Book of Mormon

This past weekend, my family and I went and saw The Book of Mormon in San Francisco. We've had the tickets for months. I bought them when they first came out for my husband's birthday which was last month. Since it's his favorite musical, it was a pretty safe bet he'd like his gift. He's been lucky enough to see it before--tickets have been hard to come by the past two times the show has come to the city--but this was the first time me and the kids would be seeing it too.

Absolutely fantastic.

We knew the music beforehand. We've had the soundtrack for several years, and gradually introduced the whole thing to the kids. The show is definitely not for small children, and there is at least one song that has so much swearing in it, I can think of a ton of people who'd take offense. We don't actually swear around our house except in extreme circumstances, but one of the lessons we've attempted to pass onto the kids is that generally speaking language, while powerful, is about the power you give it.

Getting to see it live was a completely different matter. It's even funnier, if that's possible, which was helped by some truly terrific performances. Elder Cunningham is the awkward, bumbling missionary, and while his role is designed to be the anchor of the comedy, AJ Holmes, the young man in this cast, exceeded all expectations. He's got a terrific voice, but his interpretation of the character is what really sold it. His Cunningham is eager and awkward, a cross between a young Jon Cryer and Vince Vieluf's character in the movie Rat Race (which seriously, if you haven't seen it, you must, it's so damn funny).

After the show, we spent way too much money on souvenirs. The kid got T-shirts, but because I already own way too many, I bought a water bottle that makes me giggle instead:

If you ever get the chance to see it and aren't offended by irreverent material, I highly recommend it.

Angela Lansbury in Blithe Spirit

On Saturday, I got to see a legend. I took my daughter, her BFF, and BFF's mom into San Francisco to see Noel Coward's "Blithe Spirit" at the Golden Gate Theatre. The legend wasn't the play. It was Angela Lansbury as Madame Arcati.

It. Was. Amazing.

It's not the first time I've seen the play. My college did it when I was a freshman, when I was still too chicken to try out for anything. It's one of those comedies that has survived its times. Too often, comedies are very topical and rely too heavily on contemporary references to have the same impact once those references are memories or forgotten. "Blithe Spirit" isn't like that. It's situational comedy that gets its laughs through witticism and cleverness, with just enough farcical elements thrown in to break it up.

This was a gorgeous production, from the sets to the sound to the performances. Charles Edwards played the lead. For those who watch "Downton Abbey," he was Edith's married lover, the one who fathered her daughter. Excellent casting. He's the pin that holds it all together, because although Angela Lansbury got top billing, the play is really about Edwards getting haunted by his dead wife, while he's living with his current wife.

But that doesn't stop Lansbury from stealing her scenes. She's the medium that puts the whole thing into motion, and it's a very physically demanding role. Lansbury didn't miss a beat, and what's even more astounding, is the fact that she's 89. Let me repeat that. She's 89. And we saw a matinee. She turned around and did another performance three hours after we saw her. Then again on Sunday.

She's 89, people. She puts a lot of us to shame.

Unsurprisingly, she wasn't doing signings at the stage door, but I did buy a T-shirt. Knowing me and my inability to throw any T-shirt away, I'll still be wearing it in twenty years. And every time I do, it'll be a reminder of this remarkable performance. Maybe I can use some of that inspiration to keep me going, too.

An Evening with Tim Minchin

Last night, my husband, kids, and I went into San Francisco and saw Tim Minchin at the Nourse Theater. If you haven't heard of him, he's an Australian songwriter/pianist/comedian/performer. His brand of musical comedy is irreverent, mostly social satire with some keen insights along the way. My family just adores him, so seeing him perform live was a real treat.

We own the Blu-ray of his Royal Albert performance, but this was just him, a bare stage, and his piano. Our seats were pretty good, center of the balcony about six rows back, but only because I found out about the show too late to get orchestra seats. Those would've been amazing. His show consists of performances with short comedic stand-up bits in between songs while he probably catches his breath. Most of his songs are pretty manic. It's no wonder his encore was two quieter songs, one of which was a preview from the musical version of Groundhog Day that he's working on. I absolutely love that movie. I told my husband afterward that the second that shows up on US soil, we're going.

Anyway, if you haven't heard Tim before, here are videos of two of my favorites of his songs. The first is called "Lullaby," and I still giggle hysterically when I hear it. It's one of those songs that starts out slow and slowly cascades into hysterics. Plus, it's an excellent showcase of just how talented a pianist he really is:
This second song is called "Prejudice," and it's pretty typical of how subversive he can be: