Meet My Very Special Friend, Doctor Pickles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                  As most of you know, I am an animal lover, and I cannot pass a bookstore without going in and buying something.  Just like Imelda Marcus, darlings!!!!!!!!!  Imagine my delight, when I realized that just around the corner was the used bookstore Book Trader, run by the distinguished gentleman I am paying so much attention to, Doctor Pickles.  He is a beautiful cat, a real gentleman, and he was always available to me when I came in.  Needless to say, I made off with a pile of books.  Not counting our visit to Head House Books.

                                  I just loved Dr. Pickles, and he really took to me.  It did sadden me that I seemed to be the only one paying attention to him.  Despite being a hefty cat, he is spry, affectionate and deserves all the attention he can get.  Future visitors, please pay a visit to this store, and give some attention to Doctor Pickles.

                                  I have missed him, ever since we returned.  But I have a feeling we will see each other again.  As well as my childhood friends we visited in South Jersey.

                                  A lovely time by all.  With special thanks to Doctor Pickles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here We Are In Philly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                I never thought Philadelphia would be so much fun, but it really was.  We stayed at the charming Penn View hotel, which was just down the street from his cousin Judy, whom we were visiting, and had a lovely time with.  I discovered tapas, and found it delicious, had an old-fashioned black and white soda in a store where supposedly the first ice cream soda was served in 1874.

                                 At David's behest, we visited the Museum Of The American Revolution.  It was beautifully curated and quite moving.  The highlight was the film and viewing live of Washington's tent, a majestic presentation that thrilled us.

                                And here are the two of us, in a picture taken near Constitution Hall.  Don't we look fabulous, darlings???????????????

                               The weather could not have more perfect for this trip.  After a sad and soggy Summer, I felt this was some kind of weather reward.  Every day was filled with cloud free skies and golden sunshine..

                                  I also enjoyed seeing the Benjamin Franklin Bridge lit up at night in blue.

                                And that was just the tip of the iceberg.  There is more to follow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                  

                                       

Gird Those Panties, Girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Jonathan Groff Is Coming Back To Broadway!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                I cannot wait!!!!!!!!!!!  But, darlings, you might want to get a grip on those panties, because, despite Jonathan bringing all his charm, this is not the kind of evening one throws panties to the performer.

                               In early February 2027, at the Broadhurst Theatre, Jonathan Groff will perform the one-man show "The Amish Project," inspired by the West Nickel Mines school shooting, which took place in the Amish country, where Groff hails from, on October 2, 2006.

                                So yes, one is getting two hours of Jonathan Groff, but a very different Groff from what one is used to, which is what interests me.  He demonstrates a range, willing to try different things, and I am curious to see what he does with this.

                                  All you Groff groupies who want to adulate, please wait at the stage door.

                                 I cannot wait to see Jonathan's dramatic triumph!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Darlings, We Are Back On The Aisle, With "Downstate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                         One of the more interesting things about this play is it was written by Bruce Norris, who wrote the Pulitzer Prize winning "Clybourne Park," which opened on Broadway on April 19, 2012.  I so wanted to see it but was never given the chance.  The play went on to win the TONY Award that season for Best Play, so this current offering had much promise.

                                        The premise is arresting--the lives and interactions of the inhabitants of a halfway house for sex offenders.  Yes, this may put off some people, but believe it or not, Norris seems to work some humor into the play, even if the audience's laughter seems of the nervous kind.

                                         I have to wonder--how may audience members each performance are actual sex offenders?  Or has this been performed before them in prisons?  I wonder.  And I wonder how they would react to the material.

                                        It has a first-rate cast, if not a stellar one.  The outstanding performances are Thomas Sadoski as Andy, a victim confronting his abuser, a former piano teacher played by Francis Guina, as well as K. Todd Freeman as the house monitor, and Liza Colon-Zayas as the parole officer.  And herein lies the problem.  These characters are central; the rest are unnecessary.   This play needs to be cut and trimmed so it can dig deeper into the idea of sex offender versus victim.  As such the play is too crammed with actors to go any deeper.  Good as its moments were, it seemed like a work in progress, and I would love to see it again, once it has been ironed out.  And again, with a more sterling cast, but keep Sadoski.

