I have never understood the appeal of Miranda's Hamilton. On any level. On the most basic level, I see very little appeal in a musical about a relatively minor historic figure who was blatantly, openly, and shamelessly elitist and anti-democratic (his proposal at the Constitutional Convention was downright monarchist in nature, and he evidently wanted power to go to the "rich and well born"). I never cared much for Alexander Hamilton to begin with, and now is probably the worst possible time to be celebrating him. On top of that, I find most of the musical genres represented in the show unappealing. Then there's the ethnic dissonance. The deliberate ethnic dissonance. I recognize and applaud the fact that it is no longer acceptable for a white actor, regardless of his Shakespearean credentials, to play Othello in blackface. I recognize and applaud the fact that the old Elizabethan custom of casting boys in the roles of women has all but died out. I also deplore the theatrical custom of casting a petite woman with a background in either ballet or gymnastics (or both) as Peter Pan. And I recognize that there are many roles for which ethnicity and gender are utterly irrelevant -- case in point, the principal antagonist of Swartz & Hirson's Pippin, known only as "The Leading Player," has no particular ethnicity or gender (or even species, for that matter): I have a DVD (or maybe a VHS tape!) of the Broadway production with Ben Vereen in the role; in high school, I worked video crew for my high school's production with a white Leading Player, and on a visit to Sacramento, I enjoyed Runaway Stage's production with a woman as the Leading Player. All three productions worked, and worked well. But why, given that I am the first to say that it is profoundly not OK to cast white guys in non-white roles, is it suddenly considered a masterpiece (and somehow far superior to Edwards & Stone's 1776) to go the precise opposite way?
I agree. My daughter wanted to watch Hamilton yesterday. I vetoed on the grounds that our family is never quiet enough on Holidays to pay attention. And I was right. We are a noisy irreverent bunch. But my main reason is that I do not think I really have a desire to watch Hamilton nor Cats. I have always wondered where the female PP came from. I saw it live as a child with Mary Martin. She was not even all that petite.
I will also point out that I would welcome, say, a musical about Frederick Douglass (whom, based on the required readings when I took U.S. History at CSU Long Beach, I do admire). And I saw the movie, Hidden Figures, even though I knew in advance that I would find it painful to have my nose rubbed in what my fellow honkies have been continuing to do to African-Americans. And it was painful, but it was a good pain, a necessary pain. And as to musicals about early American History, Edwards & Stone's 1776 is one of my three favorite musicals (the other two being Pippin and Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along). Indeed, it was because of 1776 that Caesar Rodney (who really was an asthmatic with a cancerous growth on his jaw, and who really did ride through a stormy night to break a deadlock in the Delaware delegation on the vote for independence) became a personal hero to me.
After we get the chickens butchered we are getting out of here. We do not know for sure what we are going to do yet. We plan to stock up on groceries and such and then self quarantine for 2 weeks. Part of it at home and part on the road. The RV is fully self contained so we do not have to use public restrooms or eat in restaurants. We just have to pump gas and do not have to interact for that. We will either go to Michigan or up the coast to Washington.
Hmm. The only sort of RV I would ever want to own has 8 or 12 wheels, and a coupler and a brake hose on either end. And the only engine onboard is if it has its own generator.
Well, the virus who must not be named has hit close to home. My mother-in-law has tested positive. Not too surprising as she is in a memory care home and they got their first case about 3 weeks ago. She has no symptoms so far and has been put in quarantine. We have not been able to see her since March. She is 95 and has dementia and has had two heart attacks in the past year. So there will be no curative care if it comes to that. We can only hope that if she has to die from this that it is quick and trauma free. She has been begging for the good lord to take her home so maybe it is time.
So sorry to hear about your mom-in-law @iamsally. I know you guys have had a rough couple of years with her. My thoughts and prayers are with you guys during this time.
The worst of all this is that it has been so drug out. I know it is hard on Rod cuz, well, it is his mom. I know that intellectually he agrees that her time in this world should be ending. But I also understand how hard it can be to let go. She still has no symptoms so there is the possibility of a false positive or she could just be one of those asymptomatic carries who always tests positive. Then, to top things off, we spent the weekend waiting for the results of our daughter in Seattle's test. The test was negative but her symptoms are spot on. So she is still isolating from her kids and hubby and having a really hard time. She is a hugger. That has also put a hold on any plans to visit them.
My mom went through a lot of the same feelings as Rod when it came to my grandma. She had multiple strokes, wasn't able to communicate effectively, and had memory deficits as well. When my mom called me to let me know she had passed she was definitely upset, but I could still hear a sense of relief as well. I think she felt a little guilty about feeling that way, but I tried to reassure her that we couldn't have asked for her passing to be any better because she simply went to sleep in her favorite chair after eating one of her favorite meals that Carmen made. It was calm and peaceful...she wasn't scared or in pain. I hope that Rod will be able to find some peace when his mom passes. I know that you are an incredible support for him, and he's lucky to have you!
Thanks to both of you. Words can be very futile things hbquikcomjamesl. When my maternal grandma finally died at 107! I stood with my mom beside her casket. Everyone was teary but my mom said, "All I can feel is joyful." So, I was able to, without guilt, totally accept my mother's own death. She lived with my sister and had been in bed for a year. When I learned she had truly died peacefully in her sleep my only words were, "Thank god!" I would love for Rod to be able to accept like that when the time comes. But I know him and his upbringing so I feel he will take it hard if for no other reason than that he feels that is what he is supposed to do.
How well I remember that. Gathered around a black and white TV with my parents, aunts, uncles and cousins.
Also, the MIL is still doing fine. Our daughter has had multiple tests all negative so I guess she really did just have *weird* flu. Her husband is negative as well.
We are pretty much packed and will hit the road tomorrow. We are doing some fishing and will be meeting our daughter's family at a house they have rented at Clear Lake for the weekend. There is room for the RV so we will be able to *social distance* it sharing the outdoor space and fishing dock. Then we are off to Arkansas to visit my sister. They also have plenty of space for the RV so we can distance as much or as little as we feel comfortable. I do not know how often we will have WiFi but I will try to check in as much as possible. I hope everybody is not gone when I get back.
I will still be around...it's how I start my mornings at work. I will definitely miss you! Enjoy your trip, and stay safe!!
We always watch the Long Long Trailer at some point during our trips. It has been such a hectic day and taken way longer than planned to get out. Mostly spent my time trying to keep from coming home to a 'fridge full of spoiled food. But we are finally ready to be.............
