Fly Like The Wind

My friend Monkey Junior flying in The Theatre for "Witches Of Eastwick":

"You have to believe we are..."

It appears very sad to me to find more than three people I know are so young that they don’t even know what "Xanadu" is.

I just re-watched the movie last week on my ‘new’ widescreen TV and found that I’m still touched by this movie, even with all of its faults.

The good thing is I’ve found I’m not alone.

And then, there’s this (which totally rocks my socks)!

Do I/we need help?

Huzzah?

Last night, I went to the final dress rehearsal of the new musical, Meet John Doe, at Ford’s Theatre. While I’m not at liberty to critique a rehearsal, there’s plenty of talented people on that stage and am looking forward to seeing it again.

But that’s not the topic of this post. At the top of the show, the Producing Director of Ford’s spoke and at the end of his speech, he made the request that all beepers, cellphones, Chinese watches and other noisemakers should be shut off.

As the overture started, I turned to my friend, VaWe, and whispered, “what’s a Chinese watch?” (Thinking I had missed out on a new electronic toy).

She looked at me, cracked up and replied, “he said Chiming watches.”

I need my ears cleaned...

Going, Going, Going- Part 2

After the “Vigils” matinee, we stopped at The Theatre so Patrick could see the new space and then a quick dinner before hitting the Kennedy Center for its acclaimed revival of "Carnival!"

Now, this show is based on Lili, an old MGM musical that is one of my mother’s favorite films, ergo, I remember it a lot from my childhood. I was not familiar with the musical at all, save for the fact that it was Jerry Orbach’s Broadway debut in 1961, so I was excited to see it. Not only that, but Natascia Diaz, a favorite of mine (& Patrick’s) from “Jacques Brel,” was in the cast.

The production at the Kennedy Center is exquisite, lavish, and beautifully acted. It’s just that I didn’t find the show itself as touching as the movie did (when I was a kid- it might be too treacly these days). The book is a little creaky, but at least it came to life when Natascia & Sebastian LaCause (her onstage lover) appeared.

Now, after we got ourselves situated in our second row seats, there was this woman right behind me who kept saying how much she loves this show and telling the people around her that they’d better not mind her singing along or they should find other seats. I groaned to Patrick, thinking she was just excited, as no normal adult would behave that way in a theatre. Well, during the “Cirque De Paris” number- sure enough- she started singing. I leaned over my shoulder and whispered (loud enough so she could hear), “Do you mind?”

She shut up after that. But then I felt a little guilt that the person sitting next to me was wondering if I meant that for her (and she was quiet).

But seriously, why on earth would someone think that they’re justified to act like they do in their own living room when there are plenty of people around them that had spent $80+ as well to listen to the show. It’s simple etiquette, people! Oy vey.

Afterwards, we met up with Ms. Diaz and had drinks with her before I took Patrick back to the bus so he could get home. Another full weekend complete.

Going, Going, Going

This past weekend was a whirlwind of activity. Saturday morning, I gathered my brother, a friend of his and my friend and co-worker, MiMo, to assist in getting a 50" widescreen TV from my friend WEW. A few weeks ago, he purchased a new 60" plasma HDTV and I asked what he was going to do with his other TV. I (jokingly) said I'd take it for free and he said, "If you can get it out of my house, you can have it."

You don't really need to twist my arm with that kind of answer. I took measurements and made sure it would fit and then we figured out the right date and resources to do it and so, at 11:30 we ventured into Mt. Pleasant . It amazingly took 90 minutes total to get the TV out of the row house and into mine. After that, I heard from my ex-girlfriend (and mother to one of my godsons) that she was in town and would like to see me. I was strapped for time, as I still had errands to run and my friend Patrick was coming into town to catch some theatre with me, so the only thing I could do with the ExG was pick them up at a metro stop and then take them to their car at another metro stop. Since it's been years since I'd seen them, it was good to do (and, man, 11 year olds grow like weeds). Thankfully, Patrick's train was delayed, so I was able to finish my errands before picking him up. The poor thing was starving, so we had a bite to eat before going to Arena Stage and seeing "Frankie and Johnnie In The Claire De Lune."

One of Terrence McNally's first popular plays, I've always found it moving - even the Broadway revival with Stanley Tucci & Edie Falco, while both being almost too attractive for the roles, touched me immensely- yet Arena's production was slightly uneven. Vinnie D'ambrosio has all the makings of an excellent Johnnie while Kate Buddeke's Frankie leaves a lot to be desired. I think that, with a few more performances, she'll be up to the task of a fully-formed character.

