#YouWillBeFound: My thoughts on Dear Evan Hansen

Courtesy of Wikipedia

After over two years of listening to the original Broadway cast recording of Dear Evan Hansen, I finally got to see it on stage during its DC leg of the national tour. My husband and son got to see it, as well. My husband had listened to the soundtrack every so often, but my son was obsessed and even more excited than I was to see this performance.

When we walked into the theater, we kept hearing pings for the text messages that were flashing on the stage. The set was a mixture of simple furniture and digital media. It reminded me of the set for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, but even more modernized. Throughout the show, there were images showing some of the dialogue or what was written in various letters.

I knew the music pretty well, but I didn't know the context or setting for them, so it was neat to see how they fit into the story. It was also hard not to sing along. I have a new appreciation for "Words Fail," which seems slow on the soundtrack, but packs a punch during the show. I love how "Sincerely, Me" and "Good for You" were played out on stage. The only song I became emotional from was "You Will Be Found." They were showing the impact it had on random teenagers. Everyone had a really strong singing voice, which enhanced what I normally heard through my car stereo. 

The cast was small, but the actors were excellent. They worked well together in an ensemble. We saw Stephen Christopher Anthony as Evan. He was fantastic in the role and really made it his own. I had no idea what Evan's talking mannerism was like, but he did it really well. Starting later this month, he'll be playing Evan full-time on the national tour. Jessica Phillips played his mom, Heidi. She had a very powerful voice and great stage presence. I really liked Jared Goldsmith as Jared Kleinman. He was really funny. I know the role is meant to be funny anyway, but he just added a certain essence to it. Those were the three who really stood out to me, but everyone else gave great performances, whether it was through their singing, acting, or both. 

I went into the show expecting to cry the entire time. Spoiler alert: I barely cried. I got teary-eyed during the end of act one, but that was about it. I enjoyed the show and everything it stood for and I liked seeing how the story played out around the songs I knew so well. I went in knowing very little aside from the songs, in an attempt to not spoil the plot for myself. I just don't know if I personally connected with it the way I was hoping to. Maybe if I had been a teenager in this day and age? Or if it had been presented by Pixar? In any case, my son loved it and was totally moved by everything. I do appreciate the message that they were trying to put across, whether it's a way to prevent teen suicide or just a confidence and morale booster. It is important to know that everyone matters and deserves to be "seen." I'm glad I finally had a chance to see it and would definitely recommend it to others who haven't seen it yet. 

Just for fun...My son's Purim costume in 2018

Hakuna Matata!: My thoughts on The Lion King (live action)

Courtesy of Disney Movies

About five years ago, I shared a post declaring my love for The Lion King. I saw it in the theater more times than I can count and memorized a lot of the dialogue, as a result. Naturally, it was hard to watch the live action version without comparing and contrasting between the two. Instead of doing a normal review, I'm just going to share what worked and didn't work this time around. I am keeping it as spoiler free as possible, even though I assume most readers have seen the original at least once.

What worked:

*Keeping the original songs and score. While different people sang the songs, it was still nice that they weren't changed.

*The new song from Beyonce that played while adult Simba and Nala were running back home.

*Timon and Pumbaa. Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen did a great job in their roles and pretty much stole the show. The CGI versions were so cute! I also loved little Pumbaa during a flashback scene.

*All the CGI animals. They looked so real and baby Simba was, of course, adorable.

*John Oliver was perfect as Zazu. So funny too! I just wish they had done the part where he's singing "It's a Small World" to annoy Scar.

*Adding more of a purpose to Scar's cruelty. I felt like the backstory between Mufasa and Scar wasn't as prevalent in the original version.

*Rafiki's level of emotion. I think I got the most teary-eyed when he sadly wipes away the image of Simba on the tree and later when he excitedly updates the image.

*The visual effects. The scenery was perfect and I loved all the little butterflies flying around at one point.

*James Earl Jones coming back to do the voice of Mufasa. I wouldn't want it any other way!

*The quick, but fabulous, homage to Beauty and the Beast. (Even though I missed Timon doing the hula.)

What didn't work:

*The watered-down version of "Be Prepared". Scar basically talked through the lines and the hyenas yelled "be prepared!" That song is supposed to be chilling and it lost its essence this time around.

*Changing two of the hyenas' names. I didn't even know what they were and kept thinking that they were still Banzai and Ed.

*The lack of chemistry between Simba and Nala. I just didn't feel it. Like they were mad at each other, then they're suddenly frolicking together in waterfalls? It seemed like they rushed into "Can You Feel" too soon.

