Immediately, I knew the man with the perfect solution: David Thorne.

You may remember David Thorne as the man who tried to pay his rent bill with a drawing of a spider. (You may also remember that he resurfaced in a feud with a gym manager.)

Either way, I think gallerist Marc Jancou needs his spider drawing replaced. And fast.

Just my two cents.

In no particular order…

7. The Dubai Fountain: This one is pretty innocuous, but I’m a sucker for African choirs.  (30 seconds into the stage version of Lion King, I was toast.) This video just makes me happy… tears of joy and all that.

6. Dog Saves Dog: Hard to believe, but oh-so-touching. There’s a version of this video set to some Sarah Mclachlan song, but I’ll spare you the trashy tactics.

5. Kiwi!: An internet classic.  Is it joyous abandon? Is it suicide? Who cares… it’s a kiwi and he’s crying.

4. You Raise Me Up, Shamu: Josh Groban appeals to me most when accompanied by 9-ton orca. I can’t help it. This gets me EVERY DAMN TIME. In person or via some dude’s camera phone with whining children in the background– doesn’t matter. I turn into a giddy child- a sobbing, giddy child- each and every time.

3. Christian the Lion Reunion: Did you really think I could leave this one out? Sing it, Whitney!

2. The Animal Odd Couple: Take a good look, America! Take a good look, world! If they can do it, what’s our excuse?

1. Stand By Me: Not necessarily a tear-jerker, but a good lift after watching all these others, n’est-ce pas?

You have to click through here: http://player.vimeo.com/video/2539741

Stand By Me | Playing For Change | Song Around The World from Concord Music Group on Vimeo.

Did I miss any other good ones?

This place is a dream.  Only a sleeper considers it real. . .

We began as a mineral. We emerged into plant life and into the animal state, and then into being human, and always we have forgotten our former states, except in early spring when we slightly recall being green again.

That’s how a young person turns toward a teacher.  That’s how a baby leans toward the breast, without knowing the secret of its desire, yet turning instinctively.

Humankind is being led along an evolving course, through this migration of intelligences, and though we seem to be sleeping, there is an inner wakefulness that directs the dream, and that will eventually startle us back to the truth of who we are.

-Rumi

This comes to mind:

“He drew a circle that shut me out- Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout. But love and I had the wit to win: We drew a circle and took him In!”

Artists & arts groups, this applies to all of us.  In promotional efforts. In collaborations. In support.

Draw your circle bigger!!!

(Scroll down to the bottom where I continue, but not before you click on the pic for a preview…)

I hope to see you there!

However, I have never been so shamed as I was today.  Walking to my booth at Poe Elementary, I passed a man being helped by a poll volunteer.  As another volunteer handed me my slip, she remarked that the man claimed he couldn’t read or write and therefore, needed to be helped through the process.  After having voted, I walked past the man on my way out and on second glance, it appeared as though he might be homeless.  And I couldn’t help but be moved.

If this man, illiterate and potentially homeless, either believes he can effect change or merely values the ‘right’ to vote enough to show up at the polls, what has been my excuse?  And what is the excuse for the millions of people who fail to take part in the political process?

I ask this question while accepting my part in it.  Our system is only as good as we make it.  Each one of us has the ability to restore faith in our government and the political process- starting with ourselves.  Get out and vote today.

http://harrisvotes.com/

Now I have.  And though I know plenty could live out their days without hearing my opinions on the subject, a few of you have expressed a desire to know what I thought of the production.  So here they are…

Sidenote: My date to the musical is a friend and someone who has attended more than a few productions with me over the years.  As we sat down in our seats, he leaned over to tell me that had put on his “Jenni-theatre-watching-filter.” You may wonder what this means.  What it means is, in short, that I am a pain in the ass to accompany to the theatre.  I have a lot of opinions about what I see… and guess what!  If you’re sitting next to me, you will get to hear them.

TUTS’ Cabaret: if I had to sum it up, I would say it wasn’t perfect, but it was pretty damn good.  Certainly worth attending… and worth staying through the second act, which concludes with one of the most striking moments in theatre I’ve ever seen.

Especially after the good reviews from trusted sources and after having written the blog, I was hoping to be swept away from the show’s first drum roll.  Admittedly, this was not the case.  The set was visually interesting; the emcee was as he should be; the voices and costumes were fantastic… but it nonetheless felt like the first few numbers were phoned in.  (This isn’t entirely surprising given it was a Tuesday night after a day off.  Maybe they were just getting warmed up?)  Still, I was surprised that neither Don’t Tell Mama nor Mein Herr- two of the most fun and familiar production numbers- inspired too much applause or stir in the audience.  In the case of Mama, I feel like the costumes- though cute- did the number a disservice.  No longer was it about the lyrics or the choreography, but about watching Sally and 6 chorus girls fiddle with their costumes in an effort to take them off piece by piece.  (If there was ever to be a song about buttons, snaps, and the like, this was it.)  Mein Herr lacked the costume complications, but wasn’t much better in terms of pizazz.  In the end, Sally’s singing didn’t do it for me in these two numbers.  Miss Leslie Kritzer proved herself to be a more than capable singer in several of the later numbers, but her first two simply lacked panache.  Perhaps it was her stylistic efforts that obscured the lyrics, but the ends of her vocal phrases were dropped or thrown away in ways that ultimately undermined the camp of the routines.

