Ranting Details

SYTYCD: The Most Massive Acronym Ever.

(Hmmmm...)


Fox's summer television smash, "So You Think You Can Dance," is winding its way to a finale and last week's elimination of Jaimie and Kameron has dwindled the 20 dancers to 8 remaining finalists. There are so many things that I love about this (slightly tacky, but nonetheless extremely difficult) competition but just as many things that drive me insane. I understand that making good reality television involves bending the truth a little bit, but the constant applauding of contestants limited experience seems to be stretching it just a little too far. Dominic, the weakest boy left in the competition, is constantly praised for his lack of formal training yet I find it impossible to believe that until setting foot on this program he didn't have extensive dance work. Anyone that dances knows the skill of picking up choreography is something that must be developed and executing lifts doesn't happen overnight. Of course this program is on Fox (home of Fox News, or as Keith Olberman so accurately dubs it, "Faux Noise") so the bending of the truth should come as no surprise.

On top of that they tend to brush over the fact that many of the dancers have been working professionally for years. Danny was already a member of ABT, Complexions and has toured with NY City Dance Alliance (where Mia Michaels is also a faculty member) for the past few years. I don't know many young ballet dancers as well known as Danny, but I guess the competition isn't exactly claiming he is unknown. The jidges (as Kat Deeley prefers to call them) are more than familiar with a majority of the contestants after seeing them on the competition circuit since many of them were children.

Even through all the BS that the jidges spout, which MUST be scripted, there are so many redeeming things about this program. First and foremost for me: the choreography. Week after week Shane Sparks, Mia Michaels and Wade Robson, in particular, present unique hip-hop and contemporary routines that surpass some of the gimmicks that they initially present. On top of those choreographers, some of the salsa, disco and waltz numbers (a majority done by Tony Meridith and Melanie Lapatin) this year have been far superior to years past. Pasha and Jessi's cha-cha routine they performed the week she had that strange heart problem was a particular standout. The group of dancers seems to be more talented and diverse than ever, incorporating successful ballroom couple Anya (who was extremely versatile and perhaps cut too early) and Pasha as well as dancers from the world of Broadway (Neil, who appeared in "Times They Are A Changin"), and Cedric whose breathtaking style was unlike anything I had ever seen before.

I have reasons to believe that the Top Ten is decided (perhaps even contractually?) from the get go but now it appears that things are in America's hands. So much of it comes down to sex appeal but hopefully the final two will be there because of their talent. I would love to see a guy/girl combo this year and it would be rather coincidental if the final two ended up being Danny/Lacey, brother and sister of last year's final two Travis and Benji.

(So Daniel Thinks Danny Can Dance....even when we were in Japan.)

Stunts like last week’s requirement that every dancer perform the same routine, an anti-war/ John Mayer number choreographed by Robson, seem especially unfair. How is a dancer like Pasha, who is extremely versatile going to shine in a contemporary solo?! All of this further reiterates that SYTYCD is one of (if not the) most difficult talent reality competition's I've ever seen. To require that a dancer be well versed in almost every style of dance is slightly ludicrous but most of them have done relatively well. Certainly better than I would ever fare!

So how do the rankings stand for our Top 8? Remember this is all personal opinion but here goes:
Boys:
1. Danny-In my (slightly biased) eyes, the most versatile dancer in the competition. Constantly attacked by the jidges for his hard exterior which all seems like TV BS to me.

2. Pasha- Such an entertaining performer and incredible partner. I wouldn't be surprised to find him in the final two, as he seems to have a huge amount of fans. He struggled last week with hip-hop but has showed flair with other styles (loved the suspender Jazz combo by Mandy Moore) that aren't his most comfortable.

3. Neil- He can do lots of turns and 540's but his shoulders by his ears have always bothered me. When he's given material, like Robson's Devil/Virgin number a few weeks ago, that lets him become a character, is when he excels the most.

4. Dominic- I’m surprised that he has lasted this far and I find his "humor" fairly obnoxious but his pairing with Sabra was always a highlight.

Girls:
1. Sabra- I find it hard to believe she's only been dancing 4 years but her consistent performances have kept her in the competition. She doesn't have the "in your face" performance style of someone like Lacey but she's still my favorite girl left standing.

