friday night & the lights are low...

First, came Mammia Mia in NYC last month...

Tonight, our Swedish-style musical adventures continue, with the music of ABBA performed by Arrival from Sweden at Ravinia! Woo!

Get your disco on, ladies!!!! Jelly rings, check! Swedish fish, also check!

See that girl, watch that scene, diggin' the dancing queen! Unfortunately, the dancing queen has to bring along like an entire box of kleenex and bag of lozenges with her, as she has fallen a bit under the weather. Damn. The dancing queen has gotten kind of old. But neither rain nor sleet nor summer cold will keep her from dancing and singing up a storm tonight!

Stephen%20Sondheim's%2080th%20is%20the%20birthday%20party%20that%20just%20won't%20end

Celebrate early, celebrate often, has always been my birthday mantra, especially if there are gifts involved!!!!

Stephen%20Sondheim's%2080th%20is%20the%20birthday%20party%20that%20just%20won't%20end

ooohh... that was lovely...

In a tip of the hat to our lovely beach weather... even though it is not yet August bank holiday, I think a trip to the sea (well, lake) would be smashing...

stop worrying where you're going...

Look, I know this is cheating a little since she's not going to be at Ravinia on Saturday, but this is my celebration countdown and you can't talk SJS without mentioning Bernadette. So there. Enjoy. She is glorious!

look, he made a hat....

Continuing on my countdown to Super Sondheim Saturday, I give you two clips featuring Neil Patrick Harris.

Finishing the Hat


Not While I'm Around

despicable me

After Friday (ugh. work stuff. don't want to speak of it.) I needed a lift. I got several this weekend - listening to Renee Fleming and then getting a backstage hug, for starters, and then on Sunday, chilling with my friends, getting manis and pedis and then seeing Despicable Me (with $1 POPCORN! POPCORN!! I'M GONNA DIE!).

It was a supercute movie, really funny. The hard-hearted villain, Gru, is trying to get his status as most evil villain reinstated after an upstart steals one of the pyramids and replaces it with an inflatable copy (hee hee). He wants to get back at his new nemesis and hatches a plan to steal... the moon!! With the help of his minions and his elderly mad scientist sidekick. He adopts three orphaned girls to assist in his diabolical plot and then, well, can you see where this is going? It's lovable and sweet (and the littlest girl, Agnes, is SO CUTE and her voice is just adorable).

Favorite moments: "IT'S SO FLUFFY!" Agnes, seeing a big stuffed unicorn toy, and then "FLUFFY!!!!" after Gru wins it for her.

The boogie-bots and the fart gun were awesome and also the following exchange:
Agnes (about Gru): He's nice.
Edith: But scary.
Agnes (after some thought): Like Santa.

We didn't see it in 3D, but I totally want to. It was a great, fun, summer movie. I don't know if AMC does their $1 popcorn and $1 drink (any size. It's really cool, actually) every Sunday, but keep your eyes out for coupons!

isn't it rich?

I'm starting the countdown to Sondheim Saturday at Ravinia!!

ravinia...

My first visit to Ravinia this summer!! Naturally, it had to take place the day after the hottest day of the year so far. The forecast was hot and humid with a chance of storms. Lovely. But what is a little bit of weather when it comes to seeing Renee Fleming?? Nothing, that's what.

The park was beautiful, as always, with flowers blooming in such pretty bright colors. We also spotted a butterfly...

Well, it was plenty hot, but the rain had stopped. The lawn picnickers were out in force - in fact, there was some kind of contest going on, to see who could present the most impressive spread. People went all out - floral centerpieces, candelabra, really fancy looking food. My favorite? the group who brought a Renee Fleming cake. I don't know who won (or what they won) but that one would have been the winner if I'd been the judge.
The performance opened with the CSO playing Schumann, conducted by Christoph Eschenbach. I thought that was kind of sneaky of them, actually, because the advertisements were all about seeing Renee, not sitting through an entire first half that was diva-less. The music was nice and all, but they weren't the reason I bought the ticket (sorry guys!) and I was waiting for the Diva. Even though I strongly advocate people going to orchestra concerts and otherwise engaging in performing arts activities, I found the Schumann kind of boring, and I can understand why these kinds of concerts aren't everyone's thing. I like a lot of visuals, I like there to be action - someone dancing, someone singing, doing something, but watching a bunch of people playing instruments... yeah. The big screens helped a lot though - they showed close ups of the conductor, the players, the pianist, etc. In the intermission, I got another bottle of cold water (I think they were doing a brisk business...)

