Tonight's picture was taken in June of 2009. Mattie created this Sponge Bob out of clay and as you can see, he decided to take a photo and pretend that Sponge Bob was his face. After Mattie died, we kept this clay Sponge Bob on display in Mattie's bedroom until the whole thing disintegrated.
Quote of the day: Music expresses that which cannot be put into words
and that which cannot remain silent. ~ Victor Hugo
Peter and I went to see a Broadway musical today at the
Kennedy Center entitled, Once. Once is a classic,"Guy-meets-Girl story." It is a Tony-winning Broadway show in which a
heartbroken Irish Guy (yes the main character's name is really GUY) meets a
Czech Girl (and yes her name in the story line is really "girl") in a
pub. Guy, a singer-songwriter, has decided to abandon his music because his
songs remind him too much of an ex-girlfriend. As he and "Girl"
warily get closer to each other, Guy finds that the music that once hurt can
now help him heal.
I have to admit this is like NO Broadway show I have ever seen. First of which, before the show starts, the audience is invited up on stage to interact with the cast. The scenery is a pub, and all the cast are serving drinks to audience members (of course you have to purchase them). But it is a very interesting idea, in which you get to be up on stage, see their vantage point, interact with the cast before the show and at intermission, and before the show starts the cast actually entertains the audience by playing musical instruments on the stage for you.
That is part one of the difference. The second big difference from any other Broadway show I have seen is there is NO orchestra. There is no orchestra because EVERY cast member on stage plays an instrument. Most play multiple instruments and VERY well. This is a multi-talented cast that can play instruments, sing, and dance. Almost unheard of in a way. There is no conductor and how all these actors/musicians know how to time one another and keep each other on cue is really quite remarkable.
As for the story line, I must admit it left me perplexed. The Washington Post's review claims this show was uplifting. I never read a review before going to a show because I do not like to be biased by it. But I really wonder about the Post. Which is not atypical for me, I usually do not agree with the Post's review and this is another case in point.
Once is emotional, deep, and in a way heartbreaking. It is about unrequited love. It doesn't produce the happy ending we all wish for..... with love winning in the end. It isn't a Disney plot here, so the word UPLIFTING and HOPEFUL are truly not words I would be using here. Though I realize this was the intention of the composer of the musical, so clearly something did not resonate with me, like it did with countless others who saw this musical. With that said, I do think the musical is worth seeing for the sheer talent of what it took to perform this play and because it does address emotional content that we as human beings can all relate to..... great pain, sadness, and not knowing how to cope and manage such intense feelings. This musical illustrates that with the help of just one person our lives can be altered and helped through a crisis, such a ONCE in a lifetime connection will never be forgotten. It changes the trajectory of our life for the better.
Trailer for Once:
http://www.kennedy-center.org/explorer/videos/?id=A84463
Review of Once:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater_dance/once-again-bares-the-soul-of-a-dublin-busker-this-time-on-stage/2015/07/09/4c184842-2663-11e5-b72c-2b7d516e1e0e_story.html
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