2. Lacey- Far more versatile than her brother Benji, Lacey could very well find herself in the finals. She air bites like a teeth chatter wind up toy but she certainly knows how to work her weave.

3. Lauren-I can't pinpoint what it is that has never warmed me up to Lauren but she seems to employ the competition dancer arm tossing/hair thrashing technique whenever she DANCES FOR HER LIFE!!!!!!

4. Sara- Fairly amazed that she has lasted this long although her performances with Pasha were pretty great. She looks the least refined of the final four girls, which will get her eliminated this week.

Will this ranking hold true?! Only one way to find out....tune in Wednesday and Thursday night to see how things go down on SYTYCD!! What does everyone else think?

Random Website: Sharing Art.

I'm having a bit of "foggy sick head" today so bear with me!

Today when I was riding the subway up to class I picked up "Metro," the free newspaper constantly littering the stations. Nick was quick to come to New York and alert my attention to the fact that we have virtually no recycling bins on the streets (the only ones I've seen are in Union Square) and this free publication is one of the things I notice being discarded on pavement the most.

Well, today I was flipping through the pages and came across an article about a new website called "Look At Life." Getting any job in the arts is difficult but ballet dancers are fortunate enough to have companies that offer a little more stability than much of the dance world, and certainly more than many other arts. The creator, Benj Gershman, started the website as a sort of artist's collective to give struggling artists a platform to be shown in. Getting work up on gallery walls is difficult and he hopes to do for visual arts and writing what MySpace has done for music. Of course coming close to touching that juggernaut of a marketing machine is nearly impossible but it's an admirable ambition. The website is still a fledgling and as it is hosted through a .mac server, the load time is rather tedious but it's still an interesting idea.

Over the past few months I've toyed with ideas of trying to put on an evening showcasing young choreographers (there are several people within ABT that I know would be interested) but it just seems that getting anything off the ground is progressively difficult. So much has been said recently about using the internet as a marketing tool and the dance world is starting to come to the realization that it might be a pivotal platform. I've had friends competing in online choreography competitions, "The Winger" is becoming a global dance community and there are countless blogs doing their part in spreading the word about the dance world but the problem still remains that dance is a live art.

Looking through "Look At Life" you realize how much easier it is to connect with visual art through a computer screen than dance. I can hardly figure out how to get more readership for my blog, let alone getting people to pay to come into a theater and experience dance. This is one of the reasons I loved "Slow Dancing" so much, the fact that it was able to capture the beauty of a live art on film in an unusual way and hopefully broaden the audience even a tiny bit. While it might not have encompassed the huge variety of dance disciplines that exist around the world, it still managed to gather a more diverse group than I have seen anywhere in recent memory. Yet even within the dance community, I knew many people who had never heard of it. Whenever they looked at me with blank stares I couldn't believe that such a major event hadn't infiltrated the entire community. Maybe we all just need to start wearing t-shirts advertising upcoming performances?! I wouldn't mind being a walking billboard.

Or maybe if we could get on some interviews with this talented anchor, all our questions would be answered! Truly painful. I mean, honestly WHAT IS GOING ON?!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbpUwx_YLGc]

"We Are In Xanadu."

Even for someone like me, who practically built a shrine to musical theater as a child, "Xanadu" seemed like a long shot to turn into a Broadway musical. My parents were quick to put many movie musicals into the VCR to entertain Carson and I as children, yet the 1980 Olivia Newton-John vehicle about a Greek muse sent to Earth to inspire a young man to make a roller disco wasn't one of them. How could they have witheld such a trash goldmine from me?! Even in my later years of worshipping such awful movies as "From Justin To Kelly," "Glitter," and "Showgirls," I still have yet to see the movie that some people claim stopped the movie musical dead in its tracks.

Over the past few months I've gotten the flyers, seen the posters, and even watched some press rehearsal clips online but nothing prepared me for the fun I was to have on Wednesday night when I sat down at the Helen Hayes Theater. "Xanadu" is without a doubt one of the most entertaining 90-minutes I have spent in the theater in recent memory, with a stellar cast and music that makes you wish you too could feel the glory of skating in a roller disco once more (or for the first time.) When I lived in California as a child, my sister and I spent some time endlessly circling around the roller rink as Vanilla Ice played, but what is being presented on stage by this multi-talented cast is quite a different story.

