Okay, the situation: It was 4:48. I had to return 3 videos to the library by 5:00 to avoid late fees. Could I do it?
As it turned out, I could, and did, because I drove there faster than I'd ever driven before. Which is to say, faster than a grandmother on Valium. Hooray for small steps in driving competence.
Yes, I've had a license for 2 years. Yes, I'm a sad, sad, little creature. I'll go sit in the corner now in utter humiliation.
Oh, and the movie I was watching until 4:48? North by Northwest. I'm still getting slightly freaked by the sound of passing airplanes.
What I'm listening to today: Tragic Kingdom, by No Doubt
A few years ago I finally went to see Rent on Broadway. I was seriously disappointed. The music was so-so and overamplified, the ending was one of the cheapest cop-outs I've ever seen in a musical, the singers couldn't enunciate to save their lives, and the characters, with the exception of Angel, mostly seemed like self-absorbed pricks. I actually caught myself wishing Mark and Roger would just get their squatting asses evicted already. I don't think that was the show's intent.
That said, the show had its good points. Sweet-tempered Angel was a sympathetic character, and I was moved by his fate. The songs "Will I?" and "I'll Cover You" (especially the reprise) were good. "The Tango Maureen" was entertaining, if not that great a song. Oh, and I'm a sucker for "Seasons of Love." The character of Joanne was occasionally tolerable, as well. All in all, I thought, maybe I didn't like the show because I didn't see the now almost-legendary original cast.
So last week I got the OBC of Rent. And sadly, it wasn't much better than what I remembered. I do like the singing voice of Jesse L. Martin, who played Collins, and his anguish during the reprise of "I'll Cover You" is palpable. I'm softening a bit to "Santa Fe." Idina Menzel's scream-singing is actually appropriate in some parts of "Over the Moon" and "Finale". And "Take Me or Leave Me" strikes me as a pretty good song being mangled by its singers.
But man, the leads drive me crazy. Daphne Rubin-Vega's characterization of Mimi is all right, but I can't stand her raspy voice. I have a permanent soft spot for Anthony Rapp because of his sweet portrayal of the title character in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, and he's my favorite of the three leads, but the stuff he sings isn't much good. And the worst of them is Adam Pascal's Roger. (I'm so sorry, Mike.) He doesn't seem to have any tone of voice except "enraged anguish." I know that teenage girls are just suckers for brooding angsty guys, but he never lightens up. Ever. I am a teenage girl, and I can't stand it. It's amazing that anyone wants to hang around Roger at all- Mimi must have thought he was really cute to stay with him after all his irrational jealousy episodes.
This isn't entirely the fault of Rapp, Rubin-Vega, and Pascal, however. The songs they sing are the worst of the bunch, and the recitative isn't much better. The fiftieth time Pascal and Rubin-Vega sang "I should tell you" I almost smashed my iPod. And the tentative attraction the two were trying to convey in "Light My Candle" was ruined by the song itself- its only high point was when Mimi caught Roger staring at her ass. No wonder the secondary characters of Collins, Angel and Joanne were so much more sympathetic.
Oh, and I can't like Idina Menzel. I listened to her in Wicked, listened to her in Rent, and listened to her in The Wild Party, and didn't like her in any of them. I just hate her voice, her style, everything. And I'm not sorry.
Oh, and I have to add a short side note on Andrew Lippa's version of The Wild Party. Any composer who can insert an electric guitar into a piece of 1920's pastiche and make it sound cool rather than completely wrong is a good composer in my book. But seriously, that musical needed a better cast, especially in the leads. You know, leads who can actually sing? Sing well? Oh, never mind.
My point is, if you want a rock-and-roll musical, don't look to Rent. Try Hedwig and the Angry Inch instead. John Cameron Mitchell is brilliant and has no operatic pretensions, and Hedwig is a rock musical that actually rocks. A rare bird, indeed.
