Hamilton

Hamilton the musical is the hottest thing since sliced bread these days. It just won 11 Tonys after being nominated for a record-setting 16. It's kind of a big deal.

Back in 2005 I bought the Hamilton biography by Ron Chernow. I was extremely excited to buy this book. I have always loved American history, and this book was fairly popular at the time I purchased it. I even remember where I bought it - at the Sears Grand in Jordan Landing because I had a coupon. I started reading it. But never actually finished it. Not even close.

When I moved to New York, I was still quite taken with Alexander Hamilton even though I had not come close to finishing the biography in the year I had it. Even still, when we were in Philadelphia on our way to New York I insisted on getting my photo taken with the First National Bank.

The caption I put with this photo on Facebook: Big fan of Alexander Hamilton, so this was a big deal for me. 

While in New York, I took a couple opportunities to visit Hamilton landmarks. The first was a statue of him in Hamilton Heights and the home he lived in while uptown (where it's quiet).

A little bit later I took a day to travel the Staten Island Ferry and check out the grave site of Hamilton and Eliza in the Financial District.

 

I lost my interest in Hamilton and the biography has sat unread on my bookshelf. Lin-Manual Miranda, however, did not lose interest and read the biography all the way through. And then he created a fantastic hip-hop musical about the life and legacy of the bastard, orphan, son of a whore, Scotsman. I've taken the biography off the shelf, and have listened to the Broadway cast recording on repeat.

Things Happen

Every once in awhile I hear a song that is so unforgettable and moving that I become obsessed with it. Currently that song is "Things Happen" by Dawes. I know nothing of the band.Or any of their other songs, really. I heard the song at least twice back in April/May because Shazam tells me so. However, I heard it again earlier this week and knew I needed to get this song immediately.

Wikipedia tells me that Dawes' genre is "Folk rock, indie folk, indie rock." Which is literally my cup of tea when it comes to music. I also learned that one of the members (who actually just left the band a couple days ago for "musical differences") is the son of actor David Strathairn.

I love the sound of the song. I know nothing, really, about music except how it sounds. And I like this sound of guitars and keyboards and a xylophone. Then there are the lyrics. I am notorious for finding a way to relate every song I hear to my life. The title of the song is practically a sum up of my last couple relationships, Things Happen.
     "I don't know what else you wanted me to say to you. Things happen, that's all they ever do."

Or this really fabulous line:
     "Sometimes we're lovers, sometimes we're friends.
       Behold the magnetism between two dead ends."

And then I watched the video on YouTube and it solidified my love for the song even more. The protagonist of the music video is a street musician, and on this day he gets interrupted and followed by a bunch of wacky street performers (Charlie Chaplin, Elivs and Marilyn Monroe impersonators, along with a dancing crazy person). He rides the bus home looking dejected and annoyed with how his day went (presumably he wanted to make money, or just share his music with the people of LA).

When he gets home he is surprised by a birthday party in the backyard, full of people who love him. His grandma hugs him, he blows out candles, and general fun and merriment occur. I just love that! When we feel kicked around by life and like we can't catch a break, there are people who love us.

That's true for me, and I hope that's true for you.

(There's also a stripped down live version, which I also love. )

Footloose

This weekend I had the pleasure of attending my first theatrical performance in Topeka--Seaman High School's production of Footloose. My "second mom", Terry, works there and she had fun seeing the students she knows in the production (I thought about you, Phaedra!). The kids were all great; I love seeing young kids getting involved in the arts and perhaps discovering something they love. (I will have to write a post about my turn in my high school's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.)

After seeing the play I couldn't get the music out of my head. Since I'm into indulging anything I'm obsessed with, I watched the new version on Netflix and the classic original today (can I just digress here a bit and say how much I love my new t.v. and its wi-fi capabilities that let me watch Netflix and Amazon Instant Video on it).

The original is really a classic. Whenever I think of Kevin Bacon, I think of Footloose. To me, it's the movie that defines him. I can remember watching it when I was a kid and just dancing like a crazy kid to the title song. For some reason we really liked the "kick off your Sunday shoes..please, Louise..." line. The remake is a fun movie too, but if you've seen the original it does  just feel like the same movie with different people. The new Ren does a pretty good job of dancing, but, like the original, the character of Ariel is annoying. I also like John Lithgow's preacher better than Dennis Quaid's because it feels more real. I also liked seeing the mountains of Utah in the original.

I think I just might have to download the soundtrack now.

