Get On Your Feet

Last Saturday we went to see Get On Your Feet, the story of Gloria and Emilio Estefan.  That was really good and much more emotional than I was expecting.   I cried during act two.  It was amazing to see Cuban music come to our country in this inspiring American Immigrant story. 

The Baker Street Irregulars

We saw the Baker Street Irregulars last week at Dobama Theater.  I really enjoyed this and it contains more than a bit of the holiday season.  The kids in it are excellent.  You can listen to an interview with the author, Eric Coble, here at WCPN.  You have until December 30 to see it.  I recommend you do.

Marjorie Prime

Steve and I saw Marjorie Prime last week at Dobama Theatre.  It starred Cleveland's amazing Dorothy Silver.   In this world, you can have a simulation of a deceased loved one called a prime.   And there was a lot about grieving.   I really loved this play.  There is a movie version from this year's Sundance Film Festival.   You can actually view it now from various online streaming services.   This show looks realistically at the role of artifical intelligence in our lives.    

The Diary of Anne Frank

I saw the Diary of Anne Frank this past Sunday at the Cleveland Play House. It was wonderful.   Tragic, because we know what's going to happen, but wonderful.   It really made Anne Frank into a human person, rather than the ideal I had imagined for all these years.

The set is in the middle of the Occault theater and it's a reproduction of the Secret Annex, minus the walls.   You really get a sense of how crowded the space was for those 2 years.   Also, parts of the diary that were omitted from the book (namely Anne's thoughts of her budding sexuality) have been restored! 

There is an intermission, but like the people in the novel, the actors are unable to leave the stage.   They go about with life stuff, and you really feel sorry for them.   I really recommend seeing this show.  Please bring tissues.

Waitress

Yesterday, Steve and I saw Waitress at Playhouse Square.  It was truly a feminist musical and a lot of fun.   We laughed a lot.   Jenna is a waitress married to abusive husband.  She works at Joe's Diner and makes pies.  She finds out early on that she's pregnant and knowingly makes some bad decisions.  And you can't fault her for them!  She rescues herself!

This show was quite clever with their marketing.  They scented the lobby with apple pie and sold tiny pies in jars.   Brilliant!  Quite effective.  We ended up buying pie later at dinner, but it's certainly a good idea.  Go see it!

Waiting for Godot

We just got out of the Beck Center's production of Waiting for Godot.  It's supposed to be deeply philosophical and represent something.   I see it as two fools with foul smelling breath or feet are waiting for a dude named Godot.  They run into others with poor episodic memory or possibly encounteres with those people from other dimensions.   They contemplate suicide and are not good at it. 

I now want to watch Wonder Woman that has an actual Godot in it.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

We saw the Hunchback of Notre Dame at Great Lakes Theater this past Thursday.   I hadn't seen the movie until the week before.  I really enjoyed this production.   They made the ending closer to the book.   It was nicely un-Disney-like to remove the happy ending.   The music was lovely, lots of Latin.   Also, it is implied that the talking gargoyles may be part of Quasimodo's mind rather than the magical dancing characters seen in the animated film.   This is playing until November 4th, and I highly recommend it.

Shakespeare in Love

I saw the Cleveland Playhouse show, Shakespeare in Love yesterday.  I liked it so much better than the movie.  It had a wonderful plot and truly likable characters.   Also, the costuming was very rock 'n roll Ren faire.   I really recommend that you see it.  The last day is Sunday.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Net

It's a new theater season!   We saw One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest at the Beck Center last Sunday.   There are no matinee showings because of the mature subject and themes of the show.

It really is an excellent production.   Very much like the movie and all the ancillary characters are spot on in displaying the signs of mental illness.   I was particularly impressed with the  guy with tardive diskinesia, a side effect of many drugs to treat mental conditions.  

As a healthcare provider, I can call this one a how not to treat your patients.   But the show is set in the 60's and the practices are thus outdated.   I recommend this show, but don't expect a happy ending.