What I'm reading today: All Creatures Great and Small, by James Herriot
Nothing ever happens underground in Louisiana, because there is no underground in Louisiana- only underwater. Except here, in the Gellman house in the town of Lake Charles in 1963. The Gellman house has a basement laundry room, and that is where Caroline, or Change begins.
The situation seems mundane enough- the Gellman's maid, Caroline, played by Tonya Pinkins, sings as she starts to load the washing machine. Everything changes when the washing machine, in the form of Capathia Jenkins, starts singing back.
This is a musical where not just the washer, but the dryer, radio, bus, and even the moon have human forms that sing to and with the other characters. It gives everything a slightly whimsical, fairy-tale feel, which a good counterpoint to the main character. Caroline Thibodeaux is mean, and she is tough- she says so herself. A 39-year-old divorcee with 3 children at home and 1 in Vietnam, she has to be that way. But somehow, despite her constant crankiness, young Noah Gellman (Harrison Chad) has taken a liking to her. She lets him light her cigarette once a day.
Everything changes when Noah's widowed father (David Costabile) marries his wife's best friend from New York, the well-intentioned Rose. Veanne Cox, though by far the weakest singer in an excellent company, does an wonderful job of playing a woman who is trying desperately to make a new life in an unfamiliar environment, only to be thwarted at every turn. Her new husband always locks himself up with his clarinet, her stepson hates her, and Caroline is as brusque to her as she is to everyone else. Hoping to become a mother to Noah while assuaging her liberal guilt about employing an underpaid black maid, Rose declares a new policy: if Caroline finds change in Noah's pants' pockets when she's going the laundry, she can keep it.
This sets off all the conflicts in Caroline's story- with her employers, with Noah, with her headstrong daughter, Emmie (Anika Noni Rose), with fellow maid Dotty Moffett (Vanessa A. Jones, in for Chandra Wilson), and with herself. Change is coming, set off by the change in Noah's pockets, and paralleling the changes about to be brought on by JFK's assassination and the civil rights movement. Ever since her divorce, Caroline has hardened herself. Can she change with the times, or is she doomed to be left behind?
This is a bit of an oddball concept for a musical, I admit, but Tony Kushner and Jeanine Tesori's score make it work. Caroline is a sung-through work, with recitative mixed in with semi-distinct songs. With the exception of Veanne Cox, which I'll address later, the entire cast is extremely vocally strong. From Chuck Cooper's thunderous baritone to Rose's clear soprano, it's a pleasure to hear all of them sing.
The inanimate objects all have especially strong voices, perhaps because they don't have to act their songs so much. As I mentioned, Chuck Cooper has a spectacular deep baritone that goes into bass territory on occassion. Pulling double duty as the sorrowful Bus and the slightly evil Dryer, he does a sensational job. Aisha de Haas is appropriately clear, bright, and lovely as the Moon. The the Radio is played by the fine Supremes-like trio of Tracy Nicole Chapman, Marva Hicks, and Ramona Keller. And Capathia Jenkins is also good in the smaller part of the Washing Machine.
As for the human characters, they're as diverse and interesting a bunch as I've seen in any story. David Costabile made the smallest impression of the leads, but I guess that means he did a good job. His character, the grief-stricken Stuart Gellman, is always withdrawing into the background, and spends more time playing his clarinet than actually speaking. As his new wife, Rose Stopnick Gellman, Veanne Cox is just wonderful. I mentioned before that she's a weak singer, but to some extent that seems to be intentional. As a New Yorker transplanted into Louisiana, Rose is out of touch with her surroundings, so her singing sounds atonal and harsh compared to everyone else's. But Cox's acting is extremely affecting; she makes the beleaguered Rose into the most sympathetic character in the show.
Leon G. Thomas III and Marcus Carl Franklin have perhaps the smallest parts, as Caroline's youngest children Jackie and Joe, but they do a fine job in "Roosevelt Petruchius Coleslaw," the kids' big song. Harrison Chad is quite good as the sad, lonely Noah Gellman, who looks up to Caroline because she's strong enough to beat up his dad. And Anika Noni Rose is simply wonderful as Caroline's oldest daughter, Emmie, a spirited, optimistic wannabe civil rights activist who's determined to be at the forefront of every change. Vanessa A. Jones, filling in for Chandra Wilson, sang beautifully in the part of Caroline's fellow maid and friend, Dotty Moffett, who decides to change with the times by going to night school.
