So I saw Billy Elliot last night for the second time (once in London, once in New York). I'll get to my thoughts and note about the musical in a few paragraphs. But first, I have to check in with everyone since, ya know, it's been too long since I put up another blog entry.
If you want to just scroll to my thoughts on Billy Elliot, head down the page till you see "Read my thoughts on Billy Elliot here!"
Last week was pretty much my week off. I had very little work due so I spent a lot of time surfing the internet (I was one of the first of my friends to come across "Charlie Bit Me AutoTuned") and, truthfully, I didn't get out as much as I should have. This upset me a bit, so I vowed to use my weekend to start improving upon this.
Other notes from last weekend:
- I got a history test back. I thought I got an A. I got a C+. Awesome. There's not a lot of grades in this class, so I'm going to ace my paper and my final exam to make sure I compensate for this midterm.
- Just because a teacher is absent in this country does not mean an assignment gets pushed back a week. I shouldn't have to learn this lesson the hard way - the teacher understand my mistake and this should be sorted out. That, or I'll be in deep trouble. I'm hoping for the former.
- Cooking continues to be easy as long as I can look at my laptop for the recipe. Last week I made a couple pretty good baked chicken cutlets. On top of that, I'm getting better at making mashed potatoes, which will be very important when I get to college and need comfort food. String beans are easy to grill up for sure, and as long as I can find recipes on the internet I see no reason to be scared of any dish.
- I also realized that I will be seeing "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" with James Earl Jones in it. I am excited for this. I am especially excited to greet Mr. Jones at the stage door and say, "You were great Mr. Jones in the Bell Atlantic commercials! Its like I grew up with you telling me just how to save on my long distance calls!"
Now after reading all of this you're probably thinking, "Thanks for telling me about your not-so-exciting week. Now the weekend!"
You got it.
So like I said, I wanted to get out and try some new things. So I did. I started it on Thursday, where I went to ISHBar (a local student bar I must've mentioned several times). The first thing I did when I got there was get a drink. The second thing was find a few guys and introduce myself. I knew a lot of people there that night, and now I can say I knew two more guys. I found it pretty funny when the two girls these three guys were with forced their way into the conversation and I had a good time talking with them as well. I did a little bit of bouncing around and a bit of dancing. My rendition of "All the Small Things" wasn't too bad, though I'm sure this week I can pick a song more fun to sing along with. I left ISHBar that night having made five new friends and I considered that a pretty good start.
Friday I got some laundry done and did a bit of studying. Not an awful lot, but some. Friday was a relaxing day as well and that night one of the guys I'd met at ISHBar was DJ'ing there so I went to support him. I didn't plan to stay the whole time, but I really liked what he was doing so I was at ISH till about two that night. The best part of this, to me, was just having a good time. At one point while I was dancing I saw myself in the mirror and there I was, just moving around, smiling and laughing; I thought I looked good because I looked like I was having fun.
So I used this. I spent a lot of the night encouraging others around the dancefloor to get out there and go for it. I didn't try to pressure anyone but I just made sure that everyone knew they could be out there having a good time. And in several cases it really worked. I was able to help several guys and girls (and a few older gentlemen) come out and boogie. What made me really happy about all of this was seeing how much fun they were having and realizing that they could enjoy themselves instead of being scared to go for it. A good night overall, I went to sleep feeling good about myself and the person I was being.
Saturday I got up late and grabbed breakfast at a local cafe I really like. I then met up with a friend of mine and we went exploring. We literally just got on a bus and went. We saw a few neat sights and when we saw a suitable area we got off the bus. We explored an outdoor mall and ended up doing some window shopping in Chapel Market. Then we headed over to Covent Garden and walked around there - the Christmas decorations were in full swing and everything was so pleasant to look at. We peeked through different shops and we went to Pizza Express (think California Pizza Kitchen) for dinner. That night I wanted to do something totally new, but I couldn't find anyone. I text'd and called all of my friends and found everyone was either unavailable or doing something else (I didn't want to compromise) or didn't respond. The closest I got to an idea was from my friend Hugh who said, as a last resort, to head to ISH, find friends, and move from there. I spent another hour or so trying to put together an evening. That didn't work. So, left without friends or a plan, I just headed to ISHBar dressed up.
