Christmas At The Movies

'Tis the season to enjoy a slew of Christmas-themed movies. Hallmark has become a holiday juggernaut with their singular brand of schlocky but watchable TV movies. I kid you not, the plot of one movie on the schedule today included the phrase "plans to buy her own plane are thwarted when she inherits a reindeer farm." As compelling as that description is, much better Christmas movies have hit theaters in the pas few decades. Here are some of the best. 

Best Christmas Movie That is Not Actually About Christmas: Home Alone. A childhood fantasy: left alone, eating pizza and ice cream, jumping on the bed. But Kevin McCallister grows up quickly when he realizes the Wet Bandits are out to rob their family’s suburban Chicago McMansion. It's his house. He has to defend it. The foley artist should have won an award for the sound of Marv tumbling down the icy steps. 

Best Christmas Movie That is Not A Movie: Peter, Paul and Mary, the Holiday Concert. A tradition if there ever was one. The concert features a range of holiday songs (“Light One Candle” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” among them) and classic folk tunes. Every year when I rewatch this, I dream of sitting down with Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Peter, Paul and Mary for lively conversation and figgy pudding.

Best Overall Christmas Movie: Miracle on 34^th Street, 1994. Richard Attenborough is the perfect Santa. Elizabeth Perkins and Dylan McDermott are the perfect couple. And Mara Wilson is the cutest adult in a little kid’s body. She’s “trying to limit her intake of sugar.” Something a child has never said. 

Best Christmas Movie That Instills Jealousy: The Santa Claus. Your dad is Santa. You get to ride in the sleigh to deliver presents, with a puppy in your lap? Sign me up. What happened to the technology that that can manufacture something that looks like an ordinary CD player but is actually a cookie dispenser? Let's get our best minds on that. CD's are a thing of the past anyway. Might as well have them spit out cookies.

Best 'Just Go With It' Christmas Movie: Love Actually. Is the plausibility questionable? Sure. Are a few of the dozens of interconnected storylines just filler? Yes. But it doesn’t matter. As popular as Love Actually is, it should be given more credit for featuring a few incredibly understated performances. Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman and Bill Nighy to name a few. Hugh Grant dances to The Pointer Sisters, just get on board.

Best Underrated  Christmas Movie: The Family Stone. This ensemble dramedy was mostly passed over when it was released but it remains a must watch in my book. The slow reveal of Diane Keaton’s heartbreaking performance and the unraveling of Dermot Mulroney and Sarah Jessica Parker’s forced relationship is told with both humor and heart. No family is perfect, the Stone family reminds us of that.

Best You May Not Have Seen This Christmas Movie But You Should: Prancer. A young girl discovers an injured reindeer in the woods and is convinced that he belongs to Santa. Convincing others is not as easy. Cloris Leachman plays the grouchy neighbor. She spooked me but I loved it.

On Relevance

My connection to Peter, Paul and Mary goes back as far as I can remember – er, almost remember. We all have a few very distinct childhood memories that are not actually our memories. Rather, we have heard the story so many times that we convince ourselves that we do, in fact, remember the moment. One of mine is a Peter, Paul and Mary memory. At the end of a concert in 1990, Mary blew me a kiss goodnight. How I wish I could actually remember that moment. I was pretty tuckered out. I had been sleeping (my earliest experience with theater snoozies) and I don’t remember the kiss. But I do have a memory of the days and weeks following the concert. I wanted to be Mary Travers. I distinctly recall belting “Leaving On A Jet Plane” out in the backyard. Probably not fully understanding the lyrics, but understanding just enough to feel the power of the song. 

Fast forward to my college years and a very specific thought popped into my head, “I am definitely the only person in this lecture hall getting pumped for the Zoology 100 final by listening to Peter, Paul and Mary on my iPod.” Those other kids did not know what they were missing. 

Though I was not around for their peak in the 1960’s, I was lucky enough to grow up listening to their music and attending their concerts. It will not surprise you that I literally jumped at the chance to see Peter Yarrow and Noel Paul Stookey perform together at Hoyt Sherman Place. In fact, I arrived so early at Hoyt Sherman to buy tickets that the employee thought I was there for a meeting with a department head. 

Yarrow and Stookey, both 80 years old, may not be the baby-faced youngsters they were in the early 60s when they broke onto the Greenwich Village scene, but even with less hair on their heads they can still sing, play the guitar and command the attention of a sold out crowd. The concert, filled with their biggest hits, was truly a celebration. 

The energy in the theater was palpable from the very first strains of "Weave Me the Sunshine." When again will we have the opportunity to come together to celebrate and carry on the legacy of Peter, Paul and Mary and share our appreciation for them in person? The concert may have had some rambling interludes and the stage just didn’t feel quite whole without Travers’ powerful alto but the concert was a much-needed confirmation of the importance of music as an agent of change. Songs such as “Deportee,” “This Land is Your Land” and “Where Have All the Flowers Gone” feel equally appropriate as a glimpse into the past as they do a call for a brighter future. These songs should be songs of times gone by, but, instead, they are almost more relevant today. Joining with 1,200 people on that rainy December evening to accompany Yarrow and Stookey on “Leaving On A Jet Plane” and “If I Had a Hammer” was life affirming. Folk music reminds us that no matter how different we are, we share more than we realize. We can grow, we can change, we can make the world a better place. Music will bring us together and show us the way.

A Kitch Lit Series Tangent: Literary Lit

Robin Sloan is my current literary hero. Sloan’s writing style is all his own and I love it. The Kitch Lit Series recently featured Robin Sloan’s Sourdough, an entirely unique book that surprises and delights. After finishing Sourdough I eagerly devoured his debut novel Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. Mr. Penumbra’s is a book about the intersection of technology and the written word. And even though Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore is not kitch lit, I had to write about it. My plea to read it will be brief because to reveal too much would be to ruin the pleasure of watching the story unfold.

Clay Jannon’s marketing job at yuppie bagel company NewBagel does not survive the recession and Clay finds himself poring over the classifieds. It turns out, “in a recession, people want good old-fashioned bubbly oblong bagels, not smooth alien-spaceship bagels.” When he happens upon Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore, with a help wanted sign in the window, Clay is more than a little suspicious. But he is also curious. When Clay passes Mr. Penumbra’s not so subtle personality test, he is soon working the overnight shift. Mr. Penumbra has some very specific requirements for his employees. He requests Clay document the appearance and attitude of all customers. And when Clay notices that customers do not pay for the books, rather, they check them out, he begins to wonder about the story happening amongst people and the books in the bookstore. Who are these customers? Are they connected? Clay is determined to find out.

A colorful cast of characters surrounds Clay and populate what becomes an adventure to use science and technology to unlock the mystery of the bookstore. His artist friend and roommate Mat, who works at Industrial Light and Magic by day, spends his downtime constructing Matropolis, a sort of mini-city, throughout their rental. And then there’s Kat, Clay’s love interest and an over-achiever at Google, who has a penchant for the notion of immortality. And Neel, Clay’s childhood friend, who made his fortune creating a digital technology for the design of women’s breasts in video games, is still attracted to adventures and now has deep pockets to fund them. They are a motley crew, joined together with a common purpose. Not to mention Mr. Penumbra himself, an older man who carries himself with an air of both mystery and certainty. 

