#I had both understudies and they were FABULOUS

[heysatanitsyourgirl]

The Hadestown soundtrack that I’ve listened to for years : it’s a sad song ITS A TRAGEDY

The opening of the show: ITS A TRAGEDY

Me, still openly weeping at the end of the show: what do you mean it ends TRAGICALLY ?????????

[sevenkittensinatrenchcoat]

Cats Historical Hypothesis

So, who wants to hear about the potential history of a few seconds of the 1998 version?

Too bad. This is my channel and I can do what I want.

So, I’m gonna talk about a brief moment that occurs in the 1998 version, as well as a few others and guess about its origins. Why do some productions have it and some don’t? Where did it come from? This is speculation based on comparing 14 different versions (Broadway Revival, Buenos Aires, 1998, German Tent Tour, Hamburg, London circa 2002, Madrid, Mexico 1991, Moscow, Paris, UK Tour 2013, US Tour V, Vienna, and Zurich), and whatever historical trivia I can find on the wiki. This is called a hypothesis for a reason. It’s not proven fact. It’s an educated guess.

Anyway, here’s a screenshot of the thing this essay/tangent will be about:

I’m too lazy to get a version I didn’t type on.

I’m adding a cut for people who don’t care to more easily scroll by this thing.

So, some productions have a joke at the beginning of Gumbie Cat where Misto strikes a pose or otherwise attracts attention to himself, assuming that Munk will sing about him before anyone else, only to quickly realize that that isn’t the case and react accordingly. The exact way this plays out varies between production.

Out of the 14 productions I’ve compared, this gag appears in: Buenos Aires, 1998, Paris, US Tour V, Vienna, and Zurich (where it’s actually more sad than funny).

The fact that all three Vienna-based productions I have access to used it makes it highly likely that it originated there. If it came from Broadway, more of the other Broadway-based, but not Vienna-based productions would have it. But, Buenos Aires and US Tour V are Broadway-based. Where did they get it from? And what about 1998, which is primarily London-based?

So, if you’re looking for something, it helps to look at where it’s not. Buenos Aires was mainly based of the 1991 Mexican Tour, which didn’t include this gag. Hamburg is based on the 1985 Sydney production, which was Broadway-based, and also didn’t include this gag. The London version didn’t include the gag on its closing night (from what I can tell. The bootleg isn’t good quality.)

So, this gag probably originated into Vienna and was then inherited by Paris and Zurich. Zurich, Zurich’s Misto in particular, has a connection to Broadway. Most likely, the Broadway production didn’t include this gag at first, but when Lindsay Chambers, a Zurich Misto, moved on to play the role on Broadway, he brought the gag with him.

This would explain who Buenos Aires includes the gag when Mexico doesn’t. In 1991, Chambers hadn’t yet been cast as Mistoffelees anywhere. But, by 1993, when the Buenos Aires production started, Chambers was playing Misto on Broadway. Though Buenos Aires was mainly following Mexico, changing Broadway trends might’ve led to some changes being made to Misto’s character to match. Buenos Aires Misto does seem to be played a bit younger than his Mexican counterpart, which was another Zurich element Chambers probably brought to Broadway.

As for 1998, Jacob Brent, who played Misto there, was Chambers’ understudy and his version of the character is similar to Chambers’ because of that. Brent probably brought the gag to 1998, and since the gag works well on film, where Misto’s facial expressions can be in close-up, the team decided to add that in.

Then there’s the US Tour. US Tour V started after the Broadway version ended and mostly stuck to whatever the Broadway production was like when it closed. The Chambers/Brent version of Misto was probably kept to the end of that production, and the tour kept that characterization. It was basically the Official Broadway Misto Characterization by that point. And the gag in Gumbie Cat was part of that.

No purely London-based show used this gag. Brent played Misto in London after 1998, but there’s no surviving footage of this. If that gag ever was included in London, it most likely didn’t stick. Even if I’m wrong in my interpretation of the 2002 footage, later London-based productions (UK Tour, German Tent Tour, Moscow) don’t use this gag. Misto’s role in Gumbie Cat is a bit different in those productions and the gag doesn’t fit there.

So, how did all of this happen in the first place? Where did Vienna get this from?

Well, Vienna was in many ways a compromise between London and Broadway, which were both very early in their runs. Vienna’s Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer put the Broadway melody into London’s context, for example. In London, at first, Misto sang lead in Gumbie Cat. This wasn’t changed until over a decade later. On Broadway, that singing role was given to Munkustrap. Vienna went in this direction, but a gag about Misto being the center of attention at the beginning of the number might’ve been a nod to the London version. Vienna was the third replica production, which means that before they came in, the number of replicas where Misto sang Gumbie cat and replicas where Munk sang it was a 50/50 split. It took a minute for Munk and Misto to figure out which one of the them would be singing this time.

Another factor is that Vienna Misto is completely mute. Up until this point, both London and Broadway had large singing roles for Misto, so this was a major change. One of the things that changed was how Misto was introduced to the audience. Singing Mistos usually sing The Invitation to the Jellicle Ball. This calls attention to Misto. He’ll be important later, so we want the audience to pay attention to him. This also served as an Establishing Character Moment. In London, it showed that Misto and Munk were both the narrators. Each one took half of the number. On Broadway, this was Misto being theatrical and putting himself in the spotlight, because he’s Like That.

But, Mute Misto needs a different Establishing Character Moment. In Vienna, this gag showed that, though he didn’t sing, Misto lived for the spotlight just like earlier versions did. When Paris aged the character down, it became more about Misto wanting to prove himself or trying to help, though different versions imply different motivations.

Singing has something to do with this. When Misto is mute, he has fewer opportunities to blatantly attract the spotlight. This element of his character has to be downplayed. It often seems like the Mute Mistos of Paris and Zurich want to be Singing Mistos but can’t. They try to get into the spotlight, but have no idea what to do when they get there.

From the way Zurich Misto responds to realizing that Munk isn’t singing about him, he seems like he just got confused. Though he didn’t sing the Invitation, he still danced with Victoria and was part of this opening act. He helped Munkustrap and now he’s right by his side, looking for acknowledgement. It’s not his turn, so he doesn’t get that acknowledgement. He thought this would go differently and his response is confusion rather than embarrassment. Instead of living for the spotlight, Zurich Misto wants to help and he wants the important people in the tribe to acknowledge him.

1998 Misto sings the Invitation. He’s been established as enjoying the spotlight. So, at the beginning of Gumbie Cat, he tries to stay in the spotlight. While Zurich Misto assumed Munk would acknowledge him for being a helper, 1998 Misto, according to Jacob Brent, who has described this bit in detail, assumed that because he’s a magical prodigy, it was only natural that he’d become the center of attention immediately.

Basically:

Mute Misto + Gumbie Gag= “Didn’t I do a good job? Why are you ignoring me?”

Singing Misto + Gumbie Gag= “Bitch I’m fabulous! Now you’re gonna sing about how great I am, right?”

So, though the gag was made as an Establishing Character Moment for Mute Misto, a Singing Misto version was created. The implication is that Mute Misto has low self-esteem and seeks validation, while Singing Misto aware of how special he is, proud of it, and wants others to acknowledge it.

So, there’s a lot to be said about a few seconds of content.

[freddiesaysalright]

My Man

A BenHardy!Roger Taylor x Reader Fic Part II

Summary: Reader is a Broadway actress currently starring in a West End production of Funny Girl. She’s a widow, thanks to the Vietnam War, but it’s a well-kept secret. She also wants everyone to think she doesn’t care for rock music. She meets Roger Taylor when he brings his date backstage. 

Word Count: 1.8K (it’s shorter but there’s more progress this time, I swear)

Tag List: @bohemian-war if anyone else would like to be tagged, let me know!!!

Part I

Part II here we go!!!

You lay awake that night contemplating Roger. His bandmates really made him more tolerable to be around. When he just brought his dates to your dressing room, you thought he was coarse and conceited, but with the rest of Queen in the room, he helped you with your jacket and then offered to walk you home like a gentleman. Just who was he? Which was the true Roger? Were either of them the true Roger?

With a sigh, you rolled onto your side and looked at the clock. It was well past two in the morning. Sleep eluded you once again. It always made you thankful your job was in the evenings. Working a typical nine to five would have killed you since your depression kept you awake when the night was as dark as your thoughts.

Every book and article told you to take moments like this to call someone. But who would be there for you? Your parents hadn’t spoken to you in nearly a decade. Your friends back home only made it worse. All of them still had their husbands, and most of them had children now. It was only a harsh reminder of what was taken from you. They were supportive, but they just didn’t understand a bit of what you were going through.

Forgoing sleep, you threw the covers off yourself and got out of bed. You padded out to the kitchen and opened your fridge. An unfinished bottle chardonnay sat front and center on the shelf, and you grabbed it by the neck. You yanked the cork out and took a swig. With a snicker, you thought of what your mother might say if she saw you now. Her proper little lady drinking wine out of the bottle and living on her own without a chaperone or a husband.

You took a couple gulps.

You stumbled a bit making your way over the couch. You switched on you TV and surfed through the basic channels. A late night re-run caught your eye. It was a fucking Queen performance they had done a couple years ago. Rolling your eyes, you downed the remainder of the wine. Your head began to swim as you realized this much wine was a mistake when you hadn’t eaten since the previous morning.

“Ugh,” you groaned. The camera panned to Brian and then Roger. You looked upward and addressed the heavens. “You’ve got a really awful sense of humor.”

Irritated, you smashed the power button and turned it off. Roger Taylor was just another man. Why was the universe forcing him on you?

That afternoon, you walked into your dressing room knowing you looked hungover. You had come across a bottle of vodka after the wine and drank a large portion of that as well to get Roger Taylor off your mind. It worked, but it cost you.

“You look terrible, Y/N,” Gary said as you shrugged your coat off.

“Get bent,” you returned.

“Rough night?” he asked, ignoring your rudeness.

“I had a normal night,” you said. “I just added some wine...and some liquor. Leave me alone.”

“You sure a certain drummer didn’t keep you up?” he teased.

“Gary, I’m gonna lose my shit on you.”

He put his hands up in surrender. “Don’t bite my head off, girl.”

“Do not call me girl.”

“You are a girl,” he said. “You’re Funny Girl Fanny Brice and if you don’t start acting like it I’m calling your understudy.”

You flashed him a sarcastic smile.

“That’ll do for now. I need you on stage in ten minutes for warm ups.”

He smiled and wiggled his fingers at you on his way out the door. You took a seat in front the mirror, taking your ring off, and retrieving your makeup. You put it on carefully, thankful for something to focus on.

When showtime came and the curtain went up, you flipped the switch in your brain to be your actress persona. You became Fanny once again and were relieved that for a few hours, you could be someone other than you. You could escape inside her each night. When you were Fanny, you were free.

But then it ended. The curtain fell, the lights dimmed, and Fanny was just a character on a page. The real world snatched you back into its cruel clutches. After taking your bows, you returned to your dressing room.

You changed for the party Freddie invited you to, suddenly considering blowing it off. What could be gained by going? Feeling more lonely than ever in a house full of people? More infuriating confrontations with Roger? What was the point?

Well, you did really like Freddie. He was awfully sweet to you and it was kind of him to invite you at all. A lot of people would kill for an invitation like that. Sighing, you changed into your jumpsuit and heels. As you headed out the door, you felt your nerves start up. Then you remembered what George used to tell you when you were feeling insecure.

You’re a goddess, baby. They just can’t handle your light.

Smiling to yourself, you stood a little taller as you walked out. That was what you’d always loved about George. He made you shine.

When you arrived at Freddie’s home, you didn’t let it intimidate you. You knocked on the door and a man you didn’t recognize answered.

“Can I help you?” he asked in a thick Irish accent.

“I’m Y/N Y/L/N,” you told him. “Mr. Mercury invited me over.”

“Did he now?” the man returned, skeptically.

“Uh, yes,” you said, annoyed now. “Why are you being such a di - ”

“Y/N!” Freddie’s cry cut across you. “Step out of her way, Paul, she’s a friend.”

The man named Paul obeyed and you stuck your tongue out at him while Freddie’s back was turned. When he faced you again, he pulled you into a hug.

“It’s wonderful to see you, darling,” he said. “How’d it go tonight?”

“Same as always,” you told him.

“Well then it was fucking fabulous, wasn’t it?” he said with a grin.

You beamed back. “It was, Mr. Mercury, thank you.”

“What would you like to drink?”

“Beer is fine.”

He had someone bring it to you, and you thanked them. You followed Freddie to another room where you saw the rest of the band. Brian and John both had dates, but Roger had two women with him - one on each side. You fought a brutal urge to roll your eyes. Freddie disappeared to the beckoning of another guest, so you made your way over to the familiar faces.

“Evening, gentlemen,” you greeted. “May I join you?”

“By all means,” Brian said, pulling up a chair.

“Thank you, Mr. May,” you said, taking a seat.

You chatted with them for a bit. It was nice to interact with people, even though you had been scared before. The women there were also friendly. You felt normal for a little while.

After about a half an hour, a slow song came on over the speakers. Roger locked eyes with you and smiled. He got up and offered you his hand.

“Would you like to dance?” he asked. “That is if your husband doesn’t mind.”

He pointed to a man in the corner, dancing wildly by himself. You laughed.

“Not my husband,” you said, taking Roger’s hand.

He led you out where there was some room and then placed one hand politely on your waist. You swayed with him for a moment, keeping a safe distance between you. The other couples were almost completely engulfed in each other.

“So, where is your husband this evening?” he asked.

You swallowed. “He couldn’t make it.”

“Awfully elusive, isn’t he?” he remarked.

“I guess you could say that,” you returned, looking down.

He took your chin in his thumb and forefinger and lifted your eyes to his. “Everything alright?”

You nodded, shaking him off. “Of course.”

A few beats of silence passed between you before you spoke again. “I didn’t take you for much of a dancer, Mr. Taylor.”

“I’m not usually,” he said. “But I have a weakness for a beautiful partner.”

“You had one,” you replied, not taking the bait. “Two, in fact.”

“Are you jealous?”

“You’re an infant.”

He laughed. “There she is.”

“Perhaps you were guessing who might be the best dancer,” you joked.

“Would that be you?” he asked.

��I am a classically trained ballroom dancer, Mr. Taylor,” you said, and it was true. “I know the foxtrot, the waltz, quickstep, et cetera, et cetera. And when I started doing musicals I learned to tap as well.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Is it about dance?”

He chuckled. “Fascinating as your resume is, that’s not what I’m after.”

“What can I help you with then, Mr. Taylor?”

“That’s what I’m asking about. You can call me Roger, you know. What’s with all the formality?”

That was a difficult question to answer. Your upbringing was so rooted in you in some ways. And calling a man who was not you husband by his given name was something you always struggled with. Especially when you didn’t know him very well. How could you explain the conservative brainwashing you’d received as a child?

“I was just raised that way,” you said. “Some habits are hard to break.”

“It just makes you sound like you’re in a Jane Austen novel,” he said.”