Led by the gangly, awkward beauty Kerry Butler as the muse Clio (disguised as Kyra, complete with ridiculous Australian accent) the cast kicks, rolls, belts and practically storms their way through 90-minutes of ELO's infectious score. From the opening moments of "I'm Alive" that gets the story rolling to the final roller skating extravaganza of the finale "Xanadu," the show doesn't aim to do anything but entertain. But it entertains on so many levels. Douglas Carter Beane, an accomplished playwright who one would assume would stay as far away as possible from material like this, crams enough musical theater and 80's jokes into his witty book to keep you laughing continuously. Of course it helps to have true scenery chewing comedians, like Jackie Hoffman and Mary Testa, delivering his lines with just the perfect amount of self mockery.

That doesn't mean that they don't mock many other things as well. Kerry Butler, taking on Olivia Newton-John, has hilarious moments poking fun at her original's breathy vocal delivery but she still manages to make her own imprint on the role. Throughout my years of theater going I've seen her in almost every show she's done but she's never been as good as she is here. Curtis Holbrook was in for the lead role of Sonny and worked his cut off jean shorts and roller skates like he was born in them. During the finale he was pulling out moves that I didn't know were possible. I wasn't quite as impressed with the chorus women but Andre Ward, as the sassy and flamboyant Terpsicore more than made up for their shortcomings.

Sure, it isn't a great piece of art, but it never aims to be. It's a welcome diversion with a talented cast that I would be more than happy to spend some time with again.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7m1UWSD-FaA]
(Video of the final number from the original film. I think I am going to have to Netflix this immediately. Just look at the costumes of the background dancers. GLORIOUS!)

Flipping Surprised.

After several years in New York, I have finally subscribed to the NY Bible: Time Out New York (TONY.) It can only be a great sign, for what.... I don't know, that the first issue I recieved during my new subscription period contained a travel guide to my wonderful hometown of Missoula, Montana. It seems that everywhere I turn the past few weeks there are random signs pointing me back towards Montana. When I bought my "Harry Potter" book (which I just finished) the cashier was a Missoulian, I've seen several Montana T-Shirts parading around my neighborhood, and now TONY has a guide to enjoying a summer vacation in Montana.

In two weeks I'll journey back to Montana to have a little vacation of my own. It feels a bit foolish that after 4 months (yes it's been almost that long) of being sick I could need any more time off but I have to break up the montony a bit. I've been in class for the past several weeks and while I am getting my strength back I am still having a hard time being patient and staying positive. The past few days have brought a hint of a relapse but I'm not letting that deter me, instead I'm just taking a deep breath and realizing this is the ebb and flow of life. Fortunately I will not be going to Montana on my own, but instead will be joined by Michael, Jessica and David for several days of relaxing in the mountain air. Will that air be fresh as usual? Probably not, as August tends to bring forest fires and smoke to the valley that I call home. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Jess and David will see a hint of the Big Sky that Montana is so aptly nicknamed for.

"Slow Dancing." The FIRST EVER Blog Interview. With David Michalek.

Rounding the corner by Avery Fisher Hall as you approach the plaza at Lincoln Center has been known to take people's breath away. The plaza itself is such a New York City landmark with the incredible history housed within the three theaters that surround the fountain, and at night it remains one of the most beautiful New York locations. Yet what is happening right now at Lincoln Center is sure to take your breath away like never before. In years past, the salsa bands have beckoned dancers to strut their stuff under the clear summer skies, but as you approach Lincoln Center as it is now, you will see dancers of a size and speed you might never have imagined.

David Michalek's brilliant "Slow Dancing" film installation towers over the plaza on three 50-foot high screens covering the face of the State Theater. Each screen hosts one dancer at a time who goes through a 5-second movement pattern that Michalek has stretched out to a length of roughly 10 minutes using state of the art high definition video equipment. There may be hundreds of dancers samba-ing on the plaza below but it is these projections that will keep your attention.

