24 Hours in Liverpool: A Quick Tour of Beatlemania, Museums, and Other Sightsby Randi / August 15, 2018
It’s Theatre Thursday! Today we are talking about the musical Fun Home, which is playing at London’s Young Vic until September 1.
I haven’t been this nervous about a show in a long time. Experiencing the original Broadway production of Fun Home in 2015 was one of the most magical theatrical moments I’ve had. Everything about it was absolute perfection, including the first truly great use of the Circle in the Square Theatre’s setup in the round. I worried that the show would lose some of its power and emotional depth without that original cast that I so adored, without the circular theatre, without the extra tinge of greatness that Broadway musicals tend to have. Fortunately, Fun Home is in good hands at London’s Young Vic theatre, such good hands that I was dehydrated for days from all the crying.
I haven’t been this nervous about a show in a long time. Experiencing the original Broadway production of Fun Home in 2015 was one of the most magical theatrical moments I’ve had. Everything about it was absolute perfection, including the first truly great use of the Circle in the Square Theatre’s setup in the round. I worried that the show would lose some of its power and emotional depth without that original cast that I so adored, without the circular theatre, without the extra tinge of greatness that Broadway musicals tend to have. Fortunately, Fun Home is in good hands at London’s Young Vic theatre, such good hands that I was dehydrated for days from all the crying.
Fun Home is the musical adaptation of Alison Bechdel’s 2006 autobiographical graphic (autobiographical maybe?) of the same name, in which she delves into her childhood and her relationship with her father, who she learned was gay soon after she herself came out, and shortly before his suicide. The musical features Alison at three ages – as an adult, a new college student (Medium Alison), and as a 10-year-old kid (Small Alison). Now age 43, Alison, the ‘lesbian cartoonist’, as she calls herself, is sorting through her father’s old belongings and other mementos from her old house and her family’s funeral home in order to form her graphic novel. The adult Alison, played by a solid Kaisa Hammarlund, is prodded into memories as she looks at these belongings, and the moments from the two earlier stages of her life play out on the stage before her as she remembers them and starts to document them in her cartoons.
Hammarlund’s Big Alison carried the structure of the play well, with the memories eliciting reactions from her ranging from angry to embarrassed to remorseful. Her anger came when we saw her father stopping Small Alison (Harriet Turnbull) from expressing herself as she wanted to, or from her father’s quick temper and, sometimes, rage. Her embarrassment often came from truly hilarious moments of seeing her college-aged self try to sound smart but end up completely mortified. The great thing about getting different and unique incarnations of this show now is that different characters will shine the brightest depending on the cast and the interpretation. On Broadway, the discovery of the extraordinary Sydney Lucas, a one-in-a-million phenom of a child actor, stole the show with her natural, moving Small Alison and her showstopper ‘Ring of Keys’, where she first sees the kind of butch lesbian that feels so right to her. While that doesn’t mean regularly talented child actors like Turnbull do any less of a moving portrait of Small Alison – she was very good and had the audience completely taken – it means that the balance changes. Here, Medium Alison (Eleanor Kane) stood out as the showstopper, especially with her exceptional performance of “Changing My Major”, where her first sexual experience (with Cherrelle Skeete’s wonderful Joan) forces her to be completely vulnerable, uproariously funny (her little jumps!), and so touching all at once. Hers was a stunning performance and the standout of the night.
Well, one of the standouts; it’s a show full of magical moments. Big Alison’s remorse turned into another such moment in an emotionally resonant and brilliant part (of a show that is entirely brilliant and emotional): during the song “Telephone Wire”, when her memory of her last moments with her father shift his focus from Medium Alison to Big Alison herself, implanting herself into the past to try to futilely change it yet again. Bruce’s gaze moving to the daughter he never got to see as an adult is the kind of moment in a play where, if you are human, you’ll start making little yelpy puppy sounds as you try to suppress your overwhelming sobs. The impact of this moment felt real, and a scene that is heartbreaking simply as written takes on new tragic life.
But even though the story is ostensibly about Alison, it’s her father, Bruce (Zubin Varla), who becomes the focus. Varla takes the complex character of Bruce in a different direction from Michael Cerveris, the original Bruce. Cerveris played him much more natural and reserved, so his anger was shocking, his truly cruel comments to his family seeming unforgivable but infrequent. Varla, on the other hand, had crazy eyes most of the time, so his unstable emotional state was evident and it let his rage fly off the handle more. It was clearer, and for longer, how troubled this Bruce was, and even though I think I prefer the more grounded take – the one that sees the ache in an everyman rather than someone who is more obviously troubled – his interpretation was valid and equally moving. His brilliant introduction – letting the audience see how much he values the beauty he sees in the world – before we see how fast he can descend into rage, is so well done, as are his interactions with all the young men in his life (played by a talented Ashley Samuels) especially when contrasted with how he treats his family in similar situations.
As Alison’s mother Helen, Jenna Russell masterfully harnesses her coldness and uses it as a weapon against her family and her own vulnerability. As usual, Helen’s big song “Days and Days” is set up and performed flawlessly, in a truly remarkable bit of songwriting that lets you understand all of her character’s motivations but completely disagree with her. The big change from the show being presented in the round paid off in this scene, when the set of the house changes into a surprisingly larger, lavish one. I was surprised that it didn’t stay in the round, especially since I’ve seen productions in the round at the Young Vic, and since the original director, Sam Gold, apparently directed this production too. But the changes worked, especially in this scene, and it was interesting to see the show presented from a regular proscenium, although Bruce’s final scenes felt a little static.
The brilliant songwriting is really the star of this show, the reason why it resonates and why every inch of it feels necessary and special. Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron’s score and book stand with the best of musical theatre. When I first heard some of it, I thought it was a little too simple. But its lack of big belted numbers or traditional musical theatre moments in favor of personal connection and delicate motifs makes it such a singular achievement in telling such an intimate story. Moments that I thought at first were to lift the somber mood, like when Small Alison imagines her family as a happy singing and dancing one like she watches on TV in “Raincoat of Love”, actually had me crying: It’s not a goofy break from the drama; it’s a heartbreaking look at the kind of happiness this poor child wishes she had. It’s forking sad. Okay so “Come to the Fun Home” is still a very silly moment that lets the kids have fun, but it’s followed by a scene that I don’t remember being so harrowing – when Bruce calls Small Alison in and she sees her first dead body. This small moment was riveting, especially with Big Alison’s anger at remembering this moment and her frustration that she’ll never understand her father’s reasons for doing it.
Such precise, flawless writing feels wrong to change, so the few lyric changes I noticed I don’t really understand. In the beginning, Small Alison originally orders her father to play airplane with her and sings “I wanna play airplane/I wanna put my arms out and fly/Like the Red Baron in the Sopwith Camel”. Apparently that’s a reference to Peanuts, when Snoopy pretends to fly on his doghouse. I don’t know anything about the Sopwith Camel or Snoopy pretending to fly in Peanuts but I know the Red Baron, so the line made overall sense to me – she wants to fly like a plane. To quote my girl Tahani, you can get some of these from context. But in this production, it’s changed to “I wanna put my arms out and fly/like Snoopy and the Red Baron”. Is that really a change that helps people get the reference? I feel like you either know that reference or you don’t, so it’s an odd change for me, dog.
But it’s a tiny non-issue with an overall great production of this incredible show. It’s by far the best musical playing in London right now. I love that such a small show about such specific characters feels so universal, and that it’s getting the chance to be loved by a new audience.
AUDIENCE
Since this is the first (only?) show with a lesbian protagonist and it’s heavily about characters’ sexuality, it’s drawing a more diverse crowd that you see in the theatre usually, which is awesome. But it means some possibly new theatergoers are not used to theatre etiquette. When Medium Alison writes home, “Dear mom and dad, I’m a lesbian”, one or two audience members whooped and shouted YASS. Audiences, I get that it’s amazing when you feel represented in art, but if you want to be a part of the action, become an actor. It is not a YAS moment. In fact, there are no YAS moments in this show. And just for everyone’s edification, don’t talk or sing along or bullshit like that in the theatre unless everyone onstage makes it clear that they want you to do so (e.g. during “No Time At All” in Pippin, and during the curtain call of “Mamma Mia!”. Pretty sure that’s it).
Shout out to the one usher at the Young Vic who was READY to snatch cell phones. We could be friends.
Hammarlund’s Big Alison carried the structure of the play well, with the memories eliciting reactions from her ranging from angry to embarrassed to remorseful. Her anger came when we saw her father stopping Small Alison (Harriet Turnbull) from expressing herself as she wanted to, or from her father’s quick temper and, sometimes, rage. Her embarrassment often came from truly hilarious moments of seeing her college-aged self try to sound smart but end up completely mortified. The great thing about getting different and unique incarnations of this show now is that different characters will shine the brightest depending on the cast and the interpretation. On Broadway, the discovery of the extraordinary Sydney Lucas, a one-in-a-million phenom of a child actor, stole the show with her natural, moving Small Alison and her showstopper ‘Ring of Keys’, where she first sees the kind of butch lesbian that feels so right to her. While that doesn’t mean regularly talented child actors like Turnbull do any less of a moving portrait of Small Alison – she was very good and had the audience completely taken – it means that the balance changes. Here, Medium Alison (Eleanor Kane) stood out as the showstopper, especially with her exceptional performance of “Changing My Major”, where her first sexual experience (with Cherrelle Skeete’s wonderful Joan) forces her to be completely vulnerable, uproariously funny (her little jumps!), and so touching all at once. Hers was a stunning performance and the standout of the night.