These characters become real because Sloan’s writing style has a vibrant, energetic quality. The dialogue is realistic. That is, if all of us had an extensive vocabulary and a penchant for artfully structured sentences. The story never lags. Exposition and descriptive passages can often feel burdened by the need to explain and move the plot forward, but in Sloan’s deft hands the story leaps from the pages. This is the first passage in the book:

                           Lost in the shadows of the shelves, I almost fall off the ladder. I am exactly halfway up. 

                           The floor of the bookstore is far below me, the surface of a planet I’ve left behind. The 

                           tops of the shelves look high above, and it’s dark up there – the books are packed in                                   close, and they don’t let any light through. The air might be thinner, too. I think
                           I see a bat. 

                          I am holding on for dear life, one hand on the ladder, the other on the lip of a shelf,                                     fingers pressed white. My eyes trace a line above my knuckles, search the spines                                         – and there, I spot it. The book I’m looking for. 

                          But let me back up.

The image Sloan creates is crisp, but it still allows the reader freedom to use his or her own imagination. The anticipation of discovery is palpable. It is impossible not to continue reading.  

Sloan skillfully crafts tales with intriguing characters, a plot that twists in all the right ways, and prose that reads so easily it belies the expertise between the lines. Read it.

Rule of Feminism #1: See Mean Girls

When Mean Girls was released in 2004, audiences and critics alike greeted it as a fresh entry in the genre of teen comedies. Sitting in the movie theater with my dad and my brother I very distinctly remember two things. One, Mean Girls is not really the kind of movie you go to with your dad or brother and, two, thank goodness my high school experience bared no resemblance to the one portrayed in Tina Fey’s hit comedy. Now on Broadway, and 10+ years later, I still thank goodness that if anything remotely similar was happening at my high school, I was in a very comfortable band geek bubble and had no awareness of it.

Mean Girls entered the Broadway landscape last year and a slew of Tony Award nominations followed. While Tony night was not generous to the show, it is going strong on Broadway and, after seeing it on Halloween a couple of weeks ago (thanks for the mouse ears!) it is apparent why audiences continue to pack the August Wilson Theatre. Mean Girls has only a few counterparts on a Great White Way packed with wizards, witches, Phantoms and Lion Kings, and there is something truly refreshing about a present day comedy. With a strong book, catchy songs and a message that bears repeating, Mean Girls will likely continue to rule the school.

For the few uninitiated, Mean Girls tells the story of Cady, a previously homeschooled teen navigating high school for the first time.  Cady first meets Janis and Damien, who march to the beat of their own drummer, and she can confidently confirm for her parents that, yes, she made friends today. But when the Plastics, led by resident mean girl Regina George, latch onto naïve Cady, she finds herself in uncharted territory, dealing with passive aggressive put downs and infighting. Cady's whirlwind journey from new kid, to insensitive Plastic and back to respectable human being strikes a balance between humor and heart.

Adapting a hit film for the stage is surely not an easy task, mostly because it begs comparison. Fey’s work on the book of the musical leaves most of the beloved lines from the film intact – how can you not, Glen Coco? – but the musical manages to gain independence from the film. What makes the stage venture unique? It is now set in the present day, the age of social media. When the film was released, Facebook was barely more than an idea in Mark Zuckerberg’s head - er, those twins played by Armie Hammer in The Social Network - and cell phones were still mostly used only for emergencies. I had a calling card my first year of college. Google that if you’ve never heard of one. As technological advances make communication simpler and faster, does it make us better as a human race? Mean Girls makes a pretty compelling argument that it does not. Nasty rumors, backstabbing and spreading rumors is easier than ever and self-worth is measured in social media followers rather than actual human connection. The song “Stop” sums it up: when you are compelled to jump online to “over share, troll or meme” just stop. 

“Stop” is one of many expressive, catchy pop songs crafted by Nell Benjamin and Jeff Richmond that expertly lend themselves to Mean Girls and fit perfectly with the tone of their respective scenes. Songs such as “Stupid With Love” and “Revenge Party” have a bubblegum vibe despite their exploration of difficult emotions. In contrast, “I’d Rather Be Me” is an anthem to self-confidence and has enough gusto to invite fist bumps and head bobs of solidarity. The use of catchy pop is smart. The complex themes are easy to digest when wrapped in such a fun package.

Most of the original Broadway cast is still performing in the show and across the board the singing, dancing and acting is strong. As Cady, Erika Henningsen has the somewhat daunting task of making the moral compass standout amongst a landscape of very loud – in all meanings of the word – characters but she is up to the task. Ashley Park’s Gretchen Wieners is a standout. Her portrayal of someone who knows the manipulation that Regina is inflicting upon her but cannot help but strive for that attention and approval is hilarious and heartbreaking. As Janis and Damien, Barrett Wilbert Weed and Grey Henson get to have the most fun with two characters whose sarcasm is worn as a badge of honor. And Wilbert Weed brings down the house with “I’d Rather Be Me.” Let us not forget the ensemble, some of whom play both male and female characters as the scene requires. They are a singing, dancing, set-rolling machine. Their flawless execution of the choreography of the set pieces is almost as impressive as the actual dance steps.  

The positive message in Mean Girls is heralded loud and clear. There is no subtlety here. But because of the importance of the message, I wholeheartedly support spreading it loud and clear. Social media is not a substitute for human interaction and cutting others down on social media, in person or through other people does not build you up. In fact, the opposite is true. Genuine concern for other people? How sad that it comes across as such a novel idea in this day and age. If you find yourself in New York City, or if Mean Girls stops in your hometown, make it a point to meet the Plastics.

Tip Top Tap

When asked to picture a dance company, the first image that comes to mind is most likely pointe shoes and pink tutus, but the world of dance continues to evolve. Pushed forward by dancers and choreographers such as Alvin Ailey and Alonzo King and companies such as MOMIX, dance is on the cusp of becoming mainstream. Dorrance Dance will surely help propel the art form into the 21^st century. Their performance  of ETM: Double Down in Omaha this week was nothing less than spectacular. With a unique style supported by not only instruments but vocals as well, Dorrance Dance is irresistible.

Founded in 2011 by Michelle Dorrance, Dorrance Dance is a tap dance company based out of New York. With casual, non-matching dress, drums, piano and a stand up bass, Dorrance Dance is unlike any other dance company. Tap is the most percussive of dance styles so their use of drums is natural. They also utilize original tap “instruments” designed by Nicholas Van Young. These instruments are hard to describe. Programming allows the sounds emitted to range from melodic to percussive so that when a foot hits the board you never know what sounds might come out. Sort of a modern day piano pad. Robert Loggia and Tom Hanks would have fit right in.

