Groundlings

Next to Normal at Actors' Playhouse

2012-01-22T00:04:00.001-05:00

Other than Broadway bootlegs, I've never seen a real production of Next to Normal and this local regional premiere was just perfect even for Actors' Playhouse standards. The cast was really impressive- almost everyone was a Broadway veteran, and the vocal quality collectively was just spectacular. The actress playing Diana (Jodie Langel) especially was just such a powerful performer and stage presence... I don't know where they found her, but I couldn't imagine a more ideal interpretation of Diana dramatically or vocally. What I'm about to say is a huge musical theatre faux-pas (almost like dissing Bernadette Peters, something else I've been known to do), but I have to admit that Alice Ripley has always bothered me. And Jodie Langel is all of the good things about Alice Ripley and none of the bad.

To the extent that I've ever had issues with the show Next to Normal itself (the lyrics are quite over the top in places), I didn't notice them at all when taking it in as a live performance. And the moments I've always loved on the cd were just that much more powerful in person. By the finale, Danyele was sitting next to me crying quietly and even though I wasn't quite sobbing, I felt almost physically winded after the Dan/Gabe final scene. It's just one of those shows that's cathartic in the most real sense, and no matter who you are, you can relate to some of the moments in the show because they're universally true.

The technical parts of the performance were up to Actors' Playhouse's usual level of incredible professionalism- you couldn't ask for a better set/lights/costumes/band. Since the performance I saw was the first preview on Wednesday night, the director David Arisco was still in the audience taking notes, and when I went up to him at intermission to congratulate him on the show he commented about how much there still was to fix... I guess that's the kind of perfectionism that makes for such incredible theatre.

Go see Next to Normal at Actors' Playhouse!!!

Let the Rain Live - Sara Bareilles

2012-01-20T13:14:00.002-05:00

Written, Kitten!

2012-01-20T13:14:00.001-05:00

I am never using a regular document for my essays ever again.

Click here for some kittens.

Altanta with MCT

2012-01-18T15:12:00.003-05:00

Last weekend was so much fun, and I could write a novel about it here but I'm going to try to do it justice in as little space as possible! Though knowing me, I'm probably just going to write a novel.....

On Friday (the 13th of course) a bunch of MCT kids, directors and chaperones got on a morning flight to Atlanta for the Junior Theater Festival. JTF is an awesome yearly event that's sponsored by MTI, the amazing agency that licenses all kinds of shows including the growing Broadway Junior Collection.

All of us in the MCT troupe had been rehearsing our 15 minute competition piece, selections from Guys and Dolls Jr., since October. Though the casting changed around throughout the process, overall we had an amazing group and I was really excited to be playing Sarah Brown- she's a part I've always wanted to try.

We had a calm and safe Friday the 13th flight, and got on a coincidentally named "MTI" bus to the hotel. We dropped off our stuff and went straight to the mall for some lunch. Then we walked over to the enormous Cobb Galleria Centre where the all the festival stuff was to do some last minute rehearsing and vocals with Ana. Afterwards we all had Asian stir fry for dinner, and then went for a completely pajama-ed mall run. We actually ended up running around the mall like crazy people looking for last minute costume replacements, but it all worked out ok in the end. I was so exhausted by the time I got back to the hotel that I passed out at 11ish.

The next morning we had an early wake-up and berries for breakfast before walking back over to the Cobb Centre for the festival kick-off ceremony. Then we moved into the adjudication room to wait our turn to perform. We watched a couple groups and their feedback from the judges before moving back into the rehearsal room for a final run through. I think everyone was feeling pretty confident by the time of the performance, and we did better than we'd ever done. Everyone was basically glowing with pride by the end, and the judges has only positive comments- it was just so great.

We watched the rest of the performances in our "pod" and then went to our traditional spot by the escalators to sit together and eat lunch. Then we went off to do three different workshops with the JTF staff- one each for singing, dancing, and acting. We learned "Brotherhood of Man" and this weird angry dance from The Who's Tommy... weird but fun. By the time those were over, it was back to the hotel and out again for dinner at a cute all-natural deli place in the mall with good salads. Then we went back to the Cobb Centre for the Disney New Works Showcase, which was basically a preview of all the new Broadway Jr. shows that are going to be available for licensing in the near future. I really don't understand why they'd make a Dr. Doolittle Jr., but Finnian's Rainbow and Peter Pan both looked really cute. Afterwards was the dance party, but we ditched and went back for a fun MCT-only night at the hotel.

The next morning, some of us got up early with Christine and walked over to the Cobb Centre for the Broadway Slam lottery- basically, she entered 4 girls and 4 guys from our group and the names were picked randomly to be part of the "Slam", where you make a fully choreographed musical number in one hour. My name wasn't picked, but two MCT'ers got it so the rest of us hung out in the empty mall while we waited for their performance. The Slam itself was so much fun to watch- Scottie actually got a huge solo and nearly made everyone cry, it was such a perfect moment.

THEN it was time for the special guest speakers, who this year were the producers and cast of the new NBC musical TV show Smash. Specifically, Brian D'Arcy James and Christian Borle!!! Ok, the producers were pretty cool too- their other stuff includes Chicago, Hairspray, etc. But it was so amazing to hear two of my Broadway idols just sitting their talking to us about performing so modestly and respectfully. I love them! Afterwards, I got to meet someone who is famous in a totally different way- Mary Pope Osbourne, author of the Magic Treehouse series. She was there because they're making her first book, Dinosaurs Before Dark, into a new Jr. musical. I got Sari a signed copy of the book, and also recorded a video of her saying "Hi Sari!".

Speaking of famous people, other cool guests at the festival were the original choreographer of A Chorus Line, and the actor who played Mr. Mistoffelees in the Cats movie, of all things. Anyways, after a Subway lunch we went back into the theatre for the awards ceremony. Before it started though, we had some final special guests- the authors of Annie, including Charles Strouse! They were all quite old and adorable, and it was really sweet when about a million Annies with red wigs and all came out onto the stage to sing to them. Then we watched Brooke and Sean dance in the front for "You Can't Stop the Beat" and some of the teachers do some really interesting dancing to a "You're Never Fully Dressed/ Born This Way" mashup... what?

During the awards ceremony itself, we didn't win outstanding performance, but we DID win Best Acting AND Jerrod won Outstanding Male Actor. And Scottie won Best Performance at the Slam, of course. Everyone was really proud, and we got to go home with a gorgeous trophy. Right afterwards, we went back to our rooms to change into nice clothes and met back in the hotel lounge to eat some pizza before heading out to the Fox Theatre to see Annie. After being Annie in Annie for 6 months straight a few years back, I'm understandably kind of tired of the show, but it was really incredible seeing it in the Fox Theatre. I couldn't describe a more breathtaking performance space with the starlit blue ceiling and whatnot, and the atmosphere was particularly perfect because all of the JTF kids were there in a celebratory Charles Strouse-ish mood. Everyone agreed that the Miss Hannigan was hilarious and the Sandy was the cutest ever... and I finally stopped being a terrible daughter and bought Dad some Fox Theater stuff for his birthday.

We stayed up really late that night playing hide-and-go-seek in the hotel, and on Monday morning we got to sleep in the tiniest bit before heading off back to Miami. It was a really fun trip and I know I keep saying this but I can't even express how much I love MCT! I would embed a YouTube video of our performance but I don't think it's up yet, so click here to watch it on Facebook!

Prometheus Trailer

2012-01-18T11:40:00.002-05:00

I rarely post trailers just for the sake of it, but I thought this one was really special.

Also, over the summer at Brown, I got the chance to meet Logan Marshall-Green, an amazing actor who is actually the son of Brown professor and director Lowry Marshall. He's so talented and talking to him was just incredible- of course I can't wait to see him in the movie.

Clara & Franca

2012-01-18T11:40:00.001-05:00

I'm finally getting around to blogging about The Light in the Piazza at MCT. And it's about time, because it opens in less than a month!

The shows are at the Alper JCC in Kendall and all the dates are on this beautiful poster. I'm the understudy for both Clara and Franca, and I also play the Tour Guide. The show is going to be just amazing. Everyone is saying that it's going to be the best children's theatre production in the history of MCT or ever, and working with this kind of cast is just incredible. I haven't been in a show where I feel like I'm not the only one taking things seriously and really caring about the final product. The ensemble alone is just spectacular- I'm already so proud of us.

And here's the real Clara, being her angelic self.

Click here for an interview with Adam Guettel, composer of The Light in the Piazza and my musical idol.

For Danyele

2012-01-18T11:32:00.000-05:00

This song is Danyele's autobiography.

Favorite quote:

"There's something bout the way she wears that Snuggie so suggestively
Take off your bossypants, come here and do it on the desk with me"

2.5 days of Hannah

2012-01-06T12:29:00.001-05:00

Well, this is cute. Theblog’s reader is now doing a post for the blogger to read. Just kidding… I knowthat Dara the Wise Woman has garnered many a fan through this Groundlingsbusiness.

As I begin this, it’s12:02 and all my college apps have been in for almost an hour and a half. Notsure why I’m being so Proust-esque, but I thought that should be noted.Basically, if you’re reading this, you’re reading the work of a kid who iscurrently experiencing a bit of post-college-app stress disorder.

But moving on.

Tuesday

I arrived at the castleafter dinner on Tuesday after a long day of Doodle Jump and texting. My momCynthia, who will be from now on be referred to as “Tinsey,” miraculously gotus to the Aventura Wonderland with a little (a lot) of help from navigator Daraand Ilyse the also-helpful person.

I was greeted by Danyeleand her posse. I got a lay of the land and met Sari and received some delishcous cous from Ilyse and parted with my fam. (It would be a long, long 18 hoursuntil I saw them again.)

From here, Dara and Iawkwardly watched Danyele and her friends swim at the “horrendous” Aventurapool system. I devoured my cous cous on a beginner plate and we discussed crazytheater people and the contents of Dara’s wallet and you know… the typicalthings people talk about when they haven’t seen each other in forever… like theteen sex cabanas that Joey so beautifully pointed out.

Speaking of Joey, he wasquite the hero of the night. More on that later.

We wandered back to thehouse and I got all set up on my mattress and cleaned Dara’s filthy computer,among other assorted fun and "ablutions". Meanwhile, the other guests in thehouse had gone with Joey to McDonald’s for, you know, a post-dinner meal.

When they got back, Daraand I joined them and watched a horror movie whose title and plot I don’tremember. But I do remember a lot of through-the-hand stabbing and a skullfloating in water… And a lot of car wash creepiness.

Dara eventually got tovideo chatting and I got to creepily watch some of her friend’s singing inPhantom. By now it was like 2 o’clock, so we called it a night.

Wednesday

We got a late start onWednesday after all the excitement from the night before. I ate an absolutelydelicious Belgian waffle for breakfast. Since this is Dara’s blog, it’s timefor a little mockery.

“The chocolate chips weresoft while still being crunchy, and the sugar crunched with such zing. Theoverall flavor was just so rich and perfect and a little bit like ConorOberst.” –Dara-tic interpretation

So anyways, we watchedpart of an indie movie over breakfast.But then more fun began…

We played Bananagrams!Dara’s actually really good at it, but I swear she always breaks her board intwo. I think it was a game later that night, but it should be noted that in oneround she managed the words “men,” “man,” and “sex”… I think there were others.She’s so homeschool.

So we ate some more (Imean, it’d been like two hours) and then Joey began his long day of chauffeuring.On the way to the soccer fields, he blasted Lady GaGa and then apologized tothe old man next to us who was less-than-pleased with the decibel rating.

And then came the bigmoment…

After a little searching,Dara met Tinsey. Love at first sight! Even on the pre-game Starbucks run, theyhit it off big time. From discussing parental occupations to college plans tohomeless week, Dara and Tinsey were a match made in heaven.

As the soccer gamecommenced, Dara became a spectator in every sense of the word. Actually, I’mnot sure how many senses of the word there are, but she put on some sunscreenand asked a lot of questions. Missss F’s team won 1-0, and everyone (Daraespecially) was very into the game.

Afterwards, Dara had totake a few minutes just to reflect and take it all in. Only partially kidding…

We dropped Effie off atthe hotel and had a quick almond-and-eyeliner run in the ever-classy Miramar.(Side note – in my head, Miramar and Myanmar sound the same. It’s a classymistake.)

We had some niceconversations about our dreams and I washed my gross Floridian feet and weheaded out for a night in the foreign land of Myan--- Miramar.

Per Joey’s suggestion, weventured a few shopping malls over to the very-happening restaurant calledLime. Though I did not have any lime in my meal, the restaurant definitely hada lot of tang to it. Think Moe’s gone a little ritzy.

Dara and Tinsey continuedto hit it off as they discussed my intolerance for stupid people and Dara’stheatrical ambitions.

After dinner, we went intoa store that was a complete rip-off of Forever 21. This would be insignificant,except that Missss F was able to try on some beautiful glittery high heels.Gorgeous.

