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.