This practically goes without saying, but the dancers are incredibly talented. Their legs have got to be strong enough to crush cans – and not a soda can but a good, solid can of green beans. There are times when the auditory clues make it clear that the dancers are moving their feet but it is so fast that it is nearly impossible to follow the movements with the eye. The dancers make it look easy but the opposite is true. Even during quieter, slower passages, the choreography pulses with energy. It is hard to fathom the amount of mental and physical effort it must take to recall and perform all of the different steps and combinations.

All this to say, even if you usually find it hard to connect with dance as an art form, Dorrance Dance will change your mind.

Check it out:

The Kitch Lit Series: Sweet and Sour

What a mighty break it has been since our last installment in the Kitch Lit series. Turns out that perhaps absence really does make the heart grow fonder. My first foray back into the genre, Robin Sloan’s Sourdough, took me by surprise, delightfully so. 

Simply stated, Sourdough is the story of robotics programmer Lois Clary who, after moving to San Francisco for a new job, learns the art of baking sourdough bread. 

The city of San Francisco is in for quite a challenge in trying to win over Lois, a Michigan native. Mostly, it doesn't. But how could it? Her job at General Dexterity requires long hours - employees are known to sleep at the office – and, in turn, her social circle is limited to her coworkers who eat together at the Slurry table in the cafeteria. Slurry is the Soylent Green-esque food product meant to sustain life without the hassle – or enjoyment – of cooking and eating. 

When Lois discovers Clement Street Soup and Sourdough, a most likely illegal restaurant operation run by two immigrant brothers, and her world opens up. Her order of spicy soup heals her weary soul and earn her repeated orders earn her the title of Number One Eater. When the brothers face imminent deportation, Lois, not entirely understanding her own motivation, agrees to keep their sourdough starter alive. As Lois begins to master caring for the often rebellious starter and transforming it into delicious bread she simultaneously begins a journey of self discovery.

That story may sound like, well, not much. And, before reading the first couple of chapters, I would have perhaps thought the same thing. The story lacks almost all of the usual narrative tropes that overrun the bookshelves. No romantic entanglements, family drama or treacly enlightenment. A simple, charming story unfolding enjoyably is in and of itself a treat. In Sloan’s hands, the story is elevated with a simple grace. His prose is superlative: descriptive without being too wordy, expressive without veering into the overly dramatic. Rather delightful. 

Reading Sourdough reminded me of the shear joy of reading J. Ryan Stradal’s Kitchens of the Great Midwest. I went in with no preconceived notions and was rewarded with a story and writing that took me places I did not expect – as simple as those places may be. The kicker here is that I don’t like sourdough. But for a slice of Lois’ bread I would be willing to give it another chance. 

The Land of Hope

How to describe Winfield? Never have I felt so good sitting in a pool of my own sweat.  You know it’s hot outside when beads of sweat form on the legs of a person who is completely still. Sitting at Winfield with a portable fan in my face and an umbrella doing a horrible impression of a sun blocker across my lower half listening to some of the most amazing musicians in the country can only be described as restorative. 

For those of you uninitiated, Winfield is the informal name of the Walnut Valley Festival or, simply, “the bluegrass” if you’re a local. Winfield is a 47-year strong multi-day music festival celebrating the best in bluegrass, folk, Americana, jazz and Celtic music.

My first trek to Winfield was in 2013, when my aunt finally persuaded my mom and me to join her for the weekend. No coincidence that it was the first year none of her kids were able to go with her so she really put the screws to us. While I thought I knew what to expect that first year, I quickly learned how very wrong I was. Winfield is not a little bluegrass festival. For an introvert who enjoys private bathrooms, the sheer volume of people was a bit overwhelming. But the quality of the music was undeniable. I grew up with John McCutcheon; Peter, Paul & Mary and Pete Seeger and the chance to see some of them and their fellow musicians multiple times amongst others who appreciate music has been calling me ever since.

The beating heart of Winfield is an appreciation for music, musicians and musicianship. The Walnut Valley Festival is home to the International Finger Style Guitar Championship, International Autoharp Championship and the National Mountain Dulcimer Championship. Though the autoharp and mountain dulcimer may not have reached the level of popularity that Auto-Tune has reached, the musicians who have found their calling with these instruments are some of the most talented musicians one will ever have the pleasure to encounter. We all go to Winfield to see and hear our favorites, but also to discover new musicians. My plea to the organizers: do not overlap The Steel Wheels and Socks in the Frying Pan! Many of my favorites (Socks, Steel Wheels, John McCutcheon) are featured elsewhere on my blog so I will refrain from gushing, but needless to say I could go on and on. As for new music, Molly Tuttle, The Outside Track and Opal Agafia were amazing discoveries. 

Great musicians cross genres, so what makes Winfield different? There are hundreds of successful music festivals every year but, without even attending those other festivals, I know that Winfield is better. Winfield is a community. One can amble through the campgrounds or roam around the fairgrounds and meet and reconnect with their Winfield family. Over the course of five days one will hear frequent, raucous cries of, “Happy Winfield!” And it is easier here than anywhere else to sit down next to a complete stranger, strike up a cheerful conversation before the next set begins and do the same thing an hour later with a completely different person. That sense of community, the sense that people can band together to affect change is the essence of the folk movement that took root in the 50s and 60s and is necessary again, maybe now more than ever. And when a couple thousand people join together to sing the chorus of "The Times They Are A Changin" I have hope. Winfeld gives me hope.

So even though I have yet to purchase any tie dye clothes and the idea of camping will never appeal to me (I know, I’m missing out on some of essence of Winfield when I stay in a motel) my thought as I was driving away late Saturday night was, “How could I not come back next year?”

So Much Better Than Watching Actual News

The cast of Great News

When Great News hit the Netflix machine a couple of weeks ago my enthusiasm was akin to a six year-old opening up an Easy Bake Oven on Christmas morning. Apparently it's 1965 in my fantasies.... But such is my love for Tracey Wigfield’s gem. And just when I thought NBC was seeing the light (after all, they greenlit Great News and rescued Brooklyn Nine-Nine) they cancelled the show after just two too short seasons. Luckily it’s not actually 1965, so when a show is cancelled it lives on in our Netflix-beating hearts.

Great News follows Katie, a producer at cable news show The Breakdown, and her mother Carol. Oh, and Carol just happens to be a new intern at the station. Great News has undertones of 30 Rock and The Mindy Project – Wigfield’s pedigree includes writing gigs on both – but the addition of a meddling mom to the workplace makes Great News a hilarious mash up of a family sitcom and a workplace comedy.

Katie and Carol are the dictionary definition of a helicopter parenting  relationship and, much to Katie’s chagrin, are actually alot alike. Katie, played by Briga Heelan, tries her best not to do as her mother does or fall for her subtle manipulation but Carol is a force Katie cannot defeat.  And then there’s Carol, portrayed by comic genius Andrea Martin, who is my new favorite sitcom character ever. How can you not love a character who glances around the room to come up with a spy name and lands on Desk Crotch? Carol talks a mile a minute, has her best friend on speaker all day long so they can be together even when Carol is at work and is so into extreme couponing that she has to use the roof at work to store her stockpile of Weenus razors (not a typo) that she got for -$40. Martin can do it all, from verbal barbs to physical comedy, Martin is Carol Wendelson.

