Peter Pan !

 When you think of the Broadway musical Peter Pan you think of petite women like Mary Martin, Sandy Duncan and Cathy Rigby playing the lead character but this touring non equity version features an actual 17-year-old teenaged boy, Nolan Almeida. And he brings it.

This version of the children's story about a boy who never grows up is updated to include social media, cell phones and beats. This version of the J M Barrie kids' tale also has eliminated the obvious anti-Indian garbage that was in the original (Ugg a wug wigwam?). The updated play doesn't lose anything at all.

The story begins in the nursery of a 21st century home with Michael, John and Wendy. After Mom says she noticed a boy outside the window with a strange light, Peter Pan and Tinkerbell enter the room with glitter and flair. The three kids are enthralled with the boy and his fairy and decide they want to go to Neverland where nobody ever grows old. Peter Pan and the Lost Boys welcome the kids and make Wendy their "mother" since they all have none. 

But Neverland is not all that fun because the Lost Boys have enemies, Tiger Lily and her tribe and the villainous Captain Hook and his band of pirates. Hook hates Peter Pan as he blames him for the loss of his hand to a crocodile. Tiger Lily fights to keep her part of the island but eventually joins forces to battle the pirates which results in the great song Forever Friends that closes act 1.

Act 2 is not long at all. Theres some sword fights and some walking the plank and eventually Hook is defeated and eaten by the croc. Thats about it folks.

The special effects are pretty good. When the kids are flying it looks real as they fly thru the clouds (even though the wires are easily seen). The stage scenery is pretty standard. Theres some good songs, some songs that didn't hit with me and a story far more fit for children than adults. 

Now the actors. The aforementioned Nolan Almeida is a Peter Pan that will go on as long as he wants and has a great singing voice. Hawka Kamara as Wendy is obviously a grown woman but really is the stabilizing force onstage. She gets the best lines and jokes. Bailey Frankenberg as Tiger Lily is a small package with a large voice. There was no doubt in my mind she was the best singer onstage. Cody Garcia plays both the father and Captain Hook. His Hook has a strange Scottish accent, but he is also obviously the most seasoned actor up there. His Hook is a hoot. Kurt Perry as Smee, Capt. Hooks flamboyant first mate is quite funny. Another big guy actor with a lot of moves and a delightful delivery of his lines.

I have no problem with the talent onstage. The story is really not meant for 60 something people. Sure, you can put the brain on hold and have fun, but there are so many kids up there I often flashed back to my days as a stage dad for my son's high school plays. Max's Mom called it "annoying" but to be fair, she wasn't feeling well. I wasn't feeling well either, but it did not annoy me. It just didn't interest me. Sorry.

The place was packed. Far more adults than kids. The applause was tepid most of the play. It made me think there were other adults there not into it.

If you have little ones this would be a good introduction to musical theater. It's not overly long, and the kids will like the energy. At times it made me wish I had that energy still.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 Have a great day everyone.

Things I'm thankful for. Family. Friends. Children's innocence. Kindness. Being compassionate. Putting oneself in other's shoes before spouting off. 

Also

Anthony Fauci, Joe Biden, The Beatles, Miles Davis, Motown, Italian food, 65 mpg, theater, movies, television, music, John Fetterman, Bernie, Hillary, Kamala, Taylor Swift, the blue dot, Bluesky, The Temptations, The Stones, Metallica, Martin Scorsese, Billionaires who give their money away, kind drivers who let you in, and especially dogs. 

California Day 3 Hey Is That Iggy Pop?

 A driving tour of the rest of LA with Max's Brother in control. Breakfast at Nick's (I think it's in Chinatown) which was a meal that RFK Jr would definitely not like (Or considering what he actually eats that's a good thing), 

The driving tour of Laurel Canyon and the Sunset Strip, featuring the Comedy Store, The Whisky a Go Go (big Doors fane here) and the Troubadour where a quick glimpse of a man outside made me think it was Iggy Pop but turned out to look more like Gary Busey. Bill M
aher and Woody Harrelson's weed store, the gate that the Manson Family entered to butcher Sharon Tate and Tail O The Pup.

