Lights Up on Washington Heights: Review of In the Heights

Courtesy of IMDb

When I first started this blog, I posted about how much I love In the Heights. Since seeing it on Broadway in 2009, I've seen it twice more on stage. The first time was at a community college theater, where I took my older son to see it for the first time. I fell in love with it all over again, and he got really into it too. The second time was at a local professional theater, where Robin de Jesus (who I originally saw as Sonny on Broadway) was playing Usnavi. Another wonderful performance! So when I found out it was going to become a movie, I was ecstatic. It was originally slated for last summer, but due to the pandemic, it was postponed. However, I finally got to see it this past weekend....and it was amazing! Anything mentioned below will only be a bit of a spoiler if you've seen it on stage. (And I'm not including some aspects as to not completely spoil the way the movie plays out.)

There are a bunch of differences between the stage production and the movie, but I thought the movie did a great job of fitting the songs into the story in a different way. The songs were not in the same order as they were in the stage production. I first noticed this with "Benny's Dispatch" coming in before "Breathe." "Paciencia y Fe" was moved to after "Blackout" and before "Alabanza." "It Won't Be Long Now" came in after "No Me Diga." "Piragua" came before "When You're Home", etc. A few songs were taken out altogether, including "Inutil," "Sunrise," "Hundreds of Stories", "Enough," and "Everything I Know." Certain plot points were also changed as a way of excusing the songs from being in the movie. 

What they did with the songs that were included was nothing short of incredible. I loved how "96,000" was set at their local pool and all the choreography in the water. "Carnaval Del Barrio" was a lot of fun too, with Daphne Rubin-Vega (Mimi from the Original Broadway Cast of Rent) leading it as Daniela. I loved Lin-Manuel as the piragua guy singing his one song and somewhat duking it out with Mr. Softee, played by Christopher Jackson (Benny from the OBC of In the Heights and George Washington from the OBC of Hamilton). 

Anthony Ramos was perfect as Usnavi. He almost made me forget that Lin-Manuel originally starred in that role on Broadway. He had a very strong supporting cast and it just felt like everyone enjoyed each other's company the entire time. Most of the cast was new to me, but Olga Merediz played Abuela Claudia once again. I also was familiar with Jimmy Smits and thought he was great as Kevin (Nina's father). The kid who played Sonny (Gregory Diaz IV) was great too. He reminded me of Betty's nephew from Ugly Betty, at least in looks. I found out that he's only 16 in real life, but was probably closer to 14 or 15 when this was filmed. Both Corey Hawkins (Benny) and Melissa Barrera (Vanessa) were great and their voices had a Rent quality to them. I enjoyed watching Leslie Grace as Nina, as well. As I mentioned before, Daphne Rubin-Vega played Daniela and she fit the role better than I was expecting. I liked Stephanie Beatriz and Dascha Polanco (Daya from Orange is the New Black) as Carla and Cuca, respectively. I had no idea until later that Marc Anthony played Sonny's father! While I did miss Nina's mom, I get why they wrote her out of the story. 

The scenery made such a huge difference between seeing it on stage and seeing it on film. They really brought Washington Heights to life. I've never been in that part of NYC, but I enjoyed taking it all in. (I used to think the bodega was outside because of how it looked on stage.) I love how busy everything looked all the time, with people just going about their usual business while singing at the same time and everyone hanging out on their front steps. I really got a sense of community from watching everything play out on film. 

There was also an element of magical realism, which I wasn't expecting. I love how the wig heads were moving around during "No Me Diga" and how they were drawing things with their hands in "96,000." However, dancing and walking sideways on a building in "When the Sun Goes Down" just made me nervous. It had a La La Land quality to it though.

Since I knew all the songs, it was nice to be able to focus on everything else going on, but I still feel like I missed a lot because so much was happening. Like certain cameos from actors who were in the Broadway cast at some point. I did catch the Hamilton Easter egg though. That was hard to miss!

In the Heights is written in such a way that it could take place in a variety of time periods. It's fluid and doesn't have to be stuck in the early 2000s. This time around, there was more focus on Dreamers and being undocumented. This added an extra essence and some more depth to the story. 

Overall, I laughed, cried, tried very, very, VERY hard not to sing along, got caught up in the beauty and chaos, and just loved it so much. I already want to watch it again! If you haven't seen it yet (or if you have and missed doing so), watch to the very end for an extra special treat. ;) 

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The Goldbergs-Season 8 with SPOILERS

Courtesy of The Goldbergs Wiki

I'm keeping up my tradition of mentioning my top 10 favorite episodes of the most recent season. I am looking forward to season NINE! I worry that they're going to run out of references soon. Like I said last year, I hope they'll feature Can't Buy Me Love, Adventures in Babysitting, and maybe some other lesser-known classics like Moving Violations in the next season. Grease 2 is fair game, as well! (I know I'm repeating last year's post, but they still haven't covered these movies.) UHF would be another fun one to do.