“Have you even read a Jane Austen novel?”

“Course I have, I went to university, didn’t I?”

“I didn’t ask if you were assigned Jane Austen. I asked if you actually read it.”

“For your information, I did,” he said with a self-satisfied smirk.

“Which one?” you wondered.

“Pride and Prejudice,” he said.

“Naturally.”

You paused again.

“Can I ask you something now?” you put forth.

“Fire it off.”

“How come you wanted to see me again? Mr. Mercury said you couldn’t stop talking about me. But I was really rude to you.”

“The first time, I didn’t want to see you again,” he admitted. “But then Jackie kept talking about how glamorous it was and - like I told you - we had a wonderful night together. I figured I’d give it another go even if you did annoy me. When you talked about your husband, you seemed more human. It made me think of Pride and Prejudice, actually.”

“You think I’m Lizzie Bennet?”

He shook his head. “No, I think you’re Mr. Darcy.”

Your mouth dropped and you stopped moving. “You think I’m Mr. Darcy?! Why?!”

“Because you’re rude but in a way that tells me there’s something deeper,” he explained with a chuckle. “And I think it’s got something to do with that missing husband of yours.”

He moved to begin dancing with you again, but you dodged his arm, looking away.

“Look, I’m sorry,” he said. “I was only joking.”

“No, you weren’t,” you replied. “I’m sorry too, it’s just...it’s complicated.”

“Trouble in paradise?”

“Something like that.”

You bit your lip as you looked toward the door. “I should go,” you said before meeting his eyes just once more. “Good night, Mr. Taylor.”

You left before he could say any more.

[stufffortheatrekidslikeshoutouts]

So I saw Chicago

Where: Phoenix Theatre in London

Out of 10: 6-7

Who I saw:

Roxie: Caroline Flack (she’s just kind of a stunt cast. She was good, but seemed kinda amateurish. I don’t believe any of the ensemble couldn’t have done better)

Velma: Josefina Gabrielle (I could tell she was the most experienced. She danced and acted amazingly and fit the character physically too, I just wasn’t a big fan of her voice. It sounded kinda nasal too often)

Billy: Todrick Hall (Also kind of a stunt cast. I thought he seemed just too one-dimensional and his voice felt too R&B-Pop for the 20s. I just don’t think this was his part)

Amos: Paul Rider (Definately my favourite! He fit the part physically and he was so funny. I wanted to hug him the whole time)

Matron: Zoe Gappy (she was understudying for the role. She acted the part great, but I think she could’ve used the stage more)

Mary Sunshine: A D Richardson (what a queen my dudes. An annoyingly hilariously fabulous queen)

I’d watched the movie before seeing this, and it gave me a pretty good idea of how it should look. I loved that the cast were always onstage throughout the show, and I loved that the orchestra were there too. Nice touch, and it gave it a jazz bar feel.

The ensemble were Definately the highlight. They had such energy and god, they were all so hot!

Favourite song: We both reached for the gun

Problems?: Mostly the leads being stunt casts. Caroline was okay, but I think the show needs to have a stronger lead (at least she’s not Cheryl Cole, thank god). And Todrick’s voice is amazing, but just didn’t fit the show. Cell Block Yango just kinda felt too funny, they played it for laughs too much. The murderesses were great though.

[thefederalistfreestyle]

Fil-Am Isa Briones is youngest actor in ‘Hamilton’ nat’l tour (Inquirer.net):

Isa Briones has joined the cast of one of the two national touring productions of the hit musical “Hamilton.”

She plays the roles of Peggy Schuyler and Maria Reynolds in the Angelica cast; the other touring production is known as the Philip cast.

At 19 years old, Briones is the youngest lead to join the show. She is also the understudy for the Eliza Schuyler-Hamilton role.

Briones debuted during the Angelica cast’s performance in Denver, Colorado. The Angelica cast is currently performing in The Fabulous Fox Theatre in St. Louis, Missouri until April 22.

[. . .]

“Fun fact: for my history project in the eighth grade, I made an Instagram account of Thomas Jefferson,” says Briones.

“Being in this show has definitely taught me a lot more about American history than I ever knew.

“It’s so cool to think about kids now that are going to grow up knowing and loving this history because of this show.

“Not only that, but they will be able to visualize the founders of this country as people who are diverse, coming from all different backgrounds and representing America as it is today.

“This show is really changing the game in so many ways.”

Award-winner

Briones landed the role after going through a seven-month audition process.

“I had always heard from people that the Hamilton audition process was a long one, and mine was no exception,” she says.

“‘Hamilton’ was my first audition when I moved to New York,” says the actress who was formerly based in Los Angeles.

[. . .]

“I went in to the auditions sporadically for about 6 months and then the last month went very quickly. It’s funny how it feels like a slow process but once you get to the end of it, it’s, like, ‘bam! now you’re in the show!’”

She had to learn the show in New York for several weeks, rehearsing during the day. Then it was off to Denver, watching the show in the evenings for about two weeks before being treading the boards.

“It felt so surreal to debut. It didn’t feel quite real and it still shakes me a bit when I stop and realize what an amazing job this is.”

Her family, all actors, traveled in to Denver from Los Angeles to watch her debut and to dispense some words of wisdom for the new job that will take her across the US.

Family

“Of course, being my parents, their number one pieces of advice were to save money and stay healthy. They definitely know what they’re talking about,” she says.

Her parents, Megan and Jon Jon, are no strangers to long-running touring productions. They met when they were both actors in a touring production of “Miss Saigon” in Germany.

If her father’s name sounds familiar, it’s because he recently concluded his Broadway debut as the Engineer in the 2017-18 revival of “Miss Saigon.” [. . .]

[cookinguptales]

So while I was in NYC, I got to see Mean Girls, Spongebob Squarepants, and Anastasia. It was really a combination of lottery winnings and tkts, though I did splurge and get myself the Mean Girls ticket ahead of time. Despite how I got the rest of the tickets, I actually had pretty good seats at all the shows! So that part was nice.

More in-depth thoughts under a cut, but can I just say how weird it is that like... I think I had the most fun at Spongebob? I only went bc I won the lottery but like. I genuinely enjoyed that show. lol. Reminds me of when I went to see Shrek: The Musical on a lark with my friend, and we were shocked that it’s actually a great show.

I saw Spongebob first, an evening show. It was also my most high-pain day, so I have to admit that something funny and a little stupid (with a good heart) was probably exactly what I needed. The music was fun and catchy (not a shock, I guess, considering the people they got to do music for them) and the actors did a really spectacular job. I realized after coming home that I had some different actors than appear on the recording, but I liked my actors more. The Mr. Krabs I saw sounded so spot-on that it was a little creepy, lol, and our Plankton was super fun. I was kind of shocked when the guy who played Squidward started talking in a straight-up British accent after the show, lmao.

I laughed at a lot of the jokes, and though I never really expected to see Patrick Star leading a cult, it was apparently exactly what I wanted out of my evening. Plus, it actually had some pretty good lessons for kids. Don’t turn on each other and scapegoat immigrants when bad things happen, think for yourselves and always try to fix problems rather than running away from them, sometimes people say things that sound profound but won’t actually help you, diversity is valuable… I think it kind of veered into a trope I’m not in love with (immigrants are great because they’re useful) but I think it was also good for kids to see a character who was female (and played by a black woman) who was fantastic at science, kind, determined, and the one who ultimately saves the day. I also liked that the show was clear that her pain and wariness didn’t go away just because people started accepting her again. I think it managed to go in on some really good lessons without ever feeling preachy about it.

Plus, again, the show was just super fun. I love how it played with the space (like the way the actors kept interacting with the band and the conductor) and the jokes were genuinely funny. Patchy wandering around and trying to crash the show was great. The songs were catchy and fun and it was really cohesively done. Also, I think it really managed to nail the feeling of the characters and this underwater world without being too on-the-nose. (I’m looking at you, Little Mermaid.)

Was it the deepest, most memorable show I’ve ever seen? No. But it was a lot of fun, and fun is frankly what I needed right then.

Next, I saw Mean Girls. I’ll admit that my enjoyment of this show was marred by a couple things. It’s not the most accessible theater (I never did get to see the merch booth…) and the lead actress was out. There was a standby actress who could play like… 6-7 different characters? And I was really ??? when I saw that, like. There were really two options. Either she’s the best actress on earth, who can totally transform herself so she can play such diverse roles… or she’s generic af. Unfortunately, she turned out to be the latter. Like, don’t get me wrong! She was technically proficient and could sing really well! She just didn’t feel like Cady. There was something missing there, y’know? Some spark or charisma. She was just boring to watch, which kind of dampened the whole show. I overheard that it was her first time playing Cady, though, so idk. Maybe she was just nervous.

That aside, though, I did enjoy the show! It was a Wednesday (so I did wear pink) and it had a lot of the heart of the movie. It was really funny, and I liked how Janice and Damien were used to frame the show. They made for great, hilarious narrators. I really enjoyed most of the songs, too. Some were a little forgettable, I’ll admit, but others were really touching (particularly Gretchen’s solos) or super funny. Damien sings a whole song about how sometimes you just need to STOP and I loved it. The song was hilarious. The script itself was packed with good stuff. There were great jokes and good social commentary, more depth for some of the forgotten side characters and some really touching moments.

Plus, Cady aside, the rest of the actors did a tremendous job. My one gripe with the original movie is that… idk, the actress who played Regina George never quite felt like she could actually be a queen bee in a real school. Is that weird to say? The other girls around her just felt prettier and more charismatic, so it was hard to buy that she would actually be in charge. The Regina in the musical, though? Holy shit, you feel it. That woman could walk through Times Square and every eye would be on her. She did an absolutely fantastic job with Regina, and the other huge standouts to me were Gretchen and Janice. Just excellent, excellent jobs all around. I really love how much time the show gave to Gretchen so you could really get where she was coming from. Get that poor girl a therapist, honestly.

I think part of the problem is that, all things considered, it’s difficult not to compare Mean Girls to Heathers. And frankly, Heathers is a better show, imo. They’re both good! But I do sort of feel like Mean Girls could’ve gone in a little harder, and its music wasn’t nearly as memorable as Heathers’s. That said, like Heathers, Mean Girls: The Musical has a LOT more potential for f/f than the movie. lmao. And isn’t that really what we’re all here for?

(I mean no, probably not, but it’s what I’m here for.)

The third show I saw was Anastasia, and I gotta admit it. I’m shocked how much I didn’t like Anastasia. I’ve been wanting to see it for ages because that movie was my childhood, but I bounced hard off that show. Like I was kind of hanging in there for the first act, but I was literally wishing I could check my watch during the second act. Plus we had an u/s for Dmitri and he was. Not fabulous. I always feel bad saying that about understudies but like. He was……… not fabulous. So the criticisms I have going forward about Dmitri in the show might be colored by that. Bear with me.

Now, the show is super different from the movie. And I understand why they chose to go for realism rather than fantasy, but I disagree with that choice very, very firmly. Not only did it make the whole show a real fucking downer, but like… I feel like when you make movies about real people, you either have to go completely realistic or go real fucking far off the deep end. Like the movie really went in on the near-mythic stature that Anastasia and Rasputin had in history and folklore during that period. It went in hard with magic and zombies and had a real fairy tale feeling that only really worked because of the wild tales people were already telling about the historical personages. No one watched the animated movie about Anastasia and went “wow, I bet that’s just like real life”.

The show decided that they wanted to be more realistic and talk about like. God, execution of political prisoners and people starving in the streets and refugees and just generally the politics of Leningrad. So not only was that fucking depressing, but it really pulled things back to be like… If you’re being all realistic about this, shouldn’t you be more realistic about the real life people you’re using for this story? This isn’t how Anastasia’s life went, and I can buy that in a fantasy what if? AU, but when you’re aiming for gritty realism, then telling this story about a person who was executed (and yes, we now know she was executed) is just… It feels disrespectful, y’know?

Plus once you start bringing in the real politics of the world, I’m going to start examining the characters through a real historical lens. A love triangle is annoying and unnecessary anyway, but you managed to make it fucking creepy by having this guy stalk her after his dad killed her entire family, and while he’s still working for an oppressive regime. That’s not romantic! But you also managed to fuck up royally by making that actor far more handsome and charismatic, not to mention a much better singer, than the actual love interest!

Like! Dmitri only barely worked in the movie, y’know? You have to straddle such a fine, fine line with a lovable con man. If you take out the lovable, he’s just a fucking con man. And in the show, he just felt like a con man. Again, the fact that the u/s couldn’t sing all that well (he went sour several times and sometimes sounded just like Ernie, of Sesame Street, which is kind of the opposite of sexy) did not help things. But he was also just a fucking dick to Anya and it was difficult to tell why she liked him, other than the writing’s new decision to make her basically a street urchin like him. (As in, she’d been living on the street for many years previous to the show’s start — he also never worked in the palace and saved her life in the musical; it was never actually stated how she escaped in the musical.)

The actress who played Anya did an amazing job, but the writing for her character was pretty ??? most of the time. Like I get that you want to make her feisty (and why did you choose AN ATTEMPTED RAPE TO DISPLAY HER STRENGTH?) but if she’s really so street smart, why does she constantly make bizarre decisions? Why does she want to go to Paris if she doesn’t have the Together In Paris necklace? Why is she having a weird love triangle between a man who verbally abuses her and a government official who wants her dead? WHY DID YOU MAKE IT CLEAR THAT SHE HAD A DOG AND THE DOG IS DEAD? Poor Pooka!

Speaking of people I can’t root for knowing actual historical fact, they changed Sophie into an ex-Russian dilettante named Lily who spends all her time complaining that she used to be rich af in Russia and it’s so sad that all of the Russian elite had to give up their major Russian fortunes so they could… have minor French fortunes and cushy jobs. Like every time they started reminiscing about the good ol’ days in Russia, I was just like “oh right, that’s why they had a revolution, eat the fucking rich”. Like the new background they made up just made me despise her and all her friends.

They also made Anastasia’s grandma kind of a bitch. You’re really kind of forcibly reminded how awful monarchies can be whenever she talks about politics! And that cute, short scene in the movie where she finally meets Anya? Drawn out to like a half hour of this old woman rambling about how awful the world is and how she hates everyone and Anya is just a tricksy bitch. Fun times for all!

Plus like. I don’t remember a single song from the musical that wasn’t in the movie. I hate that they took out all of the magic and the talking animals and Rasputin (how did they never even mention the HISTORICAL one?) and they just had to rub it in by cannibalizing In The Dark of The Night and turning it into a depressing-ass song about political refugees who were fleeing Russia and would never see it again. (Note: the singer of this song was shot in the head by Russian authorities shortly after singing it.)

