"When opportunity knocks. When possibility calls..." You get tickets to see Kimberly Akimbo and you get to enjoy every second of the experience! (Trust me, it will make your sh*tty life better. ;) )
I had been listening to the Original Broadway Cast recording of Kimberly Akimbo for most of this past year and have really gotten to know the songs well and enjoy them more and more with each listen. So I was really curious to see how they would play out on stage and what would actually happen in the story. I can tell you that listening to the music is not going to spoil anything because you're still going to be plenty surprised!
The show tells the story of a lonely teenage girl, Kimberly Levaco, who suffers from a condition similar to progeria that causes her to age rapidly, thereby giving her the appearance of an elderly woman, and how, according to Playbill, "[f]orced to maneuver family secrets, borderline personalities, and possible felony charges, Kim is determined to find happiness in a world where not even time is on her side." (Synopsis courtesy of Wikipedia.)
There's so much more to the story than the synopsis implies. It's full of many ups and downs, really funny moments, and some heartbreaking ones too. I loved it from the moment it started and walked out of the theater exhiliarated by the experience! We had almost the entire original cast, except for Victoria Clark, who normally plays Kimberly. In her place, we had Colleen Fitzpatrick, who did a marvelous job in the lead role. My main goal was to see Bonnie Milligan play Debra and I got my wish. She was even better than I was expecting her to be and I had high expectations. She definitely earned that Tony! Justin Cooley also delivered as Seth and was even more awkward than he sounds just from the songs. I loved him for that. Everyone in this intimately sized cast was amazing though. I loved the four teenagers and all their interactions with each other. The best part is when Debra calls them out on it, but that's all I will say...
On the side doors, they have pictures and descriptions of all the teenagers, including Kimberly, of course!
The set was really well put together. It would shift smoothly between a house (as well as the basement of the house), a school, and an ice rink. The costume changes happened on stage sometimes. Kimberly would wear a robe over her clothes to go to bed and then would take the robe off in the morning to reveal her outfit. I liked the costumes a lot too. They were simple but they gave off the feel for the time period.
As I mentioned before, it was cool to see how some of the songs played out on stage. Especially with the context behind them. This was especially true for "This Time," "How to Wash a Check," "Our Disease," and "The Inevitable Turn." (The latter is one of my favorites and seeing it performed made me love it even more than I already do.)
If you're looking for something new and different to see on Broadway, you've come to the right place! It should be touring in the next year or so; don't miss out if it comes to a city near you. Definitely a rewarding production in every way possible. If you want to get a feel for the music and see the camaraderie of the cast, check out the Tiny Desk Concert. (A different actor is playing Seth, but he's still good.)
After the show, we stage-doored and met almost all the cast. The only two who didn't come out were Colleen Fitzpatrick (Kimberly) and Nina White (Teresa). Everyone was so nice too!
Olivia Elease Hardy (Delia)
Fernell Hogan II (Martin)
Steven Boyer (Buddy, Kimberly's dad)
Alli Mauzey (Pattie, Kimberly's mom)
Justin Cooley (Seth)
Bonnie Milligan (Debra, Kimberly's aunt)
Michael Iskander (Aaron)
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Earlier this spring, my older son introduced me to the music from Shucked. I had heard bits and pieces, but I wasn't prepared for how much fun the Original Broadway cast recording would be. It's a whole lotta country music, but that's my jam! I found myself listening to it every so often whenever I was out driving. The music is catchy and gets into my head a lot. So when my son and I were choosing shows to see during our Broadway trip, Shucked definitely made the list! And, of course, we both loved it!
The set is simple and rustic looking, but it captures the feel of the show. (Somewhere north of south and south of north.) We were sitting in the upper mezzanine, so we got a great view of the entire stage.
Maizy and Beau, two residents of the rural Midwestern community of Cobb County, are forced to postpone their wedding when the corn crop is blighted. Maizy, on the advice of her cousin Lulu, the local whiskey distiller, leaves town to try to find a way to save their corn. Maizy travels to Tampa, Florida, where she meets Gordy Jackson, a con-man who claims he can help, but secretly thinks Cobb County might have riches he can take to settle his debts. When the two return, Gordy comes into conflict with both Beau and Lulu, which leads to some interesting situations. (Synopsis adapted from Wikipedia.)
