Doctor Who: The Time of the Doctor - Mini Review

We said goodbye to Matt Smith's 11th (?) Doctor on Christmas Day. (The parenthetical question mark is due to the fact that Stephen Moffat has messed up the numbering of the Doctors regenerations.) My main question after seeing the episode is "why can't we get a new showrunner with the new Doctor?"

I wanted to like this episode - so much. I want to like Doctor Who still - so much. But Stephen Moffat is slowly ruining the show for me - so much.

*sigh*

Stephen wrote some of my favorite Doctor Who episodes during Russell T. Davies time as the head writer. ("Blink," "The Girl in the Fireplace," "Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead"). He writes Sherlock, which I love. So I don't understand how he's missed the mark so many times during Matt's time as the Doctor.

Regardless of my many frustrations with Matt's farewell episode, I am sad to see Matt go. I have really enjoyed him as the Doctor. However, I am looking forward to Peter Capaldi's Doctor, and I hope that we get some classic traveling to new places, seeing the Doctor's joy at introducing his companion to new worlds and new adventures. That is Doctor Who to me - adventures in time and space!

TV Review: Sleepy Hollow

First I have to just say, as morbid as it was, watching the headless horseman chop off someone's head from the POV of the victim was one of the most unique camera shots I've seen in a very long time.

And now, regarding the series pilot. I loved it! I am really looking forward to seeing where this show goes. I hope the rest of the season is as good as the series opener. Tim Mison is not what I imagine when I hear the name Ichabod Crane (I guess I've seen the Disney cartoon version too many times), but I love him in the role.

The headless horseman is an impressive sight.

The mythology of the story is interesting, and after having recently watched marathons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel lately, I'm interested in seeing where the mythology takes this show. Just like Buffy and Angel, the goal here is to save the world. That's not going to be easy, right? I'm not much into police procedural shows, unless they have an premise that makes it not just a police procedural (i.e., Castle, Grimm), but I'm willing to take a chance on this one.

Please, don't let me down, Ichabod!

Side note: The police captain's name is Frank Irving. Nice shout out to the writer of The Legend of Sleep Hollow, Washington Irving. I'm going to have to read the short story to see if there are any other hidden "Easter eggs" in the show.

And just so you know, there were five decapitations in this first episode, and I'm sure many more people are going to lose their heads in this series.

Best Doctor Who Reviewer Ever!

I can't believe I've never seen these videos before!

You may want to wait until you see "The Rings of Akhaten" before watching this review. But you don't have to. The review is almost as good as the episode.



You're never too young to be a Doctor Who fan!

Stage Review: Side Show

The musical, Side Show, opened on Broadway in 1997. It starred Emily Skinner and Alice Ripley as Daisy and Violet Hilton, conjoined twins who were stage performers in the 1930s. Although it only ran for 91 performances, it earned Emily and Alice a joint Tony Award nomination, the first time two performers had been nominated together for a Tony Award. It was fitting due to the nature of their performances.

I bought the cast recording to the musical soon after it opened, and I love the score. Emily and Alice's performances of the songs are wonderful. I have always wanted to see the musical, but since it didn't run very long, I thought the chances of anyone producing it in Utah were quite slim. I'm so glad that I was wrong. I was excited to see the production, especially after I learned that two actors from the production of The Drowsy Chaperone I was in two years ago, Angela Jeffries and Taylor Eliason had leading roles in the musical. It's a small musical theatre world.

Side Show is the premiere production for the new Utah Repertory Theater Company. This musical will either soar or flop depending on the actors portraying Daisy and Violet. Fortunately for us, Adrien Swenson and Angela Jeffries, who play the leading roles, are excellent. It's easy to overlook some of the weaker elements in the production when you're listening to these two women sing. They both have powerhouse voices, and together they sound even stronger. Not only did they sing the roles well, but their acting matched their vocals. Angela played Violet with an innocent sweetness, and Adrien played Daisy with a quiet inner strength.

Other stand-out performances included Taylor Eliason as Buddy and Cooper Howell as Jake. Some of the stand-out numbers were "The Devil You Know" (although I think the tempo could have been slowed down a bit - I felt it was too rushed), "When I'm By Your Side," "Who Will Love Me As I Am," " One Plus One Equals Three," and "I Will Never Leave You."

One of the biggest disappointments I had with the production was the very end of the show. The musical starts in a Freak show on a midway where Daisy and Violet have been one of the side show's biggest audience draws. The other freaks sing to the audience "Come look at the freaks." At the end the song is reprised, and as they sing the words, "come look at the freaks," the ensemble comes onstage as modern-day people whom some might consider as "freaks" today. These include an old woman, a homeless man, a "cutter," a blind girl, a deaf girl, two gay couples (male and female), a goth, a girl with lots of piercings on her face, etc. I was terribly disappointed that the director decided to call call them "freaks." I'm sure he was trying to make the point that many people do look on these groups as "freaks," but I thought it was in bad taste. I would have rather he had them all come out looking like themselves, in everyday clothes, and bring out the point that all of us are "freaks" in our own way, or that there really aren't any "freaks," just people.

Stage Review: Beauty and the Beast

I have seen many productions of Beauty and the Beast, the first being a touring production of it many years ago. I've seen so many, that I have become a little disenchanted (no pun intended) with it. So, when the touring production came through Salt Lake City again, I wasn't expecting anything new.

I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised.

Changes have been made to the touring show, and I liked many of the changes. Here are a few:

1. Maurice's song, "No Matter What," has been cut, and I have to say that I didn't miss it. It has never been my favorite song. Instead of the song, Maurice talks to Belle about her mother, and how she changed him. That dialogue connects with the song that Belle sings in Act II, "Change in Me."
2. Monsieur D'Arque's song was also cut. Didn't miss it either.
3. The sets and costumes are new. They are not an exact imitation of the movie anymore, which I liked. They aren't quite as grand as they were before, but I like the simplicity.

There have always been moments in many productions in B&B that have bugged me, and this production fixed a couple of those moments. It's like the director somehow heard my complaints (I've never posted the complaints on the web).

1. At the beginning, when Belle discovers her father is lost in the woods, she runs right into the woods without stopping anywhere, and the next time we see her in the woods, she is wearing a cloak. When did she put it on? In this production, right before she has the scene with Lefou, she goes into the house and comes out wearing her cloak. Problem solved.
2. When we see Belle in the woods after she has run away from the Beast, again she has a cloak on. Did she take time to run to her room to get it? In this production, we see her run past the Beast as he sings "If I Can't Love Her." Now at least we know that somehow she got the cloak, so it's not bizarre when we see her the next time with a cloak.

There were many moments I liked in this production.