Synopses courtesy of IMDb. 

1. Episode 1: Airplane!
Beverly surprises the family with an end-of-summer vacation to Miami; Geoff accidentally spills to Erica the real reason for the trip.

Airplane! is one of my favorite comedy films and I love how they paid homage to it. 


2. Episode 7: Hanukkah on the Seas
Pops surprises the family with an ill-advised winter cruise to Canada; Erica stirs up holiday trouble at home.

It's about Hanukkah. Need I say more? 

3. Episode 9: Cocoon
Beverly enlists Erica's help to sue her cookbook publisher after finding her book in the bargain bin at a bookstore; Adam and Pops bond while taking a trip on the wild side.

Pops was such a great character. RIP George Segal. Check out the tribute they did for him.

4. Episode 13: Mr. Ships Ahoy
Beverly is thrilled to have co-workers for the first time and sets out to make them all love her; Geoff competes in a beauty pageant to prove to Erica that he can be seen as desirable by other women.

5. Episode 14: Love Triangle
As Adam's girlfriend, Brea, heads to visit her cousin at the University of Virginia, Beverly projects her own insecurity onto Adam, convincing him to make a grand gesture to prevent Brea from choosing UVA for college.

I love how Barry and Joanne join forces in this episode. It's so funny to watch them together.

6. Episode 18: The Dating Game
Erica goes on a date with a guy from the coffee shop, while Geoff ends up on an episode of "The Dating Game"; Beverly is thrilled to learn that Murray has spontaneously purchased a shore house.

Geoff was really funny on The Dating Game! I also love how Beverly was trying to pretend the beach house was better than it actually was. 

7. Episode 19: Daddy Daughter Day 2

Following Erica and Geoff's breakup, Murray decides to take Erica out on a daddy-daughter date to cheer her up. Meanwhile, Adam is excited to participate in the school senior prank until his conscience catches up with him and he enlists Beverly's help to get him out of it.

While working on this post, I realized that I somehow missed this episode. That was remedied and I'm glad I finally saw it. So cute and funny!

8. Episode 20: Poker Night
In order to take her mind off of her heartbreak, Erica takes a trip to to see her best friend; after getting caught taking part in an underground poker game, Adam gets sentenced to Pop-Pop duty, which turns out better than expected.

I loved seeing Lainey again!

9. Episode 21: Alligator Schwartz
Erica fears that Geoff has moved on from their breakup and started dating someone else. Meanwhile, Adam decides to find Dave Kim a date to prom, once he remembers his pact with Dave that they won't go to prom if they both don't have dates.

The Paula Hogan mix-up was great! 

10. Episode 22: The Proposal
Geoff shares with the JTP that he is planning on asking Erica to marry him and gives them the engagement ring for safekeeping. Like any good romantic comedy, several miscommunications and misunderstandings between Geoff and Erica's friends and family result in a potential derailing of the proposal, forcing Adam to step in to keep the couple's special moment alive.

Such a sweet and fun episode. I also loved the huge misunderstanding.

A cozy little cabin

 A long time ago, I posted about a camping trip I took with my family. (It was part of a longer post about holidays and other stuff.) Well, over Memorial Day weekend, we decided to take a different kind of camping trip. This time, we went glamping! 

We stayed at a place I found on Vrbo, in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. Weirdly enough, I had been looking at another place at the same time that we were also interested in (due to the location), but I accidentally reserved this place instead of the other one. It ended up being a happy accident because we all loved it. It was so cozy and rustic, but had lots of amenities, such as a kitchen, TV, bathrooms, etc. There was a fire pit outside, as well. Alexis Rose would have said the cabin was so cute and done her trademark facial expression and hand gestures.

My husband took this picture and dolled it up a bit

After we settled in, we took a walk to a nearby lake. We were the only people at the lake, so it was nice and peaceful. My husband and younger son busied themselves with skipping stones across the lake. The rest of us enjoyed taking pictures and enjoying the scenery.

When we got back to the cabin, we had a cookout over the fire pit, with hot dogs and s'mores. It was a lot of fun. It started raining a bit after we had finished our meal and then we spent the rest of the evening playing Loaded Questions. It was a long game, but we love it and usually come up with a lot of inside jokes each time we play. We stayed up pretty late, but we were able to sleep in a little bit the next morning before we had to pack up. 