What I didn't expect was how gosh darn funny the show was going to be. I only knew stuff from the songs, and there's a nice mix of humor there. However, the lines are the funniest part. Especially all the stuff Peanut says and how he delivers it. I was laughing constantly. Lulu had some great one-liners too. So many puns throughout the show, as well. If you're a pun fanatic, you will LOVE it! The characters seemed to enjoy making fun of themselves and each other. What my son didn't expect was to cry from the first song, which is about corn. I get it though. It was more the overwhelming excitement of seeing everything on stage. (I cry during the opening number of Legally Blonde every time I see it.)
We had two understudies for this show. One was for Maizy, who is usually played by Caroline Innerbichler. However, we saw Traci Elaine Lee in the role and she gave it her own spin. While Caroline comes off as more twangy on the cast recording (which is how she is supposed to sound and it is cute), Traci's vocals were smooth and still worked really well for the role. (Listen to her singing "Woman of the World.") Storyteller 1 was played by Yasmeen Sulieman (usually played by Ashley D. Kelley) and she was adorable and so much fun. She worked really well with Grey Henson, who played Storyteller 2. (We were thrilled that he was performing because he played Damian in the original Broadway cast of Mean Girls.) And of course, we were so excited to see Alex Newell as Lulu. I can't even imagine anyone else in that role. They were perfection! Everyone in the cast was wonderful. Kevin Cahoon definitely stood out as Peanut, especially with his accent and hilarious line delivery. The actor who played Gordy (John Behlmann) was on Riverdale, but I had to look him up and it still took me a while to remember him.
I already like the songs a lot from listening to them, but now they make even more sense along with the story. All the songs are really good. Some favorites are "Woman of the World," "Somebody Will," "I Do," and "Independently Owned." It will be fun to listen to all of them again and be able to visualize everything that is going on. I am not going to spoil anything for you though. If Shucked comes on tour, I highly recommend it for a ton of laughs. Even if you don't like country music, it's so worth watching. (My husband isn't into the music but I think he'll find the show really funny if he actually sees it.) If you're able to see it on Broadway, definitely do so!
We got to meet a couple actors after the show. Kevin Cahoon (Peanut) and Grey Henson (Storyteller 2). They both were so nice! While we were hanging out around the city after the show, we ran into Grey and he recognized us from the stage door. He even chatted with us! Day? Made! Unfortunately, Alex didn't stage door, but we were glad we got to see them perform. It's not as common for actors to stage door between shows since they have so little time, so we're thankful for who we got to meet. (Also that we went last week, since they're holding off on stage-dooring this week due to a spike in COVID. Yikes.) Here's a funny video of Grey and Kevin having a little chat, but only one is actually in character.
Kevin Cahoon
Grey Henson
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Although Moulin Rouge is currently on tour in DC, I wanted to see it on Broadway instead. The main reason was that Casey Cott is currently playing Christian. Since I'm a huge Riverdale fan, I could not pass up the chance to see one of its stars on Broadway. Especially since I know what a great singer Casey is! However, I'm also glad I saw it on Broadway for another reason....the set! I heard that the tour doesn't have as elaborate of a set and it felt really immersive from where we were sitting. (We were in row H, but the way things were set up, we were really close to the stage.
Miniature model from Museum of Broadway
The show follows Moulin Rouge star performer, Satine, and an American man, Christian, as they navigate through a tumultuous love affair. The Moulin Rouge is going bankrupt and Harold Zidler, the club's owner, is willing to do whatever's necessary to save his beloved show and the jobs of all involved. He sets Satine up with The Duke, a wealthy man looking for a woman to be his own. It is Harold’s hope that she is what will entice The Duke to put up the money to save the Moulin Rouge. Little does Harold know of The Duke's violent past when it comes to his relationships. This puts a massive obstacle in between Christian and Satine. It leaves all wondering, “Is it all worth it for love?” But, love always prevails, as following the Bohemian ideals of “truth”, “beauty”, “freedom”, and “love”. (Synopsis courtesy of Stage Agent.)