1. At the beginning of "Be Our Guest" someone put a lobster bib on Belle. Hi. Larry. Us.
2. Madame de la Grande Bouche's costume is a shaped like a Marie Antoinette dress. She takes the clothes out of the sides of the the dress, instead of out of a drawer in the front of her costume.
3. The song, "Gaston," starts outside of the tavern, and moves into the tavern toward the end of the song. The choreography in that song was the best I've seen for that number.
4. The Silly girls were a stand-out.
4. When Belle and the Beast are eating together, and they're both nervous, Belle twists her hair, and then the Beast twists his hair the same way. Great moment.

Didn't Like:

1. When the old woman in the prologue turns into the beautiful woman, it's a large puppet. That didn't work for me. I like her being a real woman.
2. Gaston pronounces the French words incorrectly, and though it's a little funny, it's really silly because he is French.
3. Although I liked the Beast, he didn't sing the right notes in the verse of "If I Can't Love Her," and it was really hard to listen to. And I love that song.

Once Upon a Time: Dreamy

There is a fairy on a cloud. ( Sorry, I couldn't help but have a reference to Les Miserables).

This was not my favorite episode. Even though I liked Leroy/Dreamy/Grumpy and Astrid/Nova, I just wasn't that excited by their story. Although, I thought the ending was very sweet.

In Fairy Tale Land, a clumsy wannabe fairy godmother (Nova) spills some fairy dust. Fairy dust powers the world. How? Who knows. But we know where fairy dust is made, in the mines. So, guess who makes it. That's right. Dwarfs. And dwarfs aren't born, they are hatched. Well, this is fantasy.

Some of that fairy dust falls on a giant egg where a dwarf suddenly hatches. Our new dwarf's name is - surprise - Dreamy. Newly hatched dwarfs are are given pick axes, which they'll use for the rest of their lives to work in the mines, changing diamonds to fairy dust. When given their pick axes, the dwarfs' names, based on their individual characteristic, are magically etched into their axes.

In Storybrooke, Mary Margaret is trying to find volunteers to sell candles for the nuns at the Miner's Day fair. The money raised by selling the candles pays their rent to Mr. Gold. They mine coal in Maine? No. Okay, that's never really explained. Anyway, no one wants to help sell candles with the "town harlot."

Leroy/Dreamy/Grumpy meets Astrid/Nova, a nun, and helps her hang lights for the fair. He is her hero, and suddenly they are on their way to falling in love. Now Leroy wants to help Astrid sell candles, but who wants to buy candles from the town drunk, no one. Because no one will buy any candles from the town harlot and town drunk at the fair, they decide to go door-to-door selling the candles. They just get doors slammed in their faces.

Emma investigates Kathryn's abandoned car, and Sydney comes to get a story. He is freelance reporting now that he doesn't have a job at the newspaper. David comes and he is given the bad news. He tells Emma that he hasn't spoken to Kathryn since the afternoon of the day before. Emma tells him he's not a suspect because she can tell when someone is telling the truth. Why does she always say that. She clearly can't. Sydney is one case in point.

Sydney gets Kathryn's telephone records from Regina. Like those are going to be the real records.

In Fairy Tale Land, Dreamy meets Nova when he saves her bag of fairy dust from being incinerated. He is her hero, and suddenly they are on their way to falling in love.

Storybrooke: Leroy can't bear to see the disappointment on Astrid's face when he tells her they couldn't sell any candles, so he tells her they sold them all. She is so happy, and once again, Leroy is her hero. Until she finds out that he was lying to her. She doesnt want to see him again. So Leroy goes up on the roof, and Mary Margaret thinks he's going to jump. But no. He uses an axe to blow out the power for the entire city, and now everybody has to buy - wait for it - candles. It's so sweet.

Emma reads the phony telephone records, which indicate that David called Kathryn the day before, although he said he had no contact with Kathryn. Regina forces Emma's hand, and she has no choice but to arrest David as a suspect in Kathryn's disappearance. Oh my, how is this going to turn out?

Questions:

Who calls Emma to tell her about the abandoned car? Does she have a deputy?

How far out into the ocean can you go from Storybrooke before your boat sinks?

How large was Fairy Tale Land? How large is Storybrooke? Can everyone from Fairy Tale Land fit in a small town in Maine?

Who else has broken Belle's heart. Who has she loved other than Rumple?

Quotes:

Dwarf: We work. We love it. We even whistle while we do it.

Dwarf: Today is the first day of the rest of your lives. Welcome to the mines.

Astrid: You can do anything as long as you can dream it.

Nova: You're one?
Dreamy: I know. I look young for my age.

Dreamy: I'm Dreamy.

Dwarf: You're going to trust a doctor who got his degree from a pick axe?

Smash: Let's be Bad

The title of this episode could describe the way I feel this show is going. It's just getting bad. It's starting to go the way of Glee for me, which I watch mainly for the musical numbers not for the story, and most of the musical numbers in Smash aren't that great. I liked the Marilyn musical number, but that's because it was a musical theatre number, not a cover.

I had such high hopes for Smash because it was about something I care about: the theatre. I really wanted to see the process of creating a Broadway musical, but it's just turning into a soap opera set in the New York theatre community. It's about who's sleeping with whom and who's eventually going to sleep with whom. If I want to watch a soap opera I'll just start recording Days of our Lives again (and I haven't done that for over 20 years).

I was disappointed how Michael, who seems to have a happy marriage and a child, is so quick to want to resume his affair with Julia, who is also married. Yes, Julia resisted at first, but now that she let him kiss her (on the street in front of her Brownstone), we can see where it's leading. And so can her son, who saw them from his bedroom window. I haven't mentioned it before, but it makes me even more annoyed because the actors, Debra Messing and Will Chase did have an affair during the filming of the show and ended up leaving their spouses for each other.

There aren't many characters that I like much anymore. Well, maybe Eileen. But who knows, maybe next week we'll learn something about her that makes us not like her. Of course we're still supposed to like Karen, but I don't want to like her because Ivy's treating her like crap, or because her boyfriend is ignoring her as he tries to get to the top in his career. I don't want to feel sorry for her every week.

Maybe if the episodes were more episodic than serial it could be better. Give us a plot line that has some kind of ending by the end of the episode. Every episode doesn't have to include every character.

Derek is always asking Julia for a script. I agree with him. She just needs to finish it already, even a draft. Even if it's not good yet, she can rewrite. How do you write a good musical with songs that aren't held together with a script? Yes, it's a workshop, but you have to workshop the whole show, not just a bunch of musical numbers.

Thank you for reading my rant about Smash.

The sad thing is, I'll probably still watch it - for the musical numbers; those have drawn me in.

Grimm: Three Coins in a Fuchsbau

Another great episode. Grimm is on a roll. There was so much in this episode that was so good. Instead of recapping, I'm just going to mention observations and things that stood out to me.

The show has gotten away from each episode being base on a fairy tale, and just introducing us to a new Wesen each week. But this week wasn't even centered on the Wesen, it was about three rare coins that have a long history in the Wesen world. These coins have an effect on the possessor that makes them very charismatic, and makes them feel very powerful.