Well, one of the standouts; it’s a show full of magical moments. Big Alison’s remorse turned into another such moment in an emotionally resonant and brilliant part (of a show that is entirely brilliant and emotional): during the song “Telephone Wire”, when her memory of her last moments with her father shift his focus from Medium Alison to Big Alison herself, implanting herself into the past to try to futilely change it yet again. Bruce’s gaze moving to the daughter he never got to see as an adult is the kind of moment in a play where, if you are human, you’ll start making little yelpy puppy sounds as you try to suppress your overwhelming sobs. The impact of this moment felt real, and a scene that is heartbreaking simply as written takes on new tragic life.
But even though the story is ostensibly about Alison, it’s her father, Bruce (Zubin Varla), who becomes the focus. Varla takes the complex character of Bruce in a different direction from Michael Cerveris, the original Bruce. Cerveris played him much more natural and reserved, so his anger was shocking, his truly cruel comments to his family seeming unforgivable but infrequent. Varla, on the other hand, had crazy eyes most of the time, so his unstable emotional state was evident and it let his rage fly off the handle more. It was clearer, and for longer, how troubled this Bruce was, and even though I think I prefer the more grounded take – the one that sees the ache in an everyman rather than someone who is more obviously troubled – his interpretation was valid and equally moving. His brilliant introduction – letting the audience see how much he values the beauty he sees in the world – before we see how fast he can descend into rage, is so well done, as are his interactions with all the young men in his life (played by a talented Ashley Samuels) especially when contrasted with how he treats his family in similar situations.
As Alison’s mother Helen, Jenna Russell masterfully harnesses her coldness and uses it as a weapon against her family and her own vulnerability. As usual, Helen’s big song “Days and Days” is set up and performed flawlessly, in a truly remarkable bit of songwriting that lets you understand all of her character’s motivations but completely disagree with her. The big change from the show being presented in the round paid off in this scene, when the set of the house changes into a surprisingly larger, lavish one. I was surprised that it didn’t stay in the round, especially since I’ve seen productions in the round at the Young Vic, and since the original director, Sam Gold, apparently directed this production too. But the changes worked, especially in this scene, and it was interesting to see the show presented from a regular proscenium, although Bruce’s final scenes felt a little static.
The brilliant songwriting is really the star of this show, the reason why it resonates and why every inch of it feels necessary and special. Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron’s score and book stand with the best of musical theatre. When I first heard some of it, I thought it was a little too simple. But its lack of big belted numbers or traditional musical theatre moments in favor of personal connection and delicate motifs makes it such a singular achievement in telling such an intimate story. Moments that I thought at first were to lift the somber mood, like when Small Alison imagines her family as a happy singing and dancing one like she watches on TV in “Raincoat of Love”, actually had me crying: It’s not a goofy break from the drama; it’s a heartbreaking look at the kind of happiness this poor child wishes she had. It’s forking sad. Okay so “Come to the Fun Home” is still a very silly moment that lets the kids have fun, but it’s followed by a scene that I don’t remember being so harrowing – when Bruce calls Small Alison in and she sees her first dead body. This small moment was riveting, especially with Big Alison’s anger at remembering this moment and her frustration that she’ll never understand her father’s reasons for doing it.
Such precise, flawless writing feels wrong to change, so the few lyric changes I noticed I don’t really understand. In the beginning, Small Alison originally orders her father to play airplane with her and sings “I wanna play airplane/I wanna put my arms out and fly/Like the Red Baron in the Sopwith Camel”. Apparently that’s a reference to Peanuts, when Snoopy pretends to fly on his doghouse. I don’t know anything about the Sopwith Camel or Snoopy pretending to fly in Peanuts but I know the Red Baron, so the line made overall sense to me – she wants to fly like a plane. To quote my girl Tahani, you can get some of these from context. But in this production, it’s changed to “I wanna put my arms out and fly/like Snoopy and the Red Baron”. Is that really a change that helps people get the reference? I feel like you either know that reference or you don’t, so it’s an odd change for me, dog.
But it’s a tiny non-issue with an overall great production of this incredible show. It’s by far the best musical playing in London right now. I love that such a small show about such specific characters feels so universal, and that it’s getting the chance to be loved by a new audience.
AUDIENCE
Since this is the first (only?) show with a lesbian protagonist and it’s heavily about characters’ sexuality, it’s drawing a more diverse crowd that you see in the theatre usually, which is awesome. But it means some possibly new theatergoers are not used to theatre etiquette. When Medium Alison writes home, “Dear mom and dad, I’m a lesbian”, one or two audience members whooped and shouted YASS. Audiences, I get that it’s amazing when you feel represented in art, but if you want to be a part of the action, become an actor. It is not a YAS moment. In fact, there are no YAS moments in this show. And just for everyone’s edification, don’t talk or sing along or bullshit like that in the theatre unless everyone onstage makes it clear that they want you to do so (e.g. during “No Time At All” in Pippin, and during the curtain call of “Mamma Mia!”. Pretty sure that’s it).
Shout out to the one usher at the Young Vic who was READY to snatch cell phones. We could be friends.
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Gilmore Girls “A Year in the Life”: “Fall” Like All the Tears Down My Face
After the disappointing (and sometimes infuriating) Spring and Summer, Fall was a gift from god. I adored every single second of it. Okay maybe not every single second but the vast majority of the time I was ecstatic. It felt absolutely perfect, maybe because I so badly wanted it to be but also because it was just so good. Instead of Fall, it could be called 100 Minutes of Epic Crying Fits. So much was so beautiful that I sobbed in that choky hyperventilating way. But that’s good! That’s great, really. That means it hit me how I wanted it to.
In the very first shot, we learn that Lorelai actually did go to the Pacific Crest Trail to do ‘Wild’! I’m kind of shocked that they actually had her go, but I am so glad she did. No matter how out of character some people thought her announcement to Luke at the end of Summer was, I thought her coming to terms with her unhappiness was necessary, and this trip was thus necessary. While obviously something so purely outdoorsy and fitness based is out of character, I think it makes sense that she was at a point that necessitated some kind of change, so I’m glad she saw it through (well, as much as she needed to).
And, to get her back extremely into character as we know her, Lorelai cannot pack her backpack in any way. What on earth is she bringing? I mean I overpack always but not to this extent! Where things are popping out of pockets if they get an inch of air, and where she has to duct tape last minute additions to the outside. Like, pretty simple task, Grown Up Lady. But so her.
I really enjoyed seeing how regular people reacted to Lorelai out on the trail. Well, out on the lobby to the trail, I believe it is called in proper lingo. Having all the female hikers brought there by ‘Wild’ was pretty hilarious, as was the division that developed between ‘book’ or ‘movie’ followers. I liked all of that. I thought it was adorable that Jason Ritter, Lauren Graham’s costar from “Parenthood”, was the park ranger who informed all the ‘Wild’ ladies that there was a storm coming and they should delay starting till the next day because they’d prob totes die. This also gave us a night to see Lorelai interacting with women her own age, which if you think about it we have not seen at all this entire revival yet. Sookie’s missing, and the only other person who maybe counts is Sutton Foster but she’s reeeeeally not a regular person!
And, to get her back extremely into character as we know her, Lorelai cannot pack her backpack in any way. What on earth is she bringing? I mean I overpack always but not to this extent! Where things are popping out of pockets if they get an inch of air, and where she has to duct tape last minute additions to the outside. Like, pretty simple task, Grown Up Lady. But so her.
I really enjoyed seeing how regular people reacted to Lorelai out on the trail. Well, out on the lobby to the trail, I believe it is called in proper lingo. Having all the female hikers brought there by ‘Wild’ was pretty hilarious, as was the division that developed between ‘book’ or ‘movie’ followers. I liked all of that. I thought it was adorable that Jason Ritter, Lauren Graham’s costar from “Parenthood”, was the park ranger who informed all the ‘Wild’ ladies that there was a storm coming and they should delay starting till the next day because they’d prob totes die. This also gave us a night to see Lorelai interacting with women her own age, which if you think about it we have not seen at all this entire revival yet. Sookie’s missing, and the only other person who maybe counts is Sutton Foster but she’s reeeeeally not a regular person!
OH.
HOLD PLEASE
Before we continue with Fall, I must address a HUGE OVERSIGHT I just realized from my Summer review. Um, Sutton Foster and Christian Borle, the stars of the neverending, never good Stars Hollow The Musical who have 4 Tonys between them, used to be married!! I forgot to mention that! Isn’t that wild? They are friendly enough evidently, since they are playing a married couple in the musical, but I feel like it’s either cruel or hilarious to make them do such a long scene together. Okay that’s done.
I only realized on second viewing that Rory’s old timey computer had been hacked by the Life & Death Brigade. When she gets to the Stars Hollow Gazette office and turns it on, it says “Get Ready” for a few minutes and she asks Old Man Colleague if he was messing around with it. That’s the same time that Kirk’s pig runs by outside with a sandwich board over it that says “Kick up a rumpus”. So, now it’s obvious that both of those were signs from the LDB boys…which is nonsense. At first I just thought her old computer said Get Ready when it was getting ready, because that’s not weird to assume. And I figured the sign on the pig was something Kirk was doing. I did not think the Life and Death Brigade at all, even though I knew the boys would appear this episode. You might be able to answer how they got to Stars Hollow so early and what on earth they were doing with themselves all day before they made themselves known to Rory that night, or how they broke into the Gazette office which is super duper locked all the time, but how on earth did they know how to hack her computer so that was the welcome message? Just because they went to Yale doesn’t mean they learned any skills, especially for non-computer majors, especially for a computer that is 30 years outdated. Did they pay someone who knows how to do it? I guess I just answered my own big question. Of course they did.
In the next scene, we get another wonderful Jess and Luke scene. Milo is really an MVP this revival, especially acting-wise. His post-Gilmore career has really made him a great subtle actor. He exudes so much warmth, well at least compared to his character in the regular series. He’s making it so clear that Jess has matured, and into a really decent person no less. As usual, his scenes with Luke are so touching. I love how he immediately notices that something is wrong with Luke, and gets him to confide about what’s going on with Lorelai. It’s a wonderful conversation between the two, with Jess still making cracks about Lorelai et al. but letting it come from a place of concern and care instead of jackassery.