*Some of the funny lines being taken out. Like Timon telling Pumbaa "sit down before you hurt yourself." Also, Rafiki never said "Asante sana squash banana." And the hyenas did not say "Mufasa!" "Oooh, do it again." We were missing Ed's weird laugh (or whatever his name is now), as well.

*Scar's scar not being as pronounced. (I did like how mangy he looked though.)

Final thoughts:

While most of the movie was the same, it felt longer than the original. Maybe the fight scenes were dragged out a bit more? And while I went almost weekly to see the original in the theater, I can't say I'd do the same for this one. My daughter was scared of the hyenas and upset by the scene in the gorge, but afterward she told me she loved the movie.

I'd love to hear your thoughts if you've seen it.

Annual birthday book giveaway!

I love having birthdays, but I also enjoy giving other people gifts. I have a bunch of books to give away to TWO lucky readers! So, enter via the Rafflecopter below and two of you will get a box of random books. US only please, as I have to cover the shipping costs. (Sorry!)


a Rafflecopter giveaway


If the Rafflecopter doesn't work on the blog, go here.

Giveaway ends July 24th at midnight EST.

Thoughts on Stranger Things season 3-with SPOILERS

Courtesy of E! News

Instead of just sharing random observations and thoughts about season three, I'm going to share 10 things I loved and one thing I hated, to total up the magic number of 11. This was a shorter season, but more intense and scary than the previous two. It leaves things open for a fourth season, with a huge question at the end.....who is behind that door?

10 Things I loved:

1. Erica (Lucas' sister). She had some of the best lines and was so sassy. ("You can't spell America without Erica.") I love how Dustin was trying to prove that she was a nerd.

2. Dustin and Suzie singing "The Neverending Story" over a satellite connection.

3. Robin. She's a new character played by Maya Hawke, the daughter of Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke. She's so much fun to watch and manages to surprise me a lot.

4. Elle's clothing makeover to the tune of "Material Girl" and then her telling Mike "I dump your ass." I love how she and Max became close too.

5. The fact that most of the season takes place in a mall. It brings back fun 80's memories of stores long gone. It also makes me think of this.

6. That Mayor Kline is played by Cary Elwes, who was Wesley in The Princess Bride. It would have been even better if this took place in 1987 and there was a meta moment.

7. That because it is 1985, they get to see Back to the Future and talk about their first impressions. (Alex P. Keaton sleeping with his mom.)

8. Steve Harrington. That's all you need to know. :) Seriously, when he was beating up the Russian guy in the control room, I thought "Don't f-ck with the babysitter." He was just super cute this season in general.

9. When Mike confesses that he loves Elle when he doesn't think she can hear him. As much as I thought Mike was really awkward this season, it was such a sweet moment.

10. The dialogue between Hopper and Alexei involving slushy flavors. I love how riled up Hopper becomes. I also love how Joyce is more vocal and demanding this season.

One thing I hated: 
That Hopper is potentially dead. Some people are speculating that he's really the American behind the door, but I don't get how he could have survived that explosion. It was really sad at the end, hearing the speech he had written to share with Elle. I also was really shipping him with Joyce. They were supposed to go on a date!

I would love to hear your thoughts on season three. I miss this show already and hope it won't take too long to get to a fourth season. I can't wait another year and a half!

A Whole New World: My thoughts on Aladdin (live action)

Courtesy of RogerEbert.com

When Aladdin first came to theaters in 1992, I went to see it a few times. I loved it more and more each time I saw it.  I even choreographed a dance routine to "A Whole New World" during my junior year of high school. Over the years, I saw Aladdin many more times and eventually showed it to my kids. So I was excited to see the live action version when it arrived in theaters this weekend. There had been both good and bad reviews out there, so I didn't go in with high expectations. However, I ended up enjoying it a lot!

I didn't really know any of the actors other than Will Smith. I found out later that Alan Tudyk (King Candy, Hei Hei, Wash from Firefly, etc.) did the voice of Iago. I also didn't realize that Billy Magnussen was going to be in it, but his character seemed rather silly. Initially, I was skeptical about Will Smith playing the genie, but I felt he did a really good job in the role. He changed the rhythm of the songs a bit and it reminded me of when he was the Fresh Prince. He seemed to have fun playing such a monumental part, especially having to fill Robin Williams' shoes. He added his own style of humor and some sentimentality and it all just worked really well. I like that he was on screen more often as Aladdin's "sidekick" and he even had his own romantic side story. I like the way he was animated at certain points.

Aladdin was played by Mena Massoud, whom I instantly found attractive (he had a lot to measure up against since Aladdin was my first cartoon crush). He reminded me of Noah Centineo in the way he talked and smiled. I wouldn't say he had the best singing voice, but it held up fine.