As if the Katie/Carol relationship were not hilarious enough, enter John Michael Higgins as a blowhard anchor Chuck Pierce, Nicole Richie as Chuck’s millennial co-anchor Portia Scott-Griffith and Adam Campbell as beleaguered executive producer Greg. Chuck, Portia, Greg and the rest of the ensemble cast (highlights include Horatio Sanz as an editor and Wigfield herself as a meteorologist) orbit around the absurdity that is Katie and Carol and interject their own brand of irrationality into the mix.

Heelan and Martin

What could be better than the amazing cast? The writing. Always whip smart and quick as a bunny, the punch lines fly fast and land beautifully. The writers have crafted some of the smartest and most perfectly absurd storylines and dialogue to have ever graced network television. Instead of spending time writing about the writing, I will let it speak for itself: “Sorry, I’m not great with emotions. Growing up, my governess was an actual teapot.” How about this one: “Did you know that women get paid less than men? How is that fair? Ahh…periods.” And finally, “Look at them. Just like Sam and Diane. From Cheers, the classic 80s alcoholism PSA?” Pure genius.

This could easily turn into a recap of every episode because there are laugh out loud moments in all of them, but watching the show will be a bigger payoff than reading about is so stop reading this and tell your Alexa or your Google Home lady to turn on Great News.

5,6,7,8

The idea to write about my favorite musical numbers was sparked during a recent Gilmore Girls binge (yes, another one)  wherein I was reminded of the perfection of the episode titled “Raincoats and Recipes.” In tone, dialogue and plot, “Raincoats and Recipes” strikes all the right notes. And it got me thinking about short form storytelling, episodes and scenes in particular, because they exist as part of a greater whole. Some scenes are expositional, some are transitional (ie. filler) and some are full of conflict or end with resolution. When done well, a single scene can change the course of the entire show. Today we focus on musical theater!

Something Rotten,  “A Musical” – The show itself disappointed me. The humor is lower than lowbrow, which is fine if that was what I had expected. But instead it was compared to The Book of Mormon. Whip smart, biting satire it is not. That said, this scene is incredibly fun. A riff on the history of musical theater that features themes from several classic musicals and a big glitzy tap sequence is impossible to resist.

Kinky Boots

Kinky Boots, “Raise You Up/Just Be” – These two numbers are pretty much one and are featured in the finale of this empowering musical, and it’s pretty much impossible not to get up and dance along. More fun? The entire cast (other than Lauren) are decked out in Lola’s thigh high glittering boots. Life lessons in the key of fun.

Mamma Mia! “Dancing Queen” – Done right this is one of the funniest scenes in any musical, ever. Mamma Mia aims to please and the show often takes the easy road: the easy joke, the tug on the heartstrings but it does it with such infectious joy that it is impossible to resist. And “Dancing Queen” is the epitome of irresistible. Donna, Tonya and Rosie acting out the song using objects from around the room is hilarious. Feel the beat of the tambourine.

The Bridges of Madison County

Wicked

The Bridges of Madison County, “Always Better” – No other final number so beautifully ties up a musical, especially one as complex as The Bridges of Madison County, as “Always Better.” The scene is simple: Francesca at the bridge reflecting on her life and the passage of time. Choices, consequences and moments of happiness and heartache. It’s a number so nicely composed as to explain one of the biggest themes of the show, but thanks to Jason Robert Brown’s artful lyrics, it feels the opposite of explanatory. Simply put: beautifully comprehensive.

Hamilton, “The Schuyler Sisters” – The lyrics, the turntable and the entire ensemble combine to make this one of the most active numbers in a very active show. This song sets up two of the most pivotal relationships in the show: Hamilton and Eliza and Hamilton and Angelica. Looking back at the end of the show, this is the moment when the story starts to unfold. 

Wicked, “The Wizard and I” -  Every musical has it, an ‘I want’ song, but none is quite as powerful as “The Wizard and I.” All of Elphaba’s hopes and insecurities belted out in perfect melody. Sure it doesn’t feature Elphaba flying high above the stage but “The Wizard and I” is earnest and hopeful in all the right ways. The lighting and scenic design mesmerizes me every time. Elphaba stands center stage against a shifting backdrop of Shiz University and The Emerald City to a simple background of purples, oranges and, finally, a brilliant emerald green.

While these scenes are plucked from very different types of musicals they all have a common thread: they match exactly the tone of the show and, even though they are only a small portion of the entire show (especially the long ones. I'm looking at you Bridges and Wicked), they underscore and expand on the larger story. I can't imagine the shows without them.

The List of Deliciousness

The idea machine was pretty close to empty today, so when I consulted an old “ideas” document you can imagine my surprise when I discovered this not quite brilliant but passable idea scattered amongst mostly outdated blog prompts. It was going to be a random assortment of people, places and things that I am always happy to stumble upon (among other things, the charming Eric Ripert and the hilarious Allison Janney were on the list). However, after reviewing the list, it became clear that since most of the items on the list were food or food-related that it had to become the list of deliciousness. These tasty treats are presented in no particular order.

Marshmallows – Straight up true love. They don’t need to be in a s’more or a krispy treat. If they are, I will still love them, but unadulterated, fresh mallows are a real delicacy. There is a reason the magnet on my fridge reads ‘money can’t buy happiness but it can buy marshmallows, which is kind of the same thing.’

Kraft Macaroni and Cheese – I never came down with the blue box blues because I ate Kraft Dinner all the time. Homemade mac is delicious but it lacks that orange, powdered cheese flavor that my palate has come to love. Lest you think I’m a child in an adult’s body, my tastes have evolved. I now prefer the three cheese, white cheddar or spirals varieties. And while I don’t eat it nearly as often as I used to, I still make sure there is at least one box in the pantry. Just in case.

Homemade Pizza – Frozen pizza never was and never will be a thing. I grew up eating homemade pizza. I now have the family dough recipe memorized and when I whipped up a batch last night it was one of my best. Don’t get me wrong; I love Blaze Pizza, and most other chain restaurant pizzas are far from disgusting to me, but there is nothing like a homemade pie.

Cereal – One of humankind’s greatest inventions. I crave it. I need it. I must eat it every day. The best part of college? All day access to cereal. There was a period of time wherein breakfast, lunch and dinner were accompanied by a side of Cracklin’ Oat Bran. The worst part about vacation? The potential cereal dry spell. Give me a cheap hotel with a continental breakfast and those weirdly hard to operate cereal dispensers over a five star hotel any day. 

PB&J – It has been almost a decade since I began enjoying PB&J for lunch on most of the days that end in ‘y.’ This sandwich is salty,  sweet and pure perfection. And while I am a classic frugal shopper - I despise the shopping trips where I must buy toilet paper, literally money down the toilet - peanut butter is the one thing that must be name brand. Preferably Skippy but Jif in a pinch. And never grape jelly. 