It was just at the point that my hopes starting waning that Two Ladies restored them.  Cute, naughty… but just right.  (It was also at this moment that the exodus of offended audience members began.  Sadly.)  Nonetheless, the emcee was pretty fantastic from start to finish.  His was a different emcee than Joel Grey or Alan Cumming, but he won me over with his candid repartee with the audience at the top of Act II… as well as his holding his own in a kick routine with the Kit Kat girls.  Big kudos to Leo Ash Evens!

The moments I was positive the show was going in the right direction were the two back-to-back songs: It Couldn’t Please Me More and Tomorrow Belongs to Me.  The former was sweet and genuine… and was probably my first laugh-out-loud moment in the show.  The latter was beautiful- idyllic even- in harmony and performed by several Adonis-like men and a single dancer.  It set the tone for the reprise in a subtle way… hinting of nationalism, but in a less sinister light.  The show only gets better from this point…

The action of Cabaret escalates until reaching its pinnacle in the middle of Act 2, in a scene in which Cliff urges Sally to open her eyes to the impending disaster around her.  His insistence and her resistance are the jumping-off points for Sally’s final number: Cabaret.  And here’s where I get really picky.  Vocally, I couldn’t have asked much more from Kritzer… but it seemed as though the song was plucked from a review and placed into the show, rather than coming on the heels of having her hand forced in a stressful decision.  In a perfect world, I’d like to see that pressure underneath Sally’s portrayal of Cabaret… isn’t she blowing off steam in that number?  The scene following- which was acted beautifully by both Kritzer and Hanes (Cliff)- only emphasized this point in my opinion.

The ending was the highlight of the show.  While parts of the show were slightly off the mark, the ending couldn’t have been more perfect.  The gradual emptying of the stage, the unresolved chords hanging in the air, the desolation of a society on the brink of collapse- one could see it all.  And for that reason, I am saddened for those who chose to walk out of the show earlier, as they missed the culmination of all the vulgarity they witnessed and the ultimate point.  For the first time in the entire production, there was silence… from singers, orchestra and audience.  That kind of tension isn’t achieved easily.

And here’s the kicker: when it comes to propriety, Houston audiences should start with modifying their own behavior.  There was a lot of fidgeting, chatting, and candy unwrapping during this production.  And- as my date and I agree- the only things for which you should be rifling through your purse during a show are an asthma inhaler or an epi-pen.

The moral of the story? Go see it.  The production is far, far too good to be playing to smaller audiences… help fill in those empty seats this weekend.

Maybe I’m just a dirty girl, but what is all the fuss about? Houston- strip-club capital of Texas!

So I wrote THIS.

Tria Wood aptly pointed out that a tour of the Mendes version came to Houston in 2000. I even saw it… featuring Leah Thompson, who- despite being my childhood girl-crush and a capable singer/dancer- couldn’t act her way out of a paper bag on stage.

I see the show tonight. (Thank you, former colleagues!) Will report back with even more uninvited opinions…

I certainly have opinions on this matter, but before I share them, I’d like to hear from YOU.

Please take a moment to fill out my very short survey… it will be most appreciated!!

Howdy neighbor,

I know we don’t know each other that well.  I know that, despite that fact, we’ve seen each other in varying states of undress.  That said, you seem like a pretty cool person.  And it seems that you’re a pretty swell neighbor, too, despite not taking the trash to the curb very often and that propensity of yours to slam the door.  (I suppose you could take issue with my singing in the shower at the top of my lungs, so let’s call us square on that front.)  But I have to ask your opinion- or rather, your preference- about something.  You see, I have a dog that eats most anything.  You might think there are limitations to that statement, but… no, not really.  So, when I see him hovering over a pile of broken glass downstairs, directly under your door, I get a little upset.  When I see him trying to eat the cigarette butts in the same area, I am also not pleased.

I am not a detective, but here’s what I think may have happened: someone at your place was drinking and smoking outside and dropped their wine glass from the balcony.  They probably thought, “Whoops! Let me clean that right up,” went back inside to get the broom and dustpan, and then, either had a heart attack, got mugged or was abducted by aliens before they could take care of the mess.  I imagine, by the time they were revived, recovered or returned, they had forgotten all about the cigarette butts and broken glass downstairs.  And that’s cool- I totally understand.  Furthermore, I imagine since our yard is strewn with all kinds of interesting paraphernalia- a downed TV antenna, a rusted basketball goal, a variety of dying potted plants belonging to a former neighbor- it’s easy for a pile of broken glass to go unnoticed.  I mean, we are just renters after all.

But here’s the deal: I don’t like bleeding puppy paws.  And I really don’t want my dumb dog to ingest glass and start bleeding from the inside.  So, it’d be really awesome if that pile of glass could go away.  And maybe the cigarette butts, too, for good measure.  I would do it myself, except that I only have an ‘inside’ broom and don’t really want a bunch of glass in it.  In other words… I don’t want to.  So, here’s my question: Would you prefer I leave you a note about this, knock on your door and tell you, or passive-aggressively blog about it?

Let me know when you have a chance- thanks!

Cheers,

JR

PS: I know I am being a jerk.  No need to tell me this time.