                                        Joe Mantello directed this and let me tell you he did a better job with this than his disappointing interpretation of "Death Of A Salesman."  Hey, Joe, sometime we will meet on stage, and let's see you try to intimate me!  You think BARBRA is difficult????????????

                                       One thing it gets right.  The abused never forgets what happened and remembers every single detail.

                                       This is coming not only from a critic or blogger, but one who was sexually assaulted myself on November 12, 1970, six days before my sixteenth birthday.

                                       As the child Blanche says at the opening of 'Baby Jane--"

                                     "I won't forget.  You BET I won't forget."

Great News, Girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MERYL STREEP Will Play Enid Lambert In A Netflix Presentation Of Jonathan Franzen's "The Corrections!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                                                                    

                                 Now, darlings, I have no idea who else is in the cast but the fact that MERYL is at the helm is promising.  What many may not know was that back in 2012 a cable presentation.  of "The Corrections" was presented with a reputable cast--Diane Wiest as Enid, Chris Cooper as Alfred, Greata Gerwig as Julia, Ewan McGregor as Chip, Lucas Hedges as Young Chip and Maggie Gyllenhal as Denise.  At one point I thought Gene Hackman was attached to the project as Alfred, but obviously that fell through.  Now, this adaptation, which was to become a series, did not go anywhere, so I am not surprised "The Corrections" is being attempted again.

                                    I would like to know who is doing the adaptation, because I don't want this to turn into another Zoe Kazan "East Of Eden."  If MERYL is heading the cast, the actors need to be on her level, and while I have several ideas, I will not mention them here.

                                   I just found out Cord Jefferson (who is he?) will be directing it, and Jonathan Franzen himself is an executive producer.  Will he do the screenplay?  One can only hope.

                                  Filming will commence in January 2027 and will not air until sometime in 2028.

                                  Darlings, this could be the event of the year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                     

Is "The Damned" Luchino Visconti's Masterpiece? I Don't Think So!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                     When "The Damned" was released, in 1969, it generated a lot of controversy.  First, it was rated X, meaning to those too young to view it, that it was a dirty movie with sex, sex, sex.  In those days, the rating X which is hardly used these days, meant practically pornographic.

                                       So, my expectations were high, when David and I, in lieu of "Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man," sat down to watch "The Damned," this past Saturday.

                                         The decor was garish in a decadent way that suited this very decadent family that worsens before our very eyes as Nazism invades Germany.  Helmut Berger and Ingrid Thulin deliver the best performances, and even today their Oedipal sex scene is shocking.  Direk Bogarde, one of Britain's underrated actors, delivers a nuanced performance.  And with tits and tushies showing, plus implied child molestation, a juvenile suicide, and implied homosexual orgies, I can understand how this got an X rating in 1969.  But in this time period?  This is nothing; in my past, I have been to parties that were wilder than this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                           The problem with "The Damned" is that it is too long; even more so because it feels like I have seen it all before.  And maybe I have.  This was supposed to be a German trilogy, followed by a film I do consider masterful, "Death In Venice," again with Dirk Bogarde.  As for the third film, I am not sure he made it, or it is obscure and has been forgotten.

                                               I fear that in time "The Damned" will suffer the same fate.  What was shocking and new in 1969 has become rather pastiche.  I am glad to have observed it as part of the Visconti oeuvre, but I cannot call it a masterpiece.

                                                 Only for film mavens and students, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Very Belated Happy Birthday To Sister Camille D'Arienzo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                             Girls, it is not like I could forget!  But, with all the excitement in getting ready for the trip to Philly, I missed Sister Camille D'Arienzo's birthday, which was on October 17.  Now, I will not speak of age, because Sister Camille ts thriving.

                              So, late, heartfelt wishes for a joyous, celebratory birthday, Sister Camille.  May the day be all you wanted it to be.

                                    Also, on hand to wish Sister Camille a Happy Birthday is our lovable reptilian friend, Gojira.  He wishes Sister Camille the best, and I would not be surprised if he baked this special birthday cake just for her.

                                       Many happy belated returns Sister Camille.  We miss your broadcasts, but your presence on earth is still a comfort.

                                          Wishing you many more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!