My dad may have a heart attack at the amount of sugar on this list. No, he won’t. He doesn’t eat sugar anymore and is the healthiest human alive. For real. This may not be a list of healthy foods but everything in moderation. Other than cereal and PB&J I don’t eat these with any frequency. Oh wait, I made pizza last night, made a batch of Kraft dinner on Friday night and ate marshmallows for a snack this afternoon…An atypical week for sure.

A Truly American Musical

Writer’s block is upon me. There is very little to be said about Hamilton that has not already been said. The hype associated with Hamilton is unlike any to have come before it. Hype often damages the eventual experience; the build up so great that there is no way the show could live up to such wildly high expectations. But Hamilton lives up to the hype. Is it a perfect show? No. Will it satisfy every theatergoer? Again, no. But there is no arguing that the show is unlike any other Broadway musical. So rather than writing a traditional review with a synopsis, good things and not so good things, here is simply what I appreciate about the show.

The Face of the United States

Hamilton is changing the face of musical theater. As an art form, theater is traditionally more apt to practice colorblind casting, but Hamilton raises the bar. Reflecting the face of our country can only serve to bring more people into the musical theater world - fans and performers alike. And, as a musical theater fan, anything that will ultimately serve the longevity of the art form deserves applause.

One Wrong Step

Hamilton’s use of a turntable is brilliant. Les Miserables made the turntable famous but Hamilton makes it cool. The show uses a single set and, while there are a few tables, chairs and desks that move about, the set itself is a constant. Combined with the choreography, the turntable lends the show a fluidity that it otherwise may have lacked. And it adds to the immediacy of the show that one step in the wrong direction may send a dancer flying. Even absent a turntable the cast is working incredibly hard, but the concentration and precision that must be required to move elegantly on the turntable increases my appreciation for their efforts tenfold.

Dressed to the Nines

All of the costumes are a feast for the eyes. The knee boots, corsets, tricorne hats (thank you, Google machine, for knowing exactly what I needed when I searched “olden days triangle hat”), hoop skirts and long wool jackets with glistening buttons are superb. Some costumes are simple. Some, such as King George’s robe, are intricate. All are pure perfection. Fashion is cyclical, so I am holding out hope that tricorne hats will come back into style soon.

Joseph Morales as Hamilton and Marcus Choi as George Washington

Loyal, Royal Subject

Hamilton is not a light evening of entertainment. Much of the show is set during the Revolutionary War and the other half is still chock full of death and unhappiness. So it is with brilliant timing that King George takes center stage. As a scorned ex-lover, King George pops up at just the right moment and hilariously pouts and stomps about, upset with the United States for declaring independence from the British throne. “You’ll Be Back” is without question one of the best moments of the show.

Ambition

How poetic that an ambitious mind, Lin-Manuel Miranda, has chosen to tell the tale of Alexander Hamilton, a man whose ambition led to his downfall. Alexander Hamilton may once have been a forgotten Founding Father, but thanks to Miranda, Hamilton has a legacy and a story that will be told. And in writing Hamilton’s history, Miranda has changed musical theater history and secured his own legacy, ensuring that his story will also continue to be told.  

Did We Need to Go Again?

After seeing Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again I immediately went home, fired up the Netflix machine and pressed play on the 2008 original, which through the lens of this sequel is a far superior and much more fun extension of the blockbuster stage musical. It does not say a lot about Here We Go Again that the original Mamma Mia! is a great movie in comparison. Some blatant plot holes can be forgiven for the sake of fun (ie, in the first movie Donna strongly implies that her mother has passed away but yet here is Cher on Sophie’s door step as her long lost grandmother) but overall the movie just kind of happens in front of you, nothing about the singing and dancing - this is a musical after all – or the storyline makes any kind of argument for this movie’s existence.

What the original movie lacked in polish it more than made up for with pure, unadulterated fun. Here We Go Again strikes a different tone. SPOILER ALERT: Since we last checked in on the island of Kalokairi Donna has passed away and Sophie has refurbished the inn in honor of her mother. The preparation for the grand reopening of the inn is told alongside flashbacks to Donna as a young woman setting out to find her destiny and meeting Sam, Bill and Harry during that fateful summer when she became pregnant with Sophie. While Sophie’s current storyline is meant to mirror Donna’s experience when first moving to the island, setting up the inn and becoming a mother, the tone of the two storylines is different enough that it often feels as though there are two different movies playing on the same reel. One is a fun romp following Donna’s adventures and the other is the sequel to Mamma Mia that continues the plot of the first movie and catches us up with what has happened to the characters in the meantime. They somehow never quite jive. 

The songs you know and love from the musical and the first movie are there but even that does not always lift the movie up. Some of the lyrics are altered to better fit the scene and, while that does lend some originality, it then meant that I couldn’t sing along (don’t worry, just in my head, I am mostly tone deaf thanks to my G'ma). Here We Go Again utilizes some ABBA songs that were not featured in the musical or the first movie and those scenes certainly felt fresher than the scenes that merely tweaked or gender-flipped the original hits. The opener "When I Kissed the Teacher" is a fun homage to the big "Dancing Queen" number in the first film. At least it is until the new "Dancing Queen" scene that is essentially the original "Dancing Queen" scene sans Meryl Streep pops up. 

There are a few bright spots in Here We Go Again. First, the powers that be have limited Pierce Brosnan’s musical numbers. Good actor, not a great singer. And the aforementioned “Dancing Queen” scene is fantastic: a big, fun musical number that strikes a perfectly upbeat summer movie tone. Lily James, as young Donna, is another bright spot. James’ energy radiates from the screen and her singing and acting are superior to some of the supporting cast. And stay until the end of the credits; it may just be a quick scene but it provides a genuine laugh. 

At the end of the day Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again needs more. More fun, more Rosie and Tonya, more sense of purpose. I love a good excuse for romping around in the sun with the sweet tunes of ABBA but the world would have been okay to stop at the first movie, or really, at the musical. As with the first movie my reaction was simply to wish I was watching the stage musical instead. A movie will never match the immediacy of live theater but the translation is even more lost on a show such as this one that relies on and is buoyed by audience reaction. If you have low expectations and a pocketbook to support paying for movies that are just so-so go ahead and take a chance on Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. Otherwise wait for it to hit Redbox so that you save yourself the heartache of money lost on a movie that could have been better.

2018 Summer Watch List

We’re getting ready to head into the dog days of summer. The solstice was last week and many parts of the country will head into a period of extreme heat and, if you’re as lucky as I am, some nasty humidity, too. Never fear, when it’s too hot to go outside, spend some quality screen time with these great shows. 