As Tinsey drove us halfwayback to Dara’s house, we endured some more Florida roads. But at last we werereunited with Ilyse! After a philosophical car ride home, the party reallybegan…

We played Bananagrams withSari and stalked a certain TiPster who has a creepy amount in common with Dara…To counter the stress of the obnoxious child’s similarities with Dara, we didthe only sensible thing we knew to do: we ate! We walked with Joey and the dogsover to the Whole Foods complex and had some delicious peppermint ice cream.The trip was yummy but the real flava started when we tried to reenter theircommunity.

Because I’ll not a local,the details of the foreign land have already faded, but basically theManny-from-Modern-Family-all-grown-up security guard couldn’t let us in becausewe didn’t have the proper clicker. We waited for many an hour (kidding) untilthe head guard could finally let our criminal selves in. I mean, Manny waspretty justified. We just looked so menacing.

To decompress, naturallywe had to play some more Bananagrams. We then read and made fun of some beautifulcollege essays and then Dara decided to take a late shower. We then discussedour exotic travels well into the wee hours of the morning.

Thursday

Hooray for sleepingthrough alarms! We woke up and I ablutionated (i.e. showered) for once then Dara and Sari andI headed out for a very fun morning in Aventura Mall.

The first order ofbusiness was finding a parking space, which was no small feat. We pleased ourolfactory bulbs at Lush and then headed to the disposable clothing store(Forever 21).

We – particularly I– spent most of the time looking at completely unnecessary items, andhypothetically bought 3 pairs of strange socks, completely un-earth-tone nailpolishes, and some nice little gloves.

Dara was extraordinarilypleased that her sweater, socks, and nail polish all matched themselves. Justthought her OCD should be noted somewhere.

We got the yummiest bubbletea – actually bubble coffee, in my case – and got Sari some froyo. Butthe fun had hardly begun – we had to visit the infamous Whole Foods. Sarigave me a quick but highly informative tour of the location of the pickles, ketchup, and olives and we grabbed lunch.

Joey and Dara and I quickly scamperedout the door to get Dara to Light in the Piazza rehearsal. The trip didn’t takenearly the two-hour-haul that it sometimes takes – personally, I took thatas an omen that I’m good luck.

We dropped Dara off, andJoey and I went on a date to – get this – a Whole Foods. We drank weirdsprout drinks and munched on sushi and generally basked in our classiness. Justkidding – I banged my head against a wall about a college essay. What’snew?

On the way back toAventura Land, I enjoyed listening to talk of the apartment where Dara wascreated and other Homer tidbits.

We were going to eat atthis Chinese place, but the dynamic just didn’t feel quite right. (That was oneof the themes of the trip: dynamics of different groups/places/anythingreally.) So instead we went to a Japanese/Thai place and devoured edamame,salads, fried tofu, and pad thai. I interrogated Dara and the Father Man abouttheir favorite foods… all the while, Dara struggled to focus on theconversation as the Lion King was playing on a nearby iPad of a toddler.

Not sure why I’mremembering the next part, but we ventured to the water area and thought we sawa rodent on a rope – quite scary, right? But it was just a fish– what a let down! As Dara told me THE ENTIRE TRIP, the weather wasperfect – cold for Florida. Just thought that if you’ve made it this faryou should have the privilege of knowing about the dynamic of the airmolecules.

We returned to the HomerHome and ate some dessert and joked about all the homeschool things around. Ialso took this opportunity to clean Danyele’s absolutely-disgusting computer. Adirty computer is very homeschool, in case you were wondering.

We watched Limitless,which started off promising but became very disappointing as it wore on. Dara then rolled around withClara for a few minutes (not making this up – it left me scarred), andthen we went upstairs and heard about theater drama and everything. Thought Ishould brag on myself right about here – I may or may not have been veryhelpful to Danyele’s Words with Friends game right about now.

It was like 1:30 in themorning, but that didn’t stop us… once again, we talked about dynamics untilthe wee hours. How could we not?

Friday

We woke up to the call ofTinsey and Effie – they were leaving for Aventura. After frantically packingand devouring a delicious omelet compliments of Chef Homer, we snapped a coupleof quick pictures our ourselves before heading out for shopping, take two.

We met Tinsey in hernatural habitat – a restaurant. Just kidding. Also, in her defense, it wasalmost lunch time for people not on a nearly-nocturnal schedule.

We shopped the UrbanOutfitters sale racks like professionals – Dara and Missss F even gotmatching $5 shirts! What winners. I’d also like to make it known that I bought3 items of clothing for a mere $21 – incredible.

As we faced our finalmoments together, again we turned to food (but not before a quick stop intoVictoria’s Secret, home of the adorable chihuahuas). Effie had boba and Daraand I went to Starbucks… Then we met up with Tinsey and started the departure.

I really do apologize forthis annoyingly-detailed account. Hopefully Dara will have edited out some ofthe minutia. But I really just wanted to try to capture a bit of theamazingness of these 2.5 days – though I don’t really think this did the trick,at least it can jog my memory in the future.

I’d like to close out withsome uncommon-for-Hannah reflection…

Seeing Dara in person wasof course excellent – but thanks to Skype and Gtalk and whatnot, we werestill in such great touch. For all the time that our generation wastes onFacebook and the internet in general, I think there’s something to be said forkeeping in touch for 3.5 years! Here’s to seeing each other in 2012, where thefun and games can continue.

Until then, I hope I candefeat the Homer sisters in Words with Friends! Happy New Years!

Post script:

God, I make it sound likewe’re going out. Sorry, eager readers, the term "Facebook EX-wife" still applies. :)

Click here for some of my Facebook chats with Hannah a couple years back- we were even weirder then than we are now! <3

Why the world is a terrible place-

2012-01-04T19:28:00.002-05:00

^This is who they choose to play Eponine in the new Les Mis movie. Absolutely incredible. The quality of her voice is terrible, and she manages to be completely auto-tuned and offkey at the same time.

I actually might cry if she butchers "On My Own" the way she did this one.....

2011 movies

2012-01-02T18:58:00.001-05:00

I'm not a huge George Clooney fan, but his new movie the Descendants was a fun watch. He played his usual same George Clooney character, but unlike in most of his movies, he allows himself to be a little dorky and awkward, and it's in those moments he doesn't have that cocky expression where I just want to slap him in the face. Like Sideways (also directed by Alexander Payne) the Descendants is certainly quirky and different, but at times it tries a little too hard for eccentricity. And then, the ending is really predictable... why not put some of the talent for weirdness into a creative finish? But the most important thing is that you really care about the characters, especially the daughters, and that's what holds the movie together and keeps it truthful.

On New Years' Day, the family went to see We Bought a Zoo... which was overall very cheesy as expected but was held together by some good acting. It's main redemptive factor (other then performances from Matt Damon and Elle Fanning, who are both amazing) was the soundtrack. Weirdly, when I went to look it up most of the songs I recognized from a ton of different artists like Bob Dylan and Bon Iver were not included... but this cd is still worth a listen.

I also saw The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo this weekend- I really expected to like it, but I just didn't. Mara Rooney in the title part was completely transfixing but other than her and the always-wonderful Christopher Plummer, the performances were eh. I certainly didn't anticipate all of the graphically violent scenes, thought that wasn't the part that bothered me most- the plot just sort of lost direction in the middle and petered out until a gratuitous exploding-car-chase scene towards the end.

Still, I think this reviewer has a bit of a point... ok not really, but I like how she puts it.

Woody Allen concert

2012-01-02T18:46:00.001-05:00

Seeing Woody Allen in concert was really a random impulsive decision- after a long rehearsal down south, Dad and I drove up to South Beach to see what was going on. We realized that the show was actually an hour and a half later than we'd thought, so we had time to grab some quick Italian food at Spris and tea from Starbucks. Then we walked back to the theatre and got our tix just as the show was starting.

My main memory of watching Woody Allen walk onto the stage was that the whole room seemed sort of surreal. It wasn't the typical celebrity starstruck feeling at all, just a weird suspicion that the tiny man in front of me with the white hair and black glasses wasn't Woody Allen at all. It was almost like it must be someone impersonating Woody Allen, or maybe a cartoon drawing of him. Visually, he's such a caricature of himself to begin with that it wouldn't be too shocking.

And it's not like he came out and did something that would make sense, like tell a joke or catch a lobster, he just started playing the freaking jazz clarinet. Maybe it wasn't such a head trip for everyone, but I think it was the way he completely immersed himself in his playing that really amazed me. He could just be a really good actor, but the sincerity with which he put himself into his playing seemed totally genuine. It was interesting watching the recent documentary on his life after the show, particular during the bits where he talks about learning the clarinet... he really does seem to love it.

The music itself was so much fun to listen to, and the audience seemed to be loving it. Personally, I haven't heard enough jazz to be able to tell the good from the bad, and I wouldn't trust myself in passing judgement on this particular performance. BUT even though opinions on Woody Allen in particular are mixed, you can't help but appreciate how enthused they all were with the music, and I think that love seeped into their improvisations especially... and it made for an amazing night of music.

Click here for an article on Woody and the band.

New Year, new music

2012-01-01T21:47:00.001-05:00

First post of 2012! This is exciting.

The reason I haven't been on here as much until yesterday is because we've had a lots of visitors around, including my TIP friend Hannah from Georgia! It's been a really fun week, and it's kind of sad to be getting back into the regular routine of things.

Recording for my cd has been on my New Years' resolutions list for more December 31sts than I'd like to admit..... but if you told me 10 days ago that by now I'd be well on my way to a full tape, I'd be really surprised. It has been such a productive break, and I'm so happy to be finally ready to share my new stuff on here!

Click here to take a listen on my new SoundCloud page. There are some original songs and some covers- it's really a mix of everything. Happy New Year!

Happy New Year.

2011-12-31T17:12:00.001-05:00

My Dear Acquaintance by Regina Spektor

My dear acquaintance, it's so good to know you,
For strength of your hand
That is loving and giving.
And a happy new year
With love overflowing
With joy in our hearts
For the blessed new year.

Raise your glass and we'll have a cheer,
For us all who are gathered here.
And a happy new year to all that is living,
To all that is gentle, kind, and forgiving.
Raise your glass and we'll have a cheer
My dear acquaintance, a happy new year.

All of those who are hither and yonder,
With love in our hearts
We grow fonder and fonder.
Hail to those who we hold so dear
And hail to those who are gathered here.

And a happy new year to all that is living,
To all that is gentle, young, and forgiving.
Raise your glass and we'll have a cheer
My dear acquaintance, a happy new year.
Happy new year.

Best of 2011

2011-12-31T17:02:00.002-05:00

My traditional highlights of the year post. Lets go!

Gavin Creel masterclass and show

It was both surreal and terrifying to sing for one of my Broadway idols, but it was completely worth it and such a special couple of hours. I don't think I've ever met anyone quite so genuinely sweet and talented at the same time. He has this total aura of confidence while also being completely humble and personable. The only thing more amazing than singing for him was going to his cabaret-style concert a few night's later- I'm probably being repetetive of my original post about this, but being there with my old voice teacher Amanda during his rendition of the Rainbow Connection made both Danyele and I little teary.

Meeting Sutton Foster

Of all the items here, this one is perhaps the most special. There's no one in the world like Sutton Foster, and the fact that this picture even exists just makes me glow inside. I know I'm sounding a bit over the top, but I'm just hoping that some of her incredible fierceness was transferred to me during that hug..... more on Sutton later in this post!

Conor concerts (March & August)

AND in 2012 I saw Conor Oberst twice. Can I have all of these spectacular people around every year please? Moving on, I saw two Bright Eyes concerts this year, and I like to think that they were particularly special ones. The first was in March in Miami, and it was the inaugural show on the tour of his new album. He played all of my favorite songs (they're all my favorites, but still) and it was just magical. The second show I saw was even more amazing- it was on an island in the middle of a river in upstate New York on the most beautiful summer night you could imagine. It was so perfect, and if I could relive that night over and over again I would.

TheatreBridge

My six weeks of acting at Brown this summer were some of the most challenging and exhausting of my whole life. And yet I think about my weeks of Carol's workouts and endless Meisner almost every day. It's as if I keep finding out different things about what I learned during my summer at Brown, and I wonder if everything I took in during those weeks will ever stop becoming new to me. What I'm trying to say is that this summer gave me a totally new perspective on acting... and everything. And really, what's more important than the opportunity to change the way you look at things?

Summer roadtrip and 2 shows

So I think I've pretty thoroughly covered my 2 week college touring trip in the post linked above, except for something really important- the two shows I saw in New York! I've been procrastinating about writing a full description of them, and so I thought I'd post a little something about each here, hopefully to be continued later!

Jerusalem was a eccentric play that was fully brought to life by some extremely powerful performances. Mark Rylance as Rooster was incredibly fun to watch- sometimes it was actually hard to tell if his extreme audience-controlling magnetism was due to his innate charisma or simply the fact that everyone had come to see him do his thing and do it well. Here is his spectacular Tony acceptance speech... Mackenzie Crook was typically awkward in his extremely Gareth-ish role (I admit was a bit starstruck getting his autograph post-performance).