The only thing the musical really did was make me so sad for these people who had a revolution because their rulers were deeply corrupt and used the lives of the poor like pawns, and then had an equally corrupt government regime move in. The people were starving either way! And the musical trying to romanticize all that (they kind of wanted to acknowledge the historical crimes but still make me like the people who caused the problems??) just felt awful. They tried to work this story in with the real historical timeline by being like YEAH SHE WAS REAL AND THEY REUNITED BUT THEN SHE DECIDED TO LEAVE AND NEVER TELL ANYONE WHO SHE WAS AGAIN SO THE CREEP IN THE GOVERNMENT DIDN’T GET IN TROUBLE AND NO ONE EVER KNEW THAT THE REAL ANASTASIA WAS ALIVE. Like what. No. They found her fucking corpse. You can’t try to follow real life and have her actually be Anastasia. You can’t have your cake and eat it too! Do you want to make a musical about the plight of the Russians during this time period, or do you want to write a fairy tale? You can’t do both! All you’ve managed to do is play out some bad history and make me feel kind of gross.

….and boring music, questionable politics, and fuckin dreariness aside, the writing was just bad. The second act dragged on and on and on because they would never say in a minute what they could say in an hour. I was kind of bored and annoyed both. If you’re going to change a story and add an hour and a half of material, it better be good material. And it wasn’t. The only bright spots for me were the spectacular costumes (really gorgeous), the interesting sets, and the woman who plays Anastasia.

Other than that, I was not thrilled. All it did was make me want to go watch the ding-dang movie so I could just see the ding-dang bat.

[mygreatadventurehasbegun]

OK, here's a few thoughts on the shows I saw this past week!

Anastasia: Christy Altomare and Mary Beth Peil were both amazing!  The costumes were gorgeous...there was so much sparkle!  When the Tzarina walked onstage for the first time in the beautiful ball gown, it literally took my breath away.  All of the crystals sparkling in the light....and Once Upon a December gave me chills, when those projections of the dancers started spinning around the theatre...beautiful.

Beautiful:  This show is so fun!  Chilina Kennedy has a fantastic voice.  I loved the set and the lighting.

Once on this Island: I LOVED THIS SHOW.  It was one of the best theatrical experiences I've ever had.  Sadly, Lea Salonga was out that night, but her understudy was incredible.  Hailey Kilgore is an absolute star, and if she doesn't get nominated for a Tony, I will flip.

Hello, Dolly:  BERNADETTE.  PETERS.  I got to see a show starring Bernadette Peters.  And Victor Garber.  And Santino Fontana.  And Kate Baldwin.  My theatre nerd heart was bursting.  I was never really a big fan of the show itself until I saw it this past week.  Now, I LOVE it!

Carousel:  This show is still in previews, but it was incredibly beautiful.  I know this show can be considered "problematic", but I will say that there were a few changes made.  The biggest being they cut that one line that everyone hates.  But the choreography was incredible and the ballet made me cry.  Joshua Henry was a great Billy Bigelow and I think Lindsey Mendez could win the Tony this year for Best Featured Actress.  She was a fabulous Carrie Pipperidge.

Waitress:  This is my second time seeing this show...I saw the tour when it came through her last fall.  This is one of my favorite shows so it was great seeing it again!  And I loved seeing Christopher Fitzgerald and Drew Gehlig in the roles they originated.  But the coolest part was that I know the guy playing Cal.  I went to college with Benny Elledge, though I haven't seen in him in about a decade. 

Come From Away:  I am so disappointed in myself that I never got in to this show before now.  This show is amazing.  It's a fabulous ensemble piece that is both funny and moving.  It was a great show to end my trip on.  And that band kicked ass.

AND right now, they are raising money for Broadway Cares, Equity Fights Aids, so I purchased a couple of signed playbills!  I have one from Hello Dolly and Come From Away.  If Carousel had been selling stuff, I would've bought one for that show, too.  I wish I could have purchased posters, but they wouldn't have made it in my suitcase during the trip home.

But I got a few other nice souvenirs!!  Wish I had bought a couple more though...may need to order some later.... :)

[figchn]

CHAPTER 3

Back at Your Own Backyard  AGAIN

continued from Chapter 2

It was dusk when Puri woke up. The buzzing of the cicadas outside her window had grown into a chorus, and the light of the late afternoon cast on the room a dull blue glow. An overwhelming sense of melancholy washed over the room, and she found the need to stretch her stiff joints until her toes reached the frayed edges of the straw mat she had been lying on. 

Jumping to her feet, she hurried out the backdoor in hopes of catching the last rays of daylight.  Puri stood still as her eyes adjusted to the glow of the late sun shining on the distant fields. A deep voice jolted her fully awake.

 “Oh, you’ve gotten up.”

Her father Hernando noticed her from a bench under the mango tree where he sat smoking with one leg up. He was a farmer like most men in their town. The hours of labor under the sun showed on the deep tan of his face and the fine lines that already never quite left his face. His eyes drooped around their corners which gave his otherwise tough face a touch of something gentle. Puri thought he looked sadder and darker than usual today.

Still feeling groggy, she could only nod back.

“Are you sure you’re fine? Do you need me to take you to the doctor?”

“No. I’m fine now. I just feel strange waking up at home,” she looked around. “Where’s grandma by the way?”

“She went out to buy some more food after I got home. We weren’t expecting you so early in the week to be honest. And what do you know? You come back here unconscious, wet and muddy. Good thing you didn’t travel home from Manila alone this time and that my mother was home when you arrived.”

Puri almost corrected him but caught her tongue in time. The happenings of that morning still seemed unreal and she was convinced for some moments that she had dreamt it all up.

“Your grandmother told me this expensively dressed fellow brought you in. Say, you haven’t been around strange men in the capital, have you?”, he said slowly.

She remembered Milyong’s lanky figure dressed in his all black outfit that was twenty years out of fashion.

“Oh, that boy! He was just some understudy from mother’s acting troupe.”, said Puri almost too loudly. “She felt bad for not being able to go home with me so she asked him to accompany me.”

She thanked the dark for hiding her face that now felt a little flushed.

“You know how actors are. They’re all a bit ...odd.”

“I can’t argue with that,” he laughed, and then more softly, “How is your mother by the way?”  

“She’s doing alright,” Puri found herself lying again.

The truth was she had not seen her mother Pacencia in months. They lived in different districts of the capital which was not all too big of a city but both had been very busy. Puri had focused on her “fashion school” studies near the suburbs where she also boarded while her mother had been living her life in the downtown entertainment district. They had only met during the whole semester once a month at most when pacing would drop by the boarding house and treat Puri to lunch.

Her mother had been the village beauty when she was younger and had basked in the attention of strangers. Her grandmother, a vendor at the local market, saw this as an opportunity and took her mother to the Manila sarsuwela as soon as she had finished elementary school. There, it seemed like her road to stardom was set, in a few years, but then she had Puri with her hometown sweetheart.

Puri’s father thought it would be happily ever after when they married at nineteen, but after a few years, her mother grew restless at home. Despite all the ill-gossip she knew it would bring and did bring her way, her mother returned to the stage. Her father had been against it, at first, but he knew Pacing well, and did not try to stop her especially after her first visit home with one of her bright smiles he had last seen when Puri was born.

Pacencia’s career did not recover from the long absence. Younger talents easily filled the niche etc etc and she found herself taking smaller and smaller roles until she started spending more time backstage where she  took interest on and eventually learned makeup. To this craft, she threw herself with much gusto too and she found herself busy again with the rise of bodabil shows. Through all this, she would diligently send part of her salary back home, and eventually, too, the nosy neighbors stopped gossiping about Pacing and started pitying her husband instead who was making less than her.

Puri would often wonder  when she was younger how her mother’s life could have been if she hadn’t been conceived so early. On some days, she wished she had at least inherited all her mother’s looks so she could have had a chance at being an actress and fulfilling her dreams by proxy. But Puri’s face, although small like her mother’s, did not have the same dainty features and instead took after the hardness of her father’s.

“Father, are you crying again?”

Puri walked over and sat beside Hernando who put up his forearm clumsily against his face to hide his tears.

“It’s my house and I can do what I want”, he mumbled. “I know she’s busy and I shouldn’t complain but I just miss her so much.”

“And Mother misses you too”

“It’s hard to feel that shes does sometimes when she barely even writes anymore.” 

“Oh, Father, don’t say that.” Puri could do nothing but awkwardly pat her father’s back. She did not like to think about it either and put it into words but she felt the same way too more frequently than she would like to admit.

“Looks like life is treating her kindly with the suitcase full of clothes she sent back with you. They all look really expensive.”

She had almost forgotten about the suitcase Faustina had given her. Puri excused herself and ran over to the back of the house where she found the clothes soaking in a basin. Seeing that they had not been muddied at all, she let out a sigh of relief.

After breakfast the next day, Puri set out to hang the clothes right away.  There were five Western style dress and two whole sets of terno in all and she could see they were of  good quality. Besides the cuts of the dresses which now looked outdated by a few years, one could hardly tell they were hand-me-downs. The colors had not faded at all and Puri suspected they had not been used all that much.

She briefly considered returning them, but thought that returning a gift would probably be seen as rude. They also seemed too small for Faustina who was some inches taller, but then all of them fit her own frame awkwardly, and that, of course, would simply not do. Puri, struck with inspiration, embroiled in her new project and shut herself in the house with her sewing machine for the whole week. By the end of it, the dresses not only fit her perfectly but looked flashier than ever with her added embellishments.

That Sunday, she decided to wear one of her new alterations. The dress was a deep emerald green shade to which she had sewn on some beadwork and a black fringed overskirt she had cut out off one of the other dresses. After brushing off her grandmother’s uninvited comments about her get-up, Puri smiled satisfied at the wardrobe mirror as she watched the dress twirl with her. 

The whole family ended up making it to the town church just in time and so had to stay standing at the back. Hernando felt a bit grateful for this because he found the dress a bit too much for Mass like Grandma did even if he would never admit it to his daughter.

When the service was over, Puri stayed by the doorway while her father completed his weekly rosary which Puri could only guess was for her mother’s return home. It was when the crowd exiting the building had thinned out that she spotted the Fajardo siblings leaving the pew that probably bore their family name. Overcome with a sense of guilt over the perfectly good dresses she had cut up and pasted together like a collage, Puri slowly turned her head, and then her body, to face the blank wall behind her. Too late -- Faustina had already caught her eye and she could hear the click-clack of her heels as she headed towards her direction.

Puri trembled in fear.

“Puri, is that you, dear?”, chirped Faustina.

“Unfortunately, yes.”

“And is that ...one of the dresses I gave you the other day?”

Puri turned around to offer her sincerest apologies for butchering them, but was cut off before she could even blurt out a single word.

“What a genius idea! It’s not really something I’d pick out to wear on a Sunday myself but those two dresses together look fabulous. Why, I would’ve never guessed. Say, did you do it yourself?”

“I- yes. And thank you.”

Puri blushed at the compliment. 

“Oh fancy meeting you here”

Fabian had suddenly joined them and he looked exactly the same as when she had first seen him-- 70% legs dressed in all white. He smiled at them expectantly.

“So ....is she joining us for lunch at the Tayson house?”, he asked Faustina.

Puri was suddenly reminded of the existence of one Maximiliano Tayson. She still had not thanked him for bringing her in when she had passed out. And it made her curious, if not a little embarrassed, imagining how on earth he managed to do it with his lanky frame and sickly appearance.

“Could you believe Milyong still hasn’t recovered?”, asked Fabian whose permanent smile carried over to his speech.

“You mean he is”, Puri gulped as her mouth went dry, “....sick?”

“Oh, it’s nothing to worry about. That day we asked him to take you home, he caught a simple cold after getting a little, how do you say, wet, in the rain”, said Faustina.

“Yeah, that guy can be really clumsy. We didn’t ask because he gets cranky easily, you would know, but he looked like he slipped into some puddle because he came back with mud all over him. Good thing he was wearing black, eh?”, Fabian chuckled

“Er… yes… that’s what probably happened”, Puri faked a chuckle.

“I have to go now. Have a blessed Sunday ahead. And thank you for the dresses.” 

Puri, with her heart dropping and black tassels sashaying, strode  out the door of the church  where her father, kneeling in one of the back pews, remained contemplating the Third Glorious Mystery.

[ugdigital]

[EXCLUSIVE FEATURE] CRYSTAL FOX: A SHINING STAR [ @only1crystalfox ]

There’s nothing like connecting with someone you’ve admired and been inspired by for so long. I’ve had the pleasure of watching Crystal Fox in many of her roles for a great part of my life, and like many actors and actresses, she’s one of the reasons I do what I do in my career. She’s shown me and so many others through her success that it’s possible to do what you love and be happy. She’s taught us what it is to work hard and build a strong legacy by the work you do in the world, not only with her acting, but the work she does for her community. Today, we were blessed beyond measure to talk to Ms. Fox about her magnificent career, her longevity, and the amazing work she has been doing with her new community-driven upstart. Of course, she talks to us as well about The Haves and the Have Nots. Everyone knows she’s been stealing the show with her outstanding portrayal of Hanna Young on the hugely popular series created by Mr. Tyler Perry. Because of her amazing work, the show has gone not to be come OWN’s most popular scripted series to date. We’re happy to present to you; Ms. Crystal Fox: A Shining Star!

  U.G. Digital Mag: First and foremost, I am immensely grateful to you for so much. First, this opportunity is so amazing for me. I’ve watched this show from episode one, and wouldn’t dare ever miss one episode. Then, there’s the bonus that I’ve followed you since ‘In the Heat of the Night’. As young as I was, that was something I watched with my grandmother, and I feel like you brought us together in that moment. I remember you in Driving Miss Daisy. Today, The Haves and the Have Nots is another connection between my mother and I. We watch this show together weekly, or we’re calling each other at 8:59 to say the show is coming on. Thank you for that.

 Crystal Fox: It is my absolute pleasure. You have touched my heart with my whole soul, from the start of my desire to act until now. It is all I ever wanted to do is tell the truth, and tell one that people could feel. You go into the theater and disappear, and go into another world. I did it because I didn’t feel like I had a voice. When I did it, I wanted to be the voice for the voiceless, as you hear people say. I wanted people to be moved by something. You have blessed my whole soul with that. Thank you so much.

 U.G. Digital Mag: You’re welcome. I’m so glad to know that. With your character, Hanna, there are so many people who relate to her. They spend their lives trying to live by the teachings of God, and nevertheless, they experience scenarios that are hard to deal with. They feel the world is against them, although they do the right thing. How difficult was it, or is it, to play a character this deep?

 Crystal Fox: First of all, two things happened for me. When I read the breakdown, it hit my gut, almost like you described. I know that life. I know our struggles, my own personal struggles, the ones I’ve witnessed people have, and those our people have. I’ve seen a woman like Hanna, either who has been a part of my life as blood family, or someone who took on the responsibility of helping raise me, and people who raise the community, and I have never seen people work as hard, and struggle as hard against adversity, and raise solid people, as we call it a blue collar worker, and I’ve never seen them in a lead role like that. The responsibility of it, and the joy I got from it, it has been a blessing, and it blesses me everyday. I love this character because I know who she is. The joy I got in getting the job was met with the same feeling of “Lord God, please help me deliver what I know can happen with this character”. The responsibility I feel to the people she represents was so great. I said I will trust you with this as I do with the rest of my life, because you know the intention of my heart and soul. For me, getting it, and realizing I had to do it, were the hardest moments of my life. Then, living in her is easier because I know who she is, if that makes any sense at all. 

