april thoughts
Changing the title 4 months in. Hope that’s okay! Month 2 of posting on time. Life is amazing.
OVERVIEW
Theatre
TV
Music
Hello friends. This post is so incredibly long. ONE DAY, I will edit.
Warning: My header is always going to be misleading. I don’t talk about everything in detail. Also generally, if I know or interact with a single person in a play I see, I do not want to talk about it on this blog. Sorry guys!
THEATRE:
Searching for Eastman (Canadian Stage)
The Inheritance Part 2 (Canadian Stage)
Woking Phoenix (Theatre Passe Muraille)
Mad Madge (Nightwood Theatre)
Four Minutes Twelve Seconds (Studio 180 Theatre)
Something Rotten (Stratford)
Poetic Dreamscape Odyssey Nucleus (workshop reading, Canadian Stage)
By the grace of God… I didn’t hate anything this month. If I can be so honest… most of it was actually quite phenomenal. Which means… I will be keeping it brief for the most part.
The Inheritance Part 2: I love when a play ends and you hear everybody sobbing. I was telling my mom about the last scene of the play, and I almost started crying again. The most impactful moment for me was definitely the beginning of Act II when Morgan and Leo are talking about love. Included a screenshot in my little header (see above). During the first intermission, some people on the bathroom line were complaining about how Part 2 isn’t as funny as Part 1. “Where are the jokes?” M’am, respectfully.. it’s a play about AIDS.
In contrast, I enjoyed the tonal shift. The two separate parts felt artistically and tonally cohesive, but still distinct enough to justify it being two parts. I can’t say I “enjoyed” Part 2 more than Part 1, because I felt horrible, cried for most of it, thought I experienced catharsis (yes!!! love theatre!!!), but then got on the train home and cried even more. Despite the very specific societal and personal issues that the play deals with, it raises a lot of questions about mortality, loneliness, love, insecurities, relationships (etc etc etc) that can resonate with anyone. And mama… it was resonating with me.
Mad Madge: This was so great! I almost didn’t watch it, because… to be honest… I was initially getting a bit of a white feminist- Salem witch trials- yass girlboss vibes from it just based on the subject matter. Or maybe I was telling myself that because the PWYC sold-out and I got FOMO. ANYWAY.. PWYC tickets became available and there I was. The entire production is so funny and cleverly anachronistic. ALL the actors were phenomenal. I don’t mean this in a shady way, but I think most shows have a few actors that are just alright or (alternatively) a few actors that really shine amongst a large ensemble. But EVERYBODY in this cast was amazingggg.
It’s true, artists love self-referential art. Sometimes I find it super corny, but it worked well in this. Having Rose Napoli (playwright + titular character) play a woman who writes herself into her own books allowed for a lot of these moments, and they got a well-deserved giggle every time. Play was super modern. Again, sometimes references to influencers and celebrity culture can get corny, but it was funny!! It was clever!! There’s a TV show host named “Brothel Bob”. Chortled at that. So glad I caught this!
Something Rotten: Not much to review, just because it’s a popular, well-known musical. However, I’m adding my opinion, because Stratford is a trek so who knows when I’ll mention it again on this blog. ANYWAY, I love musicals. I love comedy. I do not love musical comedies, so all I was asking for was a fun show. WHICH I GOT! Sometimes I watch a musical and I think- you know what- I think I could kinda do that. Other times I watch a musical and I think- yeah, no, I suck. This was the latter. Love seeing a big ensemble of capital T- Triple Threats.
As I was watching the show, I realized… I actually know and like a lot of these songs (I don’t think I give off a musical theatre girly vibe but alas this is my truth). Realized I don’t know a lot of the Nigel/Portia songs, and upon listening to the album, I can honestly say I enjoyed the Stratford actors wayyyy more (Henry Firmston and Olivia Sinclair-Brisbane as Nigel and Portia respectively). I fw you, Stratford. Maybe I’ll be back on that bus soon.
TV:
Saturday Night Live- S49.E17 ∙ Ryan Gosling/Chris Stapleton
This was so long ago, I genuinely don’t know if I can give a valid review. However, it is the only TV I’ve watched in several months, so I’ll give some thoughts. First off, I’ve been a big fan of saying artists “have charm” or “lack charm”, because I’ve realized how palpable the difference can be. Ryan Gosling HAS . CHARM. I know it’s basic, but he’s great.
Also, SNL has been quite disappointing recently, and I think this was such a solid episode packed with funny sketches. My favorite was the two nurses sketch. Think the Beavis and Butthead one will be a classic. Hope they don’t ruin it when they try to reprise it in a few episodes.
Watched the Papyrus sequel on Youtube. Amazing. Julio Torres will always be my favorite SNL writer.