On the way back home, we stopped in downtown Frederick. It's a nice town with lots of art displays and a river running down the middle. We even saw some ducks. :) It was a gorgeous day out. Only half the people walking around, including us, were wearing masks, but no one bothered anyone else either way.

We had a really nice overnight stay and we already want to do it again! 

Two great books I read this week

Since I was offline for the beginning half of the week, I got to read two great LGBTQ young adult novels that I had my eye on for a while: Camp by L.C. Rosen and Can't Take That Away by Steven Salvatore. (Synopses of both are courtesy of Amazon.) I think David Rose would love both novels for different reasons. Camp Outland is a safe place for people to be out and express themselves without judgment, just like the town of Schitt's Creek. He'd also love L.C. Rosen's shirt. And Mariah Carey was a huge focus in the latter novel. In any case, I recommend both novels, especially if you are into this genre like I am.

Set in a summer camp, this sweet and sharp screwball comedy set in a summer camp for queer teens examines the nature of toxic masculinity and self-acceptance.

Sixteen-year-old Randy Kapplehoff loves spending the summer at Camp Outland, a camp for queer teens. It's where he met his best friends. It's where he takes to the stage in the big musical. And it's where he fell for Hudson Aaronson-Lim—who's only into straight-acting guys and barely knows not-at-all-straight-acting Randy even exists.

This year, however, it's going to be different. Randy has reinvented himself as 'Del'—buff, masculine, and on the market. Even if it means giving up show tunes, nail polish, and his unicorn bedsheets, he's determined to get Hudson to fall for him.

But as he and Hudson grow closer, Randy has to ask himself: How much is he willing to change for love? And is it really love anyway, if Hudson doesn't know who he truly is?

Even though I am straight, I probably would have had the best time at a place like Camp Outland. It sounded like so much fun and it seemed like everyone fit in in some way or another. 

I was actually sad for Randy when he chose not to be in the musical in order to hold the attention and affection from Hudson. I kept wishing he could have his cake and eat it too. However, I also enjoyed his connection with Hudson and how they got to know each other on a deeper level than just being masc. Hudson started to reveal more about himself and the reasons behind why he only liked masc guys. I felt bad for him when I learned about his background. The side characters were a lot of fun too, especially George. 

Overall, this was a really good story about being true to yourself, with the Bye Bye Birdie soundtrack playing in the background. (And the unicorn themed nail polish sounded like a lot of fun too.) While this novel seems geared toward young adult audiences, there are some mature scenes to be aware of. I wasn't expecting them, but I didn't mind that they were there either. 

An empowering and emotional debut about a genderqueer teen who finds the courage to stand up and speak out for equality when they are discriminated against by their high school administration.

Carey Parker dreams of being a diva, and bringing the house down with song. They can hit every note of all the top pop and Broadway hits. But despite their talent, emotional scars from an incident with a homophobic classmate and their grandmother's spiraling dementia make it harder and harder for Carey to find their voice.

Then Carey meets Cris, a singer/guitarist who makes Carey feel seen for the first time in their life. With the rush of a promising new romantic relationship, Carey finds the confidence to audition for the role of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, in the school musical, setting off a chain reaction of prejudice by Carey's tormentor and others in the school. It's up to Carey, Cris, and their friends to defend their rights--and they refuse to be silenced.

Told in alternating chapters with identifying pronouns, debut author Steven Salvatore's Can't Take That Away conducts a powerful, uplifting anthem, a swoony romance, and an affirmation of self-identity that will ignite the activist in all of us.

The first thing that drew me to this novel was that they were going to perform Wicked. However, it was a captivating story throughout with a great soundtrack to go along with it. (The playlist is in the back of the book.) 

Carey had to put up with a lot between dealing with a horrible bully to having a rude and homophobic teacher getting in their face and misgendering them on purpose. They also were watching their beloved grandma slowly fade away from dementia and one of their best friends has barely spoken to them since they came out. 

However, Carey had the attentions of a really cute boy and the support of another fun and interesting best friend. They also made a new friend and instant ally. And they had an amazing singing voice that I most definitely envied. 

Then everything came together to make Carey's romantic and school life that much more complicated. I love what Carey and their friends did in response. I don't want to say anything more as to not spoil it.

Carey's favorite teacher, Mr. Kelly, reminds me so much of my favorite teacher from high school. 

I don't often cast young adult novels as it's too hard to find actors to fit these roles, but if this novel had been published ten years ago, Chris Colfer would have totally played Carey to perfection. 