Seeing Sutton Foster in Anything Goes was completely unforgettable and I wish I could see her in every performance. Reno is just the perfect role for her- she gets to be her adorable, semi-dorky self while also showing off her total effortlessness as a performer. She is really a true star now and she knows it... it's just the most fabulous thing to watch. The rest of the cast (particularly Joel Grey of course) were great and the show overall was an adorable barely modernized adaptation of the show. But the reason to be there was Sutton Foster and it was completely worth it. We got to see her after the performance and she was even more scarily tall than the last time I saw her. If I'm ever lucky enough to meet her again, I'm wearing stilts...

Getting my drivers' license

I wrote extensively about my whole insane DMV story (see the link above), but my experience of learning to drive overall has been so crazy and yet really rewarding. It sounds very typical, but I really love and appreciate the new independence I have now, even if it just comes in the form of a drive to Pinkberry or Whole Foods.

Testing madness

For Danyele and I, this past year has been a frenzy of APs, SAT IIs, and PSATs. This has certainly not been a particularly great or memorable part of my year, but on the other hand everything has thankfully turned out really well so I thought I'd include it here. Also, I kind of miss our frantic pre-test study sessions at Starbucks in a weird way... maybe it was just all the beverages? (See empty glasses below-)

Shows- Aida, A Chorus Line, MCT

I have to admit that my shows this year worked out a little differently than I expected. But regardless of it all, I've had a fun year with lots of theatrey activities. I learned some intense African dances to be a Slave in Aida, and I got to perform one of my all-time dream roles as Diana Morales in A Chorus Line. And the best part is that I'm just starting to get involved with an amazing new company way down South- MCT. I can't wait to become an even closer member of their family and I'm super excited for our trip to the MTI competition in Atlanta. I've always wanted to play Sara in Guys and Dolls, and with a little polishing I think our abridged version is actually going to turn out really great.

And a visit from Hannah

My ex Facebook-wife and I met 3 summers ago at nerd camp, but we've stayed in touch online ever since. When her wonderful sister (and Youtube sensation) Bella had to come down to Miami for a soccer tournament, a reunion was planned... and it couldn't have been more fun. I've asked Hannah, who is a devoted reader of this blog, to do a guest post on our 2.5 days together and I really hope she says yes! I can't wait for her next trip to Florida.

Here we are doing the signature "Dara pose"...

Click here for the best bits of 2010 and 2009.

Zooey and JGL

2011-12-31T10:40:00.001-05:00

THIS.

Happy 2012 everyone! May you all find a man in your life as lovely as Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Nothing - A Chorus Line

2011-12-14T16:58:00.003-05:00

I really don't like posting videos/pictures of myself, but I thought I'd follow up my picture of adorable Sari dancing with this clip from my dancing show, A Chorus Line :)

Sari in the Nutcracker

2011-12-14T16:58:00.002-05:00

Look how beautiful she is. I mean seriously.

What a beautiful Clara.

Bon Iver video accompaniment + Dark Was the Night

2011-12-14T16:43:00.001-05:00

This is the most beautiful playlist of videos I've ever seen. It's literally exactly what I see inside my head when I listen to the album. Amazing.

Note the first comment on this one- AHEM Dad :)

This whole CD just has the most amazing musicians ever, and this track in particular makes me happy... of course.

Always Write - Short play

2011-12-08T14:44:00.001-05:00

Miami Children's Theatre is doing a short play competition called "Always Write", and I just finished finalizing my entry. It sounds really cool- out of all the plays, five finalists are chosen and each of those are assigned a director and actors. All of the 5 will be performed for a panel of judges and based on the final performance they'll choose a first and second place winner.

I couldn't just copy/paste the script in this post because it was too long, so click here to view it on another website.....

Christmas music!

2011-12-06T10:30:00.001-05:00

Christmas in Florida can be very depressingly un-Christmasy, especially for Jews. SO in addition to all the holiday foods, I love listening to seasonal music to put me in the spirit for snow and Jesus...... even though I'll be having none of either.....

In no particular order:

She & Him Christmas

Having a girl-crush on Zooey Deschanel is so hipster that it's getting to be a total cliche. But I really can't help but love this brand new holiday album from She & Him. I definitely like the "Him" more than the "She", but Zooey's vocals which usually irritate me with their overdose of cuteness are actually kind of ideal for a Christmas album. Her version of "The Christmas Song" is a perfect example her singing in a style that would seem completely overdone on any other song, but is actually really endearing when you just sit back and listen.

Bright Eyes Christmas

So it's not the best Christmas album ever. But it's Bright Eyes, so I had to put it on this list. My favorite is the cover of "Blue Christmas". Also, Conor's "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" is literally the saddest ever. I guess I should say it's sad in a happy way, like all of Conor's music. Regardless, if you want to be crying on Christmas, just listen to that song. Have I mentioned I love him? Because I don't think I've made that clear. :)

Sufjan Stevens Christmas

This album is by far the longest and most comprehensive of all the Christmas albums on this list- it was actually released in a bunch of separate volumes and adds up to over 40 songs in total. Most of the songs are just indie covers of traditional Christmas songs with a few weird ones thrown in. It's some of the most quirky Christmas music ever (best song title- "Come On! Let's Boogey To The Elf Dance!") and while I haven't gotten around to listening to all of the tracks, I think it might become one of my holiday musical-traditions.

Oh Blue Christmas

This album is really just a 6 song EP, but it has some of my favorite Christmas songs ever. It's half original songs and half covers, and my favorites are actually the ones written by lead singer Allison Sudol. It's one of those albums that actually almost makes you feel like it's snowing outside without overdoing it on the cheesy Christmas bells in the background (which are completely adorable in "Wish You Well"). Her voice, while nothing like Zooey Deschanel's, is similarly distinctive and favorable suited to Christmas music.

Decembersongs

I'm sort of predisposed to love these guys because I saw them perform live last winter during my trip to Chicago. The whole night was so much fun (for one thing, it included Chicago-style pizza) and all of my amazing memories make my listening to the cd really affectionate and nostalgic. My favorite song is called "A Song of Christmas", and yes it's kind of cliched but I have to say I found it difficult not to listen to, even in the summertime. I would love to see them perform over the holidays again, but then again I don't think I could ever duplicate their concert at the Old Town School last year.

Songs of Joy and Peace

Dad bought this cd for Sari the other day to give her some cello-inspiration, and I was so pleasantly surprised when I randomly took a listen as I was browsing through iTunes. It's just a really eclectic collection of songs, some more seasonal than others, with all different kinds of instrumental sounds from all different cultures. My favorite is the cover of The Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun"- of course, I'm a total sucker for James Taylor especially combined with Yo-Yo Ma's gorgeous cello. Just watch the video right up there... ^^^

At Christmas

Speaking of James Taylor, I never go a single holiday season without listening to this album. I admit that certain tracks are kitschy, but overall I think that it's just really sweet and so perfect for playing any time during the holidays- on your iPod when you're studying on a cold day or on the speakers at a holiday party or anywhere. My favorite is his cover of "River". It was actually my introduction to possibly the best seasonal song ever and will be included on every winter mix I ever make.

December by George Winston

If I could only listen to one of the albums on this list at Christmas time, it would probably be this one. George Winston's piano solos written for the seasons are probably what made me start sorting music into different times of year in a sort of obsessive way. This cd is so definitively Christmas that if I accidentally play it at any other time of year I literally start getting disoriented. The song "Joy" in particular, a piano version of a beautiful Bach cantata, has become so very special to me over the years. It remains one of the only pieces of of purely instrumental music that manages to make me cry with no emotional association.

Very Rosie Christmas

This is a slightly random addition to this list, mostly because I just downloaded it the other day and haven't gotten a chance to listen to it extensively yet. I do like Rosie Thomas a lot though, and I've been looking for more of her stuff ever since my friend Melissa gave me If Songs Could Be Held. Just like the rest of Rosie's music, on a first listen this just sort of epitomizes the laid-back indie version of Christmas. And I know everyone has covered "River", but I really appreciate her interpretation because it's creative without being totally unfaithful to the original.

Charlie Brown Christmas

No list of holiday songs would be complete without the classic Charlie Brown Christmas cd. I honestly hope that this will be around for my kids to listen to at holiday time, no matter if they celebrate Chanukkah or Christmas or whatever.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

Red at GableStage

2011-12-03T14:08:00.001-05:00

My posts about the shows GableStage are probably getting pretty predictable.

This one is no exception- you can predict exactly what I'm going to say. Yes, I admit it. I loved Red.

I can't be dishonest! It's just that absolutely everything I see at GableStage is so wonderful. They always pick the best plays, cast the best actors in South Florida, and just execute everything like a Broadway-quality production. And I'm not just saying it.

I knew very little about the play before going to see it, which I think was best- there isn't any traditional "plot"... not to say that it's particularly modern or experimental. It's just minimalist on story and very dialogue intensive. Red was different from a lot of the plays I've seen at GableStage since it only has two people and is relatively brief. The technical side of the production was very understated, unless you count a really memorable and beautiful painting sequence in which the two actors prime an empty canvas in a maroon wash.

The play is truly character-based, and yet the thing that's remarkable is that in a practical sense the audience knows little to nothing of their "backstory". But the magical part of Red is that it doesn't matter at all, and there are much greater things being discussed. I've never seen a play that was so very truly about art. It's very brave to create and produce a play that is genuinely, unabashedly discussing the meaning of art. Even more admirably, it doesn't for a moment drift towards pretentiousness or dullness. This is partially because of the compelling language and the actors' incredible energy, but it's also because it is very self-aware in its pretension. Every overly-pedantic remark is countered by a self-deprecating sarcastic retort.

In every respect, the play feels very balanced and even. While the play is certainly a testament to the author's perception of Rothko as an artistic genius, it also illuminates his flaws and hypocrisy through the character of Ken, his assistant. The play manages to portray Rothko as a man you can respect for his wisdom about art, and yet you are also rooting for Ken in the scene where Rothko's character is exposed and brutally deconstructed. Both Gregg Weiner and Ryan Didato are equally wounded, equally ignorant, and equally human, while representing polar opposites. It is so even-handed, in fact, that at the end you are left wondering whose side you're on. Even the characters' arc throughout the story has a very even feeling to it, as if how the actors learn and grow from each other is perfectly in-sync.

So to risk being really repetitive, I have to record here that I really loved seeing Red and I can't wait to write a really effusive post about the next GableStage play. :)

Jeffrey Eugenides at the book fair

2011-11-30T09:31:00.001-05:00

Like I mentioned in my post about The Marriage Plot, a few weeks ago I got to see Jeffrey Eugenides come do a reading/ Q&A at the Miami International Book Fair.

I don't think anyone has ever been quite so starstruck by an author before- it actually felt quite surreal to be seeing him in person. He read a great excerpt from the book which got a lot of laughs... some of which I didn't even notice were there when I read it. Maybe the audience was just being supportive, and I think they were genuine fans who really appreciated him... which is particularly nice and surprising in Miami. I almost asked a question, but I was too nervous- actually unusual for me in those kind of situations but like I said, I was still feeling super starstruck.

I did get to meet him afterwards though, and he signed my copies of both Middlesex and The Marriage Plot (we didn't bring The Virgin Suicides with us). He was really nice though he seemed really exhausted and he commented about how much my Dad and I were smiling- we must have looked pretty over the top, but the cheerfulness was very real. It was really such a treat to get to meet someone like him, and maybe one day I will invade the Princeton creative writing dept and force him to teach me all his magical ways of making fiction.

Here's a (slightly awkward but still great) interview-

I'm actually in the process of re-reading Middlesex for AP Lit, and I keep turning to the front cover to see his signature- it just makes me happy :)

The Muppets!

2011-11-25T16:09:00.001-05:00

Who needs to go shopping on Black Friday? Pshhh, no. I'd much rather be watching the Muppets.

I haven't seen a kids movie in the longest time that was as clever and downright intelligent as this was...while at the same time surprising me in every scene by getting sillier and sillier (building to Chris Cooper's fabulous rap). I give all the credit to Bret McKenzie- the whole movie was basically just a 1 and 1/2 hour long muppet-ified Flight of the Conchords episode, especially this song:

And in the movie.

"Life's a fillet of fish...
yes it is?!"
(My new favorite quote of life.)

As amazing as the songs/dance numbers are though, the main thing that held the movie together is the fact that Jason Segel and Amy Adams are the most awkward people on the face of the planet. Every time they're on film they have this expression as if to say "What am I doing here? This is so crazy-weird and also kind of fun at the same time?!" It's perfect.

And the best part is that Sari was smiling for literally the whole time and even though she didn't get all of the adult references and celebrity appearances, she enjoyed the movie just as much as I did. Her favorite part though was the famous chickens singing (or rather, clucking) "Forget You" by Cee Lo Green. I'm proud of Sari and her pop culture knowledge these days. :)

11:11, 11/11/11

2011-11-11T14:06:00.001-05:00

I'm not going to tell you my wish(es), but I thought I'd post some photo clues from Tumblr and maybe you can guess.....

Oh yeah, and this wouldn't be too bad either-

Ha.

