12.28.2006
12.27.2006
Simon's awakening.
We are giddy, unapologetic fans of the Broadway musical Spring Awakening and the legendary curmudgeonly theater critic John Simon. This summer, Spring Awakening began as an off-Broadway show at the Atlantic Theater Company. Here's what one-time New York Magazine theater critic Simon said:
June 16 (Bloomberg) -- Frank Wedekind's groundbreaking play, "Spring Awakening,'' is now a fresh 115 years old. Duncan Sheik's rock-music adaptation, though a mere infant, wears less well.
Shows can be innovative without being good or vice versa. But when "Spring Awakening,'' a new musical, is both, it is grounds for cheering. Steven Sater, librettist and lyricist, and Duncan Sheik, a pop star and serious composer, began turning it into a musical in 1999. After many workshops, concert performances and delays, "Spring Awakening'' opened last summer at the Atlantic Theater Company and was an instant success.
But what is gained is Sheik's propulsive alternative rock score, which knows when to soften for romantic or wistful numbers. Cannily orchestrated by Sheik, with adroit vocal and additional arrangements by AnnMarie Milazzo and Simon Hale, it achieves a seductive sound that most recent Broadway musicals have lacked.
Sater's verses are nothing if not lyrical, sometimes even a bit too sophisticated for the kids from whom they issue. Wendla's "Oh how we/ Fall in silence from the sky/ And whisper some silver reply,'' and Melchior's response, "Window by window/ You try and look into/ This brave new you that you are'' are cases in point.
There is inventiveness in the alternating use of body, handheld and standing mikes, in the way disparate actions are shown contiguously or in bold crosscutting. Bill T. Jones's youthfully evocative choreography -- it is unlike the dancing anywhere else on Broadway -- is idiosyncratic yet mesmerizing and deserves its own accolades for advancing the form. Kevin Adams's lighting, enhanced by a good deal of neon is, well, electrifying, and Susan Hilferty's period costumes are scrupulously appropriate. Christine Jones's set largely replicates the look of the Atlantic's theater, an intimate desanctified church, which seems entirely apt given the importance of religiosity, imposed and rejected, in the play.
Yeah, that last bit's our favorite. The choreography has gone from "grotesque" to "idiosyncratic yet mesmerizing." The "questionable disco lighting" is now "electrifying," and the "rather too minimal set" in a small off-Broadway house is now "entirely apt" in a huge Broadway one.
Hey, whatever, right? People change their minds. Absolutely. And we encourage them to do so. And we're thrilled that John Simon RILLY liked the musical the second time. But, for those of you who know Simon's record, he is an unsympathetic brute. He has laughed off Stoppard and Kushner, trashed Albee and dismissed Miller. This change of heart over a musical we thought he'd crush between his pinky and ring finger is significant because it either shows he's getting kinder with age, or, more likely, he's going senile. Whichever the case may be, these reviews, written only several months apart, make for some clearly hi-larious comparing and contrasting.
Most of all, go see Spring Awakening. The score is the best theater score written so far this decade, and everything else about it, especially the idiosyncratic yet mesmerizing choreography, is unforgettable. And, no, in case you're worried, we are not Duncan Sheik fans. But you don't need to be to enjoy this show. And if you don't like it the first time, maybe you will the second, you old coot...
June 16 (Bloomberg) -- Frank Wedekind's groundbreaking play, "Spring Awakening,'' is now a fresh 115 years old. Duncan Sheik's rock-music adaptation, though a mere infant, wears less well.
This is a story of how procrustean morality, hidebound teachers and prudishly fumbling parents cause despair and death among betrayed youth in puberty. Though the plot remains largely the same, retaining period and place, it clashes with the standing or hand-held mikes.
The sundry diminishments and a new ending that contradicts the play's thrust are, I suppose, meant to be compensated for by the songs. Steven Sater's lyrics, however, are pretentiously pseudopoetic when, despite miking, they can be heard at all.