  U.G. Digital Mag: It makes perfect sense. You have to excuse my language, but you do a damned good job with this character in The Haves and The Have Nots. When I tell you I was crying with you at the start of this season when you were in the hospital after Q was killed. I would imagine that it would be difficult to dig so deep for that type of raw emotion in scenes like that. How do you bring yourself to that place?

 Crystal Fox: I do not mean this in any arrogant way, and you’ll understand why later. It’s not difficult because I have witnessed my own sense of hardship, but I know other people who have witnessed such hardship. In this particular season, we shot what you saw last year, and what you see now is a culmination of the same season; they just break it up and show it in two seasons. This storyline is one of the most important that I have been able to share. There are certain aspects of Savannah that they shoot the exteriors of. I went last year to meet the people that live on the street where they shot. Those people are an extension of our show. They are like cast members you never get to meet. They were so happy to see me. I met a woman who was the epitome of Hanna. She was on her porch, across from where Hanna’s house was. The girl who took me to her was elated, but when she got to the house, she kinda bowed her head. I asked, “how are you”, and she said “we’re making it”. The young lady said they had experienced some hardships. Come to find out, her daughter was supposed to graduate that year. She had a picture of her in her graduation cap and gown. I asked what happened, and it turns out the young lady went to a party with a friend, and they witnessed a drive-by. The shooters came back and killed her and her friend because they witnessed it. When I left, I went back home, and went to work, and those were the scenes I was shooting about Q’s death. For me, it was the most truth I wanted to tell. I had never seen a child killed on television, and I knew it would be jarring to the audience. I thought, it’s happening in the news but we don’t see it. It takes the sting off when we tell the truth about it. I wanted to honor the pain these families feel over the senseless violence more than I’ve honored any truth in my life. For me, this whole season is dedicated to that family. That scene for me; I could not let go of the girl. She feels like another cast member, and I could not let go of any kid taken like that, or any senseless loss. We have to stop killing each other. I did it for those moms and dads, and everyone else. The response; I tear up. People keep inundating me with responses from that moment. It means so much because it was for them and the families. 

 U.G. Digital Mag: I appreciate you telling that story because it shows your heart. It’s amazing you could relate your work to real life, and what someone else is going through. 

 Crystal Fox: Yes. That’s what I try to do. I feel like I can’t afford to miss someone if what I deliver is going to be healing, helpful, or do something for someone else’s life. I commit to telling the truth. 

 U.G. Digital Mag: Clearly there’s nothing you can give away about the storyline to come because Tyler wouldn’t have that [laughing], but what are some things you would love to see with the storyline?

 Crystal Fox: I can give you a sneak because this season is so heavy. Candace still doesn’t know about the baby being killed. We have to have service or something for the baby. That’s inevitable so I can say that. Because it is so heavy, I know everybody is asking is she ever going to stop crying [laughing]. Does God ever bring her joy? So far, we haven’t had the luxury to show that. But we just shot about 4 seasons of material, and you will see Hanna laugh, smile, have a little joy, and date somebody. I can’t wait for you guys to see that. It’s like, finally! 

  U.G. Digital Mag: It’s amazing, and I love how there’s so many different characters that surface. Your love interest, Ro Brooks, has done the cover of our magazine, and so has Angela Robinson. It’s amazing to see so many different people, and so many black people. I love the way we are growing and doing so many things. Tyler has done an amazing job with this show. 

 Crystal Fox: The funny thing is Viola [Davis] is a friend, and I’m paraphrasing her speech, but the bottom line is the difference in black and white people getting scenes is opportunity. We were always working; we just had fewer opportunities. I’m grateful for Oprah, and Tyler, because they have a platform that can provide that for us, and others who are providing opportunities for us. Once they see us, the doors open a little more. 

 U.G. Digital Magazine: I love how supportive the entire cast is of each other. Everyone certainly has many other things going on, but it appears that everyone is shouting for each other in every capacity which is amazing. I know Jon Chaffin has done amazing things outside of HAHN, and so has Danielle Deadwyler. It suggests real family which is hard to find on such large casts. 

 Crystal Fox: First of all, I got chills because when I started, I felt like the baby of the cast, and now I’m like the veteran. I worked with both of them, and consider them my babies. Jon understudied me in ‘God of Carnage’ with Jasmine Guy here in Atlanta at The Alliance. Danielle is my baby for real. I love her. Not only is she a fabulous actor, but she is a producer, a writer, and people have no idea. She can do anything. She’s a mommy, which cracks me up because she’s so fun. Angela and I knew each other before this. We did ‘Voice of Syracuse’ at The Alliance. We’ve done musicals together, and she was my friend for a while. I didn’t know she would be on the show until right before we filmed. I love every minute we film with each other. A lot of them, including Renee who plays Mrs Cryer, are theater-based people. It’s collaborative, and normally that happens. You almost become an immediate family. We bring that to the table, and I’m glad we don’t forfeit it either. Heck, yes! …and Tika? She is Candace, but she is my baby. I can not scream high enough for anything good that happens for her. When anything happens for anybody, we are the loudest cheerleaders in the world for each other because we took this journey together. It was a risk. Tyler said it was a risk for him. 

 U.G. Digital Mag: It’s amazing. I’m glad you mentioned Danielle also, because you both were in Ir/Reconcilable and she was one of the producers. Of course it also featured Jasmine Guy, Brandon Dirden, Dick Gregory, and Enoch King, among others. The storyline hits directly with so many in regard to shame, forgiveness, redemption, and courage. I said you were just as fiery in that and you are in HAHN. 

 Crystal Fox: [laughing], Yes, it was funny. I had a cuter, sexier dress on though. You know her sister Gabrielle wrote it. Such an amazing family. 

 U.G. Digital Mag: It’s beautiful, and It’s opening so many more doors for African Americans. It’s beyond amazing. I love seeing it. Thank you so much for all you give. 

 Crystal Fox: You’re so welcome. I also want to shout out Brandon Dirden from Ir/Reconcilable. He and Jason Dirden. These brothers are not only wonderful people, but wonderful artists as well. I’m excited that the circle of people I’ve found myself fortunate enough to surround myself with are fabulous artists in their own right. I feel blessed that this has been my life. I’ve been surrounded by this type of talent all around me, from the beginning my career until now. 

 U.G. Digital Mag: What’s next for Crystal? What do you see in the horizon? What do you aspire for?

 Crystal Fox: Well, I do want to do more film and television, although I always want to do theater. Theater is my first love, and always will be. I love it, and it connects me with the audience. You get an understanding, one way or the other, whether they like it or not, immediately. I say it’s the last place we agree to disagree, or agree together. I did a film independently, and I think it’ll be a feature film. It’s called ‘Burdens’. Ironically, there’s also a documentary with the same name. This is based on something different. It’s by Andrew Heckler. I was able to play Forest Whitaker’s wife in this film. It’s based on a true story about the KKK opening a museum with their paraphernalia, and the gentlemen ended up selling it to an African American preacher. The circumstances involved, that’s what the movie is about. It’s based on a true story about Laurens, South Carolina. Usher was in it as well, along with Tom Wilkinson. It’s supposed to come out this year. The thing is, I think it’s still kinda Hanna-esque because its a woman of strong will and faith, so I don’t know if it’s so different for me, but I am with different artists. 

 U.G. Digital Mag: It sounds like a powerful storyline. 

 Crystal Fox: Exactly. I like doing things with a strong message. The irony is the ending is wonderful and won a victory. This court case went on about whether or not the black actor owns the museum or not. The case was settled in 2012 and he is the owner. It is no longer a KKK museum. The irony of this black, civil rights activist and pastor owning a KKK museum is crazy. It also shows the power of forgiveness. Aside from that, I have a dream project that I figure if I keep mentioning, you all will hold me accountable to do it. I want to create a play to honor and tribute my aunt, who was Nina Simone. People are doing it left and right, and I’m glad they’re talking about her. I don’t want to tell her story, although everyone thinks I do. It’s artist to artist. We had a bond when I was little, and I didn’t understand what it was about. As I grew into an adult, I realized it was the artist in us, and I learned that. I believe she agreed with me on that. So, as an artist I would like to honor her with something that is art-worthy. 

 U.G. Digital Mag: I love it. The more we speak about the things we desire and dream of, the more they become reality. 

 Crystal Fox: I believe that. I really do. I have the resources to make happen, so now it’s just on me. 

 U.G. Digital Mag: It’s amazing. Now, you have an amazing talent with singing. This will tell you how much I really watch the show and pay attention [laughing]. There was a scene where you were telling Benny that one day, he’s going to learn to listen to his mother. Then you started singing and it was like wow, she’s out of this world. Surely, those who knew you from ‘In the Heat of the Night’ knew this already, but it’s new to those of this generation. Will we hear more of your vocals in any capacity?

 Crystal Fox: I think so. I’m sure Tyler will fit them in somewhere. What’s funny is I feel like it’s another hidden thing people will be surprised to learn about. I sing a certain way on The Haves and the Have Nots because it’s fitting to Hanna, but they’ll be surprised to know I sing R&B. I don’t consider myself a Jazz artist, but my friends beg to differ. They say that I am a singer, but I think I sing just enough to get through a good club act, but I don’t have the discipline to do it the way they do it. I love it when I do though. I hope to do more. I’ve been asked if I will sing more. With ‘In the Heat of the Night’, we did a Christmas album, but it was to raise funds for a certain organization. They did a Blue Grass album, but mine was a Jazz piece. I did ‘Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire’. It keeps coming up, and I’m sure somebody will utilize it. I believe it will be Tyler. 

 U.G. Digital Mag: Right. He’s gotta just put you in these movies in a lounge like Chandra Currelley [laughing]. 

 Crystal Fox: Exactly [laughing]. That’s what I want to do. Like a period piece, and I can be a club owner [laughing]. 

 U.G. Digital Mag: You do so much outside of acting and entertainment. Can you talk a little about Act to Impact Global?

  Crystal Fox: Yes, that’s new for me. I have always wanted to give back to the community, and try to find different ways. Most times, I volunteer with Hosea Feed the Hungry and Homeless. Elisabeth and Afemo Onilami are friends, and I knew them before Mr. Hosea Williams passed away. I try to do as much as I can. After this election, like many others, I could not move for two days. I didn’t want to complain anymore without action. I tried to get a ThinkTank together to see who else felt the same. Act to Impact Global was born out of that. Friends got together, and people I didn’t know, and we talked about what meant something to us. People say you have to break it down and do one thing, but why can’t we work on each thing? Michael Moore said if we form small groups and attack different things, we’ll be powerful when we come together as a large group. I took that to heart. That’s what I’m doing now. I had my first event to introduce the group to the community, and show that we would be about taking care of our social ills, until we can come together to take care of something on a global scale and politically. It’s very new, and I have no idea what I’m doing. People say it starts with you, so I’m trying to go back and participate with other groups who need support, a voice, or my faith to get them noticed. It’s at the beginning stages, but I hope it does more for our community and our world. 

 U.G. Digital Mag: Nothing about what you’re doing here says you don’t know what you’re doing. You’re reaching masses. Will the doors open for people outside of your immediate community?

 Crystal Fox: Absolutely. That’s what I would prefer. I want it to be as many people that want to do something. We are on Twitter and Facebook, and I take suggestions on how to grow and build. What’s interesting is I did an event called ‘Dance for Diversity’, and we had different types of dancers come out and demonstrate dance and movement. Then we danced with them. It was received so well with the community that they want it to be an annual event. I’m thinking about it, and it was wonderful. The advocacy issues were around voter education, and literacy. It was originally going to be on child literacy, but adult literacy is very poor in Georgia. It went hand in hand, because if we can’t read we can’t vote. Finding out that info and sharing it with the community shed light on something they didn’t know about, and everyone was excited about doing more. I would absolutely like that to be shared globally. 

 U.G. Digital Mag: We will surely post it on our end, and share it through our social media. We can link through our site as well. 

 Crystal Fox: Fantastic. Thank you so much. 

 U.G. Digital Mag: I covered this year’s Essence Fest, and I literally scoured the arena looking for you [laughing]. Were you there with the rest of the cast at all that weekend?

 Crystal Fox: No I did not, and it’s killing me because ever since Tyler Lepley has been going, he has said it was fabulous. Each time, I haven’t been able to go. With this year’s festival, I was close to going, and then I got an invitation from Mr. P. I can’t turn down no invitation from Mr. P to do nothing [laughing]. 

 U.G. Digital Mag: It was amazing. I met Angela, and it was amazing because she covered our first issue. It was amazing meeting her, and the fact she remembered was even better. 

 Crystal Fox: Wow. I love her so much. Can you see that she is so not Veronica?

 U.G. Digital Mag: I can but I can’t figure out how she digs so deep to play the role. 

 Crystal Fox: She’s nothing like her, except for one way: she’s a classy dresser. She’s beautiful and classy. Nothing like Veronica in the heart though. 

 U.G. Digital Mag: Yea, I thought Katherine had her for a minute when the season started, but when she flipped it around, I was done [laughing]. 

 Crystal Fox: That’s my baby. I said I was going to have to stand in front of her to make sure nobody harms her [laughing]. 

 U.G. Digital Mag: What are the best ways for people to keep up with you online?

 Crystal Fox: I feel like a dinosaur when it comes to social media, but my young folks are trying to help me [laughing]. I’m on Instagram at @only1crystalfox. My Twitter is the same thing. On facebook, my fans always find my personal page, but it’s so full that I can’t really add anyone else. I do have a fan page, which is @crystalfoxfans. I’m working on a website eventually. I guess I need one [laughing], but I don’t know. 

 U.G. Digital Mag: Again, I have to mention how grateful I am to you. Any final comments at all?

 Crystal Fox: Listen, I can’t wait to meet you. I am going try to get to Essence Fest also. Do you love it?

 U.G. Digital Mag: I absolutely loved every minute of it. I decided so last minute. I’m based in Cleveland, Ohio. I literally flew out at 6am that Friday morning, landed, and headed to the events. It was absolutely the best time of my life. I’ve already booked a hotel for next year. 

 Crystal Fox: See! OK, I will definitely try my best to be there next year. I thought it would be too hectic, but I’ve heard it’s electrifying. 

 U.G. Digital Mag: It was amazing. It wasn’t an atmosphere where people didn’t want to be bothered. Everyone was mingling, meeting, greeting, and having a blast. The entire set-up was really awesome. My cup of tea was meeting the cast of HAHN. It was amazing to meet Angela, Tyler, and Gavin. 

 Crystal Fox: Now why do you like the show so much?

 For starters, I love drama. The characters are amazing. Even the bad characters are really good. I feel like Tyler really does his homework, and picks the right people. I’ve always said he was brilliant with casting. John Schneider has been around for years, and this has become an avenue to showcase his brilliance. You’ve been here for some time, and now people are really getting to know you. Same for Angela. But many didn’t realize you were in Driving Miss Daisy. You’ve worked hard to get here. I love the direction and the writing, and it keeps you entertained. I keep my iPad at work with me to watch the midnight and 3am run of the show, even though I’ve already watched it at 9pm. I love it. 

 Crystal Fox: I thank you so much and that’s why I asked. They didn’t know who they were gearing it for. They started with 25 - 60 year old women because they just didn’t know. What I love is that even in the beginning, we got compliments from women, and now we have everyone. We have every age, color, sex, and I love it. It’s like a show that no one knew what it would do. We don’t do a lot of talk shows, and we’re kept hidden. Tyler said he was keeping us hidden for a reason, but our fanbase is swelling. 

 U.G. Digital Mag: You definitely have everyone. I’m 40, my cousin is in her 20s and she’s watching, my son loves it and he’s 10. He comes in ready to watch every Tuesday. During the school year, he makes sure we DVR so he can watch later. I work with someone who’s about 75 years old and we talk about the show. And my mother and I watch together a lot. Regardless of the storyline, it’s believable, and that is what makes it so appealing. 

 Crystal Fox: Thank you so much from the depth of my heart. 

 U.G. Digital Mag: I follow you on social media, so we will certainly be posting about it. I’m in heaven for sure by talking to you. I’m forever grateful to you. Thank you for your time because I know you’re busy. 

 Crystal Fox: That’s alright. I’m never too busy for the love. I appreciate it from the depth of my heart, and can not wait to meet you so I can hug your face real hard [laughing]. 

 U.G. Digital: I love it, thank you. 

 Crystal Fox: You as well. I wish you all the best, and look forward to seeing you at Essence Fest next year. 

 Most definitely. My wife is ready. We booked the hotel, and if I could get the airfare today, I would [laughing]. But thank you so so much. 

 Crystal Fox: You’re so welcome. 

[southernmamaspeaks]

The Callback List

The Callback List

 Confession: I am a Show Mom. Sort of.

Two of my five biological children participate in Christian Youth Theater, otherwise known as CYT. They sing, they dance, they act, and they put on gorgeous Broadway-style productions by kids ages eight to eighteen in our local community. This week marks another set of auditions, and something every thespian young, and old loves to hate:

The Callback List. But is there more?

On the surface, a Callback list is a compilation of names, or numbers generated by a production team, of potential cast members who are requested to return to participate in further rounds of selection based on the quality of their initial audition. For us at CYT, the release of the list normally follows two nights of open casting calls where brave, and hopeful kiddos present a one minute song selection, and monologue from a list of options provided by the production team. It is a beautifully scary, and harrowing experience to watch someone you love stand in front of strangers to be judged worthy, or unworthy based on less than two minutes of interaction.  As so little time is available to make a good impression on the artistic team, much thought and effort is placed into every detail of the audition. As the indelible Mary Poppins states, everything must be “Spit Spot” to ensure the best possible outcome: a Callback.

Let me stop right here, and say this was not my idea. My oldest daughter had a friend encourage her to try out for a show about a year and a half ago, and the rest is showbiz history. Yet as she has gotten older, and improved on her dramatic skills, auditions have taken on a slightly more intensive tone. We stopped hoping to merely make it into a show, and started hoping for her to get specific roles. And as her mom, of course, I think she should get every role for which she tries out. After all, she is beautiful. Beyond beautiful. Don’t believe me? Take a look at this headshot from uber-talented photographer Amber Trementozzi of AMT Digital Photography (or click a link to her Facebook page here-  https://www.facebook.com/AmtPhotographyDigitalDesign/ :

  I told you she was gorgeous. Also, her voice is beautiful, she dances gracefully, her Improv skills are spot on, and she has a real gift for comedic timing. (And she took that headshot photo after she was dancing at rehearsal for something like two hours. I mean, who actually looks that good AFTER they sweat? It boggles my mind.) However, as we rolled into the Winter show season, my daughter, Sharaia, decided she was going to audition to be Betty Hanes in the CYT Fredericksburg production of Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas”. I have to admit, I thought her chances were good. Sharaia was called back for a lead role before, when she wasn’t even trying. She has a good relationship, and reputation among the adults in charge, and the ability at nearly sixteen to hit some of that sultry alto register like Rosemary Clooney. To say we got our hopes up for the part would be an understatement.  

Auditions came, and Sharaia sang a Rosemary Clooney song from “The Pajama Game”. I teared up when nerves got the best of her for a moment in front of the audience, as she was putting so much weight on herself to put in a fabulous audition. But I was so proud of her as she pulled it together, and put in a solid performance. We felt good leaving auditions, but were still very nervous about the outcome. Sharaia and I stayed up until midnight waiting for the Callback list to be posted on the website. I think I squealed almost as much as she did when we spotted her callback number in a list with twenty-two other girls to come back the next day at the studio. Saturday was very intense. I packed Sharaia a lunch I knew she would not eat, and we drove in relative silence the twenty minutes to the studio. I told her how proud I was of her to get this far, to just be herself, to have fun, and enjoy the experience. I wished her a cheerful “break a leg” as she exited the car, but underneath it all I may or may not have considered going inside to bribe the director with hefty amounts of cash to give Sharaia the part. (Thank God five kids, and a ridiculous house payment toss my family into near-poverty each month so I could avoid the temptation of throwing cash at the production team.) I drove away praying that they would see my daughter for who, and what she is, and that Sharaia would have comfort and strength to persevere through the day.

As the day wore on, the audition stakes seemed to get even higher. Sharaia made it through two rounds of cuts, as they whittled the potential Judy’s and Betty’s down to only six girls after about eight hours of rehearsing. Sharaia would sneak calls into me, and tell me with pride how well she performed in a scene, or sang a song. I was finally able to pick her up at about 10pm. And we sat in the parking lot of a local fast food place as she binged on a burger after being too sick, and nervous to eat anything all day. She was excited, and hopeful. I was excited and hopeful for her.

The Other Show Kid

Around the same time, my son, Craig Scott, was auditioning for a lead role in the CYT Fredericksburg production of “Junie B. Jones”. He is another very talented, and totally adorable kiddo in my quiver.

Craig Scott loves football, running, breakdancing, and tap. He is incredibly compassionate, and wants to help everyone he meets. He sort of fell into the whole CYT-thing because of his older sister, and has reluctantly accepted he is amazing at what he does. Because of some scheduling, CYT was going to be putting on back-to-back shows. Thus, both of my kiddos were auditioning right at the same time. Craig Scott’s story, however, is very different. Relatively few boys take time out of sports to sing, and dance. I am blessed with a husband that thinks it is just as masculine to perform a kick-ball-change as a split-back offense, so he did not bat an eyelash when we said we were forsaking travel football for Junie B. Jones. Always a jokester, Craig Scott turned in a very funny monologue during auditions as he tried out for Sheldon Potts.  And, in what I have found to be a true theater/show business reality, Craig was one of only six boys called back to fill-in the leading male roles. His callbacks were much shorter, and a little more fun, as the female hopefuls rotated between the boys auditioning to read their parts, or sing songs. And before he left, Craig Scott felt very solid about landing at least some named-part in the production. Both of my babies seemed destined to get what they were hoping for.

The Final Call

The days of the final Cast List were fast approaching after Callbacks. Again, this list is posted late in the evening the day after Callbacks have been completed, and the production team toils over who stays, and who goes from the final list. We sat at our electronic devices and refreshed the webpage repeatedly until the lists were finally posted for each show. We hooted and hollered as we found out Craig Scott was cast as Sheldon Potts. We waited with anticipation to see which part Sharaia would receive. As the cast list finally came out, we broke into tears. Sharaia had not obtained the part of Betty Hanes. She was not named as the understudy. She was not a Featured Dancer. She was cast in some ensemble roles in the play. Out of the six girls who made it to the end, only she and one other were relegated to the Ensemble. My girl was devastated. I was devastated for her.

How should a parent handle the moment when a child does not achieve their goals? I have seen, and participated in many of the examples. I will admit I cursed heftily under my breath when I saw the list in the other room. How could they?! How could they not see her for the fabulous, wonderful, “perfectly perfect in every way” girl that I did? Sharaia cried. She may have even stomped. I certainly know she asked me why, and I couldn’t answer. It was a tough night. My son asked if he could ask to give up his role in his play so that Sharaia could get a leading role in hers. I fell in love with him just a bit more after that, but had to tell him that was not the way the world worked. You couldn’t sacrifice yourself to give to another…

And then I realized how wrong I really was.

For me life is often made up of two forms of consciousness. The first is me fumbling along trying to make it through the day, remember which kid has to go where, whether there is something in the fridge I can make into a passable dinner, and the name of the child to which I am currently speaking on the first try. The second, and decidedly more rare, is that moment of absolute clarity when I realize the Lord is trying to teach me the most perfect something, and I actually hear it. That is what this moment turned into for me.

The first thing I realized was that there are so many lists we all try to get onto so very frequently in this life: friend lists, party lists, job lists, house lists, calling lists, credit lists, school lists. Lists that go on and on. But there is really only one list that matters. And, believe it or not, it IS a Callback list; although not the kind you may think. At the end of the day -the end of this life- the only list I want my children to be on is a Callback list from the Lord. I want them to “shew thee my faith by my works…[for] faith without works is dead” (James 2:18-20). Craig Scott had offered himself up in return for his sister. Sharaia had comforted countless friends as heartbroken as she was. None of us had fallen victim to anger, or backbiting. Because the second thing I realized is that every other list forces us to be judged on something superficial. And while some are more worthy than others, only God can judge our hearts. And who do I want my Father in Heaven to say my children are? Ultimately, my greatest hope for them is that he will look at them and say to them as in the parable of the talents, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things” (Matthew 25:21). Craig Scott had achieved his goal. He had made the list for which he was hoping. But Sharaia, like so many of us in our life, had not. Not yet, anyway. Did that make her less? Was she less talented, less graceful, less wonderful than those other girls? Absolutely not. She simply had not achieved her goal yet. My second realization was that goals, roles, and lists come and go in this life. They change with the times, and the seasons. But our goal of Returning to our Father in Heaven should never go away. We may be Betty Hanes for a moment, but we are children of God for an eternity. And we should seek to do His will “in all times, and in all things, and in all places” as we stand as witnesses to God, and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. As I spoke to Sharaia and Craig Scott about their most essential Callback list in this life, I do not know that it lessened the sting for what was not achieved. But what I do know is that it re-focused our attention to the things which matter most, and helped re-instill in my daughter her infinite potential and worth as a Daughter of God.

Craig Scott auditioned for a part last night in “Willy Wonka”. Sharaia is busy working on her Original Oratory for Forensics this season, and honing her dancing and singing skills to try out for “Shrek” in the Spring. But in the end, I am not completely absorbed with which role they will, or will not get. Mostly because I already know whose list they are already on.

 Love,

Mama

[flapperfromthefuture]

I don’t know how I ended up at the Michigan Renaissance Festival, but once I heard bagpipes and a cannon go off, I felt right at home.

“Is there a quiet reading corner for people who get overwhelmed?” said A, as we braved the crowd piling into the festival grounds. It was Scottish Highlands week. I lost count of the number of kilts I saw, but two of them were on dogs, (unfortunately neither of them were the actual Scottish Wolfhound we saw but he looked like he was having a wonderful time in his element nonetheless) and one was on a guy who was also dressed as a bear.

I was nervous about bringing Lumi, but my sweet little anxiety fluffball who used to be so hesitant and skittish with strangers fit right into festival life. And everyone wanted to pet her! I couldn’t get five feet without being stopped—at one point Lumi had four kids with painted faces and princess costumes petting her, and she was basking in the love of her public like a movie star. She happily watched the joust and a bird show and even stopped for a drink at the Puppy’s Pub.

A tried her hand at archery and throwing knives, spears, stars, and axes. She passed on the opportunity to throw actual tomatoes at the jesters, because “I just don’t like wasting tomatoes.”

I started fading after about hour 5 of Celtic music and vendors saying “We take Master Card and Lady Visa!” (It was funny the first fifty times). I’d enjoyed our adventure, but didn’t feel the need to return.

Until I saw the sign for the Cupcake Crusade.

“Hmm, there’s a cupcake contest the last week of the festival,” I said.

A guy in chain mail pulled a wagon full of kids past us, and Lumi tried in vain to share their open bag of chips.

“First prize is $200 and a season pass, a sweatshirt and a tankard, second prize is the pass, sweatshirt and a tankard, third is the sweatshirt and tankard,” said A. “What’s a tankard? Like a tank top?”

“No, it’s that tall mug they have in the gift shop,” I said.

A slammed down her ice cream waffle.

“YOU GOTTA GET THAT TANKARD!” she said.

“We could just buy it in the gift shop,” I said.

“Anyone can do that!” said A. “And we’ll have a season pass for next year! We can bring your mom to the bird show for free!”

“I’m not going to win,” I said. “I don’t even make cupcakes.”

“You’ll win,” said A, like she was commanding an army. “You watch Bake-Off all the time! Your cupcakes will be the best! THE BEST!”

“That’s magical thinking!”

“That’s the only kind of thinking I have!”

Needless to say, as soon as we got home, I got to work. Even though I have actual real work that demands my actual real attention, all I could think about were cupcakes.

I needed 12 cupcakes in 3 flavors, that would be judged on both flavor and design. I don’t know how the people on Bake-Off select their recipes without freaking out: should I go for savory flavors to stand out? Or classic sweet flavors that might be boring? Should I try fruit fillings? Or nuts? OR BOTH? Did you know they sell fancy cupcake wrappers on Amazon with filigree designs? Should I buy those and go with a tribute to Art Nouveau in cupcake form? Or something a little less niche, like a design inspired by my favorite World Showcase pavilions at Epcot?

(Yes, these are all real ideas that I had. I know this because I made a spreadsheet of ideas when I should have been doing something else).

I wisely tabled my salute to silent film and chose two recipes inspired by the flavors of the fair—but then I got three hours of sleep because I couldn’t stop going over my options for the third spot. Could I pull off an ice cream waffle cupcake? Or something that would evoke both archery and roasted almonds? (Real ideas!)

Around 3 AM, it hit me—unicorns. The final piece in the thematic puzzle. There was a unicorn grilled cheese at this thing, how could I lose?

The mental gymnastics portion was complete. Now it was time for baking gymnastics. My test batches went well, thanks to the spreadsheet I made for ingredients, but when it was time to bake for the big day, my first batch of rainbows was a little less than fabulous, so I had to try again.

I baked 58 cupcakes in 24 hours. I became an assembly line of one person. To entertain myself while I worked, I imagined explaining my flavors to Mary Berry, and my imaginary Mary Berry was very supportive, especially once I cracked open a Guinness.

I called my first flavor “GOT Guinness?” because children of the ’90s will never, ever escape “Got milk?” jokes. I found the recipe here and it worked really well. I don’t know anything about beer or Guinness but A told me to buy Guinness Stout in a can, not a bottle, so that’s what I did. I had to simmer it on the stove with the butter and cocoa powder, which felt very dangerous, especially because I kept confusing the dials on my stove and almost setting myself on fire.

