3 years of Blogsphemy!!!
Dude, I've been blogging for 3 years now. Happy Birthday to my blog, I guess. Instead of listing a 'best of the year' list of entries, I thought I'd ask you, my blog readers this:
Of the entries you've read, what's your favorite blog post I've ever penned? Feel free to leave your answer as a comment.
In other news, I might be in Porgy & Bess this summer. Let me explain. I was offered one of the spoken roles. I'd be one of the following: white detective, white lawyer or white coroner. Luckily, UAO is using a performance edition which doesn't include the "n" word--which appears often (and uttered by both blacks and whites) in a crusty old edition I found at the WU library, so I won't feel bad playing a representation of "the man" in this opera.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee was a charming laugh-riot. It was a witty, outrageous, and often bittersweet exploration of all the neuroses one might discover in gifted and talented children and how these gifts/talents affect the way they grow up (for better or worse). The play had its outrageously hilarious moments, like watching an allergy-ridden know-it-all explain his secret weapon: his "magic foot" that spells out the words for him. There were also very bittersweet moments, too, including a short monologue from a young asian parochial-school student who, when the commentator lists off one of her many accolades, adds this: "Did they also tell you that I only sleep 3 hours a night, hide for several hours in a cupboard, and I'm never allowed to cry?" Wow. Nevertheless, the show has a very happy ending (even for the spelling bee losers).
Before the show started, two of the touring show's understudies approached patrons in the lobby, asking if they'd be interested in participating in the "Bee" that evening and mentioning that 4 lucky audience members would be selected to compete alongside the "children" in the show. Not wanting to pass up this opportunity, I interviewed for a chance at participation. Most likely due to my seat location (nosebleed), I was not selected, but that's ok. The four that were chosen had varying levels of spelling ability: one man went out after only one word (Jihad-- he spelled it G-E-H-A-D); another kept spelling things right to the point that the "word caller" had to repeatedly call him up. (You could sense that for the sake of the show, the actors try to efficently eliminate the audience members.)
One of the many funny parts of this show was the "accolades" the bee-commentator would spout off as a particular speller approached the microphone (i.e. "Logainne Schwartzandgrubenniere is President of the Gay/Straight Alliance at her elementary school.") Two of my favorite accolades were said in reference to the audience spellers:
(to a middle-aged woman in a stylish pantsuit:) "Ms. Jean Simpson's secret tactic is to intimidate the other spellers by dressing like their mom!"
(to a young girl, about 10 or 11:) "A child prodigy, Miss Emily Smith is currently composing an opera in Braille!"
The show had a few local references, too:
"I've never done a Bee in a Siamese-Byzantine gym before..."
"Well, our Bee was going to be officiated by our mayor Francis Slay, but he's just called to say he's stuck in construction on 'highway fahrty,' but reports say that the construction should be done soon...right?"
(in a 'where did they end up?' montage:) "Logainne Schwartzandgrubenniere was appointed to Secretary of Education under President Claire McCaskill."
What fun! The show ended its tour last night in St. Louis, and I'm very glad indeed to have seen it.
Of the entries you've read, what's your favorite blog post I've ever penned? Feel free to leave your answer as a comment.
In other news, I might be in Porgy & Bess this summer. Let me explain. I was offered one of the spoken roles. I'd be one of the following: white detective, white lawyer or white coroner. Luckily, UAO is using a performance edition which doesn't include the "n" word--which appears often (and uttered by both blacks and whites) in a crusty old edition I found at the WU library, so I won't feel bad playing a representation of "the man" in this opera.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee was a charming laugh-riot. It was a witty, outrageous, and often bittersweet exploration of all the neuroses one might discover in gifted and talented children and how these gifts/talents affect the way they grow up (for better or worse). The play had its outrageously hilarious moments, like watching an allergy-ridden know-it-all explain his secret weapon: his "magic foot" that spells out the words for him. There were also very bittersweet moments, too, including a short monologue from a young asian parochial-school student who, when the commentator lists off one of her many accolades, adds this: "Did they also tell you that I only sleep 3 hours a night, hide for several hours in a cupboard, and I'm never allowed to cry?" Wow. Nevertheless, the show has a very happy ending (even for the spelling bee losers).
Before the show started, two of the touring show's understudies approached patrons in the lobby, asking if they'd be interested in participating in the "Bee" that evening and mentioning that 4 lucky audience members would be selected to compete alongside the "children" in the show. Not wanting to pass up this opportunity, I interviewed for a chance at participation. Most likely due to my seat location (nosebleed), I was not selected, but that's ok. The four that were chosen had varying levels of spelling ability: one man went out after only one word (Jihad-- he spelled it G-E-H-A-D); another kept spelling things right to the point that the "word caller" had to repeatedly call him up. (You could sense that for the sake of the show, the actors try to efficently eliminate the audience members.)
One of the many funny parts of this show was the "accolades" the bee-commentator would spout off as a particular speller approached the microphone (i.e. "Logainne Schwartzandgrubenniere is President of the Gay/Straight Alliance at her elementary school.") Two of my favorite accolades were said in reference to the audience spellers:
(to a middle-aged woman in a stylish pantsuit:) "Ms. Jean Simpson's secret tactic is to intimidate the other spellers by dressing like their mom!"
(to a young girl, about 10 or 11:) "A child prodigy, Miss Emily Smith is currently composing an opera in Braille!"
The show had a few local references, too:
What fun! The show ended its tour last night in St. Louis, and I'm very glad indeed to have seen it.