Although I have scant use for rock music, and less when it's in the theater, Sheik seems to have done well by those who care for it. There is even one number, "There Once Was a Pirate,'' which, regardless of irrelevance to the plot, is lovely by any standards.
With rather too minimal scenery and questionable disco lighting, the show nevertheless gets good direction from Michael Mayer, though Bill T. Jones's grotesque choreography is hardly to everyone's taste. The enactments of misguided adults and confused juveniles are commendable, even if having all grownups played by two actors smacks of contrivance. Outstanding is the leading youth, splendidly sung and acted by Jonathan Groff.
If anything surprised us about this review, it was how tame it was in its distaste for the show. Simon knows his theater history and his languages, and we did not expect him to be amused by Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater's playful updating of Frank Wedekind's German play.
Nonetheless, Spring Awakening was a modest hit off-Broadway due to other more positive reviews. The producers ambitiously decided to move it from off-Broadway to Broadway, where it's technically cheaper to produce a show because of the larger amount of seats available for each performance. The Broadway production was re-reviewed by all the major critics who generally loved it more than they did the first time. We were looking forward to seeing John Simon's review most of all as the production, in its move uptown, cut the one song Simon seemed to kind of enjoy.
Shows can be innovative without being good or vice versa. But when "Spring Awakening,'' a new musical, is both, it is grounds for cheering. Steven Sater, librettist and lyricist, and Duncan Sheik, a pop star and serious composer, began turning it into a musical in 1999. After many workshops, concert performances and delays, "Spring Awakening'' opened last summer at the Atlantic Theater Company and was an instant success.
But what is gained is Sheik's propulsive alternative rock score, which knows when to soften for romantic or wistful numbers. Cannily orchestrated by Sheik, with adroit vocal and additional arrangements by AnnMarie Milazzo and Simon Hale, it achieves a seductive sound that most recent Broadway musicals have lacked.
Sater's verses are nothing if not lyrical, sometimes even a bit too sophisticated for the kids from whom they issue. Wendla's "Oh how we/ Fall in silence from the sky/ And whisper some silver reply,'' and Melchior's response, "Window by window/ You try and look into/ This brave new you that you are'' are cases in point.
There is inventiveness in the alternating use of body, handheld and standing mikes, in the way disparate actions are shown contiguously or in bold crosscutting. Bill T. Jones's youthfully evocative choreography -- it is unlike the dancing anywhere else on Broadway -- is idiosyncratic yet mesmerizing and deserves its own accolades for advancing the form. Kevin Adams's lighting, enhanced by a good deal of neon is, well, electrifying, and Susan Hilferty's period costumes are scrupulously appropriate. Christine Jones's set largely replicates the look of the Atlantic's theater, an intimate desanctified church, which seems entirely apt given the importance of religiosity, imposed and rejected, in the play.
Yeah, that last bit's our favorite. The choreography has gone from "grotesque" to "idiosyncratic yet mesmerizing." The "questionable disco lighting" is now "electrifying," and the "rather too minimal set" in a small off-Broadway house is now "entirely apt" in a huge Broadway one.
Hey, whatever, right? People change their minds. Absolutely. And we encourage them to do so. And we're thrilled that John Simon RILLY liked the musical the second time. But, for those of you who know Simon's record, he is an unsympathetic brute. He has laughed off Stoppard and Kushner, trashed Albee and dismissed Miller. This change of heart over a musical we thought he'd crush between his pinky and ring finger is significant because it either shows he's getting kinder with age, or, more likely, he's going senile. Whichever the case may be, these reviews, written only several months apart, make for some clearly hi-larious comparing and contrasting.
Most of all, go see Spring Awakening. The score is the best theater score written so far this decade, and everything else about it, especially the idiosyncratic yet mesmerizing choreography, is unforgettable. And, no, in case you're worried, we are not Duncan Sheik fans. But you don't need to be to enjoy this show. And if you don't like it the first time, maybe you will the second, you old coot...
City to Ford: You First.
