Tag: Los Angeles living

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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Dudamel Conducts Mahler

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.

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Stephan Sondheim’s Old Friends

I experienced an extraordinary evening of theater yesterday . It was opening night at the Ahmanson for Old Friends, a musical of Stephen Sondheim’s’ greatest hits (or some of them anyway) performed by actors of a ‘certain age’ with credentials up the ying-yang. The name draws were Bernadette Peters and Lea Salonga but they were first among equals on that stage. These people know what they’re doing. One problem; Ms. Peters was having a rough night. She must have had a cold or something because her voice wasn’t reliable. But even being not at the top of her game, she still sold a song. Her rendition of “Send in the Clowns” brought teats even though there was no lead-up. She sat and emoted. Very moving. Lea Salonga was in great form. She has an amazing voice and her version of Mama Rose in Gypsy was powerful. I think somebody should do a revival of Gypsy and just let her run with it. It’d be amazing.

Everybody was wonderful but a special shout-out should go to Beth Leaval for “Ladies who lunch’. I think that’s the most nuanced version of that number I’ve ever seen. Wisdom and experience show. And Bonnie Langford tore the place up with “Still Here’. Lots of fun. Oh, and Gavin Lee was great in every song he performed. They all did. The audience went nuts. At the end we kept standing and applauding and cheering and the actors just kept going. I felt good coming out of the theater. And it’s been a long time since that’s happened. Go see if. It’s a treat.

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Floor Refinishing–or Not

I was buzzing around this morning, busily washing a large portion of the living room floor, collecting my sander and sandpaper, stain and varathane. Gordon halted me in mid-bustle to ask what the hell was I doing? I pointed out an area in the floor that we had replaced and refinished a long time ago—25 or 30 years. We’d hired a floor refinishing company because the owner was deaf. It was a pity hire. I’ll never do that again. The crew he brought in did a terrible job. He only showed up to collect the check and didn’t respond to any of our complaints. I’m still trying to fix some of the stuff his crew did. Some of the new flooring buckled when they finished it. I’m told they didn’t let the wood acclimate or whatever the word is. So, I was planning on sanding down the buckled part, staining it, and finishing it. Gordon pointed out that if anything when slightly wrong (like the stain not matching, the varathane slopping into a new area, etc.), the mushroom factor was terrifying. He reminded me of the time he told me not to saw through a support beam in the kitchen many moons ago when we were starting to redo the house. He referred me to the phone call he got at work. Me: “Hey, you know that beam you told me not saw through and what would happen if I did? Well, you were right.” I remember I couldn’t even get the saw loose, it was stuck in the beam. He had to come home early and prop up that part of the kitchen. I pointed out that it made us get to work on the kitchen but he wasn’t happy with me. I got a good scolding and I couldn’t argue back. He was right. So, when he sees me wandering around with tools he makes sure I’m doing the right thing. Today he talked me into calling a professional and having the floors refinished. It’s time I guess. And these floors are 100 years old. There aren’t many sands left in the them. I need someone who knows what they’re doing. And it saves me time and energy. Good deal.

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The Lehman Trilogy

Gordon and I left early for the Ahmanson Theater last night. We presented our vaccination and booster cards and photo ID to get our wristband first so we could tour the plaza and enjoy a glass of wine before the show. All the restaurants that used to be on the plaza had closed for the pandemic. Even the hotdog stand on Grand Ave. The wine bar sold sandwiches but we just got drinks. The video screens on the plaza showed people coming up the escalator for the theaters. It was good to be back. Hope more restaurants open up soon.

The Lehman Trilogy started at 7:30 because it had a 3 1/2 hour running time. I was dreading it. I can manage 2 hours of whining and Leftist political propagandizing (seems to be what’s produced these days), but 3 1/2 hours? Thank God, I was wrong. The play is adapted from a novel by an Italian, Stefano Massini, and is about the founding of Lehman Brothers Financial Institution. It wasn’t a denunciation of capitalism; it was an admiring account of immigrant success in the United States. I didn’t think that was allowed anymore. According to this account, the Lehman brothers contributed to the creation of most of the financial institutions we know today. Some of the family even became the politicians who placed regulations in place to stop of the worst excesses of those institutions. This German-Jewish family had an enormous impact on the development of the United States. The play starts with the Lehman brothers emigrating from Germany and starting out in Alabama in the 1840s. They first opened a store that sold fabric and became cotton factors. They survive the Civil War and create financial institutions to resurrect Alabama–all while making a profit, of course. Nobody works for free, do they? They end up in New York because that’s where big finance is. We watch their financial rise and family interactions over the decades. By the time the business went bankrupt in 2008, no Lehmans were involved in it. So, the bankruptcy was just a footnote. But the story was fascinating. The adaption by Ben Power was brilliant. As was the staging. And I can’t say enough about the three actors who performed for 3 hours (with two intermissions; they probably needed a rest) –and held my attention. Simon Russell Beale, Adam Godley, and Howard W. Overshown played the original brothers. They also played women, children, plantation owners…basically, they played whatever character was needed. Wow. It was a master class in acting. Most Los Angeles audiences tend to leave after two hours but I didn’t see anybody walk out–or not show up after either intermission. It was engrossing. Well done.

So, for an evening of brilliant theater, go see The Lehman Trilogy. I don’t know how much longer it’s running at the Ahmanson.