For me, the weekend included that rare visit from a touring symphony orchestra...in this case, playing the music from "Star Wars" at Conseco Fieldhouse. I'll discuss that event in an upcoming post. I also squeezed in a fair amount of reading in preperation for an upcoming column.
How about you? Did you listen to "Messiah"? Take the trip with the Civic folks to see the Ozian wizard? Watch a lot of holiday specials on TV?
Your thoughts?
Back to Top
IBJ Conversations
8 Comments
Add Comment
For my thoughts on this year's "Yuletide Celebration," click here: www.ibj.com/arts
I went to see "The Wizard of Oz" at Civic Theatre Friday night. It was outstanding! A real treat. I could have done with less smoke or fog or whatever it was that blanketed the theatre from time to time, but other than that, I had a wonderful, wonderful evening filled with one theatrical delight after another.
I also went to see "Jewtopia" again at Theatre on the Square on Sunday night. Partly this was because I really wanted to see a show but had to work at my day job in the afternoon and therefore missed Handel's "Messiah" at St. Paul's Episcopal Church and all of the afternoon shows in theatres around town. The TOTS show starts at 5pm on Sundays.
But I also went because someone in the audience at Civic told me that one of the leads in "Jewtopia" had had to drop out. I was curious about who was replacing him.
It was Christopher Hansen, the technical director at the Phoenix Theatre. Who knew he was such a cutie? Or such a good actor?
I am still having writer's block about writing about "Jewtopia" in general, but I'm sure that will pass in a day or two. I hope.
Hope Baugh
Indy Theatre Habit
Comedian Lewis Black came back to Indy last Saturday to present his sideways and self-deprecating style of comedic observations of the world. Love that guy.
The author, Elna Baker, grew up fat, funny, and over-protected in a Mormon family that lived in Seattle, Spain, and London. Her parents wanted her to go to a Mormon university in Utah, but they reluctantly allowed her to study acting at a university in New York City instead. This book tells about her first few years in NYC.
She loses a lot of weight, kisses a lot of men (but that's all), and tries to figure out what is "real" about her religious upbringing and what is not, all while writing and performing.
I loved that her book was about many things. I.e. it is not just a faith-struggles book or a weight-struggles book or a figuring-out-my-sexuality-book or a coming-of-age book or any one thing.
I also loved that when she dropped a bunch of weight, her life just became different, not necessarily better. Her sister was still prettier, for example.
I also loved the book's tone: a cross between snarky and vulnerable.
Not everyone I know loves this book, though. One friend hated that the author delights in being a liar, for example. I didn't like that part, either, but I thought the other parts made up for it.
Hope Baugh
Indy Theatre Habit