Finally, finally, it was time for Renee. She emerged, dressed in a stunning red strapless gown and a whole lotta Diva BLING! She sang Strauss's Four Last Songs. These are not my favorites out of Renee's repertoire, I will be honest, but they were beautifully sung. She is so natural when she sings in German, she made it sound so effortless. If the angels could sing, they would sound like Renee. She thanked us all for braving the elements to come out and see her, and she gave us two encores - Cacile by Strauss and Marietta's Lied by Korngold. Heavenly. Oh, you have to listen to her sing. Just gorgeous. I was on her backstage list and was ushered with a big group back to the green room so she could meet and greet her guests. It blows me away how extraordinary she is. She took the time to chat with each person waiting for her - taking a photo or singing a program as well. This is not a one time thing for Renee, every time I have seen her backstage, she does this. Even after she's sung a four hour opera, she takes the time to meet people and speak, even if it is just for a few minutes.

It has been awhile since I've seen her and I was feeling shy, but that's another thing about Renee, she puts people at their ease immediately. She saw me, gave me a hug and said that it had been awhile since she'd seen me last. I told her how wonderful it was to see her in Chicago again, and we talked about the fan group I started, The Beautiful Voice, eleven years ago, right after I saw her perform for the first time. She is well aware of the group and told me how much it means to her to have such a dedicated support group. She knows a number of the group members, and we all come to see her perform whenever she is in our corners of the world. She likes to see familiar faces in the audience, and visiting her backstage. In many cases, we've met up, and become friends, drawn together by the power of Renee. It's kind of awesome, when you think about it. She is so generous and kind, and has brought so much to all of us. It's a pleasure to support her. What an amazing, classy lady.

Anyway, it was a beautiful evening of opera under the stars. I'm looking forward to seeing Renee again sometime soon....

this afternoon's smile...

Just when I needed a smile, I got this newsletter from Ravinia... I am looking forward to this, of course, and naturally I will be there for all three (whee!)

But I said it once, and I will say it again, who thought it would be a good idea to give her a gun???

patti talks about her book...

I am totally looking forward to reading this...

friday!

I love Fridays very very very much (maybe because I love the weekends very very etc much). Even though today is going to be a hot one. I can hardly stand to think of what tomorrow night at Ravinia is going to be like, but it will not be the first time I have been there in extreme heat & humidity. It's summer, it's an outdoor venue, it's Chicago(land)in July, yeah, it's gonna be hot. At least I'm just sitting there, and I can have all the cold beverages I want, it's not like I'm up on stage playing or singing.

Anyway. TGIF everyone! I will come back later this weekend with a full report of Renée's concert.

EXCLUSIVE: "Great Performances" to Broadcast Sondheim: The Birthday Concert in November - Playbill.com

Happy birthday to me!! That's if our PBS station actually airs this on Novemebr 24th...

EXCLUSIVE: "Great Performances" to Broadcast Sondheim: The Birthday Concert in November - Playbill.com

monday already?

The weekends ALWAYS seem to go by too fast, but summer weekends seem to go by at twice the speed. Maybe because there's so much good stuff to do?

Saturday started early for me - had to bring diabetic kittykat to the vet to get a blood test- she was NOT a happy little camper! Went to breakfast, did a little grocery shopping then hopped the EL with Heidi so we could hit the sidewalk sale at
1154 Lill Studio because what we need in our lives? Are some more adorable, custom designed handbags. Yeah, totally. Came away with a darling Hadley bag (what? It's for work. And it was 50% off!) and a bag of really soft and fresh gummy bears (not from Lill, from somewhere else)and we were back on several EL trains back to the 'burbs for lunch with Jane. Burgers, wedding shower shopping, home, dinner, an episode of Bones, and the last half hour of the Vargathon on channel 20.4

Sunday - my first major forray into Indiana for Nicole and Mark's wedding shower in Valpo. I was up early (of course!! My annoying mental alarm clock makes it impossible to sleep in most of the time. And my meowing furry alarm clock doesn't help either!) and off to the gym. Back, made breakfast, did laundry, beautified for the shower.