Jasmine was played by Naomi Scott, whom I thought did a great job in this role. She was pretty, had a nice singing voice, and her character got more of a feminist angle than in the original. She performed a new song called "Speechless," which was written by Pasek and Paul (the duo behind Dear Evan Hansen and The Greatest Showman.) It was a good song, but I didn't think it needed to be broken into two parts. The first part should have been the main song and the second part should have been a shorter reprise. Or they should have just kept it as one song toward the end. There's one line she says to Hakim closer to the end that I felt could apply to a current situation. That's all I'll say for now though....

Marwan Kenzari played Jafar. He didn't have the same commanding presence as his animated predecessor, but he was still evil and sinister in his own ways. I hope that when they do a live action version of The Little Mermaid, they give Ursula more personality than they gave Jafar. The one letdown was Iago. They should have kept Gilbert Gottfried in the role with his classic lines. This new Iago was just a typical parrot.

Abu was super cute. I was surprised they didn't keep him as an elephant after Prince Ali, but maybe it didn't work well on that set. I like him better as a monkey anyway, and that worked better for him in some parts.

I liked the special effects a lot, especially the flying carpet during A Whole New World. The scenery and costumes were great too. They added new elements I liked that weren't in the original version, but also took some things out, such as all the Disney Easter eggs and some good lines (such as "Jafar, Jafar, he's our man. If he can't do it, GREAT!") Some parts felt a bit chaotic with too many people in one scene. I found myself laughing a lot, but I didn't cry. I felt some warm fuzzies at the end, but that was about it. I like that the lead characters actually did their own singing, unlike in the original when Brad Kane and Lea Salonga took over....not that I minded their voices). My husband mentioned several times that some parts felt sped up, like the dance scenes, and that didn't work for him. I didn't feel too strongly about it either way, as the movie was already longer than the original. I was just annoyed that we waited until after the credits to see if they'd do something else (like when the genie lifted the credits screen), but there was nothing.

Overall, it was an enjoyable two hours of music, magic, and entertainment. My husband wasn't as into it as I was, but my kids really liked it. I can't wait to see what the live action version of The Lion King will be like.

The Reader Problems Tag

Jenny at Book Coffee Happy did this Reader Problems Tag. While she didn't tag me, I still thought it would be fun to do and I will be tagging some other bloggers at the end. I'm doing it at my personal blog since it's just my thoughts and opinions.

You have 20,000 books on your TBR. How do you decide what to read next?

I have a five-book pile in my room. After I take one off the top, I add one to the bottom. With my Kindle, I usually have an idea of what I want to read, but sometimes I'll pick a title at random from a bag I put together with all the titles in it.

Current five-book pile

You’re halfway through a book and you’re just not loving it. Do you put it down or are you committed?

If I can't get into it by at least page 60, I'm done.

The end of the year is coming and you’re behind on your reading challenge. Do you try to catch up? And if so, how?

I try my best. I've read more than my challenge shows at this point because I'm so behind on reviewing!

The covers of a series you love do not match, how do you cope?

I don't really care.

Everyone and their mother loves a book that you do not. Who do you bond with over your shared feelings?

I usually find friends who have the same taste in books as I do. There are so many diverse opinions out there.

You’re reading a book in public and you’re about to start crying. How do you deal?

I usually hide my face behind the book.

The sequel to a book you loved just came out but you’ve forgotten a lot of what happens. Are you going to reread it?

No. I can only hope for a recap at the beginning.

You do not want anyone to borrow your books, how do you politely say no when someone asks?

Hahahaha. I always want people to borrow (and sometimes keep) my books.

You have picked up and put down five books in the last month. How do you get over this reading slump?

I haven't really had this problem other than with some books from book club. I guess I'm a rare breed.

There are so many books coming out that you are dying to read. How many do you end up buying?

I usually get them from the library or through publishers for my blog. I read up to three at a time in different formats.

After you purchase all of these books that you’re dying to read, how long do they sit on your shelf before you read them?

The overflowing bookshelves are my biggest problem. I give books away and more take their place. I still have so many I need to read and haven't gotten around to doing so yet. I've been trying to include some older books in my five-book pile, however. (Like ones I haven't gotten around to from previous years.)

I now tag The BookSage, Airing My Laundry, and Janine's Cool Cats and Reviews! Hope you'll play along, but anyone can even if they weren't tagged.

Decades of Laughter: The Goldbergs (Season 6) and Schooled (Season 1)

The Goldbergs

Courtesy of Amazon

I've been a fan of The Goldbergs ever since I started watching season one (and then had to binge watch to catch up to the latest season). My son and I even went as Beverly and Adam for Purim this past spring! So I am keeping up my tradition of mentioning my top 10 favorite episodes of the season. I already am excited for season SEVEN! I hope they'll feature Can't Buy Me Love, Adventures in Babysitting, and maybe some other lesser-known classics like Moving Violations.