More set pictures:
About ten minutes before the show started, the ensemble started assembling on stage and just doing their own thing in character. Then everything got started when Casey walked on stage and raised his hand to signal the Moulin Rouge sign to lift and the action to get started. I love that it kicked off with "Lady Marmalade" and it reminded me of how I'd always blast that song really loud in my car. The one thing that really stood out to me was that I could tell that one of the performers was a man in drag. And I LOVED that!!! (It was confirmed a little ways into the show.)
There were so many changes made to the music from the movie soundtrack. Most of the songs were from the 2000s and 2010s. They did toss in a couple eighties and nineties songs too. I didn't realize until way later that they took out "One Day I'll Fly Away." That was surprising since it's such a good song. They also, thankfully, took out the Duke singing "Like a Virgin", which was so cringey in the movie! A lot of the songs were mashups. And they extended the "Elephant Love Medley" big time. I definitely want to listen to the music again!
I liked it way better than the movie overall. It was easier to follow the story this time around. Casey added an earnestness and innocence to Christian that made the character even more likable. Courtney Reed was fabulous as Satine. Not only was she stunning, but she had a gorgeous voice. She and Casey worked well together on stage and I enjoyed seeing their chemistry.
The supporting characters were great too. Zidler looked exactly like the one from the movie. Amazing what costumes and makeup can do. I didn't realize the Duke was played by an understudy until intermission. The actor (Aaron C. Finley) was that great of a fit for the role. I loved that David Merino was playing Baby Doll. He has performed in local professional theaters in the DC area, so it was cool to see him on a Broadway stage. Christian's friends, Toulouse-Lautrec and Santiago, were awesome. Toulouse was so different from how John Leguizamo played him in the movie. He seemed deeper and more emotional.
For being a jukebox musical, Moulin Rouge was really quite phenomenal and I'm really glad I saw it on Broadway.
The other exciting part of the evening was that Casey stage-doored afterward and I got a picture with him. I was too starstruck to say much, but it definitely made my night!
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I first heard about The Other Two when I was browsing HBO Max (before it became Max), but didn't really give much thought to it other than "Oh, Molly Shannon is in this." I actually forgot the show existed after that, but then saw a post from one of the Neo-Futurists I'm friends with on Facebook because she was on an episode (she plays Sheila in season three). I thought, "Okay, I should probably check it out." Then I saw an article blasting Elemental for doing something similar to what Disney did in one of the third season episodes and that sealed the deal for me. I am SO glad I finally got around to watching because it was such a fun and hilarious series. There are times when it takes a serious turn, but there's a good balance overall. It reminds me of Arrested Development and has little hints of Reboot and a few good doses of Curb Your Enthusiasm. I love the satire and how it never takes itself too seriously. And, of course, I love all the LGBTQ+ rep. One of the main characters is gay, so it's there in spades!
The Other Two is about two millennials who are trying to make names for themselves in their careers and just not getting there. Cary is an actor who gets bit parts on commercials and TV series, if he's lucky. We first see him auditioning for a commercial where he has to look like he's smelling a fart. Brooke was a dancer at one point in her life and now she's not really doing much of anything. We first see her trying to sneak out of an apartment she's squatting in. Their thirteen year-old brother Chase is a pop star who was discovered on YouTube and now they're trying to benefit from his fame. Molly Shannon plays their mom and her main focus is on Chase's rise to stardom, which she also ends up benefitting from.
Fair warning: The Other Two is VERY raunchy. Lots of sex, nudity, and mature content all over the place. If you're new to the series, do NOT watch with kids in the room. Also keep in mind that some material is offensive on a Curb Your Enthusiasm level. It's not PC for sure. There's one point where I thought they took something a bit too far, even though it still came off as funny in the context of the scene.
Check out this trailer if you haven't seen the series yet, and then stop right there because there will be spoilers below. If you have seen the series, you may proceed...
Thoughts with SPOILERS...
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Cary and Brooke are essentially flawed in so many ways. I wanted to share some thoughts on both of them. As insufferable and/or cringey as they could get sometimes, there was a Zack Morris effect in play, since they're both protagonists and you want to see them "win" as a result. If the show was narrated through anyone else's point of view, you'd probably get so annoyed with Cary and Brooke. Like imagine seeing the show through Curtis and Lance's eyes. I'll wait.
