memorial day weekend 2005

friday, may 27th

at mercer st. medical, i catch a glimpse of one of the doctors from super-size me.  very weird because my mind can't get around the concept that he actually is a doctor and doesn't just play one on t.v.

later, i meet up with joe and brian to see star wars:  episode one.  seriously, what is wrong with lucas?  a woman gives birth to twins and has the presence of mind to name them but then loses the will to live?  i suppose motherly love didn't exist long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away.

my favorite quotes on the subject are from anthony lane of the new yorker:

what lucas has devised is a terrible puritan dream:  a morality tale in which both sides are bent on moral cleansing, and where their differences can be assuaged only by a triumphant circus of violence.

the general opinion of "revenge of the sith" seems to be that it marks a distinct improvement on the las two episodes.  true, but only the same way that dying from natural causes is preferable to crucifixion.

saturday, may 28th

i spend the afternoon with joe, walking through the market at union square and watching the dogs in the dog run.  i later split with him to meet up with chris.  she's in town for a voice workshop, the details of which are fascinating and eerily appropriate for this evening's entertainment.

we head up to times square for dinner and then a show at the gershwin theater.  joe says that my seeing wicked for the third time officially makes me a groupie.  admittedly, i'm tempted to go out and get my wizard of oz handbag, but, really, i'm only going so i can spend time with chris.  i mean, i couldn't let her go alone, could i?

despite head mics and amplification, the energy of the performance feels relatively low.  maybe it's that they already performed once today and have a matinée tomorrow, but the cast seems to be holding back somehow.  the most interesting part, though, is noticing all the weird facial quirks both leads use to produce what ends up being an incredibly nasal sound.  i guess it works, both for the show and the performers, but i'm still disturbed that shoshana bean sings out of the side of her mouth like that...

of course, i'm such a sap — "defying gravity' still makes me cry.

sunday, may 29th

an hour after chris leaves for the second day of her workshop, my parents arrive.  we drive into manhattan and have lunch at a restaurant called wu liang ye.  seriously. 

we drop off our leftovers at joe's office before heading over to all shook up.  joe and i had heard good stuff about the show, despite its being a catalogue musical (like mamma mia or good vibrations), and figured my parents would enjoy it because they already knew the music.

well, much to my surprise, we are all blown away.  the story, based very loosely on both twelfth night and as you like it, is actually funny and interesting, with the music very well-integrated.  just like wicked, much spectacle is involved, but these singers, even fully mic'd, sing all out.  the story also reaches in a few places just to include a few well-known songs, and elvis-enthusiasts/purists will be completely appalled, but i highly recommend the show, if for cheyenne jackson's performance alone.

after the show, joe gets us all backstage to meet the stage manager and one of the leads, sharon wilkins.  when we leave, my mother is duly impressed by the long line at the stage door and finally realizes how going backstage really isn't allowed for just anyone.

monday, may 30th

after brunch, my parents leave and we have the house to ourselves again.  as i type this, joe is putting the finishing touches on dinner.  he has cooked up the rest of the stuff we bought from freshdirect a week ago — veal medallions, stuffed artichokes, and some ratatouille.  ooh, i'm hungry.

gotta go!

Posted by jason at May 30, 2005 06:00 PM