"Senior Class" at Olney Theatre Center

Content note: classism. 

A show about teens who discover there is no budget left to put on a show, definitely feels like it has been done before. A show about teens who decide to do "Pygmalion" (public domain!) but update it for a modern audience and maybe make it a musical, has also been done before. (Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, anyone?) But some ideas are repeated because they are great ideas. After all, I've loved approximately ten different versions of "A Christmas Carol". 

I adored this show. George Bernard Washington, G.B. to his friends, as the writer/director of the show made clear how much the act of writing and directing feels a little like being Professor Higgins, trying to mold something in a new direction but discovering the thing you are trying to mold doesn't always accept your directions. 

Alyzé as a broke ballerina who does subway showtime dancing to help raise funds for her schooling was wonderful. 

And Colin, G.B.'s best friend who dreams of a Jimmy award, and casts a jock as Pickering to his Higgins was delightful.

The choreography was wonderful. The songs were fun. The direction was delightfully specific. If you are a person who likes peeking at the background actors, they were always doing little things that made them seem more like fully rounded characters. 

My one critique would be the sound design seemed to overwhelm some of the solo singers.

And the lesson that no one wants to be Higgins, Higgins gets left all alone, community is what you need, was perfect.

(Also those of you who recall my opinion that Freddy is Liza's best choice, well, this shows agrees with me.)

Three Interesting Things

1. Penguin poop might be saving the world.

2. This was a nice round up of the Tonys. 

3. This is my local breakfast taco place, talking about how they survive the rush.  I literally did not think I liked breakfast tacos until they converted me. 

Tara Describes the Tony Nominated Plays Badly

Hello, I love theater and do not always get to see everything nominated for a Tony for reasons that include, COVID, lack of infinite monies to travel to New York.  So I have seen only one of these.  And I'm still going to intentionally describe it badly.  This tradition started as me attempting to describe these things in one sentence, and devolved from there.

To all the people who make theater, whether award nominated or not, I love you. 

Plays -

English:  English is hard. 

The Hills of California:  Fame doesn't make up for your mother dying. 

John Proctor is the Villain: Teens push back against reading a play where the supposed good guy sucks. 

Oh Mary: Being the spouse of the president is awful, it would be so much better to be a cabaret singer. 

Purpose: Adult kid brings home friend to family house, hijinks ensue. 

Musicals -

Buena Vista Social Club: Some music albums take forty years to make. 

Dead Outlaw: What if you could make money by lying and showing off a dead guy?

Death Becomes Her: Sometimes you have to live forever to truly attempt to outdo your best frenemy. 

Maybe Happy Ending: Two outdated robots discover they might have more to learn about the world. About love. 

Operation Mincemeat: What if a dead person was the key to winning the war? 

One could argue just about everything is about love and death, but there's a definite corpse theme going on in many of the musicals this year. Not a complaint, just an observation.

Does the Tally Matter?

NaNo's daily goal was 1667. #1000WordsOfSummer is, well 1000. I read a post once from someone who had a daily goal of 10000, and no, that is not a typo. And I recently came across a post from someone who said after discovering a famous writer had a daily goal of 500, that they would be happy to be half as productive and set their daily goal to 250. 

So, to answer the question I asked, I don't think the goal you set matters. Well, I think it matters that it is achievable for you on a multi-day basis. There are people who can run marathons and then there is me. I could set a goal of running three miles a day, but, oh that's right I don't run. 

For me, when editing I find the goals harder. I can read three chapters a day. Or stare at the manuscript for at least an hour. Or fix at least four things. In the end it tends to be a mix of things. It goes faster when I look at it each day, but I don't always. On days I don't even peak I try to at least actively think about it for a few minutes. 

And the other thing that doing these group writing bits helps with, is the camaraderie. Showing up to these people, even if they are mostly strangers on the internet, and declaring that I am making space for writing, it helps. It reminds me that I am not alone. That folks are cheering me on, just as I cheer them on. And that helps. 

Mariame Kaba often says everything worth doing is done with other people, and while she was mostly talking organizing, it applies here to. 

If you are writing too this summer, feel free to hit that contact button over to the right and tell me about it. I'd love to cheer you on.

Tara Kennedy

Note: If you are reading this outside of your normal work hours, feel free to hold off response until your work hours.  

~To the world we dream about, and the one we live in now. 

"Hadestown", book and lyrics by Anais Mitchell