Sunday, we saw the final performance of "Vigils," a new play at Wooly Mammoth Theatre by 28-year-old Noah Haidle. A fun concept of a grieving widow, while hanging onto her dead husband's soul, trying to move on had a slow start but became engaging after the first half hour. The twist here is that it's the soul that didn't want to linger on earth and the living partner who wants to hang on, which is the opposite of all those other romantic ghost stories. I think with a little judicious trimming of the quickly monotonous memories; it'll be a captivating piece of theatre.

What else did we do? Check back soon...

What A Day...

Yesterday, my friend Lisa, from Happy Funtime Friend Servce, and I woke up early to get to the Best Picture Showcase at AMC Tyson's Corner and, for $30, it was one of hte best bargains I've had in a while. I mean, 5 movies, large drink and popcorn (with free refills all day) and in and out priviledges and what more can you ask for?

Granted, we both had already seen The Departed, and I had alrady caught "Miss SUnshine," but the other three films neither of us caught yet. So, in order of viewing:

Babel: Neither of us liked it that much. I felt that, with forty-five minutes of further editing (howabout that pointless Japanese girl story?), it would've been a good movie. I just felt that Innaritu was really trying so hard to make a big statement that just muddied the plot. Granted the Japanese girl story, taken on its own terms would've made a very powerful short film. There was one performance that I felt should have been recognised but wasn't and that was Brad Pitt's- truly heartbreaking, intense work.

The Queen: blew me away. I had expected an amazing performance from Helen Mirren (it's fresking Helen Mirren, folks!), so that wasn't a surprise, but I wasn't expecting was such a moving piece about the Monarchy and their grief over Princess Diana's unexpected death and overcoming centuries of traidition to grieve with the rest of the world and recognise the other accomplishments that Diana had made in her lifetime. IMO, this should be the movie to win the Best Picture, although I really think it's The Departed's year.

Speaking of The Departed, we skipped out on that one and decided to take a walk throught the mall and have a nice leisurely dinner (granted, we had 2 hours and 45 minutes to kill before the next movie).


Letters From Iwo Jima: I was truly looking forward to being moved by this film, even though my track record with Clint Eastwood's directorial efforts have been spotty, and came away predictably disappointed from what could have been a powerful experience. Ken Watanabe did fine work as a high-ranking officer on the beach at Iwo Jima but Eastwood's passive style of directing just didn't make this movie live. In fact, I fell asleep a couple of times.

After that, we both decided that we'd had enough (and I didn't care to see Miss Sunshine again) and booked it out of there. Lisa to see a band at a local bar and me, to play with the chins. Overall, we had a fantastic day with the other film freaks that had settled into their seats for almost twelve hours (even though we weren't that dedicated).

Frozen in Carbonite or 20 Things in 6 Weeks

Allright, I totally and completely suck since it's been so long that I've updated this here blog, but I do hope to make it up over the next few days.

In the time since I last posted, I have:

1. Gotten food poisoning


2. Become obsessed with this frakking show


3. Worked with the Theatre's open house, which welcomed over 10,000 people (!)


4. Had a nasty cold (thankfully not anything worse)


5. Went to see this with LeFo


6. LeFo & I felt like octogenarians at said screening


7. Hosted my best friend from High School, The Rock (who will be stationed here this summer)


8. Went looking for houses with him (all day- oy)


9. Got sleeted on


10. Averaged working more than 25 hours at the Theatre per week


11. Opened (and now getting ready to close) "Into The Woods"


12. Was grossed out and yet fascinated by Pan's Labyrinth


13. Ate Ethiopian food


14. Saw Dreamgirls (again)


15. Was incensed at the Academy Award snub of Dreamgirls


16. Had a part fall off of my car


17. Plowed some snow and ice


18. Saw a pretty horrible production of "Footloose- The Musical"


19. Went to a black tie affair at the Theatre


20. Purchased my first Tuxedo (for said affair)

What are you doing this weekend?

I wanted to let you all know that the new Signature Theatre Building in Shirlington will be having an Open House this weekend.

