Hi there! I don’t usually do recommendations for things that I have yet to experience, but I figured I’d switch that up, and share some things I’m excited about! Lmk what I should be excited about that I’ve missed!
Theater: Oratorio for Living Things, The Brothers Size, Color Theories, Two Strangers Carry A Cake Across New York
Totally tmi but I’m trying this new form of guerilla marketing where I have a prompt on my Hinge that says “ask me for theater recs!” and then when people do ask, I tell them to go see Oratorio for Living Things (without mentioning that I am in fact working on the show, because then they can find out too much about me and potentially murder me). Will it work? Probably not, but you never know.
Heather Christian’s Oratorio is very much worth seeing, whether you are trying to date me or not. A beautiful and deeply unique choral piece, it is less a musical and more a musical experience. For 90 minutes, Christian, director Lee Sunday Evans, music director Ben Moss, and a cast of the most talented vocalists you’ll hear cradle you in a silky blue mass of sound, offering a space for mediation, catharsis, and art that is totally different and weird.
You might be scratching your head a bit, but let me tell you that even those of you most skeptical of experimental music will walk away moved by Oratorio. Maybe you’ll like that it’s in the round, semi-immersive. Maybe you’ll vibe with Christian’s lyricism. Or maybe you’ll just be wowed by the music. If you don’t believe me, take the NY Times’ word for it. Get tix via SIG30 or the Access Membership.
I first encountered the work of Tarrell Alvin McCraney two weeks into my freshman year of college. I had an excellent theater professor (Tori Sampson) assign his play, In the Red and Brown Water as reading, and looking back, it’s quite possible it, alongside Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice, is responsible for shaping my theater taste. Like Eurydice, the piece is lyrical, tragic, and woven with mythology, a story about gods of old and ordinary people alike. Soon after reading it, I saw an advance screening of Moonlight, featuring a screenplay/based on a play by McCraney, and once again I was struck by his ability to write with a very specific tenderness and love for his characters.
Now playing at The Shed, The Brothers Size is in a certain way a sequel to both In the Red and Brown Water and Moonlight. In the literal sense, it falls chronologically after Water in McCraney’s Brother/Sister Plays series (and features two of the same characters), but it also marks a continuation of McCraney’s collaboration with Andre Holland, who starred in both Moonlight and a 2009 production of The Brothers Size. I saw this play in college and remember loving both the story (about two brothers, one of whom was recently incarcerated) and the rhymic nature of the piece; both that production and the one at The Shed feature a percussionist (is this written into the script? I don’t remember). Early rumblings for this new production are highly positive, and I can’t wait to see it. For any fellow youths who are interested, The Shed offers $25 (front row!) tickets for under 30s. You won’t want to miss it!
Now with Color Theories, try as I might, I have not found a discount. I’ll confess, that has stalled my ticket buying. For those more willing to part with their money, this new stand-up/play hybrid by comedian Julio Torres seems sure to delight. As far as I can tell, it seems like a spiritual companion to his stand up special ‘My Favorite Shapes,’ except this time, Torres is taking on color. I’ve long loved Torres’ whimsical and weird humor, showcased in his writing for Los Espookys, Problemista, and of course, two of SNL’s best sketches, ‘Papyrus’ and ‘Wells for Boys.’ Considering how often I quote ‘Wells for Boys,’ really, they should just give me tickets.
Another one I have yet to get tickets to is Two Strangers Carry a Cake Across London. I don’t know much about this one, but it seems to be a comedy/rom-com musical about a British boy and an American girl who spend a single day together preparing for a wedding. It’s a two person musical, and seems to be in vein of Rye Lane, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, On the Town, or Before Sunrise. What I’ve heard of the music off the West End production is catchy and charming, but in complete honesty, and with utmost respect for the performers’ lovely singing voices, I cannot listen to much of it because of a diabolically bad American accent. Suffice to say, I’m excited to see this one, and look forward to knowing what it sounds like with an actual American in one of the roles.
Books: Katabasis, The Princess Knight, my holds coming in from the library
As you may recall from last newsletter, I dropped a subtle easter egg that I never finished R.F. Kuang’s academically minded novel, Babel. Her newest book, Katabasis, looks to perhaps be scholarly as well; two grad students travel to hell to save their professor. Nevertheless, I’m excited to read this one! I am a sucker for a hero’s journey that involves a trip to the underworld (see: Hadestown, Rick Riordan’s The House of Hades, Eurydice) and I also like reading about grad school as it is a novelty to me and my bachelors degree. I may not have finished Babel, but I liked Yellowface, so I hope this one is a good fit. Plus the title is so fun to say. Is it Cat-a-basis? Is it Kuh-taa-buh-sis? Only the Greeks would know.
Now The Princess Knight, I cannot speak to at all. I simply saw a title that was a play on The Princess Bride and a plot that was a spin on Legally Blonde and my little monkey brain said “must read now.” Naturally, this one is about a princess who follows the man who broke her heart to knight school, where, to everyone’s surprise, she excels. It looks like it’ll be silly and fun and fill my fantasy/princess quota for the fall.