Alice Playthen and Reathel Bean don't get a chance to do much as Noah's paternal grandparents, but they execute what they have well. Larry Keith gets his moments during the Gellman's Hanukah party, and makes full use of them, drawing a fine portrait of an extreme Socialist (perhaps a Communist?) who wants change to come even more quickly than it already is.
Then, of course, there is Tonya Pinkins in the almost thankless role of Caroline Thibodeaux. The role has been compared to that of Rose in Gypsy, especially since "Lot's Wife" is an 11 o'clock number comparable in its power to "Rose's Turn." This comparison both is and isn't valid, for reasons I can't completely go into without giving away the ending of the show. They are both strong single women with children, though Rose is more overbearing. Neither has many friends. But what strikes me is that Rose is more instantly likeable than Caroline despite the fact that she's a much worse person. Rose is horrible stage mother, driving her children to perform without any regard for what they think. Caroline's worst crimes are generally being harsh and rude to everyone around her. Maybe because Rose has more charm, the audience likes her better. I don't know.
Caroline is the most stiff and unbending of the main characters, suspicious of all change. There are hints throughout the show that she wasn't always this bitter and frowning, but her harsh life turned her that way. But the loss of dignity that comes with taking change from Noah's pockets is what starts to chip away at Caroline's facade, which finally collapses in a roar of anguish in "Lot's Wife." By then, it doesn't matter that Caroline is mean- the audience understands her. And Pinkins deserves much of the credit for that.
Similarly, Tesori's score starts out difficult. The music is influenced by everything from the blues to klezmer, but it requires concentration, as do Kushner's lyrics. The show is hard to accept at first- the singing appliances, the complex music, the unsympathetic main character- but as it builds, it becomes better and better. Musical ideas and phrases are repeated in key places, holding the score together. Songs blend into recitative and back again. By the time the rousing Act I closer "Roosevelt Petruchius Coleslaw" comes along, the show's spell has been set, and it's a beautiful sight to see, as Noah, Caroline, and the Thibodeaux children sing, with the Moon smiling benevolently above.
Because of this gradual build, Act II passes much more smoothly than Act I despite the fact that Act I is the setup and Act II is Caroline falling apart. By the time the show ends, dozens of ideas, musical, literary, political and philosophical, are fermenting together, and it's a wonderful mix. I loved Caroline, or Change. It's a difficult show to get to know, but it's worth the effort it takes.
In case being a Red Sox killer isn't enough, Sori also won the All-Star Game MVP Award last night. Roger Clemens...didn't do so well, which kind of stunk. But he got a special award, too. And besides, I'm an American League gal. So overall, I'm pretty happy.
But if Pizza was tipping pitches...
...but Alfonso Soriano is still a Red Sox killer. I love that guy.
I bought tickets to Assassins for the 17th, a day before it closes due to poor ticket sales. The tickets are crappy, but I would consider dangling by my arms for 2 hours to watch a really good production of Sondheim. I don't get it- why wouldn't anyone buy tickets to this show?
The score is great. It isn't up to the sublime levels of Sweeney Todd and A Little Night Music, but it has its share of gems. "The Gun Song" is just wonderful, on par with anything Sondheim has written in his career. The production is by all accounts excellent- Joe Mantello has had no shortage of accolades for his direction, and the design aspects of the show have been acclaimed as well. And the talent is just wonderful, a great ensemble cast. The show won 5 Tonys, for crying out loud. Why aren't they selling tickets?
Is it the title? The complete and utter lack of dancing girls, 50+ years after Oklahoma was dissmissed because it had "no gags, no gals, no chance"? Or is it the lack of a love story, perhaps? The whole thing is incomprehensible to me. This production was widely praised by critics and word-of-mouth, it won every award in the book, it's politically relevent, it's written by one of the finest American composers of all time, and...it's closing after a few months.