City of Angels

Got back from City of Angels at the Beck Center.  Interesting musical, the last of all our subscriptions for the season.   The story alternates between the detective story from an author (Stine) and the author's life as he writes his book into a screen play.  He has a micromanaging producer and this leads to conflict and metatheater situations.    Not my favorite genre, but a decent show.

An American in Paris

I wanted to like An American in Paris.  But I didn't.   I haven't seen the movie, so I came in to it with a fresh set of eyes.   I love George Gershwin's music.   This show was a great disappointment to me.

There are three Americans in this show, and I only liked the female, Ms. Davenport, the secondary love interest.   The two guys were former soldiers who decided to live in Paris after World War 2, as an artist and musician.  They fall in love with a French girl, who is poorly developed as a character but a fantastic ballet dancer.  She is already in a relationship with another guy, so we have this love triangle going on from the beginning.

I found the Americans' inability to say no to the pursuit of a relationship a real turnoff.   The staging, costumes, ballet, and projections are all wonderful.  The plot and relationships leave something to be desired.   If I was to produce this show, I'd make it a straight out ballet and cut all of the dialogue.

Really Really

Just got back from the regional premier of Really Really at the Beck Center.   That was some heavy material.   College, rape, money, privilege, and what is the truth.   It pains me to see people use whatever means necessary to get what they want.  There is a lot of selfishness in this play.  It also bothers me that this play reinforces the sterotype that of poor people lying and cheating to get ahead.   It's not happy, but it makes you think.

Hand to God

I got to see Hand to God the other day at Dobama Theater.  I enjoyed it and all of it's dark humor, but it wasn't what I was expecting.   It was advertised as a cross between Avenue Q and the Book of Mormon, two shows that I really love.  This show had puppets and a religious theme, but that's where the similarities ended.

Premise: a widowed woman works for the church and is trying to put on a puppet show.  Her son, Jason has a puppet (Tyrone) that has a very dark streak, eventually leading the group to believe that he is possessed by the devil.   

Tons of dark religious psychology in this show.  Eventually, Tyrone is revealed to be a manifestation of Jason's pain for his father's death.   Also, lots of violence and a gratuitous puppet sex scene.   This show is definitely for the 21 and over crowd.   It's not a musical, so you don't go home with a song in your heart.   Tyrone's last speech actually reminds me of Puck's at the end of A Midsummer Night's Dream.  The effect is eerie and fascinating.   :If you like creepy plays, watch this.  If dolls and puppets scare you, or if the religious overtones hit close to home, I'd advise you to avoid it.   It's not every day you see a guy bludgeon his own hand with a hammer.

Something Rotten

This past Saturday I had the pleasure of seeing Something Rotten.  We saw it on the final weekend, which is very unusual for us, but we had scheduling conflicts that couldn't be moved.   This is a really fun, original story for any fan of the Broadway musical genre.   Basically, two Brothers in during the Renaissance are writers in direct competition with William Shakespeare (who is portrayed as the David Bowie of his day).  With the gleanings of a soothsayer, they decide to write a musical, centuries before the genre is supposed its debut.  

The fifth number, A Musical,  garners multiple ovations in the middle of the first act.  Check out the link to see all the allusions to Broadway shows.  

The music is classic 1930's Broadway with lots of incongruous, campy, slapstick humor.  If it comes to your city, go see it!

Pelleas and Melisande

I went to see the opening night of Pelleas and Melisande with the Cleveland Orchestra.  There are performances tonight and Saturday, and I really recommend it.

The plot is what happens when family and lovers don't communicate and assume very bad things.   Golaud finds Melisande at a pond in the forest.  She is a survivor of some kind of trauma.   They get married with them not knowing much at all about each other.   Pelleas is Golaud's younger half brother, and he develops this childish crush on Melisande.  It is mostly flirting and games, and ends act 3 with a kiss.   Golaud kills his brother over this and eventually Melisande dies after childbirth.