After reading several articles about Michalek's work I was anxious to head up to Lincoln Center to view some of the 43 dancers captured by his camera. It was with eager eyes that I got off the subway a few weeks ago and braved the crowd for a chance to see some of the world's finest dancers from almost every discipline imaginable. The dance community is a notoriously small world, and between Michalek and his wife, New York City Ballet principal dancer Wendy Whelan, they were able to gather the diverse group used for the project with only one to two degrees of separation. Michalek grew up watching dance and was a fan during his schooling at UCLA but it wasn't until his marriage to Whelan that he became fully immersed in the dance world. On my second visit I worked up the courage to approach Whelan, who I have admired immensely in the years I've watched her at City Ballet, and Michalek who I noticed standing on the side of the crowd. They were both incredibly kind and Michalek was nice enough to do a phone interview with me.

"I really like something about every single one of them," Michalek admits of his subjects. "Some of them are less easy to watch in that there’s not a kind of virtuosic movement, the Asian disciplines working with small hand gestures and limited movement, which requires more patience. Even those have extraordinary moments."

While one screen may be projecting a traditional Japanese dancer, the screen next to it will contain someone like Dana Caspersen (The Forsythe Company), Herman Cornejo (ABT), or Janie Taylor (NYCB) who stretch out every limb in a constant barrage of (slow) movement. Each night the projections are displayed randomly and the combinations seem almost endless. Part of what I enjoyed so much was being able to take one screen at a time or view the interaction between the three screens. Even though they were created separately in their 10X10 foot space, they take on a new life together.

Even Michalek, who is more familiar with each projection than anyone else, admits his fascination. "It's still a very exciting show night to night," he says. "Even for me the fact that we start the play heads in different positions makes it a randomized effect with juxtapositions that happen on any given night that are new and exciting."

The juxtapositions are just one of the many things I found fascinating about "Slow Dancing." The first time I arrived I was overwhelmed by the amount of people in the plaza for "Midsummer Night's Swing," although it was exciting to see them shaking their hips only to slow down one minute as the images on screen above them caught their attention. How often does dance attract such a diverse crowd as this? Of course for something as stark and beautiful as Michalek's images, sometimes I found the Samba dancing distracting. "In all honesty," he confesses, "from a visual standpoint I at times wished that the Midsummer Set hadn’t been there. From a conceptual standpoint I appreciated the juxtaposition. If we hear a statistic that only 8 percent of the United States will see a live performance in their lifetime, while that might be true and it might suggest a lack of interest in dance, it doesn’t relate to social dancing, which is alive and well." Even if just one of the social dancers was moved enough to stop and take notice of the ghost like dancers looming above, it's worth it...and I assure you many people were stopping to take notice.

The images evoke a sense of wonder and it's no surprise as dance is rarely seen like this. Dance is usually an interactive process between the music, the dancer and the audience but dance on film is notoriously difficult. Taking it a step further, Michalek uses silent images of the world's greatest dancers to stunning effect. The crowd becomes the music and it changes every night. I become afraid when watching a video of myself dancing at regular speed, I might go into a coma were I to see it slow down to 1000 frames per second. It seems as I am not the only one, as Michalek admitted that the dancers were "more or less freaked out when they saw it the first time."

The creation of this installation was a very interactive process that took almost a year to come to its present state. Of course there was much planning before that even if it was just in his head. "It was an idea that I had been carrying around for a long time. For something on this scale to arise, you need the financial support, the institutional support and the cultural support on many levels." Fortunately, he got it.

Filming was done during November, December, January and March in four day cycles each of those months. Even though the film used for each dancer was barely over 5-seconds long, it took roughly three hours per dancer to get the desired result. "The dancers and myself could see the footage," he remarks of the time filming. "I could put in my two cents about how things might be able to be improved slightly by turning things on an angle."