There will be all sorts of things for kids (Mask-making, face-painting, etc.) and lots of free performances (a few are ticketed- namely Into The Woods on Sunday, The Euan Morton and the Emily Skinner concerts) but all else is free to the public. I’ll also be there all weekend and if I look a little frazzled, come say "hello" and try to calm me down...

Here's what the Theatre has to say about it:

EXPERIENCE THE NEW SIGNATURE THEATRE!

Open House Weekend January 13 & 14, 2007

Enjoy performances, family activities, master classes, and theater tours all weekend long. All events are free and open to the community. Tickets are not required unless otherwise noted. Free ticket distribution for select events begins the day of the event at 11:30am from Signature's new box office.

Visit www.signature-theatre.org for more information and a complete schedule of events.

First Of Year

So, here I am, the first night of 2007. Totally relaxed from a bath in my Jacuzzi tub and watching an episode of “Wonderfalls” (one of my favorite, yet canceled early series on DVD). My dear friend Flounder is dozing on the couch and her husband is watching “Babylon 5” on his laptop.

Here in the OBX we do things a little differently- more mellow and stuff. The other 16 folks are either asleep or downstairs in the home theatre or in the hot tub outside. So far, it’s been a fairly lazy week. Each night, someone makes dinner and we either imbibe some alcoholic drinks and just carry on or we watch some tv before hitting the sack. It’s funny how habits change as we get older. 9 Years ago, we all would’ve been all sorts of drunk and staying up late, now it’s a struggle to stay awake after 1 AM. I’m not complaining, mind you, I’m in a reflective state at the moment. Is this holiday one of the moments where reflection is part of the deal or just where I am psychologically?

No clue, just color me content.

I Love A Beach In The Winter

Season's greetings from the Outer Banks, NC!



After spending Xmas with the fam (as per every year), I packed up and joined 17 friends for a week of being lazy and taking care of children before ringing in the new year. This trip is something that I've undertaken since New Year's 98/99 and it's always entertaining.

I'll be posting reflections on the past year over the next few days- stuff I've done and haven't posted about and maybe my list of favorite movies/shows I've caught over the past 12 months, so keep checking in!

Gift giving & How to open them

Instructions here.

Post-Turkey update

Welp, a lot has happened since I last updated this here blog. Last week, Munsen got me into a Town Hall Q&A with Jimmy Carter at her place of secondary employment. Jonathan Demme was also there filming the event for a documentary he was making about the former president.

Now, I’ll admit to not remembering much about his term. Mostly, I remember the gas crisis and Iran Hostage situation, neither of which were his fault or doing, but post-term he’s been one of the most influential and humanitarian figures in history (you don’t get a Nobel Peace Prize for doing nuthin’). I found the 82-year man to be well-spoken and very eloquent about his views on Palestine and the current war in Iraq and also quite gracious. I spoke with an acquaintance while getting into the signing line, and asked her why there were no political figures who could phrase a sentence, galvanize a country or speak authoritatively like Carter, Clinton or (I begrudgingly admit) Reagan. We get mister nucular up there addressing the nation and it’s no wonder his approval ratings are so low.

But I digress, the line moved relatively fast and I was able to thank President Carter as he signed my books and he blew a kiss to another friend of mine behind me in line (after she told him that he was her hero- very sweet).

After that, I turned on my cell phone (no mobile phones allowed when meeting the former president) and found out that I had a couple tickets to catch the opening night performance of “She Loves Me” at Arena Stage and I only had an hour to find a date and get there. I was able to get my cohort in crime at the Theatre to meet me there and we saw SGS, his BF and Jenny also in the audience.

To be honest, I wasn’t really looking forward to it at all. In the past, the musical productions I’ve seen at Arena were less-than-pleasing- granted all of the ones I didn’t enjoy were directed by Artistic Director, Molly Smith, and since this was helmed by Kyle Donnelly I had no expectations.

My low expectations were, thankfully, dashed as the night progressed and it’s become the best musical I’ve seen at Arena Stage. This show was such a light-hearted romantic affair, I had a grin on my face halfway through act one. The second act was a bit predictable, but still enjoyable and I heartily recommend it to anyone on the DC area. After the review in the Washington Post, I’d assume that ticket sales are currently brisk through the holidays, when it closes December 31. Grade: A-

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well, that time of year has landed upon us. The time when we hurry up to tie any loose ends for the year and gear up for the next one. It's amazing how crazy-fast the time's gone, but this time of year, I strive to believe, brings out the best in people so it's welcome.



