More blather
Jun. 1st, 2008 10:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stonehenge1121Well it's been a busy few weeks here at la Casa. There's been quite a bit of landscaping going on, and our yard has found a bit of character. So far we've dug up a large part of the lawn for (and started to plant) flower beds, added a metric butt-ton of topsoil, put in a tree, and added a few more lilacs around the deck. (Pictures can be found here: http://s78.photobucket.com/albums/j97/stonehenge1121/landscaping/)
Then last night, as a treat and reward for out hard work we went to see Wicked. The seats were good, the show was spectacularly ...meh. Don't get me wrong, I usually like musicals. I've seen Les Mis so many times that I can nearly go word for word with the leads and the soundtracks for Rent and Avenue Q are on rotation for any long road trip. But Wicked ...meh. There was almost nothing to draw me in, and no 'reach out and grab you' songs until the close of the first act hit with 'Defying Gravity'. The big problem (for me) is the dual female lead ...Elphaba is a mezzo-soprano, and (at least when we saw it) a very good one. Glinda, however is a soprano, and her pitch veered between fingernails-on-chalkboard and high-pitch-whine. It was doubly unfortunate that their voices - at least in the first act - rarely blend well. For the first time in all my trips to the theatre, I found myself thinking about the other things I could be doing …like yard work! I sincerely hope that Glinda was just having a bad performance - a hope given life by the fact that the second act showed a better harmonization between the two female leads. But the second act was better, and I enjoyed that it pulled me in a bit.
No matter how bad the day, I got to spend it with Kate. We had a fabulous dinner, and a great time enjoying each others company and just hanging out together.
Sunday was more hard work on the yard in the morning. But we were done and cleaned up by about 2. (ok, not really *done* done, but we ran out of topsoil so we couldn’t plant anything else) So we cleaned up and went to a benefit for a local Irish musician who’s been battling illness for quite a while – it was his first performance in 8 months. Wow, did the community come out and support him! There must’ve been 4 or 5 hundred people in that little hall, several bands donated their time, many local Irish businesses gave items for an auction and a grand time was had by all. Plus we found a fantastic BBQ joint to have dinner at – could it get any better???
Then last night, as a treat and reward for out hard work we went to see Wicked. The seats were good, the show was spectacularly ...meh. Don't get me wrong, I usually like musicals. I've seen Les Mis so many times that I can nearly go word for word with the leads and the soundtracks for Rent and Avenue Q are on rotation for any long road trip. But Wicked ...meh. There was almost nothing to draw me in, and no 'reach out and grab you' songs until the close of the first act hit with 'Defying Gravity'. The big problem (for me) is the dual female lead ...Elphaba is a mezzo-soprano, and (at least when we saw it) a very good one. Glinda, however is a soprano, and her pitch veered between fingernails-on-chalkboard and high-pitch-whine. It was doubly unfortunate that their voices - at least in the first act - rarely blend well. For the first time in all my trips to the theatre, I found myself thinking about the other things I could be doing …like yard work! I sincerely hope that Glinda was just having a bad performance - a hope given life by the fact that the second act showed a better harmonization between the two female leads. But the second act was better, and I enjoyed that it pulled me in a bit.
No matter how bad the day, I got to spend it with Kate. We had a fabulous dinner, and a great time enjoying each others company and just hanging out together.
Sunday was more hard work on the yard in the morning. But we were done and cleaned up by about 2. (ok, not really *done* done, but we ran out of topsoil so we couldn’t plant anything else) So we cleaned up and went to a benefit for a local Irish musician who’s been battling illness for quite a while – it was his first performance in 8 months. Wow, did the community come out and support him! There must’ve been 4 or 5 hundred people in that little hall, several bands donated their time, many local Irish businesses gave items for an auction and a grand time was had by all. Plus we found a fantastic BBQ joint to have dinner at – could it get any better???