Needless to say, the dancers put a lot of trust in this talented artist and his project. When I was talking with Michalek it became obvious what a labor of love this was to him. "It felt the project had really good karma from the start," he says. "Some projects are struggles, but if you’re going to work in this way and take on the responsibilities of the project life you have to think of it as a small business. It’s incredibly complex in the sense that I start of with a flow chart. There are so many people to get involved and it’s a difficult process of finding the right things. With this project, I really felt the flow from the beginning. "

My second viewing of "Slow Dancing," was on a perfect summer night last Sunday. Joined by friends and fellow bloggers, I was again fascinated by each of the dancers and their moment in the spotlight. Without the sound of the big band of "Midsummer," it felt more than ever like a meditation on the creation of movement. The subjects are surrounded by darkness and often you can't tell where the floor is. The only time that this bothered me was with tap dancer Roxanne Butterfly because of tap dancing’s requirement of the floor. Oddly enough I didn't miss the sound, but I would like to have seen what she was in contact with.

Michalek had little to do with what movement was executed, he simply requested that they practice in a 10X10 space and realized that even the five seconds could have some framing. "We experimented and found that the films that had the most trajectory of something happening had a beginning middle and end, which became more interesting." But even within the confines of filming what is essentially a live art, nothing ever seems stifled by its place behind a lens. Instead he captures the essence of his subjects, something he aims for as a portrait artist.

So what does the future hold for Michalek and "Slow Dancing"? He tells me he looks forward to working with dancers again, which should be welcome news to the dance community that needs all the exposure it can get. "Slow Dancing" itself will have more exposure as Michalek hopes to tour it around the country. It will undoubtedly play differently in different spaces, and when asked whether he was intent on it staying as public art, Michalek notes, "I would really like to take it around and I think when I can show it in public I will, however I don’t want to limit the viewing possibilities by enforcing any parameters on it. If a small Midwestern gallery wants to show it, that would be great. Different, but great."

Sometimes it is the different things that end up becoming great, which is exactly how I felt leaving my second viewing of the film. While it only has a few more days left, I urge anyone with the time to go to Lincoln Center between the hours of 9pm and 1am every night until Sunday the 29th.

"We’re gonna shake and shimmy it, and have some fun…" LOOOONG.

THIS POST HAS SOME MOVIE SPOILERS...READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

The last time I was obsessed with something that didn't have a heartbeat, it completely consumed my senior year at NCSA even though it really started in July of 2003. It was during that month while I was attending my last SAB summer course that I wandered into the Neil Simon Theater to purchase a single ticket for an upcoming preview performance of the new musical "Hairspray." Little did I know what I was getting myself into. Ever since I was a child I fondly remember sitting with my sister and watching John Waters' camp classic starring Ricky Lake as the overweight teenager Tracy Turnblad who dances her feet off to stop segregation in 1960's Baltimore. Perhaps I related to the themes of being an outsider (who can't) but at that moment it didn't matter because the merging of one of my favorite movies with one of my favorite things (musical theater) sounded like heaven.

There are many theater going experiences that I remember very little of, save a seat location or particular moment that stood out, but I remember every detail of that July night. The energy in the theater before the show started was subdued yet excited but no level of excitement would ever come close to matching the following two and a half hours. From the moment the audience found Tracy laying in her bed, uniquely staged by Jack O' Brian, as she sang the opening notes of "Good Morning, Baltimore" the audience was screaming and shouting every three or so minutes. With the close of each number came yet another moment to be topped (that continuously was) until the mother of all Broadway-finale's "You Can't Stop The Beat" practically blew the roof off of the theater.

My poor roommate had to put up with me continuously playing the Cast Recording, plastering magazine cut outs around the room, and eventually dressing as Edna Turnblad to my friend Mandy's Tracy for Halloween. I was crazed. Needless to say my expectations building up to the recently released film version of "Hairspray" were rather high. Every time I saw the ads with John Travolta covered in creepy cabbage patch kid make-up (I'm sure he doesn't smell as good as a Cabbage Patch Kid) a little part of my heart died. Only a slight exaggeration.

(TWINS.)

Friday night I reunited with my friend Rebecca (who had sat front row with me during a subsequent visit to the show) for a little Chinese food at Ollies before heading to see if Hollywood was able to get it right...