Back on the ranch (what I assume all California motels refer to themselves as), Lorelai bonds over a campfire with the book club, who, like any good book club, have boxed wine from Trader Joe’s. If they didn’t also get peanut butter pretzels from TJ’s we could not be friends. Lorelai tells the girls her story in a perfect conversation. She says her name and where she’s from and I got a little choked up, but soon I was cracking up as the others tried to get her story out of her, the reasons behind her decision to do Wild. (You can’t hike unless you’re seriously f-ed up.) “You’re divorced”, they guess, to which she responds, “No I’m not divorced…Well actually I am divorced but not to the guy I’m currently with.” I thought this was such a brilliant way to address the fact that when we left her in Season 7, she was a recent divorcee, but how everyone kind of brushed that whole episode aside! It was quick and it totally checks out that she would mention it to these people asking about her marital status, and I loved it. But the scene kept getting better, with all the girls guessing her problem, calling out things about Luke like “He cheats!” “He’s dumb!” “He drinks! And he smells!” to which Lorelai responds with a quick fire “Wow I sure know how to pick ‘em.” I loved that!
After Lorelai admits to the strangers that she feels lost as the world spins around her, we cut from that great scene to a MUSIC VIDEO about SERIAL KILLERS. Or a way too long segment of the Life and Death Brigade’s gallivanting with Rory. I don’t usually speak out loud to the TV (contrary to what you probably assumed), but when Rory was walking through the town at night and everything was creepy, lights were turning out from storefronts, and somehow a raven spoke to her, when she entered the Gazette offices with the door ajar I actually said out loud, “Is Rory going to die?!” I would not have been surprised. I was so scared! I really thought she was going to die. Again, I’m pretty dumb and did not think LDB. But of course it was these jackasses – Colin (ass), Finn (omg he got so hot), Robert (seriously? He had one scene in the series)….and Logan. Yep, that was not goodbye in Summer. He flew from London, and gathered all his friends (and Robert), and brought everyone to Stars Hollow Connecticut to take Rory out for one last big hurrah before he MARRIES HIS FIANCEE. He is still getting married and they are still having an affair.
Before we get into all that Rory and Logan talk, we need to talk about this ridiculous music video for these privileged rich assholes painting the town red and buying up tango clubs in drunken fits of spending. First of all, this is way too long. Second, it is way too stylistically absurd, especially in the Gilmore world. This is a very strange film student’s very strange 10 minute short film for his final in avant garde bullshit masquerading as art. I get that the Palladinos had a crazily expanded budget to work with and just had NO IDEA how to spend that money, but an extended sequence filmed on the set of Moulin Rouge, apparently, was not the answer that fits into the Gilmore world. More importantly, while we always have accepted that the Life and Death Brigade does outlandish dumb acts, those acts have always been doable. They do not perform magical acts just because they’d fit in their budget. While we wouldn’t do some of the things they’ve done, their actions have always been humanly possible. So why change that now! How did they make the lights of storefront signs go off when Rory walked under them when they were across the town square? HOW DID THEY MAKE A BIRD TALK? How did they play golf on rooftops lining the town square without getting caught, and without causing immediately noticeable damage when they hit the golf balls off the top of buildings? Like seriously this is NONSENSE.
At least they start talking when they get to the Moulin Rouge, I mean the tango club. Because for the entire preceding sequence, they were filming a music video to “I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends”, doing artsy walks in formation and pensive photo sessions for the camera as they walked on the rooftops. Ughhhhhh. At the club, we get some decent lines from the three boys as they hit on waitresses and remind us that they are really truly terrible overprivileged rich boys. Away from them, of course, in a secluded VIP section of the club with a beaded curtain barrier, sit Rory and Logan as they talk about how it was terrible how they ended things and so he had to come back and say goodbye properly, which means both of them forgetting their acknowledgement of their immorality in the previous episode and sleeping together again. Jeez louise. He also offers her one of his family’s beach homes so she could write her book there. His family never uses it so no one would know. And even though his family hasn’t been in years, they still have a cook and a maid on the regs. Cool Huntzbergers you are cool and relatable to humans!
The gang makes their way (god I hope none of them drove) to New Hampshire, to an inn that they bought out for the night. This inn is clearly the Dragonfly, right? Just redecorated? Unless all inns have the same floor plan. Logan and Rory immediately go upstairs and we see them again in the morning, as Rory stares wistfully out the window while Amy Sherman Palladino shows a shirtless Matt Czuchry as long as she could get away with. Logan says he has a flight at noon and suggest they get breakfast at a nearby diner. Listen, so there’s no way these people are early risers, especially after the crazy and late night they just had. I would conservatively say they stopped partying at 3am, the most conservative estimate possible, I think. So there’s no way they are easing out of bed any earlier than 9am. What’s he doing if he has a flight at noon! I have a flight at noon tomorrow and I feel like I have to leave now to make it! I mean I’m sure he doesn’t have to go through security or check in or anything because money but still, they are in the middle of nowhere!
I can’t spend too much time thinking about that because we are quickly given Logan and Rory’s actual goodbye, the real one this time. This marks the first time ever that Rory’s crying made me cry. Actually it’s the first time Rory’s crying was believable and natural. See, e.g. the therapist in college. But when she started crying saying goodbye to Logan in the room and tried to brush it off, it was realistic and sad, even though they are terrible people. It doesn’t matter right now because this LDB goodbye scene is surprisingly touching. Despite it being so unbelievably annoying in theory, the Wizard of Oz-goodbye to all the boys actually made me cry. Of course I cackled when Rory said to Finn “I think I’ll miss you most of all”, and Finn replied, “Stay photogenic.” He is the best one. In their first demonstration of sensibility, the boys leave so Logan and Rory can say goodbye properly. He puts his hands out and takes a mental picture of her, and when we realize that he’s doing that to solidify how he will always remember her because this is actually it, I got teary again. “Why can’t these two idiots just be together!” The sentimentality of it all made me ask that. When I realized that they could indeed be together, but Logan doesn’t want to rock his family’s dynastic plan and risk losing the billions, it’s less sad. But still, what an end to Logan. (Or so we think.)
Back to Lorelai in the woods, she is attempting again to start her hike. This time, a new “Parenthood” costar is the park ranger checking permits, Peter Krause – Lauren Graham’s real-life long-term boyfriend!! I ADORED their extended banter about how she couldn’t find her permit because it was so flinging flanging obvious that Peter was trying to not to laugh. I wonder how many takes it took them, they look like they just want to start making out. It’s really funny to watch his face. He’s like “Wow you are good on this show! But let me do my job!”
Of course she can’t find her permit because she refuses to open her Pack of Doom, so instead she tries to find food, and ostensibly coffee. Coffee coffee coffee! Everything is closed though so she walks around nature – because she is still near nature, it’s not all hidden behind the park ranger. She chances upon this beautiful clearing of mountains and valleys and it’s just like a perfect green postcard, and apparently that’s all she needed out of this trip because she immediately has some sort of awakening. Deep breaths, closed eyes, and she’s on the verge of tears. She realizes something and immediately gets out her phone. I was wondering who she was calling, Luke or Rory. Which one will it be, Luke or Rory? When the camera cut to Emily answering the phone I was shocked. Shocked! Emily is sleeping and answers “Hello?” Without an introduction, Lorelai tells her a story of when she was 13 or so. It’s a long, meandering but lovely story about how she stole a shirt from her mother and how her boyfriend broke up with her very meanly, so she left school and went to the mall, where she ran into Richard, who never goes to the mall. It was pure luck that they ran into each other when Lorelai was emotionally crushed. Her usually stoic father, seeing his daughter so upset, instead of grounding her or yelling at her, he bought her a pretzel. At this point is when I (sometimes slow to the uptake) realized, she is calling Emily to finally tell her the story she should have told at the funeral. She finally thought of the perfect story to honor her father and Emily realizes it too and is shown smiling through her tears and it’s so beautiful. It clearly means a lot to Emily, and the long rift seems to be mending.
Apparently that’s all Lorelai needed because when they hang up, she drops her pack by the dumpster and goes home. We cut to Luke and PAUL ANKA DOGGIE in the kitchen, as Luke tries in vain to withstand the pressure of giving in to that ADORABLE DOGGIE FACE, but of course no one can say no to Paul Anka Doggie so Luke drops a steak onto the floor for him. An entire steak. I adored this little interaction, mainly because Paul Anka is so flipping cute and he so doggie and it’s funny that Luke has fallen in love with him too, as all humans would. Lorelai rushes through the door, and Scott Patterson, in his best work in the revival, clearly shows Luke as being happy to see her but also terrified of what she’s going to tell him. As we’ve seen, he expects that whenever she returned from the trip, she would break up with him. It’s not true, but Luke’s belief in this is what he needed, because it shocked him into admitting that she is the most important part of his life and he would do anything and everything necessary to keep her in his life. Finally, my god finally, Luke opens up about things he’s thinking and feeling and tells Lorelai. Thank the f-ing lord. I didn’t believe all the things he said in his exuberant rant – like the stuff about starting a franchise if that’s what she wants him to do – but the emotion and pitch of this outburst was wonderful. I LOVED when he kept going after she interjected and said how they’d been through so much already and had to watch each other have relationships with other people: “There was Rachel, and Max, and Christopher –I had to watch you MARRY that guy and it was awful!” It seemed really important that Luke finally address the marriage, and to have it be in his most honest moment was right. And of course it was wonderful that Lorelai finally stopped him and said what she was really going to say, that they should get married, and that it should be that weekend. It was SO FLIPPING CUTE.
