Rarely post anything, but wanted to share this somewhere.
Lord, she is way too talented and beautiful for her own good.
Getting more into Justin Vernon’s older stuff. Less falsetto. Also just realized that Justin Vernon is literally the only person under the age of 35 I don’t think looks ridiculous with facial hair.
Just got back to Cleveland, Ohio. NYC was incredibly vibrant and fast-paced. Learned a lot and feel very lucky. Even though I am fully aware that my Mum and Kelsey are literally the only people who read this (Hi Mum and Kels!!), it’s been kind of nice to reflect on things this way and incorporate pictures and songs and videos. But I’m done with it until the next thing.
I think I’m coming out of summer 2012 a little more confident and a little less conflicted. Kind of funny when about three weeks ago, it was the worst it’s ever been. But then the wonderful people at my internship really helped put some things together for me.
Looking forward to being a senior!
My summer in NYC is quickly coming to an end. While I have been here, I’ve been lucky enough to work with incredibly funny people in a vegetarian cafe, learn from very intelligent and talented people at the CRY HAVOC Company, and have met various musicians and artists and attended a taping of ‘The Daily Show.’
As for theatre, I’ve seen:
- Once
- Tribes
- One Man, Two Guvnors
- Uncle Vanya - Sydney Theatre Company
- As You Like It
- End of the Rainbow
- Clybourne Park
At least, that’s all I can remember. I may have seen more, but if it didn’t make the list, it probably wasn’t worth it.
To see ‘Once,’ I waited outside the theatre for 7.5 hours (I got there at 2:30am), sleeping on my cardigan and hugging my bag the whole time. Terrifying, but totally worth it. A little too sweet at the end for my tastes, but still beautiful. At the stage door I asked Steve Kazee, “So, in the script, your character’s name is just ‘Guy.’ Did you come up with a name for yourself or leave it as Guy?” His response was, “I think all that actory stuff is rubbish and doesn’t make any difference. The most important thing is just to tell the truth and not worry about anything else.” Wise words and incredibly refreshing. And hey! He won a Tony doing that!
Four sleeps left until Cleveland!
Things I like:
People
Traveling
Writing
Music
Helping People
As for theatre, I love it, but I’m not sure what role it plays in my life.
I need some time to figure that out, so I made an appointment today to find out more about the Peace Corps.
So I saw ‘Tribes’ again at the Barrow Street Theatre. Got my program, opened it, and that hideous slip of white paper fell out that indicates a change in the cast for that night’s performance.
The lead role, Billy, the deaf son who learns to finally communicate to his family, was to be played by a man I will only refer to as ‘Robot-Boy.’ The lead is usually played by Russell Harvard, known mostly for his turn as adult HW in ‘There Will Be Blood.’
What a difference the switch in casting made. I really loved this play the first time I saw it. The emotional punch of it, particularly in the main scenes of conflict that finish each act, was astounding. The warmth of this family that made it so believable. And Billy was so lovely. One of my friends described him and his performance as “beautiful.” I would agree. In the photo, he’s the taller of the two.
And then they switched him for Robot-Boy (the midget on the left).
He. Was. Awful.
Beyond his pathetic attempts to sound deaf (his consonants were way too sharp and crisp), he was… well… a robot. This applies to his speech patterns as well as his personality. He lacked any kind of warmth. He was boring to watch and just seemed like a black hole that sucked in any humour or compassion. He made me angry. He made me angry because I’d seen ‘Tribes’ before and seen how well it worked when I believed they were a real family. This time, I wanted to yell out: “BEHIND YOU! BEHIND YOU! THERE’S A STRANGE MAN LURKING AROUND IN YOUR KITCHEN BEING MISERABLE!” I hated it.
And he had no physicality to speak of. He seemed to think he could just made really exaggerated attempts to lip read to show he was deaf. Oh dear. He was one-dimensional. I didn’t care about him. Him and Sylvia had zilch chemistry. And it didn’t seem like anyone even liked him. He was so unlikeable, I didn’t blame anyone for that. I’ve seen Blade Runner. Robots can’t love.
I absolutely love The Daily Show. I have for a long time.
Last night, my roommate and her boyfriend (my two FAVOURITE people right now) told me that they got me tickets to see a taping of The Daily Show as a belated birthday present. I have no idea who the guest is going to be. So excited.
Going to see Jon Stewart? Only in New York!
Saw ‘Tribes’ at the Barrow Street Theatre. Yes, it was a flawed script, but I really didn’t care. I was totally invested in everything that was going on. Yes, their accents weren’t great, but I didn’t care. I really loved it and didn’t quite want it to finish. Really beautiful.
It was about a boy who had been deaf from birth, but whose family had always discouraged him from learning sign language because that would be embracing his disability. His world is changed, of course, when he meets a girl. But this girl is different because she comes from a deaf family and is already a member of the deaf community, and is in the process of going deaf herself. It was all about speaking and listening and which community you count yourself to be a part of.
Just realized that today is my two month anniversary in NYC. And we’ve never been happier.
‘One Man, Two Guvnors’ starring James Corden.
Saw it tonight (got to the theatre in the wee hours of the morning and snagged a rush ticket). Jesus Christ it was amazing. So funny. Parts were clearly improvised, James Corden chatted to the audience about chocolate bars (he asked for food and audience members started throwing them on stage), actors broke constantly, etc… But that’s because it was just so bloody hilarious. So much fun.
After the show, I spoke to cast member Daniel Rigby if it felt like work. His response was, “Yes. After 300 shows, it gets tough. But a show like tonight was just as much fun as it ever was.” Anyway, I absolutely loved it and want to read the play to see just how much they deviated from it.
Went to Philadelphia and saw an adorable production of ‘Annie.’ Most importantly, I got to see some people I actually know fairly well! Woohoo!
Update: I found 10 monologues and I did watch ‘10 Things.’ What’s all the fuss about?! Shallow and outdated teenage movie with frustratingly transparent references to Shakespeare… Pfft.