Some things I have on hold that I’m excited to read: Telephone (Percival Everett, set in NM!), Loved One (Aisha Muharrar, cover reminds me vaguely of a Matisse print my grandparents had), Only Lovers in the Building (Nadine Gonzalez, bad title but probably something I will like) etc.
Movies: Wake Up Dead Man, Wicked: For Good, discourse about Marty Supreme
My questions about Rian Johnson and Daniel Craig’s 3rd Knives Out mystery are shockingly similar to those I have for R.F Kuang and Katabasis. How does one say the title? Is it like, “wake up, dead man” a la “wake up, sleepy head!”. Or does it adhere to a certain stoner je ne sais quois, with “wake up dead, man”. Or perhaps, and most improbably, there is no punctuation to it and each one syllable word should be said with a standard cadence and rhythm, ie “wake-up-dead-man”. One can only hope Benoit Blanc is on the case.
This 3rd installment seems to feature a locked room mystery and a dead priest (Josh Brolin). It also has Josh Camilla-is-who-I-want O’Connor doing another bizzare voice and Andrew Scott doing his usual (less bizzare) Irish accent. I will be dragging my family to see this in theaters at Thanksgiving.
Last year, I achived the impossible by getting my little brother to really enjoy watching Wicked: Part 1 (Sam, I am just kidding I know you are open minded and like action movies and Wicked is essentially an action movie). I’m hoping we can ride that wave and he will want to watch Wicked: For Good (aka part 2) with me, and we can do an awesome Thanksgiving double feature. I can’t wait for press to kick off for this movie (more weird moments with Ari and Cynthia please) and I also cannot wait to hear Cynthia Erivo and Johnathan Bailey sing “As Long As You’re Mine,” which is of course the hottest musical theater duet ever written. This movie is sure to please me and countless others, and as a constant theater nerd, I don’t take for granted when musicals are in mainstream conversation.
Last but not least… do I have much interest in Marty Supreme, Timothee Chalamet’s buzzy new movie? Nah! Am I eagerly waiting to see the internet’s reaction? Absolutely. The people realizing that despite Timmy’s erudite little look, it’s a movie about ping pong? Will be awesome. Timothee fanatic Club Chalamet’s commentary on whether he brings Kylie as his red carpet date? I will be snickering. And Mr. “I’m really in the pursuit of greatness” giving off an unabashed award hungry vibe on the press tour? Admirable, and also certain to spark a teehee from me.
TV: Slow Horses (s5), Only Murders in the Building (s5)
It cannot be said enough what a gift shows that actually consistently come out every year are. Apple TV’s Slow Horses and Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building are two of those shows. Everyone please say thank you to Gary Oldman and The Martins (Steve and Short) for keeping their calendars open enough to film yearly.
Slow Horses was the absolute hit of my December last year, when I binged all four of the existing seasons within about 2 weeks. The show follows a group of MI5 spies (officers? operatives? staffers?) who are so bad at their jobs that they’ve been relegated to boonies, aka Slough House, where they’re stuck doing meaningless work under the (neglectful) eye of their disgusting (farting, smoking, alcoholic) boss. Gnarly, right? Here’s the thing, though. That boss, Jackson Lamb (Oldman, in top form and sporting the greasiest hair known to man) is actually quite sharp and quite good at his job when he gets off his arse. And being MI5’s most expendable spies means you’re bound to end up in the action in some way. I love that this show is thrilling and clever and also occassionally a workplace comedy about incompetent dummies. And moreover, I like the relationships between characters - Jackson and his most competent employee, River, a spy nepo-baby (Saorise Ronan’s husband Jack Lowden), River and his colleages, Jackson and MI5’s ‘Second Desk,’ Diana (Kristin Scott Thomas, great). If you’ve got Apple TV and haven’t watched this one yet, you’ve got less than 20 days to binge it before season 5 comes out. Get on it.
Only Murders in the Building fans, our show is on TONIGHT. I love this show. It’s so charming and mundane while also giving my brain something to do (famously I love solving murder mysteries). This season looks to have our gang of podcasters tangling with the mafia, and introduces a delighful new cast of characters, including Logan Lerman (of Percy Jackson fame), Beanie Feldstein (of Wesleyan University fame), and Renee Zellweger (of Bridget Jones and also of saying “I’m a star and the audience loves me” fame). Whodunnit? My money is on the merry murderess herself (this is a Chicago reference. If you’ve never seen Chicago, run to Paramount+ or the p*rating site of your choice). I can’t wait to see what hijinks Selena Gomez and the Martins (Steve and Short) get up to this season, and I also cannot wait to discuss the show weekly in the family group chat.
That’s all! Stay tuned for more soon as I start actually reading and seeing things this fall :)
actively terrified of marty supreme due to ping pong being mini tennis & also very excited for only murders 5!!!!!!!!!