullness, is happy to give of himself to his loyal audience. He spent the entire 20 minute half time break sitting on the edge of the stage greeting fans and then jumping down for photos as more and more gathered around him. Something I have never seen at any concert. Tremendously endearing.

During the first half of the show he had served up those big hits, ranging from Country Road with his capacious lungs holding the final note impossibly long (perhaps a breath-controlled nod to his opera singing mother!), to Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight– the only song I felt would have been better in a lower key for his warmed-honey tones which don’t need to be asked to strain for any note.

There were two songs about his much-loved home state of Carolina-  Copperline (the perfect key for his voice and a beautifully understated arrangement) and Carolina On My Mind, the song he wrote in an overwhelming homesick patch in 1968 at Apple Studios even though he was  “surrounded by this heavenly host of musical angels who were making the White album”  because “I missed my family”  (an audible sigh of adoration from many of the mothers in the crowd! No wonder his female fan base is so strong). It was a very slow version of the song, almost soporific, but fitting for a song of sadness and longing. Personally I would have liked it pacier, and he still needs to feel that raw heartbreak of sickening home ache EVERY time he sings it, if he wants the full beauty of the lyrics to land right inside the heartspace of his audience.

He cannot sing in a perfunctory way without compromising the very power of his own song writing. Although his voice can carry much, it needs the emotion behind it to penetrate and thereby make his songs rise from ‘good’ or even ‘great’, into the stratosphere of ‘special’. Perhaps my favourite of the first half was Sweet Baby James from the eponymous album. A lovely introduction on the guitar and his voice simply stunning in its flow.

No, I am mistaken.  The absolute high point of the night for me, followed that song. It was Shed A Little Light , with words so needed in  today’s Trump Era, that I am including them at the end of this review. Powerful and moving.

The second half had highlights from his back catalogue including You’ve Got A Friend and Up On The Roof.  Yet again, though, the high point of this half was his newer work, a song written in a friend’s cabin in Montana. The rendition was fresh and deeply-felt in the way JT sang, and I recommend listening to the lyrics of Montana. And you could listen to another from his latest album, called You and I Again. He introduces it as “ A new love song but not a song about new love. It’s about love over time, maybe even more than one life time”. I wonder to myself if lines like this are a reference to his third wife: cause I can’t escape this feeling/that we’ve been this way together, you and I.

Therein lies the key to James Taylor. He writes and sings songs from his life. Songs of his heart. Songs looking for answers and finding reasons. He has given the world songs that touch lives and made Taylor Swift’s parents give her that Christian name. He writes songs to say “Let’s care for one another”. And he shows it in his way with people. I include below, a backstage photo taken last night with two friends, Anna and Brayden. Note JT’s open arms. The human touch. That is the hallmark of his music.

My wish for James Taylor is that he find renewed reasons to offer up those songs that reflect him now, today,  and to trust that the audience will love those as much as they love the songs that remind them of their youth from these last four decades. For me, those latest songs took the show last night from ‘good’ to ‘great’.

Liz Gunn

Click on any image to view a photo gallery by Michael Flynn:

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Here, as promised, the lyrics for my favourite of the night:

Let us turn our thoughts today

To martin luther king And recognize that there are ties between us All men and women Living on the earth Ties of hope and love Sister and brotherhood That we are bound together In our desire to see the world become A place in which our children Can grow free and strong We are bound together By the task that stands before us And the road that lies ahead We are bound and we are bound

There is a feeling like the clenching of a fist There is a hunger in the center of the chest There is a passage through the darkness and the mist And though the body sleeps the heart will never rest

(chorus) Shed a little light, oh lord So that we can see Just a little light, oh lord Wanna stand it on up Stand it on up, oh lord Wanna walk it on down Shed a little light, oh lord

Can’t get no light from the dollar bill Don’t give me no light from a tv screen When I open my eyes I wanna drink my fill From the well on the hill

(do you know what I mean? ) – chorus –

There is a feeling like the clenching of a fist There is a hunger in the center of the chest There is a passage through the darkness and the mist And though the body sleeps the heart will never rest

Oh, let us turn our thoughts today To martin luther king And recognize that there are ties between us All men and women Living on the earth Ties of hope and love Sister and brotherhood

Read more:  James Taylor – Shed A Little Light Lyrics | MetroLyrics

        James Taylor – Vector Arena February 4, 2017 Liz Gunn shares her thoughts on James Taylor's concert, last night at Vector Arena... “This is our first gig of our Down Under Tour.

[booknista]

The Bachelor S21E3: He's Already Whipped (Cream)

Nick, Nick, Nick. When are you going to learn that the girls who bare it all immediately aren’t the ones who are going to want to marry you (even on a show like The Bachelor)?

