So much to write about and still no internet!

I guess I should talk about Kim's wedding. It was absolutely lovely. The ceremony was filled with love and joy and laughter, and I was so glad to be there. The reception was amazing. It was at an incredible venue with beautiful gardens outside and gorgeous, fancy rooms inside. I think there was enough food to feed a small country for a year. During cocktail hour there were a bunch of stations set up with all the appetizers you could imagine (as well as a martini bar), so I was stuffed by the time dinner rolled around. There was also a crazy assortment of desserts after dinner. There was a fun band and lots of dancing, and I had a great time. I knew a lot of people there, and I got to see my parents and brother (my parents also stuck around the next day so I got to spend more time with them in the city, which I was really happy about). Here are some photos:

It really was a fabulous, joyful, celebration, and I'm so happy for Kim and Jeff.


Other fun events will be discussed in another post coming very, very soon. I have jury duty now, and I think I'm the only person who's thrilled to be here. There's wifi, so I get to sit around all day using the internet and reading. It's wonderful! So I'll post again soon while I'm able to take advantage of this free time and internet access.

I'm still waiting to get internet in my apartment, but hopefully it should happen soon and I'll be able to start posting again on a semi-regular basis.

I haven't written in forever, and I have a ton to write about, but I'm crunched for time so I'll stick with the stuff that's freshest in my mind. Last night I went to a Yankees game. I don't care about the Yankees (I'm a die-hard Braves fan), but I love baseball games, so I had a good time. A friend gave me his season tickets for the night, which was nice.

On Tuesday I went to a fun Dirty Dancing screening hosted by SkinnyCow in honor of the movie's 25th anniversary. It was so much fun! The movie is one of my all-time favorites (I've seen it many, many times), and it's one that I can watch over and over and enjoy every time. I've never seen it on the big screen before, so that was cool. Jennifer Grey introduced the film (she looks amazing, by the way). During the movie, people cheered and clapped and sang along with all the songs, so it was a fun environment. After the movie there was a cocktail party and lots of dancing. I went with a few friends whom I hadn't seen in awhile, and it was really nice to catch up with them. I had a good time. There was good food, good drinks, and cool gift bags (with t-shirts and copies of the movie, which I already own, along with some SkinnyCow treats). Here are some fun photos:

I felt that Jennifer Grey needed some ice cream (SkinnyCow, of course):

 And we got to dress up and be silly:

Here's another recent photo (taken with my phone) that I like:

I've seen a few other blogs share their favorite things, so I thought I'd post a few of mine.

This weekend I'm in my childhood best friend's wedding, which I've been looking forward to for a long time. I'll post photos (hopefully soon)!

"I can't begin to explain how we disassemble the parts and frame." ~the naked & famous



I really need internet at my apartment, because right now it's just too much trouble to come to the library or Starbucks to blog. I have a lot to write about; I've been able to have a lot of fun lately (I went skydiving, for example!). I saw six Broadway shows last week (and there are a few more I saw awhile ago but haven't written about yet) and I want to write about them. I don't have much time, though, so I'm just going to write very short reflections.

Death of a Salesman
I love Philip Seymour Hoffman, I truly think he's one of the greatest actors alive, so seeing him as Willy Loman was such a treat for me. He transformed himself into a broken man and it broke my heart. I also loved seeing Andrew Garfield onstage; I'm a big fan of his as well, and he definitely captured Biff's torment. Linda Emond and Finn Wittrock were also strong as the other two members of the Loman family. Mike Nichols directed the play, and he meticulously crafted the production elements to create a real sense of the time and place. This was the first production I've seen of this classic play, and I enjoyed it very much.

Peter and the Starcatcher
This is a lovely, creative new play that's basically a prequel to Peter Pan. The set is very minimal; the actors use minimal props (like a rope) and their own bodies to create the scenery. The cast is wonderful. Christian Borle will probably win a Tony for his performance, and I particularly loved Adam Chanler-Berat and Celia Keenan-Bolger in their roles. Ben Brantley gave the play a rave in his New York Times review, and I agree with his assessment of the production. It's magical.

Nice Work If You Can Get It
This is Matthew Broderick's first musical since The Producers, and it's a great vehicle for him. Kelli O'Hara is his stage partner, and she is as lovely as always. Seeing two incredibly talented musical theatre actors performing in a well-written comedy and singing classic Gershwin tunes proved to be a great evening of fun. I was surprised at how funny the show was.

Evita
This show has gotten mixed reviews. People tend to either love or hate Elena Roger, the Argentinian actress playing the title role. I love, love, love the score, and I think Roger sings it well (which is not an easy feat). Her dancing is also very strong, and she captures Eva's scrappy nature. I actually think I'm one of the few people who feels ambivalent about her overall performance, but I guess I lean toward a positive reaction. Michael Cerveris always gives a solid performance, and his Juan Peron is no exception. Ricky Martin isn't as charismatic as I hoped he would be as Che. (Fun fact: I saw Ricky Martin a really, really long time ago (like over 15 years ago) as Marius in Les Miz.) Anyway, I've always loved the score of this show, so hearing it sung live by talented singers was enough to make me happy.

One Man, Two Guvnors
This show transferred from London where it received rave reviews and was a huge hit, and I'm interested to see how it does on this side of the pond. It's definitely very English, but I don't think that's a bad thing at all. It's a very, very funny farce. James Corden is absolutely hilarious, and the supporting cast is very strong as well. I basically laughed for two-and-a-half hours straight, and there's nothing better than that. Fun fact: I met James Corden's parents (and auntie) the morning of the show while I was waiting in line for a rush ticket; they were very friendly, and it was cute to see how proud they were of their son.