Let me tell you, there is a reason I don't spend a lot of time in Indiana - it's BORING. And kind of smelly. There might be more than corn there, but I really can't be bothered to find out. The shower was lots of fun though. It was in this totally amazing restaurant Don Quijote. There were (seemingly bottomless) pitchers of sangria on the tables and platters heaped with delicious food - mixed vegetables, meatballs, potato salads, mushrooms, bread with this amazing garlic butter style spread, cheese (of some kind. really really tasty), and the main event was a gigantic vat of paella (no, seriously, it was huge. Two guys paraded it out from the kitchen so we could all admire it before they put it on a table and started plating it up) and some kind of pork and it was all really fresh and delicious. For dessert, we had a really amazing cinnamon apple crumb style cake with ice cream. It was all really fantastic, foodwise, and the shower was fun too. If you are in Valpo for any reason, go to this place. It was cute, the owners were there and really nice (they gave us all $15 gift certificates to come back!) and the food was, no kidding, totally amazing.

There were some games - one involving clothespins and forbidden words "bride" "dress" and "wedding" (if you hear someone saying those words, you can steal their pin. The person with the most pins at the end of the shower won a prize). Mine was lost fairly early because someone "innocently" asked what the forbidden words were, because she'd forgotten. And like a dope, I rattled them off. Busted.

There was a "price is right" kind of game where there was a "showcase" of stuff and we had to guess the price of it all and win a prize. You'd think for all the shopping I do, I would be better at stuff like this, but alas. I was like over 20 bucks off what the price was. There was also a game that involved breaking into teams of 5 and selecting a "bride" to craft a "dress" out of toilet paper and aluminum foil. Guess who ended up wearing toilet paper? That's right, it was me. And I didn't even win the contest, although all of the "brides" got a little prize. It was really really hilarious, actually. And I have pictures, but have to upload them, so keep your eyes on this space for my lovely "dress".

Gifts were opened (the four of us got Nicole and Mark a Wii - they had registered for one and we thought it would be a fun gift that they could enjoy together. Much more original than a toaster, yes?) and we were back on the road again. Got stuck in traffic snarl outside Chicago (grrrr) so it took a little bit longer to get home. Had a small dinner (really small), got things ready for work and then went to bed.

See? Too short!!!

a gala event for the ages

I'll be there on July 31 (and the 30th too, come to think of it. Maybe I can pitch a tent on the lawn? Just sleep over?)

From Ravinia's e-newsletter:

The Ravinia Women’s Board presents another star-studded evening for this year’s Gala, celebrating the music of Stephen Sondheim. Be there on Saturday, July 31 for the performance featuring the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Paul Gemignani, vocalists Patti LuPone, Michael Cerveris, Audra McDonald and George Hearn and director Lonny Price.
“The genius of Sondheim can’t be questioned. The star power of Patti LuPone, Audra McDonald, George Hearn and Michael Cerveris make them all without peer. The stage mastery of Lonny Price and Paul Gemignani is unimpeachable. Add all this magic to the natural beauty of Ravinia Festival, and you’ve got a Gala event for the ages,” said Ravinia President and CEO Welz Kauffman. “In a season brimming with special anniversaries, what better way to celebrate Sondheim’s 80th birthday than by recreating the greatest hits Ravinia has had with his music and these stars over the past decade?”

Since 2001 Ravinia has assembled its own Sondheim repertory company that includes Broadway stars Patti LuPone, Audra McDonald, George Hearn and Michael Cerveris along with director Lonny Price and conductor Paul Gemignani, who leads the orchestras on most Sondheim cast albums. In different combinations, these artists have given Ravinia highly lauded productions of Sweeney Todd, Sunday in the Park with George, A Little Night Music, Passion, Anyone Can Whistle and Gypsy, which Patti, in her role of Mama Rose, took to Broadway to earn a Tony Award. And Ravinia’s visions of Sweeney Todd and Passion both generated highly lauded telecast productions.

In celebration of Stephen Sondheim’s 80th birthday, these great artists are “putting it together,” weaving their favorite moments from Ravinia’s Sondheim shows into a musical celebration that will remain “Timeless”.

Tosca's on her way back to Chicago...

There was a tiny blurb in the Tribune yesterday, including this tantalizing tidbit: Also announced for 2011 at Ravinia is a Conlon-conducted concert performance of Puccini's "Tosca," starring Patricia Racette, Salvatore Licitra and Bryn Terfel

Exciting for several reasons: Tosca is one of my favorite operas and Bryn Terfel is one of my favorite singers who hasn't been in Chicago for a long time. Sign me up!

one week away!!