Now, I want it to be known—I’m not about slut shaming. That isn’t what I’m saying. What I’m saying is that Nick likes being a lover in the nighttime, and it has blinded him in the past.  He falls hard for girls (I’m not even going to say women in this instance) who hop into bed with him, and then the relationships don’t work.  I was hoping that he would be self-aware enough as the Bachelor to know that sleeping with the women early wasn’t going to find him a wife.  If this episode was proof of anything, it’s only that he’s not smart enough to learn it on his own.  But the women will teach him the error of his ways.

Date Me

Date #1: Backstreet’s Back, All Right?

Okay, y’all. The fangirl in me LOVED this date. And can I just say that the Backstreet Boys still look pretty good? I can’t be alone in that. Anyway, here’s the breakdown—a group of girls (including Corinne and Danielle L.) got to learn to dance with the Backstreet Boys and then joined them onstage at a concert. The BBs chose the girl who they thought had the most chemistry with Nick, and they got to dance to “I Want it That Way” on stage. Then they all did the whole cocktail party thing after and Danielle L. (who won the serenade with Nick) got the group date rose.

Yes, there are 2 Backstreet Boys in this picture.

I love the BBs, but this date was pretty yawn.

Date #2: One-on-One with Vanessa in Space!

THIS DATE WAS REALLY COOL THOUGH.  Nick and Vanessa got to do the whole zero gravity thing and pretend they were in space. Vanessa threw up (I feel you, girl) and Nick kissed her right after, which is love right there. Gross, but cute. I’m just saying, I’m not sure my husband would kiss me right after I threw up. Their evening was great, they had good chemistry, she obviously got the rose.

Date #3: Yay Sports!

The second group date was one of those stupid sports ones where famous athletes come on to make the girls do stupid things and compete for Nick. Yawn. The highlights include an unsupportive bra (see Funniest Moment below) and Dominique losing her shit. Plus, a lot of sports bras, bare midriffs, and leggings.

Funniest Moment

Astrid, whom I don’t think has spoken before this date, has an… ample bosom, we’ll say. And she didn’t realize how athletic they were going to have to be, so she didn’t wear a sports bra with very much support. I can’t imagine the bouncing that she was experiencing was very comfortable, but she was able to laugh about it in the most real comment I’ve maybe ever heard on this show—“I probably should have worn a more supportive bra, but maybe this will get me the rose.” She doesn’t (it goes to Rachel), but she does get to hang with Nick in the hot tub for a while. Also, she doesn’t get sent home on the group date (which Dominique can’t say), so she’s doing okay.

Yeah, Nick didn’t seem to mind her lack of chest support.

Stupidest Moment

Are you going to be surprised when I tell you that Corinne is in the Stupidest Moment this week? She bumped Alexis, who has been our reigning champion. But this moment can’t be beat, IMHO.

So. Remember how last episode ended in a cliffhanger? That means that the episode started with a cocktail party and a rose ceremony. And Corinne was feeling like Nick hadn’t gotten enough of her yet. So she took her dress off (I kid you not) and put on a trench coat, and then had Nick meet her in front of the mansion on a pillow pouf thing. She had whipped cream. She squirted some in his mouth. And then, yes, she put it on her boobs for him to lick off. In front of everyone. Nick was not thrilled, but he also hasn’t seemed to get the hint that she’s not the kind of girl who becomes a wife. More on that later. So! That was stupid enough by itself, but then, when he went to talk to someone else, she started crying and went up to her room because she felt rejected. Remember—SHE ALREADY HAS A ROSE. It was just ridiculous. But the best part? She fell asleep up in her room and never came back down for the rose ceremony. Super respectful of her, no?

Personal Fave

It didn’t take long for Vanessa to win the spot as frontrunner, at least in my eyes. She’s a good fit for Nick, she’s smart, she’s spunky, and she calls him on his shit. Again, more on that in the next little section. I still like Danielle M. and Rachel, and Danielle L. is creeping up the charts for me, but Vanessa is all alone out front now.

Enemy of the State

Now that Liz is gone, Corinne has become the sole enemy in the house, much like Chad did last season. Not only did the girls witness the whipped cream debacle, but she also skipped the rose ceremony, and they were not pleased about that. But it gets worse. She was complaining about being tired toward the end of the cocktail party part of the group date, and spilled the beans about having a nanny. For herself. To cut her cucumbers and make her cheese pasta. I think I would have found it more funny if I wasn’t in the throes of immersing myself into diversity in publishing at the moment, but her comments were not only classist and downright rude, but likely have racial undertones, since she’s a little blond girl. It was horrible. AND THEN. Yes, it continues. Nick cancelled the cocktail party after this week’s round of dates and had a pool party instead (shocker). And she somehow got a bouncy castle and proceeded to straddle Nick inside it while everyone could see. AND THEN. Just about everyone in the house started talking to Nick about Corinne and her behavior (they even told him about the nanny), and Corinne herself went to take another nap.

