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Just another woman, just another bowl of rice
I woke up today with an even more stuffy head and headache and slammed my alarm and didn't wake up until a little after noon. Oops. I probably would have just stayed at home sniffling all day, but then I realized that I was going to go downtown to see The King And I anyway (or I'd be out the money for the ticket), so I might as well head to work for a few hours and see whether I could get anything done. I was pretty braindead, but I did manage to get a little bit done while I was there, so it wasn't a total waste. And since I was there later, till 7:30pm, there weren't any people there for me to feel guilty about breathing on.
The King and I was okay. I'm really glad I sat so close to the stage, since I got to see the sets and costumes close up. They were really sparkly and spectacular. On the other hand, I could also see Stefanie Powers relatively close-up, and I gotta say, while she looks relatively well-aged for a woman in her low 60's, it was still pretty bizarre for her to be matched up with a guy playing the King who was half her age.
I'd forgotten how politically incorrect and kitchy a lot of Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals can be, and this one is no different. I didn't really remember this musical at all, to be honest -- the last time I saw it was somewhere in the 15-20 years ago range, either on videotape of Yul Brynner, or of GWHS's production of it when I was in 7th grade. So, while parts of it are pretty entertaining, a lot of it leaves you wanting to cringe behind your program, or groan at the bad Engrish. And, to be fair, while the music in this show isn't bad -- obviously a few of the songs have transcended it, such as "Getting To Know You" -- none of it is spectacularly good enough to make me want to go out and buy the cast recording now now now.
However, let it not be said that it's a musical without any good points. Most musicals have at least one moment that really strikes a chord in my heart and sends shivers down my spine. The moment in "The King And I" is during the "Shall We Dance?" scene, when the King takes Anna in his arms, they strike up the music, and polka around the throne room. Now I want to go back to Pittsburgh and polka for hours. Dammit.
Also, the cast was collecting money to donate to the Humane Society for rescuing pets endangered by Katrina. Stefanie Powers even brought out a puppy with her at the end of the show during curtain calls, and explained that she was personally matching whatever amount was collected, and joked that she was getting sort of worried about how generous the Seattle audiences had been so far.
Oh well. Sweeney Todd is next! Yay. I loves me my Sondheim.
The King and I was okay. I'm really glad I sat so close to the stage, since I got to see the sets and costumes close up. They were really sparkly and spectacular. On the other hand, I could also see Stefanie Powers relatively close-up, and I gotta say, while she looks relatively well-aged for a woman in her low 60's, it was still pretty bizarre for her to be matched up with a guy playing the King who was half her age.
I'd forgotten how politically incorrect and kitchy a lot of Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals can be, and this one is no different. I didn't really remember this musical at all, to be honest -- the last time I saw it was somewhere in the 15-20 years ago range, either on videotape of Yul Brynner, or of GWHS's production of it when I was in 7th grade. So, while parts of it are pretty entertaining, a lot of it leaves you wanting to cringe behind your program, or groan at the bad Engrish. And, to be fair, while the music in this show isn't bad -- obviously a few of the songs have transcended it, such as "Getting To Know You" -- none of it is spectacularly good enough to make me want to go out and buy the cast recording now now now.
However, let it not be said that it's a musical without any good points. Most musicals have at least one moment that really strikes a chord in my heart and sends shivers down my spine. The moment in "The King And I" is during the "Shall We Dance?" scene, when the King takes Anna in his arms, they strike up the music, and polka around the throne room. Now I want to go back to Pittsburgh and polka for hours. Dammit.
Also, the cast was collecting money to donate to the Humane Society for rescuing pets endangered by Katrina. Stefanie Powers even brought out a puppy with her at the end of the show during curtain calls, and explained that she was personally matching whatever amount was collected, and joked that she was getting sort of worried about how generous the Seattle audiences had been so far.
Oh well. Sweeney Todd is next! Yay. I loves me my Sondheim.