Let the countdown begin - I am heading to Ravinia next weekend to see the wonderful Renée Fleming sing Strauss's Four Last Songs. I hope it is not 9 million degrees outside, because as much as she likes the humidity for her voice, it's just killer sitting in the pavilion watching the performance while sweating your brains out. Still, I do it happily (and stickily) for you, Renée. My goodness, I haven't seen Renée in a REALLY LONG TIME. Time to remedy that!!

My next couple of weeks will be quite Ravinia-filled, since the weekend following Renée's concert I am seeing Arrival from Sweden on Friday the 30th (where I will be busting out my jelly glow rings!) and the Sondheim Gala concert on the 31st (where I will also be busting out my jelly glow rings - HA! Just kidding!).

Anyway, get ready for Renée by watching her discuss the Four Last Songs:

totally a-mahzing...

Seth Rudetsky's Deconstructing Broadway is coming to Chicago (well, Highland Park, whatever, close enough) in October at something called "The Music Theatre Company Space". I was so excited, my little nerd girl self squealed when I read this news on Theater Mania. On top of his deconstructions, Seth writes really great weekly columns on Playbill.com which I read religiously AND I've read his book "Broadway Nights"!! Most of the factoids I know about Broadway come from the Fountain of Seth. I already have my tickets- SO looking forward to it!

stay tuned...

When I got home last night, all I wanted to do was veg out in front of the tv. So there I was, surfing channels, looking for something to watch on tv after Rick Steves' Europe. I used to think Rick was the shit, with all of his practical tips and budget travel advice, but now I am not so sure. He is really big on local establishments, and meeting new people, to really get immersed in the culture and in Venice, we stayed with a crazy old lady in her non-air conditioned home b/c she rented out some rooms for guests. Yeah, that was a fun night. And how does he only get away with one tiny backpack?

Anyway. Surfing channels. I was on a random channel (it's called MHZ, I think, 20-4 on my tv) that broadcasts foreign language movies and shows. It's where I once found a German cop drama and I was following the subtitles and got really sucked into the action. Last night, there was a Norwegian series (I guess?) called Varg Veum about a private detective named, naturally enough, Varg Veum. The films are based on a series of books, and the story was kind of interesting, although I confess, I stayed tuned in mainly because the guy who plays Varg is a hunk and a half. See for yourself!


Lovely, no? Anyway, I found out that it's Varg week on this mysterious tv channel, which means I will likely be in front of the tv once again tonight, watching Varg battle the baddies.

U2 reschedules Soldier Field concert for July 2011 - chicagotribune.com

U2 reschedules Soldier Field concert for July 2011 - chicagotribune.com

See y'all next July 5!

"every child should have a chance to feel special..."

I got this in my daily "You've Cott Mail" post this morning:

(Originally Posted by Richard Kessler on his blog Dewey21C, July 7, 2010)
Painter/photographer Chuck Close, interviewed on PBS' News Hour: "Well, I think the problem with the arts in America is how unimportant it seems to be in our educational system. I grew up in a town that was a mill town, very poor, Appalachian-like, except that it was in the state of Washington. And we had as a guaranteed right from kindergarten through high school art and music every day of the week. Today that is considered to be far less important than the three R's. There is teaching for testing, and for those of us who, especially for us who are learning disabled or for those of us who learn differently, we had a chance to feel special. Every child should have a chance to feel special. If they are not good at math or science -- I can't memorize and I don't know the multiplication tables even today -- I had something that I could excel at. And that I think, that is the most troubling thing that's happened, especially with teaching through testing, that we are trying to get people to know the same thing as a kind of a litmus test to allow them to go to college or whatever. I'm a product of open enrollment. I went to a junior college that took every taxpayers son or daughter. And if I hadn't had that and hadn't had that exposure to art and music and something that I could excel at and something I could feel good about -- I've always said if I hadn't gone to Yale, I could've gone to jail. And it was a tossup. It could've gone either way."

the lady with the torch...

I promise you we did more in NYC than see shows and slurp down delicious chocolatey ice cream confections - bright and early on Tuesday morning, we also took the Staten Island Ferry nearish the Statue of Liberty. It was a beautiful day, and although it was a sticky slog through lower Manhattan, it was nice and cool on the water. After this, we took a walk around Wall Street and then visited another venerable NYC institution - Century 21.

brooklyn!