To show how kind California is on a corner in Hollywood or West Hollywood or who knows is a small vehicle that offers free STD testing. 

Negative of course.

The Getty Museum on the hill is free (but it does cost to park). The museum is a wonder of art and sculptures. You could spend hours there if you were an art afficianado. I am just a peasant when it comes to art so the Monets and the Van Gogh thrilled me and the rest was just yeah cool. Again the view from the Getty is phenomenal. The horrid traffic at 4 pm, the ocean, all the cities is all there. Now thats art to me. Spectacular views.

Finally, the Santa Monica Pier. Yeah a tourist trap but worth a visit once in your lifetime. Tourists, kids, teens and one guy in a MAGA hat. It was all fantastic to see the tide come in and to us flatlander Midwesterners whose greatest water view is whatever manmade lake you're at. It's always been a dream of mine to drive Route 66 from Chicago to the end, which is Santa Monica. Thus, I've seen the beginning at the Chicago Art Museum and the end at the Pier. All I need now is the middle.

In conclusion, Waymo. Waymo is the name of a driverless taxi that wanders around the ritzy parts of LA. Now you may have seen this thing when Aunt Chippy rode in one much to her chagrin. But to see it at first appalled me but by the next day it intrigued me. We didn't get one but next time a definite yes.

The trip was over. Lots accomplished. Thanks to Max's bro for the guided tours. It was so nice to ignore the upcoming transition to fascism.

Side notes

Some dude on the plane from Denver to LA fell asleep on my shoulder for two freaking hours. When I gently woke him up, he freaked out. 

Gas in LA is $4.50-$5 a gallon. At one place it was $7.70 and there were actually people gassing up there. Must be trendy.

I still have no idea the difference between Metro and Metro Link even though it was explained to me a thousand times. All I remember is one was $4 and the other was $20. One reminds me of the subway or the L in Chicago. The other one looks like Amtrak. Maybe next time.

Much like New York, Los Angeles features all kinds of people, all kind of languages and a diversity that didn't make me want America to be "great" again. Unlike some people, differences make me happy to be alive. 

Nebraska football is dead. THAT will never be great again. I am now convinced. Nobody can save the program. But it's just football. Right? We can't have nuthin in Nebraska. Just uptight assholes running the place under the no fun EVER mentality of dumbasses we keep electing because of the R next to their name.

California Day Two Another One Score Loss!

 Day two involved the Nebraska-USC game at the historic LA Coliseum. Taking a subway/train from Little Tokyo to the USC campus was fast and easy. Train sticked full of Husker fans wearing cornheads and chanting Go Big Red much to the dismay of a poor woman just trying to get to work. 

The Coliseum is over 100 years old and the things that have been held there is amazing, The Olympics, USC glory days, Dodger baseball, national championship games. The game itself was just barely watchable. Two 5-5 teams battling it out to see who wanted to lose more, Go Big Red, cuz nobody wants to lose more than us. 

15000 Husker fans made a lot of noise. And 50000 USC fans gave it right back. Seated in the end zone under the massive scoreboard and where the game itself looked like a bunch of ants running around and the scoreboards at the other end were too tiny for old guys to read. Hey, the band, the horse, the Trojan (I guess the used condom we found in the fountain meant Go Trojans) and the lighting of the flame at the beginning of the fourth quarter. It was all worth the trip. Yeah, the Huskers lost but whatever, we are used to it. Hey, Husker fan in your 50's, no need to dress up in a full uniform, including shoulder pads and a helmet. You look ridiculous.

Back on the train to Litte Tokyo and a walking trip around at night was very interesting, lots of restaurants, lots of pop-up shops including a store completely geared to Godzilla fans which of course Max had to visit. This is truly a diverse town, and I love it.

Back home after a side trip to The Stockroom (google it). Verrryyy interesting indeed.

California Here I Come Day One!

