All eyes on CATS!

Reading is turning out to be quite the center of culture. Last night CATS! came to the Sovereign Performance Arts center, as part of the whole Broadway on 6th street program.

It was an awesome performance. Lots of singing and dancing, lots of cheeky lines (what did ou expect from T.S Eliot's poetry), some gorgeous songs (Memory for example, and I just can't get the CATS theme out of my head).

The props were amazing, resembling a junkyard, with a giant boot of a broken down car, and lots of nooks and crannies for the cats to sneak in and out of. From the cats themselves there were some truly unforgettable performances. Rum Tum Tugger for example, as a cat-like Elvis (or is it and Elvis like cat?), wise old Deuteronomy, Grizabella the glamorous cat her coat now worn, unhappy and alone, who at last finds the meaning of happiness.

Gus, the actor, his glory days gone, but still able to reprise his most magnificent role as a pirate. And the most famous of all... whose name was whispered like an ill-omen over and over. Macavity the Mystery Cat. But even the most villainous cat of all was no match for Mr Mestopheles the Magician and his slink assistant.

Anyway, it was thoroughly enjoyable, so much so I could not even find it in myself to regret being out in the cold night... though I do wish spring would return soon

Speaking in Tongues

... Or tungs or tongs or any number of different spellings through the years as detailed by Bill Bryson's incredibly funny book 'The Mother tongue' - a history of the Engish Language. It had me nearly in splits with commentary about the change and growth of the language and the people who used it; comments such as "It was an age when sensibilities grep so delicate that one lady was reported to have dressed her goldfish in miniature suits for the sake of propriety and a certain Madame de la Bresse left her fortune to provide clothing for the snowmen of Paris.", when talking about the prudery of the Victorian Age- when words such as 'legs' and 'stomach' were dismissed from polite company.

Besides being amusing the book provides a really interesting insight into how a language once spoken in one small village in Europe was carried over to the island of Britain from where it proceeded to take over the world (cue maniacal laughter).

First the Anglo-Saxons (who conquered the Celts in Britain) after whom the language was named, then the Normans from whose language English gets much of its vocabulary- though Bryson mentions that, curiously, a lot of the most basic words - in, on, at, the etc, in fact, most of the commonly used words remain Anglo-Saxon in origin.

All through, what becomes clear is that it is the openness of English to change, that has allowed it to spread so far. That in allowing people to adapt the language to their local needs(and sometimes adding words from their native tongues that are now used globally), it has become a global language.

There is something to be thankful for then, in that all those who tried to standardize the language- and there are some famous names here- such as Samuel Johnson (who was not successful) and some not so famous ones Robert Lowth (who, sadly for us was successful- it seems some of the more ridiculous laws of grammar that we follow can me attributed to him).

I most enjoyed though the chapters that dealt with the differences in American, British and occasionally, Australian English, as well as the regional dialects in each. Also very amusing were the chapters on British (and American) names, and on Swearing.

While people have criticized the book for its inaccuracies- such as perpetuating the myth that there are fifty different words for snow in Eskimo- I think its sort of like criticizinf Wikipedia for not being an accurate source of information. It isn't to be used as a primary source (which I think would be fairly obvious), but is meant as a starting point for interested people, and it certainly provides enough references for those who wish to dig deeper into the subject.

All Abount Movies- Go Rehman!

This post is a bit delayed- in the sense that it refers to events a couple of weeks ago... but better late than never right?

I celebrated New Years’ by watching two movies (and I hope this will not set the tone for the rest of my year- time wasted at looong movies). Not that either of them were terrible- but neither of them were great. For all the raving about Benjamin Button, the length of the movie leaves a lot( or a lot less) to be desired, though the concept is good.

The story, as everyone knows by now, is of a man born looking like an 80 year old, aging backwards. There were parts of the plot I really enjoyed, like Benjamin being brought up in an old age home, fitting in perfectly, save that he was growing younger, while everyone around him grew older. Except as his body grew younger and younger, he is no longer able to stay with his family, his mind ages and gives in, proving at last, that perhaps youth is not, after all, wasted on the young.

‘Rab ne bana di jodi’ is decidedly happier. Of course lots of it is completely unbelievable- especially for a movie based on 'ordinary people'. But I loved how perfectly realistic Surindar’s office, his nosy coworkers, the crowded streets, the cinema, even the dance practices were. Again, it was a bit too long, and none of the acting was terribly remarkable, but it was funny, and that mostly made the length bearable.

And Slumdog Millionaire won bigtime at the Golden Globes! I'm especially thrilled for Rehman. whose winning everything from It's a little disappointing though- this is not one of his greatest soundtracks- I mean compared to 'Roja' , 'Bombay', or'Lagaan' ? 'Puhleeze'! Still, its getting him the recognition he deserves... Golden Globes, Bafta, Critics choice.... what's next? Dare we hope the big O?

Baby, its cold outside.... 100 hours and a 100 years

Two months left, and I swear if the groundhog declares another six weeks of winter, there won't be a groundhog next year to make any unfortunate predictions!