The last few times I've been in Brooklyn have been completely by accident. Usually I get on the subway, with the intent to go downtown. My problem is that I'm looking for Fulton Street, but the stop is actually called something else and so then I miss it completely and end up staring with dismay out the window as I see water and then coming to the conclusion, "Oh, crap, I'm in Brooklyn!" Twice, I've done this. But no, a week ago today, we went there on purpose via the Brooklyn Bridge. I'd never crossed it before and wanted to. So yeah. We did it!

Except it was kind of disappointing on the Brooklyn side. We'd intended to find a nice water taxi to take us back to Manhattan except you know what? THEY DON'T EXIST ON WEEKDAYS except during rush hour (we were there at 11:30). We'd been looking forward to the famous ice cream they've got over there, but the stand didn't open until 12:00. We had already gotten our exercise (plus we were hungry!) and didn't really want to cross the bridge on foot again. It looked like we were going to have to until I spotted a cab and flagged that sucker down. It took us back over the bridge to city hall which I have to say was the best 6 bucks we spent on the whole trip.

women on the verge...

Back to work. Ugh, ugh, ugh.... These pictures, taken in Shubert Alley, just about sum it up...

speaking of food...

We had lots of great food while we were in NYC. Just quickly, some of our food stops:

• Shake Shack on the UWS
• Crumbs for cupcakes. Panic attack moment when it appeared the UWS outpost had moved and wouldn't be open until July 1 - fortunately, old store a block or so away was still open and we were able to procure red velvet, vanilla, hostess, and cookie dough 'cakes without incident. Except later, when Heidi was eating her cookie dough cupcake and discovered this weird, chocolatey fudge center. "It's staring at me!!"
  
  
• Pigalle for dinner pre-Mamma Mia! Where the words "raspberry sorbet" escaped my lips completely on their own volition because I had meant to order lemon.


• Nice Matin for the Best Waffle in the Universe (they don't list them that way in the menu, but they should, I tell you. They should.)


• A Salt and Battery for fish and chips (and yes. We went there just for the name.) We had a bit of a Venice flashback here, because the guy behind the counter was so intent on the World Cup match he was watching, we had to wait to place our orders until there was a break in the action. The adorable English guys next door at Tea & Sympathy were also watching the game - but on a Spanish tv station. I guess soccer is a universal language.


• Bagels and lox and shmear at a place on the UWS (79th and Amsterdam, I think) because we thought that they would probably throw us out of Manhattan otherwise. Don't they check your blood-cream cheese levels at the airport now??


• Max Brenner's Chocolate Bar OMG, OMG, OMG. The man has his own chocolate philosophy and his own gift shop. How could I not love this place??
  

My "Eighties Milkshake" including vanilla rum ice cream, and chocolate and probably some other things too, with an artful chocolate shell (a milkshake with a shell!! Squee!) and served in the "Alice" glass (the other side says "Drink Me" Too right I will!) BEST. MILKSHAKE. EVER. I may or may not have purchased an Alice glass of my own to keep forever and ever.

Heidi's treat involved creating her own popsicle using the above shown vanilla ice cream bar and her own little assortment of fixings. We may or may not have used our spoons to just eat the chocolate in that little bowl.

• Dinner at Landmarc in the Time Warner building with Cara, my lovely former college roommate, now a high-powered New York attorney.

this ain't yo mamma's musical, punk

So yes. American Idiot. I had been curious about it, which fueled my desire to see it. It's kind of an interesting idea, marrying punk rock with musical theater. It's been done before, of course, in shows like Rent, Spring Awakening, Hair. What interested me the most though, was the idea that this show is about our own time and our own issues, not about living in America at the end of the millennium, or during the 1960s or 1890s Germany. The concept here is inherently relatable to our lives today since we're living it. Aside from that, I know of and like Green Day, and it sounded like fun in a loud and angsty sort of way (how could someone not love a show that was called "Hair's sullen, cynical grandchild"?)

This is, essentially, how I summed it up to someone a few days after I saw it. It was good. Good, not great. Was it the best thing I've ever seen? No. Would I see it again? Yes. Would I recommend it? Also yes.

