- Published on
Yesterday we learned that George passed away
It bought back memories of the Hakoa Club
And schnitzel and chips for dinner
Coffee at the Belaroma and that place in Bondi
Dinner at his mum’s Jewish care home
The place where I first got drunk (by accident)
Downing the sweet manischewitz
Which was supposed to be non-alcoholic
But wasn’t
The place where I asked George to dance
And he carefully said we couldn’t
Because there were Orthodox Jews in the room
And we might upset them
A man and a woman (a child) dancing together
That warm and kind and generous soul
Whom we once accidentally called Dad
And he didn’t seem to mind at all
Tonight on my way home
I stumbled past Holy Schnitzel
I’d already had dinner but felt like a snack
So I got a side of fries
(In my reminiscing, I was wondering why they didn’t have hot chips on the menu
Still translating after almost 13 years away)
The chips were delicious
I’ll have to go back for the schnitzel
I bet it’s not as good
There’s no Alex the Kid
The grown ups won’t be talking at the table while we play
I’m sad I didn’t get to say goodbye
That I missed you by a week
Thank you for being such a good man
For all the care you took
For your generosity
Your kindness
Your warmth
You will be missed
It bought back memories of the Hakoa Club
And schnitzel and chips for dinner
Coffee at the Belaroma and that place in Bondi
Dinner at his mum’s Jewish care home
The place where I first got drunk (by accident)
Downing the sweet manischewitz
Which was supposed to be non-alcoholic
But wasn’t
The place where I asked George to dance
And he carefully said we couldn’t
Because there were Orthodox Jews in the room
And we might upset them
A man and a woman (a child) dancing together
That warm and kind and generous soul
Whom we once accidentally called Dad
And he didn’t seem to mind at all
Tonight on my way home
I stumbled past Holy Schnitzel
I’d already had dinner but felt like a snack
So I got a side of fries
(In my reminiscing, I was wondering why they didn’t have hot chips on the menu
Still translating after almost 13 years away)
The chips were delicious
I’ll have to go back for the schnitzel
I bet it’s not as good
There’s no Alex the Kid
The grown ups won’t be talking at the table while we play
I’m sad I didn’t get to say goodbye
That I missed you by a week
Thank you for being such a good man
For all the care you took
For your generosity
Your kindness
Your warmth
You will be missed
- Published on
Home for Dinner
The absolute luxury of an early shift
Coming home via the store for essentials
Yogurt, onions, garlic, ice cream
And then having the time and space
To make chicken broth
That golden delicious balm for the soul
Whipping up a batch of basil pesto hummus
With homegrown basil leaves
Having noodles for dinner
And ice cream with tappy sauce for dessert
Coming home via the store for essentials
Yogurt, onions, garlic, ice cream
And then having the time and space
To make chicken broth
That golden delicious balm for the soul
Whipping up a batch of basil pesto hummus
With homegrown basil leaves
Having noodles for dinner
And ice cream with tappy sauce for dessert
- Published on
Harmony
The luxury of being taken out to dinner
In a beautiful restaurant
With charming waiters and a live piano
The loveliness of spending time with David and Katherine
The delight (and utter luxury) of seeing a Broadway show
From the third row of the orchestra
Being able to see the actors faces up close
The details in the costumes
(I want that dress... and that one! And those shoes! And that brooch!
Stunning!)
Seeing Chip Zien deliver a masterclass in
Musical theatre performance and
Feeling like the luckiest girl in the world.
In a beautiful restaurant
With charming waiters and a live piano
The loveliness of spending time with David and Katherine
The delight (and utter luxury) of seeing a Broadway show
From the third row of the orchestra
Being able to see the actors faces up close
The details in the costumes
(I want that dress... and that one! And those shoes! And that brooch!
Stunning!)
Seeing Chip Zien deliver a masterclass in
Musical theatre performance and
Feeling like the luckiest girl in the world.
- Published on
Friday Afternoon
Snow flurries danced outside
But inside was warm and cozy
With the oven at 350º
Roasting a chicken
And a pan of veg
Drizzled in olive oil
And dusted with flakes of
Rosemary and cilantro and
Salt and pepper
A balm for the soul.
But inside was warm and cozy
With the oven at 350º
Roasting a chicken
And a pan of veg
Drizzled in olive oil
And dusted with flakes of
Rosemary and cilantro and
Salt and pepper
A balm for the soul.
- Published on
The Band Wagon
Jack was singing
“I love Louisa”
To you at work
And it was a song you didn’t know
He told you it was from
The Band Wagon
Which somehow you’ve never seen
(How have you gotten to this point in your life as a musical theatre nerd, with the name Luisa, in the musical circles you spin in, and this is the first time someone has ever referenced this song to you?!)
But you came home from work and watched the film
Fred Astaire! Cyd Charisse! Oscar Levant!
There’s the director from Singin’ in the Rain!
And the Moses Supposes guy!
And the costumes!
And the dancing!
And the surprisingly witty banter that holds up amazingly well given its age
And even though this old movie was new to you
It was like being home
“I love Louisa”
To you at work
And it was a song you didn’t know
He told you it was from
The Band Wagon
Which somehow you’ve never seen
(How have you gotten to this point in your life as a musical theatre nerd, with the name Luisa, in the musical circles you spin in, and this is the first time someone has ever referenced this song to you?!)