At ISHBar I saw the dean of students as well as two gay guys. The dean knows me because of how often I come in to ISHBar and we talk whenever I see him. He's also kind enough to buy me a drink or two every now and then, as he does for most of the students. So I sat down with him and the guys and we started talking over drinks. I realized that the two guys were gay, and not long after I learned the dean was homosexual as well. This surprised me for a moment but it certainly never changed the way I acted towards him. For what it's worth, the conversation topics became a bit more risque and it was fun to talk with them about my various adventures and thoughts. We all laughed together for a bit and as the night rolled on, the dean realized he was ready for bed. After the dean departed, the guys told me they were going out and I asked if I could join them.
"We're going to a gay club."
"There's no one here. It's something to do. I'll follow your lead."
So to the gay club, literally named G.A.Y., we went. We got in for 2 pounds, which is way cheaper than any of the straight clubs I've been to. Gay clubs really aren't that different; they generally play better music, obviously there's more guys, but if you've been to a straight club or two, there's always more guys than girls. The difference was that now they were looking at each other instead of girls. Suffice to say there were a couple flattering moments throughout the night, but I spent the night just dancing by myself or with the girls I could find and helping the guys pick out dudes who were checking them out. The guys (Bert and Ernie from now on) thought it'd be fun if we went to another club called Heaven (also a gay club). We got in here for one pound (I was floored and not complaining, plus the drinks were not expensive at either venue) and the place was massive. Think high school gym massive. We found our way onto the dance floor and eventually onto the stage. Guys don't get to go on stage at regular clubs, so this was something new for me. Again, I found the various girls I could and just danced with them. Bert asked me more than once, "did you tell her you were straight?" to which I would respond "it's not a long term relationship, so no." For what its worth, its certainly a bit easier to approach girls when they're not threatened. And I don't mind saying they dance a little differently in this kind of atmosphere than they do at regular bars. Suffice to say I had a blast with the guys and again I made sure they were alright before I did my thing. We went outside at 4:00 a.m. to the pouring rain and no umbrella (I wore a white shirt - being in the gay district, this made me nervous and also made me laugh, but mostly nervous). Everyone got home safely and I've talked to Ernie a couple times this week. They don't mind that I'm straight (they want to introduce me to their girlfriends, cha-ching) and I was glad to find a couple guys with whom I could just relax and be myself with.
Sunday I did not wake up till 2:30, and even when awake I didn't do much. I started a paper (that was due LAST TUESDAY) and read a little bit, and then it was time for football. I flipped between the Jets and fantasy football-relevant games on my laptop (yeah, that's how you know how I feel about the Jets at the moment). I spent the rest of the night watching all the games, and before the Pats-Colts game (which started at 1:00 a.m.) I made myself some pasta. My brother Brian and friend Craig (who I was playing in fantasy) were both online so we talked all throughout the Pats-Colts game. It was great to sit and chat with them for a while. It also helped that I made a dramatic comeback during the game (I have Peyton Manning, Reggie Wayne, and Laurence Maroney).
I won my matchup with Craig when Reggie Wayne caught the game-winning TD from Peyton. I'm not sure if Craig and I are still friends (I'll check in a little bit). So when I went to bed around 4:00 P.M., it was totally worth it. Suffice to say I slept pretty well.
WHICH BRINGS US TO THIS WEEK AND BILLY ELLIOT.
Monday I got some more work done in the morning, went to class from 2-5, and spent the rest of the day finishing the paper that was due LAST TUESDAY.
