War Horse

Last week I was able to see the show War Horse at the Capitol Theatre.  It was absolutely incredible! It is based on the novel by Michael Morpurgo (I haven't read the book but I absolutely loved the movie version), a touching story about the bond between a boy and a horse set against the backdrop of World War I (a particular interest of mine).  The play is every bit as powerful as the movie but with the greater intimacy that the theatre always provides. The horses are full-sized puppets, created by the Handspring Puppet Company in South Africa, and each are controlled by three puppeteers. They reminded me of the puppets used in the musical The Lion King.  The horses have their own personalities and they snort, whinny, and flick their ears just like real horses.  They were astonishing and, after a few minutes, I actually thought they were real and I couldn't see the puppeteers any more.  I thought the staging was exceptional.  The rural village of Devon and the battlefields of the Somme are portrayed with projections on a large screen with very few props and the minimalist style is very effective.  The performances of the actors were wonderful but I sometimes had a hard time understanding the accents.  However, I felt that the horses were the real stars of the show!  I really loved the musical score;  it reminded me of the music in a movie.  The war scenes were sometimes very hard to watch and I actually cried when the horse Topshorn died (I cried again when Albert and Joey were reunited).  My only complaint was that the second act seemed to drag on a bit but it was worth it to get to the heartwarming end.  I highly recommend seeing this wonderful show if you have the opportunity.

Batter Up!

Last week I was able to see one of my nephew Sean's baseball games.  His team is the Toronto Blue Jays, which just happens to be my favorite professional baseball team!  He was so excited to tell me!

If you have not been to a Little League baseball game recently, you are definitely missing out!  It was an absolute riot to watch (even though it was incredibly cold and windy).  The coach of the opposing team, the Cincinnati Reds, was obnoxiously intense!  He acted like he was coaching in the Major League and shouted instructions to every player throughout the whole game and called for multiple time outs to talk to his pitcher.  Some of his players were in tears after his instructions!  I found it incredibly amusing!

The Blue Jays, however, were not quite as intense!  Their coach kept encouraging them by calling out, "Be ready, Blue!  Be ready!"  This was a necessary instruction as I noticed Sean picking dandelions when he was playing right field!  Another Blue Jays player was turning somersaults throughout the game!  When Sean came up to bat, he immediately struck out but, man, is he powerful!  When he does actually connect with the ball, he will score a home run!  Needless to say, Sean's team did not win but I sure did love watching him!

Note:  Normally I really enjoy watching a red team beat a blue team!

Ballet West's The Rite of Spring

Last week I went to see a performance by Ballet West and it was absolutely wonderful!  The first ballet was called Forgotten Land and it was based on a painting by Edvard Munch, who is one of my favorites.  It featured music by Benjamin Britten which, to me, was almost reminiscent of howling wind.  There were several couples dressed monochromatically in red, white, gray, and black.  They danced in front of a large backdrop showing a stark landscape of ice, which I thought was very effective in evoking a mood of desolation.  The choreography was very innovative and this was definitely my favorite piece of the night.  The second ballet was called Divertimento No. 15 and it featured the music of Mozart.  It was a more traditional ballet with the dancers wearing tutus.  The choreography was very elegant.  The final ballet was a world premiere called The Rite of Spring featuring the music of Igor Stravinsky.  This piece was amazing!  The choreography was almost primitive and every movement embodied the music completely.  A large vessel above the stage slowly rotated to splash water on the dancers at the end of the piece.  It was very dramatic!  I really enjoyed the entire performance.

2013-2014 Student Body Officers

One of the perks of working at a comprehensive high school is being able to sponsor a group, club, or organization.  Granted, this is often a great deal of work; however, it is also a lot of fun!  This year I have been the student government advisor and I have had the pleasure of working with these amazing students!

They have had a very successful year at Hunter High School and I am so proud of them!  We recently had the election for next year's student body officers and the feeling is very bittersweet.  I am excited to work with a new group of students and I am looking forward to new opportunities and experiences.  Yet at the same time I am sad at the thought of saying goodbye to this wonderful group.  I will definitely miss them!

I wish them the best of luck as they go off to college in the fall!  I know they will do great things!

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Last week I went to see The Grand Budapest Hotel (again).  If you don't already know this, let me tell you now that Wes Anderson is a genius.  The movie is set in Zubrowka, a fictional Alpine European republic, between the wars and includes a panoply of eccentric characters centered around Gustave (Ralph Fiennes), the concierge of the Grand Budapest Hotel, and his loyal lobby boy, Zero (Tony Revolori).  When Madame Desgoffe-und-Taxis (Tilda Swinton), one of Gustave's many wealthy clients who rely on his "exceptional service," dies and leaves Gustave the painting Boy With Apple, her son Dmitri (Adrien Brody) accuses him of her murder.  Gustave enlists the help of Zero and his beloved, Agatha (Saoirse Ronan), to help prove his innocence and thus ensues a fantastical adventure, including a prison break, an appeal to The Society of the Crossed Keys, a high speed chase on skis, a gunfight in the lobby of the hotel, and a mysterious second copy of the second will written by Madame D.  The cast is phenomenal and I was especially blown away by Ralph Fiennes!  I always think of him as a dramatic actor but his comedic timing is superb.  Adrien Brody (I love him in every movie he is in) is hilariously overwrought.   The scene where Dmitri walks down a corridor of the hotel with organ music playing in the background just about killed me!  There is also an impressive list of cameos in this movie (fans of Wes Anderson will recognize many faces);  my favorite is Bill Murray as Monsieur Ivan, a member of The Society of the Crossed Keys.  As with every Wes Anderson movie, the production design is incredibly stylized.  The hotel itself is a piece of pink confectionery and the banners on the hotel at the outbreak of war are almost a spoof of the Nazi swastika.  In my opinion, this movie is brilliant and I highly recommend it!