Champions – Do you miss the early seasons of The Mindy Project? Me too. Look no further than Champions. Former Mindy Project cast members abound in this story of a father raising his son in New York City. Oh yeah, and it’s a son he just found out existed when the mother needs to find a place for him to stay while he attends a prestigious performing arts school in the city. It’s no surprise that Champions has a similar tone and sensibility to The Mindy Project because Champions is co-created by Mindy Kaling and Charlie Grandy. Michael (J.J. Totah) is one of those precocious teenagers who often acts wiser than his fifteen years but the writing is so smart that it’s hilarious rather than obnoxious. Anders Holm (Michael's father and owner of Champions gym), Andy Favreau and Fortune Feimster round out the cast. Kaling (as Michael’s mother) pops in every now and then as well. Pump it up on Hulu.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine – It’s not very often that a major television network comes to the rescue, but we have NBC to thank for saving the life of this underrated comedy. Fox gave it the axe, Lin Manual Miranda tweeted and now we get to look forward to another season on NBC. Andy Samberg is at his most tolerable as Jake Peralta, a New York City cop at Brooklyn’s 99^th precinct. Working with him are a gaggle of goofy, lovable characters portrayed with gusto and expertise by Terry Crews, Melissa Fumero, Stephanie Beatriz, Joe Lo Truglio, Chelsea Peretti and Andre Braugher. The fact that Braugher has not yet won an Emmy for his portrayal of a buttoned up captain whose idea of fun is listening to recorder music is a crime right up there with Steve Carrell not having an Emmy for The Office. Just watch it, you’ll be hooked. Have you watched a couple and remain unconvinced? Pick an episode featuring the brilliant Craig Robinson guest starring as the Pontiac Bandit, then you’ll be hooked. Solve the case on Hulu.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt – After spending 15 years underground, kidnapped by Reverend Richard Wayne Gary Wayne, Kimmy (real-life Kwepie doll Ellie Kemper) has a lot to learn about life aboveground. And who better to teach her than struggling actor and roommate Titus Andromedon (Tituss Burgess), landlord Lillian (Carol Kane) and employer/maybe-friend Jacqueline (Jane Krakowski). The dialogue is lightning fast; it is almost impossible to catch some of the jokes when they land. Titus’ nicknames for Kimmy are a prime example. He seems to drop a new one each time he addresses Kimmy but does so with such speed that he’s at the end of his speech before you catch the reference. Some of the best: Kimberlake (as in, “Get in sync”), Kimpanzee, Kimillionaire, K-PAX, Kimothy, Kim Kim Kim (Titus explains: a play on Rin Tin Tin). I blew through the most recent season without realizing that it was a shortened 6 episodes. Had I known, I would have slowed down to savor the off the wall dialogue (“Your fart just got to me, why is it so slow?”) and wacky – yet totally believable for this group – storylines. Kimmy lives aboveground on Netlix.

The Middle – This family sitcom plugged along on ABC for 9 seasons – not in a Yes, Dear way, in a hidden gem kind of way. The Middle was a 21^st century Rosanne without the crassness. The Middle followed the Heck family, a constantly down on their luck crew who find a way to stick together despite their struggles. It was a pleasure to get to know the Heck family in good times (Sue won a trip to Disney World!) and in bad (it was actually Disneyland and they drove to the wrong place). With a cast led by Patricia Heaton and Neil Flynn, The Middle was never showy enough or considered groundbreaking enough to compete in a Modern Family sitcom landscape. Which is a shame because it was just plain good. The last episode was the cherry on top of a nine-season sundae. As a sister whose brother moved across the country, the last couple of episodes tore me up. Get the Kleenex ready. Meet the Hecks on Hulu.

Hear the Music, See the Light

Even if you have not seen the movie Frozen you have heard “Let it Go.” The movie’s power ballad was inescapable after the release in 2013. The movie went on to make millions, win Academy Awards and, most recently, it spawned a big-budget Broadway musical. The Walt Disney Company knows a good opportunity when it sees one and, after seeing the show in New York last month, it’s hard to argue with their logic. Frozen is a faithful adaption: the magic, the music and the story are all brought to life with exquisite detail and expert performances.

The Frozen story is originally drawn from Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale “The Snow Queen” and follows sisters Anna and Elsa, the latter of which has the power to create snow and ice. When Elsa becomes queen of Arendelle and accidentally turns the kingdom to an ice town (Parks and Rec anyone?) Elsa flees the kingdom and Anna sets off to find her.

The movie version of Frozen was essentially a movie musical so it comes as no surprise that the movie translates well to the stage. The show includes the music from the movie but is filled out with new material. Adding new music to a beloved story is a risk that may not pay off (ahem, Aladdin) but in the case of Frozen the new musical numbers feel like a natural fit. For example, “A Little Bit of You” and “Hygge” are fun and serve as a showcase for the talented young performers and ensemble cast. And then there is the moment for which the entire audience has been waiting. The audible gasp when the audience hears the opening strains of “Let it Go” illustrates the exact reason live theater is so important. The collective, immediate experience of a performer inspiring joy right before your eyes is impossible to replicate in any other medium.

Caissie Levy as Elsa and Patti Murin as Anna

One of the reasons Frozen is such a delight is that the theatrical effects, lighting and design literally turn the stage into bustling Arendelle – before, during and after the freeze. Creating a frozen wonderland without the use of actual snow or ice is surely no easy feat but the sounds of crunching snow, cracking ice crystals and the shimmer of icicles is inspiring. 

Of course no matter how good the music, the book and the design, it all falls flat if the actors tasked with bringing the story to life are not up to the task. Caissie Levy has the weight of “Let it Go” on her shoulders but you would not know it to look at her. Her Elsa navigates the arc from fear to confidence to contentment with poise. On top of that, Levy’s voice is impeccable, smooth and strong; she belts the high notes without belying any of the difficulty inherent in that task. And while Elsa has the biggest moment of the show, it is actually Anna who has more stage time, so it is perfect that Patti Murin is tailor-made for the role. Murin imbues Anna with a bubbly brightness and the head and heart of a modern princess. Jelani Alladin and Greg Hildreth, as Kristoff and Olaf, have great comedic timing, always appreciated in a show where the meat of the story is not rooted in comedy, and the ensemble is made up of a talented group of singers and dancers.

Does Frozen break any new ground? No. But it doesn’t need to. Frozen is perfect for families with young children but will also appeal to the kid in all of us. A national tour has already been announced so very soon audiences across the country will be able to take a trip to Arendelle.

The Same Old World

Disney’s movie musical renaissance produced some of the biggest hits in Disney movie history.
Aladdin, released in 1992, was one of them. Closely following the success of the films came a rebirth on stage. Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King both hit the stage in the 90’s but Aladdin did not get the musical treatment until 2011. The stage adaptation is decent if not amazing but it has seen success thanks to one thing: Genie.

The musical version of Aladdin does not mess with success. Other than cutting out some non-human characters the stage adaptation stays very true to the movie. I cannot be the only one dismayed to learn that the magic carpet is now merely a prop (I was so obsessed with the notion of flying that as a kid I wrote a magic carpet themed book. I also had a plush Raja so…). Aladdin is the story of the titular character, a “street rat” orphan who, after he awakens a genie, is granted three wishes. In hopes of winning the heart of Princess Jasmine, Aladdin uses one of his wishes to become a prince. 