There you go.
Thoughts on Cary:
I like Cary and how openly gay he is throughout the series. I feel like he keeps getting screwed over with his career and that has led him to make some really drastic and stupid decisions. His love life could use a tune-up too. I felt bad for Jess, since it seemed like he really was into Cary and Cary bailed as soon as he got spooked by that level of emotion. And he should have dumped Lucas as soon as he found out about the method acting. Cary also needs to keep his competitiveness and schadenfraude in check when it comes to his friendship with Curtis because that really did come back to bite him. There were other times I just really felt bad for him. Like I just wanted him to catch a break. Through Cary, we get to see how difficult it is to make it with an acting career. And I appreciate that. I also found his wanting to watch people watch him totally relatable.
Thoughts on Brooke:
Brooke is definitely relatable, especially on the career front. I totally felt for her with how she kept dipping her toes in the industry and trying to figure out what she was actually good at. And in season three, she was just so lost. I honestly don't think it's that hard to do good in some way or another, but Brooke was so focused on trying to prove something to the world, or at least to Lance. I was actually impressed at the amount of patience Lance had for her. Especially when she couldn't figure anything out for herself and took it out on him. Somehow, he was still there for her even after their big fight. I was also impressed that Brooke taking the fall for Chase and Pat somehow translated into something big for her career.
Sometimes I felt like Brooke and Cary were two ships passing in the night and other times I really liked their sibling dynamic. I'm glad they were both able to take a step back and reassess where their lives and careers were going.
Favorite supporting characters:
Pat: Obviously, since she's played by Molly Shannon. I also appreciate her kindness and vulnerability.
Streeter: I didn't know an agent could be so dumb, but Ken Marino does it so well with this part. I love how earnest he is too.
Lance: He's too "good" for Brooke, but he still adores her and is so devoted to her.
Curtis: He's generally a good friend to Cary and I feel bad that he doesn't get that in return. I also love that he calls Cary out on his BS.
Lucas Lambert Moy: I love how he commits to each of his characters, much to Cary's chagrin. And then how he gets lost when he doesn't have a role and his Australian accent comes out.
Shuli: I love Wanda Sykes and she's so great in this role.
Chase: He's the backbone to this show. It's fun watching him and seeing how fame affects his life.
I probably listed all the main supporting characters at this point.
Favorite funny moments:
* Brittlynn being eleven years old, but Brooke thinks they're the same age.
* Cary sending a live picture of his butthole and then it goes out to everyone.
* The father and son who are really a gay couple, and the "straight son from Kansas".
* Globby!
* The fake Applebees.
* Streeter thinking everyone has diarrhea on the plane.
* The AIDS play. Need I say more?
* The song for winning at the high school reunion, which sounds like "The Ants Go Marching One by One". The episode had a Romy and Michele appeal to it.
* Pat trying to evade her security staff.
* Jackie Hoffman as the Chase decoy.
* Brooke thinking an old man was pretending to be a sick pre-teen girl and then accusing the grandmother of the same thing.
* Chase's gay brother song
* Brooke stepping in as a backup dancer but trying to get everyone to not dance all sexy in front of Chase since he's a teenager.
* The farm where former girlfriends of celebrities go to stay safe. I loved the video with Ann Dowd.
* Streeter treating his breakup with Pat like a divorce.
* Brooke trying to recruit talent at a kid's birthday party
* Cary shadowing nurses at the hospital and finding out that there were other actors there doing the same thing.
I also liked some of the conceptual stuff in season three, such as people being invisible if they're not in the industry and the Pleasantville situation with Emily Overruled. Really clever and funny.
Actors I recognized:
* Alison Rich as Melanie. She was Valley Girl Erica on The Goldbergs.
* Nadia Dajani as Mackenzie. I remember her from Sex and the City.
* I was surprised about David Lascher playing Mackenzie's brother in the series finale. I knew he looked familiar but wasn't sure why. I think the last time I saw him was on Blossom ages ago. Or maybe in that movie where Melissa Joan Hart kills her parents and blames it on Jeremy Jordan (the pop star, not the Broadway actor).