We cut to Emily at a vacation home in Nantucket with the new boyfriend (ish) and Berta’s extended family, all the kids and cousins and everything. I’m obsessed with how fine Emily is with the maid’s entire family living with her wherever she goes. There are at least a dozen latinos around and it’s adorable, even though Emily still has no idea how to communicate with them. It shows how much she’s softening and realizing she needs warmth and just other people in their lives.
Of course Emily listens to the Bernadette ‘Gypsy’. It might have been a little too on the nose, but I love that she listens to the quintessential crazy overbearing mother show when she is such an important crazy overbearing mother in all of pop culture. And she would never be down with Patti LuPone’s (though she’s my favorite). Emily would find her too loud and brassy. (Hello pot?)
Of course Rory is going to write the book at her grandparents’ house. The old instrumental music that scored the original series starts playing, so we know this shit is going to be saaad. Rory walks through the empty house ‘Fun Home’ style, seeing the ghosts of all her memories as she looks back on scenes from the original series replaying. I actually wish we had a bit more of these memories replaying as we watched with Rory. It’s a cheap ploy to get me to cry more but it’s working damn well. And of course she isn’t going to write just anywhere; she’s going to write under her portrait, in Richard’s study. We know what’s coming, and when she opens the door to his study, the camera shifts from her to the desk, where a hologram of Richard is sitting there writing. It is so well done, and so brutal. Brutal! Oh man I have not cried for so long, so hard. Rory takes her seat and opens her computer and that Sam Phillips music is still playing, the “la la las” and it’s wonderful.
It might have been all the emotion in my body running up my throat and into my eyes, but I cracked up so hard at the next scene, where Lorelai and Michel are interviewing his potential replacements at the Inn. They are being pretty mean to the candidates, but Michel is so good that it’s funny. He asks the first Aryan guy why he left his last job, and was it to play Rolf in several productions of The Sound of Music. But his questions to the next candidate win the day and I shout-laughed. “So, your name is Molly….” Michel deadpanned, “….why?” He is too good.
Lorelai, in a fetching hat, walks through the town and sees that the Old Folks Home that is also a Monastery?? has moving trucks outside. The nuns inside give Lorelai the inside scoop, and it’s clear that Lorelai is thinking of buying it so she can expand the Inn and give Michel more to run.
We cut to nighttime in Lorelai’s house, and Paul Anka Doggie So Cute is opening her bedroom door and motioning for her to go see Rory, who is home and who is WAKING LORELAI UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT. She came with the first three chapters of her book, and I remember, oh, they haven’t talked since their fight about the book in the cemetery. Jesus Rory! Who wakes someone up in the middle of the night, first of all, and second of all it’s to make her READ?
Luckily, they make up, because Rory brought Chinese food and gets out ice cream and Pop Tarts. Rory shows her mom the book section and asks her just to read it, and if she doesn’t like it she will stop writing. The manuscript is titled “The Gilmore Girls”. Lorelai reluctantly agrees to read it, and Rory gets donuts because their spread isn’t disgusting enough.
The next scene is absolutely spectacular. Emily is sitting, bored out of her mind, at a D.A.R. meeting. This is no meeting like we’ve seen before – all the top-ranking members (led by Barb!) are sitting at a long table facing a young blonde trophy wife who is being interviewed for membership. They seem like they are being nice to her, but in that cutting way. Emily has clearly had enough of this bullshit, and says so. No, really, she literally starts shouting “Bullshit!” She lets all her pent up D.A.R. frustration out and tells the trophy wife that this is all bullshit and that these women have been mocking her to her face but in a way she couldn’t call out (or even notice). Emily rails on about all the ‘bullshit’ the D.A.R. does and how it’s all bullshit and how she cannot take any more of this bullshit and she’s out. I’m pretty sure she said told the applicant that they all bought a pre-colonial post-war douche and patted themselves on the back with it as they mocked her prenup. It’s GLORIOUS. Kelly Bishop deserves an Emmy but she is too good for the Emmys. She is queen. They kick her out, but it doesn’t matter because her bullshit ranting seemed to be her quitting anyway. Oh man. What a scene, and what a woman.
Back to wedding planning with Lorelai and Luke, and they are talking about their guest list. Luke says to add his friend Kiefer Sutherland, and Lorelai jokes, is it spelled like the real one? It turns out it is the real one, and it’s kind of a dumb joke. The only good thing about this joke is that SOMEHOW, someway, Rory’s role in this joke is the best comedic acting she has ever, ever done! She comes in, Lorelai explains the situation, and Rory shoots off, “’I’m federal agent Jack Bauer and this is the longest day of my life and my wife and mistress have the same face. And haircut.’ That one?!” and it is SPECTACULAR! Did they shoot these episodes in order? Because it seems like Alexis was saving all her good acting for Fall.
But we were never going to see Kiefer Sutherland, so does that mean we aren’t going to see the wedding? Luckily I don’t have much time to dwell on this subject or the dumb joke because MISS CELINE IS BACK! Wooo! I love Miss Celine! I wish I had a Miss Celine! I wonder what celebrity she would call me! I love that she calls Lorelai ‘Natalie Wood’ all the time. She decides Luke is ‘Eli Wallach’, which swells my heart because I loved Eli Wallach so, especially in “The Holiday”. I can’t think about how sad I am about him because Paul Anka Doggie So Cute That Wittle jumps on the couch and Lorelai puts a veil on him and it’s adorable and I squee and the neighbors grumble.
Rory is back in a weirdly lit office, and I guess (wrongly) that she is at a publishing house pitching her book. But of course she doesn’t need to do that because Jess will publish it! I didn’t even think of that until I was watching this episode, but of course when Jess suggested that she write this book, it was with the intention that his press would publish it and then they would have lots of babies. Well at least the first part. He is so her knight. So if she isn’t at a publishers, where is she? And the camera turns to reveal David Sutcliffe, Rory’s father Christopher, who has been busy these past 10 years drinking the blood of unicorns because he has not aged A DAY. In fact, he maybe looks younger. What in the worldddd. If there is a Team Chris at all in the fandom, they are so vindicated here because he looks insane (and Luke just looks like a normal). Gigi apparently is living life as a full Parisian; I’m glad they mention Rory’s sister. But this whole scene, besides looking awkward, feels and sounds awkward. Rory is incredibly icy and cold to her father, whom I’ve never considered a villain but who seems to be getting the villain treatment. Sitting at a big executive desk, wearing an expensive suit, and Rory is asking questions that cut to the core of their whole relationship. “How did you feel about Mom raising me alone?” she asks. Chris feels the same coldness we do and he’s like dammmn girl! He explains that it was Lorelai’s decision, and no one could have convinced her otherwise. Despite any regrets he might have about not being there for her, he thinks it was “exactly what was supposed to happen and I think she’d back me up on that.” It seems out of the blue for Rory to be asking such important questions about their relationship now. Kind of hurtful to Chris, but he does deserve to have these questions asked of him. It just feels so out of the blue, and Christopher (or at least David) deserves to have more in this revival.
Lorelai goes to her mother’s house and finds a for sale sign on the door. Oh my goodness!! I guess we could have expected this to happen, with all of Emily’s soul-searching, but oh it’s so sad to think of this house not being theirs anymore. But Emily’s significant character development in this revival brings her to move to Nantucket, where she feels content and perhaps happy. She tells Lorelai of the house in Nantucket, which she’s renaming The Sandcastle because the previous owners named it the Clam Shack – “I guess Vagina House was taken”, Emily said. Oh my god when this came out of Emily Gilmore’s mouth! Hahah! She’s finding herself and finally thinking for herself, and it’s lovely. Emily is the only character in the revival who has a positive arc. She has grown so much from Winter to Fall. And yeah, there are a few things that stick out as the product of poor writing, mostly courtesy of Daniel Palladino. For one, remember in Spring, at therapy, when Emily blamed Lorelai for a nasty letter she once received? We never get resolution on that issue. I’m really mad about that, because I want to know who wrote that letter. Trix? And then in Summer (or maybe Spring again), Emily is depressed in bed and sleeping till noon. That’s to be expected after her husband died, but it came in between showings of her being perfectly fine, so felt out of place and like any surrounding story on that matter was cut. But otherwise, Emily was given a fantastic storyline and it ends for her so beautifully. I love that Lorelai ends their story by needing to ask for money so she can expand the Dragonfly to the Old Folks Home. Emily, of course, offers the money on one condition – that Luke and Lorelai visit her in Nantucket three weeks of the year. Of course she attaches these strings, just like in the pilot. She always feels like she needs to guarantee a relationship with her in all gifts of money. Then she moves to Nantucket – with Berta and Berta’s whole family. I love how much she’s grown to care for this family. Berta has the best line – she’s sick and Emily says she will heat up some soup for her. Berta tries to stop her because whenever Emily tries to heat up soup she ruins the stove, but of course Emily still can’t understand what she’s saying. In the subtitles, we see Berta exclaim “How a grown woman can go through life without being able to heat something up is incredible.” So funny! But Emily’s personal journey is the real story. When she’s shown putting blankets over two little kids, my heart broke. And when she’s lacing up her Keds, I was so excited to see where they were taking her. Having a new job as a volunteer at the Whaling Museum that she visited earlier in the episode was so perfect. She’s so good at it. I didn’t need to hear all the details about killing whales, because this shit is disgusting and cruel, but I’m just so happy for Emily. And scaring children and making them cry is right up her alley.
We cut to Emily at a vacation home in Nantucket with the new boyfriend (ish) and Berta’s extended family, all the kids and cousins and everything. I’m obsessed with how fine Emily is with the maid’s entire family living with her wherever she goes. There are at least a dozen latinos around and it’s adorable, even though Emily still has no idea how to communicate with them. It shows how much she’s softening and realizing she needs warmth and just other people in their lives.