I am not a theater snob. I can't be, not when Assassins is closing but Bombay Dreams is still open. There's nothing to be snobby about. I would hope that The Frogs is a smash, but by all accounts it's a fast-moving, highly literate production filled with political satire.
It doesn't have a chance.
So my plans to take a summer class at Columbia have fallen through, leaving me with four days a week free and all my summer wages unspent.
And all I care about is seeing shows. *sob* This is getting a little pathetic. But Assassins is closing on the 18th...*twitch*
I'll be back later. Need to go to Ticketmaster. Now.
You know what? I realize the 4th of July was yesterday, but my patriotic feelings decided to wait until now to show up.
I really hate the Bush Administration. In ways I didn't realize it was possible to hate people I don't know. But I love, love, love America. Love it. Even moreso now that I just got back from Israel and finished reading Kate's blog entries from South Korea.
Israel is great. Israel is wonderful. Israel is a bastion of democracy in the largely autocratic Middle East. Israel is my native country and I love it.
Israel is also a theocracy, even if its religion is mine. Israel is racist in ways that would make Al Sharpton's head explode. You have to be searched with metal detectors to get into most public buildings in Israel. Everyone is drafted into the Army in Israel. Israel's Prime Minister makes Bush look benign.
Israel's public libraries aren't free. Drink refills in Israel aren't free. Israeli drivers think lanes are for wimps. Israeli radio stations never play one genre and stick with it.
Israel, nevertheless, is my country. I may be Americanized, but it doesn't change where I come from. I like the food there, some of the culture there, and a lot of the people there, too. My whole extended family lives there. But America is my home. And for all the problems this country has, at least we're surrounded by Canada and Mexico rather than Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, and Saudi Arabia. At least we try to be pluralist. At least our President wasn't known to be a complete and utter bastard before he was elected.
This is for Kate, who's in South Korea, which is also a nice country but definitely not America. I miss you. And when you come back we'll watch movies and write in LiveJournals and cheer for the Yankees and stand equal to men, dammit. Happy Independence Day.
I'm finally back from Israel, and being a good (sorta) American girl, after I slept 13 hours to ward off jet lag I celebrated the 4th of July by watching Spider-Man 2 with my sister and two cousins who are visiting from- you got it- Israel. Funny how these things work.
First of all, if you haven't seen the movie you might want to skip this review. I won't give away any huge plot points, but there will be some minor spoilers. It can't be helped.
Anyway, Spider-Man 2 seemed to be a definite improvement on its predecessor. I say seemed because I really liked the first Spider-Man when I saw it in theaters, but it seemed to lose more of its luster with every DVD viewing. To me, great movies are the ones that get better, or at least stay good, with multiple viewings. Spider-Man failed that test. I can't say that the sequel will do any better, but for now it's my favorite of the two.
The good? Alfred Molina was a delight as Doctor Octopus, though I wish his human character (before the tentacles took over his mind) had been developed a bit more.
The fight scenes were just great. You gotta love the Spider-Man and X-Men movies for turning at least partly away from the trend of making every fight scene an over-edited quasi-Hong Kong Matrix rip-off. The battles between Spider-Man and Dr. Octopus are fast, colorful and brutal. They're comic-bookish in a good way. And you can actually see what's going on! No close-up shots of Spider-Man's frantically moving elbows or ankles here. It probably helps that the battles were mostly computer-animated. I'm fine with that. The two super-characters don't quite move like human beings, but I don't expect them to.
James Franco and his cheekbones did a fine job as the increasingly unbalanced Harry Osborn, but I wish that his big decision towards the end of the movie had been shown. There wasn't much suspense as to what he would choose, so why not let the audience see Franco show off his acting chops a little more?