For the most part, they did. From start to finish "Hairspray" is enjoyable in all of its musical glory and there are only a few things that almost had me cringing. Fortunately, Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman have written one of the catchiest, wittiest and flat out enjoyable scores to hit Broadway in years and they deserve a huge amount of the credit for the immense success of the show and the movie. Every song packs a punch that transferred well to the screen even if it never quite duplicates the excitement of seeing it live. Some of the songs didn't sound as fully fleshed out vocally ("Without Love" especially) as I had hoped but I was extremely happy to see that director Adam Shankman didn't shy away from the fact that in a musical, people WILL just break into song. Modern audiences have such a hard time accepting this and I was worried that the montage-y treatment that "Dreamgirls" received would bleed over to "Hairspray."

It's clear from the very beginning as newcomer Nikki Blonsky struts through Baltimore singing to the bums and the rats on the street that Shankman won't shy away from the inherent cheesiness that a musical possesses. Instead he fully embraces it, staging number after number that swiftly carries the first 45 minutes of the movie along. A few highlights include the wonderful reworking of "I Can Hear The Bells" which has Tracy trailing Link around school in a dreamy eyed haze, Elijah Kelly's breakout moments in "Run and Tell That" and the killer new songs that Shaiman wrote for the score. Zac Efron (of "High School Musical" fame) gets "Ladies Choice" which will engrain itself in your head for days to come and several girls get "The New Girl In Town" which introduces us to the singing group of "The Dynamites." Some of the most exciting moments on Broadway (which during preview performances had people screaming) were the moments that The Dynamites popped out unexpectedly to lend a little soul to Tracy and her mother. I was pleased to see how well they were integrated into the film as they randomly popped up on park benches and billboards.

After the first rapid fire explosion of musical numbers, I felt that things slowed down a little bit and never fully regained their energy especially with the finale "You Can't Stop The Beat." Due to unpleasant editing (which leaves large junks for dialogue in the middle of the song) and choreography that can't quite match the brilliant simplicity of Jerry Mitchell's original, I felt that the movie didn't end giving you the incredible high that the live experience in the theater does. So much of the focus is taken away from Tracy at the end that it sours things a little. Nevertheless it still is pretty damn enjoyable throughout.

One could complain about a few of the performances, most notably John Travolta's plastic looking mother. What differs so much from his portrayal compared to his Broadway or original film counterparts (Harvey Fierstein and Divine, respectively) is that Travolta tries to convince us that he is a woman. Where Divine and Fierstein would let out a deeply manly voice to contradict the feminine appearance, Travolta dons a foolish Baltimore accent and plays everything demure. It leaves you wondering why the hell there is a man playing a woman instead of gathering that it further accentuates the universal theme of acceptance that is the heart of "Hairspray." That being said, I enjoyed him more than I thought I would and it's always fun to see him dancing like his days in "Grease."

The rest of the cast is pretty fantastic especially in the group of teenagers making up the corps kids. Amanda Bynes is the weakest link as Penny but Elijah Kelly, Zac Efron and Nikki Blonsky more than make up for her shortcomings. On the adult side, Allison Janey manages to steal all of her scenes as Penny's religious zealot of a mother. Queen Latifah never brings the same urgency and passion to her songs that her Broadway counterpart Mary Bond Davis did and this especially hurts things when she has to take over for the closing section of the finale. Christopher Walken and Michelle Pfeiffer do their best with a slightly awkward side plot added for the movie but bring some humor through the rest of the proceedings. James Marsden was surprising in the fleshed out character of TV personality Corny Collins. He has a great singing voice and no one can really complain about looking at him.

Sitting in the theater, okay I'll admit I saw it twice this weekend, swept me back to the days of high school where life often did feel as bubbly and delicious as the world of "Hairspray" made it out to be. I'll never be able to pinpoint why I became quite as obsessed with it as I did but after going back to the show this past January I was more amazed than ever at how great the score is. They've done an incredible thing packing a message of acceptance and the struggles it brings, which is still so relevant today, into the sweetest package imaginable. Even with a cast that couldn't touch the original and a half empty theater I was overwhelmed with the happiness that this show brings out in all of us. After playing the Cast Recording repeatedly this weekend I want to thank Marc Shaiman for putting a smile on my face just when I needed it. Do yourself a favor and go put a smile on yours by seeing this movie.

("You Can't Stop The Beat")

("Ladies Choice")

("The New Girl In Town")

Look!