Tuesday I handed in my unknowingly overdue paper and had a pretty good British Theatre class. I came back, did some writing (I write a bi-weekly for our fantasy football league) and finished my class registration (had to switch around one class so I could take another). Here's my classes for next semester:
THET210 - Movement for the Actor
THET310 - Voice for the Actor (These not only satisfy my performance requirement in my THET degree, they also enable me to take upper level acting courses)
THET399 - Experiental Learning (3 credits to write a paper and journal entries from my internship this past summer)
THET479 - Soundboard Operator for the Department of Theatre's production of "Gilgamesh"
ENGL289I - Acting Human: Shakespeare and the Drama of Identity
PHYS121: Fundamentals of Physics
One of these things is not like the other one!
I plan on really putting a lot of time into physics to make sure I get at least a B in it. I've got a couple friends who are really good at this kind of stuff, so I'll have support. I also expect to have the time to put into physics because, frankly, I don't foresee my other classes requiring a whole lot of time. That also means I can spend a lot of time at the gym (I miss working out consistently), in the new Weekday Players office (I'm producer for this student company on-campus, we have an office that I'm dying to start using) and working on networking, finding summer work, and creating my very own Twitter account, as well as keeping a consistent blog (it'll be something different than this).
But let's come back to the here and now, shall we?
Read my thoughts on Billy Elliot here!
This is one of the best modern musicals. Easily one one the top 5 of the decade. Possibly in the conversation as one of the greatest musicals of all time. Probably not the greatest, but somewhere in the top 20. What makes it so great?
-The story: as an audience member you never stop rooting for Billy to make it into the Royal Ballet School. You are on his side from the moment you see him start moving in the boxing class. You sympathize and side with the workers who are stiffed by Maggie Thatcher and her cost-cutting scheme to shut down the profitless mines. You buy into everything that's happening onstage and connect to Billy (empathy at his best when he has his moments with his mother).
The songs: the libretto is by the same man who wrote the script, giving most of the lyrics a tough, coarse feel to them that adds a sense of authenticity. The music is by Elton John, who relates to the story of Billy Elliot as someone who wanted saw a creative medium as his sanctuary. Elton John + Passion = Pretty good songs, simple as that. The music stays with you when you leave (all of them, not just the big ensemble numbers, but also the small solos and the upbeat silly songs). The music comes from a wide array of genres, including folk, ballad, and rock, so there's something everyone can get into.
The dancing: Yes, the choreography should be amazing. Its a musical about dance. But your expectations will be defied, I promise. The stylized moves of the little girls and the police, the workers and the officials, and several dancing dresses brings the atmosphere to life.
And then there's young Billy Elliot, who will dance and move in ways men dream of and boys shouldn't be able to. Its astounding and exciting and whether you appreciate dance or not you can appreciate not only the moves but also the degree of difficulty some of these present (let me know how well it goes when you do flip off of a wall).
The power: These elements combine to create a powerful piece of artwork. The actors are on their game, the scenery moves effortlessly in and out of scenes (including a staircase that rises silently from the middle of the stage), and the show is so tight, fluid, and properly placed.
I recommend this show to everyone and anyone who needs a show to find. A bit expensive generally (I dare you to find a good student ticket price, the best I could do was $30.00 in NYC) but 100% worth spending the extra coin to see one of the best shows in your lifetime.
What's the rest of the week lookin' like? Tomorrow I will hopefully be going to a roller disco (I have never roller-skated before. Should be fun.) and if I can find some friends I'm looking to create an epic Saturday night. I don't know involving what or how, but the key word is epic. Anything less is a disappointment.
In fantasy football (for those who care, hi dad!) I am 4-5 playing a 7-2 team this week. If I win, I will be in prime position to make the playoffs. I have some injuries to deal with, but the upset is still very much a possibility.
I've got an important paper due on Monday that I will surely do some work on throughout the weekend. Its due on Monday, not last Monday, I swear. I've also got to read a few plays for my other class but I'm looking forward to those.
I've got a lot of good things right now and I will make sure not to forsake any of it. Till next time (which will be sooner than this last one, I swear)!
i remember my first blog...
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