Temperatures went down to single digits last week, and it snowed all of yesterday, jamming up (it seemed) every single road I took (and only in the direction I was going in). It took me 2 hours to travel 10 miles, and at the end of it I was just about ready to muder the next person I saw- at the very least I figured, the cop cars would move a bit faster than the snail's pace I was going in.

It was completely stunning. The world covered in powdered sugar, like a giant cake, trees hung in Swarovski crystals too delicate for mortal hands, that sparkled in the headlights. Even the smallest gardens turned into lovely, dark deep woods to inspire Robert Frost. I was completely unispired though. The only thing inspiring me was the red light turning green- that was the stuff that poetry ought to be made of!

I did finally finish "100 years of solitude" - for a while there, I thought the title referred to the amount of time it would take for an average person to finish the book. But the cold is good for something after all, and when I'm cooped up indoor,s there's not much I can do but read.

It's not that its a bad book (hallo! its a Nobel prize winner), but it just didn't appeal to me in the personal way that 'Love in the Time of Cholera' did. It's a sweeping epic, which at the same time, revels in the tiniest quirks of the characters, the small twists of their lives. But while obviously, its not a story written purely for the sake of told, neither is the meaning of it- the hidden lesson- easy to glean.

I'm not sure what the lesson was. Was it the futility of fighting fate? The revelation, in the end, that it was all written, 'everything is known' long before it happened... would it have helped if they had understood before? Would it have changed anything? Could it have changed anything? If they had read the book befreo... would the book itself have read differently? (but of course says me... but who knows for sure?)

The mix of science and magic, again, the idea that technology sufficiently advanced, may be like magic, when magic itself becomes more believable than science... the loss of magic slowly from the world, like the loss of innocence, in the bitterness of war, the even greater bitterness of politics, the last battle against chains imposed by narrow-mindedness, tradition. Ursula's painful realization, of not simply recognizing patterns, but watching living in a time warp, forgetting history and being doomed to reapeat it over and over again.

Solitude, the word that threads the book together, a village separated by space and time from the rest of the world, an anachronism that was brough reluctantly to modern age, only to be washed back into the darkness (or is it into the harsh light of the rainless days). Solitude, as in the Aureliano's doomed to live alone, each one, alone. The companionship they sought, in the end, became each of their destruction- the first in war, then in love, in friendship and in brotherhood.

Fabulous Footloose!

"Footloose", the musical played at the Sovereign Performance Center last Thursday, on its 10th anniversary tour. It's something I've been looking forward to for a long time, ever since I missed "The Producers" in December, especially because it has such great music, with the title song of course, and 'Holding out of a Hero', and so many others!

The play was very good, lots of snarky one-liners... lots of song and dance (a bit like a Hindi movie), and of course, a happy ending.

It is about a s boy Ren who moves into a small town where dancing was banned after a tragedy that happened 5 years earlier. Ren leads the 'rebellion' against the town council, led by the priest, and wins the girl - who happens to be the priest's daughter. It's a story about getting over loss, and finding happiness wherever you are.

While all the actors were pretty good, I think its the supporting roles that have the most fun. I LOVED Willard and Rusty (yes, even more than the main role characters), the mismatched pair - once taciturn and the other unable to shut up!

Anyway, Broadway on 6th street is a great idea... there's a whole line up of plays ahead- 'CATS' later this month followed by 'Annie', 'Oliver!' , '42nd Street' and 'Hairspray'. I'm hoping to see at least another couple of these. And 'Movin' Out' as well, when that play comes to Philadelphia in May. So, Go Broadway!

Here's to the New Year!

And to reply to eyeball's question- The answer to life the universe and everything is.... (drumroll) 42! Or so says Google (and Douglas Adams ) - and if Google says so, it must be true!

And in asnwer to his other question - yes the Christmas shopping is done- it took until after New Year because its not just pre-Christmas shopping, but the Post-Christmas sales, returns and exchanges as well... and now 'm all shopped out(or my bank account is anyway).

Speaking of shopping, I was very appropriately reading Sophie Kisella's 'Shopaholic' . I first read this about 4 years ago, when I didn't have a credit card, and was unlikely to be tempted by any sale but a book-sale; and I found it hugely funny then. This time though, I could relate. It was almost alarming, as I giggled my way through Becky's adventures from the Shopper's Hell to Heaven (shopaholic gets multimillionaire boyfriend), I was thinking, "This happened to me!' (not including the multimillionaire boyfriend).

I also got done with 'Ink Exchange' by Melissa Marr. Its the sequel to 'Wicked Lovely , which was a bit edgy and dark, without totally tipping over, and that I had enjoyed a lot.

'Ink Exchange' isn't as good though. For one thing it's written from the point of view of a set of different characters, with a decidedly different set of agendas, and the old heroes come off looking 1)incompetent 2)manipulative, neither of which are very heroic qualities. None of this would be a problem, if I was able to feel very sympathetic to the protagonists of this book, but well, I didn't really. The plot's just getting further complicated, and its all set up for yet another sequel, so obviously, that it's annoying. Why can't a book just be complete in itself?