The staging and music were way better than the plot.   It's Debussy, so the music is very beautiful.   The singers were among the orchestra, and the action was done in a box far back on the stage.  It was full of dancers, smoke, lights, and projections.  The glass went cloudy or clear with electric charge.   It was a pond, a grotto, and oftentimes a forest.  It was just as impressive (yes, intentional pun) as the director's previous staging of the Cunning Little Vixen.

The opera is 3 hours long.  90 minutes (acts 1-3), 20 minute intermission, and then 65 minutes for acts 4 and 5.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWueJENDvwU

Freaky Friday the Musical

I have seen all three versions of the Freaky Friday movie franchise.   Although the characters were different in all versions, the premise is the same: a mother and daughter switch bodies and experience one another's lives.   I was quite happy with the musical at Cleveland Playhouse last night.  This show has not been to Broadway yet, but I imagine it will once it earns a following.   CPH has even extended its run by an entire week.  Go see it!

Try the World: France

So our Try the World France arrived.   We only yesterday finished the Holiday Box.   And I've only sampled the Greek box.   I'll need to start this one because it has perishables in it.

 I actually already bought a tube of this chestnut paste in the fridge.    I know it's good.   Great with dessert type things.

 Salt without iodine.   It'll be nice to add at the end of a meal.

Tomato spread.  I haven't really looked at the recipes much, but I can probably use it with a wrap or pasta.

 Mustard, also good for sandwiches and wraps.

 Fig jam for cookies or crepes.  

 Cheesy crackers!

 Butter cookies!

And finally crepes!   I only recently learned how to make these on my own.  It's not as hard as I thought it would be, but these look yummy.  I know what I'm having for breakfast.

Between Riverside and Crazy

This week, we went to Cleveland Play House to see Between Riverside and Crazy.   Wow, that was thought provoking.    CPH never fails to present fascinating material.

So Walter is an ex-cop living in a rent controlled palatial apartment in New York City.   He is recently widowed and his son is helping him around.  The NYPD wants him to take a settlement for his lawsuit 8 years ago.  He was off duty and shot by another cop, and race seems to have been a factor.   He has non-related family going in and out of his place and there have been complaints, and he is threated with eviction notices.

One thing not mentioned in the pre-show conversation are the lies each character tells.   When you see it, watch for the recurring theme.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time

I loved the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time from the first time I read the book in the early 2000's.   Now it's a play that won many Tony Awards!   But, I get ahead of myself.

The story is about Christopher, a young man in Swindon, UK who lives with his father.  He discovers his neighbor's dog dead, speared through with a gardening fork.   He decides to investigate the murder and finds out truths of his own life.  

What makes the story unique is that Christopher is not neurotypical.   He is brilliant and mathematically gifted, with an eye for detail.   The book described life from his point of view, and the play brings it to life further.   You get a real sense of his perceptions through the lights, sounds, and Greek chorus.  The black box encompassing the stage really lets you into our protagonist's head and experience sensory overload.

The post play even features the proof of the Pythagorean theorem which was in the book's appendix.  If the tour is coming to your city, definitely go watch it.  It's not a musical, but it is a very faithful translation of the book with some additional enhancements.

How I Learned to Drive

I saw How I Learned to Drive this week at the Cleveland Play House.  It's a Pulitzer winning play from 1998.  The protagonist, Little Bit, takes us on a non-sequential ride through her memories of how she was groomed for pedophilia by her Uncle Peck with touches of humor and a Greek chorus.  The 1960's driving video clips are used to indicate what direction in time the clips are occurring.

We always go to the pre-show talk.  Our seat neighbors did not, and I overheard them say, "I think I know exactly what this is about!"  I decided to enlighten them a little so the subject wouldn't be a complete shock if they were expecting a light romp about 1960's driving school.  I recommend listening to this interview about the show.  It offers some insight into the second lead.

It's been a year of very emotionally hard hitting theater for me.   A Great Wilderness, Wait Until Dark, Body Awareness, and Fun Home all have deeply intense subjects.   I find myself thinking back of the events of this play.  I wonder how anyone could do such a thing and perpetuate a cycle of abuse.