Of course Emily listens to the Bernadette ‘Gypsy’. It might have been a little too on the nose, but I love that she listens to the quintessential crazy overbearing mother show when she is such an important crazy overbearing mother in all of pop culture. And she would never be down with Patti LuPone’s (though she’s my favorite). Emily would find her too loud and brassy. (Hello pot?)
Of course Rory is going to write the book at her grandparents’ house. The old instrumental music that scored the original series starts playing, so we know this shit is going to be saaad. Rory walks through the empty house ‘Fun Home’ style, seeing the ghosts of all her memories as she looks back on scenes from the original series replaying. I actually wish we had a bit more of these memories replaying as we watched with Rory. It’s a cheap ploy to get me to cry more but it’s working damn well. And of course she isn’t going to write just anywhere; she’s going to write under her portrait, in Richard’s study. We know what’s coming, and when she opens the door to his study, the camera shifts from her to the desk, where a hologram of Richard is sitting there writing. It is so well done, and so brutal. Brutal! Oh man I have not cried for so long, so hard. Rory takes her seat and opens her computer and that Sam Phillips music is still playing, the “la la las” and it’s wonderful.
It might have been all the emotion in my body running up my throat and into my eyes, but I cracked up so hard at the next scene, where Lorelai and Michel are interviewing his potential replacements at the Inn. They are being pretty mean to the candidates, but Michel is so good that it’s funny. He asks the first Aryan guy why he left his last job, and was it to play Rolf in several productions of The Sound of Music. But his questions to the next candidate win the day and I shout-laughed. “So, your name is Molly….” Michel deadpanned, “….why?” He is too good.
Lorelai, in a fetching hat, walks through the town and sees that the Old Folks Home that is also a Monastery?? has moving trucks outside. The nuns inside give Lorelai the inside scoop, and it’s clear that Lorelai is thinking of buying it so she can expand the Inn and give Michel more to run.
We cut to nighttime in Lorelai’s house, and Paul Anka Doggie So Cute is opening her bedroom door and motioning for her to go see Rory, who is home and who is WAKING LORELAI UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT. She came with the first three chapters of her book, and I remember, oh, they haven’t talked since their fight about the book in the cemetery. Jesus Rory! Who wakes someone up in the middle of the night, first of all, and second of all it’s to make her READ?
Luckily, they make up, because Rory brought Chinese food and gets out ice cream and Pop Tarts. Rory shows her mom the book section and asks her just to read it, and if she doesn’t like it she will stop writing. The manuscript is titled “The Gilmore Girls”. Lorelai reluctantly agrees to read it, and Rory gets donuts because their spread isn’t disgusting enough.
The next scene is absolutely spectacular. Emily is sitting, bored out of her mind, at a D.A.R. meeting. This is no meeting like we’ve seen before – all the top-ranking members (led by Barb!) are sitting at a long table facing a young blonde trophy wife who is being interviewed for membership. They seem like they are being nice to her, but in that cutting way. Emily has clearly had enough of this bullshit, and says so. No, really, she literally starts shouting “Bullshit!” She lets all her pent up D.A.R. frustration out and tells the trophy wife that this is all bullshit and that these women have been mocking her to her face but in a way she couldn’t call out (or even notice). Emily rails on about all the ‘bullshit’ the D.A.R. does and how it’s all bullshit and how she cannot take any more of this bullshit and she’s out. I’m pretty sure she said told the applicant that they all bought a pre-colonial post-war douche and patted themselves on the back with it as they mocked her prenup. It’s GLORIOUS. Kelly Bishop deserves an Emmy but she is too good for the Emmys. She is queen. They kick her out, but it doesn’t matter because her bullshit ranting seemed to be her quitting anyway. Oh man. What a scene, and what a woman.
Back to wedding planning with Lorelai and Luke, and they are talking about their guest list. Luke says to add his friend Kiefer Sutherland, and Lorelai jokes, is it spelled like the real one? It turns out it is the real one, and it’s kind of a dumb joke. The only good thing about this joke is that SOMEHOW, someway, Rory’s role in this joke is the best comedic acting she has ever, ever done! She comes in, Lorelai explains the situation, and Rory shoots off, “’I’m federal agent Jack Bauer and this is the longest day of my life and my wife and mistress have the same face. And haircut.’ That one?!” and it is SPECTACULAR! Did they shoot these episodes in order? Because it seems like Alexis was saving all her good acting for Fall.
But we were never going to see Kiefer Sutherland, so does that mean we aren’t going to see the wedding? Luckily I don’t have much time to dwell on this subject or the dumb joke because MISS CELINE IS BACK! Wooo! I love Miss Celine! I wish I had a Miss Celine! I wonder what celebrity she would call me! I love that she calls Lorelai ‘Natalie Wood’ all the time. She decides Luke is ‘Eli Wallach’, which swells my heart because I loved Eli Wallach so, especially in “The Holiday”. I can’t think about how sad I am about him because Paul Anka Doggie So Cute That Wittle jumps on the couch and Lorelai puts a veil on him and it’s adorable and I squee and the neighbors grumble.
Rory is back in a weirdly lit office, and I guess (wrongly) that she is at a publishing house pitching her book. But of course she doesn’t need to do that because Jess will publish it! I didn’t even think of that until I was watching this episode, but of course when Jess suggested that she write this book, it was with the intention that his press would publish it and then they would have lots of babies. Well at least the first part. He is so her knight. So if she isn’t at a publishers, where is she? And the camera turns to reveal David Sutcliffe, Rory’s father Christopher, who has been busy these past 10 years drinking the blood of unicorns because he has not aged A DAY. In fact, he maybe looks younger. What in the worldddd. If there is a Team Chris at all in the fandom, they are so vindicated here because he looks insane (and Luke just looks like a normal). Gigi apparently is living life as a full Parisian; I’m glad they mention Rory’s sister. But this whole scene, besides looking awkward, feels and sounds awkward. Rory is incredibly icy and cold to her father, whom I’ve never considered a villain but who seems to be getting the villain treatment. Sitting at a big executive desk, wearing an expensive suit, and Rory is asking questions that cut to the core of their whole relationship. “How did you feel about Mom raising me alone?” she asks. Chris feels the same coldness we do and he’s like dammmn girl! He explains that it was Lorelai’s decision, and no one could have convinced her otherwise. Despite any regrets he might have about not being there for her, he thinks it was “exactly what was supposed to happen and I think she’d back me up on that.” It seems out of the blue for Rory to be asking such important questions about their relationship now. Kind of hurtful to Chris, but he does deserve to have these questions asked of him. It just feels so out of the blue, and Christopher (or at least David) deserves to have more in this revival.
Lorelai goes to her mother’s house and finds a for sale sign on the door. Oh my goodness!! I guess we could have expected this to happen, with all of Emily’s soul-searching, but oh it’s so sad to think of this house not being theirs anymore. But Emily’s significant character development in this revival brings her to move to Nantucket, where she feels content and perhaps happy. She tells Lorelai of the house in Nantucket, which she’s renaming The Sandcastle because the previous owners named it the Clam Shack – “I guess Vagina House was taken”, Emily said. Oh my god when this came out of Emily Gilmore’s mouth! Hahah! She’s finding herself and finally thinking for herself, and it’s lovely. Emily is the only character in the revival who has a positive arc. She has grown so much from Winter to Fall. And yeah, there are a few things that stick out as the product of poor writing, mostly courtesy of Daniel Palladino. For one, remember in Spring, at therapy, when Emily blamed Lorelai for a nasty letter she once received? We never get resolution on that issue. I’m really mad about that, because I want to know who wrote that letter. Trix? And then in Summer (or maybe Spring again), Emily is depressed in bed and sleeping till noon. That’s to be expected after her husband died, but it came in between showings of her being perfectly fine, so felt out of place and like any surrounding story on that matter was cut. But otherwise, Emily was given a fantastic storyline and it ends for her so beautifully. I love that Lorelai ends their story by needing to ask for money so she can expand the Dragonfly to the Old Folks Home. Emily, of course, offers the money on one condition – that Luke and Lorelai visit her in Nantucket three weeks of the year. Of course she attaches these strings, just like in the pilot. She always feels like she needs to guarantee a relationship with her in all gifts of money. Then she moves to Nantucket – with Berta and Berta’s whole family. I love how much she’s grown to care for this family. Berta has the best line – she’s sick and Emily says she will heat up some soup for her. Berta tries to stop her because whenever Emily tries to heat up soup she ruins the stove, but of course Emily still can’t understand what she’s saying. In the subtitles, we see Berta exclaim “How a grown woman can go through life without being able to heat something up is incredible.” So funny! But Emily’s personal journey is the real story. When she’s shown putting blankets over two little kids, my heart broke. And when she’s lacing up her Keds, I was so excited to see where they were taking her. Having a new job as a volunteer at the Whaling Museum that she visited earlier in the episode was so perfect. She’s so good at it. I didn’t need to hear all the details about killing whales, because this shit is disgusting and cruel, but I’m just so happy for Emily. And scaring children and making them cry is right up her alley.
Before the wedding, Rory goes to Doose’s to get last minute supplies, and runs into Dean, who is visiting his family. They’ve clearly kept in touch because Dean refers to his wife without calling her ‘my wife’ and his kids without saying ‘my kids are named…’ which I really am glad about. I was definitely Team Dean when the show aired. This scene was a pretty flawless interaction between these two. They clearly love each other and always will have strong feelings about their relationship. Rory’s admission of what she would say about him in the book – that as much as she wishes they met when she was older, if they hadn’t met when they did she wouldn’t be the person she was now – was heartwrenching, and was to Dean to, who was momentarily speechless and seemed about to cry. When he was walking out the door and Rory found a box of cornstarch and he called back ‘Pay for it this time’, I mean, if you didn’t weep then you are heartless. So lovely. Also Dean looks as good as Jess.