Plot? The time is now. The show follows three young men (introduced early on, but names promptly forgotten, at least by me) coming of age in our own turbulent times, confronted by a sea of conflicting messages constantly being blared over the airwaves by the media. And boy, are they PISSED OFF about it. An hour and a half and 21 musical numbers ensue, following Johnny (an excellent, excellent John Gallagher, Jr.) who struck out to the big city to play in band (maybe?), met Mimi (whoops, I mean, well, actually she's called "whatsername") and does some serious drugs doled out by "St. Jimmy". Johnny's friend Tunny goes with him, decides to join the army, goes off to fight and comes back wounded. Their other friend, Will, is all set to go off with them but finds out his girlfriend is pregnant. Time for him to get off the couch and grow up.

All of them do a lot of growing up, actually, in this fast-paced show. Green Day's music is like poetry (no, seriously) and although I went in knowing a handful of songs, I have had several of them in my head since we've returned (damn it). My friend Heidi is well-known in our circle for reading her Entertainment Weekly and therefore knowing her shit, and she told me that the album American Idiot was written sort of like a rock opera, with a theme running throughout. The transition of this music to the stage seemed like a natural progression, and the music actually lends itself to this kind of dramatization and aggressive, physical, non-jazz hands style dancing.

So - what worked for me? The amazing cast and their tremendous energy. Every one of them gave 110% for the entire show- especially the girl in the opening song, who made her entrance upsidedown on a trapeze like thing. She hung there for a good long time, bopping and head banging along with the music. Then she came to the ground, got off and started dancing. Dude. I can barely headbang standing up without getting dizzy, after doing all that, I would have fallen down or something. I also now have a serious crush on John Gallagher Jr. I loved at the end (SPOILER ALERT HERE, people!) the curtain had gone down and came back up on the whole cast holding guitars. They played and sang "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" which is one of my absolute favorite songs. Also loved the voice of "Whatsername" Johnny's love interest, played with serious awesomeness by Rebecca Naomi Jones.

So what didn't work for me?? Oh, I don't know. I didn't hate it or anything, I'm just kind of lukewarm about it, I guess. I had issues with the "plot" such as it was. I didn't feel a strong connection with the characters. I remembered "Johnny" but not really any of the others. If you don't know their names, how can you be expected to care about them and what happens to them?

I remember reading somewhere that it was a good idea to listen to the cast album prior to attending the show, to really hear and understand the music and what was happening. I mean, I'm not a dummy and so it wasn't like I didn't understand what they were saying, but there was a lot going on and it was really LOUD. And I think sometimes they could have gone further - this music has strong messages in it, you have tvs all over the set, just go for it. I left with kind of an "oh" feeling, not quite knowing what they wanted me to get out of the show. Although, I have been sitting around pondering it since last Tuesday, so maybe it did something right after all?? I just didn't know though - Is it a call to action? A call to awareness? Am I supposed to leave happy? Sad? Pissed off? Should I go off and start a revolution? Is the answer that maybe there ARE no answers and maybe I'm an American Idiot myself??

Afterwards, we went to Junior's for some post-show discussion and snacks. I had cheesecake (strawberry shortcake cheesecake, in the interest of full disclosure) and Heidi (surprise!) had soup.

just one look and i can hear a bell ring...

We arrived in NYC last Monday and stayed until Thursday morning. I wanted to cram the visit as full of stuff as possible, including shows. I was a little worried, because although I personally see no problem with spending my days in darkened theaters, my dear friend might not have agreed with my plans. As I planned the trip, my list of must-sees dwindled - mainly because so many of them closed in the meantime - A Little Night Music (we were a few weeks too early to see Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch take over in this show.), God of Carnage and Sondheim on Sondheim were a few on my list that closed before we got to town. I also wanted to see American Idiot, La Cage, Promises, Promises and Everyday Rapture. The nerd in me wanted to go to the Addams Family to see what had been changed since I saw it here in Chicago. So much to see, so little time. In the end, we decided on two - Mamma Mia! (one of the rare shows open on Monday) and American Idiot.

I love, love, love, love, love, Mamma Mia! I've seen it twice here in Chicago, the first time was at the Auditorium Theater and the second, last January, in Rosemont, and I just love it to pieces. I'd been wanting to see it on Broadway, just because I thought it would be a great evening of big, splashy fun.