Leap of Faith
This show is an absolute disaster, but Raul Esparza is wonderful. I have no idea how such a talented actor became involved in such a mess onstage. That's really all that needs to be said.

Don't Dress for Dinner
This is another farce currently on Broadway. The play was written by Mark Camoletti, the man who wrote Boeing-Boeing, and I suppose it's a sequel to Boeing-Boeing (it features the same two main characters). It's very funny; I really do like farce. I like laughing, and this play made me laugh. I guess I'm easy to please. Spencer Kayden steals the show; she's definitely the best thing about it.

That's all for now. I've wanted to write about new mid-season tv shows that I'm watching (GCB, Girls, Scandal, Don't Trust the B in Apartment 23), but that will have to wait.

"Been talking 'bout the way things change, and my family lives in a different state. And if you don't know what to make of this, then we will not relate. So if you don't know what to make of this, then we will not relate. Rivers and roads, rivers and roads, rivers 'til I reach you." ~the head and the heart

I have a concert to write about today! I went to see The Head and the Heart at Terminal 5 on Sunday, and it was a great night. My friend Leah and I got a spot dead center in the front row (are you surprised?), so we had a perfect view. There were two opening bands, so The Head and the Heart didn't go onstage until 10:00pm. They were worth the wait, though. They've only released one album (and it's amazing, so go buy it), and they played every song from the album, along with a bunch of new songs. Leah and I both managed to avoid crying during "Rivers and Roads," which was quite a feat for us. They played with so much passion and energy, and you could tell how appreciated the audience and enjoyed being onstage and sharing their music with us. This is a good review of the show.

I recorded audio of the whole show and video for most songs. A security guy came and made me stop filming during "Coeur d'Alene," but later in the show Charity (who's in the band) announced that they wanted people to be able to film, which I thought was pretty cool. During the encore the security guy came back and made me stop filming again, but I did get a good chunk of the show (and audio of the whole thing).

Here's a playlist of my videos (I have more to add to it, which I'll do whenever I can get back to the library or Starbucks and connect to the internet). At least watch the first two videos. Really. "Lost in my Mind" is first, and it was absolutely wonderful. The members of the two opening bands came onstage, and the crowd sang along, and I can't explain what a feeling it was to be a part of that. Belting out "There are stars...UP ABOVE!" along with so many people was incredibly cathartic. "Rivers and Roads" is next in the playlist, and Charity absolutely kills it at the end of the song. Oh my goodness, she's freakin' amazing. "Sounds like Hallelujah" is another one of my favorites from the album, and it was great to hear it live.


Here are some photos I took:




And finally, here's my audio of the whole show (and here's the download version if you want that). If you haven't heard this band before, they are definitely worth a listen. Make sure to listen to "Rivers and Roads," "Lost in my Mind," "Down in the Valley" (a perfect closing song), "Sounds like Hallelujah," "Heaven Go Easy on Me"....oh, just listen to them all.
Here are the first five songs, and to hear the rest, go to the playlist here.

"Words will land on me, then abandon me, mangle, untangle me, leave me on the floor." ~u2

I haven't been able to post a lot because I don't have internet in my new apartment, but hopefully by April I'll be online at home and will be able to post more. Right now I'm at Starbucks, and I have recent shows to share about.

Porgy and Bess
The current Broadway version of this opera is quite controversial, but it seems like most people who haven't seen the opera before like this production, and that's true for me. Audra McDonald is a four-time Tony winner, I love her, and I think she's wonderful in this show. Norm Lewis is also very good. They have such beautiful voices, and I loved hearing them sing this score.

Jesus Christ Superstar
I love the music from this show, so that made it very enjoyable. I think the design elements are pretty strong in this production, particularly the sound design. A few of the actors are pretty weak, though. That may be because of the direction. I saw the first preview, and unfortunately a technical aspect of the show didn't work at that performance. They stopped the show three times to try and fix it, and Des McAnuff (the director) came onstage a few times to apologize, but they never got it to work. We got to see "Superstar" performed three times before they finally decided to just move on. That's the kind of song that gets stuck in your head easily, so it was pretty difficult to shake after hearing it live three times in a row.

Carrie
I ushered at this and got a seat in the front row, which was awesome. I love, love, love Carrie. I love the movie, and I really love the musical. In this production, Molly Ranson is fabulous as Carrie. I love what Ben Brantley says about Marin Mazzie (playing Carrie's mother) in his New York Times Review; he writes, "Mazzie at first seems like your average strict but caring mom. But when she sings, in a pure fire-edged soprano, an intensity emerges that shades into something more sinister. And the line between fierce maternal solicitude and obsessive, homicidal madness blurs in ways that take you by surprise." I also liked Christy Altomare as Sue. I thought the show was very moving.

Once
I saw this movie when it opened and fell in love. I have the DVD and watch it often. Obviously I had high expectations going into the Broadway musical that's been adapted from the film. The show didn't disappoint. It's absolutely lovely. I wasn't thrilled that they cut a few songs (particularly "Lies"), but overall I think it's a beautiful show.

Gore Vidal's The Best Man
I'm seeing this show today, so I'll post a review later. The cast includes James Earl Jones, John Larroquette, Candice Bergen, Eric McCormack, Jefferson Mays, Michael McKean, Angela Lansbury, and Kerry Butler. Seriously. If that's not an ideal, all-star cast, I don't know what is. I'm excited.