We haven't seen many International Wesen, and in this episode we meet an Irishman, an Austrian, a Spaniard, and a Frenchman. So, not all Wesen are in Portland, and not all are from German ancestry.

When Wesen show their true "Wesenness" it looks like the have a crick in their neck.

Nick found out that the automobile accident that killed his parents wasn't an accident. His mother, who was a Grimm, had the coins, and the killer caused the accident so he could get the coins.

Last week we found out that Renard understands Latin. Now we know he also  speaks French.

Has it really only been four months since Nick found out he was a Grimm? Time certainly flies when you're fighting Wesen.

Nick's Aunt Marie was engaged to a Wesen! A Grimm and a Wesen - interesting combination.

Nick finds an old film of Hitler from 1930's Germany. Hitler is wearing the coins on the collar of his uniform. And he was a Wesen!

This episode had too little Monroe.
 
Question:

Don't the coins affect Grimms like they affect everyone else?

Awake: Pilot

I like smart television, and Awake is definitely smart.

After a horrible car accident, Michael Britten (Jason Isaacs) is living a double life. He goes to sleep in a world where his wife, Hannah, is alive and his son Rex, is dead, and wakes up to a world where Hannah is dead and Rex is alive.

Michael is a detective, and he's working on the same case in both worlds. However, he has different partners. He gets clues in one reality that he uses in the next to help him solve the case.

He is seeing a therapist in each reality, and they are different therapists. Both therapists say that the other reality is a dream.

Jason Isaacs is wonderful as Michael. His acting is stellar. In one scene he's no sure which world he is in. He thinks Hannah should be alive and he calls for her, looking through the house. She doesn't answer, so he calls for and looks for Rex. He doesn't answer either. He panics, and he starts to cut himself to prove he isn't dreaming as Hannah walks in the room. It was such an emotional scene, and so well acted by Jason.

The cinematography gives the audience a clue to which reality he is in. The colors of the world in one reality (the one where his son is alive) are a bit muted, and the world with his wide is crisp and clear.

I really like this show, and I hope it is successful because I'd like to see where the writers take it.

Smash: The Cost of Art

Ivy is turning into a diva now that she has the part of Marilyn.

In the first rehearsals for the workshop Ivy is upset that no one told her Karen would be in the ensemble. She complains that Karen is singing too loud and dancing too big, so she gets Karen kicked out of a bunch of numbers. Her goal, I'm sure is to get her kicked out of the entire workshop. I'm surprised she has so much power over Derek and Tom. It's not like she's a big name star they could lose if she doesn't get what she wants. I mean, who's in charge here? Seems like it's Ivy.

So, anyone who's done any Broadway shows help me out here. How many actors audition for a leading role (trying to get out of the chorus), and they are cast in the chorus because they'll take any role? I've only done community and semi-professional theatre, and it happens all the time. I'm just surprised that Ivy would be shocked that Karen was cast in the ensemble. A job is a job.

This show is getting so heavy handed in telling us who we should like and who we shouldn't. It's so blatant how horribly Ivy is treating Karen. And then she gets Tom into her "hate Karen-fest." There is no subtlety. I don't want to dislike Tom. I like Tom.

Julia is trying to avoid Michael, and he is not trying to avoid her. We know where this is going to lead. I don't want her to hurt her husband, Frank. I like him. Look how we get so involved in the fictional characters on shows we like.

Karen is so upset about being kicked out of the numbers that she sounds off to one of the ensemble, Jessica, who is a good friend of Ivy's. Karen tells her she should be helping her. So Jessica does help her, along with two other members of the ensemble, Bobby and Sue. They give her a "chorus makeover." It's nice that Karen is finally making friends after everyone treated her like crap at the first rehearsal.

Derek is throwing a birthday party for Lyle West (Nick Jonas), a famous young TV star who was in a show Derek directed many years before. Tom is upset that Derek is telling people he discovered Lyle, because Tom says he discovered him. I'm not really familiar with Nick Jonas, but I think he actually has a nice voice.

Eileen is still trying to get the two hundred thousand dollars together she needs for the workshop, and tries to sell a Degas Jerry gave her. But she finds out that because the bill of sale is in Jerry's name, she can't sell it to an art dealer or auction it off. Julia tells Eileen that she should go to Derek's party for Lyle, and she mentions that he is a millionaire. Light bulb! Eileen goes to the party and brings the Degas along with her. You never know when someone would want to buy a Degas.

Nick is interested in putting money in the show, but he wants to see a number from the show first. Ivy sings "I Never Met a Wolf Who Didn't Love to Howl." She has her impromptu chorus: Julia, Michael, Ellis, and a couple of servers. In true musical theatre fashion, they all know the words and dance steps. Lyle even joins in. A Degas is sold, and Eileen gets her money.

Karen's new friends teach her how to blend in with the rest of the chorus, and they all go to a bar so she can practice in front of an audience. In the middle of the song Karen has her own diva moment when she breaks away from the chorus. We have to be reminded that Karen is really a star too, and she will probably get her chance to be in the starring role.

Observations:

Eileen has a poster of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying with Daniel Radcliffe.

I want to eat where Tom and Ivy had lunch, right in the middle of Time Square.

Derek and Tom used to be best friends. When are we going to learn this story?

Quotes:

Julia: First days, I love first days.

Julia: Drop it, drop it, drop it.

Eileen: I know about his family and their stupid money.

Derek: The road to Broadway is exceedingly long.

Derek: Nobody's anybody until we start rehearsing.

Karen: I'm an actress, I'm not supposed to keep my head down, I'm supposed to play to the balcony.

Lyle: Only $200,000?
Eileen: For those of us not in syndication, it's quite a lot.

Derek: There's nothing safe about being a star.

Movie/Stage Review: Love Never Dies

Love Never Dies, the sequel to The Phantom of the Opera, was not a hit in London, and received mostly negative reviews. When it closed, it was rewritten, reworked, and then restaged in Melbourne, Australia to mostly positive reviews. The stage production was filmed and plays for two nights only at movie theaters. The first night was Tuesday, February 28th. The second is March 7th.

When you walk into the movie theater, you hear the sound of an audience in a theatre. Not a movie theater, but a theatre for live performances. There is a different sound of the audience of a theatre for live performances from a movie theater.

The commercials before the main feature were also different from those before a movie. There were commercials for Sister Act, the musical, and Ghost, the musical, both playing on Broadway. And there was a commercial for a touring show, Memphis.

Then they showed what's coming up next with Fathom Events. The Comedy of Errors, She Stoops to Conquer, and Casablanca. I'm excited that you can see these types of shows/movies on the big screen.

Before the main feature began there was a segment on the filming of the production that featured Andrew Lloyd Webber. It was interesting to hear how they decided to film the production, and what went into it. However, it went a bit long and soon I was just ready to see the show.