And it was. The cast was wonderful, the best I have seen, and included Beth Leavel as Donna. She was amazing. She sang her face off, she was hilariously funny. The rest of the cast was good as well and included John Dossett as Sam - he also played Herbie in the Bernadette Peters Gypsy - I was so sure I recognized his voice from somewhere, and after a phrase in "Knowing Me, Knowing You" I was like "Herbie!!" I had been a little nervous about our Sophie, as her bio indicated she'd been on the recent national tour - and the Sophie we saw in Rosemont SUCKED a whole bunch - but it was not this girl, Natalie Gallo, who was a fantastic Sophie.

The plot, let's face it, is completely ridiculous but WHO CARES? The music is happy, cheery froth, and there is nothing better than standing up at the end and singing "Waterloo" with the rest of the audience and the cast in their awesome metallic 70s gear. The thing that still bothers me, that I notice every single time, is the line in "Thank you for the Music" which is the original and goes "I've been so lucky, I am the girl with golden hair" when Sophie is not actually golden haired. I just sit there and go, no, you're not. The logo bride isn't golden haired either, so I'm not sure what's up with that. Is she singing "Thank you for the Music" as a song that she learned from her mom? But it seems to be delivered like the rest of the songs, as the character's dialogue, and the rest of it seems to fit - "mother says I was a dancer before I could walk..." etc. So I don't know. I guess it is not one of those things that we are supposed to think too much about.

It is such a feel good show, I left the theater on a cloud of ABBA-induced euphoria. How can I resist you, indeed.

NYC or Bust!

Even though I'd been to NYC (many times) before, Heidi had not. I wanted to be sure we did all of the great stuff that one needs to do on a first visit. Fortunately, I had some assistance in planning the itinerary:

"lemme see... first stop, fish market, nom, nom, nom... next stop, stachoo liberty, and den I am finking bwoadway show. Whaddabout Cats? Dat my favwite."

(Oh yeah, he was a big help, all right!)

ask not what top model can do for you....

So. I heard that Fuerza Bruta is set to close on July 11, considerably earlier than anticipated. I mentioned this to my friends in the car yesterday and none of them had heard of it. "What's it about?" they asked "Is it a musical?" and I was at a bit of a loss, not having seen it myself. I said the audience stood and... stuff... sort of happened above them.

Then it occurred to me - I said to them: do you remember that photo shoot on America's Next Top Model? Where the girls were on that plastic thing in the water? Tyra saw Fuerza Bruta in New York and that's what inspired the photo shoot.

And the lights went on - my friends totally remembered that (it is, in fact, the reason I had originally heard of Fuerza Bruta - right after that photo shoot, I saw an ad for it in Time Out New York and was like "So that's what she was on about.") and said that I should have told them straightaway that it was from Top Model. I mean, duh. As Angelea from the 716might have said, bitch, please.

So, Fuerza Bruta, here is a tip for you, and I'm giving it to you for free: people here don't seem to get you. It's all like "forza whata?" and your ads (and lukewarm reviews) don't seem to be helping your case. I have heard great things about you, and would totally go except you are too rich for my recently returned from New York City vacation blood (and I missed my chance to go for free!). So you've got to step it up in the final days of your Chicago existence. USE YOUR TOP MODEL LINK. People might not know their performance art, but I guarantee you, they know their Tyra. People all over the place will have the same epiphany as we did in the car: "Oh, the thing from Top Model?? That looked cool! You should have SAID!"

It will totally work....

billy elliot in chicago

I'm back!! New York was fabulous, as always and watch this space for photos and details of all of our exploits. Last night though, it was Billy Elliot at the Oriental Theater back in sweet home, Chicago. It was my second time seeing Billy (the first one was in NYC a year or so ago - I did a double show day with a matinee Billy and an evening Road Show) and I was eager to see how the Chicago production measured up to the Broadway one. I remember liking the show immensely, laughing, crying, etc etc (and also being stuck in the middle of a row in the balcony and missing the intermission bathroom dash but whatever. The show was good.) but I wondered if it was just a combination of being-in-New York excitement and emotionality? Seeing it again, would I have the same responses?

Happily, this time I was with my friends (Heidi had gotten two tickets as a Christmas gift and I was her plus one - thanks, Heidi!!!), I was sitting on an aisle and made the intermission run smoothly (but hello? the restroom in the loge in the Oriental Theater has THREE STALLS. Three. Is that nuts or what?) and the show was just as good as I remembered.