And then more weeping, because we cut to the Inn, in the kitchen full of gorgeous wedding cakes, and in unison with Lorelai we whisper “Sookie.” Sookie is back! Melissa McCarthy looks beautiful, p.s. She talks super fast and it’s so great and their catch up conversation is superb. Sookie shows Lorelai all the incredible cakes and says any of them can be the one she chooses. Um, why can’t she just have all of them at the wedding? Have all of them! Michel marches in and shouts, “You bitch!”, because someone has to tell her off for deserting them for two years! But really, all he wants is Sookie’s magic granola, which she brought, and which extinguishes his yelling immediately. I can’t believe this is the only scene we get of Melissa. Dammit! She’s so good. I so missed her and their banter. They have such great banter. And no one does crazy person freakout like Sookie. I loved that she started smelling the signature dishes of all the famous chefs that Lorelai brought in. “Is that abalone? YOU LET ROY CHOI IN HERE?” I needed more.
The next scene is more loveliness between Luke and Jess before Kirk barges in, freaking out that he destroyed their wedding decorations. It turns out that he could not have done what he did with a glitter gun and double stick tape and definitely not in two hours because he created a gorgeous Alice in Wonderland-themed, well, wonderland, and it’s perfection. But he doesn’t trust himself and is feeling sick with worry and wants to throw up in their bathroom. I love how Kirk, Lorelai, Rory, and even Jess all know that the downstairs bathroom tile is hard on the knees for throwing up. So random, so funny, especially that Jess knows that. Lorelai and Rory sit down to eat Pop-Tarts, and Lorelai returns the manuscript. But she didn’t read it. Instead, she decides to let Rory finish and and she’ll read it when it’s done. It’s very nice, but I groaned audibly when Lorelai says, “Just one note. Drop the ‘the’. Just ‘Gilmore Girls.’” Groaaaan. And then Rory repeats, “Gilmore Girls.” Groaaaan. Could have done without.
Jess goes to stay with Liz and TJ, and Luke asks whether he’s over Rory because they had a cute moment, and Jess says he’s long over her. But he looks back at her through the window and his face says he is cuh-learly not over her. I like to imagine he becomes her Luke. This revival was a successful advertisement for Team Jess, and a big slap in the face to Team Logan.
That night, as Lorelai and Luke discuss how nervous and excited they are for the wedding the next day, they decide to get married secretly before the actual wedding. They wake up Rory and they all depart to find Reverend Skinner. Before I could say awww about it being Revered Skinner…they start playing ‘Reflecting Light’, the song that Lorelai and Luke first dance to. This was too much. I almost needed their upstairs bathroom because the crying was convulsive. I cannot believe they played this song during their wedding. It’s too much! I’m crying again just remembering it. This will forever be a magical song to me because of this stupid show. Anyway, the three make their way to the Town Square, which is decorated as I said in the most magical way, with so many flowers and gorgeous lights and cute vintage furniture. Kirk, feeding a bottle to his pet pig, gets a text from Lorelai saying “It’s perfect”, and he smiles, and that was perfect! Such a nice moment for Kirk. As we see Rory lead Lorelai up to the gazebo, where Luke is waiting, they show Emily in her new house blowing a kiss to a new, normal-sized painting of Richard for just a moment before returning to the wedding. The heartbreaking juxtaposition of Lorelai about to marry the man she loves while her mother is saying goodbye to hers is also too much to handle but it’s stunningly well done. And then Lorelai and Luke get married, with all we hear being the continued song, which works so well. Emily is shown drinking wine on her new plan and smiling, looking content. Everything is perfect. This is the finale I wanted, I think that we all wanted. It’s exquisite, everything about this entire scene. Exquisite. I’m so happy but you would never guess because I am scream crying.
A few hours later, as the sun comes up, Lorelai and Rory are sitting on the steps of the gazebo, where the revival started in Winter. They are decompressing after Wedding #1 (the real wedding hasn’t started yet) and Lorelai is telling Rory how she should get married and they can do married lady things together. I realize at this point that this has to be the last scene, so I am on red alert for The Final Four words. These 4 words have such a mythology attached to them, stronger than it deserves, because they are the 4 words Amy Sherman Palladino always wanted to end the show on. So, that means that this ending is what Amy would have done 9 years ago if she had still been running things. It is odd to think that the same thing would apply a decade on considering how the characters have changed and grown, so I assume that it is a basic exchange, like “See you Friday?” “Friday.” To mark their Friday Night Dinner tradition or something. Or something about needing coffee. I did NOT believe that it would be the ending that 90% of people guessed – that Rory would be telling Lorelai she’s pregnant. “Mom?” “Yeah?” “I’m pregnant.” It was a great scene, acting wise, and I loved how Rory’s voice caught on the last two. Lorelai’s shocked face was not a happy face, which is interesting to see. Probably because she knows that Logan, about to marry someone else, is the father. Ooofah.
Although at first I was somewhat disappointed that the most expected ending proved to be the real one, the more I think about it the more it had to happen. It makes everything come full circle, maybe in an overly pat and tidy way but even so, in a pretty lovely way. Also, as my bff’s woke af husband pointed out, the initially frustrating scene with Christopher makes so much more sense after we know the ending. That Chris scene was nigh infuriating in its icy treatment of him as a villain, when I’ve never seen him as anything close to a villain. Sure he is flawed and made some shitty decisions, but not more so than any other character, including the two Girls. I actually love Chris, and wanted to give him a hug in this scene when his daughter was treating him like a stranger (even though he was shitty, I know, I am being too kind). They were fine at the end of Season 7, and he and Lorelai parted amicably (and we saw their relationship moving on pretty nicely at Rory’s graduation party) so the ice made no sense. However, it all falls into place when you realize that Rory’s pointed questions about whether he thought Lorelai’s raising Rory alone was the right decision, were really her asking if she should include the father of her baby or if it was okay not to. And considering Chris and Logan are roughly the same exact person, it shows that Logan is the father (the only real other option was Wookie Nookie, right? And that was too long ago). I hope that when she tells Christopher her news, he realizes why she was treating him like a wealthy comic book villain; she was seeking advice in a vague and confusing way. I just want to make sure Christopher is okay can I give him a hug why does he look exactly the same?!
Aside from my surprise at this ending, Fall was everything I could ever want. It had Lorelai and Luke finally happy and getting married, it had a spectacular storyline for Emily and a great start to her new era in life, and so much good acting. All three of Rory’s ex boyfriends were given poignant scenes, really without any cause for complaint. Luke finally shared his feelings. Paul Anka was wearing a veil. Kirk was proud of himself. Sookie and Michel were wonderful. Emily said bullshit like eleven times. God I just…everything was perfect.
Well…
GRIPES
Um. No Liz and TJ. We got a whole Francie scene, FFS, we got a Chad Michael Murray body double, and we had a 20 minute musical, but no Liz and TJ? UNCLAP. This is not okay. This might be the worst part to me. Besides Daniel Palladino.
I really thought Amy would resolve the shittiness that was handed to Lane Kim in season 7, but nope. Nothing. She barely had any screen time, and what she had was stagnant, nothing new except her kids are older. Boo. Oh I’m so sad for Lane.
My only other real gripes are that so many important characters didn’t have enough screentime! Paris should have been in every episode, because Liza really is the most incredible actor on this show, or on most shows. I would have liked a lot more Christopher. And Lane, of course. And I’m very perturbed about the lack of Miss Patty. What is going on there? And of course Sookie. I hate that she only had one scene.
But overall, these are minor considering we just got six new hours of this great show. Even though I complain about it so much, it’s just because the characters feel like people in real life, and that’s what I do in real life. No just kidding (maybe). It’s because they feel so real that they are so important to me. I love the world they created so much, and even though some of the characters are terrible people, I still love them. We are so lucky that we got this ending, and that so much of it was so damn good. What a wonderful show, and as corny (and as crazy) as it may sound, what a wonderful part of our lives.
ADDENDUM:
I just listened to the first Gilmore Guys recap of the revival and HOLY SHIT I DID NOT THINK ABOUT RORY BEING THE SURROGATE IMPREGNATED BY PARIS CARRYING HER MOTHER’S BABY AHAHAHAHA THIS IS NOW MY TRUTH.
Although at first I was somewhat disappointed that the most expected ending proved to be the real one, the more I think about it the more it had to happen. It makes everything come full circle, maybe in an overly pat and tidy way but even so, in a pretty lovely way. Also, as my bff’s woke af husband pointed out, the initially frustrating scene with Christopher makes so much more sense after we know the ending. That Chris scene was nigh infuriating in its icy treatment of him as a villain, when I’ve never seen him as anything close to a villain. Sure he is flawed and made some shitty decisions, but not more so than any other character, including the two Girls. I actually love Chris, and wanted to give him a hug in this scene when his daughter was treating him like a stranger (even though he was shitty, I know, I am being too kind). They were fine at the end of Season 7, and he and Lorelai parted amicably (and we saw their relationship moving on pretty nicely at Rory’s graduation party) so the ice made no sense. However, it all falls into place when you realize that Rory’s pointed questions about whether he thought Lorelai’s raising Rory alone was the right decision, were really her asking if she should include the father of her baby or if it was okay not to. And considering Chris and Logan are roughly the same exact person, it shows that Logan is the father (the only real other option was Wookie Nookie, right? And that was too long ago). I hope that when she tells Christopher her news, he realizes why she was treating him like a wealthy comic book villain; she was seeking advice in a vague and confusing way. I just want to make sure Christopher is okay can I give him a hug why does he look exactly the same?!
