"Well I'm all messed up, that's nothing new. Hey monkey, when you open up your blue eyes, I don't know if I'm wide awake or dreaming. But all I ever need is everything. Hey monkey, where you been? This lonely spiral I've been in. Hey monkey, when can we begin? Hey monkey, where you been? Just get the world off your shoulders, and close your pretty blue eyes. Hey monkey, what's life without an occasional surprise?" ~counting crows

School is stressing me out more than ever right now (and seriously, that's saying a lot), so I'll write about happy stuff.

Last Sunday was my brother's college graduation. Of course I was gone for two nights, and those had to be the two nights that The National played in NYC. Figures. Just my luck, right? I'm really pissed about missing the BAM show, because I freakin' love the setlist. But I've seen them eight times already, and I'll see them a ninth time in June (at Radio City Music Hall), so I guess I'll live. And I couldn't miss my brother's graduation. It was a nice weekend. It was good to spend time with my parents and grandmother and brother, none of whom I see very often.

I saw Next to Normal on Monday for the fifth time. I'm obsessed. It was Brian d'Arcy James' first show, so it was cool to be there for that. It seemed like most people were there for him; he got a huge round of entrance applause. I'm in love with J. Robert Spencer in the role of Dan so I was wary going into it, but I was very impressed with Brian's performance. I've seen him in quite a few things on Broadway (Time Stands Still, Shrek, The Lieutenant of Inishmore) and he's a great actor. He originated the role of Dan off-Broadway, but he left to play Shrek. He really nailed the emotional side of Dan. There were quite a few real tears from him. I think Bobby Spencer is still my favorite Dan, but I was still very pleased with Brian.

Jessica Philips was on as Diana. I've seen Alice Ripley in the role for which she won a Tony Award all the previous times I've seen the show, so it was actually nice to see her understudy (about whom I had heard many raves). She has the most gorgeous voice, and her take on the part is very different from Alice's, but I thought it worked. I was very glad I got to see her.

I'm curious about the emotional toll that the show must take on Jennifer Damiano. Jenn has been with the show for more than two years, since it began at Second Stage. She just turned 19 last week. She was 16 when the show began. She hardly ever misses performances (she and Adam are the only two actors who have been on every single time I've seen the show). And the role of Natalie is not an easy one; it seems incredibly taxing, emotionally and vocally. And she pours her heart and soul into it eight times a week. For someone so young to be so dedicated to something is really impressive to me.

Overall it was a really, really great performance. The fact that it was Brian's first performance made it special. Hopefully I'll go back soon.

Hopefully I'll have new shows to write about soon. I think Nic and I are seeing Memphis tomorrow. And next Sunday I'm seeing American Idiot with Shannon!


I'll leave you with Next to Normal's Tony performance. It's not perfect (Alice's timing is a bit off), but I think Bobby is great in it.
I really miss Aaron.

WEB EXCLUSIVE: The National Play

"I'm on a bloodbuzz, yes I am, I'm on a bloodbuzz." ~the national

More of my appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon:

WEB EXCLUSIVE: The National Play

I knew all the words to the song (even though this was filmed months before the album was released), but I tried not to sing along because I didn't know if they'd want me to. I just couldn't help myself for some of it, though. :D

Scroll down to see the official (and hilarious) video for this song.

"I was carried to Ohio in a swarm of bees. I never married, but Ohio don't remember me." ~the national

The National released the video for the first single from High Violet, which is "Bloodbuzz Ohio." I'll get back to you when I stop laughing. Because it's absolutely freakin' hilarious. It's probably a lot funnier if you know the band well, but even if you don't, you should find it amusing. Matt's good at taking the piss (is it weird that I can only think of a British expression to say what I mean when I'm American??).

The National - "Bloodbuzz Ohio" (official video) from The National on Vimeo.