My debut novel was released last night and look at the fort Barnes and Noble has made out of it! The intial publishing called for 5 billion copies of my quaint story about a homeless boy who becomes a Rockette titled "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." Go pick up a copy, because I'm sure you will like it. Unfortunately I had to use a fake name so I wouldn't be mobbed on the street. JK Rowling=me!

On a more serious note: Earlier today Nick was at the same Barnes and Noble when a girl standing nearby decided it was her duty to reveal all of the plot twists from the book. I'm surprised she wasn't brutally attacked by nearby fans but she did manage to ruin all of it for poor Nick. On on the other hand am considering locking myself inside until I finish it. Of course judging from the thickness that could be another three months and I'm pretty sick of my apartment at the moment. Is EVERYONE in the country reading this right now?

(What do you do when some evil woman spoils things? Eat a cookie tub!!!!!!)

"Here She Is Boys…"

One of the flyers that actually caught my attention when it was stuffed in my mailbox earlier this spring featured a pair of black eyes gazing out over the giant lettering "Lupone. Gypsy." Being the Broadway geek that I am, I took a minute to investigate and found out that City Center would be presenting a fully staged version of the classic musical as part of their "Encores: Summer Stars" series. The last time I saw "Gypsy" was in the summer of 2004 when I went to see the musical theater goddess Bernadette Peters starring in Sam Mendes underrated production at the Shubert. Having grown up watching Bernadette Peters more than Sesame Street, even going as far as drawing detailed reproductions of her costumes from "Into The Woods" (not a joke), she could do no wrong. Surpassing her god like status in my eyes, she was able to bring a humanity and desperation to the mother of all stage mothers "Mama Rose" that I never expected. Many people made a big deal over her vocal troubles in the show but I thought she utilized any vocal shortcomings she has to perfectly portray the heartbreak of a woman who lives vicariously through her children.

So it was with her brilliant portrayal in mind that I walked up to City Center on Thursday night to meet my friend Benton. When I arrived I was sure I had reached Gay Mecca 2 (after finding the first one at Rufus' Judy Garland concert last season) and Benton and I were probably the youngest people in the audience. As we took our seats and scanned the Playbill, I was eager to see what Patti Lupone would do with this juggernaut of a role. The excitement in the theater was palpable and as Lupone's voice boomed "Sing out Louise!" from the back of the orchestra she was met with thunderous applause. Unfortunately I never thought that her performance elicited the same amount of excitement from me as the evening progressed.

For someone blessed with such a booming voice, I find little to admire in Lupone's portrayal of Rose other than the volume. I was impressed last season by her nuanced and original portrayal of Mrs. Lovett in "Sweeny Todd" but none of that was on display the other night. Her voice alternates between belting to blast the roof off and a sort of nasally mix that expresses the character's forcefulness but little else. The first act progressed and I was, as usual, in awe of the construction of this musical. Even though it is almost 50 years old, it never feels dated and the book possesses enough wit to elicit genuine laughs even when you know what's coming. Sondheim's lyrics are astounding even when they are simpler than his lyrics became in later generations and Jule Styne's music perfectly portrays the vaudeville numbers and develops perfectly along with the story.

Judging from the response in the theater and what I have read online, I will be in the minority with my disappointment regarding Lupone's portrayal. When the curtain came down on "Everything's Coming Up Roses," which closes the first act, I hoped that Act Two would bring something new to the table. Fortunately it did and I found some of Lupone's work in the book scenes thrilling, particularly her showdown with daughter Louise in her dressing room. The second act is so perfectly constructed and when Rose begs Benanti to take the job in burlesque so they can go out on top, you're both disgusted and saddened by her selfishness.

Never before have I seen an actress do as much with Louise as Laura Benanti did the other night. As she progresses from sidelined tomboy Louise to burlesque star Gypsy Rose Lee in the number "Let Me Entertain You" I was blown away by the sexiness she exuded (difficult not to with her killer body) but it was another reminder of how much stronger the supporting cast was than the headliner. Boyd Gaines was able to bring depth to the thankless role of Herbie and Allison Fraser was a stand out as the second rate stripper Tessie Tura.

