switch up my cup / i kill any pain
this pressure headache has been camping out behind my eyes since friday afternoon. it kicked up yesterday because the wind changed direction, and has been fading all day today, but goddamn do i miss the one-nighters i could shake off by the next morning. then again, i also miss consistent weather. being a human barometer in the age of global warming suuuuuucks.
***
saw a terrific and very ambitious play on thursday - VIETGONE at MTC - written by the creator of my beloved vampire cowboys and starring some familiar faces from their many fantastic productions. the play is deeply personal: it's the story of the playwright's parents escaping vietnam, ending up in a refugee camp in arkansas, and falling in love against the odds of loss, displacement, and the difficult adjustment to the immigrant life. i suspect the close-to-home nature of the story is the reason behind the complexity of the narrative (there are flashbacks upon flashbacks, layered with great overthought). yet the show overcomes most of this weight - occasionally going into extremes by, it seems, its own kinetic energy - but with great charm and emotional honesty. it is funny + smart + heartbreaking + insightful; there's ninjas + bikes + getting stoned + slo-mo fights + hip-hop. oh, and a full "romance montage" made up of classic swayze movie moments (including a pottery-making session and a dance-off with a character carrying the watermelon). it's also super sexy and filthy - you know i appreciate that in a play - and it takes a wrecking ball (reference intentional) to certain prejudices about sexuality, specifically of asian women.
most importantly and ambitiously, the play tells immigrant stories from the viewpoint of its characters rather than its american audiences; and in the process, it calls out the american complex of being the world's savior, directly + furiously + WOW i hope they release that song. (the protagonist raps at the audience, facing off quite literally against the injustice and insensitivity of the "american involvement in vietnam was such a mistake" mentality. it's remarkable and unafraid of being offensive and oh, so powerful.) speaking of: yes, there are hip-hop songs in the show. no, they didn't steal the idea from hamilton. they've been doing this for a decade of VC history, consisting of a ton of genre-bending, POC-casting, fannish multimedia plays. it's tremendous to see their creative vision busting into mainstream even elsewhere, bc they were always a part of that movement. one thing i noticed (and was charmed by) was that audience clapped after hip-hop songs as they would after songs in a musical; i guess that's hamilton's influence in action! :)
anywho. the cast, most of whom played multiple roles on stage, gave TREMENDOUS performances and more than deserved the standing ovation they got at curtain. i was so shaken by the final scene between the playwright and his father - intense and heartrending but also warm and full of connection - that i nearly sobbed my way out of the venue. or maybe i just cry more easily these days; who knows. bottom line: i'm really, really happy i got to see it, and i hope i'll be able to catch the rest of the plays in this cycle (5-part, apparently).
true story: a while back, i ran into one of the VC guys at a comedy show at bell house and flailed EXTREMELY awkwardly at him about how much i loved their work; gah, it was dreadful. (i'm way smoother in writing than in person, as some of you already know.) anyway, i mention it here and not on twitter bc another cast member started following me, and they were both in this production and apparently hang out a lot, so... yeah. (is this why people have separate locked accounts?! no one can live at that speed!!!)*
(*obligatory eddie izzard reference: check)
***
on friday night, went to the annual xmas show of the choral society at grace church, which was gorgeous and beautifully performed as ever. as always, we spent the time pondering what the hannibal xmas special episode would be like; continued to ship king wenceslas and his page (and not just because of that charm of magpies story); and tried not to laugh too much over "very god, much jesus" doge-ness of certain lyrics. hey, we all celebrate differently, mkay? (i love my friends.)
***
in catching-up-with-music news: yup, "starboy" and "false alarm" were intriguing and catchy singles... and the new weeknd album contains some truly excellent music... and also some very disappointing lyrics. (not very much ~art can be eked out of stunted emotional growth, and even his specific brand of nihilism needs a change of refrain sometimes.) best listened to on autopilot, i guess, and not too often or i'll get bored very quickly. note to self: in the future, don't preorder before hearing the whole thing.