Disclosure of Material Connection:
Some of the links in this post are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

20 Questions Book Tag

One of my favorite book bloggers, Jenny at Book Coffee Happy, did these 20 questions and invited her readers to do the same. Challenge accepted!

20 Questions Book Tag

1. How many books are too many books in a series?
I don't keep up with a series if I know there are a lot of books to follow. If it's something I started a while ago and enjoyed, then I will stick with it, like the Shopaholic series. 

2. How do you feel about cliffhangers?
I enjoy them, as long as I know there will be a follow up story!

3. Hardback or Paperback?
Either. I also love my Kindle. 

4. Favorite book?
She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb will always be my answer to this question!

5. Least favorite book?
Please refer to this list. 

6. Love triangles, yes or no?

Given that I love them on my favorite TV shows, the same works for books. 

7. The most recent book you just couldn’t finish?
The Map of Salt and Stars by Zeyn Joukhadar (for book club). It was dragging too much. 

8. A book you’re currently reading?
Half Life by Jillian Cantor and Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson

9. Last book you recommended to someone?
When am I NOT recommending books to someone?!? I recently reviewed Don't Make Me Turn This Life Around by Camille Pagan and was recommending that. I also recommended The Last Flight by Julie Clark to Jenny. 

10. Oldest book you’ve read?
Jenny and I have something in common here: The Catcher in the Rye. I've probably read older books, but this was my favorite of the classics we had to read in high school. I actually read it before I was assigned to, so I got the pleasure of reading it twice. Unfortunately, my son doesn't share my enthusiasm for it. 

11. Newest book you’ve read?
A lot of the books I read are new because they are ARCs for book reviews. Oddly enough (if you read Jenny's post, you'll see why), The Seven Day Switch publishes in July, so that's really new!

12. Favorite author?
I like too many to pick just one. High up on the list are Wally Lamb and Jodi Picoult. I've met them both at book signings (at the same location on different days) and they are so kind and down-to-earth. 

Meeting Wally Lamb in 2013

Meeting Jodi Picoult in 2012

13. Buying books or borrowing books?
Both, along with getting most from publishers in exchange for honest reviews. 

14. A book you dislike that everyone else seems to love?
Another thing Jenny and I can agree on: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. There were some interesting parts, but it was underwhelming overall. Listening to it as an audiobook didn't help matters.

Side note: There should be a question to ask which book you love that everyone else seems to dislike. I know Anxious People by Fredrik Backman would win that award. I do know people who love it, but sooooo many people on Facebook just hate on it for some reason. And I know I was the only one in my book club who loved Me Before You and Tell the Wolves I'm Home.

15. Bookmarks or dog-ears?
Bookmarks. I currently am using a David Rose bookmark (because, of course) and I will probably start using this bookmark I won from Jenny's Instagram after I photograph it for a giveaway post in May. 

16. A book you can always reread?
I don't reread books. I have no time for that. When I was a kid and even through my teen years, I would reread books. I remember reading Deenie, Blubber, and Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself by Judy Blume, along with Ramona Quimby, Age 8 and Ellen Tebbits by Beverly Cleary. Later on, it was V.C. Andrews books, such as Heaven, Flowers in the Attic, and My Sweet Audrina.

17. Can you read while listening to music?
Sometimes, if it's relaxing enough music. Although I did recently read while my kids were listening to Hamilton really loud in the car while we were waiting to see the orthodontist. 

18. One POV or multiple POVs?
I'm fine either way, but I sometimes enjoy a variety of character perspectives more. 

19. Do you read a book in one sitting or over multiple days?
Depends on the book and how much time I have. Usually over Shabbat and other religious holidays, I can start and finish a book in one day. 

20. Who do you tag?
All my friends who love to read. You know who you are. ;)

Another teenager in the house!

Today is my younger son's 13th birthday. In honor of that, I am doing what I did for my older son and sharing my top ten list from the speech I made at his Bar Mitzvah. 

Given that we're still in a pandemic, it was an unconventional Bar Mitzvah, but it still worked because it was just right for him. He's more of an introvert and wouldn't have felt comfortable doing everything in front of tons of people at shul. So we have the pandemic to thank for this simpler version of a Bar Mitzvah that was still special to him, to us, and to our family and friends. We just had a small Zoom gathering on the Sunday of what would have been his Bar Mitzvah weekend anyway. We also had his favorite food items throughout the weekend.