Haven't been to California in years but the self-flagellation that is being a Husker fan brought us to sunny LA to watch the latest one score loss. With tour guide Max's brother in charge of travel our first stop would be a tour of the iconic Dodger Stadium. Yeah, it takes you 20 minutes to get in and about 5 minutes to get out. No wonder the stereotype of Dodger fan late arrivals and early exiters is true.

Dodger Stadium is under renovation construction as you can see. Therefore, the "tour" would not include a trip down to the field to sit in the dugout or a short glimpse into the locker rooms. We started on the top level and pretty much stayed there. Lots of memorabilia from Brooklyn and from Los Angeles Dodger seasons past. A trip to the Vin Scully press box and a short trip into a suite was about it. The tour guide was nice and well informed. The tour guests were either Koreans interested in Otani and a bunch of Nebraska bros or us. Yes, Nebraskans, but not THAT kind of Nebraskans. The view to the downtown was great. and all in all it was worth it.

To downtown LA with a gusto. A trip up and down the Angel Flight, a car that climbs a hill featured in any movie/TV series that involves 1930s Los Angeles. $2 up and down. The Central Food Market is much like Reading Terminal Market in Philly or Faneuil Hall in Boston (damn I've been from coast to coast this year). Lots of food stands, from Chinese to ice cream and Mexican, Cool.

Drive around downtown, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, the Crypto ah hell the Staple Center (where a line of people around the block was camping out to get into Sabrina Carpenter later that night). Lunch at some place called Jollibee, a fast food Filipino chicken joint where you can get two pieces of white meat (a leg and a thigh?) and a side of spaghetti with hot dog or ham bits in it. Yeah, it's not great but it must be experienced. 

The Hollywood Walk of Fame, with the stars on the ground. I was specifically looking for Donald Trump's star to give it the finger. The place was chock full of people wearing N's. Hustlers and scam artists catering to the rubes. Wannabe rappers selling their CD's. A guy selling pro Trump gear. Some nut with a box full of snakes (ewwwww) and all in one section, the stars of Trump, Diddy and Vince McMahon. The sexual predator section.

Finally a trip up to the famous Griffith Observatory. No knife fights that I saw (Rebel Without a Cause reference) and the planetarium show, which was fascinating and yet confusing as fuck. No wonder lazy asses choose to buy the God, six day creation bullshit. Max's brother slept thru it (he's prob seen it more than once) and Max himself philosophizing that if you were stoned, you may have an existential crisis. I wasn't high and I had one anyway. Trying to guide the asteroid back into the Earth didn't work.

The view from up there is worth it. The lights of LA, the Hollywood sign, the hills,  it really is remarkable.

Day One in the books.

Funny Girl!

 The national tour of Funny Girl opened in Omaha on Tuesday night. The 60 year old musical about the life of Fanny Brice is a classic for sure, made famous by Barbra Streisand and not really ever revived until recently probably because of that fact nobody can top Babs. Then came the Broadway revival that was a bit of a disaster because the lead wasn't very good and was replaced after a short period of time. But the national tour became the way to go so us out here in the sticks can see an epic musical.

Sometimes you get a bagel with everything and sometimes you get a bagel with just cream cheese. Streisand is everything, the touring show is the latter. Not to say that's bad, some of us don't want everything on the bagel and that would be me.

From the moment Hannah Shankman as Fanny says "Hello Gorgeous" to the moment the play ends abruptly, she owns the stage. She is a force of nature. Her voice is a powerhouse, her stage presence is dominating, and she is funny, ya know, like the title says. Shankman may be the greatest female singer I've seen on a stage in a long while. She really is phenomenal.

Steven Mark Lukas as Nick Arnstein, Fanny's love and husband, is dashing and creepy at the same time. He's quite the cad, a con artist who has to be in control, but when Fanny becomes more successful than him, the marriage crumbles. Melissa Manchester (yes that Melissa Manchester) plays Fanny's Jewish mother. She is so good at both dominating the stage when she's on it with her fellow Jewish mothers and backing off to Shankman's power when necessary. A real pro. Izaih Harris as Fanny's best friend, Eddie, is phenomenal when he tap dances onstage to the woo hoos of the crowd. He's not onstage much but when he is, it makes the musical better.

The choreography is phenomenal in duplicating the Ziegfeld Follies of the 1920's, vaudeville, dancing, singing, chorus girls, and comedy. Fanny juggles her career, her marriage, and her insecurities. Nick spirals out of control as he loses money in one scam after another and when Fanny bails him out he resorts to embezzlement to deal with HIS insecurities and goes to prison. Fanny waits, she gives in to her need for love, and Nick rejects her. Bummer. Or was it?

Funny Girl isn't the greatest musical of all time for sure. It's something I'd probably never see again but it's a fun time for the 2 1/2 hours. It's a classic and you'll be happy you went. 

Really America?

 Look at what happens when adults lose election. They concede. Had Kamala won there would be fucking crying and screeching like no other, well at least since 2020 and that never ended. And now that they won, instead of quietly celebrating and looking forward to heading backwards, some, not all, are gloating. We have racist Trumpers who think it's "funny" to send texts to black students ordering them to a plantation to pick cotton, and the bros, the single most despicable demo out there, thinks telling women that their bodies are now theirs to do with what they want, which I assume is rape. Sorry bros, you were incels on Nov 5th and you're still incels now, maybe more so. Not to mention with tariffs your X Box is going to skyrocket in price. Elections have consequences as they say.

Anyhoo, with the election of Trump, and the drooling vampires and vultures who know how to manipulate a nitwit, the future is bleak. Project 2025 was the plan all along, as anybody with a brain that isn't fried by Fox News and endless pseudo grievances knew. They now admit it and think it's so funny they "fooled" everybody by insisting Trump knew nothing about it, which he probably didn't since it didn't mention his name. But Project 2025, if implemented would actually end this 298-year-old republic for real. Oh, and I have no doubt this is why it was invented. Let's take a look at the possible future.

On page 133 of this shitshow (hey its 900 goddamned pages) it calls for defunding the cops (hey I thought they opposed this) the FBI and Homeland Security, use the military to shoot protestors, and incarcerate "illegals" in camps and deport them. Also on page 133 is that old end birthright citizenship crap that could conceivably end Barron Trump's birth citizenship. (yeah sure like that would happen) but it sure as hell affects children born here to non-citizens. 

On Page 319 it calls for an end to the Department of Education, funnels taxpayer money to religious schools and calls for teaching religion (I assume Christian nationalism) in public schools. After all, A dumb population is a controllable one.

On Page 363, it calls for drilling in the protected Arctic region (bye bye polar bears) and deregulation of the oil industry. It calls for drilling in national parks and elimination of the FDA, the CDC, the national weather service, OSHA, and the EPA. So, get used to snake oil, more viruses, more deaths from hurricanes, and unsafe work conditions. Nothing looks better than an oil rig right next to a formerly pristine national park. 

Page 449, oooo this is a big one for you ladies, calls for abortion to be illegal in ALL circumstances, bans contraceptives, end the ACA, and cut Medicare to the bone. Man oh man, you seniors that voted for this guy have cut your own throat but at least we don't have some colored broad in office, amiright?

Page 545, ohhh this is a biggie for the gays, calls for ending gay marriages. Did all you "normal gay guys" that voted for this ok? It ends civil rights protections for people that need them. Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve, as stupid as that sounds, could become a campaign slogan.

Finally on page 581 thru 691 it calls for the elimination of unions and any contracts to be voided, eliminates overtime pay (so there's no tax on nonexistent work, right?), gives additional tax breaks to corporations and the wealthy and raises the retirement age. Work till you die baby.

Theres more bullshit in there, including ending no fault divorce, end free school lunch programs, ban books about black history and slavery, and pack the courts with friendly judges who will not cross them on any rulings. 

But that's what you filled in the little dot for, America. You broke it and now you pay for it.

Unfortunately, we all have to pay for your clumsiness. Really, America?