That's Entertainment
Dec. 16th, 2021 10:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fauxkloreI didn’t get nearly as much done last night as I’d intended to, but any progress is good.
First, a quick depressing news item was a story from WTOP news about the most crash-prone stretches of road in the D.C. metro area. Number 5 is I-66 between my exit and the Beltway. I’m not particularly surprised, since people here are rude and not inclined to let people move over to the Beltway off-ramps,
On a cheerier note, one of the reasons I am behind on things is that I’ve been indulging in a certain amount of entertainment. In addition to my crafts group and my book club, I’ve watched various entertainment events on-line over the past couple of weeks.
Christine Lavin gave an excellent concert almost a month ago. Her songs often tell complex stories and tend to be riotously funny. There was also an opening act - Shanna in a Dress, who I had not been familiar with and also enjoyed.
A few weeks ago there was a virtual Q&A with Fran Lebowitz, an author whose work I enjoyed back in the late 1979’s or so. I didn’t find the questions particularly insightful as they were focused too much on politics. And the event was only a half hour long. But I did find out that she’ll be doing more of a comedy show at the Kennedy Center and am thinking of getting a ticket for it.
A couple of days ago, I watched a recorded One Day University lecture by Sean Hartley about Stephen Sondheim. I learned more than I expected to. For example, before Into the Woods, Somdheim and Lapine had been trying to develop a musical involving a number of TV sitcom couples. I don't agree with all of Hartley's opinions about the shows, as he is not a fan of either Pacific Ovetures (which is my favorite Sondhem score) or Assassins. But the lecture was still entertaining and informative.
Finally, I watched the movie version of Unknown, a short opera about the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier that was composed for its 100th anniversary. It mingled the stories of individual soldiers with footage of war and of the tomb and other memorials. I found it intriguing and quite moving. I have been a fan of Urban Arias (who produced this and recorded the music live at The Barns of Wolf Trap) and this sort of piece is part of the reason I’m putting them on my donation list.
First, a quick depressing news item was a story from WTOP news about the most crash-prone stretches of road in the D.C. metro area. Number 5 is I-66 between my exit and the Beltway. I’m not particularly surprised, since people here are rude and not inclined to let people move over to the Beltway off-ramps,
On a cheerier note, one of the reasons I am behind on things is that I’ve been indulging in a certain amount of entertainment. In addition to my crafts group and my book club, I’ve watched various entertainment events on-line over the past couple of weeks.
Christine Lavin gave an excellent concert almost a month ago. Her songs often tell complex stories and tend to be riotously funny. There was also an opening act - Shanna in a Dress, who I had not been familiar with and also enjoyed.
A few weeks ago there was a virtual Q&A with Fran Lebowitz, an author whose work I enjoyed back in the late 1979’s or so. I didn’t find the questions particularly insightful as they were focused too much on politics. And the event was only a half hour long. But I did find out that she’ll be doing more of a comedy show at the Kennedy Center and am thinking of getting a ticket for it.
A couple of days ago, I watched a recorded One Day University lecture by Sean Hartley about Stephen Sondheim. I learned more than I expected to. For example, before Into the Woods, Somdheim and Lapine had been trying to develop a musical involving a number of TV sitcom couples. I don't agree with all of Hartley's opinions about the shows, as he is not a fan of either Pacific Ovetures (which is my favorite Sondhem score) or Assassins. But the lecture was still entertaining and informative.
Finally, I watched the movie version of Unknown, a short opera about the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier that was composed for its 100th anniversary. It mingled the stories of individual soldiers with footage of war and of the tomb and other memorials. I found it intriguing and quite moving. I have been a fan of Urban Arias (who produced this and recorded the music live at The Barns of Wolf Trap) and this sort of piece is part of the reason I’m putting them on my donation list.