The action of the show is set against the miners' strike of 1984 and young Billy's father and brother, indeed most of the men in his town are on strike, fighting for their jobs, their community, and their way of life. PM Margaret Thatcher was intent on breaking the union and dismantling the state-owned mining industry. The playbill synopsis says that in 1984 more than 300,000 men worked in mines in Britain, but now there are less than 1,000. Most of the coal used there now comes from abroad.

Amidst all this turmoil, is young Billy Elliot (played last night by JP Viernes who was just so adorable, I wanted to dress him up in corduroy and put him on my bookshelf). His dad sends him to boxing lessons which he hates and he inadvertantly ends up in a ballet class, where he shows some potential. Through training with Mrs. Wilkinson he is able to audition for the Royal Ballet School in London. This is his ticket out of this town, a chance to be more than a miner and he is able to take it.

This show is wonderful for so many reasons - it is about a kid, but the show is not necessarily for kids. The first time we see Billy, his friend asks him a question about the strike, the response to which is "Fook if I know!" There is a hard edge here - my favorite scene is "Solidarity" where the striking miners clash forcibly with the police sent to "keep the peace" and Mrs. Wilkinson's ballet class dances around them. It is a powerful scene - the innocence of youth combined with the brutality of the circumstances of the miners. I cried again - during that scene, the letter scene with Billy and his mom, "He Could Go and He Could Shine" when his father realizes that Billy's talent could give him real opportunities, and becomes a scab, breaking the picket line to try and provide for his family, Billy's song "Electricity" where he answers the question "What does it feel like when you're dancing?" I am crying now, just typing this. Seriously. It's a serious show, set to great music by Sir Elton John (and no, Crocodile Rock does not sneak in to the proceedings. It is all original music) with an uplifting story, lots of heart, and killer dance numbers.

On to the cast. The role of Billy is being shared by four young actors. We saw JP Viernes, who, as I mentioned, was absolutely adorable. He danced his face off last night and I enjoyed his overall performance very much. His father was played by the excellent Armand Schultz, Grandma Cynthia Darlow was imported from Broadway and her "We'd Go Dancing" was "Loovleh." I'd been very excited about Emily Skinner's Mrs. Wilkinson and - gosh, do I love her voice - but I had a little trouble understanding her through her northern dialect accent. I barely caught a word of her first song "Shine" and I couldn't avoid a mental comparison with Haydn Gwynne, whom I'd seen on Broadway and listen to on the cast recording. Still, she was good in the role, and it must be kind of hard to sing out full blast and try to keep the accent in place too, if it's not your native one. It also all seemed kind of loud, like they were all shouting all the time - maybe it was where I was sitting??

I didn't notice many changes in the actual show from the Broadway production, although there were a few places where I felt vaguely like I remembered an extra scene or two before - like I was sure Billy's dad confronts him about not going to boxing "Where have you been going?" "Boxin' where do you think?" etc. but that didn't happen - he wasn't caught lying to his dad (and I was sure that he had been and that maybe? His dad slapped him or something? Did anyone else see the Bway show? Did this happen or did I just make that up??)

The one thing I DID notice was the cut of the final verse of "Merry Christmas, Maggie Thatcher" and I only noticed this because it happens to be one of my favorite verses in a show possibly ever. The ballet girls sing "Oh my darlin', oh my darlin', oh my darlin' Heseltine, you're a tosser, you're a wanker, and you're just...a...Tory... SWINE!" and it made me laugh very hard the first time I heard it. Although I think I was the only one laughing, since I'd followed the strand of who "Heseltine" was and also knew the meaning of "tosser" "wanker" and "Tory swine". The cut is a little puzzling, because yes, it is offensive, if you know what all those things mean, but it wasn't cut for language, since there is ample use of "fook" and "shit!" and "bastard" and it's not like anyone would be mad that Heseltine was insulted, and it's not like they needed to do it to make the show shorter. Anyway. If you want to hear it, get the OCR because it's on there. It is also on a special short Elton John disc of songs that he sings from Billy Elliot, including Electricity, Merry Christmas Maggie Thatcher and the letter. And I am telling you, it is worth the price of purchase/download/whatever to hear Elton merrily singing "You're a tosser, you're a tosser, and you're just a TORY... SWINE!!!" at the end of the song (he leaves out the "you're a wanker" part, but whatever. It's still worth it.)

Billy Elliot will be at the Oriental Theater for the forseeable future so go if you can.