The Color Purple

I made it to see The Color Purple while it was on tour last season.  I could say it was my Thanksgiving gift to myself. I'm glad I went to see it. After hearing so much about it while it was on Broadway and not being able to make it to New York, I was elated when it finally came on tour.

Having said that, I must admit that, for me, the hype had me so excited that the musical itself was a little of a let down.  Let me qualify this by saying that the music was great. The singers were great. I even got to see Latoya London from American Idol playing Nettie and that was very exciting for me.  I think what let me down wasn't the music itself, or the acting, but the storyline.  The story of The Color Purple has been present in my life through book and movie for almost all of my life.  So much so that when the movie comes on TV, I don't even watch it anymore. I avoid that channel at all cost because, while I don't want to see it, if I flip past it, I will stop and recite the lines I know by heart along with the movie. I've read the novel by Alice Walker three times.  I think part of me was thinking that the playwrights of the musical would have taken some creative license with the storyline and changed or added some things, like they do in movies.  They did add some things for the benefit of fitting in the songs (like the scene for Push the Button) but there was so much that was pretty much exactly like the book or movie that I found myself wanting to fast-forward to the next song.  But, that was my issue & my issue only.  I went with a friend who absolutely loved it in its entirety.  So to each her own.  I don't regret seeing it, I still think it was money well spent, I just expected more.

Having said that, I must say that I was exceptionally disappointed in the AUDIENCE! You know how they have the announcement every time before a play or musical stating to "please refrain from taking flash photography during the performance" or "taking pictures during the show is prohibited" and "please silence or turn off your cell phones."  Well, leave it to the one musical I go to, with a predominately black (us) audience and a predominately black cast to have folks taking pictures with flash DURING THE SHOW and cell phones ringing in both sections of the show (before and after intermission).  You know that part of you that wants to look around in aggravation and exclaim "are you serious?" I spent a good part of the musical suppressing that part because that wouldn't make me any different than them.  But it was so disappointing.  It was also disappointing to realize how many people have not read the book! I mean, come on! Its an African-American Fiction Classic!!!! You should have heard the audible, loud gasp that went through the crowd when Celie said her baby was her daddy's baby, and then later that her daddy was her step-daddy!!! Come on people!

So anyway, that was that experience. I probably will not go see it again as I have other musicals because, while it is a classic, I have been inundated with The Color Purple all my life....I'm classic-ed out. lol

Getting Back

Ok, it's been a while since I've posted here. The last few months have been so packed with deaths and births and other, time consuming activities as well as starting a new blog and a new journey that I have neglected to continue working on the blog dedicated to my passions. I have not stopped reading. I have not stopped attending shows. I just haven't taken the time share them here, so those things will be coming and coming soon. I haven't forgotten about you, blog nation, I just took a little break.

More to come.

My Holiday Love

I know that many focus on different things during the holiday season. As we are different people with different backgrounds and interests, our tastes are destined to be different. Me? I love the decor. I love the music. I love driving around and seeing other people's lights (because I'm too lazy to deck the outside of my house). But I think what I love most about the holiday season are the shows. The Nutcracker, The Trans-Siberian Orchestra (though they are not coming to my neck of the woods this year), The Symphony. The same shows every year, but because they only play during the holiday season, they are something I look forward to year after year. This year, I get to treat myself and my mom to The Lion King! I literally cannot wait. I bought my tickets 9 months ago and have been sitting on them looking forward to this weekend all year long. Now, it's just a few days away and I am excited to see it. I'm excited for my mom to see it with me. I love being able to share things like this with her. After that, it's Christmas parties and social gatherings and OH! I'm going to Christmas Town this year! I can't wait to see that and to take some pics to enhance my own display at home! To be completely surrounded by the sights and sounds of Christmas in...get this...GERMANY!!!! I couldn't believe when I saw that was the theme for this year. I'll do a blog later about my love of German and Russian history and where that came from, but that is nothing short of the bee's knees for me and I am super excited! Keeping in mind what this season means for me, both as a Christian and as a lover of wonder and fantasy makes this season an awesome experience...even if it got here so fast that it feels like it just left.

Such a loss

Tonight I lost a near and dear friend. I am positively numb right now. I can't feel anything. My arms, my legs, my head...all numb. I don't want to sleep & I can't believe that he isn't here anymore. I can't believe that I'll never hug him again. I'll never hear his laughter or see his smile. I'll never watch him saunter/strut around the grounds at church anymore. I don't know if this hurts the same or more than it did when I lost my step-dad. My step-dad was sick for a year before he died. My friend was sick for 2 weeks. And now he's gone. I was talking to him last night, going over the football scores, and tonight he's gone. I gave him a hug and a kiss last night before I left his room, and tonight he's gone. All I feel is that he's gone. I've lost. His wife has lost. His kids have lost. His grand kids have lost. He was my extra dad. My backup plan. I dreamed of him walking me down the aisle if I ever got married (since my dad & I don't have the best relationship). I dreamed of him holding my future children and caring for them and being an example to them of what it really meant to be a strong, black, caring man. Now I have none of that. I didn't have 1 dream for my near future that he wasn't in. I feel like I've lost a part of me. A piece of my heart. He means so much to me and now he's gone. And I'm at a loss. I don't even know what else to say. I spent the whole day helping his family and I'm just getting to deal with me. I feel alone. Empty. Lost.

Breaking Dawn (Spoilers!!)

So I finished the last novel in the Twilight series last night & I must say, I really enjoyed it. Coming from my standpoint, I can't see why so many people had issues with this final book. My only "issue" so-to-speak is that it was sooo long. She could have truly gotten 2 or even 3 books out of that 1 novel. But she chose not to & I read it so...issue squashed. There were many things I truly liked about this story. Number 1, it goes so easily into non-sleeping vampire Bella that I didn't realize for a long while that, while Jacob and the baby slept, she didn't. Duh, that's part of the vampire twist in this book! I loved the whole birth and changing scene! It did great for allowing me to use my imagination and I actually it twice. The other transition that was so smooth that I almost missed it was them calling Bella's ability to block out everyone, or not be read by anyone, a "shield." By the time I realized it they were prepping for battle. I could keep going on. The battle/showdown was really good and gave a distinct look at the corruption of the volturri and an understanding of why Carlisle decided to part their company years ago. So, without giving too much away, the book was really good. Even though I didn't want to see the series end, the ending felt like the end. Like there was no need to go any further and no need to know anything else. After all, once Edward, Bella, Renesmee & Jacob are safe & all happily ever after, what else is there? How much attention could be gathered & kept in a story about any of the other characters, including Renesmee & Jacob, without Bella & Edward? I might pick the book up, but I don't know if I'm going to get that far in reading it. I read the whole book & the only part I truly focused on of Jacob's story was Renesmee's birth...because that involved Bella. Now don't get me wrong, I remember his whole story, but his voice, his mindset wasn't as enthralling as Bella's. So, I'm going to let this go. All in all, I am glad that I decided to pick the books up and read them. I'm glad they were different from the other stories out there and I'm glad I read and remember them from cover to cover...I think! Next...The Passage by John Cronin. There are a few books in between, but that's the next vampire book I'm slated to read.