The story is simple enough but some the magical elements surrounding Genie lend themselves to a little theater magic. When Genie comes up from below the stage and Aladdin and Jasmine fly on the magic carpet the audience is in awe, but overall the set design lacked the spark of some other Disney stage musicals. Nothing in Aladdin even comes close to feeling as unique or breathtaking as The Lion King. 

Major Attaway as Genie

The vibe of the show gives the impression that all of the creative juices went into one thing: Genie. The result of that is spectacular. Genie is a quick-witted, fast-talking ball of energy. Anything other than a superb performance would sink the show. Luckily, Major Attaway was born for this role. His voice is strong, his comedic timing is spot on and his stage presence is magnetic. Attaway had the audience in the palm of his hands.

In comparison to the bright spot that is Attaway in the role of Genie the rest of the show underwhelmed. The classic, hummable songs are there but the addition of dance breaks and new songs did not contribute anything of note. They seemed to be filler, a way to avoid complaints about the cost of the ticket versus the length of the show. Telly Leung as Aladdin and Arielle Jacobs as Jasmine are acceptable if not groundbreaking. Jonathan Freeman, who provided the voice for Jafar in the movie, does a good job as the villain and Don Darryl Rivera as a human Iago gets some laughs.

Aladdin is certainly acceptable family-friendly entertainment. There is a place for that. But inside the New Amsterdam Theatre on 42^nd Street it should and could be so much more. A whole new world it is not.

The Roofs Scrape the Sky

I had mixed expectations last week before heading to New York City for the first time. The city has a certain reputation, that of a good place to visit for a short time knowing that you'll soon return to a quieter, greener, less pungent reality. But I was traveling with two people who had been before and had fallen hard for its' bright lights. I was ready for anything!

The best surprises:

• The Subway - Cleaner than imagined. A couple of the stations we visited were gross and I certainly would never use a public restroom in any subway station but overall the subways were decent.
• The People – All of the people we interacted with were polite and cordial. Either they are naturally great people or their hospitality training was top notch (if I’m honest we almost exclusively interacted with individuals in the service industry).
• The Smell – The smell was better than expected. Jokes are often bandied about that seem to indicate that the city smells exclusively of garbage (it is everywhere) and urine (in reality we only witnessed one instance of public urination) and that did not seem to be the case.

No surprise:

• The People – People are everywhere. We spent most of our time in heavy tourist traffic areas and literally the sea of people never subsides. Crossing the street is like going into battle: a wave of people on opposite sides of the street colliding in the middle. Be nimble, be quick or risk being swept back to your side. 
• The Noise – It is always noisy. The honking, sirens and other traffic sounds that you hear carefully edited in film and TV is an understatement. Why honk at someone ahead of you who is stopped to allow pedestrians to cross the street? No answer? Yeah, me neither.
• The Advertising – Every space is a space for an advertisement. It may be a large LED or a small sign in the subway, don’t waste space. Manahattan cannot grow out, only up, so use the space you have to get the people (there are just a few million of them hanging around) to buy your wares.

To paraphrase Daddy Warbucks: it’s big, it’s loud, it’s tough, but no other town in the whole forty eight can compare. The High Line was great, Kellogg’s NYC was a great place for this proclaimed cereal lover to relax and get away from the crowd (did I mention the sea of people?) and when I go back I will devote more than a couple of hours to The Metroplitan Museum of Art. It crowds, it cramps but it's still the champ. Why not, it's NYC.

Don't Leave This Band Behind

Just a damn good band. That’s how I would succinctly describe The Steel Wheels, a folk bluegrass band from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. I had a chance to catch a recent gig at Knuckleheads in Kansas City – and no, I do not live anywhere near Kansas City, that’s how good they are – and was reminded of how satisfying it is to see a good band perform live.  But five words does not a blog post make so allow me to expand a bit.

The Steel Wheels are Trent Wagler, Eric Brubaker, Brian Dickel and Jay Lapp, all tremendously talented instrumentalists and vocalists. Brubaker effortlessly showcases the the full potential of the fiddle, an instrument made for high-speed riffs. Dickel and Lapp are equally strong on upright bass and mandolin, respectively. Quick pause for the mandolin: a beautiful instrument that deserves more spotlight than it gets. Wagler writes a lot of their music and also serves as a vocalist and picks on banjo and guitar. His songwriting is impeccable and features beautifully constructed lyrics that tell a story while simultaneously leaving room for the music - the instruments and their vocal harmonies - to shine.

As with most authentic musicians The Steel Wheels are better live. It’s a challenge to capture the energy of performing for a live audience in a quiet recording studio. The immediacy is lost so the loose, go-with-the-flow quality cannot be duplicated. Other than Josh Ritter’s ear-to-ear grin, the Wheels are at the top of the list of performers who personify pure appreciation and joy on stage. And just like Ritter, I have more fun watching the show because of how much fun they are having up there. Every song they performed during their set at Knuckleheads was a standout – they don’t really have a weak song in their repertoire – but my favorites were "Go Up to that Mountain," a fun, fast paced tome and "End of the World Again," a beautiful, calm melody.

The Steel Wheels have a few albums out and tour pretty regularly so the opportunity is at hand for you to listen to their music and see them live. The Steel Wheels are in a group with some of my beloved musicians such as Josh Ritter and Socks in the Frying Pan: if more people knew who they were their popularity would soar. Their talent is through the roof, their songs are beautifully crafted and their pure enjoyment in doing what they do is unmatched.

All the Feels

Damn you, Hulu, sucking up all my free time with your endless trove of television. Just when I was nearing the completion of watching the entire Top Chef series  again (Again? Yes, again.) I pop into the menu one evening and find that Everwood is now streaming. I clicked play on the pilot episode faster than Padma can say “Pack your knives and go.”

Everwood did not get the airtime it deserved but in its’ four seasons it accomplished more than most series do in eight. When it originally aired from 2002-2006 it was a perfect gender-flipped counterpart to another much beloved CW series, Gilmore Girls, but with more friction in the parent/child relationship.

Everwood is the story of Dr. Andy Brown (Treat Williams), a world-renowned neurosurgeon who, after the death of his wife, moves his teenage son (Gregory Smith) and young daughter (Vivien Cardone) to Everwood, Colorado, a gorgeous, and, sadly, fictional small town. To say that the relationship between historically distant father Andy and son Ephram is tumultuous is an understatement. Williams and Smith are great sparring partners and their moments of understanding and reconciliation are all the more gratifying because of the authenticity of their vitriol.

As Everwood follows the family on their journey to rebuild their lives it addresses challenging topics ranging from marijuana legalization to abortion. Upon second viewing some of the story lines feel a bit heavy handed with morality tales but I can forgive it that flaw. Everwood is smart, witty and beautifully written and acted. And, yes, that is Chris Pratt before he was Chris Pratt.

The Kitch Lit Series: Romance Edition

Until a few weeks ago I had never read a romance novel. Once a genre thought to be too campy to be taken seriously, romance has seen a bit of a rebirth and readers are no longer meant to feel shame for reading popular fiction. The genre has never appealed to me but, as it turns out, chef and cooking-themed stories account for an entire sub-genre in the romance world, who knew? In the name of research, I dove into Too Hot to Touch by Louisa Edwards.

