bostonman

AKA Mr. Anna Netrebko. On the heels of the new Pavarotti documentary, it's interesting to feel that for the first time perhaps, we live in an era where we really don't have true international celebrity opera stars as we once did - in the sense that even people who weren't into opera knew something about Pavarotti, etc. (I use him as an example because I tend to think he's been the last in the line. We do still have Domingo and Carreras, of course, but they never had quite the "celebrity/household name" cachet that Pav did.) It's not that we shouldn't celebrate the closest we have to that kind of celebrity today, and it's not that I don't like Netrebko or that she and the Met have had a very good relationship, etc. All of that is great. But somehow IMO there's just something a little odd about this Netrebko 24/7 Gala. Maybe I just wish they were featuring her in AN opera, instead of chunks of 3 of them. I'm sure it will be a wonderful event. But still... ...and at least Jeremy Sams isn't involved.

By the way, don't forget that Emile DOES sing it. And now, back to the 2019 Tony awards...

I would agree with you (I saw the televised performance). Except for the men playing Cable - and that seemed to be because of how Bartlett Sher directed the character to be played. Very odd interpretation, which to me made the character much less sympathetic from the beginning (instead of that happening in the aftermath of his affair with Liat, which does get ugly.) Andrew Samonsky (on the broadcast) at least sang Cable very well, if you ignored that dark take on the character. Matthew Morrison, who is just right for scores like Hairspray (in which he was perfect) was too "poppy" in his rendition of "Younger Than Springtime" for me. But yes, the rest of the cast was quite good, and I liked the production. I still think the show would work so much better with much less of Luther Billis (IMO the most embarrassingly UNfunny "comic foil" in all the R&H shows), but Danny Burstein pulled it off better than I've often seen.

Ha! In most productions I've seen, most of the male chorus members could easily have sung that. :rolleyes::rolleyes:

Hey - at least it indeed is "Rodgers & Hammerstein" - as opposed to that rather idiotically ersatz-hip "Rodgers + Hammerstein" that graces the recent Broadway (and now touring) production of Cinderella. Annoys the hell out of me.

I'm putting my hopes on Hadestown for best musical, or at least best score. From what I've heard of all the new scores so far, this is the most inventive IMO. IMO, the only sure prediction is that Oklahoma will win best musical revival. My feeling is this - it would seem that Kiss Me Kate is a very decent revival, with a solid performance by a veritable star in the female lead. But I haven't really heard much excitement for the production at all. But love it or hate it, Oklahoma has created a huge huge buzz. For some, it's a welcome reinvention, for others, it's tantamount to what's called "regietheatre" in the opera world, which is not a compliment lol. But it's a piece with a daring theatrical vision, whereas this Kate seems very safe - and even a bit sanitized in its attempt to clean up the misogyny inherent in the original. A good revival, but maybe not a distinguished one. So, regardless of individual feelings for the show, I tend to think that Oklahoma will win for daring to do what it does, whereas Kate will be acknowledged for being a solid show, but ultimately a merely safe remounting. Had there been other choices along with these two, there might have been more to go on than this one aspect of comparison - but with just these 2 shows, I think that comparison is inevitable. We shall see...

So I guess that means you can have your Caike and Rafaek too?

Yes - I've been to movies and shows like that too. On the edge of my seat, trying to find just the right moment to get up and run out.

Your mileage may vary, but I find using a stylus even more cumbersome. I never learned the "thumbs" method of typing on the small keys - but then again, although I did take a typing class back in grade school, I don't type correctly either. But I do find I can "hunt and peck" much faster on the small keys with fingers than with a stylus.

Yes. One discipline that's very tough to learn is how to proofread before sending. I think we all find that tough to do, because part of the "game" per se is the speed at which we can send messages. And I think most of us, especially on message boards like this one, get more used to posting quickly, THEN editing after the fact, once you've read your own post on the board. With emails, it can be a different thing - you have more time to make sure you're writing what you intend to. Also, I have a colleague who suggest that especially with business-related emails, that you leave the address line blank until you have had the chance to proofread/edit and to make sure that you're saying things as you truly want to. (So that you don't accidentally send the email before making sure it's correct.)

I love the general idea of both. One can do GPS without the voice, though of course it's easier with. Autocorrect can be a pain when it tries to change the word you really want into the word it thinks you want. But I also find that it can "learn" if you use a word frequently. I find that also happens with suggested next words (whatever they call that) when writing text messages - the system starts to "learn" phrases or names you tend to use frequently.

The asking part is fine, though I haven't gotten to the point where I do that yet, even with my cable remote, which allows that. It's "Siri" talking back that I find creepy. I'm just really not ready for machines to talk back to me quite yet. Or, even moreso, I'm not ready for machines to talk to me without my having started the conversation.

Siri? Siri is creepy. The first thing I've always done when getting a new phone is to get rid of her permanently.

He was being an asshole. Plenty of people still have landlines, even if they also have cellphones.