As you're probably aware if you're breathing, President Gerald Ford is not. In commemoration of the man whose accomplishments included the unconditional pardoning of Richard Nixon, "WIN" buttons and the Mayaguez Incident, we'd like to share this touching photograph of Ford meeting with his Chief of Staff and Secretary of Defense. Can you name them?
Need a hint? OK...
Ta-da!
If you need us, we'll be at the Betty Ford Clinic. At the bar.
Need a hint? OK...
Ta-da!
If you need us, we'll be at the Betty Ford Clinic. At the bar.
12.26.2006
Lost. And found.
We just posted a new Coffee Talk Companion at the Blair Necessities. Click here to read it!
Or don't, and make it a Tuesday to remember.
Or don't, and make it a Tuesday to remember.
12.21.2006
Rejoice!
We wish you a merry Christmas.
We wish you a merry Christmas.
We wish you a merry Christmas.
And, unless we feel like posting next week, which we may,
a happy new year.
Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy, and, if you live in Denver, spread Christmas goodwill and pay a poor person to shovel for you.
We wish you a merry Christmas.
We wish you a merry Christmas.
And, unless we feel like posting next week, which we may,
a happy new year.
Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy, and, if you live in Denver, spread Christmas goodwill and pay a poor person to shovel for you.
Noggin'.
Do you love egg nog? Do you love pie? Of course you do! Well, fasten your seat belts because we're about to blow your mind. Click on this link, and you'll be taken to a recipe for...
EGG NOG PIE!
And for afterwards, here's a link for emedicine.com.
EGG NOG PIE!
And for afterwards, here's a link for emedicine.com.
12.20.2006
What, child, is this?
And now it's time for a Christmas quiz!
Which song is not only the top-selling Christmas song of all time but is also the top-selling single of all time, according to the 2007 Guinness Book of World Records?
A.) "White Christmas" - Bing Crosby
B.) "All I Want for Christmas Is You" - Mariah Carey
C.) "The Chipmunk Song" - The Chipmunks
D.) "Happy Christmas (War Is Over)" - John Lennon
Well? What do you say? This quiz only has one question, so if you mess up, you fail completely. But if you're reading this site, you should be used to that by now.
Oh! Here's the answer, dudes.
Which song is not only the top-selling Christmas song of all time but is also the top-selling single of all time, according to the 2007 Guinness Book of World Records?
A.) "White Christmas" - Bing Crosby
B.) "All I Want for Christmas Is You" - Mariah Carey
C.) "The Chipmunk Song" - The Chipmunks
D.) "Happy Christmas (War Is Over)" - John Lennon
Well? What do you say? This quiz only has one question, so if you mess up, you fail completely. But if you're reading this site, you should be used to that by now.
Oh! Here's the answer, dudes.
You try to tell them they haven't left Pennsylvania.
Ah, Christmastime. The time of year when we spread joy to others. When we give and receive gifts. When we let those who love us and who we love know how much they truly to mean to us. When we treat the mentally handicapped like amoebae. NOW GET ON THE MAGIC TURBO PLANE!
12.19.2006
Home for the holidays.
The idea of Ugly Christmas Lights is to bring you a yearly roundup of unforgivable home Christmas displays. Unfortunately the idea is better than the execution as most examples found at the site can easily be topped by anything found in our childhood subdivision in Florida. However, occasionally this site does succeed...
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
To get from one to 90 proof.
You'll need something to wash your 3 a.m. gingerbread house binge down with. Here's a link to recipes for some special holiday cocktails. Like the Scroogedriver. It's a screwdriver but with a HI-larious holiday-inspired name! Bah, ice cube!
Ye merry gentlemen can rest later.
If there's one thing we do about the holidays, it's that you can get fat as a fat potato from stuffing your greedy face with all those Bûches de Noel. That's why we're delighted to link you to this page, which lists typical holiday activities and the amount of calories you'll burn by doing them. You know who else will be delighted? Your spouse, that's who.
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