Well, dear readers, I am sitting here like so much fish after a complete and utter ME day, listening to Franco Alfano’s most famous opera, Risurrezione. If you love Puccini, I can’t imagine you wouldn’t enjoy Alfano, which is probably why they came to him to complete Puccini’s unfinished Turandot. The music is ravishingly ravishing and lushly orchestrated, the melodies are beautiful, and whatever performance this is (there’s a 1970 performance with a famous soprano that everyone loves, but the sound is terrible and that’s not a way to hear an opera for the first time) – this one’s from around twenty years ago, I think, in stereo, live performance but very well recorded. Act III has just begun and then there’s an Act IV, but the entire opera is under two hours and I’m sure it’s presented in two acts, with acts I and II combined and the same for III and IV. After this one’s done, it’s on to his opera of Cyrano de Bergerac. Prior to that, I actually found a motion picture to watch. I’m not sure I even knew this movie existed – based on a novel by Stephen King, his sequel to The Shining, entitled Doctor Sleep. I have the novel but I don’t read fiction when I’m writing it, but I did read a synopsis and it sounded convoluted and the book is of King’s usual length, probably around eight hundred pages. I was on Tubi looking for something, and there it was – two-and-a-half hours of it, so I almost passed on it, but then I figured the book was so long, hence the length. So, I figured I’d give it twenty minutes and then probably shut it off. I really had no idea what to expect other than I would most likely hate it. So, imagine my surprise that I was pretty much taken in by it from frame one. Why? Because the director/screenwriter went a different way from the novel, and smartly played on not only the novel of The Shining, but Kubrick’s film, which is so ironically burned into the brains of moviegoers. What a smart decision and he does it really well. He has actors playing the roles of Wendy and Jack Torrance and Danny, as they appeared in the Kubrick film. While they’re not dead ringers, they do look like their counterparts, and the lady playing Wendy really has Shelley Duvall’s vocal cadences down perfectly. For the flashbacks that happen at the top of the film, the Overlook Hotel sets are re-created beautifully, as are specific shots from the film. That all drew me in right away. And while the resulting story may be a bit weird and silly at times, it all just kind of works. In the novel, the Overlook doesn’t exist – having been destroyed at the end of the novel of The Shining (but not in Kubrick’s film) – it’s some kind of campground, housing the members of the villains of the film.
But the director convinced King, who really was unhappy with the Kubrick film, how using the Overlook would resonate, pitched King a scene that King loved, and then said they could finally honor the ending of the book had Kubrick filmed it. After that, King was completely on board with it. And it’s great, with the hedge maze and all the famous rooms making guest appearances, along with several of the “ghosts” of the hotel. The film looks great, uses the famous opening music, but has a “score” by something called The Newton Brothers, who are neither brothers nor named Newton. It’s more sound design than music, but Kubrick’s use of classical music was also almost used that way, so it kind of suits the film. It never felt long, either. There’s also a three-hour director’s cut on the Blu-ray (along with the theatrical cut), so now I’m interested to see that. The film got some good reviews, but didn’t do well at the box-office, which figures. Anyway, I quite enjoyed it, surprisingly so. If you’re a fan of the Kubrick film, I think you’ll at least find it interesting. Fun note: The character of Jack Torrance makes an appearance, basically being Lloyd the bartender, but the actor is made up to look like Jack Nicholson, which is fun. The real fun is that the actor playing the part is none other than Henry Thomas, Elliot from E.T. Who knew?
Yesterday was short. I didn’t get up until almost two, after eleven hours of wonderful, straight-through sleep. Once up, I attended to some e-mails, then ordered some Pad Thai from a Thai restaurant, because you don’t want to order Pad Thai from Casa Vega or Art’s Deli – it’s just not done. It arrived about thirty-five minutes later and it was very good. VERY good. Then I immediately ordered the three small beignet things because I was having a ME day. They arrived about thirty minutes later and were fine but not as fine as they were the other day. I did a few things on the computer, finishing the Alfano opera I was in the midst of, Sakuntala. Then I sat on my couch like so much fish and watched Doctor Sleep, then began listening to Risurrezione, which has about thirty minutes left.
Today, I’ll be making notes on one of a few book ideas I have for 2023. This is the one that I’ve been thinking about the most, trying to figure out its tone and plot. We’ll see how I do with the notes on it. I’ll hopefully pick up some packages, I’ll eat something reasonable – I may stop at Casa Vega and take home a couple of their amazing tacos – we’ll see. I’ll do whatever else needs doing, and then I’ll watch, listen, and relax.
Tomorrow, I’ll have a Zoom thing at two with our musical director for thirty minutes or so, Wednesday begins my holiday, Thursday I’m having a Thanksgiving dinner out with Robert Yacko, Friday is clear, Saturday is our first Kritzerland rehearsal, Sunday we have one person rehearsing at eleven, Monday is our second rehearsal, Wednesday is our stumble-through, and then Thursday we do our final show at Vitello’s and I’m thrilled that in 2023 we’ll be back to Sunday shows at seven. That’s always been the easiest for us.
Let’s all put on our pointy party hats and colored tights and pantaloons, let’s all break out the cheese slices and ham chunks, let’s all dance the Hora or the old-fashioned waltz, for today is the birthday of dear reader KevinH. So, let’s give a big haineshisway.com birthday cheer to dear reader KevinH. On the count of three: One, two, three – A BIG HAINESHISWAY.COM BIRTHDAY CHEER TO DEAR READER KEVINH!!!
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, make notes on one of the book ideas I’m ruminating on for 2023, I’ll hopefully pick up packages, I’ll bring something home to eat, I’ll do whatever else needs doing, and then I’ll watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite film adaptations of Stephen King novels? For me, easy – Carrie and The Dead Zone. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy I decided to take a chance on Doctor Sleep and surprised by how much I enjoyed it.