The scene of Dr. Octavius' awakening had a great horror-movie atmosphere. You know the surgeon's going to turn on that chainsaw, and you know exactly what's going to happen to him, but you keep half-hoping that maybe he'll show some common sense instead. Basically like the blonde bimbo who goes into the dark garage with no flashlight. And the shots of the doctors' wide-eyed screams as they get dragged away by mechanical tentacles was perfectly schlocky. Didn't Raimi direct zombie movies once? It shows.
Tobey Maguire was quite good playing our hero once again, but I still feel he's missing a certain something. He's a fine actor, but he just doesn't seem to have the force of personality or charisma to carry a film on his own. Something about his performance left me vaguely unsatisfied. But everyone else seems to like him, so maybe it's just me.
Or maybe it's just the writing. Spider-Man 2 is all about Peter Parker's struggle to balance his lives with and without that spandex. When the movie begins, neither side of him is having a very good time. His loved ones feel wronged by him, his grades are slipping, and his financial prospects stink because he feels obligated to slip into costume and play superhero every time he hears sirens. The scene in which all his clothes get stained pink by his Spider-Man costume is deliciously symbolic.
Meanwhile, his primary-colored alter ego has it almost as bad. He's still being persecuted by J. Jonah Jameson (add the hilarious J.K. Simmons to the good list) and he can't always seem to spurt webbing anymore (teehee), leading to a few nasty falls. Disaster after disaster befalls our hero until he finally decides to throw out his costume and just go back to being the geek he was at the start.
Of course, you know this can't last forever, especially with a super-villain on the loose. But what I really hated about the screenplay was Peter's behavior once he abandoned the superhero business and his powers. It's one thing to him to stop chasing sirens, but at one point he ignores a guy who actually pleads for help while being beaten up by a couple of thugs. Sure, Peter's spider-powers were gone, but couldn't he have at least called for help? Later, he tries to redeem himself by rushing into a burning building to save a baby in a scene so reminiscent of the first movie I kept expecting Doc Ock to be there, wrapped in a blanket and pretending to be an old woman.
But anyway, I think those two situations should have been switched. The movie's anthem is once again stated by Uncle Ben: With great power comes great responsibility. When Peter gives up his enhanced powers, he gives up the enhanced responsibilities that go with them. But being just Peter doesn't take away his responsibilites altogether. If he's a fundamentally decent guy, he shouldn't go back to the behavior that motivated him to be Spider-Man in the first place, letting criminals go. He should do what he can do as just Peter. So if he'd failed to save anyone from the burning building, but helped the guy with the thugs, it would have made more sense and kept Peter more sympathetic. Having to watch people die in that building could have even given him motivation to be Spider-Man again rather than using the kidnap-MJ cliche.
And that brings me to the theme of most of my complaints. What is with the women in Spider-Man's world? I realize that their collective inadequacy is the reason Peter keeps looking for father figures (Osborn last time, Octavius this time), but still...
What was with using 2-time Tony winner Donna Murphy to play a poorly-written 3-minute cameo as Octavius' wife, and then making her spend 1 of those minutes screaming as she gets killed by broken glass? Pathetic.
What was with saddling the wonderful Rosemary Harris with an over-long speech about how cute little boys need heroes in their lives? Pa-the-tic.
What was with having MJ go through men like tissues and still come out of it as the perfect shining object of Peter's affections? It's one thing for her to get a boyfriend after Peter rejects her, but she abandoned the guy at the altar. Once again, pathetic.
And Peter's cute but aborted flirtations with Jameson's secretary and his landlord's daughter? Useless and patheticpatheticpathetic, though he had more chemistry with them than the sleepy-eyed MJ. In fact, everything having to do with Peter's love life? Pathetic. He and MJ are supposed to be maturing in this movie, but they certainly aren't showing it relationship-wise.
Eh. Enough ranting. I did like the movie, after all. Jet lag does strange things to my head. But this much I'm certain of- if we're choosing superhero franchises, I'll pick X-Men every time. Because either Hugh Jackman or Ian McKellen can easily out-charisma Tobey Maguire while acting just as well, and because Mystique alone has more coolness than all the female characters in Spider-Man combined. And she has about two lines of dialogue per film.