Aside from my surprise at this ending, Fall was everything I could ever want. It had Lorelai and Luke finally happy and getting married, it had a spectacular storyline for Emily and a great start to her new era in life, and so much good acting. All three of Rory’s ex boyfriends were given poignant scenes, really without any cause for complaint. Luke finally shared his feelings. Paul Anka was wearing a veil. Kirk was proud of himself. Sookie and Michel were wonderful. Emily said bullshit like eleven times. God I just…everything was perfect.
Well…
GRIPES
Um. No Liz and TJ. We got a whole Francie scene, FFS, we got a Chad Michael Murray body double, and we had a 20 minute musical, but no Liz and TJ? UNCLAP. This is not okay. This might be the worst part to me. Besides Daniel Palladino.
I really thought Amy would resolve the shittiness that was handed to Lane Kim in season 7, but nope. Nothing. She barely had any screen time, and what she had was stagnant, nothing new except her kids are older. Boo. Oh I’m so sad for Lane.
My only other real gripes are that so many important characters didn’t have enough screentime! Paris should have been in every episode, because Liza really is the most incredible actor on this show, or on most shows. I would have liked a lot more Christopher. And Lane, of course. And I’m very perturbed about the lack of Miss Patty. What is going on there? And of course Sookie. I hate that she only had one scene.
But overall, these are minor considering we just got six new hours of this great show. Even though I complain about it so much, it’s just because the characters feel like people in real life, and that’s what I do in real life. No just kidding (maybe). It’s because they feel so real that they are so important to me. I love the world they created so much, and even though some of the characters are terrible people, I still love them. We are so lucky that we got this ending, and that so much of it was so damn good. What a wonderful show, and as corny (and as crazy) as it may sound, what a wonderful part of our lives.
ADDENDUM:
I just listened to the first Gilmore Guys recap of the revival and HOLY SHIT I DID NOT THINK ABOUT RORY BEING THE SURROGATE IMPREGNATED BY PARIS CARRYING HER MOTHER’S BABY AHAHAHAHA THIS IS NOW MY TRUTH.
Broadway’s ‘Great Comet’: Natasha, Pierre, & the Pretty Fun Show of 2017
I don’t think any show has seemed more mysterious and fascinating to me than “Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812”, a musical that was on my radar when it was still a dinner theatre production in a giant tent a few years ago. I didn’t get to see it off-Broadway or in Boston, but I was always enamored with how cool it seemed. What doesn’t sound amazing about watching an immersive musical in a giant circus tent and being served Russian food while people sing and dance around you? Well the Russian food I guess but still, so fun. Consequently, I had really high hopes for finally seeing this show, buoyed by the incredible hype borne from the spectacle and novelty of it. I barely even knew what it was about, except that it was an interpretation of “War & Peace” (hence the Natasha and Pierre in the title). And instead of getting to see original star Phillipa Soo, I would get to see the Broadway cast’s star Josh Groban (different role). Change approved!
“The Great Comet” relays a tiny little slice of War & Peace with a rabidly exuberant ensemble that takes over the entire theatre – from the back of the orchestra to the top of the top balcony – and dares you to try looking away. What’s great about this show is pretty much everything sensory, and overload of it. Dave Malloy presents a weird, tinny score that screams old-school Russia from the very first accordion note. Sounding unlike anything on Broadway that I can recall, it forces you to breathe through some of the uglier bits and just lean in Sandberg-style to the dissonance, sometimes glorious, sometimes anguished. The manic dancers seem to cover every inch of the building as the action of the plot happens all over the theatre, converting the aisles and the balconies into stage. And this, the staging, is the most spectacular, in the truest meaning of the word, part of the show. The Imperial Theatre, maybe chosen for the name, underwent an extensive overhaul in preparation for The Great Comet’s residency. The orchestra and stage was ripped out to make banquettes and cocktail bar tables where you’d normally find a stage, with stadium seating (Rocky the Musical style) behind that. Then, throughout the rest of the orchestra and the balconies, new rows of seats were installed with little tables between them, with dimly lit lamps atop to further the intimate club vibe. You might be stuck on that whole ‘tables where the stage should be thing’ – yeah, there is no stage. The cast maneuvers through aisles and paths around the tables, traipsing down the stairs where some idiot’s purse is sticking out, stealing a chair from a premium-ticket-holding patron and singing to his wife. The band sits in the middle of everything, in an open pit that houses the piano and conductor, the few other instruments and musicians, and Josh Groban’s Pierre. He spends most of his time in the pit straight chilling.
The theatre redesign was so cool I broke my #1 rule
So, that’s the staging, and it stands out as the most entertaining and fun aspect of the show because it allows for full immersion most of the time. You cannot be bored when you don’t even feel like an audience member. Sometimes it feels terrible when actors make eye contact with you or stand on your armrest, but because that’s happening throughout this show you quickly get used to it and hopefully are all in for it. Someone tell Mallory Ortberg not to see this; that is her nightmare. The chorus members begin the experience by talking to each section of seats about how interactive and immersive shit’s gonna get and how we better not use the pathways that are only for the actors. I wish I knew the name of the ensemblist who spoke to my section because he was hilarious. He also gave my husband a box of pierogi, which all the cast was throwing around to whoever raised their hand for one. Seriously. Apparently really good pierogi too. This trend continues throughout the show as the ensemble gets the audiences involved after lulls of story. I was given a shaky sand egg, what are they called, egg shakers I guess, to play during a particularly high-spirited song. I never got to play an instrument on Broadway before. Twas fun.
So that’s the spectacle, what about the actual show? The slice of War & Peace it’s based on is literally the least War & Peace-y part, in that it is just like any modern romantic comedy/tragedy storyline you’d find in a modern movie starring someone named Kate. I guess that is a strong case for why they chose it, but it just seemed like a missed opportunity to take something even more out of the box from such a creative premise, instead of taking that creative premise and finding the most humdrum employment of it possible. Natasha, our heroine (played by Denee Benton), is beautiful and young and privileged, and kind of annoying because of it. She arrives on the Moscow scene right before Napoleon’s invasion and subsequent burning of the city. Her fiancé, the handsome Andrey, is off at war and she is like so sad cuz she luvs him. That’s how I imagine she would express her feelings if she typed them; she’s that sort of young and ‘in love’. And flighty. She and her cousin/best friend Sonya are hosted by Marya, Natasha’s godmother, a big deal socialite in Moscow. On the scene (pretty much just the opera, where else did they go back then (also NO ONE actually watched the opera they all just gabbed and socialized how awful)), Natasha meets Anatole, a huge player if there ever was one. He’s blonde and dreamy, so we are told, and he declares he must have her. Natasha falls super in lust with him and, with the push from Anatole’s conniving evil sister Helene, they make a plan to run away together, even though she’s engaged. Luckily, meek lil Sonya finds out the plan to elope and does everything she can to stop it, since it would mean absolute ruin for her cousin and her entire future. Meanwhile, Pierre just kind of watches the world happen around him, as he drinks and jumps into the story every once in a while. And also has a duel with Anatole’s friend Dolokhov but it’s not very significant, at least in this telling. It ranks 4th in importance and drama among duels currently happening on Broadway.
You might be thinking right now, wow that’s a lot of characters and relationships to get a handle on. Don’t worry, the entire opening number is introducing you to the characters and wisely repeating the most important ones the most. I adore this opener. It’s one of the best songs in the score as far as examples of what Malloy was trying to accomplish go. We start by having Pierre, on his accordion, tell us that there’s a war going on and Andrey is there, at war, and so he’s not ‘here’ in Moscow with this crowd. Then we meet each of the characters by having them introduce themselves with their most distinguishable trait. Natasha, whose defining characteristic is that she’s young, goes first. Sonya, her ‘good’ cousin (I’d have gone with meek), goes next, and then we repeat back to Natasha. Then ‘old-school’ Marya, then Sonya repeats her phrase, then Natasha repeats hers. Et cetera, et cetera, so that the main characters repeat theirs the most so you remember more who they are, as opposed to the rickshaw driver who goes last or Andrey’s crazy old father Bolkonsky or plain religious sister Mary who don’t really matter much to the plot. It’s a wonderful opening that does a great job establishing the fun, kind of meta, kind of snarky tone of the show, plus introducing all the characters, with one of the most enjoyable overall songs of the show. It’s rousing and joyous and moves really fast and kind of breathlessly, and you cannot help but grin throughout it. I cannot get out of my head “Anatole is hot, Marya is old-school, Sonya’s good, Natasha’s young and Andrey isn’t heeeere…..Helene is a slut, Anatole is hot, Marya is old-school, Sonya’s good, Natasha’s young and Andrey isn’t heeeere.” There’s also a character diagram in the playbill to help you remember who is related to who and who loves who and blah blah I think it’s unnecessary if you have basic comprehension skills but hey that’s not most people, we know now.
The joy of the opening is consolidated by seamlessly moving into Pierre’s introductory number, which comes after the Prologue ends by asking where the heck he is and what he’s up to. Whereas the Prologue has the rest of the big cast roaming around the theatre causing a ruckus amid the bright house lights, left on, and getting the entire audience pumped, Pierre’s song immediately shifts into an intimate spotlight, just on him playing the piano, just on his tiny spot in the middle of the theatre. It’s as drastic a change you can make from the sensory overload of the opener, and the gloriousness of it all is solidified when Grobester sings his first few lines. It’s a dark, brooding song and he sounded insane on it. Most of the thrill of seeing this show, at least for me and people who have ears, is that we’re seeing Josh Groban perform live. He is as good as you can imagine except better, both in live singing and his acting. And his lil fat suit he’s wearing. The best part of the whole show (maybe true maybe an exaggeration but just a little) is (to paraphrase) when one character says Pierre is staying at home tonight and they show Josh in the pit saying something like “and I’m totally fine with that” and he pumps his fist in the air to weakly prove his point and it’s so hilarious.
