A few years ago, someone posted on some message board or other that "Come Back, Little Sheba" was going to be on tv that evening, and it was a must see, especially for Shirley Booth's Tony and Oscar winning performance in it. I admit to being a bit skeptical (there's was just something about that title that reeked of musty, dull old classic) but I set my Tivo anyway, and eventually sat down to watch it. And then I watched it a few more times, and then I bought the dvd and watched that a few more times. And since then I've been crossing my fingers for a live stage production to come along, and with each season that it didn't I just figured there wasn't anyone who was willing or capable of filling Booth's shoes (sort of like why we haven't had a Broadway revival of "Funny Girl.") Well, Manhattan Theatre Club finally announced a revival with... S. Epatha Merkerson. Not someone I'd have pictured in the role, though to be fair I didn't really have any idea who she was, since she's apparently most known for her role on "Law & Order," a show I've managed never to have ever watched. Anyway, even though I already have a ticket to see the show next week, I couldn't resist seeing it tonight (in what ended up being a first row seat - woo hoo). I resisted the urge to pop in the dvd before going tonight, so I could forget as much about the movie as I could (as if forgetting anything about the film were really possible). I am pleased to report, as perhaps not the most impartial juror because I was really rooting for this to be good, that the production is fantastic. Merkerson is no Shirley Booth (then again, who is?), but she most certainly makes the role her own, and I have to admit watching her kept me teary eyed through most of the second act. While Shirley Booth's Lola is sort of bubbly and feels instantly like your cooky best friend, Merkerson's Lola is a bit calmer, and if she isn't as instantly likeable as Booth, she definitely quietly grew on me, as her 'put on a happy face' demeanor was chipped away. Also particularly fantastic, is Kevin Anderson as Doc. His big scene in the second act - which I think, partially due to some creepy, cruel lines that I didn't remember from the film - was especially disturbing and devastating.
Anyway, this is a production that is well worth seeing.
Monday night, I went to see "Die Walkure" at the Met. I think I bought a ticket because Deborah Voigt was going to be doing Sieglinde. For whatever reason, I bought a ticket for the season premiere of the production, and then right after that I realized she wasn't going to start in the role until later in the run. I all turned out for the best, because Stephanie Blythe is only doing Fricka in the non-Voigt performances, and though it isn't the largest role, her scene with Wotan was the highlight of the evening. I can't remember ever seeing such sparks fly between the two characters before. The first two times I saw "Walkure" (this was my third) it was as part of the complete four-opera cycle, and maybe it had something to do with having been prepared by the "Das Rheingold," or knowing that this was just a small part of the story, but for whatever reason, I don't remember the opera seeming to be so damn long before. It just went on and on and on, and just when I thought an act might end, another scene came along. Oy. Maybe I just don't like "Walkure" as a stand alone opera. I have to say, Gottedamerung, though perhaps one of the least beloved, has always been my favorite of the cycle. And considering, that was the opera Wagner originally sat down to write (with Rheingold, Walkure, and Siegfried being, as I understand it, necessary explanations of the final story) I don't see why that one isn't performed by itself more often. If I recall, it has a synopsis of everything the audience missed at the beginning, anyway. Enough of that aside though. I will say that was enough beautiful music in there to keep me from total misery, and the ending is particularly satisfying, but though it's probably blasphemy, if you're not doing the whole cycle anyway, it wouldn't kill the music director to trim a bit here and there from the opera. (*now ducking the rotten fruit and vegetables thrown at me my Wagner worshipers*)
Also, too long, but ultimately satisfying, was "There Will Be Blood." I know it's being touted as the best movie in years, there was no reason it had to be two hours and forty minutes long. After the movie was over, I was talking about something that happened near the end of the movie with my parents, and my father reminded my mother and I of a scene that had happened at the beginning of the movie. And honestly, at that point, that scene had happened so long ago that I had totally forgotten it - I think my brain must have filed it as part of a different movie. I will say that Daniel Day Lewis is fantastic in his role (and I imagine deserves to sweep the acting awards), as is Paul Dano. The beginning of the movie is excellent, the middle section is interminable, and the final section is immensely satisfying - Is it worth the slog it takes to get there? Yeah, probably. Not that I go to that many movies, but my personal award for best direction would have to go to either Tim Burton for "Sweeney Todd" or Julian Schnabel for "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" over Paul Thomas Anderson. But that's just me. I probably would have been happier if there had been an intermission (hey, if "Gone With The Wind" had one, why not this?), so maybe I'll enjoy the film more once it's on dvd, and I can pause and take breaks at my leisure.
And as usual, it's far too late for me to write anymore. Good night.
