Good Evening!
This has been a long day for me. It took me a while to get out of bed, but I managed to post here and get some other stuff done before heading in this afternoon. The rehearsal went well, and we got through the whole show. -But it sure was weird playing with both hands again! ;-) It's always a transition from playing the keyboard part to the piano/conductor's score (and vice versa), but I think I did a pretty good job for my first time. After the rehearsal I went out with one of the women in the cast for dinner, and it turned out we have a lot of friends in common. Then came some much needed vegging time - I would have napped, but I doubt I would have gotten back up in time for the show. Then the show - which went well. And back to the apartment...
I just had a very nice frozen dinner - Amy's Stuffed Pasta Shells. (I think I'll be buying them again.) And then I had a few pieces of chocolate - working my way through the box of Russell Stover I bought last week. And, soon, I shall have my evening dosage of antibiotics. -Which is why I had the food. Ah, well... (ohh,
A Little Night Music reference).
DR SWW - Just tell the store manager that you must keep your beard for religious reasons. -That's how they get around it at the Disney Parks. ;-)
RE: The Tony Race - I've seen all the possible Best Actress nominees, and, frankly, the one I'd like to see win is Stephanie D'Abruzzo from
Avenue Q. Hopefully, the puppets won't overshadow her performance(s).
As I've stated before, I think
Caroline, or Change is more interesting than good. The "problem" for me is that Caroline does not change. And she's not supposed to. Everything changes around her - and it's that juxtaposition that provides the "friction" for the evening. Caroline is purposely written as a character who does not change - and who is not sympathetic. I think that aspect will work again Ms. Pinkins more than the bad press she's received (for various reasons). *It was an interesting article on here in the NY Times - and it was nice to hear her side of things regarding her child support payments, the divorce, the custody battles, the lawyers, etc. However, the fact that "everyone" is saying that Ms. Pinkins should and will(!) win, may be working for her.
Donna Murphy's major advantage over Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel is that Donna Murphy's role was written as a star turn. -And she truly gives a "star turn" performance. I really liked Kristin Chenoweth, and I really like Idina Menzel, but I felt as I was watching
Wicked - and in retrospect - that their roles could possibly considered as "featured ensemble". Yes, they are leads, but the story of Oz is much bigger than both of them - and the physical production is truly much bigger than both of them. But when Ms. Murphy takes the stage in
Wonderful Town, it's most definitely her show. *I also think that people like giving multiple Tonys to a performer. -Heck, after the notices she's been receiving, I wouldn't be surprised to see
Audra McDonald snaggin another one for A Raisin in the Sun.
-And as for Donna Murphy missing performances... and Kristin Chenoweth missing performances... Hey, people get sick. People have other obligations. Blame the bad weather. Blame bad luck. Blame their agents who book them for other work. -And you might as well blame the Equity production contract which makes allowances for ANYONE to miss a show for either personal, professional and/or medical reasons. Acting on Broadway - or anywhere else - is a job when it comes down to it. Even "regular jobs" have annual and sick leave. *And with the standard Production Contract, there's only so many performances you can miss before you start losing money, so...
*I still remember the performance of
Jekyll & Hyde where Ms. Eder was sick, but she still went on stage. BUT - and this is a big BUT - They had Emily Skinner singing the songs on an off-stage mic while Ms. Eder did the blocking!?!?!?! -Actually, since Ms. Skinner is also known for her "attendance issues", that story is kind of funny in retrospect.
-And, as I think I stated sometime before, Donna Murphy only missed one performance of
Passion in the year or so it ran.
And on a personal note - every time I've gone to see a show with Donna Murphy, Audra McDonald, Kristin Chenoweth, or Emily Skinner, they've always been in that night. So... -Come to think of it, the only time I saw a standby was
Sunset Blvd. I was hoping to see Elaine Paige, but got Maureen Moore instead. However, Maureen had me in the palm of her hand as soon as she took the stage. -And when I went back to see Ms. Paige, Ms. Paige paled in comparison to Ms. Moore.
RE: "Longtime Companion" - One of my favorite films too! -And so much "baggage" - for lack of a better word at this hour of night - attached to it. And no matter how many times I've seen it, that ending just destroys me. -Actually, "Longtime Companion" and "Sunday in the Park with George" and "Cinema Paradiso" are my most viewed DVDs... and each of them provides a good cathartic cry at the end.
RE: "American Idol" recap - As I noted last night, the clips they showed were from the rehearsals and not from the live show - which was most evident in Fantasia's clip of "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life" - it was a totally different ending/riff. My guess is that the showed the clips in the order they rehearsed - and then changed the order of the performances after the rehearsal.
RE: Grits - There are some pretty good grits casserole recipes on epicurious.com (which is Gourmet's and Bon Appetit's website). I love some really good roasted garlic and cheddar cheese (maybe some asiago cheese too) grits! -And I like to bake them so they get a little crust on the top! YUMMERS!!! And there's also classic New Orleans combo of grits and shrimp (with some tasso ham)!!