"This pricey stuff makes me dizzy, I guess I've always been a delicate man. Takes me a day to remember a day, I didn't mean to let it get so far out of hand. I was a comfortable kid, but I don't think about it much anymore. Lay me on the table, put flowers in my mouth, and we can say that we invented a summer lovin' torture party. I'm too tired to drive anywhere anyway right now, would you care if I stay? You can put on your bathing suits and I'll try to find something on this thing that means nothing." ~the national

Yesterday I had my final student-teaching observation. Tomorrow is my last grad school class. I baked cookies for it; I love any excuse to bake. Things are winding down. And it feels great. I can't believe I graduate in just a few weeks. This is what I wore to inspire me during my final observation:
I love Captain Awesome (from Chuck). And I love this shirt.

The National's High Violet isn't released until Tuesday, but my limited edition deluxe vinyl arrived on Thursday. It's absolutely beautiful. It's actually two vinyls. Here's one of them:
Isn't it just gorgeous?

I was going to write movie reviews but, surprise surprise, I don't have time. So I'll give it to you in tweet speak. Robin Hood was a big, boring disappointment. Ironman was a lot of fun.

Hopefully I'll have exciting stuff to write about this week.

"Don't be bitter Anna, I know how you think. You're waiting for Radio City to sink. You'll find commiseration in everyone's eyes. The storm will suck the pretty girls into the skies. Oh, our lonely kicks are getting harder to find. We'll play nuns versus priests until somebody cries. Oh, our lonely kicks they'll make us say anything. We'll play nuns versus priests until somebody wins. Leave our red southern souls, Head for the coast. Leave our red southern souls, Everything goes." ~the national

I'm editing this post to say that I didn't realize I was posting the same song lyrics I posted yesterday. Obviously you can tell what song is stuck in my head. So I'll just leave it. And I'll move on to a new song by The National for my next post. :D I've transcribed all the lyrics to all the songs on High Violet, which is no small feat (especially considering how difficult it is to understand what Matt is saying). I responded to a poll asking for peoples' favorite song from High Violet, and it was impossible to choose one. I picked "England," but my favorite song really changes every day. Tomorrow it might be "Sorrow." Or "Lemonworld." Or "Terrible Love." Or "Little Faith" (quoted above).

I don't think I ever posted about Everyday Rapture here, but it needs to be mentioned. It's Sherie Rene Scott's show (she wrote it based on her life and she performs it). It started off-Broadway at Second Stage, and I saw it there and loved it. It was brought to Broadway after Megan Mullally quit Lips Together, Teeth Apart and that show fell apart. Everyday Rapture was a very last-minute, unexpected addition to the Broadway season, and I am SO happy that it made it. I saw it on Broadway last weekend, and it just opened to rave reviews. Here are some snippets from Ben Brantley's rave in the New York Times:

Just as the Broadway theater season is drawing to its close, a smashing little show has arrived to remind us of why so many of us keep going back to Broadway, even though it’s broken our heart so many times.

“Everyday Rapture,” which opened on Thursday night at the American Airlines Theater, is by no means a conventional Broadway musical. Yet I can’t think of another production in recent years that captures and explains so affectingly the essence and allure of musicals, and why they’re such an indispensable part of the New York landscape.

....“Everyday Rapture” tells the ostensibly familiar story of a girl from the American heartland who falls in love with showbiz — and its capital city, Manhattan — from a distance, breaks away from a confining hometown that has never understood her and becomes a big star of big hit musicals in New York....The girl is named Sherie Rene Scott, and she is portrayed by Sherie Rene Scott in what you could safely say is the role of a lifetime.

....What Ms. Scott and her team summon here is that strange alchemy of ego, hunger, desperation and mysticism that infuses every great Broadway performance. That’s what turns human specks of dust into starlight. In breaking down the chemistry of that transformation, Ms. Scott has never shined brighter or more illuminatingly.

Mr. Brantley so eloquently expresses what I feel about the show and Ms. Scott. I really, really hope she wins a Tony for this (for best book or for best actress or both). Here's a peek at the show:


There's also a good excerpt from the play on the left side of the NYTimes review that I like listening to.