And while it was a bit laborious, I finished the book and, needless to say, my thoughts will be brief. The characters were a bit clunky. One of the main characters, Max, frequently talks like a preteen boy. That may be intentional but it did not serve to create a relatable character.  Most of the other leading characters seem to be merely sketches instead of finished paintings. And while Edwards’ writing is fine, cooking provides too many easy metaphors for romance. Gems such as, “with a fervent passion that felt like fiery hot peppers burning through his chest” and, “passion flared…like the blue flame on a range” are sprinkled on every page and it all felt too forced, too on the nose. 

All that aside, the author’s inclusion of the story about the Zen master and the young priest tending the Zen garden was appreciated. By far my favorite part of the book. 

I recognize it is not entirely fair to pass judgment on an entire genre based on one book but I may be doing just that. So while the chances of my reading another romance novel may be slim, I know for sure that I will read many more books about chefs. Check back for more Kitch Lit coming soon!

Frying Up A Good Time

If it’s a good time you’re after, I have bad news. You missed the Socks in the Frying Pan concert last night. And I know you are probably thinking, “I don’t care that I missed it because I’ve never heard of that band, plus that is the weirdest band name ever.” I will grant you the point on the name. Never has a band name been quite so intriguing and mysterious. And based on the name you would never guess that Socks represents the best in traditional Irish music. But I’m here to tell you that this immensely talented band deserves a listen and you will care the next time they play in town.

Having discovered Socks at the Walnut Valley Festival, I could not pass up the chance to see them right in my own back yard sans the seven hour drive. Their set at Hoyt Sherman Place on Friday night was nothing less than spectacular.  The band is made up of Aodán Coyne on guitar and brothers Shane and Fiachra Hayes on button accordion and fiddle, respectively. Shane is taking a break from touring right now so Socks is touring with another bloke on the accordion. However, with Fiachra’s thick accent and my untrained Irish ear it was impossible for me to catch his name. He is unnamed here but not unappreciated!

Socks’ concerts are a showcase for each band member’s immense instrumental and vocal talent. The speed with which Fiachra Hayes can play the fiddle is astounding and the slow build of some traditional jigs is a perfect showcase for that. "Slipjigs and Reels" was a rousing good time and one of the jigs they played in the second act left them genuinely out of breathe (Fiachra blames their adopted U.S. diet, namely, Dunkin’ Donuts). Coyne’s songwriting was beautifully showcased in his solo guitar piece written about the role of women in the 1916 uprising. All in all, perfection. Zero complaints. I could have done without the two guest appearances of the local Irish dance troupe but that is only because they danced in front of the band and obstructed my view. 

Their stage presence is winning. Fiachra took the lead as chief communicator and he is a great storyteller. His yarns often poke fun at his fellow band members but are also charmingly self-deprecating. The crowd on Friday was small-ish but mighty, foot stomping from the very first song. I hope that every single person who was in attendance tells at least 5 other people about Socks so that their next stop in Des Moines is a sold out show. My only regret? They did not play "Shady Grove" and I didn’t catch one of the little socks that they threw out into the audience! Come back to Des Moines anytime Socks! We’ll be ready!

'S Wonderful

The blurb I read about the first season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel talked it up as the second coming of Gilmore Girls. Co-created by Amy Sherman-Palladino and Dan Palladino, the team behind Gilmore Girls, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel certainly shows promise. The Gilmore Girls comparison is a little unfair. Aside from the sheer amount of dialogue, the tone, the era and the relationships are completely different. And other than a couple of inconsequential crossovers (did the Palladinos have a Russian winter themed wedding, do they wish they had? Not sure, but that specific reference pops up in both series) you would not necessarily know the shows share a creative team. My intense devotion to Gilmore Girls, and the expectations built up by the blurb, may have colored my first viewing of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. I wanted to fall heads over heels in love with it, and I can't say that I did. That said, if a bit slow to start, there is potential in the premise and character development. Plus, I now want to move to New York City – in the 1950s. 

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel follows Miriam “Midge” Maisel after her husband, who dreams of trading in his office job for stand up comedy, leaves her for his secretary. Miriam is left to pick up the pieces and create a life with the leftovers. After an angry, drunken, unintentional night on stage at the Gaslight club, Miriam teams up with Susie, the hard scrabble Gaslight manager. Together the two decide to make a go at crafting Miriam into a true comedienne.

While I can appreciate that streaming TV is a great outlet for creative freedom, there is something I miss about a traditional 22-episode season. The first season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is a tight eight episodes. In order to be truly invested in the characters, there is a whole lot to learn about them and not a lot of time to do it. The first three episodes were mostly expositional, but with episode four it seemed that the show had found its’ voice. At that point the jokes seem less forces, the banter rolls off the tongue. That naturalism can be attributed to the depiction of the blossoming friendship between Miriam and Susie.

Brosnahan and Borstein

Even though Miriam and Susie come from completely different worlds they speak the same language, literally and metaphorically. Rachel Brosnahan (Miriam) and Alex Borstein (Susie) are fantastically natural in their shared scenes and, as a result, their banter is sharp and their relationship feels authentic. The same cannot be said of the other relationships depicted in the show. To start with, a classic TV arrangement: Miriam’s two kids are always conveniently with the sitter, her parents or sleeping. Anywhere but with her. If the premise of the show is that a young wife and mother gets the rug pulled out from under her but the kids don’t really seem to be a big part of her life, what, exactly, has she lost? Miriam’s relationship with her parents doesn’t ring true; there are glimpses of change heading to the end of the season so it will be interesting to see where that goes in the next season – especially if she continues to live with them.

One of the best things about The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is the setting. Having never been to New York nor lived during the 1950’s, I’m in love with the Greenwich Village folk scene. The whole show has a Carousel of Progress feel to it. Colorful old appliances, Zagnuts and Boston Baked Beans at the newsstand and Howdy Doody on TV all combine to pick you up and transport you to into an alternate reality. And the music, always a highlight on Gilmore Girls, is carefully chosen to underscore the tone of the scene or the moods of the characters. Hits and lesser-known songs from the likes of Frank Sinatra, Blossom Dearie and Paul Revere and the Raiders blend seamlessly into the environment of the show. Streisand’s version of “Happy Days Are Here Again” playing over a montage of Miriam moving back in with her parents intercut with scenes from her and Joel’s milestones in their apartment comments on both time periods in Miriam’s life but in very different ways. The acts at the Gaslight are fun as well. I hope beyond hope that some of those acts are intentional homages to Pete Seeger and the Smothers Brothers. 

It is great to have the Palladino voice back on TV, or at least in our streaming services. The end of Gilmore Girls left a hole in a lot of hearts, mine included. And while The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel may not compare, that’s okay, because they really shouldn’t be compared. The charm of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel has only started to reveal itself. Season 2 ought to be a hoot.