***
seeing another play on sunday. no matter how hard i try to lighten my social calendar in november and december (bc work is hell on a stick), somehow i always end up with a LOT going on and too little downtime. i guess i'll rest in 2017... if we make it that far. *sad lolz*
happy weekend, y'all.
Now also available on that other site!
***
saw a terrific and very ambitious play on thursday - VIETGONE at MTC - written by the creator of my beloved vampire cowboys and starring some familiar faces from their many fantastic productions. the play is deeply personal: it's the story of the playwright's parents escaping vietnam, ending up in a refugee camp in arkansas, and falling in love against the odds of loss, displacement, and the difficult adjustment to the immigrant life. i suspect the close-to-home nature of the story is the reason behind the complexity of the narrative (there are flashbacks upon flashbacks, layered with great overthought). yet the show overcomes most of this weight - occasionally going into extremes by, it seems, its own kinetic energy - but with great charm and emotional honesty. it is funny + smart + heartbreaking + insightful; there's ninjas + bikes + getting stoned + slo-mo fights + hip-hop. oh, and a full "romance montage" made up of classic swayze movie moments (including a pottery-making session and a dance-off with a character carrying the watermelon). it's also super sexy and filthy - you know i appreciate that in a play - and it takes a wrecking ball (reference intentional) to certain prejudices about sexuality, specifically of asian women.
most importantly and ambitiously, the play tells immigrant stories from the viewpoint of its characters rather than its american audiences; and in the process, it calls out the american complex of being the world's savior, directly + furiously + WOW i hope they release that song. (the protagonist raps at the audience, facing off quite literally against the injustice and insensitivity of the "american involvement in vietnam was such a mistake" mentality. it's remarkable and unafraid of being offensive and oh, so powerful.) speaking of: yes, there are hip-hop songs in the show. no, they didn't steal the idea from hamilton. they've been doing this for a decade of VC history, consisting of a ton of genre-bending, POC-casting, fannish multimedia plays. it's tremendous to see their creative vision busting into mainstream even elsewhere, bc they were always a part of that movement. one thing i noticed (and was charmed by) was that audience clapped after hip-hop songs as they would after songs in a musical; i guess that's hamilton's influence in action! :)
anywho. the cast, most of whom played multiple roles on stage, gave TREMENDOUS performances and more than deserved the standing ovation they got at curtain. i was so shaken by the final scene between the playwright and his father - intense and heartrending but also warm and full of connection - that i nearly sobbed my way out of the venue. or maybe i just cry more easily these days; who knows. bottom line: i'm really, really happy i got to see it, and i hope i'll be able to catch the rest of the plays in this cycle (5-part, apparently).
true story: a while back, i ran into one of the VC guys at a comedy show at bell house and flailed EXTREMELY awkwardly at him about how much i loved their work; gah, it was dreadful. (i'm way smoother in writing than in person, as some of you already know.) anyway, i mention it here and not on twitter bc another cast member started following me, and they were both in this production and apparently hang out a lot, so... yeah. (is this why people have separate locked accounts?! no one can live at that speed!!!)*
(*obligatory eddie izzard reference: check)
***
on friday night, went to the annual xmas show of the choral society at grace church, which was gorgeous and beautifully performed as ever. as always, we spent the time pondering what the hannibal xmas special episode would be like; continued to ship king wenceslas and his page (and not just because of that charm of magpies story); and tried not to laugh too much over "very god, much jesus" doge-ness of certain lyrics. hey, we all celebrate differently, mkay? (i love my friends.)
***
in catching-up-with-music news: yup, "starboy" and "false alarm" were intriguing and catchy singles... and the new weeknd album contains some truly excellent music... and also some very disappointing lyrics. (not very much ~art can be eked out of stunted emotional growth, and even his specific brand of nihilism needs a change of refrain sometimes.) best listened to on autopilot, i guess, and not too often or i'll get bored very quickly. note to self: in the future, don't preorder before hearing the whole thing.
***
seeing another play on sunday. no matter how hard i try to lighten my social calendar in november and december (bc work is hell on a stick), somehow i always end up with a LOT going on and too little downtime. i guess i'll rest in 2017... if we make it that far. *sad lolz*
happy weekend, y'all.
Now also available on that other site!