musicals

Two thumbs up for Wicked

~ MaryG ~ 7 Comments

I’m going to go ahead and give Wicked (the movie) two thumbs up. Five stars. A standing O.

I thoroughly enjoyed it. The two leads (Ariana Grande as Glinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba) are captivating and the movie magic is off the charts. It’s sort of Harry Potter meets Willy Wonka meets Legally Blonde, yet it retains all the heart of the original, beloved Wicked Broadway musical.

If you know the Broadway musical, the movie is Act One only. It ends when gravity is defied. Part two will be out next year and I will most certainly be getting a ticket.

I don’t want to spoil it for anyone so I won’t describe my favorite scenes or the very cool cameo appearances, but I will tell you that our movie theater of 300+ seats did not have an empty one last night and people clapped at the end. Even straight men seemed to like it. My husband described it as “good!” and said he liked the story (a rave for him, for a musical).

Despite the ban, I did sing along quietly in a few parts, but with the “Dolby Atmos” immersive surround sound, I don’t think anyone heard me. Hollywood pulled out ALL the stops for this one. Go ahead and see it.

We did our bit to help support the collective excitement by wearing the official Wicked colors to the show 🩷💚

Sing like no one’s listening

~ MaryG ~ 2 Comments

What’s something you would attempt if you were guaranteed not to fail.

OK, I’ve heard versions of this question many times and I think it’s meant to be rhetorical. It’s a way of encouraging people to take risks, dream big, and push their limits without the fear of failure holding them back. It’s a message of empowerment and motivation.

One new thing I tried in my forties was voice lessons. I had always liked to sing, but never had lessons. While taking the lessons, I sang in a few student recitals, which was no great accomplishment, because some of the singers were truly terrible. I even participated in a couple of musical theater productions as an adult. I’m glad I took the lessons, because now I have some vocal technique to rely on when singing with my choir. Occasionally the choir director asks me to sing a solo line or two. I typically accept the solo…and sometimes I actually enjoy singing it.

Here I am in a 2009 production of “Too Many Sopranos” at the community music school where I took voice lessons.

Favorite films seen on The Big Screen

~ MaryG ~ 4 Comments

What are your top ten favorite movies?

Let’s face it, seeing movies is different these days. The fact that you can wait for films to be available on streaming means that you’ll be seeing many great productions on your TV, where they’ll be up against a myriad of amazing series and documentaries. I think it’s hard for a film you saw on your TV to be truly memorable (over decades).

All of the films on my list are ones I remember seeing on the big screen (sometimes more than once) and loving.

I was born in 1965, the first year of Generation X, and I think my list reflects that. Plus, I do love a musical! (If Hamilton had been a movie instead of a play first, it would’ve been on my list for sure.)

1. Sound of Music (1965)

2. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)

3. Star Wars (1977)

4. Grease (1978)

5. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)

6. Schindler’s List (1993)

7. Good Will Hunting (1997)

8. Bridesmaids (2011)

9. Black Panther (2018)

10. Barbie (2023)

Seeing the original Star Wars in the summer of 1977 in Nantucket’s historic Dreamland Theater was the most memorable movie-going experience of my life. I was 12. I’ll never forget how the audience cheered. Also, the score by John Williams was such an important part of the film. Goosebumps. I bought the sheet music for the main theme and learned to play it on the piano.

Final note: In my opinion, Meryl Streep is our best living American actress. Sophie’s Choice, Out of Africa, Kramer vs Kramer, Mamma Mia and all her other films would be my second top ten (or top twenty) all on their own.