Waking Life Soundtrack

2011-11-08T23:24:00.001-05:00

The perfect creepy dream music. It's weird, but I'm addicted.

1Q84 excerpt - "Town of Cats"

2011-11-08T23:23:00.001-05:00

Here's an excerpt from the new Japanese novel about a woman who boards a subway and ends up...in another world?

Click here.

Harper quote

2011-11-08T11:44:00.001-05:00

"Imagination can't create anything new, can it? It only recycles bits and pieces from the world and reassembles them into visions. So when we think we've escaped the unbearable ordinariness and, well, untruthfulness of our lives, it's really only the same old ordinariness and falseness rearranged into the appearance of novelty and truth. Nothing unknown is knowable."

Click here to watch the whole movie version online.

The Marriage Plot

2011-11-07T23:33:00.000-05:00

"From the books you read for your thesis and for your article- the Austen and the James and everything- was there any novel where the heroine gets married to the wrong guy and then realizes it, and then the other suitor shows up, some guy who's always been in love with her, and then they get together, but finally the second suitor realizes that the last thing the woman needs is to get married again, that she got more important things to do with her life? And so finally the guy doesn't propose at all, even though he still loves her? Is there any book that ends like that?"

"No," Madeline said. "I don't think there's one like that."

"But do you think that would be good? As an ending?"

The Marriage Plot is the newest book by my favorite author, Jeffrey Eugenides, and even though I finished it last week I'm still reeling from just thinking about it. It's one of those books that just makes you cry from the sheer fact of its being over- when I finished the last page, I had this impulse to physically give the book a hug, just like I did with my favorite novels when I was younger. (Apparently, I'm not the only one who has a strong emotional connection to Jeffrey Eugenides's work... take a look at this note to his readers written by the author himself.)

I actually unknowingly read two separate excerpts from the book in a magazine a long time ago, and at the time I thought they were just great short stories... so it was such a pleasant surprise to find them nested in this amazing novel. The story was familiar in other ways as well-- having spent my summer at Brown, the many references to Waterman Street, the Ratty, and all things Providence just made me so happy and nostalgic at the same time. Also, the character of Madeline is eerily similar to this Brown student of the same name who I met over the summer. In addition to the namesake, both the real and fictional Madeline have a love for doing shows with the drama department even though they're not theatre majors, and they both dated a boy who wears bandanas.

The book explores college life, mental illness, becoming adults, and different kinds of love through the eyes of three different characters. Throughout the book, I couldn't help but continue to be amazed by Jeffrey Eugenides's uncanny ability to speak to incredibly truthfully through both male and female characters. Perhaps I'm only noting this because of his other two amazing books, Middlesex and The Virgin Suicides, where this was a central literary focus. Regardless, his depth of insight about what it means to be a man or a woman is so authentic that the reader can't help but be mesmerized. I was also completely captivated by the description of Leonard's manic-depressive disorder and the details of his internal mental machinations. It weirdly reminds me a lot of Patrick Hamilton's Hangover Square. Leonard's part of the story, while perhaps the least intimate, is the most sad and beautiful and human. An excerpt-

The logic of his brilliant move rested on one premise: that manic depression, far from being a liability, was an advantage. It was a selected trait. If it wasn't selected for, then the "disorder" would have disappeared long ago, bred out of the population like anything else that didn't increase the odds of survival . The advantage was obvious. The advantage was the energy, the creativity, the feeling of genius, almost that Leonard felt right now. There was no telling how many great historical figures had been manic-depressives, how many scientific and artistic breakthroughs had occurred to people during manic episodes.

The character of Mitchell is the most familiar, and in the moments where he is particularly lonely and lost he reminds me a lot of Callie from Middlesex. Madeline is the only character of the three that I couldn't quite visualize, perhaps because I associate her so closely with the real-life Madeline that I can't quite reconcile the two of them in my head. Or maybe she's meant to be a bit of a mystery, or just a lot less many-layered than either Mitchell or Leonard.

Even though I just finished it, I can't wait to read this book again. I feel like the characters are old friends, and they've burrowed into my brain and I feel like they're going to stay with me for quite some time.

P.S. I'm very excited because when I just checked Jeffrey Eugenides's Facebook fanpage to find the note I linked above, I found out that he's coming to Miami in less than 2 weeks to talk about The Marriage Plot. Woah. I'm going to be a bit starstruck... authorstruck?

"Sparks"

2011-11-07T22:17:00.002-05:00

My new piece by Moskowski! It really does sound like sparks, doesn't it?

Lets just hope I don't play it too "drunkenly" at my lesson tomorrow.....

Fun for your mouth!

2011-11-07T22:17:00.001-05:00

...that's what she said?

But seriously, this is the best. And the Synergy kombucha kind is even better. They're both full of Omegas and whatnot, but most importantly they really are so much fun to drink. Also, I haven't blogged about food in way too long...and it's almost holiday time, the best time for celebrating unnecessary but wonderful foods and drinks :)

Perth violin cover

2011-11-07T22:17:00.000-05:00

By Bon Iver of course.

This dude is my favorite. I was randomly searching for Bon Iver performances, and I came across this as well as his cover of Sax Rohmer #1.

It's November already?

2011-11-07T22:16:00.002-05:00

There have been a lot of reasons I haven't been posting lately, but mostly because my schedule starting last Thursday has looked a lot like this: rehearsal, audition, rehearsal, show, rehearsal, piano, show, rehearsal, babysitting, rehearsal, rehearsal. The funny thing is that it all really seems like nothing now that the PSAT is over.

I do have a lot of work to do school-wise though in my AP psych course. I'm really such a nerd when it comes to psychology... I love the material so much that I've been exceeding my reading assignment in the textbook and doing some extracurricular work on the subject as well. I'm reading the novels Time's Arrow by Martin Amis and Everything Matters by Ron Currie, Jr. as well as the more directly psych-related The Illusion of Conscious Will by Daniel M. Wegner. Also I'm watching the movie Waking Life in segments on Youtube.

When taken all together, I think this creepy introspective brew is conspiring to make me go totally insane. So if you don't see me posting on here, know that I may have decided that I'm living in a lucid dream. Or that I'm living in a universe with no free will and so what is the point of making an effort to blog anyways?

More posts to come!

Winter Song

2011-10-23T21:39:00.002-04:00

Cartoon Ingrid and Sara are just the cutest. This song is so perfect for welcoming this time of year...

By Sara Bareilles & Ingrid Michaelson

Night Train to Bolina

2011-10-23T21:38:00.000-04:00

This was about a month ago already, but since I have habit of recording all of the theatre I see on here, I didn't want to forget this one.

The students at UM always put on an impressive show at the Ring Theatre, and it was the absolute perfect venue to see Night Train to Bolina-- especially since this production was directed by the playwright, Nilo Cruz. He is a Pulitzer-winning Miami native with a crazy-amazing bio, and it was so cool to have him sitting literally right behind us as we watched the play.

All of the technical stuff was lavishly smooth, including a fantasy-like set complete with two tv screens on either side of the "in the round" house space. The play itself was different, if not entirely original, in its exploration of childhood and other themes. It was interesting to watch the challenge of college students playing young children... which strangely seems somehow more difficult than it would be for adults.

Afterwards there was a talkback with Nilo Cruz and the cast which made me miss similar experiences from past theatre-y summers. :(

Click here for a review of the production in the student paper.

Ethel the Frog

2011-10-23T21:36:00.001-04:00

While I can't call this my #1 favorite of all time, it certainly is the sketch that manages to capture all of their different kinds of insanity in one go. Replay button, here I come.

DINSDALE???
DINSDALE!!!

The Trip

2011-10-23T21:34:00.000-04:00

While you might rent The Trip to see the mouthwatering foods and the beautiful shots of the English countryside, you'll keep watching for their recurring renditions of ABBA's "The Winner Takes It All"... they just get worse and worse throughout the movie...

Yes, I'm the most predictable person in the world, but when I watched the trailer I knew that I just couldn't not watch this movie.

I mean honestly, it's about two English people having a road trip, eating really good food in pretty places, doing silly impressions, and singing in funny voices. What in the world is not to like? :)

"Old College Try"

2011-10-17T21:28:00.000-04:00

And here I was thinking it was a sweet love song. Oh well, he's perfect anyways.

Vote Jones

2011-10-13T16:18:00.000-04:00

Click on the big yellow square to vote for my photo to be featured on a Jones soda bottle-

It was just chosen as a staff pick so hopefully Danyele and I are already on our way to being available for sale on soda bottles everywhere....

Time -- Hans Zimmer

2011-10-07T13:17:00.000-04:00

Timelapse - The City Limits from Dominic.

This just gives me chills. I honestly think that it's the absolute best sountrack song ever. It can make about anything seem epic, not to mention this spectacular timelapse... amazing.

Click here for the high-def version.

College roadtrip summer '11

2011-10-07T13:16:00.003-04:00

There is just so much I could write about this amazing trip and I wish I could catalogue every second, but instead I'm going to try and hit some of the highlights.

After Dad drove me away from Brown for the last time, everything felt more than a little surreal. It was the strangest feeling knowing that summer was finally over, and even as we walked around the gorgeous Amherst campus I was still in a bit of a funk. BUT by the time we checked into our hotel in Syracuse, it finally sank in-- we were on our way to see Conor's show at Paper Mill Island in Baldwinsville! I was of course insanely excited but also a little apprehensive because the Bright Eyes concert in March was so amazing that I couldn't imagine enjoying this quite as much. When we got to the island though, I knew that this one was going to be really special. Honestly, I've never seen a more perfect location for a concert in my whole life. The stage was just sitting there at the end of this beautiful grassy island in the center of a river. It was sunset on the last day of July, and it was a better light show than any theatre tech crew could have ever designed. As we were putting down blankets and setting up chairs, the Mountain Goats were already playing their opening set, and John Darnielle was just perfect in his nerdy intense way. For their encore, "This Year", Conor sort of wandered onto the stage with a Hawaiian shirt, sunglasses, a straw fedora and a beer and joined in on the choruses... it was typically crazy but so much fun to watch.

Then came the ridiculously long break like there always is, and even though I only had this sad loaf of wheat bread for lunch/dinner I didn't even care because the minute Conor came back onto the stage everything was just perfect. The setlist was all of my favorites mixed in with some that I wanted to hear at the other concert but didn't. And the sun supplied supernaturally beautiful light tones that changed from pinks to purples as the night progressed. AND we had the best seats in the "house"-- I sort of snuck into the side area right next to all of the security dudes so I was closer to the stage than anyone else. During the songs where he played the piano, we were literally looking right at each other. I know I'm verging on a bit of a fangirl "squee" here but this was really so special. And while I absolutely DID love the setlist, I have an excuse to see Conor again...I refuse to leave this planet before I hear him play "To Love and To Be Loved" live. If need be, I will track him down a force him to play it for me personally at gunpoint.

When the concert ended I didn't feel any less dream-like... in fact quite a bit more so. But it was definitely the most amazing dream ever.

---

So from here on in I could and probably should just keep writing, but as I mentioned above it would be difficult to tackle everything in detail. Here is a general outline of our itinerary, if only for record-keeping purposes.

Monday: Drove to Ithaca, toured Cornell and explored Ithaca campus, then checked into Country Inn and passed out immediately.
Tuesday: Drove through the breathtakingly beautiful Adirondacks to Vassar for early tour, then drove through NYC to Melville and settled for dinner and rest at the Jacobsen hosuehold.
Wednesday: Drove to the city, checked into Pod hotel, toured Pace, then toured NYU, dinner and then saw Mark Rylance in Jerusalem.
Thursday: Toured Fordham, then Columbia, dinner and then saw Anything Goes and met Sutton Foster and Joel Grey post-performance!
Friday: Left NY, drove to Yale, then Boston to meet Danyele and saw her final dance performance, settled in with the Boston Homers.
Saturday: Toured Harvard, got bored mid-tour, drove to Tufts and explored around, walked around Boston North End.
Sunday: Drove around BU in the rain, dropped Danyele at the airport and drove to hotel in Meriden CT.
Monday: Toured Wesleyan, drove to Princeton and explored extensively, then drove to Philadelphia and checked in at the aLoft hotel.
Tuesday: Toured Swarthmore, then toured University of Pennsylvania and then watched a movie in the hotel.
Wed thru. Fri: Drove down 95 through D.C. and toured a few more schools (I'm too lazy to remember), and then the endless route South.

I promise to do an amazing and extensive post about seeing both Jerusalem and Anything Goes sometime soon. But for right now I'm going to do a little summary of my favorite schools and my favorite foods of the trip.

Favorite schools:

Princeton: My official dream school. Not only are the academics obviously some of the best anywhere, it also has the ideal college town of all college towns and also an amazing theater building (which I illegally managed to invade). It's just perfect.
Tufts: Combines a red-brick college atmosphere with gorgeous modern facilities. Not in the middle of the city but conveniently close to Boston.
Wesleyan: My favorite small liberal arts school. Everything is just so, from the classrooms to the gorgeous cafeteria.
NYU: New York City. That is all.
Yale: I mean come on. It's Yale.
Vassar: Beautiful campus in the Hudson River Valley North of NYC with an amazing arts program just an hour from the city.
Columbia: An Ivy League school with a closed off campus in the middle of the city- it's a very Dara combination.
Swarthmore: Beautiful arboretum campus with a cozy feel and amazing arts programs.

