Heathers: The Musical

We just got back from seeing Heathers: the Musical at the Beck Center for the Arts and I feel compelled to write this review right now!  I have never seen the movie it is based on, but I do know that it's a cult classic with tons of high school drama.   This show is phenomenal.   The first two weekends are sold out in this regional premier.   I predict an extended run!   It has mature content, so our usual Sunday matinee was a Sunday night show.  Do not bring your kids and hold on to your hats and your hearts!

The story follows Veronica Shaw, a high school outcast who falls in with the popular girl clique, the Heathers.  They are Heather Duke, Heather McNamara,and Heather Chandler.   Veronica is seen as valuable because of her forging ability for things like hall passes and report cards.  She gets in and popular, then her life goes crazy.   Death, death, and more mayhem ensue.

This reminds me a bit of Sweeney Todd.  I came out of act one singing, "We All Deserve to Die" from that show.   This show is absolutely dark, yet somehow uplifting at the end.   Please please go see it.  You won't be disappointed.

The Fantasticks

Before today, I had never seen the Fantasticks before.   I had heard of the show because my high school did it, but it was before I attended there.   Great Lakes Theater was performing it, and we got to see it today, during the final weekend.

It's about love, parents and their intentions for their children, and what happens when you get what you want.  That last item reminds me of Into the Woods a bit.   There is also a character whose comic relief specialty is performing death scenes.   Never could I imagine death by bowling ball as such an amusing thing.

At first, I was unimpressed with the initial introduction of the young couple in love.   They are parted by a wall and their fathers hate one another.   When the fathers come on the stage, I was instantly more interested by their scheming and the magic of forbidding something as a means of motivation.   It truly made the show into a classic.

Try the World: Sweden

Our newest box from Try the World arrived!   I'm looking forward to trying these treats.   We also finally finished the stuff from the Thailand and Portugal boxes.  This is our second year of the services.

 First up, coffee.   The beans aren't actually from Sweden, but the blend is.

Chocolate fudge with rosehip flavoring.   I can't wait to try this.

More chocolate!  Cookies this time.  You can't go wrong with cookies.

This is elderflower syrup.  I'll have to check the recipe guide to do something with it.

 Lingonberry jam.   This will be great with pancakes.

I don't actually have any mustard right now, so I'm glad this arrived.   Maybe I'll do some kind of sandwich.

These are bread chips with olive oil.  Good for snacking.

Lastly, we have licorice.   I hope it's good.

Matilda the Musical

 Steve and I got to see Matilda the Musical this past Saturday.   I had seen the US movie adaption of the Roald Dahl book starring Mara Wilson and Danny DaVito.   This was wonderful!   I went ahead and ordered the book from the library to read later.

It's the story of one genius little girl who was born into a horrible, unappreciative family.   It's amazing that such a young actress and cast is able to carry the entire show.   There are 16 kids up on the stage and they are amazing.

I really recommend seeing it, renting the movie, and getting the book.   It's a wonderful show.

Lure Bistro

The other day, Steve and I joined some friends at Lure Bistro for dinner.  They had a combination of sushi, seafood, and other dinner fare.   They also had an all you can eat option for snow crab legs.   I decided to get some sashimi (pictured above) and a burger.

Steve got a spicy tuna roll.

Here is the burger I got.   It had cheddar cheese and a bacon jelly.  The truffle fries were so tasty!  I also was able to take home half of it for lunch the next day.

Steve had the filet mignon.  It's on a bed of mashed potatoes.

The bread before dinner was also good.  That's a garlic butter to the side.

The restaurant had a free valet.   The prices were reasonable too.   If I'm in the area, I would go again.

Anniversary Dinner: Voodoo Tuna

 Tonight we went out to Voodoo Tuna to celebrate our anniversary.   It's wonderful to have a sushi place so nearby.  Pictured above are salmon sashimi and banana unagi rolls (our favorite roll from this place).

 We also got the white tuna sashimi, dragon roll, and Cajun bacon rolls.

 Here is a closer view of the white tuna.

 They gave us some free Asian pear cheesecake to celebrate!   The fruit was warm and drizzled with caramel sauce.

 Since we last visited, Voodoo Tuna has completed the murals on their wall.  The art is beautiful and a tad bit quirky.

I really like this place.   It's too bad they aren't open on Sundays.   Weeknights are fairly quiet and it's easy to get a table right away.

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical

 We saw Beautiful this past Saturday.   I didn't know what to expect.  Thankfully, I learned it was about the history of Carole King's music.  It's a bit like Jersey Boys in that respect.   I grew up listening to her music because of my mother.

I loved the show!   It's a jukebox musical in the vein of Mama Mia! and Jersey Boys, but the music is there because you see the writing process behind the songs.  It makes great sense, every single placement.