I am not the biggest fan of The Phantom of the Opera. My closest friends could tell you how I feel about it. But I have to say that I enjoyed Love Never Dies better than The Phantom of the Opera. Shocker! Like Phantom, it is heavy on spectacle and light on plot. As I once heard Sylvia Fine Kaye (Danny Kaye's wife) say, "the plot was so thin, its slip is showing."

So, here's the plot: Madam Giry helped the Phantom escape from the Paris Opera house ten years before, and they, along with Madam Giry's daughter, Meg, went to America. They found a place for themselves among the artists and freaks at Coney Island. In the ten years they have been there, the Phantom has pined for Christine.

Christine has married Raoul and had a son, and she believes that the Phantom is dead. Christine's marriage to Raoul is not a happy one as Raoul is a drinker and a gambler (sounds a bit like Gaylord Ravenal from Show Boat). The Phantom lures Christine to New York on the pretense that Oscar Hammerstein I (that's the grandfather of the Oscar we are familiar with) wants her to sing in his Opera house in New York City. Once she's there, the Phantom tricks Christine into promising to sing his song in his Coney Island show, Phantasma. Raoul knows that if she sings, he has lost her. I won't say what she does. Oh, and Christine's son is 10 years old and loves to write music. I'll let you guess that surprise on your own.

Andrew Lloyd Webber said in the segment before the show that he thinks this is his best score. There are many songs by Lloyd Webber from other musicals (even The Phantom of the Opera) that I like better than those in this show, but I think it has a decent score. The lyrics are not the best, but no lyrics for ALW shows have ever lived up to those by Tim Rice. Fans of The Phantom of the Opera will be happy to hear some familiar melodies from that musical interspersed through Love Never Dies. The score is very operatic, but one song, "The Beauty Underneath," has more of a rock beat, a little like "The Phantom of the Opera" from the original, and it seems very out of place.

The Phantom of the Opera was all about spectacle: the staircase, the giant candles coming up from the stage, and the chandelier. Love Never Dies has some spectacular sets too, but it's not quite as grand as Phantom, and I liked the set for many scenes. The musical is set at Coney Island, and one set looks like a roller coaster, but theatrical. That set also has a giant warped mask on stage right. It was effective. There was another beautiful set that was a circle of giant peacock feathers. It was my favorite.


The costumes were extremely well done. I love the styles of that period (early 1900s). I especially loved Christine's beautiful gowns, and when she sees the Phantom again, of course she's wearing a white gown. And, so as not to disappoint true fans, she does wear the white dressing gown made famous in The Phantom of the Opera later when she's in her dressing room.

I had a problem with the casting of the Phantom himself. He just seemed too young. His voice was beautiful, and he certainly could sing the score, but he wasn't believable to me as the Phantom. It also annoys me that they make him out to be this great romantic hero, just as they did in The Phantom of the Opera. If you've read the book, you know that he is not a good man. He kills people. He kidnaps people. The book is a detective novel, not a romance novel.

There's one thing I have to say about Christine, I don't know if she ever closes her mouth. Her mouth isn't wide open, but her lips are always apart like she's always under some spell (this is something I noticed in the film of The Phantom of the Opera too). I don't know if it's a specific direction given to every girl who plays Christine, but it bugs me.

My favorite of the cast was Meg Giry. She did an excellent job. I really liked her "Bathing Beauty" number. The costuming in that number was very fun. The little boy who played Gustave, Christine's son also did a very good job.

There are some very melodramatic parts in the musical that made me want to laugh, because the melodrama was so big, but I reminded myself that this is stage acting, not film. In stage acting you have to play to the balcony so they understand the emotion. In film it's close up, and a little goes a long way. In this production sometimes the acting was over the top.

I decided to go into the show with no bias, and judge it solely on its own merits, and I discovered many merits. It's not a perfect musical, but that honor for me only goes to Man of La Mancha. I would love it if they filmed a good stage version of that. The movie version is so bad.

Love Never Dies will be shown again at movie theaters on March 7th in case you want to see it. If you like musicals I recommend that you see it, especially if you like The Phantom of the Opera.

Grimm: Last Grimm Standing

I think this is my favorite episode so far. Nick and Monroe's friendship has been growing more over the last episodes, and this week Nick was willing to fight in Monroe's place to save his life. Go Nick! Monroe's done plenty for you, it's about time you stepped up for him.

The show is still quite gruesome, as it begins with the brutal murder of an older couple. The Wesen who killed them is dragged away by other Wesen on horseback. He has been forced to fight in what is known in the Wesen community as "The Lowen Games," and he escaped from the "fold." Having tasted the blood of fighting, he can't help himself from killing more. Wesen scum are forced to fight in a ring for the entertainment of other Wesen. It's a modern-day  gladiators, or fight club. This wasn't Wesen acting uniquely Wesen, this was Wesen doing what humans might actually do too.

We find out that Renard is involved in the games. He was giving Taymor, the man who ran the games, names of Wesen gang bangers and drug dealers to fight in the games. I want to know what is up with Renard. Is he a good Wesen or a bad Wesen? (Are you a good witch or a bad witch?) If he's good, I would assume he would somehow be able to help more on all these cases that involve Wesen, which is every case.  

Juliette finds a diamond ring in Nick's drawer, and it's their anniversary. Nick assures Julliette that he will be home in time for dinner to celebrate, but with everything that happens on the case, not least of all trying to save Monroe's life, he is late for dinner. This doesn't bode well for their relationship. Poor Julliette. Nick's relationship with Monroe is growing as his relationship with Juliette is starting to fall apart. Until he can tell Juliette that he's a Grimm, Monroe is the only person he can confide in about about it.

In the end, Monroe is caught after trying to help Nick investigate the games, and he is taken to the ring to fight. He's not doing well when Nick finally comes. Nick offers to fight in Monroe's place. Nick and Monroe fight side by side until the police come and break up the fight. It was great watching the two look out for each other, and Nick really stepped up at the end.

Taymor escapes before he can get caught by the police, and Renard, who was angry with him because he used more Wesens than just the names he gave him, sends a priest out to teach him a lesson. This isn't any old priest this was a Wesen who can, and did, get vicious. So, we know Renard will get revenge on those who cross him (no pun intended).

As I said before, I really liked this episode and I hope the show continues with more like this one.

Smash: Enter Mr. DiMaggio

Enter Will Chase. And another broadway actor is added to Smash.

Ivy is finally wondering if she got the part because she slept with the director. Listen Ivy, the best way to not have to wonder that, is not sleep with the director. What a novel idea.

Derek asks Karen to meet him at a restaurant. He tells her that a lot can happen in five years before the show makes it to Broadway. Yes, a totally different girl could come along who is better than Ivy, and yes, even better than Karen. Does Derek really want Karen to have the part of Marilyn, or is she just a young vulnerable wanna-be actress he hasn't been able to seduce yet with his good looks and London accent?