I forged my swords from the finest Valyrian aluminum foil while watching British Bake-Off and took solace in watching fellow gays struggle with math under pressure.

I dubbed my next flavor “Kettle Corn Cupcakes” even though the recipe was for caramel corn cupcakes (I’M CREATIVE). I picked out liners with vertical stripes so they’d look like old-fashioned popcorn bags. I also bought real vanilla beans (they are expensive!) and learned how to scrape out the seeds, which made me feel extremely cool and like I could forage for sustenance in a jungle, which I could not.

Next were my “Rainbow Unicorns”—because I overcomplicate things, I tried to get ahead of my own brain by finding a simple recipe that seemed foolproof. Maybe it was too simple? I’m also not good at piping. I don’t have the intrinsic hand strength to pull it off. Especially at 10:30 at night. I was so tired.

I finally put my cupcakes to bed around 11:30, after triple-checking that I had, indeed, selected my 12 best cupcakes to go to the big show (that’s 4 of each flavor if I have 3 flavors, right? RIGHT?). I set them up verrrry carefully in my best cake carrying case, then picked out 9 understudies for my other carrying case as back-ups in case someone got smushed or crumbled under pressure. The rest of the 58 (well, more like 54 at this point, I got hungry) were frosted and put in plastic containers ready to be given out to friends and family. That’s what baking is all about, isn’t it? Sharing good things with the people you love?

(No! It’s about VICTORY TANKARDS).

I had been baking and decorating since 9:30 in the morning. I set my alarm for 6 AM (on a WEEKEND) and tried to sleep quickly, which did not work.

Lumi was so excited to return to the Renaissance Festival, even though it was raining and she had to share the back of the car with about 40 cupcakes.

I somehow managed to park, get my ticket, turn in Lumi’s dog registration, trek through the entire mud-soaked festival in the pouring rain with my dog and my cupcake carrying case and find the “Crystal Palace” where this thing was going down.

I had no idea where I was going but I forged ahead and tried not to slip in the mud. I heard two ladies behind me say, “Is it this way? That girl has cupcakes and she’s going this way.”

I yelled “FOLLOW ME!” and led a cupcake charge up a very small incline, and turned in my cupcakes in with SIX MINUTES to spare.

I sank into a chair and waited for the judging to start. Stella and her new super-extroverted new boyfriend joined me, already on their first mead of the day.

“You got this, buddy!” said Stella, rubbing my shoulders like she was my coach. “Dude, you are tense.”

The judging portion was fun and light and everyone was having a good time, which is the most important thing, but I was a nervous wreck and just wanted to leave—they really do need a quiet corner for people who get overwhelmed.

I couldn’t even look at the other contenders—some of them looked so professional with their piping and decorations, they put my little swords to shame.

Still, the MC held up one of my Iron Thrones to show off to the crowd.

“That’s a good sign!” said Stella.

Stella is the most optimistic person I know. We’ve had a lot of dark moments together through decades of friendship, eleven of which were with the same piano teacher, but she’s never lost that buoyant streak of “Everything will be great even though it’s metaphysically impossible.”

As the judges finished eating all 81 contending cupcakes (there were 27 people and we each made 3 flavors, so that’s right, isn’t it?) and started filling out their score sheets, the MC went around and asked for their early favorites.

“I liked the kettle corn one,” said one judge.

“THAT’S YOU!”  screamed Stella’s new boyfriend. Most of what he says, he screams. That’s fine, just not a communication style I endorse.

“I saw that judge lick her fingers!” said Stella. “She was eating one of yours! She didn’t do that with any of the others!”

But one person made cupcake teacups with chocolate handles, another made a castle centerpiece with sugar cubes, and someone else did Shakespeare themed flavors (GENIUS! Why didn’t I think of that?).

In the end, I didn’t make it to the next round. Stella sweet-talked her way into seeing my score sheet and she said that I was close—and that the judge who liked my kettle corn cupcakes wanted the recipe. That’s quite a compliment—it’s not a tankard, but I’ll take it.

I’d been so nervous that I hadn’t eaten anything, so we broke into my carrying case of understudy cupcakes.

“Dude, these really are good,” said Stella.

“You’re not even supposed to have gluten,” I said.

“I know,” she said, through a mouthful of Guinness cupcake. “It’s worth it.”

Stella’s new boyfriend grabbed my shoulders and screamed, “Your cupcakes are TITS!”

I gave one of my spare containers to Stella to take home and bid them farewell. Lumi and I watched a fencing competition and walked through a tiny maze of fairy houses, and several people wearing elf ears swooned over her.

Later, after a much-needed nap, I took my other container of spares to my parents’ house, and told my parents, my sister and my sister’s boyfriend Steve the entire story of my brush with cupcake immortality.

“Their taste buds must have been damaged!” said my mom. “At least it was a good experience for your first bake-off.”

“I’m proud of my little guys,” I said. “Stella’s new boyfriend said they were, and I quote, ‘Tits.'”

“They were what?” said my dad.

“TITS!” said Steve.

“Oh, youth,” said my sister, who is one year older than this dude. “So, how was Stella’s new boyfriend?”

“He’s very nice,” I said. “He was very supportive. He’s just really extroverted.”

“Is he more or less annoying than Steve?” said my sister.

Steve was sitting right next to her. He just shrugged and took another bite of cupcake.

  Renaissance Festival Cupcake Contest I don't know how I ended up at the Michigan Renaissance Festival, but once I heard bagpipes and a cannon go off, I felt right at home.

[moreiknowus-blog]

Elliesse Eye Serum: What is an Eye Serum?

Elliesse Eye Serum are sold in a wide range of structures with a wide range of shading plans, claims, and promoting strategies. Be that as it may, what is an eye serum, and how is it not quite the same as an eye cream or an eye gel? I will illuminate those inquiries in this article, however allows first investigate what eye serums guarantee do to the under-eye zone.

Elliesse Eye Serum guarantee to do the accompanying things to the region underneath the eyes:

* Act as a compliment to a general enemy of maturing healthy skin routine

* Act to evacuate dark circles under the eyes

* Improve the presence of wrinkles

* Reduce the profundity of scarcely discernible differences

Great eye serums are loaded up with the correct fixings, and for the most part begin with a base fixing called hyaluronic corrosive. Hyaluronic corrosive treats the under-eye zone in a split second and helps give a moment impact so the eyes look better right away.

Anyway, how does this contrast from an eye cream? What is the enormous distinction, since they both make guarantees that are fundamentally the same as? That is a fabulous inquiry, and one that merits illuminating further. Actually, an eye serum and an eye cream are the equivalent correct thing. Individuals in the healthy skin industry will make the contention that an eye serum has an alternate consistency level than an eye cream. While that might be valid, they do a similar thing to the under-eye region. They even do indistinguishable thing from an eye gel. Eye gels are more promoted to individuals who are searching for that moment impact, for example, a fast lift or fixing impact to the coveted space. Basically, eye serums and eye creams are simply unique wording of a similar item. They all work the skin to do the equivalent wanted impact to the skin.

So how did this all come to fruition? How did an eye serum even become possibly the most important factor with eye creams so promptly accessible thus bounteous in the commercial center? All things considered, to put it plainly, some exceptionally brilliant showcasing minds took the word serum and simply put it out there to the majority, and utilized it as a "cutting edge" word in the healthy skin field. There is an accord that serum as a word sounds much better and has significantly more of a showcasing bid to individuals who are purchasing under eye items. This absolutely is front line promoting and the word serum DOES sound superior to cream, in the event that you truly do take a seat and consider it.

Consider this, from an advertisers point of view: on the off chance that you were an advertiser and possessed an organization that had a "cream" with every one of the components you know, all the opposition, OK truly need to consider it a cream? There are such a large number of individuals out there that are battling for the prized title of "best eye cream." However, there are many eye serums that can do a similar thing. For this case, individuals are changing their wording to get "charming" with the words trying to win grants and get more web movement.

As a purchaser, on the off chance that you are searching for an enemy of maturing item that works, the decisions are basic: utilize an enemy of maturing eye cream or serum and search for client submitted audits before purchasing.

Leather expert is an alumni understudy who wants to begin a vocation in eye care. He makes a point to remain over the most recent patterns in hostile to maturing so he can enable individuals to discover the eye serum to add to their enemy of maturing routine.

To Know More Elliesse Eye Serum online visit here https://moreiknow.com/elliesse-eye-serum/

[ultrasfcb-blog]

Premiership 2018-19: Saracens favourites & Danny Cipriani to return glory to Gloucester

Premiership 2018-19: Saracens favourites & Danny Cipriani to return glory to Gloucester

Premiership 2018-19: Saracens favourites & Danny Cipriani to return glory to Gloucester

Saracens collected their seventh major piece of silverware in eight seasons when they won the 2017-18 Premiership final

Gallagher Premiership Rugby Dates: 31 August – 1 June Coverage: Commentary on BBC Radio 5 live, sports extra and local radio on BBC Sport website, mobile, tablet and app. Reports on all matches and live text commentary on selected games.

Another Premiership season, another title for Saracens. Or so the predictions go.

Three months after winning their third final in four years, Sarries commence their latest quest for domestic glory with a trip to Newcastle Falcons on Sunday.

Before that, the season gets under way with a West Country derby as rebranded Bristol Bears host Bath at Ashton Gate on Friday.

Former British and Irish Lions trio Jeremy Guscott, Matt Dawson and Ugo Monye, who each enjoyed Premiership title glory as players, preview the new season alongside BBC Sport’s rugby union reporter Chris Jones.

The quartet share their title and relegation predictions and give an insight into who could shine and who could flop.

We also asked our readers to predict who will be this season’s champions and the results of that vote are at the bottom of the page.

Who will win the Premiership?

Too much class, too much depth and too much winning experience.

These are all reasons why the panel agree that Saracens deserve to be considered clear favourites to collect their fourth English title.

Chris Jones: “I think Saracens will retain their title and continue their dominance of the English club game. They have only tinkered with their squad over the summer, but have become the masters of rebooting following success. I’m also expecting Exeter to be in contention and Gloucester to make the top four.”

Ugo Monye: “Saracens are my pick. They’re the defending champions and to win it last season they had to grow and learn how to get out of trouble. Going into a World Cup year you would expect all of their England internationals to peak and play their best rugby, so that makes them even more dangerous.”

Matt Dawson: “With young senior players such as Owen Farrell, Alex Lozowski, Maro Itoje and Jamie George there’s no reason to suggest that there will be a let up domestically by Saracens. Not only do they have star names, they have got a deep squad too.”

Jeremy Guscott: “It’s hard to look past Saracens, the way they finished after an indifferent spell in the middle of last season was nothing short of brilliant. Along with Sarries, Exeter are now an established force and have moved away from the other 10 teams in terms of quality and consistency of performance. The way Joe Simmonds, their rookie fly-half, came in and didn’t miss a beat is a sign of how well integrated all players are at the Chiefs and what a great job Rob Baxter and his coaches do.”

Who will get relegated?

Just as the experts unanimously agree that Saracens are hot tips for the title, they also predict a season of woe for Worcester – a club that has been up for sale since early last season.

Historically, the side promoted to the Premiership tend to plunge straight back into Championship – as Bristol and London Irish have in the past two seasons – but the manner in which Pat Lam’s Bears have returned to the top flight and recruited has impressed those in the know.

JG: “Worcester, with all their off-field uncertainty, look very vulnerable. They have recruited largely from outside the Premiership and not a lot of current internationals. While this looks like a ploy to keep selections consistent by not losing the international talent already at Sixways, I feel they will still struggle. Any team that doesn’t have an established and interchangeable front five and consistent number one picks at nine and 10 will struggle.”

UM: “Worcester will struggle. They haven’t thrived in the Premiership for the past few seasons and competition this year is going to be stiffer than ever. Bristol have invested big, they’ve got a proper coach in Pat Lam and there’s a belief within the community they will stay up.”

CJ: “The obvious answer to the relegation question is Worcester, who have perennially been at the bottom end of the table in recent seasons. With Pat Lam at the helm and a star-studded squad, which has had a year to build in the Championship, I do think Bristol will have enough to stay up. Harlequins may also find themselves at the wrong end of the table.”

MD: “It’s between Bristol and Worcester. Bristol’s star recruitment may just edge it but they need to gel quickly before the tougher winter months mentally test the imports. Worcester have a fabulous set up but I’m not sure Alan Solomons is the forward-thinking coach they need to drive a long-term success.”

Which new arrivals should we look out for?

‘All right me babber’ – can Charles Piutau speak Bristolian?

A former Wallaby captain, a troubled England wizard and a former All Black capable of giving Wasps renewed sting are among the ones to watch this season.

MD: “Bristol have broken the bank with former Australia captain George Smith, the Piutau brothers (Charles and Siale), Steven Luatua, Nic Stirzaker and Luke Morahan. There are no excuses, they have to stay up. If they click and steer clear of injuries, Ashton Gate could be rocking.”

JG: “Lima Sopoaga looks to be an amazing signing – his ability in attack is special and his ability to step off both feet brilliantly will hold defences rooted to the ground and create space for his mates outside. I feel he will have the same effect Kurtley Beale had when he played at Wasps. The prospect of Sopoaga linking up with the likes of Willie le Roux, Elliot Daly and Christian Wade is mouthwatering.”

UM: “There are three, and they’re all fly-halves. Lima Sopoaga left New Zealand to come to England, giving up a possible World Cup place in the process. Danny Cipriani’s switch from Wasps to Gloucester and Dan Biggar moving out of his comfort zone to Northampton were also big. These three massive signings all play differently but are very special and will bring something different to the league.”

CJ: “Whether you feel Cipriani should be England’s number 10 or not, there is no doubting his ability to conduct a Premiership backline. He will demand the highest standards of his team-mates on the field and could be the man to fire Gloucester from mid-table mediocrity to play-off contenders. I’m also keen to see if the new Northampton backs coach Sam Vesty can bring some much-needed spark and cohesion to Saints.”

Danny Cipriani arrived to a fanfare at Kingsolm – but can he help lead Gloucester into the Premiership’s top four?

Which young guns are set to break through?

With England finishing runners-up at the World Rugby Under-20 Championship earlier this year, the nation’s sixth successive final appearance, emerging talent is queuing up across the Premiership.

From the fringes of Eddie Jones’ England squad to the understudies at club level, the rule is run over the next generation and those poised to make the next stride in their careers.

UM: “There are a few who could shine but I think we will see a big year from Joe Simmonds at Exeter. He broke through at the end of last season but he’s now been given the reigns at fly-half and will be starting this year – it could be huge for him.”

CJ: “Worcester’s 18-year-old centre Ollie Lawrence is one to watch. He is on Eddie Jones’ radar already after being called into an England training camp in May and has been getting plenty of game time for the Warriors in pre-season. That could prove handy experience as Ben Te’o is likely to be unavailable for large chunks of the season. Fly-half James Grayson, as Dan Biggar’s understudy at Northampton, will also get plenty of senior minutes this season.”