* Jackie Hoffman as the Chase decoy at the dance (as mentioned earlier). She's a great comedic actress. I actually saw her perform at Second City Northwest when I was a teenager. (Nia Vardalos was performing with that group too.)
* Fin Argus as Lucas, since I recently saw him in Queer as Folk.
* Noah Galvin as the gay guy who is pretending to come out to his "dad." He's engaged to Ben Platt and he also played Evan Hansen at one point. And he narrated one of the characters on the audiobook of What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera.
* Tuc Watkins, who played the fake dad of Noah Galvin's character. (I think he also played Brooke and Cary's dad in a flashback scene.) I remember him from Desperate Housewives, but I also saw him on Uncoupled.
* Marcia DeBonis as Kathy. She's been in a lot of small roles on other shows I've watched.
* Greta Lee as Genevieve (Brooke's dance school rival). I saw her on The Morning Show.
* Josie Totah as Elijah in the school dance episode. This was before her transition though. I most recently saw her on the Saved by the Bell reboot.
* Beck Bennett as the "pilot" Brooke was sleeping with. He was on Saturday Night Live.
* Heidi Gardner, also from SNL, as the woman who is helping Pat get high at Chase's birthday party.
* Dana Delaney as Emily Overruled. I think the last time I remember seeing her was on Desperate Housewives.
* Ann Dowd as the lady on the video about sending teenage girls to live on a farm. I haven't really seen her in much but I recognized her right away.
Some cameos I loved:
* Bowen Yang doing an impression of Cary after the butthole incident.
* Lukas Gage in the AIDS play episode, where Cary is trying to get him to give up the porn role. I even love the reference that was made to his role on White Lotus.
* Aidy Bryant. I can't remember what she did, but I just love her anyway.
* Jordana Brewster as the woman the gay-baiter had dated in the past.
* Debi Mazar on an episode of Pat's talk show. I also loved her on Younger.
* Ben Platt, who was supposed to perform at the Night of Undeniable Good.
* Kiernan Shipka as the celebrity Chase gets pushed into marrying before he hooks up with Pam Snot.
* Patrick Wilson, who was trying to help Cary during Watch What Happens Live.
Questions:
Why did Brooke give up her chance to work with Alessia Cara while Cary gave up the family trip to go work on Night Nurse?
Who played the girl who was singing "Ring of Keys" from Fun Home at the school dance in season one? She looks so familiar but I can't find her on IMDb.
If you made it this far, you've obviously seen the series. I'd love to hear your thoughts!
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Last month, my daughter had her Bat Mitzvah. We had a party to celebrate her coming of age and she made a speech about her parsha (Torah portion) at the celebration. She totally slayed it and made it even more interesting with her theatrical personality. It was a really nice celebration and I look back upon it fondly. My older son provided the entertainment with the improv troupe he started at his high school. That was a lot of fun and everyone enjoyed it.
As tradition would have it, I made a top ten list for her during my speech, just like I did for her older and middle brothers. I'm not waiting until her thirteenth birthday to share this, as it's not until early next year.
1. She loves to read. I’m thankful to have kids who enjoy reading. She and I have a lot of similar tastes in books and I am more than happy to share novels that I loved when I was growing up. And I know we're going to "fight" over who gets to read Dahlia Adler's new book first. :) (Side note: I ended up reading it first.)
2. She’s really funny. I’m sure she picks up a lot of humorous bits from her siblings and from Jeff, but she definitely makes me laugh a lot, especially when she adds her own twists to what she already knows is funny.
3. She’s smart and does well in school. While middle school is a new experience for her with lots more homework, she has been getting As consistently throughout her first year there.
4. She’s a great conversationalist. She always wants to “converse” with me and loves asking questions, which ends up leading to more questions.
5. She likes to draw and is really good at it! When I was her age, I had this big pad of paper on my desk and I would draw on it all the time, as well as in my school notebooks. She is the same way and she likes sharing her artwork with me. She also likes drawing inside everyone’s greeting cards. (Her Zadie inspired that.)