Can You O.D. on Les Mis?

A few weeks ago I thought I had reached Les Mis over-saturation. The London cast recording and movie soundtrack were the only things I listened to while driving and at home. I had a Pandora Les Miserables station that I listened to at work. So to be sure I went to my fourth viewing of the film.

Turns out there is no such thing as over-saturation! The music is still on repeat on my iPod and Spotify account. And today, because I needed to use a Free Popcorn coupon and there was nothing else I wanted to see, I saw it again for viewing number five. And it just never gets old.

More and more "Stars" becomes one of my favorite songs. Russell Crowe does not deserve any of the bad press he has gotten for his singing. And I never tire of hearing "Do You Hear the People Sing?"--it's so rousing and angry and beautiful. I'll also never tire of Gavroche running and singing around the streets of Paris, or of Eddie Redmayne and his freckled face singing to his lost comrades. I'll never tire of Jean Valjean doing the right thing, forgiving and sparing Javert, learning to love and care for others, for turning his life around.

Someday soon I will blog about things that don't involve Les Miserables. But it's not because I don't want to. :)

Bittersweet Endings

Whenever I finish a really good book I'm always left with a bittersweet feeling. I love having spent time in another world with exciting characters, and I always feel a sense of satisfaction on completion. But I also feel sad that I'm done! Never again will I be able to experience the story again for the first time. I no longer get to inhabit the places the characters live or go through their struggles and triumphs.

I just finished Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth after a week of consuming it in every spare moment I had. This book is nearly a thousand pages long! The story is incredible and spans decades as a cathedral is built in England during The Anarchy when King Henry I has died with no lawful heir besides a daughter and an illegitimate son. The fight for the crown is the secondary story which propels much of what the main characters must go through. There's fighting, pillaging, beheadings, cursings, religious strife, true love, evil bishops, witches, cathedral building.

This book has some really strong women, which I like. Aliena, the displaced Earl's daughter, endures setback after setback, but always finds a way to rise above it. She is resourceful and strong and doesn't take crap from anyone. She knows what she wants and she does everything in her power to achieve it. Unfortunately, this does cause her to make one astoundingly bad choice, but even that she overcomes.

There's a fair amount of violence and sex in the book, so I recommend it with those caveats. There's also a Starz miniseries production of the book. I of course became interested in it because Eddie Redmayne stars in it. The miniseries is good as well, but the book will give you more detail and nuances. The miniseries also has taken some liberties with the book to make it more cinematic and to move the story along a little faster.

The Obsession Continues

Like I said, when I have an obsession I like to indulge it. So today I saw Les Miserables again. This makes the third showing of the movie in a week. I just can't get enough of it! I love experiencing something so moving with complete strangers--to know that we all cry and are moved by the same thing. Seriously, everyone around me was wiping away tears and blowing their noses.

Also, I might have a slight crush on Eddie Redmayne, who plays Marius. Which actually isn't surprising. Apparently, the Daily Beast is referring to him, Ben Whishaw and Andrew Garfield as the "New Brit Pack"--with all of them being "spindly and expertly coiffed". Ha! That's exactly why I like each one of them! Nice to know someone else has caught on to what makes a man attractive (to me at least). In my unfinished review of Skyfall there was a decent amount dedicated to Q.

Encore

After seeing Les Miserables last Friday, I became slightly obsessed. The London cast recording has been playing on repeat all weekend. And since I like to indulge my passions, I decided to take my mom and sister to see it today. And it rocked! Maybe I needed to familiarize myself with the story to enjoy it more, because I was totally into it this time around.

Everyone, including Russell Crowe, is pretty awesome. I don't get all the flak Crowe is getting for his singing. Anna Hathaway is crazy good. That tear that falls out from Marius' eye while he sings "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" kills me. I get chills when "Do You Hear the People Sing?" and "Red and Black" are performed.

I again cried during "I Dreamed a Dream", it's that good. Em barely shed a tear, while my mom lost it when Gavroche was shot. She burst into tears again while we were sitting through the credits. Seriously, the story is so moving and inspiring.

My Obsessions

I can get obsessed about things very easily. And when I do, they tend to over take my life. It happened with Lost and hummus and making granola. This is what I'm currently obsessed with.

Fun.



This song by Gotye. It perfectly captures the feelings after a break-up.



The television show Bent. I'm obsessed with Amanda Peet and her fabulous hair.



What is everyone else obsessed with?