The production team is trying to cast the men in Marilyn's life: Joe DiMaggio, Arthur Miller, and JFK. Derek and Eileen go to see Michael Swift (Will Chase) at a show, after being told he may work for Joe. The thing about New York, is there are so many places you can go to hear people sing, so there are many excuses for musical numbers. This one is a cover of "Grenade" by Bruno Mars. I'm not much of a fan of that song. I think the lyrics are ridiculous. It's like saying I will give you the moon. Really? Let me know when that happens, and I'll buy it. Julia isn't excited about casting Michael as Joe D because she has a "past" with him that no one knows about. Michael is a little reticent to take the part, because he knows what the "past" is.

Derek and Eileen run into Jerry again, and again he goads her into throwing a drink in his face. Will Jerry learn? Tune into the next scene with Eileen and Jerry to find out. Eileen is trying to get money for the show by hocking her jewelry, and by trying to get backers without Jerry, but no one wants to back a show without Jerry. This proves it people, sexism is alive and well in New York City.

Ellis's friends think that he should be paid for giving Tom and Julia the idea about "Marilyn, the Musical." So, he starts thinking. Ellis and "thinking" are not a good combination. He steals Karen's notebook. Ooh, this war! Don't ever steal a writer's notebook. I want to know what he saw in the notebook that was so interesting he didn't even tell his girlfriend what it was. Now, as much as I don't like Ellis, I agree that he should get some credit for giving them the idea. I may change my mind if he gets a whole lot sleazier, but right now I say, "Give the guy some credit and maybe he'll be a bit nicer."

Julia and Michael run into each other at Eileen's office. They talk and they're both a little uncomfortable. And the most uncomfortable line is Michael's when he says, "You smell good." I like Julia at this point in the show, I like Julia's husband and I like Micheal's wife, so I hope the show doesn't go where it predictably could go. Surprise us Smash and don't go there.

Karen goes home to Iowa for a friend's baby shower. Karen's friends are just so enthusiastic. I can just hear the director's direction to these actresses. ("Girls, you haven't seen Karen in ages, and you are soooo excited to see her and to hear her sing. Give me excitement.") They talk Karen into singing karaoke. It's so funny that she sings "Redneck Woman." Do all New Yorkers think all non-New Yorkers are hicks from the sticks? She's from Iowa, not Arkansas. And, how many of those New Yorkers are originally from the sticks themselves? I'm not that sold on Katharine McPhee being Megan Hilty's "competition" for the part of Marilyn. Maybe for another role, but not Marilyn. Yes, she has a great voice, and I don't mind her acting too much, but she doesn't have a presence like Megan. I'm not bought on the fact that Derek and Julia might pick her over Ivy. Just saying.

Tom is not happy when he finds out that Ivy and Derek are sleeping together, and Julia tells Tom that things like that happen in the theatre. Tom thinks that Derek is taking advantage of Ivy. Julia says maybe Ivy is taking advantage of Derek. It's sad how neither of them think they might be in love, they just suspect one of them having an agenda. Because people just sleep together at the drop of a hat these days, and love doesn't have anything to do with it. (I'll get off my soapbox now.)

Julia finally tells Tom that she had a show crush on Michael many years ago, and one day they bumped into each other when they were both alone in the city. They kissed, and then they had an affair that lasted for quite a while. Now it's been over for a while, and she asks Tom to help her to not go back there and to not tell anyone. Of course Ellis overhears. What's he going to do with this information? Also, Tom says that his history with Derek is "terrible." I wonder what that story is.

Okay, let's get to the only original song this week: "Mr. And Mrs. Smith." It's a pretty little song, but a bit of a yawner for me. I like the upbeat songs better. However, I know that not all songs in a musical should be upbeat. You need to have a good balance of upbeat and ballads. At least it didn't have a lyric that said, "I'll give you the moon."

Stage Review: Zorro, a Musical

Hale Centre Theatre was the given the opportunity to stage the American premiere of Zorro, the musical. This musical had a successful run on London's West End, and in other countries in Europe. It is looking to open on Broadway in two years. The production was entertaining, full of fire (literally) and magic (literally), and I enjoyed seeing a different story of Zorro. However, I had problems with some parts of the production.

The music is by the Gipsy Kings, but some of the songs were not written specifically for Zorro, they were from albums by the Gipsy Kings released in the late 80s and early 90s. These songs were enjoyable, but they felt different from the other songs. It was like half of a juke box musical (musicals written around already familiar songs, such as Mamma Mia). Although, I must say that it definitely had more of a plot than most of the jukebox musicals.

The script is okay, and it had a few clever quips, and I like clever quips. At one point, Zorro saves Luisa by creating a diversion with multiple Zorros keeping the guards wondering which is the real one. When Luisa asks him what took him so long, he says, "You try buying seven Zorro outfits."

Most of the actors' "Spanish" or "Mexican" accents were passable. I do not like it when foreign accents are used on stage, unless it's only one or two characters who use them because they need to be distinguished from the rest of the characters. The main reasons I don't think accents should be used is because not everyone can do a decent accent, and also because sometimes it's difficult to understand what they are saying. I had a little difficulty understanding some of the actors, and one character in particular.

The flamenco dancing was commendable and entertaining, but I really didn't see a reason for most of it. Was it needed to further the plot? No. Most of the time it just felt like it was thrown in to showcase the dancing. The plot just stopped, and once the plot got going, I wanted it to keep going and not be interrupted by dancing. Some of the dancers did the flamenco well, but some looked very awkward in that style of dance. I'm sure flamenco is not an easy style to learn and master in the amount of rehearsal time they had.

The acting was good, especially by Luisa (Megan Lynn Heaps) and Inez (Rebecca Joy Raboy). I enjoyed Casey Elliot when he played the fop, Diego more than when he was Zorro. He also had a pleasant singing voice. Luisa also had a beautiful voice, but Casey and Megan's voices were different styles, and sometimes they didn't blend well in their duets. Ramon (Preston Yates) had a beautiful voice, I wish he had more songs. I felt he could have broken into Stars sung by Javert in Les Miserables, and he would have sounded right at home. Garcia was played by Jeffrey Whitlock, and he has such good comedic timing. His character was well developed.

The set by Kasey Udy was quite ambitious, and it was very striking (no theatrical pun intended). I especially liked the gallows. That's not something you can say everyday.

The musical number, "In One Day," was so effective and moving. The women sang it as the gallows appeared and their husbands were led to the gallows to be hanged.

There was a guitarist who played a solo at the beginning, and I wish that, if he were really playing, that it hadn't been amplified. It would have been so effective to have a single, accoustic guitar. When he followed the other gypsies off stage as they were leaving Spain to go to California, it reminded me of the fiddler at the end of Fiddler on the Roof when he follows Tevye and his family as they leave Anatevka.