Wait Until Dark

Last night we saw Wait Until Dark at Great Lakes Theater.  That was thrilling!   Three con men try to pull a fast one on a blind woman.   They use the standard battery of tricks, which our protagonist, Susie, notices because of her acute hearing.   Extremely exciting play that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

A Great Wilderness

I saw A Great Wilderness at the Beck Center this past Sunday.   It's a good play, but not a happy one.   It's about gay conversation therapy camps.   I left feeling angry about the intolerance and lack of empathy in the world.  It's tough, but you should see it.   Good lessons to be learned.  In a way, it reminds me of Thais, in which two characters switch world views.

I feel the most terrible for the women in marriages with "cured" husbands who never loved them.

The King and I

I saw the King and I this past Sunday at Playhouse Square.   Gorgeous costumes and nice use of the set.  The cast was actually mostly Asians.   All excellent in execution.  I guess I'm just not a Rogers and Hammerstein fan.  I loved Cinderella because of the new book and modernity injected into it.  This was classic.   And I definitely prefer newer shows with more up tempo plots.   I didn't hate it.  It was just not my style.

Bring it On the Musical

We went to the Beck Center to see Bring it On the Musical this past Sunday.  I cringed when it started because all of the sportsball.   I was afraid of it being vapid.   Honestly, it's a wonderful musical with music and lyrics by Lin Manuel Miranda of Hamilton fame.   It bears only a superficial resemblance to the movie in uniform colors and title.  With only one plot point I find objectionable, I give it an B+.  

Ken Ludwig's Baskerville

We were at Playhouse Square last night and saw Ken Ludwig's Baskerville.  That was amazingly fun!  5 actors who play over 40 parts with various costumes, hairpieces, and quick changes.  Only Holmes and Watson do not have other roles.   Quick changes happen so far, in seconds.  And the clothing isn't cheap looking either.  Everything looks convincingly Victorian!   There are 4 dressers to assist with the changes.  This was funny and smart, as well as a delight to watch.  Go see it!

Try the World: Greece

Another box from Try The World: Greece!   We are nearly caught up.  Just a little bit of the Italian box to go and then the Holiday Box.   Thank goodness most of these products are shelf stable!

 We have breadsticks with olives.

 This one is a sheep milk pasta.

 Almond cookies.  We've gotten at least two types from other countries.

 Tzatziki spices.

 A dessert sesame seed bar.

 Those grape leave wraps.

 Pasta sauce.

And finally, our first bottle of olive oil in a while.  This one is rosemary infused.

Into the Woods

I had the pleasure of seeing Into the Woods yesterday as performed by Fiasco Theater on tour.   Let me first say, that I adore the work of Stephen Sondheim.  Since I first saw the show back in college, I have been a big fan.  My high school did it the following year.  And of course I needed to own the original production on video starring Bernadette Peters.   This is the first time I've seen the show on tour by a professional company, and what they did was amazing!  

They managed to take a huge show with a large cast and orchestra, and scale it down to only about a dozen or so actors on stage.  It was accomplished by having all actors play various musical instruments and quite a few actors play multiple parts.  I know you think it's crazy, but it really works to showcase the brilliance of Sondheim's lyrics and music.  The singer is not fighting against a massive orchestra and the sheer genius of the words are laid bare.   I wasn't sure if I was going to be into it, but it totally worked!

Also, the set was minimal with everyday props such as hats and cloaks to distinguish the characters from on another.  This is a picture of Rapunzel and her cleverly knitted hair cap.  The actress was also Little Red Riding Hood.   It even worked when characters died.  You saw the actors really transform from one part to another.  The simplicity of the set and props made you fully get drawn in by the story and music.   It was magical.

Notice the bright pink hats.  These gentlemen portrayed Cinderella's stepsisters as well as the Princes.   Also, the one guy was Milky White.  This show features the best acting of a humanoid cow I have ever seen!  The cow was probably my favorite character.    Please go see this!   It's in town until the end of this month.