Best foods:

Mia: Probably the nicest restaurant of the whole trip- innovative Asian fusion in Ithaca with beautiful paintings and even wonderful background music. Seared prawns with tamarind-mango chutney was a highlight.
John Dory Oyster Bar: Some of the best seafood of the trip. We had a ton of small plates that were each fresher, richer, and more delicious than the next. I could get very fat on the oyster pan roast with uni crostini.
BerryLine: Best frozen yogurt I've ever had. Period. The raspberry with bits of lime rind was just perfect.
SweetGreen: A D.C. based chain with amazing make-your-own salads, and yummy natural fro yo.
Collegetown bagels: The biggest selections of yummy college food I've ever seen. Sandwiches, smoothies, pastries, everything you can think of... honestly if I get into Cornell I'm going to leave college the size of a whale.
Random Asian place outside Savannah: I'm just including this one because it exceeded expectations way more than any other food experience on the trip. :) We were randomly driving around off the highway looking for somewhere tolerable because it was about to start storming and we stopped in this random strip mall and had the best Japanese food ever- including a kimchi seafood soup to die for.

P.S.

Much cooler than meeting Sutton Foster... I got to meet the original Muppets at their very own home at the Smithsonian! :)

Rest in peace.

2011-10-06T00:00:00.002-04:00

I can't believe the Jobs era is over. So sad.

Here is a short anecdote about him from a Google exec that made me laugh-

Icon Ambulance

One Sunday morning, January 6th, 2008 I was attending religious services when my cell phone vibrated. As discreetly as possible, I checked the phone and noticed that my phone said "Caller ID unknown". I choose to ignore.

After services, as I was walking to my car with my family, I checked my cell phone messages. The message left was from Steve Jobs. "Vic, can you call me at home? I have something urgent to discuss" it said.

Before I even reached my car, I called Steve Jobs back. I was responsible for all mobile applications at Google, and in that role, had regular dealings with Steve. It was one of the perks of the job.

"Hey Steve - this is Vic", I said. "I'm sorry I didn't answer your call earlier. I was in religious services, and the caller ID said unknown, so I didn't pick up".

Steve laughed. He said, "Vic, unless the Caller ID said 'GOD', you should never pick up during services".

I laughed nervously. After all, while it was customary for Steve to call during the week upset about something, it was unusual for him to call me on Sunday and ask me to call his home. I wondered what was so important?

"So Vic, we have an urgent issue, one that I need addressed right away. I've already assigned someone from my team to help you, and I hope you can fix this tomorrow" said Steve.

"I've been looking at the Google logo on the iPhone and I'm not happy with the icon. The second O in Google doesn't have the right yellow gradient. It's just wrong and I'm going to have Greg fix it tomorrow. Is that okay with you?"

Of course this was okay with me. A few minutes later on that Sunday I received an email from Steve with the subject "Icon Ambulance". The email directed me to work with Greg Christie to fix the icon.

Since I was 11 years old and fell in love with an Apple II, I have dozens of stories to tell about Apple products. They have been a part of my life for decades. Even when I worked for 15 years for Bill Gates at Microsoft, I had a huge admiration for Steve and what Apple had produced.

But in the end, when I think about leadership, passion and attention to detail, I think back to the call I received from Steve Jobs on a Sunday morning in January. It was a lesson I'll never forget. CEOs should care about details. Even shades of yellow. On a Sunday.

To one of the greatest leaders I've ever met, my prayers and hopes are with you Steve.

-Vic

"Try, Morales!"

2011-10-02T13:46:00.002-04:00

I just found out that I'm going to be playing Diana Morales in A Chorus Line! The show is with The Muse Theater Company and it's going to be the first weekend of December at the Bienes Center for the Arts. I feel totally unprepared for the huge dance undertaking that comes with this show, but I plan on taking a ton of classes to get myself ready for the craziness. And I should really stop being nervous because as long as I work hard, who cares! I'm Diana!!!

Yesterday was the first rehearsal and it was some much fun learning the original "I Hope I Get It" choreography. Scary, but fun.

Last night I was looking up videos from the show on Youtube to review the dance, and of course I stumble upon this wonderful bit of insanity. Best. Ever.

Driving time!

2011-09-22T23:11:00.001-04:00

I finally got it! See exhibit A: fake smile, ridiculously scrawled "signature" (if you could even call it that) and an extra inch under "HGT"... but still it's finally mine. Of course, I haven't had a chance to drive yet because the insurance is still getting sorted out but it really feels amazing to have that sense of freedom to go wherever, whenever.

The story of how I actually came to have this wonderful laminated piece of plastic is quite the epic tale. It all started yesterday morning when I went for my appointment at the DMV with Dad. DMVs are always the worst but this one is just particularly terrible. It's kind of difficult to describe the atmosphere of dreariness and complete lethargy in there. After an extremely lengthy and depressing wait I got my picture taken and went to wait outside...for another hour and a half. During this time I watched the examiners (yes, there were 2 per test-taker) fail literally everyone. Very reassuring. Also, I found out that the entire test took place in the extremely crowded parking lot and didn't even go out onto the road at all. The whole setup seemed pointlessly dangerous, not to mention a terrible indicator of actual driving skill.

But I felt a little better when my turn came because I got a different examiner, and just one- not two. I was still really nervous though, and when he asked me to back up my car, I first tried backing up in park and then indrive before I could finally manage to remember the reverse gear. Still, it was going ok until he randomly, out of nowhere, told me to pull back into the parking space. When I asked what happened I was told that I didn't stop at the white line and therefore was automatically failed. Not only was there no stop sign, but the white paint was so faded that it was almost invisible. I was also told that when taken over the line a second time, I did in fact stop, but the examiner apparently could tell that it was only because a pedestrian was crossing. Obviously this is totally unfair because that means that it's not an automatic fail, and that my motives were being analyzed without even asking me what actually happened.

I didn't feel too bad though, because lots of people fail on their first time and we made an appointment at a hopefully less dismal DMV for the next day. And it was basically the same thing the next morning, if not slightly less infuriating. But it was still the almost 2 hour wait outside for the examiner, and when my turn finally came I was stuck with the 2-person examiner setup. The test went perfectly, except I made a 4 point instead of a 3 point turn out of pure nerves. When I got out of the car, I was sure I passed, but..... I apparently "didn't come to a complete stop at one of the intersections" which should not be a failing offense. At least, that was according to one of my examiners. The other decided that I had not come to a complete stop at not one, but all EXCEPT one of all of the stop signs. And while I may not be a great driver, I honestly always come to a complete stop - Dad was actually standing in the parking lot watching the whole test and he didn't see me glide through a sign even once. They didn't even mention the 4 point turn until I pointed out that I wouldn't mind failing on something I actually did wrong at which point they pointed out that I did "a ton of extra points on the turn" when it was really just the one. All of this was SO incredibly unfair it's ridiculous.

Dad and I were ready to call it a day and try again tomorrow, when we realized that the DMV from the day before was just down the road. We had been told that there was a one test per day rule, but we discovered that it was ok if you went to different DMVs. So we quickly made an online appointment and headed back to the original DMV of doom. Of course this time there was absolutely NO line and the examiner came out to test me almost immediately, and it was the same examiner from the day before. He walked out, smirked at me, and said "Ready for a rematch?" I thought I was already dead.

But I got in the car and did absolutely EVERYTHING perfectly. Which is a pretty easy feat on a Florida driving test in a parking lot I admit, but considering the situation I allowed myself to be proud. I kept my lane, signaled properly, went under the speed limit, stopped at every sign and line (completely!) did a textbook 3 point turn, started and stopped, reversed in a straight line, parked perfectly, and described the exact way to park on a hill. Finally, the test was almost over and I was thrilled to be back at that same nearly invisible white line. I stopped at the appropriate place, half-smiling at the examiner, and then this giant black truck started driving in front of me as I was about to make the turn. I don't really know what made me do it- I've been telling myself that it was a combination of nerves and a desire for the nightmarish experience of testing to be over, but I'm not sure that was it. Whatever the reason, I decided to pull out into the street in front of the truck.....

No, he didn't actually hit me-- but Dad says he could hear the honk from inside the DMV. I was nearly in tears as I drove the final 10 feet into the parking space. The examiner and I exited the car and Dad and I waited for the bad news on the pavement outside the building. After an excruciatingly long time of making little marks on his paper, the examiner finally looked up at us with a smirk on his face- a smirk that I thought rude at the time considering the verdict I expected that he would deliver.

But he said- "Dara, what happened out there was extremely dangerous and should have been an automatic failure, but you did everything else right and even though you were nervous I can see that you're a safe driver, and you drove safely for the rest of the test. So I could really get in trouble for this, but you passed." At which point I started jumping up and down, and then apologizing for jumping up and down. To be honest, I was actually happier to be done once and for all with all things DMV than to actually have my license.

So I do well, and I fail. Then I do well, and I fail again. And then, I almost get my car wrecked and I pass. My happiness wasn't even dampened by the fact that of course the license printer in the DMV was predictably broken, which meant yet another 40 minutes of waiting. But it was so worth it, AND we got celebratory Zona Fresca for dinner afterwards.

Summary? So basically, this was me. Without actually taking off a side mirror.

"Time" from Avenue Q

2011-09-22T18:57:00.001-04:00

This song was cut from the intermission ("interval") of the Avenue Q West End production.

Appropriate in more ways than one.

PianoFiles

2011-09-22T18:56:00.000-04:00

Click here for an amazing website for trading piano sheet music...tons of musical theatre scores and other lovely finds :)

The Brothers Size

2011-09-14T14:48:00.001-04:00

It's a really interesting new play by an up-and-coming Miami playwright. The style is a truly unique blend of different influences, with a flavor of traditional African storytelling. Though certain moments felt too distantly surreal and overly abstract, I really loved the incorporation of interesting prop use/dream sequences. It's at the GableStage and got really good reviews, so...go see it!

Contagion

2011-09-14T14:44:00.001-04:00

Danyele and I usually have the same opinions about everything, especially movies-- but she hated this one even though I loved it. Even though it was a bit predictable and almost annoyingly star-filled, Contagion was still a really enjoyable 2-something hours and I honestly was freaked out by all the coughing in the movie theatre by the end :) I mostly loved the last scene and the freaky diseased pig baby dinner. Like in that scene, it was great how they showed you everything you wanted to see; all of the grossness, all of the panic, and all of the vaguely ominous medical centers without totally overdoing it.

At least now we know that when a deadly epidemic virus inevitably attacks the planet, we have put Laurence Fishburne in charge of all operations....and definitely don't listen to Jude Law (if he still has bad teeth). And also definitely kidnap Marion Cotillard before the Chinese can.

The Mountain Goats - Heretic Pride

2011-09-12T18:05:00.000-04:00

I just downloaded this album today, and I'm reaching the end of my 4th listen straight through. It is literally one of my favorite albums of all time, and it's only been in my iTunes for about 6 hours.

Here is the 3 page comic that resulted when Mountain Goats songwriter John Darnielle wrote descriptions of each song on the album for artist Jeffrey Lewis to illustrate. And it's not just cool to look at-- the descriptions themselves are just so wonderful.

"Holocene" -- music video

2011-09-12T16:49:00.001-04:00

Bon Iver!

I want to go to Iceland now.

Favorite moments from TheatreBridge 2011:

2011-09-12T16:46:00.005-04:00

(Post on summer college roadtrip coming soon!)

In no real order...

First Saturday night: Meisner wrap-up and dance

That night was the first night that we got really into what the Meisner acting technique is all about. We had a long talk with our program director and acting teacher Mark Cohen and all of us bonded by scheming about an impossible West Side Story flashmob at the dance that night. Afterwards we all went to the dance (and almost got kicked out for trying to execute our brilliant plan) and got fro yo together afterwards- I wrote about the whole night more extensively in my journal and I think it would spoil it somehow to post my entry here. But regardless it was kind of magical and by far one of my favorite nights at TheatreBridge.

Solo shows

I couldn't write about my favorite TheatreBridge moments without mentioning the wonderful solo shows. The amazing Lowry Marshall has a really selective class at Brown where theatre students work hard to write and perform their own solo shows. We got to see solo shows created by three awesome people this summer- Jon Gordon, a member of the Playwrights' Rep company, playwright Alix Sobler, and our own RA, Dennis Kozee. I loved all of the shows in their own way, and while Jon's was probably the most uniquely artistic, Dennis's is really special to me and I'll remember it as one of the most beautiful theatre pieces I've ever seen.

Fireworks

I haven't seen real fireworks on the 4th of July since I was really little, so watching fireworks at India Point Park with my Bridgers this summer was particularly special. I got to spend time with many of the college students who were mentoring us Bridgers, called the "Apprentices" (or more informally, the "Apprenti"), and I watched the gorgeous show while snacking on frozen lemonade and candy corn. I think the best part was naming the fireworks- I'd have to say my personal favorites were "Michael Scott" and "Boobs".

Will's 18th birthday party

Nuff said.

Michael X- 3 times

Of the three plays produced at Playwrights' Rep in summer 2011, The Killing of Michael X, a New Film by Celia Wallace.....definitely had the longest title. AND it was also by far my favorite :) I saw it a total of 3 times and I wish I could have seen every performance. I'm going to try and get some of my favorite theatres in South fl to take a look at the script- it's such an original play and it would be so wonderful to share it with more people. It was really interesting getting to see Mark act and all of the performances were just stunning. I also loved getting to have a Q & A with the playwright Cory Hinkle and the whole cast- I need to be in a Playwrights' Rep show one day.

Lunch with Mark/ harry potter

Mark Cohen has a tradition of having lunch with every Bridger before the program is over, and I loved spending time getting to know Mark better outside class. The food itself was a welcome yummy break from the V-Dub cafeteria ickyness, and it was a "delightful" way to wind down after a stressful devised work performance. Also, I got to go see the final Potter movie afterwards...and subsequently spent the rest of the day bawling. Because I loved it of course.

Danyele boston visit

For the last few weeks I was in Providence, Danyele was at the Musical Theatre Dance Intensive at BoCo just miles away in beautiful Boston. So one weekend I surprised her by taking the train to Back Bay station and sneaking up on her on the way to lunch. I only got to see her for a few hours but she was so surprised and it was totally worth it. I also got to spend a few extra hours exploring Boston on my own, which was so lovely even in the rain. Afterwards we had our TB'11 open mic night..... more memories.

Filming the apprenti movie

Most people don't find the idea of being soaked in fake blood made out of maple syrup, chocolate sauce and red food coloring to be the most appealing way to spend a Friday night...but being in the apprentices' horror movie was actually really amazing. I've never played a demented ballerina before, and even though it was a little sticky it was actually so exhilarating- that's what she said?

Indian food with Dad

As much as I loved Brown, it was sort of a relief when Dad drove up to pick me up outside the Steinert practice rooms. Of course, the first thing we did together in Providence...was go eat Indian food. Because we're not predictable or anything. Anyways, I think I would have loved my meal at Kabob and Curry even regardless of the fact that I was really happy to see Dad and have some real food for once. While I'm happy that I waited to try it with Dad, I kind of regret not having taken advantage of the all of the tasty curried things for the whole summer. And since I'm probably not going to have a separate post about this, below I'm going to list some of my favorite places to eat in Providence:

Andrea's- yummy Greek food
Soban- fast food Korean
Nice Slice- New York pizza
Paragon / VIVA- nicer Italian
FroYo World & Juniper- amazing frozen yogurt

And for fancy beverages-
Tealuxe
Blue State Coffee

...and a map of Thayer for good measure.

Last night: Waterfire/ wrap party/ 5am diner

It sounds like a cliche, but the last night at TheatreBridge was a total whirlwind. That Saturday night, Dad and I walked down to WaterFire early and explored Providence for a while before heading to dinner. After a last Thayer meal, we walked back down to the water where the festivities had already begun. It was even more beautiful seeing WaterFire a second time, especially since the music was being performed live by the Rhode Island Philharmonic. It was difficult to leave the gorgeous fires, but finally we walked back up college hill for the last time to the wrap party on the Leeds Theatre stage. And from then on everything was just goodbyes and crying. We all spent the night together in a half-asleep dream state, until 5am when all of the Bridgers and some apprenti went for an extremely early breakfast to Louis' diner. The whole thing was really surreal.

More summer posts to come.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

2011-09-10T15:52:00.002-04:00

When I picked up this book for the first time, I totally wasn't expecting it to be one of my favorites. Many books written from the perspective of a young person with developmental or emotional troubles are usually contrived and patronizing to both its subject and the reader. But from the very first chapter I knew that this one was going to be totally different. Christopher's autism is not what differentiates you from him- it's what brings you closer to him... but at the same time, it doesn't try to prove that we are all the same in some greater sense. Instead, by the end of the novel you have a great feeling of appreciation and empathy towards all of the different kinds of brains out there. Through Christopher, the reader discovers that autism is not all about the fascination of disabilities vs. savant-like skills but the relationships between people with differing capabilities and perspectives on the world.

Reading this book inspired me to explore more books (and movies) about people like Christopher...but none of their stories so far have been quite as real and tangible as his.

Memento

2011-09-03T18:12:00.000-04:00

Here's the short story that the movie was based on...so good.

Kefir

2011-09-03T18:06:00.000-04:00

The best fro yo I know.

Autumn + Winter Playlist

2011-08-29T17:15:00.002-04:00

Yes it's early but this is the time of year when I start getting anxious for the hot Florida summer to cool down so we can call it "fall".

Also I didn't have the best weekend ever and making playlists is good for cheering up. So here is my Autumn into Winter Playlist-

1. Kaleidoscope Heart:    Sara Bareilles - Kaleidoscope Heart
2. Winter:    Blue Skies - Winter
3. Don't Carry It All:    The Decemberists - The King Is Dead
4. Dance Music:    the Mountain Goats - The Sunset Tree
5. Come On, Come Out:    A Fine Frenzy - One Cell in the Sea
6. Blue Skies:    Jaymay - Autumn Fallin'
7. Take It From Me:    The Weepies - Live Session
8. Cross Your Fingers:    Laura Marling - Alas I Cannot Swim
9. This Year:    the Mountain Goats - The Sunset Tree
10. November:    Azure Ray - November
11. The Gardner:    The Tallest Man On Earth - Shallow Grave
12. Ghosts:    Laura Marling - Alas I Cannot Swim
13. The Chain (Live):    Ingrid Michaelson - Be OK
14. From A Balance Beam:    Bright Eyes - Lifted
15. Thanksgiving:    George Winston - December
16. In the Aeroplane Over the Sea:    Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
17. Somedays:    Regina Spektor - Soviet Kitsch
18. Old Soul Song (Live):    Bright Eyes - Motion Sickness
19. When the Leaves:    Ingrid Michaelson
20. Holocene:    Bon Iver - Bon Iver

AND my Holiday Playlist-

1. River:    James Taylor - At Christmas
2. All That I Want:    The Weepies - Happiness
3. The Hat:    Ingrid Michaelson - Girls and Boys
4. All Is Love:    Karen O and the Kids - Where the Wild Things Are Soundtrack
5. Carol of the Bells:    George Winston - December
6. Winter Song:    Sara Bareilles & Ingrid Michaelson
7. A Long December:    Counting Crows - Recovering the Satellites
8. Winter White:    A Fine Frenzy - Oh Blue Christmas
9. Christmas Time Is Here:    Vince Guaraldi - A Charlie Brown Christmas
10. Winter:    Joshua Radin - We Were Here
11. December:    Norah Jones - The Fall
12. A Song Of Christmas:    Dan Navarro - Decembersongs
13. Silver Bells:    She & Him - A Very She & Him Christmas
14. Same Old Lang Syne:    Dan Fogelberg - The Innocent Age
15. Goodbye England (Covered In Snow):    Laura Marling
16. Auld Lang Syne:    James Taylor - At Christmas
17. The Holly and the Ivy:    George Winston - December
18. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas:    James Taylor - At Christmas
19. My Dear Acquaintance (A Happy New Year):    Regina Spektor
20. Joy:    George Winston - December

Cosmic Love

2011-08-25T12:03:00.000-04:00

So beautiful.

I'm back.

2011-08-20T14:01:00.000-04:00

This is the first year that I actually was smart enough to post my summer plans on the internet for all to see, so I have more than usual to share here. I feel like I have a whole novel to write, and the entire process of blogging feels strangely unfamiliar. Maybe these posts will start feeling more journal-like from now on. I'm not really sure.

Anyway I did keep an ridiculously extensive journal of this summer, but it's actually kind of personal and I wouldn't feel totally comfortable putting it up here. So I guess I'll have to start from scratch.

On June 19th at about 3 in the afternoon I found myself outside the arches by the main green of Brown's campus and absolutely no idea where to go. The only thing I knew was I was in for 6 crazy weeks of theatre, though at that point I really couldn't have imagined how crazy they'd be. In time hopefully I'll post bits here about my summer at TheatreBridge because there are way too many stories to tell in one sitting! If I only write one thing about TB'11 it would be this- that I met so many amazing theatrey people and I learned much more than I can write down here.

I also went on an amazing 2 week roadtrip around the Northeast seeing colleges with Dad- a lot to report on that as well of course. To be continued later!

Tony's / going away

2011-06-16T18:22:00.000-04:00

That totally just read like "Toby's Going Away". Ha.

I am leaving sweaty sunny South fl in just a few days and headed northward for almost two months of fun summer activities. I'm not going to reveal exactly what my plans are here, but I will definitely post about them when I get home. I'm super excited and I think it's going to be an amazing summer.

I also wanted to write about the Tony's. I was so ready to be disappointed by this one considering the complete lack of good new musicals (with the exception of Book of Mormon of course) but I was so pleasantly surprised and I really enjoyed watching...especially the fabulous NPH. Sutton was her usual adorable self and I was SO happy she won. I think everyone in my family wants to be her new dresser.

SO goodbye Groundlings for now and happy summertime!

Midnight in Paris

2011-06-07T19:38:00.000-04:00

I'm a total sucker for all things Woody Allen, and this movie is just completely wonderful in every Woody Allen-ish way possible. The shots of Paris, the cheesy music, the silly humor, all of it...it was all there. A new addition was Marion Cotillard, who just so amazing it's beyond words.

The only thing that wasn't there was Woody Allen as Owen Wilson's character. I love Owen Wilson, but part of Woody Allen's wonderful predictability is that his male protagonist are almost always the same person- and that person is Woody Allen, not Owen Wilson.

Too bad he's just an old child creeper now :) Doesn't stop me from wanting to see this movie over and over!

Codes and Keys - Death Cab for Cutie

2011-06-07T19:30:00.000-04:00

I'm lovin' the new album...especially the last song! And it's so cool that he's married to Zooey Deschanel.

Hair tour

2011-06-07T19:28:00.002-04:00

Danyele's 15th birthday last Friday was quite a bit lame- it was the day right before our 2 SAT subject tests in history and biology, so naturally we spent almost the whole day studying. But on Saturday night once the evil tests were over we decided to go out and celebrate as a family and see the tour of Hair.

I've seen Hair once before at the Caldwell theatre- I really loved it, but this tour was just a whole new level of amazingness. It's such a strange and beautiful show, and surprisingly not dated at all. I loved the whole cast, and the Claude managed to be almost as perfect as Gavin Creel...though no one can do that:

Colleen Ballinger / Miranda Sings duet

2011-06-07T19:28:00.000-04:00

This is amazing. I don't know who I would want to see more in concert. I take that back...definitely Miranda :)

The only thing that's worse than Miranda is this.

The Beauty Queen of Leenanne

2011-05-30T16:21:00.001-04:00

A few weeks ago, Dad and I made the trip up to Palm Beach to see the Palm Beach Dramaworks production of the sinister Beauty Queen of Leenanne. Martin McDonagh plays aren't usually a romp in the park in terms of lightheartedness, but what makes them so enjoyable is that they explore the darkly comedic that goes hand in hand with creepiness (like in A Behanding in Spokane).

Like many of McDonagh works, The Beauty Queen of Leenanne is about an old Irish person :) In this case, it's an old woman named Mag teetering on the edge of sanity. The story centers around the extremely dysfunctional relationship she has with her daughter Maureen (who is a bit more insane than one might imagine), and Maureen's last chance at love with a man named Pato Dooley. Pato is the only truly likeable character in the play, but the other characters, especially Mag who was played by the amazing Barbara Bradshaw, manages to come through with some perversely sympathetic moments that make the play compelling as a whole. The pacing of the play was a bit odd, but some of the potentially awkward storytelling devices, like Pato's 2nd act monologue, were actually some of the best parts of the play. I also loved the intensely creepy penultimate scene- it was extremely frightening in the way only theatre can be. The ending though was a bit over the top...but still gave me chills.

I'm so excited for next season in the new space, and also to try Rocco's Tacos which is just feet away! :)

Last Night & Blue Valentine

2011-05-27T21:55:00.000-04:00

Last Night isn't even in theatres yet but for whatever reason Apple tv has it available to rent :) The story centers around a married couple- or rather two couples made up of one of the married individuals and their respective lovers. The script is ehh to bad but an extremely skinny and beautiful Keira Knightly actually does a really good job holding the whole thing together. It is her side of the story (revolving around an evening with her almost-lover, Alex) that is the most compelling part of the movie. Her husband, played by Sam Worthington, has a story that's to me at least so much less sympathetic and is almost painful to watch at times. The last 10 minutes were definitely the best part of the movie though.

I kind of have this thing about Michelle Williams. You know how Michael Scott feels about Toby? That's like me with Michelle Williams, except times a million. This is not as entirely random as Michael's hatred for Toby- Michelle Williams in her lifetime got to be with both my two loves (Heath Ledger and Conor Oberst) and I just cannot believe that one person got to steal two such lovely people from me. ANYWAY :)

I managed to get over my grudge to watch Blue Valentine...and I have to say that she's actually a really good actress (as much as I hate to admit it). The chemistry between her and Ryan Gosling is just so good, though the movie itself was hit and miss as it traveled from little moment to little moment (the best part was the tap dancing bit from the trailer). But overall it was an interesting and really original collage of a movie.

I miss this.

2011-05-27T19:10:00.001-04:00

Rapture beach photoshoot

2011-05-27T19:10:00.000-04:00

With Sari <3

THIS.

2011-05-17T11:14:00.000-04:00

NOM NOM NOM.

Street art to the extreme

2011-05-17T10:49:00.003-04:00

Woah, I'd be scared to walk on that thing.....

God of Carnage at the Caldwell

2011-05-16T13:05:00.001-04:00

I've always wanted to see this play ever after reading a review of the Broadway production in the New York times. If I remember right, it describes the play as sort of a comical exploration of human nature and the childish immaturity at the heart of all adults.

I was really excited to hear that it was being performed by the amazing Caldwell Theatre in their beautiful new space, even though I didn't know any of the actors (which is so rare in the tiny South fl theatre world!). I was very impressed by all of them as usual, especially the actor who played Alan, the snarkily detestable lawyer. But the play itself was kind of underwhelming. Maybe I'm not seeing into its deeper morals or something, but it was just way too silly to say anything all that deep about human nature. Which is fine because it's actually really funny at points, but I don't understand why anyone had to attribute anything heavier than Dinner with Friends-esque "tension between two couples over clafoutis" type thing and onstage projectile vomiting to it's deeper motivations. And I'm not making some metaphor here- there was actual vomit that spewed all over everyone's costumes and the beautifully elaborate set. I don't think there's any other way to get an audience reaction like that... it's obviously kind of cheap, but brave at the same time. Regardless, it's certainly a once in a lifetime experience :)

I would totally recommend going to see the show- it's really fun, and when else do you get to see people get vomited on live on stage? I mean seriously! Just don't expect a hidden message about humanity written in the clafoutis.

APs

2011-05-15T14:52:00.004-04:00

My latest excuse for not blogging a lot recently was actually a real one, and a scary one.

The APs are finally over now though, so I thought now that I'm all full of useless facts on world history and biology I'd make a little list of my favorite test prep stuff...maybe Sari will use it one day :)

A History AP test taker can't be without-

AP World History: An Essential Coursebook
Any good textbook will probably do just fine, but this one is brief, concise and specifically AP-geared.

Princeton AP review book
The best one for an overall review of the course.

Barrons AP review book (+ flashcards)
Not as good as the Princeton in my opinion, but it's organized by geographical area there are companion flashcards to go with.

The 2 released exams
The closest thing to the real thing. And the example essays were really helpful.

Peter N. Stearns Teaching Co video lectures
This man is annoying beyond belief but he tackles the really big picture in a helpful (though hugely pretentious and roundabout) way.

This website
...which I found literally hours before the test- figures :/

Also, this timeline I made :)

A Biology AP test taker can't be without-

The textbook (duh)
I know it's obvious, but for bio especially, reading the textbook is SO important. No, you don't actually end up using hardly any of it, but you need to get a sense of the full scope of things to be able to memorize any of the complicated stuff later on.

AP Cliffsnotes review book
I can't recommend this enough. It's my biology review bible.

5 steps to a 5 review book
I discovered this one buried on my bookshelf the weekend before the test and I really wish I would have found it sooner! If reading any biology book could be remotely entertaining this one was, and it was written in such a cute way and it doesn't completely bore you to tears.

This website to learn the labs
The labs were on the test WAY more than anyone expected this year, so if you can't do the labs for real in a classroom, I'd highly recommend this site.

Brightstorm videos
The dude in these videos is such a nerd, but he explains stuff really well and makes the tough stuff seem simple and really memorable.

Hippocampus animations
The droning narration gets annoying after a while, but they were a helpful introduction to all of the concepts in a very summarized form early on in the year.

My new love

2011-05-15T14:52:00.003-04:00

The Tallest Man on Earth - The Gardener

Danyele in the pit

2011-05-15T14:52:00.002-04:00

Danyele's probably going to get mad that I'm randomly writing about her, but I just wanted to document that she's been playing violin for a lot of shows lately and I've been really enjoying them :)

I particularly loved You're A Good Man Charlie Brown at Area Stage in Miami- she was the violinist in a full little band, conducted by the amazing Rick and they sounded great! The performers onstage like everyone at Area Stage were just amazing, but of course I'm biased because I think the actual show is just the most adorable thing ever...I could watch it over and over!

Most recently was My Son Pinocchio at FLCT, and Danyele just did a little "When You Wish Upon a Star" solo at the beginning of act 2 but it was really pretty and I had so much fun being back at FLCT.

And this summer she's playing in the pit of The Last Five Years at Sol. I hope I'll be home to see it :)

Cuteroulette

2011-05-15T14:52:00.000-04:00

Because adorable baby animals are SO much cuter than the gross old man parts of chatroulette.....

Mosaic

2011-05-05T11:28:00.000-04:00

My new song-

Bright Eyes - Coachella (2005)

2011-05-05T11:27:00.000-04:00

I can't believe I haven't found this already :)

And while I'm Bright Eyes spamming.....

Toby

2011-04-22T12:05:00.000-04:00

Seasons of Michael last night was amazing, but I'm really going to miss the Michael/Toby amazingness.....

BEST

Light in the Piazza

2011-04-16T20:53:00.000-04:00

I hate when people post stuff of themselves, but anything I have up here of me singing is way outdated so I thought I'd post this for the sake of updating...

Dinner with Friends II

2011-04-16T19:09:00.003-04:00

I'm always excited to see shows at Palm Beach Dramaworks, but I was excited to see this particular one for a different reason than usual. A few years back, I read this play based on the fact that it won a Pulitzer...and I absolutely hated it. If you go through my blog, you'll find that I don't usually post about things that I really dislike- not that I don't hate on various things now and again, but they're usually not related to theatre, let alone a Pulitzer prize-winning play. So when I heard that one of my favorite theatres was putting this on I was really excited to see if they'd change my mind, considering that I love and admire them so very much.

While in the end the show didn't change my opinions on the play itself, the production itself was so good that I ended up wondering what my impressions would have been if I HADN'T had such a strong negative reaction to reading they play, or if I hadn't read it all. The actors were amazing, especially Jim Ballard as Gabe, and I really wonder what their opinions were on the play. Regardless, they all did an amazing job and made the characters so burningly realistic.

I admit it's really easy to make a snap-judgment about a play that you've only seen on paper, especially comedy/drama like Dinner With Friends. Sometimes the emotion doesn't translate properly as a written word and just comes off as cheesy, and the transitions between the laughing places and the misty-eyed places can be a bit blurred. The stage directions in this particular play don't help...they're almost tacky. (And it's not like I haven't read stage directions before- I've seen a whole lot of them and while they often state the obvious these are just ridiculous and were very intrusive to read.) So I thought that perhaps when I saw it performed live, all of the technicalities would be taken away and I'd be able to appreciate the real meat of the characters and story.

But what I forgot to anticipate was just the sheer unavoidable awkwardness of the script. And don't get me wrong I really am a true fan of awkwardness- I'm a very awkward person myself and a huge fan of the Office. :) But ANYWAY this was most definitely not the good kind of awkwardness. The whole thing sort of seemed like a bad movie disguised as a Pulitzer prize winning play. All of the moments that were supposed to be so deep seemed just the opposite to me and all of the concepts about marriage being explored seemed not only unoriginal but largely overdone in every bad movie about bad relationships that you've ever seen. Again- the actors made the best of it that they could and I actually really admire them for creating such compelling moments amidst the contriteness. And I know I'm not usually so critical...I guess it's mostly because of my expectations considering the award and everything.

Since I was at a Sunday performance, as per the Dramaworks tradition there was a "talk-back" with the actors and director after the show and I didn't say any of this whole rant because I really did think that the actors did a wonderful job and I continue to absolutely adore Palm Beach Dramaworks and the amazing work that they do. I'm so happy for them to be moving into their new space and I will keep seeing every single show they do even if I have to rant about their play choices afterwards. :)

Cape Canaveral (cover) - Sara Lov

2011-04-16T18:41:00.001-04:00

I usually don't like Conor Oberst covers of any kind, but I'm kind of addicted to this right now. :)

Also her cover of "There's A Light That Never Goes Out".....

New Theatre - The Radiant

2011-04-16T18:39:00.000-04:00

The parentals won tix to see this world premiere play at the DASH gala auction, and it was really interesting. Of the 4 person cast, only the two ladies really stood out, but the subject was original and intriguing. Dad and I did both find picky faults in the writing...I still enjoyed seeing it though and I always love the work at New Theatre.

Summer Arts Festival Interlochen 2011

2011-04-16T18:35:00.002-04:00

I'm almost definitely not going back this summer, but their lineup is absolutely amazing- the Decemberists?!?!?!? AHHH! Not to mention this weirdness, haha :)

Source Code, first 5 minutes

2011-04-16T18:35:00.001-04:00

So the trailer for this movie looked absolutely terrible, and the story sounded awful, and even the poster was tacky.....but it was the best movie of its genre I've seen in a really long time. It was totally suspenseful and actually really clever in its own weird way. I also loved the shots of Chicago. My favorite part though was Michael Arden as the bomber! (Sorry for the spoiler haha) The idea this adorable gay musical theatre dude as a creepy terrorist is just amazing. When he was showing Jake Gyllenhaal the dirty bomb in his van I couldn't help but think of him singing this song. :)

Anyways, here's the first 5 minutes.....yes, a little cheesy but don't you want to see more?

Wicked 2011 tour with Sari

2011-04-09T14:51:00.003-04:00

Last Tuesday, Danyele and I had a plan to go to the Broward Center and get student tickets for the Wicked tour. It was around 7 when we were about to leave the house for an 8pm show when Sari ran up to us in her pjs as she was getting ready for bed and said "Where are you guys going?" like she does when she's sad we're leaving. We told her "A show" and she said "Ok!" in her little Sari-ish way and ran to her bedroom. Danyele and I immediately heard some music coming from the computer in her room and when we came to listen we realized she was playing "Dancing Through Life" from Wicked- even though she had no clue what show we were going to see. We immediately felt terrible but since it was a school night, we figured that there was no way she could come along. But when we asked the parentals they both said yes! So we quickly dressed her up and drove to the theatre right on time. When we got to the ticket booth, they actually weren't selling student tix because they were nearly sold out but it actually worked out for the better because we got discount orchestra seats. It's by far the closest to the stage we've ever been in the Broward Center and the view was absolutely amazing. It was my 3rd time seeing Wicked, but it was a totally different thing to watch it up close.

Sari was actually familiar with all of the music from the show and she absolutely LOVED it...and didn't even crash until the car ride home! I was totally blown away by the show itself as always, but the cast was particularly outstanding, especially the two leads. Jackie Burns as Elphaba is my new musical theatre idol. She's amazing and literally my favorite Elphaba ever, just listen to her- she's ridiculous!

Here's a video of "For Good"...really beautiful even though it's SO different out of costume. And no awkward hug!

It was an amazingly fun and unexpected night and I'm so happy Sari could share in it! She's becoming quite the little musical theatre-lover, and I'm proud<3

Rabbit Hole

2011-04-08T13:19:00.003-04:00

After seeing an amazing production of Rabbit Hole at the Goodman Theatre it was a little weird to see onscreen but I actually really enjoyed it! Here are two clips.

Californication meets cellular respiration.

2011-04-08T13:19:00.002-04:00

Too much AP studying? I think so.

The Hat & Keep Breathing - Ingrid Michaelson

2011-04-08T13:19:00.001-04:00

I just love her so much!

August: Osage County + Superior Donuts

2011-04-08T13:19:00.000-04:00

The Broadway version of the set...gorgeous, but personally I liked the Actors' Playhouse one better!

Two weekends ago, Dad and I drove down to GableStage to see their production of Superior Donuts. A few days later we continued the Tracy Letts celebration with the Actors' Playhouse production of August: Osage County. Danyele and Mom had already seen The Goodman production of Superior Donuts, and that's where they'd bought me a copy of the script of August: Osage County. I've read the first act and I think part of the second, but I never finished it because I've been waiting to see it live. I was never expecting that a local theatre would put it on before I could see a tour version, but I was SO excited when I heard that Actors' Playhouse was including it in their season. The cast was totally incredible and it was one of the best theatre-going experiences I've had in a long while...but let me talk about Superior Donuts first!