Inspired to try rugby union?

Find out how to get into rugby union with our special guide.

MD: “There are plenty of junior internationals knocking on the door – my godson James Grayson for one. But I want to find where the next generation of scrum-halves are. Behind Ben Youngs and Danny Care we’ve yet to see a real challenge, so will this be the year? There’s Harry Randall at Bristol, Max Green at Bath, Jack Maunder for Exeter and Saints man Alex Mitchell, as well as Saracens’ Ben Spencer and Wasps’ Dan Robson. Eddie Jones will give opportunities in training, but if there’s an injury to Danny or Ben who grabs the number nine jersey?”

JG: “Elliot Daly is far from a breakthrough player, but I would love to see him go injury free and step up further. In my eyes, he is the most gifted English player in the Premiership – his skillset is world class. For him to now show more, he simply needs to see more of the ball and playing on the wing doesn’t always allow that to happen, so I would move him to centre for England.”

What will be this season’s biggest surprise?

Will Danny Cipriani have Kingsholm rocking like it was 1999 and are Sale already counting the costs of early season absentees?

We have nine months’ worth of Premiership hits, highs and history to unfold ahead of us – and here are some of the storylines that just may end up surprising us.

CJ: “Free from the challenges of the Champions Cup, I think Sale will make the top six. If Chris Ashton (suspension) and Faf de Klerk (international duty) had been available for the start of the season, I think they could have even been outsiders for the top four.”

UM: “The league is so tight this year I don’t think we will get any surprises. Although, this time last year no-one predicted Newcastle would be in the top four at the end. I think the teams which were mediocre last season will get better and the points tally needed to stay up will be broken this season. Everyone on paper has a very competitive squad.”

MD: “Could this be Gloucester’s season? It would definitely be a surprise as year after year they’ve flattered to deceive. If Danny Cipriani pulls the strings we may find ourselves reliving the days of the ’90s and a formidable Cherry and White set-up.”

JG: “Any team breaking the stranglehold Sarries and Chiefs have on winning the Premiership final would be a surprise packet because these two sides have monopolised the trophy for the past four seasons. It’s hard to see a team that has a powerful enough front five that is consistently intense and interchangeable to compete against them.”

BBC Sport – Rugby Union ultras_FC_Barcelona

ultras FC Barcelona - https://ultrasfcb.com/rugby-union/11330/

#Barcelona

[londontheatre]

A theatre show is often like a swan. Out on stage, all is serene and beautiful whilst backstage there is a hive of activity going on. There have been various shows written about life backstage at a theatre – Noises Off springs to mind, though I’ve still not got around to seeing it. However, if you would like to see life backstage during a Christmas show, then you can do no better than toodle off to the Waterloo East Theatre to see Shaun Kitchener’s play Christmas Farce.

Thirty minutes – or in theatrical parlance, The Half – before curtain up and Alice (Natalie Lester) is the only person in the Green Room of a regional theatre. The fact it is Christmas is demonstrated not only by Alice’s OTT festive jumper but also with the gaudy decorations festooning the place. These are the handiwork of back-stage worker Makenzie (Marc-Gee Finch) and, while they are a tad tacky, they do add a sort of desperate festive cheer to the room. Alice is excited about opening night and hoping that, as she is understudying all the roles, maybe this will be her big chance to finally perform on a real life stage. This close to the show starting, there is a distinct lack of actors present as noticed by Director Beatrice (Emma Tansley) when she arrives “serene as a lagoon” to wish the cast well on their opening night. But she needn’t worry. Her leading lady, Ex-Soap Queen Stacey (Jamie-Rose Mark) and actor Samuel (Alan Bradley) are in their respective dressing rooms whilst leading man Phil is preparing himself in the wings. With the arrival of bickering couple Jonathan (Timothy George) and Georgie (Katherine Edrupt) and finally local radio presenter Danny (Samuel Buttery), Beatrice has her cast and the show is ready to go on. Then things start to unfold. One of the actors is out with the Trots – this doesn’t mean he has joined the communist party – so Alice is called on to bw Wise Man 3 and Shepherd 2 (or is it the other way round). Then there are concerns about Stacey, not to mention the various romantic – both hidden and visible – entanglements going on. With everything happening on the green room, and the critics licking their pencils on the stalls, will director and cast be able to deliver a nativity show that is memorable for all the right reasons?

I have to say that if backstage is anything like as hectic as Shaun portrays it, I’m so glad I sit out front with my notebook. There is so much going on, it’s a wonder the show ever gets put on at all. A with the Whitehall farces of old, Christmas Farce relies on a whole host of improbable things coming together to try and put the spanner into life. And, as a story it works really well. There were so many elements that really worked but for me, the Stacy breakdown story was my favourite, especially in the really hilarious method used to control her when she goes on the rampage. Without giving anything away, the other superb bit of writing is the Danny storyline which is hilarious and quite moving at the same time.

Director Stephen Davies uses the stage and his actors well, and the set is bleak enough to be the backstage area of many a small theatre. When we come to the cast, this is a highly talented bunch, all of whom bring their character to life beautifully. I loved Natalie Lester as Alice, all bubbly enthusiasm and hopefulness, with a terrible jumper but a wonderful can-do attitude, even when things don’t go in the way she expected. As a complete opposite, Timothy George makes Jonathan the most arrogant and obnoxious self-centred actor you will ever see. Jonathan believes everyone is out to do him down – no doubt because of his awesome talent – and really believes he is better than this production – though does he have 4 Inside Soap awards? I would really love to mention every one of the cast but I would be here for days. Suffice to say, this cast are all excellent and every character is beautifully written and portrayed.

If you are a Christmas non-traditionalist and want to do something festive but not a pantomime, then Christmas Farce is the real show for you. It is fun, frivolous, highly enjoyable and totally engaging. The show moves at a marvelous pace and by the end you have either got a marvelous insight into backstage life or you will be hoping it really is not like that in the Green Room. Either way, you will have had a fabulous evening.

Review by Terry Eastham

Written by BAFTA Rocliffe winner Shaun Kitchener (Hollyoaks, Positive – Park Theatre) and directed by Stephen Davies (5 6 7 8: The Steps Musical – Upstairs at the Gatehouse), the play is a relentlessly fun comedy; running from November 28 – December 17 inclusive.

Backstage at a regional theatre, it’s the opening night of a revamped Nativity and the atmosphere among the hapless cast and crew is far from festive. But as the curtain rises and the show spirals quickly out of control, they’re going to have to think fast to stop it becoming a complete turkey…

The cast is led by the comic talents of Jamie-Rose Monk (CBBC’s Class Dismissed, Holmes and Watson), Samuel Buttery (The Voice UK, Boy George musical Taboo); with Natalie Lester, Alan Bradley, Marc Gee-Finch, Emma Tansley, Katherine Edrupt and Timothy George.

West Avenue presents CHRISTMAS FARCE November 28 – December 17 Waterloo East Theatre http://ift.tt/2ibybUW

http://ift.tt/2jJTk8W London Theatre 1

[fadingfartconnoisseur]

AK Monthly Recap: August 2017

Hello. I’m thirty-three. And I’m more balanced than I’ve been in a year and a half.

It took a long time to get this point. When I moved to New York in early 2016, I knew it was time — and I was so happy. Even so, I struggled with anxiety. Was I not traveling enough? How would I manage my travels and build a life in New York? Would my readers leave me?! How would I earn enough money to survive in New York when it was so much more expensive than traveling and I would be doing less of the travel that would actually earn me money in the first place?!

Balance is fallacy, I wrote on my 32nd birthday last year.

I still believe that perfect balance is an impossibility. That said, while my life is not 100% balanced, it’s pretty close right now.

For one thing, I’m thrilled to be working with so many US-based destinations this year. A few years ago, only European destinations had budgets, so this is a welcome development. I love exploring my own country and sharing it with my readers. I love that I can swoop in on a quick flight, work an intense 3-5 day campaign, then fly home and do the rest of my content creation work from New York.

And this schedule is working very well. Every 2-3 months, I do a 2-3 week trip, and in between I do short trips of 3-5 days. This allows me to live fully in New York without wondering that I’m gone too often.

Maybe I won’t be as happy with this schedule in the future — but for right now, it’s excellent.

Destinations Visited

New York, New York, USA

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Vail, Denver, and Boulder, Colorado, USA

Oulu, Kuopio, Porosalmie, Oravi, Porvoo, and Helsinki, Finland

Minsk, Belarus

Favorite Destinations

Vail. A kickass mountain town with fabulous hiking and wonderful, warm people.

Porvoo. A pretty little wisp of a Finnish town.

Helsinki. Still one of my favorite offbeat European capitals, and this time I got to explore more islands.

Highlights

Turning 33 in style. I turned 33 on August 2 (no, no birthday post this year, but I might write one this month) and went to see Waitress on Broadway with my friends Beth and Amelia. There was a special reason for that: my cousin Matt was in the show! He’s been in the cast for months now, also serving as the understudy for Earl (the mean husband), so when he announced that he’d be playing Earl for a two-week run, we got tickets!

I hadn’t seen Matt in something like 20 years, but he invited us backstage after the show. It was so nice to reconnect and chat about our grandmothers — and take lots of pictures with pies!

Also, we got the cheapest tickets possible ($49 plus $12.50 fees for a total of $61.50 on the TodayTix app) and were in the very back row of the theater, but the seats were still quite good. If you want to see Waitress, go ahead and buy the cheapest seats — you’ll be fine!

After the show, the three of us planned to go to Guy Fieri’s restaurant as a joke, but they were closed and we went to the revolving restaurant on top of the Marriott instead. That’s how I learned that at 33 I get nauseous at revolving restaurants. Ha!

The next day, my sister Sarah and Beth and I grabbed Korean bar food and discovered a chocolate and wine restaurant next door. SO good.

A chance to revisit Philadelphia. I’ve always considered it my least favorite city in the US, so when Booking.com invited me to revisit my least favorite city and see if I could have a better time, I was excited to go. And I had a great time! It was awesome seeing my old friends Dave and Jeff and making new ones, like my reader Maria, and I ate and drank my way across Philly’s best restaurants and bars.

My friend Lisa came to New York oh so briefly! She came in for a day trip on the day I returned from Philly, so we met up for a nice lunch and stroll through the city, concluding at the magic that is Eataly.

New sunglasses. I wear sunglasses constantly, so I allow myself one designer pair per year. My 2017 pair, pictured in the top photo of the post, is by Tom Ford. I LOVE THEM.

Enjoying glorious Vail in the summer. I made my first-ever visit to Colorado (I know, I’m shocked too) this month, focusing on a campaign to showcase Vail in the summer months. Vail is one of those places I had always heard about, but never considered visiting because I don’t ski. Well, it turns out Vail in the summer is amazing — it’s so beautiful, the air is crisp, and it’s far less busy than during the winter. It’s most locals’ favorite time of year!

For me, Vail was all about the glorious hiking. I especially loved the hike that I did with llamas (!!), and I enjoyed exploring the town, getting to know the locals, spending time in the spa at the Sonnenalp Resort, and eating at so many delicious restaurants. Stay tuned for more on Vail very soon.

Spending time with friends and family in Colorado. My cousins Colleen and Cynthia live in Denver and I was stoked to finally visit them on their turf and check out the places they’re always posting about — namely The Tattered Cover bookstore and D Bar, an incredible dessert restaurant, as well as Hop Alley for dinner.

I didn’t meet these cousins until we were adults and I’m so glad to have them in my life now — we get along so well and have so much in common. The three of us love books and writing and travel, Cynthia loves Scotland as much as I do if not more, and Colleen is the author whose books I review often here.

In Boulder, I met up with two friends from different walks of life: Carrie, who came on my first Central America tour in 2015, and Matt from the world of travel blogging, a.k.a. Expert Vagabond. The three of us checked out Boulder’s best offerings including brunch at Snooze (you guys, I had a chilaquiles Benedict with poached eggs and barbacoa over tortillas with cheese and salsa AS WELL AS a giant blueberry danish pancake AS A SIDE DISH), plus a stop at Dushanbe Tea House, which was disassembled in Tajikistan and shipped to Boulder piece by piece. Oh, and there were a LOT of people out protesting circumcision.

Watching the eclipse in New York City. We didn’t have a total eclipse this far north, but it was still an outstanding event. I went to the Museum of Natural History with my friend Amy and we watched the eclipse surrounded by science-loving New Yorkers.

Finally seeing the Air Guitar World Championships. I’ve wanted to attend this competition for years — since long before I started the blog. Finally the opportunity arrived: my friends at Visit Finland invited me to do another summer trip in summer, and I immediately asked if I could go to the championships. They loved the idea and I was so happy we were able to make it work out!

This was one of the most fun festivals I’ve ever been to. The performers were so enthusiastic and funny, and I got to know several of them at the super-fun after-parties. That’s the Jinja Assassin, my favorite, pictured above. He tied for second.

Chilling out in the Finnish countryside. I stayed at an incredible resort called Järvisydan, which has been some kind of guesthouse since 1658 (!!) and one of the owners is an 11th-generation hospitality worker (!!!). I explored the islands, forests, and fishing villages, and spent time in the best spa I’ve ever experienced.

After that, I headed to the pretty town of Porvoo for some photography and a fitness class out in the forest. Porvoo reminded me so much of my beloved Rauma, but on a smaller scale. Next I headed to Helsinki and met up with a few Finnish friends: Sami, whom I met in Kuala Lumpur in 2010 and who took me on a 20,000-step walk around his island, and Katja, with whom I delivered a kickass conference speech in Italy in 2013 and who took me out to lunch in the city.

A new country: Belarus. Cool to visit country #71 and my fifth-to-last country in Europe. I had a nice walk along the riverfront and discovered a cool coffeeshop, but the rest of Belarus belongs in “challenges”…

Challenges

I killed my computer in Vail. Since I had bought my MacBook Air in spring 2012, I knew it would be time to upgrade to a new one soon. Yet I wanted to wait until it was absolutely necessary. Then it suddenly became necessary — I STUPIDLY spilled water on my keyboard and none of the top keys worked!

I ordered a refurbished 13″ MacBook Pro with maxed out RAM and it arrived in New York shortly after I got back from Colorado. I’d like to thank the Travel Blog Success community for helping me choose the right laptop for me. That Facebook group is worth the membership alone.

Oh, also — I picked up a cheap silicone keyboard protector. Because I’m not letting another spill destroy this machine.

The good news? I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE MY NEW COMPUTER. Man, you don’t realize how bad your old one was until you get a new one and everything flies at the speed of light…

The flight over to Europe was pretty awful. As much as I appreciated flying direct to Helsinki on Finnair, I hated leaving at 5:40 PM and arriving at 8:20 AM, or the equivalent of 1:20 AM New York time. They started serving breakfast at the equivalent of midnight. Yeah, I didn’t sleep a wink. And the woman in front of me had her seat back the whole time…and I was in a middle seat…I got a lot of reading done, but that was the only redeeming factor.