I just can’t with this girl, y’all.

Sayonara

At the beginning of the episode, we had a rose ceremony. At that rose ceremony, Elizabeth W., Hailey, and Lacey (of camel entrance fame) were sent home. I don’t remember anything about any of them, so that’s fine. And then during the second group date, Dominique lost her chill and Nick sent her home too. It was a tough week for blond girls (Elizabeth W., Hailey, and Lacey are all blond). I do think it’s shedding some light on the type that everyone on the planet should know Nick has by now, though—spunky brunettes with real jobs and attitudes. Hello? Andi, a sassy lawyer? Kaitlyn, who needs no explanation? Even Jen, from Paradise, fit the mold. You blond girls might stick around a while, but it’s going to be a dark-haired grown-ass woman who gets the engagement ring, I’d almost bet money on it.

We were left at the pool party, which is likely where we’ll pick up next week. I’m so sick of these episodes that don’t end in rose ceremonies. Come on, ABC!

What do you think about this season so far?

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The Bachelor S21E3: He’s Already Whipped (Cream) was originally published on Booknista.com

[newyorktheater]

Fans can add another reason to be disappointed with Game of Thrones. NBC executives are now claiming they killed Hair Live, which they had planned to broadcast yesterday, when HBO announced GOT’s finale would be aired on the same day. Rather then reschedule Hair, they used this as an excuse to drop it. “The bigger, broader, four quadrant, family-friendly musicals are the ones that work,” NBC Entertainment chairman George Cheeks told Ad Week. “Four quadrant” is TV exec-speak for the four major audience niches: both male and female, and over- and under-25.

  The Week in New York Theater Awards

2019 Drama League Awards:Bryan Cranston, Hadestown, The Ferryman…

Hadestown Amber Gray Patrick Page Reeve Carney on Broadway 2019

2019 Chita Rivera Awards: Hadestown, Alice by Heart, Ephraim Sykes….

The Lilly Awards The 10th annual Lilly Awards, which honor the work of women in the American theater, gave awards to: Jayne Houdyshell (presented by Laurie Metcalf), LaTanya Richardson, Dawn Landes for her work on the new musical Row, Masi Asare, Gretchen Cryer and Nancy Ford, Eliana Pipes for her play Dreamhouse, Julia Cho and Oliver Butler. The evening ended with Shaina Taub’s tribute to Liz Swados, and plays by women artists given out as party favors. Marsha Norman announced that the Lillys will start to publish theater writing from multiple points of view to reduce the “tyranny” of the current limited critical voices

The Roger Rees Awards for Excellence in Student Performance: Best Actress – Ekele Ukegbu, Elmont Memorial High School (Nassau Country), for the role of Aida in Aida. Best Actor – Jeremy Fuentes, Archbishop Stepinac High School (Westchester County) for the role of Calogera in A Bronx Tale.

Up Next: The Obies (tonight!), Drama Desk Awards, the Tonys (2019 New York Theater Awards Calendar and Guide)

The Week in New York Theater Reviews

The Pink Unicorn

The story that Tony winner Alice Ripley tells in this one-woman show – of an unsophisticated mother named Trisha Lee in the small Texas town of Sparktown who becomes woke after her child Jolene comes out to her as genderqueer  – is inspired by playwright Elise Forier Edie’s own experience with her child’s similar announcement at the age of 12.  Edie wrote “The Pink Unicorn” in 2011, and has performed it herself to some acclaim since 2013 around the country.

But Trisha Lee differs significantly from Edie herself….

Happy Talk

From the moment Susan Sarandon makes her entrance in Jesse Eisenberg’s latest play, it is clear her character Lorraine is extravagantly self-absorbed to the point of delusion….It would be easy to find humor in Lorraine’s vanity and even in her contempt, and to assume that the play will be a comedy…But Happy Talkis an ironic title for a play that winds up far closer to horror than comedy. Whatever pleasures come from the fine acting by a starry cast in this New Group production directed by Scott Elliott,  Happy Talkis ultimately a sour and off-putting play

Enter Laughing

Comedian Carl Reiner called his comic novel Enter Laughing, because that is the first stage direction that his 17-year-old main character is given, at his first ever-audition, and he makes a hilarious hash of it.