6. She has a strong moral compass and it’s important to her that people behave ethically.
7. She is kind and loyal to all her friends. Friendship is important to her and she never wants to jeopardize that.
8. She loves musical theater. I enjoy taking her to see shows and then hearing her sing the songs from her favorite musicals. She did Imagination Stage camp last summer and had a blast and she’s excited to go back again in a couple weeks.
9. She still wants to spend time with us. If you knew me at 12, I was not that way with my parents and usually kept to myself. (Sorry, Mom and Dad.) However, she always wants to have quality family time and she also loves our mom-and-daughter days out. (Especially if it means going to Bath and Body Works and getting Starbucks.)
10. She is one of the sweetest and most genuine people I know. If everyone had her personality and attitude, the world would be a much better and happier place to live in.
I want to wish Mazel Tov to M. You are an amazing daughter and I am so lucky and thankful to be your Eema. I know you have a lot of great things coming to you in life and I can’t wait to see what those will be!
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I kept hearing buzz about Somebody Somewhere. It was recommended a lot in a Schitt's Creek fan group. Then Jennifer Weiner recommended it. I also saw some posts from my friends. So I decided to give it a whirl. And I'm SO glad I did!!! If you have not watched yet, here are some reasons you'll want to check it out. And if you are a fan like me, go past the trailer for some thoughts with spoilers included.
Somebody Somewhere is basically about a woman living in a Midwestern small-town suburb/rural area. Her sister passed away and now she feels unmoored. With the help of some friends, she tries to find herself again. I'm just giving you the basics since there's so much more to the story. Also, keep in mind that it is pretty crass, especially in terms of the language being used. The c-word is thrown around a lot. There's also a bunch of toilet humor. None of that bothers me, but I wanted to give a fair warning. However, it's worth getting through the crass stuff to experience the heart of the show. I really just love everything about this show and can't stop thinking about it. I wish each season was longer than just seven thirty-minute episodes.
I hadn't really ever seen most of the actors, but there were a few familiar faces scattered about. One of them is in season two and I only vaguely remember this actor from Will and Grace. (You'll see...) I like that it was mostly actors who were new to me. They all did a great job as an ensemble cast.
I just wish it was available in a way so that everyone could watch it.
Reasons to watch Somebody Somewhere (there are more than 10 this time):
1. It's funny! I definitely laughed out loud a lot from each episode.
2. Sam's friendship with Joel is everything. It reminds me of David and Stevie's friendship on Schitt's Creek and makes me wish that my gay best friends still lived around the corner.
3. Sam's voice. I don't know what it is, but the lower tone is just soothing to listen to. Especially since her sister (the other one who is still alive) sometimes sounds like Karen from Will and Grace. I enjoyed hearing her sing too.
4. Two words: Fred Rococo. You'll see... (Fred is the best. Seriously!)
5. It has so many emotional highs and lows and you just feel like you're on this ride with Sam the whole time.
6. It's so honest and genuine. People are flawed and no one holds back from being who they are.
7. Mike Hagerty plays Sam's dad. I mostly remember him from Overboard and Friends. He's really good in this role and just so sweet too. Even though Mike passed away, they didn't kill him off on the show. (This is not a spoiler, but it's also good to know if you don't want to watch him die all over again on a TV series.)
10. The cozy small-town feel. While it's not always great that everyone knows everyone else's business, I can also see why it appeals to Schitt's Creek fans (like myself) so much.
11. Everyone is so likable! Well, almost everyone. There are a couple of characters who are meant to be unlikable. But they are small potatoes and only indirectly affect Sam's life. There is one character I didn't like at first, but I now love.
12. There's no body shaming. Sam sometimes will make fun of herself, but she also is confident enough to sit around in a T-shirt and underpants while her friends are over. It's refreshing and keeps the triggers away.
13. Sam is so relatable. I just felt so connected to her the entire time.
14. It's being renewed for a third season because it's just that good! I'm going to go through withdrawal waiting for season three though. I miss this show so much already!
Fun side note: In one of the episodes, I recognized the first improv teacher I had at Comedy Sportz. So cool!!! (The last time I saw him was at my bachelorette party, over 19 years ago.)
