We had a big week for entertainment. Wednesday, we saw Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Pantages. It was raining out so I wore sneakers instead of dress shoes. Getting too old to slip and fall on Hollywood Blvd. I also wore my Irish walking cape. It has a hood to protect my head. I thought about wearing my opera cape but I didn’t want to get it wet. My walking cape fit in with the crowd just fine. Lots of Potter fans came in costume. I saw lots of ‘robes’ and house scarves. Before the show, one of the ushers led a cheer for the various houses. It was like a sports game: “Who’s Hufflepuff?” Lots of cheers. “Who’s Gryffindor?” Same. I’ve never felt comfortable picking a side. I suspect I’d probably be most comfortable in Slytherin but that’s icky. I’ll stay unhoused.
If you’re a Potter fan, you’ll go nuts over this show. I had to explain much of the Potter canon to Gordon which I don’t think he really appreciated. He stayed awake anyway so all was well. This isn’t a musical but there’s background music that the actors dance to to change sets and scenes. The choreography was lovely but what I really appreciated was the special effects. Amazing. The actors were all very good. The show is 2 hours and 40 minutes long so we got our money’s worth. I won’t tell you who the Cursed Child is because there are arguments for three candidates. Anyway, it was a nice way to spend a cold rainy evening.
We went to Disney Hall last night for Dudamel’s final concert this season. The Phil performed Alma Mahler’s Five Songs sung by Sasha Cooke. Cooke is a wonderful mezzo and she ‘sold’ the songs. I also liked her dress. It was a simple tank dress made out of some metallic material. Tasteful and becoming. I commented to Gordon that I really liked the dress and the woman in the seat in front of us turned around and said, “Thank you.” The Boat is where they seat visiting composers and family so maybe she was related to Cooke. I was glad I said something nice. Would have been embarrassing otherwise.
We went to the Founder’s Circle during intermission for a Donor’s reception. I thought I’d have to scrape the old ladies off the munchie table. We got there early enough to grab a glass of sparkling wine and a cookie. It isn’t that hard to beat the ‘walker’ crowd. And I shouldn’t be so snarky about the old ladies because they’re probably younger than I am. At least I have sense enough to get my goodies and get out of the way. The same can’t be said for the other old girls.
Dudamel conducted Mahler’s Fifth after intermission. It’s 65 minutes long. I’ve never really appreciated Mahler. Dudamel seemed to understand Mahler and conducted without a score but I just heard lots of themes without cohesion. Mahler is big and blarey and will keep you awake but it’s still unfocused. That’s me. Other people appreciate the music.
After the show we went to the parking garage to go home and were verbally assaulted by a screaming Lefty. My husband drives a Tesla and apparently it’s the new thing for Lefties to scream abuse at Tesla owners. I guess we’re standing in for Elon. She looked so ridiculous in her rage that I started laughing. And Gordon’s been married to me for so long he’s inured to craziness. I didn’t think much about it until we got home. Then I decided I should have reacted to the assault. But how to do it? They’re really not worth much effort but they should be taught better. I’ve decided my reaction will be a ‘bird’ and a smile. It gets the point across and doesn’t take much energy. If they choose to escalate, well, I’ll handle that too. I haven’t been in a fist fight for years but hopefully it’s like riding a bike. I won’t start anything but I’ll do my best to finish it. And if I lose, I can have them arrested for assault. If I lose a tooth, no big deal. I need new crowns anyway. And they can pay for them. Win/win for me.
It’s a beautiful day so I think I’ll take a walk before the next storm comes. I need to take advantage of the weather while I’m still here.