MUSIC:
The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess - Chappel Roan
“Good Luck, Babe” by Chappel Roan
What Now - Brittany Howard
sentiment - claire rousay
So, I actually have a handful of albums I enjoyed this month, so I will keep it brief-ish. I also don’t know how to talk about music in the way I can talk about theatre or even film, so this is just vibes mostly. Also here is a playlist of my top 50 songs this month <3
Chappel Roan: I’ve jumped on the Chappel Roan bandwagon. The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess has so much variety; lots of upbeat songs about partying and lots of depressing ballads about what I can assume is all the same situationship she was in. Real as hell, girl.
I noticed that the ballads have the least listens on Spotify, but because of some of the demons I’ve been fighting, I’m a big fan of Picture You, Coffee, and Kaleidoscope. On a more positive note, my favorite catchy songs from the album are After Midnight and Femininomenon. Controversially, I think Red Wine Supernova is the worst song on the album, but it’s the most popular. It’s okay. Most albums aren’t a no-skips album. And it’s still pretty good.
I think her new single “Good Luck, Babe” is better than all of The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, so I’m excited to see what she comes out with next :)
What Now- Brittany Howard: I love Alabama Shakes so much, but I hadn’t listened to Brittany Howard’s solo music until now. NOBODY nobody has a voice like this. She’s perfect. I love her. I was worried this album would be devastating, just because Sound & Color is one of my go-to “hate what I’m going through but I wanna romanticize it in an HBO limited series way” albums.
But it was not. Well, some of it was, but my favorite songs were actually the more up-beat tracks such as: Prove It To You (so sexy, I think this is my #1 song of the month. upon inspection, it’s actually #2 but still) and the titular song: What Now. As for slower songs, I like To Be Still and Red Flags. Every song is so vocally and instrumentally dynamic and complex. Loved it all.
sentiment - claire rousay: Discovered this album from a them.us Instagram post. “Robotic emo pop” was calling me, and so, I listened. From what I’m gathering, this is her most “conventional” album and the closest she’s gotten to making pop music. So it’s a healthy balance of experimental, ambient soundscapes mixed with simple acoustic guitar. Sentimental lyrics sung by robotic vocals with the occasional spoken-word mixed in. It’s not a “catchy” album you can listen to, but it is a really unique album you can definitely cry to.
AGAIN, I am trying to not listen to depressing music anymore, so I’m glad I caught this album before I had made that decision. This album specifically deals with her struggles with depression, and she began working on it mid-lockdown when she had just come out of a 6-year relationship. So do with that what you will. Lots of songs about loneliness, sex (derogatory), being depressed, regret, self-pity. I’m relistening to the album right now to gather up my thoughts, and it is killing the vibe. Very beautiful though.
My favorite songs are: asking for it, please 5 more minutes (feat. Lala Lala), and head.
CLOSING
Hello friends and followers. Another month of no TV (kinda), no movies, and no reading. This is such a hectic week for me, but somehow I managed to post this on time and write more than I have in the previous posts. One day... one day.. I will overshare on this Substack. And by overshare, I mean be more open about why certain art resonates with me. Instead, I can ramble a bit in this closing.
Last month, as I was editing my header, my laptop suddenly broke and I have since paid $700 to fix it. So we are SO BACK on Canva :) I also paid first and last month's rent for the first time. Feeling grown. Bank account going through hell. I’m gonna be back on my Sound & Color grind this summer for sure. I have to remember that barely anyone reads this substack, so who cares what I say, but I’m a stalker and a gossiper and love knowing things so I want to believe there are acquaintances and strangers out there curious about my personal life. But maybe that is also just the stalker/Instagram-addict in me.
On that note, I’ve been deleting Instagram for days and randomly downloading it again to reply to DMs/ maybe post a thing or two, then deleting the app again. Been happier and more productive. It’s amazing how that works. I wanna redownload Hinge but it’ll remind me of the demons I’m fighting, so she’s staying deleted. Love my laptop. Hate my phone <3 I hope I read one book and maybe watch one movie in May.
Also some random food reviews while I’m at it:
I had a caramelized onion scone at the Theatre Centre (featured above) that rocked my world. I need to try it again to make sure I wasn’t just acting hungry, but… I think it might’ve just been amazing <3
There is an Isabella’s Mochi Donut (best place on earth) at Union Station. And sorry but the one I had tasted old as hell. Think I’m sticking to the location near Osgoode.
ALSO also. The “Korean Tteokbokki” at Kibo Market was horrible. The sauce tasted old as hell. I’m sticking to their sushi. In their defense, it was the end of day sale. But damn, that was horrific.