Have I sold you yet? If not, check out the trailer here:
SPOILERS:
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Favorite characters:
Sam: Obviously! Such a great lead character. I said this earlier, but I definitely found her relatable in so many ways. I really liked when she put people in their place and said what she was thinking. She was also a good sister to Tricia, even though Tricia could be passive-aggressive toward her sometimes.
Joel: At first, I thought he was going to be annoying, but after a few minutes, I realized how great he truly is. He's just so incredibly kind and I couldn't see him even hurting a fly. I loved when he went out in the storm to get the dog. His friendship with Sam was just so much fun to watch and I loved everything about it.
Fred: As I said before, Fred is the best! He has such a great personality and I love how he's always so friendly and fun to be around. He has the best sense of humor too. I love how sweet he is to his wife, as well.
Tricia: I didn't like her for the first couple of episodes, but then she grew on me and I started liking her a lot. I felt so bad about her situation with Rick cheating on her with her best friend. I was cheering her on when she told Charity off and when she made those pillows. I like how she started to appreciate Sam more and show that she cared about her well-being. I was also surprised that she's my age, since she looks way younger.
Ed: Sam and Tricia's dad is so wonderful. I just like everything about him. The way he dotes upon his wife made me think of how my grandpa was with my grandma. Even when he wasn't on season two, I still felt his presence.
Least favorite characters:
Charity and Rick. That's all. Charity a lot more than Rick, only because she kept making things worse for Tricia afterward with all her stupid lies and not taking any responsibility for what happened. Grrr...
Honestly, the mom was a piece of work, but she also was an alcoholic and beyond help after she had her stroke. It just hurt to find out that she wouldn't let Ed come to see her. I wonder what will come of her being at the place in Wichita.
Is it just me, or was anyone else confused by how much time had passed between the first and second season and all that had happened during that time? Like when did the mom have a stroke? Why was Joel suddenly renting out his house? Did Tricia's store close down because of what happened with Charity and Rick? Why were they getting rid of the stuff in the barn? I felt like there were missing pieces I was trying to fit into some puzzle. (If I missed something and someone wants to answer any of these questions, I would appreciate it!)
I really liked "Choir Practice" and I wish they had continued it even after Joel confessed to the priest about lying about what it really was. I thought they were setting up the barn as a new "Choir Practice" venue, but then it seemed like nothing ever came of it. When Sam first went there, it made me think of when I first started going to Rocky Horror. Everyone was just so friendly, welcoming, and accepting. I felt like I truly fit in somewhere for the first time and I can imagine Sam felt the same at "Choir Practice."
I wish Sam would have confronted the girl who slandered her in her book. That would have been fun to see.
If you have made it this far, tell me what you love most about Somebody, Somewhere.
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At first, I was hesitant to watch Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies. The trailer wasn't grabbing my attention enough. However, a friend had posted about it being good, so I decided to give it a try. I'm so glad I did! While I've always been a Grease (and Grease 2) fan, this show blows both movies out of the water. It's so progressive and it touches upon real issues, even while being set in the 1950s. It's like a cross between Glee, Degrassi, and season seven of Riverdale. And it's a musical too. A 10-episode musical, to be exact! Each episode has a few song and dance numbers. Most of them are fast-paced, but there are a few ballads too.
I hadn't seen any of the actresses on this show before, but after looking on IMDb, some of them had small roles in other shows I've seen. The one familiar face is Jackie Hoffman, who is also currently on Only Murders in the Building. She plays Principal McGee, who is actually an assistant principal during this time period, which is a prequel to Grease. She is perfect for the role and has some great moments. I actually saw her perform a long time ago at Second City Northwest, along with Nia Vardalos of Greek Wedding fame.
Along with being progressive, I love that there's a lot of diversity and that an LGBTQ+ storyline is included.
Take a look at the trailer and then give this show a try! It's so worthwhile. After you're done, do not go any further, as there will be SPOILERS for everyone who has seen all ten episodes.
SPOILERS below.
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Overall, I really enjoyed this series. There are a few things that I wish had been done differently, but I will write about that soon enough.
Thoughts on the four main characters:
Jane: She sometimes came off as a goody-two-shoes, but I like how empowered she became when she connected with the three other girls and formed the Pink Ladies. I also appreciated some of her badass moves in response to how Buddy's group was treating her. She was annoying with the love triangle and I wish she had just picked someone.
