In Which I Shamelessly Plug My Own Show

Shakespeare has always held a special fascination for me. Even in high school, when everyone else dreaded reading Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet, I relished in it. There was something so rich and enduring about the words, the stories, and the people.

But I have seen Shakespeare done badly, in a way that completely justifies the intense hatred so many people have of The Bard and his works. Which is why, when you find a company that does Shakespeare right, you do everything you can to make sure they keep at it!

I have spent the last two months in the presence of such people, and tonight we open our production of Two Gents: A Coming of Age Tale in Iambic Pentameter (aka Two Gentlemen of Verona.) It is full of people with such talent that I consider it an honor to be one of them. But it needs your help.

Live theatre has many setbacks, and just one of them is finding the right venue. And, in our case, funding said venue. I understand that times are tight, for everyone, so if you can't donate PLEASE, share our page. And maybe those who are in a position to help will find it in their hearts to help make this company's dreams a reality.

Every dollar helps, and every single donation is appreciated a thousand times over.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/585711469/two-gents-venue-support?ref=city

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It is no secret that I'm a narration snob. I don't generally enjoy first-person, and I certainly have no patience for present-tense. And OMNISCIENT present-tense? Forget about it! It's nothing but a clever little gimmick to hide the fact that you don't have a compelling story.

Oh how very wrong I was with The Night Circus. When a book I am pre-disposed to hate keeps me so engrossed, so wrapped up that I can't sleep at night, that writer has created something truly magical. And the Night Circus was nothing but magic, with every turn of every page. It wasn't just a book I enjoyed reading, it was a book I let myself drown in. A book that I couldn't wait to return to at the end of work, or even during work. Every free moment I could spare was spent in the black-and-white mysteries of "Le Cirque des Reves..." The circus of dreams.

So come on in. Let yourself wander between the tents and get swept up in the show. It is a spellbinding, haunting journey that you won't soon forget.


View all my reviews

Merry Christmas to All, and to All a Good Flight!

"Now, I'm his ghost. That's not difficult. It's unbearable. I know everyone is proud of him, but I am not. And I do not wish him well." -- Christina Yang, Grey's Anatomy

"All We Need is a Witch Doctor in the Corner"

In the ever-expanding category of "proverbial straws to break this poor little camel's back," the most recent one is also, perhaps, the most absolutely ridiculous. I won't bore you with the details of every little thing that's made me want to crawl in a hole and die lately, just the most recent one.

My living room is a swamp. Or, "the bayou" as we've come to affectionately call it. Through a series of complicated and annoying electrical issues, there is a pool forming under our living room carpet. It causes deep puddles to seep up through our floor, squish between our toes, and make a generally smelly mess. It has also caused our power bill to soar sky high, seeing as a) it seems to be an air conditioner issue and b) the drying process requires us to run the air conditioner three days straight without stopping, as low as it can go.

And so, today finds the residents of the bayou eating pizza, watching as numerous repairmen traipse through the house making conflicting suggestions, and keeping an eye out for gators.

And while our bayou may not have a chorus of helpful fireflies, we do have the ever-so-pleasant hum of two industrial driers, 24-hours a day! And that sweet, swampy smell of breeding mold. And the freezing cold gusts of wind from every vent. Wouldn't you want to live here?

Confessions of a Homeless Housewife : Part II

I think one of my problems is, I am domestic in spurts. I'll have these great surges of homemakerish energy, where I feel inclined to sew, bake, organize, or bedazzle anything in sight.

It's rather like nesting, but without the egg.

If I could find a way to be consistently domestic ... to channel my love of cupcakes into opening up a little bakery. Or sew things for an Etsy shop, as I have tried and failed to do at least half a dozen times. If I could just make it all a regular part of my life ... maybe then, something good would come of it.

I've always loved the fact that I'm interested in a lot of things. I dabble in many hobbies, I explore different professions and pastimes ... but the unfortunate truth is, sometimes that makes for simply mediocre performance in many areas, rather than exquisite performance in one. I cannot make a living with my hobbies and my sporadic passions. I cannot settle down enough to dedicate my time to simply one thing. And as such, I never seem to improve in any of them.

Three cheers for substandard creativity.

"Bloody Jack"

Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy by L.A. Meyer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was an "Audible" find for me ... while I was sifting through endless samples, looking for a narrator I can even halfway tolerate. I'm frighteningly picky about narrators ... especially the women.

But Katherine Kellgren, who reads the entire "Bloody Jack" series, was a revelation. She brought to life perfectly an already gripping and thrilling adventure. Had I not stumbled upon her voice, I would never have been introduced to Mary "Jacky" Faber, or "Bloody Jack." The star of our series. A young orphan girl, who leaves her miserable life as an urchin beggar behind and, disguised as a boy, enlists in the King's Navy as a ship's boy.

What I expected to be a fairly routine and cookie-cutter story turned out instead to be an absolutely delightful read. (Or, in my case, listen.) I was surprised at how quickly it roped me in, and how easily I got lost in the sails and polished decks of the HMS Dolphin.

So hoist the mainstay, veer to starboard, and smooth sailing soldiers! Ride the rolling tide to your nearest bookstore, and start readin' those letters! Captain's orders! And if you're pressed for time, ask Katherine Kellgren. She'll do the reading for you!


View all my reviews