Reiner wrote his semi-autobiographical novel at the peak of his popularity in the 1950s, recalling his frustrating and sidesplitting effort to break into show business as a teenager from the Bronx in the 1930s.

Reiner is now 97 – even his son Rob Reiner is now a name for nostalgists — so it shouldn’t be too surprising that there is an old-fashioned feel to the musical comedy adapted from Reiner’s novel

Original Sound Review: When Is It Musical Inspiration, and When Theft?

Did George Harrison steal from The Chiffons?…he “My Sweet Lord” vs. “He’s So Fine” case is just the most famous of a whole slew of accusations of musical plagiarism… that can serve as background to “Original Sound,” an original play by Adam Seidel..In its own low-key entertaining way, “Original Sound” forces you to think not just about the music business, but about the nature of the creative process.

Ismenia Mendes as Lady Macbeth and Isabelle Fuhrman as Macbeth

Mac Beth: 7 Schoolgirls Put On Shakespeare’s Tragedy

At the end of “Mac Beth,” Macduff severs Macbeth’s head and then she takes a selfie of it, posing with two of her fellow murderous teenage girls, all dressed in parochial school uniforms.

This is one of the cleverest moments in Erica Schmidt’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy,  produced by Red Bull Theater at the Lucille Lortel, in which seven actresses portray schoolgirls who are putting on “Macbeth” in the middle of an empty lot.

Then She Fell: Rachel I. Berman (as Alice)

Jason Tam as Epic

Red Hills, 2018 Sifiso Mabena and the moon

Cafe Play

The Best Immersive Theater Companies in New York

  The Week in New York Theater News

Stephen Sondheim and Jason Robert Brown will perform together with Katrina Lenk in an evening of songs and stories with two pianos and an orchestra at Town Hall June 24, to mark Brown’s 50th SubCulture performance 

Lincoln Center’s revival of My Fair Lady will close at the Vivian Beaumont Theater July 7, having played a total of 548 performances (39 previews and 509 performances It will launch a national tour in December.

Its national tour was postponed last year. Now, as promised, @BATtheMusicalNY, inspired by Meat Loaf’s hit album, is coming to NYC after all — to @NYCityCenter Aug 1 – Sept 8 pic.twitter.com/U648z1spk2

— New York Theater (@NewYorkTheater) May 15, 2019

David Byrne’s @americanutopia coming to Bway’s @hudsonbway Oct 4,2019 – Jan 19, 2020. Opens Oct 20. The theatrical concert features songs from @DBtodomundo‘s 2018 American Utopia album + songs from #TalkingHeads & his solo career. Pre-Bway run in Boston’s @EmColonial Sept 11-28 pic.twitter.com/d6nXP4qt5B

— New York Theater (@NewYorkTheater) May 17, 2019

Fleet Week Follies, Waterwell, the theater company that presented “Blueprint Specials” on board the battleship, is offering a day of music, food and family activities on May 26th, with hosts Andrew Rannells and Celia Keenan-Bolger inspired by the legacy of the Stage Door Canteen, at National Sawdust in Brooklyn.

  Broadway in the Boros

Noon to 1 p.m., free!

  Chicago production of Hamilton will close Jan. 5, 2020, having played 1,365 performances to some 2.8 million people & grossing hundreds of millions of $. Why is it closing? Strategy, as @ChrisJonesTrib explains. (e.g. don’t want to sell discount tix)https://t.co/dHxnppTU1Y

— New York Theater (@NewYorkTheater) May 16, 2019

Glenda Jackson

  Why To Kill A Mockingbird didn’t get a Tony nomination for best play maybe.

Solving the 6 Biggest Mysteries of This Broadway Season

An abbreviated version of the answers Michael Paulson got..

Is the sidewalk scene in “Network” performed live? Yes

Where does Aunt Maggie of The Ferryman go when she’s far away? I think about death a lot

How tall is that guy in “Hadestown”? Timothy Hughes is 6’7″

What’s it like to dance in a wheelchair? “It’s a little like being on ice,” says Ali Stroker, in the cast of Oklahoma!, “because the movement is more fluid than when people are walking and running.”

How does the male star of “Tootsie” sing like a woman? Lots of practice.

Is the debate in “What the Constitution Means to Me” scripted or improvised? A little bit of both.

Game of Thrones vs Hair Live. David Byrne On Broadway, Bat Out of Hell Off. More Awards! #Stageworthy News of the Week Fans can add another reason to be disappointed with Game of Thrones. NBC executives are now claiming they killed Hair Live, which they had planned to broadcast yesterday, when HBO announced GOT's finale would be aired on the same day.