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Monday, December 24, 2007
1:21 PM
Before the insanity of Christmas sets it, I think it's wise to update now. We now have a full house, as Kelley and Ryan arrived yesterday afternoon and are also staying at mom and dad's house (through Christmas). Last evening we (Kel, Ryan, Mom, Dad, Aunt Debbie, and myself) had tickets to go see the stage version of "White Christmas" at the Carousel Dinner Theater. The show started at 5pm, and after exchanging hostilities with my parents over our departure time we headed out at around 4:15pm. (Note: If you tell me to be ready at 4:15, I will be ready to leave at 4:15. Don't yell at me for not being ready to go at 4:10. If you want to leave at 4:10, tell me to be ready at 4:10...it's really not that complicated!)
Anyway, upon arriving we found our seats up in the balcony. We had opted to buy show-only tickets, because we aren't big fans of Carousel's food. Unfortunately this meant that our seats were absolutely TERRIBLE! It was SO hot up in the balcony, and you had to lean forward to the edge of your seat to see the stage because there was a row of seats in front of us on our level. My dad spotted some unsold tables down below us, and after speaking with some of the workers somehow managed to get us moved down below. And so that is how we found ourselves seated in nice, plushy chairs at tables right next to the bar with a clear view of the stage. Fantastic! You know what they say: "The squeaky wheel..."
The show itself was...er, disappointing. Certainly it was entertaining, but I'm a huge fan of the movie and this production disappointed me. The actor playing Phil...well, I'm sorry, but Phil isn't supposed to be gay. I have nothing at all against gay musical theater actors as long as they can play their characters straight (unless of course the part calls for otherwise). The romance just didn't work between Judy and Phil because of Phil's obvious fruitiness! His voice and dancing were phenominal, but...I'm sorry, I was just distracted. He wasn't the only one to blame for my disappointment in the show, but he contributed to it.
After the show, we left and headed directly to Olive Garden. It appropriately started to snow after left the theater ("I'm dreaming of a white Christmas...just like the ones I used to know..."), and while we were eating it was literally a white-out outside! Thankfully the roads were fine by the time we left.
I almost forgot to mention "Sweeney Todd"! As I previously mentioned, I met up with some old friends from high school Saturday night and after dinner at "Bravo" we went to see "Sweeney Todd". It was fantastic! I wasn't very impressed with Helena Bonham Carter's singing, but her acting was spot-on. She made a tragically sexy Mrs. Lovett! Johnny Depp, on the other hand, has some pipes on him. He'll never be a broadway star, but his voice FIT Sweeney somehow. Loved him!
The film was very gory, as expected, but Burton's style is rather fantastic and cartoonish so it wasn't inappropriate (in my opinion). They *do* show Sweeney actually slicing men's throats, complete with dying gurgles and spurts of blood. Sondheim and Burton come together beautifully here, as Sweeney sings a wistful, darkly comic song about missing his daughter Joanna as he slices his victims' throats. Ah, I love you Burtheim.
Alan Rickman gave a wonderful turn as Judge Turpin. He seemed to relish playing an obviously evil man, whereas he has to restrain Snape's evilness in the Harry Potter films. And he can sing, too. :) Did I mention Sasha Baron Cohen as Pirelle? He was PERFECT! Perfectly flamboyant and sinister.
So here it is. It kills me to say this, but I think I actually enjoyed the film more than the stage version. The singing was far better on stage, but the film was visually stunning and a lot more engaging. I feel dirty somehow for preferring the film to the broadway show... er, oh well. :)
A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS to you and yours. As you open your gifts this holiday season, remember to take a moment to thank God for THE gift.
"Mild He lays His glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth.
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn king!"Labels: broadway, christmas, movie, musicals
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Saturday, December 22, 2007
2:01 PM
Your Vote Score: 41% Republican, 59% Democrat |
 You are truly an independent voter, and you don't fit well with either party.
Maybe you should choose one issue to vote on - or look into third parties! |
Should You Vote Republican or Democrat?
I always said I was an independent. :P
So things at home have been...eh. I've come to the conclusion that there is no way I could possibly move back home permanently. My mom, the super choleric, is seriously driving me crazy. She has always had a volatile temper, and while it has gotten better over the years it is still explosive at times. I'd like to challenge her to try to go one day without yelling, scolding, nagging, or degrading someone, but I know it would just upset her (surprise surprise) and would be impossible besides. Staying at home and relearning how to tip-toe around her temper has brought back unpleasant memories of my childhood, and for that reason I know that I couldn't go back to living like this. I'm more of a phlegmatic like my dad, so she REALLY grates on my nerves at times!
Other than that, things are good. :) My christmas shopping is mostly done, but I still have to find a $5 present for the present game my family always plays on christmas. It involves dice, presents, a timer, and general insanity. Yesterday I did most of my shopping, and I completely forgot about it! So now of course I have to venture back into the masses of fellow procrastinators and find something cheap yet useful for the game. Bah. :P
In other news, I am super excited for tonight! I am going out to dinner and then to see "Sweeney Todd" with Andrea, Ali, and Katie, three of my closest friends from high school. I miss them all so much, so tonight should be great fun. "Sweeney Todd" promises to to be excellent as well, especially since I've been looking forward to it for the past several months. Yay broadway musicals!