Despite the high bar met by the first 15 or so minutes, the score and the book fail to keep up the momentum. It’s hard to write this kind of weird music, objectively ugly at times, and the composer should be commended for doing something so unique. But some of it is not very good, mostly the parts that should have been straight book scenes. A lot of is it literally repeating lines from the novel and singing them repeatedly to an uninspired tune, kind of like the characters are reading their own stage directions. And that’s the main problem with this show: that it doesn’t really work well as a sung-through book (book like the musical narrative structure/libretto, not the novel). There’s no reason for it, when the recitative parts feel dull and the music for them, the plain book parts, doesn’t add anything to the telling of the story. In fact, it takes away from it. And the boring, sometimes bothersome lyrics used in these sung-through book scenes creep into the main songs. At first it’s kind of cute, like aw it’s from the real novel, but it gets annoying and just makes it feel kind of cheapened. This is well on display early when Natasha and Sonya first arrive to Marya’s care, with lyrics like “I will kiss you on the cheek, she said, gazing at Marya with kind, glittering eyes…” and lots of “I blush, happily”. Oof and when Sonya and Natasha fight and Sonya doubles over and sings “Bursting into tears!” and then I did. And in the big Opera scene, when Natasha is introduced to Moscow society, and meets Anatole, and there’s a whole lot of talk about Natasha’s bare arms. It’s weird. It’s using an unnecessary number of words to describe what we can see – like a book does, only a book has to. That’s a huge flaw in the conversion from page to stage. Like, it’s not necessary to have multiple verses describing Natasha’s bare arms and shoulders or Helene as “beautiful, barely clothed, plump bare shoulders, and much exposed neck, round which she wears a double string of pearls” WHEN WE CAN SEE THAT. It’s wasting the storytelling potential on visuals when it has no reason to, except to be a constant, blatant, unneeded reminder that it’s based on a book.
The music, as opposed to the lyrics, has more impressive moments, though the dissonance gets a little hard to enjoy. But the discord is never used to greater effect than when Natasha goes to meet her fiance’s family. Andrey’s father, old Prince Bolkonsky, refuses to even greet her, and his plain sister Mary is a religious nut who initially does not like her at all. Although the lyrics are a little more of the same way-too-direct nature (“And from the first glance, I do not like Natasha. Too fashionably dressed, frivolous and vain” “And he looked at her once, head to toe, and left muttering”), the notes that Natasha and Mary sing create perfect dissonance (an actual musical term though I don’t know if it’s perfect or imperfect for music purposes but it sounded perfect in the great sense) and they lean into it so hard that it’s a fantastic example of music conveying the story in itself. They clash, they don’t get along, and that clash is apparent from the too-close notes they are each singing, creating an aural nails on the chalkboard feeling. It’s so powerful that it makes me even madder that they ruined it by saying first that they didn’t like the other. Like, duh. Let the music do some of your work.
It’s really a shame, thinking about it now, that it’s a sung-through book, which is so hard to do well. Like, for example, “Hamilton” is a sung-through book. That shit works because it’s amazing. The book scenes here are not up to par and it would have been less of a let-down musically if I were only considering the strong main songs as the score, and not all the recitative lamity. (I made up that word. Long A.) As it stands, it’s not my best score of the season, but it might have put up a fight if it didn’t have the sung book scenes dragging it down. Some of the songs are really fantastic. I’m thinking of Pierre’s first song, even though it’s called “Pierre”. I had chills, and it wasn’t just because Grobester is the best. (Even though he is. He is as impressive in his Broadway debut as you could ever hope. He shows so much skill in acting that we never really knew he had, and I cannot wait to see what he does next. He better never leave theatre.) I’m thinking of the incredibly haunting and beautiful “No One Else”, when Natasha remembers when she first fell in love with Andrey and prophetically sings “I’ll never be this happy again” (true). Denee Benton was lovely but I couldn’t help but think of how wonderful Phillipa must have been in this role. (Listen to her sing this song on the original cast recording; it’s beautiful.) I’m thinking of possibly my favorite song (at least to belt in the shower) from the show, “Charming”, when evil, conniving Helene uses flattery to convince the naïve Natasha that it’s totes fine to dance and flirt with Anatole even though she’s engaged. The funniest part about this song is that Helene says the word for ‘charming’ in French – charmante – but says it wrong like ‘shante’ (sometimes you can hear the ‘arm’ but not really). So Dave Malloy apparently just remembered his high school French incorrectly and the rhythm of the song was already set so he kept it as is. It also really works for Helene to be so confident in her ignorance. Amber Gray, as Helene, is probably my favorite female in this cast. She is so seductive and terrible (“sexual and violent”) and she made this like Cruel Intentions if it were a three-minute song. Actually, that’s exactly what her character is like, Sarah Michelle Gellar in that movie, while sounding reminiscent of Daphne Ruben-Vega’s “I-have-vocal-damage-but-I-can-still-hit-all-the-notes” (to paraphrase Seth Rudetksy) rasping yet amazing voice. And I’m thinking of the fantastic group number “Letters”, which (finally) seemed to listen to my requirement for opening the second act of shows on a super strong note. In “Letters”, we’re told how Natasha and Andrey and Anatole and Pierre and really everyone has been discussing their feelings and relationships through written correspondence, which was something people used to do, as we’re told, “in 19th century Russia, we write letters we write letters. We put down in writing what is happening in our minds.” This is a great example of Malloy’s straightforward, 5th-grade-reading-level lyrics really working well when the music and melody and vision of the scene are all strong. I love at the end when the ensemble repeating ‘a love letter, a love letter’ over and over sounds like an army marching towards something ominous. It’s such an awesome song.
A really cool aspect of the show is the out of the box casting. Every cast member seems to have been specifically chosen to be an important part of the show, instead of how it usually feels with cookie cutter dancers, and it gives us actors who don’t seem traditional for Broadway at all. I didn’t recognize any of the ensemble, and I liked how diverse they were in all ways. They seemed like real crazy Russian people at a rave about to start riots. I have to mention Lucas Steele as Anatole, who is so blond and so pale that he seems like a Superman villain but more handsome and with a really strong belt. Most notably out-of-the-box was Brittain Ashford as Sonya, who sings a beautifully aching song called “Sonya Alone”, with her Melissa Etheridge with a lisp while headlining at Lilith Fair with her lesbian life partner holding her hand and making her tea as naked women prance about with flowers in their hair and sway to the sitar music in the warm breeze as the sun sets over the mountains upon which a cow is giving painless birth to a calf blessed with freedom…um, voice. She sounds like an old-timey folk singer, is what I’m saying. I still don’t know if I liked or hated her voice, but I definitely like that she’s different.
The show was paced pretty well (until the end), and despite rolling my eyes a few times at the stage-direction lyrics, it managed to keep up the spectacle-aspect by throwing the ensemble back into the balconies every so often and rousing the audience. There’s also a really weird opera scene, when we see some of the opera the characters are watching, and it’s like the most fever dream dancing behind a blacklight you can imagine. Really weird. Once Natasha and Anatole have their plans thwarted, and Natasha is all ruined and stuff, it started to drag. There’s a lot of Natasha moping around with crazy bug eyes and not much for the chorus to do, so it gets a little slow, especially because the story is kind of lacking. Like, she’s ruined, we get it, but she’s not really. (If you know the novel and the 90% of plot that doesn’t happen onstage, it’s hard to feel too bad for her.) Luckily, the performances are great, so it’s still a wonderful experience. But there’s so much potential for the book and score to live up to the staging and showiness of it all that it’s a tad disappointing that it doesn’t. Still, it’s a solid B overall instead of the A+ I thought it was going to be. If you have no expectations, that’s a really good score. And if you don’t mind tinny clang-clang-clang-went-the-trolley music.
Audience
You’d think for a show that is well sold (read: tickets are super expensive) that people would be better behaved and try to pay attention but nope that doesn’t matter anymore we are in a society where lots of people only think of themselves and the world two inches around them and no one else affected by their behavior matters. (There were some really rude adults who wouldn’t stop talking.)
Stage Door
I MET JOSH GROBAN
EDITOR’S NOTE: ONE YEAR AFTER SEEING THIS SHOW (DEC 30 2017)
HOLY FORKING SHIRTBALLS I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO WRONG ABOUT A SHOW IN MY LIFE. Great Comet is now one of my favorite pieces of theatre OF ALL TIME OF ALL TIME. It’s FORKING GENIUS. Guys, I wrote the above lukewarm review after seeing the show once and NEVER listening to the cast recording, except for the opening number which I said in the review is a great example of what Malloy was trying to accomplish like a fool like a FOOL! He wrote that song kind of as a joke! There’s so much more that blows my mind repeatedly. Listening to the album approximately 10000x has learnt me how incredibly brilliant the score is, both as a whole and in terms of single songs that stand out as should-be classics of sooo many genres. I think that so much of the greatness is uncovered with repeated listens and viewings, and going into the show cold and not knowing what was going on and not having time or space to appreciate the score is what kept audiences from loving it like they should have. I always LOVE going into a show cold – I constantly say that’s the best way to experience it – but I think this is the one time when that was the wrong move. Knowing the score and then having that background knowledge as a foundation to let you enjoy the sensory overload and the amazing choreography and staging would have been a much better plan. But I didn’t know. Now I wish so badly that I could see this show again; I think I would be completely and utterly enraptured with the genius evident on all fronts. Dammit I am shaking my fist so hard at the things I said above! Listen, some of the songs are hard to get into the first time or the first 10 times, like “Moscow”. But freaking push through it, because, for example, “Moscow” is now one of my favorites. Push through and then a barrier breaks and now I am completely hypnotized by the gloriousness. BEST EVER THE END.