There were many times when they used smoke, and it can be a good effect, but when the audience is so close to the stage, it can choke them. I remember being in the first row at performance of Camelot at that theatre, and the smoke was so thick that I had problems breathing. It's not a good feeling.

Part of the plot reminded me of The Lion King. Diego (like Simba) runs away from his duty, and settles for a more carefree life. His brother (instead of his uncle) takes over after the "death" of Diego's father, and rules like a tyrant. Diego's childhood girl friend, Luisa (like Nala) finds him and asks him to return and save their people from the wicked Ramon (like Scar).

Zorro offered an entertaining evening, and it's nice to see it on the road to Broadway. I'm interested to see how it does there.

Glee: On My Way

There was so much in this episode. I didn't know whether to be shocked, to cry, to shout out with glee, or just all three.

The common theme of bullying was prominant in this episode, but this time the bullying led to an attempted suicice. The attempted suicide led to the bullying of another bully, who had a change of heart and was apologetic.

The attempted suicide also led Mr. Shue to advise his students to have something to look forward to, which led Rachel and Finn to decide not to wait to get married, which led their parents to be concerned, and also led to a shocking ending.

Oh, and New Directions won regionals and Sue announced she was pregnant.

Whew!

And Glee won't be back until April, so we won't know the outcome of the cliffhanger until then.

Suicide is a tough subject to take on, and if this episode helps someone contemplating suicide, by thinking of something to look forward to, then God bless Glee.

There were some good songs inbetween all of the drama, of course. My favorites were "Stand" (I love acapella) and "Here's to Us."

I like it when the arrangements of the songs aren't straight covers. Afterall, this is about a glee club, not solo artists.

Observations:

They had such fun choreography at regionals, especially The Warblers. I wish the camera would stay still so we could actually enjoy the hard work of the performers and choreographer.

How did a bunch of high school kids get such nice wedding outfits in such a short time?

I loved seeing Rachel's Dad's excitement at seeing her sing. Although it did look like they had never seen her perform before, but you would think they have been to every one of her performances.

Once Upon a Time: What Happened to Frederick

Mary Margaret and David go back and forth from episode to episode, let's be together; no we can't do that to Kathryn; we have to be together; no, we can't. This was another episode of the same theme. Still, it was a good episode.

In Fairy Tale Land, Princess Abigail arrives in the kingdom for her wedding in a beautiful white carriage. But James runs away, and King George sends soldiers to find him. James thinks he has outrun the soldiers, after some fancy horse jumping and hiding behind a tree. But still he's caught.

In Storybrooke, David and Kathryn are eating dinner, and Kathryn tells David that she applied to a law school in Boston, and was accepted. She wants them to move together so they can make new memories. I wonder where Kathryn went to college for her undergrad. Does Storybrooke have a university? This curse is quite... what word can I use? Smart? To be able to give these fairy tale characters backgrounds that include transcripts that can get one of them into a Boston law school. I also wonder about all of this contact from the outside world. They are all contained physically in Storybrooke, but why can they have contact with the outside world?

Fairy Tale Land: David is caught by Abigail's soldiers. Abigail actually wants to help him escape because she knows he doesn't want to marry her. She knows all about his love for Snow White. She doesn't want to marry him either because she is in love with someone else. James is happy to hear this, and so are we.

Storybrooke: David goes for a walk, and surprise, he runs into Mary Margaret. Mary Margaret tells David that he needs to choose between her and Kathryn. He tells her that he chooses Mary Margaret. MM tells him it's time to tell Kathryn about them.

Emma runs into the stranger, who asks her to get a drink with him. She says she can't go out with a man if she doesn't know his name. He tells her his name: August W. Booth. I love that he tells her, "W is for Wayne."

David tells Kathryn that he can't go to Boston with her because there's something preventing him from connecting to her. He doesn't tell her about Mary Margaret. In Fairy Tale Land, Abigail knows so much. In Storybrooke she doesn't even suspect the relationship.

Fairy Tale Land: James and Abigail ride to her father's "realm." This must be the realm where the characters based on myths live. Here she introduces James to the man she loves, Frederick. Frederick was turned into gold trying to protect her father, King Midas. James asks if she tried true love's kiss to break the curse. "Until my lips bled," she said. So, it must be common knowledge that "true love's kiss" can break curses. That must be why James tries it when Snow eventually eats the poisoned apple. I guess you gotta know these thing beforehand.

Abigail tells James there is a legend that the water of a lake not far away can replace what has been lost. But there is a creature that guards Lake Nostos (Nostos is Greek for "homecoming. That is pretty apropos.). She asks James to go to the lake and fetch some of the water to see if it can break the curse, and James agrees, because where other men failed, "None have my fearless bravery." James is quite sure if himself. But I guess you have to have that cockiness to go up against a creature that has killed everyone else.

Storybrooke: August has Henry's story book, and it looks like he's putting new stories into the book, or copying the pages. I'm not sure what he's doing. Who is August Wayne Booth? Hmmmm.

Kathryn tells Regina that David is leaving her, and Regina tells Kathryn that David and Mary Margaret are having an affair, and shows her pictures to prove it. An angry Kathryn confronts Mary Margaret at the school right after David tells Mary Margaret that he told Kathryn about them - right after he lies! As Kathryn storms into the school, she accidentally bumps into the gym teacher. It's a significant "almost meeting," as we'll find out later. Kathryn slaps Mary Margaret on the face right in the middle of the hall at the school. The rumor mill is about to start rolling.

It seems like both David and Mary Margaret have lost the courage they had in Fairy Tale Land. They've become the opposite of what they were before.

Fairy Tale Land: James goes to the lake and calls for the beast to show itself. It's the Lady of the Lake! Nope. That's from the Arthur legend. We haven't gotten to that one yet. If we're in mythological land, it has to be a siren. Yep, it's a siren. This doesn't bode well for James.

Storybrooke: August gets Emma to hop on his motorcycle and takes her for a drink - at a well. He says that there is a legend that if you drink the water, something lost will be returned to you. How does a stranger know about a legend in Storybrooke? He read the plaque, of course. So, a legend from Fairy Tale Land found its way into Storybrooke. Hmmm. Emma drinks, and later she finds Henry's story book. So, I guess the water worked, or August made sure that Emma believes it worked.

Mary Margaret walks down the street, and people avoid her and whisper about her. Then Granny tells her she should be ashamed of herself. Poor Mary Margaret. She wanted to be upfront and honest, but James couldn't do it.

Fairy Tale Land: At the lake, the siren turns into Snow White to tempt James into the lake so she can drown him. James gives in to the temptation and drops his sword as he kisses her. He falls into the lake and he sees the skeletons of other men who gave into the temptation and were drown. He tries to get away, but he is caught by seaweed (the plant, not the character from Hairspray). He finally grabs a knife and stabs and kills the siren.