Me and my shmoopie

After you check out my favorites for this season, keep reading for my thoughts on Schooled, the spin-off series.

Episode 3: Rad!
Erica's dreams come true when she lands a job at the new karaoke bar in town; Erica turns to Beverly for help bringing in more customers; Murray tries to teach Barry and Lainey how to be financially responsible adults.
Two words: Rick Springfield

Episode 6: Fiddler
Murray becomes an overzealous stage parent when he learns Adam has no interest in the school production of Fiddler on the Roof. Meanwhile, Beverly can't seem to keep from interfering with Erica's latest career plan.

Episode 7: Bohemian Rap City
Adam's obsession with toys and the Nickelodeon Super Toy Run contest is cause for concern for Beverly and Murray. Erica has a falling out with Lainey over who gets to sing Bohemian Rhapsody on their audition tape for Star Search.



Episode 11: The Wedding Singer
Beverly is in her element as she prepares for Barry and Lainey's wedding; Geoff worries about Adam's shortcomings as a wedding videographer; Barry begins to have second thoughts.
I love how they incorporated clips from The Wedding Singer.

Episode 15: My Valentine Boy
With Geoff's help, Erica and Valley Erica find a new band member to replace Lainey; Barry convinces Geoff the new band member is trying to steal Erica from him; Adam and Murray each plot to get out of going to Valentine's Day dinner with Beverly.
I learned after watching it that Evan Dando from The Lemonheads was the guy in their band. 

Episode 16: There Can Be Only One Highlander Club
Despite Beverly wanting the two boys to bond, Adam and Johnny Atkins compete for the head of the Highlander Club at school; Barry tries to ensure that the JTP doesn't fall out of touch after high school.

Episode 17: Our Perfect Strangers
Erica, Barry and Adam are not happy when their distant relative Gleb visits from Russia, until they realize he can make their lives easier; Beverly starts working on her cookbook, which causes tension with the Frentas.

Episode 19: Eight-bit Goldbergs
Adam is thrilled when he has to design his own video game for school; Beverly is worried about Pops' gambling and ropes Bill Lewis into her latest scheme.

Episode 22: Mom Trumps Willow
After Adam decides to see "Willow" instead of spending Mother's Day with Beverly, he must find a way to get back into her good graces; Barry is tired of his status as middle child and fights Erica for his right to the college of his choice.
I now tease my kids by saying "I'm done" if they're rude to me. 

Episode 23: Breakin'
Adam unintentionally lets it slip that Barry never completed his community service requirement; Erica makes plans for her and Geoff to follow the Grateful Dead all summer; the JTP graduates from high school.
I love how they used the end of this episode to lead into the season finale of Schooled.

Schooled

Courtesy of Amazon

Schooled originally started out as this one episode about William Penn Academy in the 90's, with just Mr. Glascott (now the principal) and Coach Mellor being featured. They focused on Glascott's sister and his nieces. I believe Beverly had a cameo. It was cute enough, but was too concerned about teachers making a difference. The only part I really liked was Felicia's sister singing a Backstreet Boys song and everyone joining in.

Then they revamped it as a new series, starring A.J. Michalka reprising her role as Lainey Lewis. And it totally worked! I can't even choose a favorite episode because it wasn't on for a full season and ALL of them were really good. It was a fun look at 90's nostalgia with some appearances by characters from The Goldbergs. It got me to actually like Brett Dier (I'm not a fan of Michael from Jane the Virgin, but seeing him as C.B. changed that for me a bit. I like him better as C.B. though, and definitely without facial hair.) I like how they interview teachers and former students at the end of each episode. I am hoping that they can tone down the sappiness a bit going forward. The show doesn't have to be sappy to get the message across. We know all teachers are there to make a difference, so it doesn't need to be said all that much. Having said that, I'm excited that it will be back for a second season and I hope they can keep the momentum going.

A few things I really liked:
*The "Romy and Michele" episode. There were a lot of characters from The Goldbergs on that one.
*The JTP coming back together.
*The way Coach Mellor took over as the mathletes coach
*RENT!!! (Even though they wouldn't have rights to perform RENT back then, it was fun to watch them try.)
*Johnny Atkins as the janitor
*Glascott trying to hack e-mails
*One of the kids singing an Alanis Morissette song in a talent show
*Beverly trying to help out with an overbearing parent
*The theme song and the way they use the yearbook to go along with it.

Check out the trailer for Schooled: