I'm finally back from DC...what a long weekend it has been. I think I got about 6 hours of sleep the whole time I was there. First off, my allergies are all in a tizzy because of the weird temperature changes (as DR Ben said, it's November and nearly 80 degrees! What's that about?!) Secondly, I saw BOUNCE yesterday and could hardly make it through the first performance, so I skipped out on the evening performance and let someone else go in my place.
The show is bad. Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad. The direction is bad, the music is apparently the rest of Sondheim's trunks songs from other shows that he didn't get to use in PASSION, the scenery didn't make sense a lot of the time, and a few of the performances were quite dull--especially Ms. Jane Powell. The story isn't at all worthy of being musicalized and at intermission I was ready to go home. Howard McGillin sounded fabulous, as usual, but brought very little interest to his character, though I fear that is the way the role is written...Richard Kind was wonderful, and our very own Ms. Michele Pawk was very good as well. Mr. Gavin Creel was quite handsome, but wasted in his role, and Ms. Jane Powell...well...she didn't impress me at all and her voice is practically non-existent now. Mr. Prince's direction is stale, predictable and sometimes downright silly, and Mr. Sondheim, as I said, has recycled some of his favorite...um...melodies...and even some of his favorite "clever" lyrics. Is it a requisite now to use the combination of "reverse/curse" in every show he writes? I love Sondheim...I love Prince...but I think this show was a bad idea. Perhaps with a few listens to the score I might appreciate it more, but I really doubt that I could sit through it again.
The trip home thoroughly exhausted me. Greyhound Busses aren't the most comfortable things in the world, so I think I'm going to take a nap now.
Happy Birthday, Emily and a Happy Belated Birthday to DR Mark Rothman!! (Only 16 days to my natal day celebration...)
DR Tom: Thank you for the new calendar! The pictures are gorgeous!
DR Ben: Loved the pictures. Who knew you looked like William Katt?