Leading up to the mother of all musical numbers "Rose's Turn" I again was keeping my fingers crossed that Lupone would stun me. Yet from the moment she began I felt as if every moment was contrived and every body position rehearsed. It's a brilliant number even with a disappointing performance but I couldn't join in the rousing ovation that she received. Was I sitting too far away in the cavernous City Center to appreciate her portrayal? Perhaps. Or was I still so moved by Peter's performance that I wasn't able to appreciate a new take on the part?
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4lNU4TeOxk]
(Bernadette Peters performs "Rose's Turn" on the 57th Annual Tony Awards.)

Last Ani.

In a crowd full of women spanning all ages, I'm sure that I stood out like the ghostly pale boy that I am but I could have cared less; I was completely immersed in the world of Ani Difranco. A few days ago my sister asked me to try to snag a ticket for Difranco's Brooklyn show at Prospect Park. Even though I was sure it was sold out, I found a message from my friend Scott explaining that he had a few extra tickets. In my state, concert going in the humid summer isn't exactly my ideal environment but I was eager to see the guitar toting woman who has a following as devoted as the Christians are to Jesus. Everyone I encountered on the subway ride to Brooklyn had their input and anecdotes about their first time seeing Ani in concert but after spouting euphoric words, they all warned me not to get my hopes up.

Scanning the crowd I found an empty seat and decided that I would separate myself from the group in order to conserve my energy in the comfort of a chair. Foolish me, this is a concert and no one sits down. From the moment Difranco took the stage the crowd sprang to their feet and screamed out praise to the blur with the guitar hundreds of feet away. Any worry I had about being so far away was quickly trumped by the larger than life personality emanating from the stage. What amazed me most from the very beginning was how clearly she got her poetic lyrics across. I'm relatively new to the Ani Kingdom yet I was able to enjoy every song as if I were a die-hard fan. Accompanied by a bass and a drummer, she was able to fill Prospect Park with enough energy and excitement you would think she had a full 40-piece orchestra behind her. No other instrumentation was needed because Difranco is able to do more with her guitar than most can do with an entire band. She uses it not only as an instrument but as an extension of her emotion, sometimes lightly strumming as her voice purrs out poetry only to attack her guitar with a rage that ends up breaking strings once she reaches the chorus.

(Scott and I model our rain gear.)

One of the strangest things to me was that after each song ended she would have a man come out and hand her a new guitar. Even though it seemed a bit excessive, I shouldn't be surprised because I'm sure her guitars go through a fair amount of wear and tear within one five minute song. And oh, what songs they are! I was excited to see her play several (of the limited) songs I know including "32 Flavors," "Manhole," "Gravel," and my new favorite "Napoleon." She is such a prolific writer that she shared some new songs with the crowd that she had written during her pregnancy and after giving birth a mere four months ago.

After listening to roughly 15 songs I decided it was time to beat the crowd and head back into Manhattan. It was hard to peel myself away from the brilliance still playing on stage but it is still an experience I'll never forget.

(Framed by lovely and talented tappers Michelle Dorrance and Carson Murphy.)

(Video of "Napoleon." Bad quality video but good audio.)

Obshoshed.

This is exactly the kind of post I hate doing but, oh well!

My mother's visit to New York yielded few statements as heavy as her words after visiting Pinkberry, the new "gourmet" frozen yogurt that is brain freezing New Yorkers into a stupor. "It's about as close to euphoria as I'll ever get," she exclaimed one day after journeying to the store to get a tub of deliciousness covered with her favorite favorite toppings. Nick and I knew that we'd have to give it a try so the other night we journeyed down to Spring Street and Elizabeth (there's also one on 18th St. and 8th Ave.) to give our palettes an after dinner delight.

(Pinkberry gives me crazed, rabid bunny eyes.)

What is it about Pinkberry that is so spectacular? It's hard to pinpoint but after years of not being a fan of frozen yogurt, I wouldn't mind being stuck in a pool of Pinkberry yogurt and having to eat my way out. Between the freezing temperature and the tangy sweetness, it's the perfect way to escape this insane humidity. This was just a way of breaking up my Ani redundancy, get ready for more Difranco coming soon.