Minsk was rough. Definitely the most challenging place I’ve traveled in Europe. A significant language barrier, which I expected, plus some other quirks — like subway stations that have names in both Russian and Belarusian (often VERY different names) but sometimes the stations only have signs in one language and are announced only in the different language!

All that plus the fact that nearly all wifi is only available via receiving an SMS code — so if you don’t have a SIM card (and I didn’t), you basically have no wifi. Good thing I had it at my apartment…

On top of that, I didn’t find there to be much tourism value in Minsk, though I know I could have seen a lot more if I had made more of an effort. I did love my walk along the river, though. I would only recommend Minsk to experienced travelers. It’s hard.

And a small qualm — as soon as I got on the train to Philadelphia, I realized that my lone pair of sunglasses had lost one of its pads. Wearing them hurt like hell!

Most Popular Post

How I Stay Healthy While Traveling — A guide to staying well on the road.

Other Posts

A Different 24 Hours in Philadelphia — What I did in my former least favorite city.

Portraits of New Yorkers During the Eclipse — I loved the shots I got!

Most Popular Instagram Photo

I took this picture in Kuhmo, Finland, three years ago, and shared it as a preview to my upcoming trip to Finland. Just looking at that makes my heart swell with memories of the midnight sun! For more photos from my travels as well as live updates, follow me on Instagram at @adventurouskate.

Fitness Update

My sister bought me a foam roller for my birthday! I was about to buy myself the same thing. That really says it all.

Beyond that, I’m considering revamping my diet. I’ve been thinking that I should reduce my consumption of meat. I think I’m going to start small and slowly reduce it over time.

This flies in the face of eating mostly paleo, which I still believe to be the healthiest diet, but as someone who flies a lot for work, I need to reduce my impact on the climate. I already do a lot of the top climate recommendations — I don’t have biological kids, I live in an apartment as opposed to a house, I don’t own a car and rarely drive — but a plant-based diet is the most effective method that I’m not already doing.

So. I’m not going to go full vegan, but I plan to eat a lot less meat, especially red meat, which is the worst for the climate. I plan to eat a lot more nuts, seeds, and eggs. We’ll see where it goes.

Also this month, I got my first Fitbit — the Alta HR, which is slim and cute but is a heart rate monitor as well. I’m finding it interesting what burns more calories and what doesn’t. Also, my resting heart rate went up super-high when I was in the Rockies!

What I Read This Month

I swore I was going to finish the Popsugar 2017 Reading Challenge this month, but I just barely missed it — only one book to go! I’ve read 51 books so far this year, all of them fulfilling categories of the challenge. I’m proud to have read so many books, definitely a record in my adult years, but I’m looking forward to getting back to reading what I want to read without worrying about category fulfillment.

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind (1985) — I actually first heard about Perfume from a guy I dated awhile back who had lived abroad in Europe. “Everyone in Europe has read this book but hardly any Americans have,” he told me. And it’s true — I hadn’t even heard of it, but my friend Dani, who is German, saw it poking out of my bag and exclaimed, “Oh, Patrick Süskind!”

A baby is born in the streets of 19th century Paris, abandoned, and is soon discovered to have no scent, unnerving everyone he meets. However, he has the keenest sense of smell and uses it to his advantage — working with perfumes, using the power of scent to influence people, and eventually becoming a murderer. I won’t give anything away more than that.

I loved this book — rich and literary, such an original idea, so many dark twists, and a protagonist who is pure evil yet you can’t help wanting him to succeed. Not to mention a bit on the short side, which I appreciated. Not a word was wasted (take note, Murakami). I enjoyed this book far more than I expected and I highly recommend it. Category: a book that takes place over a character’s life span.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz (2007) — I fell in love with Junot Díaz’s writing when I read the superb This Is How You Lose Her in 2015, but it took me quite a while to read his most famous novel, the one that catapulted him to fame and won him the Pulitzer Prize. Oscar Wao is a very non-traditional Dominican-American — he’s a geek, he’s overweight, and he has absolutely no game with the ladies. But that doesn’t matter when there is a fukú, a curse, leering over the heads of his family, waiting to strike.

This book is a soaring exploration of Dominican history, the immigrant experience, and relationships between friends, lovers, and family. And it’s told in Díaz’s brilliant style, English and Spanish and profanity and uninhibited revelations. But for me, the book didn’t truly come alive until Díaz inhabited the voice of Yunior, the same protagonist of his other books, This Is How You Lose Her and Drown. Yunior is unforgettable. And I’m fairly certain that Yunior is a not-so-fictitious version of Díaz. I’m glad I finally read it, but I still think This Is How You Lose Her is Díaz’s masterpiece. Category: a book that’s been on your TBR list for far too long.

American Fire: Love, Arson and Life in a Vanishing Land by Monica Hesse (2017) — Over a period of several months in rural Accomack County, Virginia, fires filled the night skies. Several dozen arsons were committed, new fires appearing almost every night. In a community where the only firefighters were volunteers, it took them forever to find the culprits — but once they did, they realized it was a local couple tied up in a crazy love story.

I love true crime, but reading about the graphic murders of innocent people (like In Cold Blood) leaves me feeling uncomfortable, like I shouldn’t be reading about that. American Fire was different — while property was damaged, it was mostly abandoned houses and most of the damage was the terror on a local community, where people in eternal fear of where the next fire would take place. More than anything, I enjoyed this close look at a once-wealthy part of rural America now struggling to keep its residents financially afloat. Category: a book with a subtitle.

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell (2013) — For the challenge I needed to pick a book that I’d read before that always makes me smile. To be honest, most of the books I love deeply don’t make me smile — or they make me smile in spite of grueling sadness, which is always what gets me emotionally. But Eleanor and Park is a book that makes me smile with its sweetness.

This book is about first love between two high school outcasts in Alaska — the lone half-Asian kid in a white midwestern town and a girl living through poverty and an abusive home environment. To me, the brilliance of this book is how Rowell gets you to feel every thudding emotion throughout your whole body. Perhaps it’s simply the universality of first love. Whenever I read this book, I feel the happiness skimming underneath my skin, flowing through every inch of my body. I really can’t describe it any other way. If you haven’t read this book, do, and let me know how it affects you. Category: a book you’ve read before that always makes you smile.

Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood (2004) — I’m a fan of Margaret Atwood and The Handmaid’s Tale, but I was not a fan of this book, the first in the Maddadam trilogy. It takes place in the future and is told by Jimmy, a.k.a. Snowman, presumably the last human left on Earth after decades of unchecked genetic engineering ruins the planet. He’s left in charge of a tribe of childlike genetically engineered quasi-humans, the creation of his best friend and brilliant scientist, Crake. The book tells the story of how the world got to be this way, plus the love triangle between him, Crake, and a Southeast Asian child prostitute turned teacher named Oryx.

It’s a realistic and scary dystopia, which often makes me uncomfortable (hello, The Road), but what irritated me the most was that this book was all exposition. Additionally, Oryx was the epitome of a manic pixie dream girl — the happy, beautiful, perfect girl who loves you for no real reason. I’m surprised to see that dreadful trope appear from a feminist author like Atwood. And a lot of reviews call this a love story, but no, I wouldn’t call it that at all; it was a tale of an infatuation. I doubt I’ll be reading the rest of the series. Category: the first book in a series you’ve never read before.

What I Watched This Month

Looking for something funny to watch on Netflix? Check out Ali Wong’s comedy special, Baby Cobra. I LOVED THIS SPECIAL and Ali Wong is one of my new favorite comedians. She is hilarious and it’s especially relatable viewing if you’re a woman in your early thirties. Oh, and she did this show while seven months pregnant!

Coming Up in September 2017

The month is starting in Minsk and then I’m off to a few more countries! First to Lithuania, where it looks like I’ll only have time for Vilnius (I wanted to see Kaunas, too, but there was a snafu on September 1 that you’ll hear about in a month…). Next up, Estonia: Tallinn and a day trip to Lahemaa National Park.

Then a brief stop in Helsinki and a ferry trip to St. Petersburg, Russia! I’m taking the St. Peter Line ferry from Helsinki, which is one of very few ways US citizens can visit Russia without a visa. There’s not a lot of reliable information about it online so I look forward to writing all about it for you.

I’m finishing with two more days in Helsinki and then I fly home to New York. After that, I’ll be staying put for the rest of the month, maybe taking a three-day trip somewhere if I have the time and/or energy.

Any suggestions for Vilnius, Tallinn, or St. Petersburg? Share away!

via Travel Blogs http://ift.tt/2gJmVSi

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"Fun Forcing Statue - Worth A Look In the event that It Is Not very Far Out Of Your Way!"

I strolled by the figure.

On the off chance that you are thinking Michelangelo reconsider.

Yes, it is a figure of a man conveying his stallion. Probably part of Kygryz folklore.

Nothing else to state truly.

This survey is the subjective supposition of a TripAdvisor part and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

Kyrgyz Solid Man - Landmark to Baatyr Kaba Uulu Kozhomkul

I strolled by the model.

In the event that you are thinking Michelangelo reconsider.

Yes, it is a model of a man conveying his stallion. Apparently part of Kygryz folklore.

Nothing else to state truly.

Sakhanovich, Medvedeva complete 2-3; Americans put seventh, ninth, fourteenth Posted 3/16/14 by Klaus-Reinhold Kany, extraordinary to icenetwork Elena Radionova is the principal woman to win consecutive world junior titles. - Getty Pictures

Russia's exhaustive predominance of junior women proceeded with Sunday in Sofia, where Elena Radionova turned into the main woman ever to safeguard the world junior crown.

With her colleagues Serafima Sakhanovich and Evgenia Medvedeva taking silver and bronze, individually, Russia cleared the women platform for the second successive season. Ten of the last 12 world junior women medalists have hailed from that nation.

The 15-year-old Radionova, who put fourth at the Fabulous Prix Last, had an immaculate free skate to Latin-themed music from the Russian gathering Frida. Among the highlights: an opening triple Lutz-triple toe circle blend and a triple circle single circle triple Salchow. Taking all things together, she performed seven triple hops.

Radionova's twists all increased Level 4, with her layback drawing numerous +3 evaluations of execution (GOEs). She utilized her musicality and refinement further bolstering her good fortune: Her parts found the middle value of around 7.5. With her triumphant short program, she finished with 194.29 focuses.

"I am extremely satisfied with my execution today - it was one of the best in my vocation," Radionova said. "I skated with a great deal of feeling, as though it were for the last time, and did the greater part of my components."

Russia has such a fine gathering of junior women that at first Radionova was not named to its reality junior group, likely in light of damage in December.

"This triumph was difficult for me on the grounds that until a brief timeframe back, I didn't know whether I would come here," said Radionova, who prepares in Moscow under Inna Goncharenko.

As usual, the humble blonde was grinning and participating in the public interview, appearing to completely make the most of her brilliant ascent to progress.

"I have a solid inspiration to do don, in light of the fact that in the event that you are great in brandish, you can meet acclaimed individuals and wind up plainly well known yourself," Radionova said. "This is one purpose behind my inspiration. I need my kids and grandchildren to be pleased with me one day."

Sakhanovich was second in the short program and free skate, and won the silver award with 182.13 focuses. Her opening triple flip-triple toe mix was incredible, however she got edge approaches both of her triple Lutzes. Every last bit of her different components, including three Level 4 turns, were solid.

"My execution was not perfect today; I can improve," said Sakhanovich, who prepares in St. Petersburg under Alina Pisarenko. "I got damage here and could barely walk, yet I didn't feel it on the ice."

Medvedeva, third in both the short and free, won bronze with 178.43 focuses in spite of having two of her hops judged underrotated by the specialized board. Five other triple hops were spotless, and her end layback turn was one of the best of the occasion.

"I am not all that satisfied with my execution; I committed numerous errors, on the bounced, as well as even on the twists," Medvedeva said. "After I skated, I didn't think I would be on the platform. I viewed Satoko [Miyahara] skate, and I thought she would be third. When they revealed to me that I am in third place, I didn't trust it at first."

Japan's Miyahara, fourth after the short, stayed fourth with 177.69 focuses. She performed five clean bounced however underrotated two others.

Canadian Alaine Chartrand had a noteworthy free skate to music from Dr. Zhivago, climbing from seventh to fifth place with 164.35 focuses. Her seven triples incorporated an opening triple Lutz-single circle triple Salchow.

The three U.S. skaters all had great minutes in their free skates, however their scores were constrained by specialized blunders.

Texan Golden Glenn, who set seventh with 158.88 focuses, started her sentimental program to "Who Needs to Live Perpetually" with a mix of a triple flip and triple toe circle, trailed by a blend of triple Lutz-triple toe. An astounding twofold Axel and triple circle took after, yet her second triple Lutz was called underrotated and her triple Salchow was minimized.

"It was not my closest to perfect, but rather I did truly well," the U.S. junior champion said. "This was just my second universal rivalry, and I think I dealt with the weight exceptionally well. I did some better than average things."

Glenn, who is instructed by Ann Brumbaugh and Ben Shroats, talked about her gets ready for next season.

"I will move to seniors next season, at any rate broadly, and possibly do Junior Stupendous Prix universally," she said.

Karen Chen, who prepares under Tammy Gambill in Riverside, Calif., was ninth with 155.83 focuses. She opened her Miss Saigon free with a triple Lutz-triple toe circle blend, trailed by a temperamental triple flip and three more triples. Her Level 4 stage succession was magnificent, similar to her end layback turn, for which she got two +3 GOEs and seven +2s.

"I have an inclination that I did my best today; I attempted to assault and to not lament anything," she said. "I needed to manage such a variety of wounds amid this season."

Chen, who medaled at two Junior Fabulous Prix occasions this season, pulled back from the 2014 U.S. Figure Skating Titles after the short program on account of a correct lower leg damage.

"Some of my hops were not perfect, and I didn't get the majority of my levels, yet I could do my triple-triple blend surprisingly," Chen said.

Another Gambill understudy, Tyler Puncture, tumbled from tenth place after the short to fourteenth generally speaking with 138.58 focuses.

Penetrate opened her program with an amazing triple flip, yet she fell on a triple Lutz, singled an expected triple circle and experienced difficulty with different hops. Her twists were solid, and she handled a strong triple circle twofold toe blend.

"I felt that the main mix-up on the triple Lutz influenced my program, since then I hurried through the following components and did not take as much time as is needed," Penetrate said. "Then again, I gained such a great amount from this opposition. I feel truly eager to prepare harder for next season when I see every one of these abilities here."

Bulgarian bits: Glenn's seventh-put complete, joined with Chen's ninth, implies the U.S. has qualified only two women spots for the 2015 World Junior Figure Skating Titles. Russia and Japan qualified three women. ... Two Korean women, Da Canister Choi (6th) and Na Huyn Kim (tenth), completed in the main 10. ... Surprisingly, the women free skate was held Sunday before the occasion's