Yes - outstanding cast. Including the conductor, Kevin Stites - a name most people won't know, but he is a marvelous Broadway-based musical director (listen to the beautiful work he does with the orchestra on the Titanic Broadway cast recording, for instance). Also thrilled to see Hailey Kilgore listed here, who was really wonderful in the recent Once On This Island revival. I hope that they'll be including "Our Little World" (her duet with the Witch, which is not always performed as it wasn't part of the original production) so that she has more to do than just occasional "Ah"s, lol. But oh, my - Sutton Foster, Patina Miller, Sierra Boggess, Cheyenne Jackson...YES!!

I prefer the standard-size keys on a computer (i.e. email rather than texting), though I also find I need to do a substantial amount of emailing via my cellphone, so ultimately I'm on those little keys anyway lol. I bought a bluetooth keyboard, but I find I really don't use it much. Likewise, I do own a tablet, but I find I still do most of my communicating on my cellphone, unless I'm at home, where my desktop is king. Texting also works well for quick messages in everyday life, outside of escorts or hookups. But "quick" is the key word - I feel that texting is more about short responses, whereas emails can be longer and more involved. Likewise, it seems to me that texting implies a shorter conversation in general, whereas email chains can go on and on. But - there's an immediacy to texting that I understand - messages happen in the moment, instead of having to wait the extra time for the email to come in and then respond to it. It's much closer to a real-time conversation. And I suppose that for escorts, who (impersonal as it sounds) just want to line up a client, the faster conversations work better. That said, I've had some marvelous email conversations with escorts who do like to talk in detail and who seem to enjoy a slightly more leisurely talk. And I do prefer that.

And...at least in his capacity with the Philadelphia orchestra, Nezet-Seguin gets to be a just a plain-ol' music director. He's not really the "music director" at the Met - he's the "Jeanette Lerman-Neubauer Music Director." Which I guess means that he actually musical directs Jeanette Lerman-Neubauer? (I know, I know...and we should be very thankful for our donors...but it's beginning to annoy me that on the Met broadcasts, he's constantly referred to with that full title. By this point, you'd think even dowager Jeanette would have said "enough.") As for Lupone (who herself was a formidable "Old Lady" in a Candide concert with the NY Phil some years back), yes, she has some really annoying habits, but she's also a very exciting artist IMO. Like her Evita counterpart Mandy Patinkin, I can appreciate her work and sometimes ignore the quirks - but sometimes the quirks do really get in the way.

Narrators AND the entire cast of the musical? God, I hope not. I would hate to think that Cooper and Mulligan were going to sing the whole thing, or even sing at all. Luckily, it does look like a great cast, operatically speaking, starring Erin Morley, Alek Shrader, Kevin Vortmann and William Burden, with Denyce Graves as the single-buttocked Old Lady. I don't really know why one needs "narrators" (or even one narrator) for Candide, when the book makes very little sense anyway lol. But I know, I know, it's this "concert musical" thing (they call them "concerts" even though they are fully staged and designed). That being said, I feel that the overwhelming strength of this piece is Bernstein's magnificent score - no matter which version of the book is used (and I still prefer Lillian Hellman's original, though it's never performed - Hellman herself restricted it after the original run), only the music really shines. Narration is just another way to kill time. (I have seen the show done where Pangloss doubles as a sort of narrator - to me that works a bit better than having people outside the story, like Cooper and Mulligan do it. But still...)

Actually (I haven't seen the show, but even so) I think the chili and cornbread is a fun idea. Much like the recent Sweeney Todd set in a pieshop (and other productions of that show that have served meatpies at concessions). I figure, if you're going to serve food and drinks, it's fun to have them be something related to the show. I was just talking to a fellow musical director who saw the show earlier this week. He didn't have a lot of positive things to say, though he did like the orchestrations. And although he thought Stroker nailed her songs, he felt she had no acting range (and couldn't tell if that was her or how she was directed). I'm interested in seeing it for myself, but I dunno...

Wondering if anyone has any experience with this guy. Thanks... https://rentmen.eu/kJVolt

Given the trump connections, I think the choice of title is unfortunate. Surely they could have used another famous Elton John title?

It's funny. When I was in college, rimming was something I was prone to do - than at some point in my adulthood, I decided I didn't want to do it anymore. (I've never been much interested in anal sex - but I've always been very eager to use my tongue all over.) Though I'm essentially gay, I have always had a desire to try eating pussy - and in the last year I've now had two experiences with trans guys who helped me fulfill that desire. I enjoyed it (and would still like the chance to try it on a cis female at some point) though I'm still much more interested in gay sex than anything else. But yes - a talented and eager tongue is necessary for both activities.

Me too. ;-)

He was listed in Boston this morning on RM; checking back now, he's already back in Florida (where I assume he's based). Odd. (I wonder if he was simply looking to see what response he'd have if he actually came to Boston??) But, wondering if anyone has experience or info. Looking at the comments on his RM reviews (available to see via VPN), he sounds like a great guy. But, I'd love some further thoughts. https://rentmen.eu/xxleoxx

Indisputably, one of our greatest comedians. Very sad that he is gone.