Life, exaggerated...
Sep. 15th, 2018 10:10 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alobearI went to two musicals this week, and mostly enjoyed both.
Strictly Ballroom was a bit over-the-top for me in a lot of ways. Most of the characters were larger than life and the comedy was broader than I prefer. But the central couple didn't fall into that category and the story of their romance was heartfelt and sweet. The dancing was also really good, so I was glad I went.
Kinky Boots was overall more enjoyable, though I thought the presentation of the female characters was rather problematical. There were really only two, both of whom were love interests for the male protagonist and didn't really exist outside that role. One was shallow, materialistic and not very understanding. The other was portrayed as desperate and that aspect of her was played for comic effect. I also had a problem with the protagonist's arc, since he randomly turned into an arsehole halfway through and had the most emotional song of the show just after I'd lost all sympathy for him, and the plot got back on track because his factory workers pulled together and did loads of overtime for him just at the point when he least deserved it. Still, those issues aside, Simon-Anthony Rhoden gave a brilliant and committed performance as Lola, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, and the set was very well constructed. It was generally a fun show.
One of my new money-saving endeavours is to stop buying books on Amazon that I then immediately give away, and start getting books from the library instead. My first library book was Digging to America by Anne Tyler. It wasn't the Anne Tyler book I was looking for, but it was the one the library had on the shelves, and I loved it. The story follows two families who both adopt a Korean baby on the same day, and shows how their lives unfold and interact as the girls grow up. It's an utterly mundane story, and very little of dramatic import actually happens, but it's beautifully written and very keenly observed. I became fully invested in the characters' lives and really enjoyed spending time with them. The book has a lot to say about how people's backgrounds influence their attitudes and behaviour, and it feels very real in the best possible way. It was a bit meandering at times, and some of the changes of point of view made it feel episodic rather than a cohesive whole, but overall I thought it was an excellent book and I will definitely be checking more Anne Tyler books out of the library in the near future.
Strictly Ballroom was a bit over-the-top for me in a lot of ways. Most of the characters were larger than life and the comedy was broader than I prefer. But the central couple didn't fall into that category and the story of their romance was heartfelt and sweet. The dancing was also really good, so I was glad I went.
Kinky Boots was overall more enjoyable, though I thought the presentation of the female characters was rather problematical. There were really only two, both of whom were love interests for the male protagonist and didn't really exist outside that role. One was shallow, materialistic and not very understanding. The other was portrayed as desperate and that aspect of her was played for comic effect. I also had a problem with the protagonist's arc, since he randomly turned into an arsehole halfway through and had the most emotional song of the show just after I'd lost all sympathy for him, and the plot got back on track because his factory workers pulled together and did loads of overtime for him just at the point when he least deserved it. Still, those issues aside, Simon-Anthony Rhoden gave a brilliant and committed performance as Lola, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, and the set was very well constructed. It was generally a fun show.
One of my new money-saving endeavours is to stop buying books on Amazon that I then immediately give away, and start getting books from the library instead. My first library book was Digging to America by Anne Tyler. It wasn't the Anne Tyler book I was looking for, but it was the one the library had on the shelves, and I loved it. The story follows two families who both adopt a Korean baby on the same day, and shows how their lives unfold and interact as the girls grow up. It's an utterly mundane story, and very little of dramatic import actually happens, but it's beautifully written and very keenly observed. I became fully invested in the characters' lives and really enjoyed spending time with them. The book has a lot to say about how people's backgrounds influence their attitudes and behaviour, and it feels very real in the best possible way. It was a bit meandering at times, and some of the changes of point of view made it feel episodic rather than a cohesive whole, but overall I thought it was an excellent book and I will definitely be checking more Anne Tyler books out of the library in the near future.
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Date: 2018-09-20 07:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-09-24 07:26 pm (UTC)Also hi! It's been too long. I miss you all!
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Date: 2018-09-24 08:34 pm (UTC)Nice to hear from you! :o)