Storybrooke: Someone has sprayed the word "Tramp" on Mary Margaret's car, and when Mary Margaret gets to her car, David is trying to wash it off. Mary Margaret is very upset that David lied to her, and didn't tell Kathryn about them. She says that what they have isn't love. She says, "what we have is destructive, and it has to stop." She tells them they shouldn't be together. Like I said, back and forth and back and forth. It's exhausting.

Kathryn tells Regina that she knows her marriage was an illusion, that it's not real. This is why the girl was accepted into law school - brains. She says that David has never looked at her the way he looks at Mary Margaret. Kathryn has decided to go to Law school in Boston by herself, and tell David that he should be with Mary Margaret. Of course we already know that she can't leave Storybrooke. Regina is not happy. She's losing her control.

Fairy Tale Land: James brings water from the lake to Abigail. She pours it over the "statue" of Frederick. He is freed from the golden curse. We discover that it's the gym teacher Kathryn ran into at the school. Ahhh. Abigail and Frederick have a sweet reunion. James is going to look for Snow, and he's hoping a bird can help him track her down. Those birds are pretty helpful.

Storybrooke: Regina uses one of her big skeleton keys to get into David and Kathryn's house. She takes the letter that Kathryn wrote to David telling him she's leaving for law school and that he and Mary Margaret should be together.

Emma sees Henry as he waits for Regina to pick him up from school, and she gives him his story book back. That's good. He really should read, and not play those games.

Fairy Tale Land: James goes to find Snow, and we see the scene with Red that we saw in an earlier episode where she tells him that Snow never came back. And then... King George and his soldiers finally catch up with James.

Storybrooke: Mary Margaret is lying in bed, distraught by everything that happened. Emma comes in and asks if she wants to talk. Mary Margaret says nope. Emma asks her if she wants to be alone. Mary Margaret says nope. Emma lies down next to Mary Margaret on the bed to be there for her. It's a sweet scene between "mother and daughter."

Regina burns Kathryn's letter, so David will never know that Kathryn gives him and MM her blessing to be together. And Kathryn drives away, off to law school. To find her "happy ever after." But then the gym teacher (Frederick) finds her car at the town border. It's empty. What happened to Abigail? Another mystery. I wonder where the gym teacher was going. He would have wrecked his car if he had tried to go any farther too. There must be a lot of wrecked cars in Storybrooke.

Quotes:

Abigail: You're prepared to lay down you life. How charming.

Mary Margaret: You have to make a choice.
James: I choose you.

Mary Margaret: Nothing with you means something, because if it were nothing we wouldn't be talking about it.

Emma: I'm not your mother.
Mary Margaret: According to Henry I'm yours.

Siren: Sometimes illusions are better than truth.

Kathryn: I've always had this irrational fear of leaving Storybrooke, like something's just holding me back.

Smash: The Callback

I'm a week late on this Smash review. I actually watched the rebroadcast of it on Saturday because I watched Castle on Monday instead of Smash. I know I can watch it online, but I had the slowest Internet at home. But Monday I got faster Internet.

Callbacks are nerve-racking. The most nerve-racking callback is when they ask you to come back for more callbacks. It happens. You feel happy because you know they're still considering you, but you just want to know, did I get it? You want someone to call you to tell you that you got the part.

So, this episode of Smash felt very familiar to me. Well, some of it.

The episode opens with Karen singing "Call Me" in a night club. It's a dream sequence, of course. She is waiting for a call regarding the part. I like the musical numbers, but this one was so literal, and felt a little too much like Glee. I like the original songs so much in Smash, and I felt disappointed that they used a pop song from the 80s. I did like that she imagines Julia, Tom, Eileen, and Derek in the audience, totally enjoying her performance. And of course cute Dev, her boyfriend, is there. But I don't know why Ellis would be there. Does she know him? 

So, what is the episode about? Well, the production team can't decide between Karen and Ivy for the role of Marilyn, so they ask Karen to come back for a dance audition, and both of them to come back for scene work. Karen goes to her dance rehearsal. Ivy's friend, Dennis, is one of the dancers helping out with the audition, and he tells Ivy all about her competition.

Julia describes to Tom her vision of the opening of the musical. She says, "I can see it in my head." I loved seeing Julia's vision come to life, and hearing "Let Me be Your Star" again. And I loved seeing the lead change from Karen to Ivy. Having written a musical, I did the same thing. I imagined how I wanted the musical to start. I don't know if any writer of plays or musicals doesn't imagine what their work will look like on stage. Oh, and I have to say that I love Christian Borle as Tom.

Ivy has been reading many books about Marilyn, and has watched all of her movies. I don't think Karen has been doing any research on the character. Ivy and Karen finally meet, and Ivy patronizes her. Then Derek shuts the door in Karen's face. The writers are trying really hard to make us not like Ivy, especially when Ivy ends up sleeping with Derek. The question is, is Derek using Ivy, or is Ivy using Derek? 

Julia and Frank find out that it may take more than two years to adopt a child from China. Frank becomes discouraged because he feels too old to start raising another child, and doesn't know if he wants a teenager when he's in his 60s. Julia and their son become very upset by this. 

Eileen and her soon-to-be-ex, Jerry, are still duking it out. Eileen runs into Jerry at a restaurant, and Jerry scoffs at Eileen's desire to back a musical about Marilyn Monroe. He tells her, "We were good partners because I knew the business, which allowed you to be the romantic." Slam! He says more, and ends with, "You're making a fool of yourself." Eileen throws her drink in Jerry's face and leaves the restuarant with Derek. Eileen now wants to speed up the process to get the musical quickly through the workshop, into out-of-town tryouts and onto Broadway so she can prove to Jerry that she can back a hit. Derek isn't so sure about speeding up the process. But this is television, they could put it on Broadway next week if they wanted. Everything else is going so quickly.

Karen is supposed to meet Dev for an important dinner meeting, and when Derek tells her he wants her to work a little late on a scene, she forgets to call or text Dev that she'll be late. Dev gets very upset, as he should. We're getting the cliched plot line where the girlfriend is spending too much time pursuing her dream (or overtime at her job, like The Devil Wears Prada), and the boyfriend feels abandoned. I agreed with Dev. She should have called or texted.

It was sad to see Karen and Ivy waiting outside of the rehearsal hall. Karen looks so nervous. As Dennis walks in, Karen says hi to him, he says a quick hi and whips over to his good friend, Ivy, and hugs her. Then Tom walks past Karen and gives Ivy a hug. At least Julia notices Karen sitting by herself and talks to her. 

It's finally time for Karen's dance auditions. She does a great number called "The 20th Century Mambo." Did I already say how much I love these original songs? Well, I do. The number is very cute. The choreography was original and clever. In the middle of the number, the lighting changes, and the chorus members are suddenly fully costumed. Then Karen is suddenly revealed, decked out in full Marilyn-garb. I liked that the number was still in the rehearsal hall when the "dream part" of the number is done, and not on a stage. 