Without any further ado...my top 10 list about my 13 year-old:

1. He is a very musical child, but in a different way than his brother. He can sit down at the piano and teach himself how to play complicated pieces that I couldn’t even do with actual lessons when I was his age. He loves to play piano and usually it’s classical or ragtime. However, he will “Rick roll” us sometimes. He also sings really well and was in honors chorus in fifth grade. He even composes music on his computer and it’s really impressive!

2. He is affectionate and loves giving hugs and kisses. Usually kids tend to avoid their parents at this age, but he still wants to cuddle with us. 

3. He is a great sibling. Even though he’s in the middle, he finds ways to bond with both his older brother and younger sister. I still remember a time his brother was sad about something and all he had to say was one word to cheer him up. And even though he and his sister tend to fight a lot, I catch them laughing and playing together too. He is even teaching her some new piano skills. 

4. He loves to read. I know I said this about his brother too, but it’s true. I love being able to find him books that he will enjoy, as he is a pickier reader than most. 

5. He’s really funny. Even though he’s not into theater, he was participating in improv games with his siblings and nailing the humor each time. He also cracks me up in the Passover plays he puts on with his siblings. He loves telling jokes and coming up with puns too. We even have some of our own inside jokes. 

6. He’s very smart and does well in school. He’s received star student awards and has consistently been getting As in his classes. 

7. He loves animals. The happiest I’ve ever seen him is when he is playing with dogs or petting a cat. 

8. He’s really good with technology. He also has a curious mind and likes seeing how things work. He has strong video editing skills and has put together some cool videos in the past. 

9. He’s a great conversationalist. As I mentioned earlier, he always has so many questions and I enjoy hearing his thoughts about the way things are in the world.

10. He marches to the beat of his own drum. He’s an individual and doesn’t care what people think of him. He won’t bend to peer pressure either. I mean, he won’t even watch The Princess Bride when I’ve been inviting him to do so all the time. (Is he really my son?) And it’s ironic that his Hebrew birthday is right around Purim because he refuses to wear a costume. Thankfully, photoshop has come to the rescue for our family video this year.

When he was two years old, he would tell everyone “I’m not a baby, I’m a big boy.” His teacher at the time told me how someone said "baby," and he somehow tuned into that word and walked over to tell that person that he’s a big boy. He’s always asserted himself since then and found a way to stand out, even with being the middle child. 

It’s nice to be this confident, even at his current age. 

Happy 13th birthday to my sweet little boy! 

Seventeen years!

My husband and I are celebrating the second of our many wedding anniversaries during the pandemic. The situation makes it hard to have a formal date or anything, but we'll try to make it memorable. This past year has been rather interesting and complex, but I'm glad we have been together through it all. In a normal year, we'd both be at our separate offices and then together in the evenings and on weekends. This past year, there has been a lot of togetherness, but it has only served to bring us even closer together. While I'd normally converse with colleagues around the coffee and tea area, I now do that with my husband in our kitchen. 

Like all the other years of our marriage, my husband has made me laugh every day. This year, it feels even more important, as I've relied on that laughter to get me through this pandemic. He has definitely delivered, and then some! Here are a few things that I am okay sharing with everyone (as it is either PG or some readers will appreciate the humor too).

*For my birthday last summer, he made me a video card. He took scenes from Schitt's Creek and dubbed his voice into them to talk about my birthday. His impressions of the voices could have used some work, but he was spot on with David. Then he added a Cameo of Randy Rainbow that he found online and dubbed in my name and age at the appropriate spots. 

*Speaking of Schitt's Creek impressions, he does a great job with Bob's jog walk.

*And speaking of people named Bob, he made up this character named Officer Bob and every time I talk about Degrassi, he talks about Officer Bob being on the show and lecturing the kids about doing drugs and stuff. 

*A while ago, I was cooking and asked for some eggs. He brought them up but added a ping pong ball to the ones he was carrying. Then he told me to catch one of the eggs and threw the ping pong ball at me. It was startling at first, but then really funny. Even more so when he did it to our older son. 

*He bought hair clippers a while ago so that we could do home haircuts. Since it was around Passover, he came up with a joke about shaving down the middle of someone's head and calling it the "Red Sea."

*He made some really funny pictures using Photoshop this year, but none are appropriate to post. 

*Aside from Schitt's Creek, he really does some great celebrity impressions, especially Nathan Lane and the guy who played Ned Ryerson in Groundhog Day. He still does the Milton from Office Space impression really well, along with a few Disney characters and Kermit the Frog. And he's working on Billy Crystal. 

*He also does some great song parodies. He did a funny one about Iron Man to the tune of the Spider-Man theme song recently. He's the next Weird Al!

Before I go, here are some pictures from our wedding that I haven't shared before.