But you came home from work and watched the film
Fred Astaire! Cyd Charisse! Oscar Levant!
There’s the director from Singin’ in the Rain!
And the Moses Supposes guy!
And the costumes!
And the dancing!
And the surprisingly witty banter that holds up amazingly well given its age
And even though this old movie was new to you
It was like being home
- Published on
You had walked past the Korean tea shop
On Eighth Avenue
That sells all kinds of hot dogs
And an assortment of
Deep fried food on sticks
The potato and mozzarella
Particularly piqued your interest
Your friend thought it sounded revolting
So you hesitated, thought
Save it for another day
But tonight, it was freezing cold
And you were feeling
Frustrated by not being able to
Have all the things you wanted
So when you walked by
The Korean tea shop
That sells all of kinds of hot dogs
And an assortment of
Deep fried food on sticks
You thought
I will have the deep fried potato and mozarella
And because you are a grown up
And because you can’t always have the things you want
And because this was something easy and attainable
You bought that deep fried potato and mozarella on a stick
And it was absolutely
Fucking delicious
On Eighth Avenue
That sells all kinds of hot dogs
And an assortment of
Deep fried food on sticks
The potato and mozzarella
Particularly piqued your interest
Your friend thought it sounded revolting
So you hesitated, thought
Save it for another day
But tonight, it was freezing cold
And you were feeling
Frustrated by not being able to
Have all the things you wanted
So when you walked by
The Korean tea shop
That sells all of kinds of hot dogs
And an assortment of
Deep fried food on sticks
You thought
I will have the deep fried potato and mozarella
And because you are a grown up
And because you can’t always have the things you want
And because this was something easy and attainable
You bought that deep fried potato and mozarella on a stick
And it was absolutely
Fucking delicious
- Published on
Crossover
Paulo Szot
An operatic baritone
Has sung roles in La Boheme and The Barber of Seville and The Marriage of Figaro and Carmen
In opera houses around the world
(Including The Met)
And who you first encountered as
Emile de Becque in South Pacific singing
Some enchanted evening
Opposite Kelli O’Hara
And now he is singing “Teenage Dream”
And doing Backstreet Boys choreography
Eight times a week
In a jukebox musical
And by all accounts having the time of his life
And it is a joy to behold
An operatic baritone
Has sung roles in La Boheme and The Barber of Seville and The Marriage of Figaro and Carmen
In opera houses around the world
(Including The Met)
And who you first encountered as
Emile de Becque in South Pacific singing
Some enchanted evening
Opposite Kelli O’Hara
And now he is singing “Teenage Dream”
And doing Backstreet Boys choreography
Eight times a week
In a jukebox musical
And by all accounts having the time of his life
And it is a joy to behold
- Published on
Breathe, Just Breathe
The magic of seeing Ever After
On the big screen
For the first time since Christmas, 1998
A special gift for Christmas, 2023
You've watched it so many times in the intervening 25 years
That you feel it in your bones
Every line
Every frame
Every note of George Fenton's gorgeous score
Now a part of your DNA
But seeing it all on a big screen again
The colors!
The details!
The thrilling magic of the movies
And at the end
Emerging to discover the world blanketed in snow
A fairy tale come true.
On the big screen
For the first time since Christmas, 1998
A special gift for Christmas, 2023
You've watched it so many times in the intervening 25 years
That you feel it in your bones
Every line
Every frame
Every note of George Fenton's gorgeous score
Now a part of your DNA
But seeing it all on a big screen again
The colors!
The details!
The thrilling magic of the movies
And at the end
Emerging to discover the world blanketed in snow
A fairy tale come true.
- Published on
Beyond My Wildest Dreams
Tonight while stuffing Playbills
My friend and I sang along to the
Original Broadway Cast Recording of
The Little Mermaid
We bonded over what a gorgeous score it has
What an insanely brilliant cast
And how it had been on Broadway
For just a moment
How lucky we had both been
To have seen it
Live
My friend and I sang along to the
Original Broadway Cast Recording of
The Little Mermaid
We bonded over what a gorgeous score it has
What an insanely brilliant cast
And how it had been on Broadway
For just a moment
How lucky we had both been
To have seen it
Live
- Published on
High School Musical
A big group of high school kids
From somewhere America
Visiting NYC and Broadway
Possibly for the first time
Getting them all seated took a lot of energy
But then the show started
And an electricity filled the house
The way they all leaned forward in their seats
The way they cheered when the actors came out on stage
The way one girl gasped and held her hands to her mouth when Lilias started singing
(Tony winner Lilias White! A queen!)
Seeing their minds being opened and transformed
In the moment
The best kind of education
From somewhere America
Visiting NYC and Broadway
Possibly for the first time
Getting them all seated took a lot of energy
But then the show started
And an electricity filled the house
The way they all leaned forward in their seats
The way they cheered when the actors came out on stage
The way one girl gasped and held her hands to her mouth when Lilias started singing
(Tony winner Lilias White! A queen!)
Seeing their minds being opened and transformed
In the moment
The best kind of education