Speaking of "Sweeney", last Wednesday (December 12) Michele and I went to the Palace Theater in Columbus to see the tour of the broadway show. I was only vaguely familiar with the music and story so I really wasn't sure what to expect. I knew they had redone the show since the days of George Hearn and Angela Lansbury, the most striking change of which was the absence of a pit orchestra. The entire play was performed by 10 actors who stayed on the stage at all times and played their own instruments. I guess you could describe this new interpretation as minimalist, as there were few props and only one stage set. My thoughts? Well, my unfamiliarity with the music definitely worked against me, as at times it was difficult to understand what was going on with the absence of props and sets to help tell the story. The actors themselves were phenominal, and Judy Kaye was an incredible Mrs. Lovett. The minimalist approach emphasized the drama and story, and created a sense of intimacy in the theater that I think would have been lacking otherwise. Because I wasn't familiar with the music, I became bored at times during the first act because I couldn't understand all the words and hence became frustrated. What's more, a heavy-set woman sat in front of me and effectively blocked my view of much of the stage. I ended up moving to the empty seat on the other side of Michele during intermission, and my theater experience was MUCH more enjoyable and pleasant thereafter!
As for the musc, well Sondheim's score is haunting and beautiful at times, while strident and dissonant at others. It really is a remarkable piece of work, and the music has been stuck in my head ever since. I'm looking forward to hearing how Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter are able to perform the songs, as they are technically challenging due to prevalence of counterpoint and angular harmonies. Hm.
All in all, I really enjoyed the show but would have preferred the original (non-minimalist approach). Perhaps I would have enjoyed it more if I was more familiar with the music, but because I was not I had to really pay close attention to catch what exactly was going on. Even so, I could appreciate the complexity of Sondheim's score, the brilliant acting and musical talent, and the chilling, tragic story. I can't wait to see Tim Burton's interpretation! I am sad to hear that he decided to cut "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd" and "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd finale", as these were two of my favorite songs, but it made sense to cut them for the film version. I am withholding final judgement until I've seen the whole thing...
And again with the lengthiness. "Good on you, mate" if you've read this far! I should probably go find that $5 present now. Except there is nothing in me that wants to face the christmas crowds.
Sigh. Okay, I'm gone.Labels: christmas, home, movie, musicals
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Friday, December 15, 2006
3:08 PM
(This is post number 333! Yay!)
I am a baking machine! Typically, I try to stay away from the kitchen. I don't have the best history with fire and knives, so it's best for everyone if my forays into the kitchen are few and far between (unless, of course, I am partaking of someone else's culinary prowess). However, thanks to my sister's interest in cooking, I've become more and more interested in exercising more than just my jaw muscles. I have cable in my apartment, and my sister does not. Consequently, my sister comes over all the time to enjoy Rachael Ray and Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network. Astonishingly, I find I'm actually interested in the shows, too! I added cookbooks to my christmas wish list, and picked up a couple of my own. My kitchen is depressingly empty at the moment (re: ramen and macaroni & cheese are the two main food items). I'm actually staying with my parents until January 2nd, so until then I'll just have to make do with marking interesting recipes and writing up a grocery list for my return to Columbus. I'm contemplating cooking here for my parents for practice, but I'm really enjoying relaxing. Although, cooking can be relaxing! When everything is going right, that is...
Back to my backing achievements.
Because I am on a tight budget this Christmas, I decided I would bake for my friends and family instead of shopping. Ali and I are getting together today (YAY!), so I wanted to bake some tasty cookies for her. I spent literally all day yesterday baking christmas cut-out cookies, and they came out really well! I started baking at around 12pm and I finished at 6pm. It was truly an all day project, and turned out to be a lot more work than I was expecting! The frosting didn't come out as well as I would have liked, and I had to use almond extract instead of vanilla, but the taste is still really good. I made little bells, stars, reindeer, snowmen, and christmas trees. I didn't have any cut-outs, so I had to purchase them at Giant Eagle while the dough refrigerated. Tragically, Giant Eagle didn't have any cookie cut-outs!!! I was shocked! They did, however, have little jello cut-outs, but you had to buy 6 small boxes of jello to get the cut-outs for free. I don't eat jello; no one else in my family does either. Still, I really needed the cut-outs. So, I brought the jello boxes to the register with the free cut-outs, and told the cashier to just charge me for the boxes and put them back on the shelves, because I was just going to throw them away. She slipped the cut-outs into a bag and with a secret smile told me not to worry about it. Yay! Free cut-outs!
I was exhausted after all the cutting and cookie decorating, so I decided to put the gingerbread off until today. I got up late, but I was back in the kitchen backing by 11:30am, and the gingerbread was finished by 1pm. I was a little unsure about this gingerbread, because the recipe called for finely chopped crystallized ginger. This crystallized ginger I found was VERY expensive, and it wasn't finely chopped at all. I had to chop it up best I could before adding it to the dough. The gingerbread is delightful, though! It has a really sweet holiday taste, and is perfect with a cup of tea!
I am really proud of myself. I didn't burn anything, cut myself, burn down the house, or break anything! I plan on making buckeyes for my grandparents, but I won't start on those until closer to Christmas. There is nothing more delicious than a candy buckeye!
And I seriously can't believe I just wrote a whole post about cooking. How domestic is that?
Perhaps I'll next write about my 21st birthday...
I think a celebratory post is long overdue, too (celebrating the end of hellish autumn quarter!).
I think I'll go munch on some gingerbread and enjoy my novel. I'm currently reading Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel's Dart, an excellent fantasy novel if you're looking for a good one.
I do so love winter break!Labels: christmas, food
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