I'm thankful for:

My friends- those who I've known forever and those who've recently come into my life. You guys really are the best and I appreciate ya'll even when I'm at my grumpiest. It's been saqid that friends are those people you choose to be in your family and I think I made some good choices. Luv Ya. Mean it.



Leela & Fry- One of those impulse things that happened last spring and they are a constant joy and frustration in my life. I think they help me make a better person.

My fam- Another source of joy and frustration in my life- in only the best sense. I'm glad they're there and that they know I'm there for them, too.



There are other things I'm thankful for as well, but they're all superficial: My MacBook, Hugh Jackman, Bruce Willis, Madonna, Pet Shop Boys, iPods, TiVo and the Scissor Sisters. What are you thankful for?

Enjoy your holiday!

Well, if there were free Wi-Fi at the Airport, I’d be blogging…

Waiting again at the airport for my return flight, I’m slightly annoyed that wireless access isn’t available at an airport, unless you’re willing to pay a price (but that’s the American way, isn’t it?).

The past four days have been a whirlwind and a respite from the doldrums of work and it’s been a boon to just catch up (in person) with Kiwihunter, who I haven’t seen since winter of 2004, when her, Bubba and myself went to New York for a pre-Christmas extended weekend.

The night I arrived we went to the Tabernacle to see the Scissor Sisters perform and what a show that was. While we were in the unfortunate spot right on front of the speakers, we were no more than 8 feet away from the stage and amongst the crowd of people we jumped and danced our way through the night. The Sisters put on an excellent show that focuses on high energy and up-tempo songs and (at moat) two ballads. Singer Jake Shears leapt around while singing in his signature falsetto and Anna Matronic just had us in the palm of her hand. The decidedly gay-mixed crowd had a great time, except the two drunk lesbians that kept annoying everyone around us (one of them even stormed the stage and dove off- I secretly hoped that no-one caught her, but she didn’t even get kicked out and caused more grief among others at the front later) and we me t a slew of gay kids (younger than us) wherein Kiwihunter had an interesting debate about sexuality with a lesbian restaurateur-to-be named Larissa. They invited us to go with them to a gay bar afterwards but, since I’d only had four hours of sleep beforehand, we decided to just silently go home undetected. Our ears were buzzing, and we were soaked from head to toe, but we felt good!

The next day, we slept in for a touch and then went down to the Olympic village to go visit the new Georgia Aquarium. Since it was a weekday in the middle of fall it was fairly empty and we appreciated it. Billed as the world’s largest aquarium, this was a child-friendly place with open spaces and easy navigation throughout each area. It also houses (on of?) the biggest tanks in the world that hold four young whale sharks amongst other sea-life. They also have four beluga whales, which were very active throughout their tank. This was especially fun for me, since the beluga in Chicago’s aquarium was quarantined because of childbirth. At the spider crab area, we over heard these two young ladies talk about how ugly they were and one went to the other- “Who would make something like that?” And the other girl replied, “only the good lord knows.” We had a silent laugh about that and came up with our own phrase- “What Would Jesus Do?” “He’d make a spider crab.”

The previous night, I had convinced Kiwi that we should try to go see the Pet Shop Boys, who were playing at the Tabernacle the following night, and we got tickets for that event. So, since the Aquarium was in the same area as the Tabernacle, we parked in the same garage and we were both kinda tired from walking that we decided we’d take a little siesta before dinner in her car. Leaving the windows open, I set my phone alarm for 6 P.M. and we actually got some nice shut-eye. After waking up, we headed on up to the nearby Ted’s and Kiwi had some Bison pot roast for the first time. As per usual the food was excellent and service so good that we finished our dinner in less than an hour. We ended up just getting in line at the Tabernacle, where we saw no less than 10 people from the night before at the Scissor Sisters. This time, we got up close in the center area and this concert proved to be a time warp from start to end. The Pet Shop Boys played about six songs from their new album and then fixated on older songs, going s far back as Actually and Please. For a set, there were these three huge cube-like pieces that were moved around by men dressed all in white, like oompa-loompas and quite a bit of dancing (hip-hop an otherwise) from two young men. While this wasn’t as high-energy (a few ballads here and there) this brought more chills and emotional high-points in me, since I grew up listening to the PSB and they’ve been there through all my teen angst and stuff. Again, we ended up going straight home because our day was full and we still had one more day of activities planned.