Superior Donuts is a drama/comedy that tells the story of the friendship between the owner of a little donut shop and his fresh-faced new employee. A lot of the dialogue is laugh-out loud funny, but the introspective monologues are really gorgeous and Avi Hoffman as Arthur had the whole audience in the palm of his hand. It's hard to say if it was the play itself or just the amazing actors as GableStage, but the audience as a whole cared about the characters so much more than in almost any other play I've ever seen. When the audience learns about Franco's injury and the destruction of his book, there was an audible gasp and you could almost feel the room go cold. Seeing Superior Donuts at GableStage was just a reminder that we should always go to every play in their season because I'm always so amazed at their work.

I just realized that I'm going to sound really repetitive in my enthusiasm here, but I'd just be being honest to say that I loved August: Osage County just as much as Superior Donuts. Obviously the productions were totally different, but it was really a treat to see two plays by the same author that we SO different and yet alike in their hilarity/tragedy. There's no South Florida theatre that can make you feel like you're seeing a Broadway show the way Actors' Playhouse does- the sets, costumes, and all things technical are beautifully elaborate and always impressive. The house in August: Osage County was particularly intricate, and and every detail down to the peeling wallpaper just added to the smoldering atmosphere. Like I said before, the cast was just spectacular and I think I'd seen all of the various actors in one show or another...and some a lot more than that! Anyways, while the characters in August: Osage County weren't necessarily at all "loveable" it was still so incredibly compelling to watch their stories unfold and their exteriors fall apart.

Apparently someone is making it into a movie...should be interesting :)

Here's a video of the opening monologue from August: Osage County-

Oh and one more thing- I just wanted to document that Dad and I went and lurked the Carbonell Awards for the 2nd year in a row...we were probably the only ones their who weren't nominated or invited by a nominee, but whatevs. We're the biggest theatrical lurks ever anyways, why not celebrate it? :)

Sarah Kay

2011-03-24T11:46:00.000-04:00

Most spoken word poetry is pretentious and icky, but I like this a lot :)

Almond yogurt

2011-03-23T20:59:00.003-04:00

The best dairy alternative I've tried yet.

The Light in the Piazza - Broward Stage Door

2011-03-23T20:58:00.001-04:00

The Light in the Piazza is literally my favorite musical of all time, and I was really excited to see the local production at Broward Stage Door Theatre. Stage Door has a quite random location in Coral Springs, but the two theatres inside are both adorable, and I've been really impressed with all of the work that I've seen there. Even though I'm endlessly picky about Piazza (like a theatre geek might be about their favorite musical), the cast was really amazing- almost Actors' Playhouse standards. It's really difficult to pull off a musical as complex as The Light in the Piazza but they did a really amazing job. The actress who played Margaret was my favorite, but that was probably because she was so incredibly much like Victoria Clark. :)

I can't wait to see more shows at Stage Door next season- their season is absolutely beyond amazing!

Bob Dylan - Friday ;)

2011-03-19T22:53:00.001-04:00

Because obviously this song was written by Bob Dylan..... How in the world do people not know this is a parody!

I love the way he says "cereal" though :)

New Music pt II

2011-03-19T22:51:00.000-04:00

All of my posts have been so musical lately! Anyway, my favorite songs so far are in parentheses with the quote marks...I was too lazy to write blurbs this time :) So here goes my addendum to part I!

After the Ending - Dashboard Confessional ("Everybody Learns from Disaster")

Her Majesty - The Decemberists

Once Soundtrack - Glen Hansard ("Falling Slowly")

Easy Wonderful - Guster ("Do You Love Me")

Slow the Rain - Ingrid Michaelson ("Morning Lullabies")

The Shepherd's Dog - Iron and Wine

Sigh No More - Mumford and Sons ("Little Lion Man" and "The Cave")

Why Should the Fire Die? - Nickel Creek

Soviet Kitsch - Regina Spektor ("Us", "Somedays")

Little Voice - Sara Bareilles ("Love Song", "Fairytale")

Volume Two - She & Him ("In the Sun")

Noble Beast - Andrew Bird

...Featuring - Norah Jones

Tidal - Fiona Apple

Emotionalism - The Avett Brothers ("Will You Return")

Why is one of Conor Oberst's best songs not recorded?

2011-03-19T22:47:00.003-04:00

Ahhh! But I'm in love.

Not to mention... nice hat <3

Cute English boy with a guitar singing Bright Eyes.....

2011-03-19T22:47:00.002-04:00

YES PLEASE. (So what if his voice isn't perfect?) Dave is going to be famous!

Bareilles amazingness

2011-03-19T22:47:00.001-04:00

Her new video for "Uncharted" features an adorable Josh Groban, Tegan and Sara, Greg Laswell, Ben Folds, and Ingrid Michaelson, among others...so cute! And of course- Keenan Cahill haha.

Also, "King of Anything" :)

Rango

2011-03-19T22:46:00.002-04:00

I wanted to love this movie so very much. Johnny Depp as a chameleon with a love for theatre...I mean come on. And while it was a fun watch with absolutely adorable animation, I was really a bit disappointed. There could have been so much more cuteness and so much less filler- there really was a good movie in there somewhere, it was just buried under all the randomness and action sequences. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely adore randomness, but the randomness in Rango came more from a lack of pacing and direction rather than actual cleverness. Click here for a clip.

Tink official songlist

2011-03-19T22:46:00.000-04:00

1. Lost Boys
2. I'll Always Lie
3. Someday
4. June on the West Coast
5. A Dangerous Mix
6. Don't Know Why
7. Silver Moon
8. Fidelity/On the Radio
9. Numb
10. Nine Lives
11. The Chain
12. Joy
13. Spring Cleaning
14. Scales/First Day
15. Mosaic
16. Jane's Story
17. Distant Melody (bonus)

6 covers, 11 originals.

I still need to record a lot of them, but I'm very excited! :)

Bright Eyes Concert

2011-03-19T22:44:00.001-04:00

Before I type anything I'm going to apologize for the hugely fangirlish nature of this post- I have to remind myself how obsessed I am sometimes when I realize I'm typing this post about Bright Eyes while listening to them stream a live concert while re-uploading their music to my iPod...I think I might be a bit obsessed?

I think part of my obsession is that I can't stand when anyone (including myself, in the above paragraph) refers to Bright Eyes as "them". Bright Eyes is most definitely not a "them"- Bright Eyes is only and ONLY Conor Oberst. At least to me, it's just him and no one else. Anyway.

So when I heard that Bright Eyes was touring for the release of their (HIS) new a final album, The People's Key, I started completely freaking out. I instantly became totally consumed by the new album, and was so quick to try to buy tickets that I got semi-ripped off by a dumb online scam. That's what happens to silly fangirls I guess... But absolutely nothing could dull my complete and total excitement. The show was the first on his whole tour of the US which made everything doubly exciting, and the venue was the beautiful and rather intimate Jackie Gleason in South Beach. Here's Danyele and I before the concert (March 2nd)-

We got a picnic from Whole Foods of course, and ate in the park by the brand new New World Symphony Center, designed by Frank Gehry. Then we headed into the theatre and bought two adorable Bright Eyes shirts- a long sleeved white one with this cool blue feather-ish design, and the one in the pic below, my favorite!

Once we got in the theatre, Danyele and I snuck our way all the way to the front of the non-VIP section which was actually really really close. A band called Cursive opened for Bright Eyes and they were actually quite good but everyone and myself included just wanted them to leave and to see what came next. FINALLY after what felt like forever and ever, Conor and the band walked onto the stage. I "squee"ed a bit but immediately I was so engrossed and caught up in the fog and crazy lights and whatnot that I almost forgot I was there in a way. It was just so surreal. AND NO I don't mean I was sharing any of the drugs floating around, haha. The setlist was as follows-

SETLIST-

Firewall
Jejeune Stars
Take It Easy
Four Winds
Bowl of Oranges
We Are Nowhere And It's Now
Shell Games
Approximated Sunlight
Hot Knives
From a Balance Beam
Poison Oak
Triple Spiral
Arc of Time
Beginner's Mind
Something Vague
Trees Get Wheeled Away
Old Soul Song
Nothing Gets Crossed Out
The Calendar Hung Itself
Lua
Gold Mine Gutted
Lover I Don't Have to Love
Road to Joy
One for You, One for Me

I really don't think I'm actually being biased when I say that it was a truly amazing list of songs. Ok, I admit that my fantasy version included-

Endless Entertainment (which Danyele and I shouted out several times during the course of the concert, to no avail)
Lets Not Shit Ourselves
First Day of My Life
At the Bottom of Everything
Hit the Switch
Method Acting
Falling Out Of Love At This Volume
An Attempt To Tip the Scales
etc.

Actually what kind of sucks is that he did perform the last two of those at some of his other concerts...but in fact that means I get to see a recording which makes up for it a bit :) Yes, I'm crazy.

Anyway, all of the songs were obviously amazing and I sang along to every note, but my personal favorites were Bowl of Oranges, From a Balance Beam, Trees Get Wheeled Away, and The Calendar Hung Itself. Also, the almost-finale of Road to Joy was just breathtaking...which I'm listening to him perform live right now at this moment in Austin, ahhh. We actually took the "Mikey" and got our own very frazzled and loud recording of almost the whole concert. It's on my to-do list to edit it into individual songs...

After the concert, I left the theatre thinking that I would do anything just to relive the whole show from the minute Conor walked onto the stage, or at the very least, see him perform again. I'm officially trying to convince the family to plan a trip to London so we can see the concert there over the summer. For now, I just have these videos to watch on a loop... :)

Bowl of Oranges

Lua

Anyways, enjoy the supermoon! I'm going to get off my computer and go outside to take a look in a few moments.....

(Supermoon?)

Aida!

2011-03-18T12:00:00.000-04:00

The Gods Love Nubia

So I'd been meaning to do a pre-opening post for Aida, but tech week ended up being so busy that I didn't have the time. I could write pages and pages about the show and our backstage shenanigans, but that would take forever! I'll just say for the sake of record keeping- we had 4 wonderful performances in 1 crazy weekend at the African American Research Library and Cultural Center Theatre (or something like that anyway). The first was a school show where Danyele's foot inevitably got squashed by a set piece like mine had the day before and The Gods Love Nubia was slightly insane...but the kids seemed to really like it and we had a hilarious Q&A afterwards. Between shows we drove around with Maddy and had lunch with the cast and then hung out in Rio Vista. Danyele walked around Las Olas with a different group and almost got mugged...but it was totally worth it for the chocolate-covered orange peel she brought me from Kilwins. :) Opening night was wonderful- we all did really well and there weren't any particularly violent set injuries as far as I can remember. :) Sari loved the Saturday afternoon show the next day and we had group photos and a pizza party/cast bonding session before the night performance. I think our last show was the best (like they always are) and the cast celebrated by getting ice cream at Jacksons afterwards. The cast party was the next day at the Garcia house and it was really fun but bittersweet because of all the senior speeches! Danyele and I were both sobbing during Maddy's...I think everyone was actually. Judging from Facebook, the whole Aida cast seems to be going crazy without each other, but everyone is keeping in touch through an Aida Cast Facebook group. :)

Picture time!

Gorgeous slavely Danyele

My beautifully blue slave costume!

Sketching in the museum scene

Amneris and her lady posse

Danyele being awesome in "Dance of the Robe"

Dance of the Robe final pose

The tomb

Danyele, Maddy, and I...with Danyele looking quite teary post-senior speeches :'(

16 = 1000

2011-02-25T07:26:00.000-05:00

1000 posts! I made it :)

It's my birthday and I'm old. Here's a photo of me from back when I wasn't so old.

The Social Network + It's Kind of a Funny Story

2011-02-24T14:32:00.002-05:00

I haven't done random movie reviews in the longest while, so here goes post #999!!!

I can't believe that I missed seeing The Social Network in theatres when it was playing...for about 6 months... Jesse Eisenberg was amazing- he just seems so adorkable in real life, and it was hard to imagine that he'd ever be able to pull of being all nasty and Zuckerberg-ish. In the movie, he kept the "dork" part of his adorkableness but added that self-cented briskness that characterizes Zuckerberg. The whole cast was really amazing, and they managed to make an often cheesy script seem really compelling. Even Justin Timberlake, who I usually hate, didn't completely suck- though maybe I'm just biased because he looks so frickin much like Will Schuester. It's insane. Speaking of hateable people, Zuckerberg really does come off like such a jerk, and though I'm sure he's also a CEO bitch in real life, there are so many cringe-worthy moments for him that you can't help but feel a bit sorry. He seems to take it well in this SNL bit...

It's Kind of a Funny Story is one of those movies that's difficult to describe in a short blurb. It was so different from almost any other movie I've seen in a while and was unique and quirky in a way that I love..while also being kind of cliched. It pushed boundaries in this awesome way by making light of mental illness...which sounds weird and offensive but actually came off as quite entertaining :) Zach Zopasduybewrqeoiruybcqweroivinpofanaopabugus was his usual hilarious bearded self, and I also loved Kier Gilchrist, as the lost teenager who checks himself in to a mental hospital and begins a weird friendship with previously mentioned bearded dude. The tone of the whole thing was nicely modern with the insertion of random animation, random costumed music videos and all manner of insanity, but also seemed like it was trying a little too hard to stand out by being over the top.