Fun side note: I learned that the actress who plays her, Marisa Davila, was on an episode of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend a while back. Here's a song where she is featured.
Cynthia: I liked Cynthia overall. She kind of reminded me of Adam from Degrassi, but mostly in appearance. I love that she got an LGBTQ+ storyline on the show and I wish she had handled it better instead of having to make a grand gesture later on. Like maybe she could have actually talked to Lydia about how she was feeling earlier on. However, I know in that time period, it was scary to confront such feelings.
Olivia: While she has the best singing voice in the group, her tetchiness got to be too much. She was too standoffish with her friends. I also didn't like the whole plot involving her relationship with Mr. Daniels. She was already screwed over by him and she kept going back to him anyway. I'm glad her friends got her to come to her senses at the end. While I felt bad for her about things not working on with Gil, she had her chance and blew it to be with Mr. Daniels instead.
Nancy: She is my favorite from this group as she is fun and quirky and tells it like it is. I felt like she could have been utilized better. Her storylines were basically about her fashion skills or her back-and-forth interest in Potato. I feel like she could be working with more challenges than she currently is. Having said that, I loved her reaction to Cynthia's confession. And I love how she cares about keeping the Pink Ladies together.
Thoughts on some of the other characters:
Hazel: I like her a lot. She's smart, talented, and has a good head on her shoulders. I'm glad she got invited to join the Pink Ladies. She'll be a great addition to the group.
Buddy: I'm glad he grew a spine even though it took him a while. He should have spoken up about the election results as soon as he found out. I'm glad he at least confessed to starting the fight with Richie. I like his friendship with Hazel, even though it sounds like he has feelings for her now, which could complicate things for her and Wally.
Susan: I really had hopes that she would change after the episode where she sang about how she didn't really like the life she has. (It reminded me of Alyssa's song in The Prom.) She was even trying to be nice to the Pink Ladies and may have succeeded in that if her mom hadn't been so horribly awful. Then she just went back to being a mean girl again.
Richie: I thought he was an enticing love interest for Jane until he let his jealousy and assumptions get in the way of that. I love how he showed his vulnerable side to his friends and I also hate that he got expelled after the fight. I heard that the actor left the show though.
Lydia: At first she seemed intimidating, but then I liked how she helped Cynthia and I am glad she explained to Cynthia why she didn't trust her later on. It also explains why she was so guarded in the first place.
Fun side note: I recently saw someone in my neighborhood who looks very similar to her, but I didn't pick up on that similarity until watching this show. Maybe it's because of the hairstyle. Niamh Wilson played a somewhat similar character in Degrassi but had a different look.
Assistant Principal McGee: At first, I didn't like how she was so hard on the Pink Ladies. Like she singled them out and gave them all this extra work for just being themselves. However, I liked that she picked up on the shenanigans going on at the school and that she eventually saw their side of things. I love when she caught them taking a part from the principal's car and acted like she had vision problems so that they would get away with it. I also love how she told off the principal in the last episode. And it was fun that she got her own song in one of the episodes.
I also loved young Frenchie and Rizzo. The girl who played Frenchie did her voice so well! And Rizzo was just full of attitude. Dot was fun for comic relief, but it was hard to take her seriously overall. She looked like a young Jan and also reminded me of Dolores from Grease 2. I think it's just the pigtails.
Onto the music. There were a lot of songs I really enjoyed, and some that just didn't do it for me. The imperfect rhyming got really annoying and some songs just didn't carry the feel from the time period. I liked the cover of "Grease is the Word" as well.
"Carelessly": It felt pretty cheesy and I didn't like how they dragged out the word "care" in the chorus.
"Hit Me Again": Richie is challenging his friends to fist fight with him.
"Pulling Strings": It has a Coldplay feel to it and it's mostly Buddy talking about why he's too much of a coward to speak up about what his father did.
"The Hand Jive": The mneumonic device for the hand moves is what seals the deal for this one being on my least favorites list.
Also, did the year fly by the same way it does in the movie? It felt like it was just Halloween and the fall ball, and then they're having this spring carnival? Did I miss something?
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this show. I really hope there will be a second season!
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