After all of the discussing by the production team, they give the part of Marilyn to Ivy. It's a great scene when Tom tells Ivy she got the part. I'm glad they gave the part to Ivy. It really would have been unrealistic if they hadn't given it to her. 

Derek tells Eileen that Jerry picked up the option on the revival of My Fair Lady , and he asked Derek to come back and direct it. Eileen is visibly upset, but Derek tells her that he turned him down. He wants to stick with the Marilyn project. Eileen is happy that Jerry has lost that battle.

Julia goes to a prospective-adoptees support group by herself. The couples were asked to write a letter to the mother of their future child. Julia reads her letter, and it is very moving. Frank arrives just in time to hear it, and sits down by Julia. His face tells her silently that he's back on board with the adoption. This plot line seems out of place in the show, but I'm glad that they are showing that theatre people do have lives outside of the theatre. Shocking, I know!

Ivy goes to a bar with her friends, and they announce to everyone there that Ivy got the part. They ask her to sing, and she sings a great song called "Crazy Dreams." As I listened to the words, I was reminded that usually in order for someone's dreams to come true, someone else's dreams won't come true. When someone gets the part or job they've dreamed of, many other people are told "no." I've been on both sides, and of course I like it better when I get what I've worked hard for, but it's nice when other people get it too.

Observations:

I loved the sound of the orchestra tuning and conductor's baton on the music stand over the title.

Tom is singing the demo of 20th Century Mambo that Karen does her dance rehearsal to. Great for him to have a chance to sing.

Loved seeing Tom and Julia storyboarding their show, but I feel like there should have been more index cards. Maybe they were just using it for songs and not plot points.

When Julia tells Ellis, "you're Tom's assistant," she says the word "assistant like its a disease. Is her abhorrence for assistants in general, or only for Ellis? I'm thinking it's for Ellis.

When Karen sings "20th century Fox Mambo," Julia mouths the lyrics.

Quotes:

Julia: It takes longer to adopt a baby than it did to write West Side Story.

Julia: There are lots of people who should be stopped from writing musicals.

Tom: You can't build a musical by just writing songs.

Ivy: It's Marilyn. I didn't expect it to be simple.

Frank: You have your writing. All I have is the waiting.

Eileen: Most of what I see on Broadway is overworked.  

Julia: Everything feels so important the first time.
Karen: Doesn't it feel that way every time?
Julia: Yes, it feels that was every time. You're just a little more used to it driving you crazy.

Stage Review: The 39 Steps

The stage version of The 39 Steps is based on Alfred Hitchcock's 1936 film of the same name, which is based on a book by John Buchan, also of the same name.

The stage production follows Hitchcock's film faithfully, except it has only four actors playing all the parts, and whereas the film and book are thrillers, the play is a comedy, a comedy in the vein of Monty Python. It spoofs the movie, while honoring it at the same time.

The play opens with the main character, Richard Hannay, home in the evening with nothing to do. He decides to do something "pointless and mindless," so he goes to the theatre. At the music hall he meets a strange German woman, Annabella, who is afraid because she thinks two men are after her. She talks Hannay into taking her back to his flat.

In the middle of the night Annabella is murdered. Soon Hannay is on the run, wanted for the murder of the woman. He must get to Scotland to find the man Annabella told him about, and find out the truth of the 39 steps.

The production of The 39 Steps at the Hale Centre Theatre - Orem was very well done. The actors did a good job playing multiple characters, and it was well staged, for the most part.

The staging is very clever, using minimal props to recreate scenes from the movie. There is a great scene when two of the actors go from a man on a train, to a porter, to the conducter, to a newspaper boy, to a policeman with just a change of hats. The two actors did a great job. After that scene, there is a chase on the train, and you had to see it to appreciate its creative staging.

The play has some hilarious allusions to other Hitchcock movies, including Psycho, Vertigo, North by Northwest, Rear Window, and The Birds.

One problem with the staging of the play occurred because the theatre is in the round. Some funny "bits" we're missed by many members of the audience because they couldn't see them.

There were moments in the play when the characters interacted with members of the audience, and those moments were very funny. However, there was one moment during the second act when the actors acknowledged one of the actor's mother in the audience. That bit just fell flat for me because it was the actors interacting with the audience, not the characters interacting. I found it very unprofessional.

The 39 Steps played many years in London, and also had a brief run on Broadway. I saw it a few years ago at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, and I enjoyed that production more than the latest production I saw, not necessarily because the actors were better, but because it was on a proscenium stage, and I think it's better staged on that type of stage than in the round.

The 39 Steps is good fun, and if it were still playing in London, I would say let's go see it.

Once Upon a Time: Skin Deep

It's Once Upon a Time's take on the story of Beauty and the Beast, and it's all about a cup with a chip.

Belle's father is a nobleman who asks Rumplestiltskin to save his town from the ogres. Rumple, of course, doesn't do anything for free. He wants Belle - to be his caretaker, for the rest of her life. His real motive is never explained. He doesn't do it to try to break a curse, and I'm sure he doesn't do it to fall in love. Maybe he really does just want a housekeeper. She agrees to go to save everyone and be a hero, or to get away from Gaston, I don't know which.

So Belle goes to live with Rumple, and quicker than you can say " long stem rose," Rumple has fallen in love with Belle, and strangely enough, Belle has fallen in love with Rumple. She tells Rumple, "love is layered," but they really don't have enough time for any kind of layers to "lay." And if Belle wants him to change back into an ordinary man, how much can she really love him?

Regina realizes that she could bring Rumplestiltskin down through Belle, and when Rumple sends Belle to town for more straw, Regina runs into her on the road. Belle tells Regina that something evil has taken root in Rumple. "Sounds like a curse to me and all curses can be broken. A kiss borne of true love will do it." (My question is, if a kiss borne of true love can break a curse, why didn't Mary Margaret and David's kiss in Storybrooke break the curse the town is under?)

Belle goes back with the straw and with a plan. Rumple is so happy that she came back, but not so happy when she kisses him and he starts to lose his power (and his gold skin). He loves his power more than he loves Belle. So, he throws her in the dungeon and starts to break everything. Even the tea set (poor Mrs. Potts). But he stops at breaking a cup Belle chipped when she dropped it (so now we know what happened to Chip. *hehe*). Ah, Rumple is sentimental. He sends her away, but not before Belle tells him, "All you'll have is an empty heart and a chipped cup." They really want to make sure we understand that it's all going to be about that chipped cup in Storybrooke.

Later, Regina comes and tells him that no one would want Belle after her association with him. So her father cut her off, put her in a tower (does that mean we won't meet Repunzel?), and after sending clerics to cleanse her soul with scourges and flames, she threw herself out of the tower. Rumple's reaction is truly heart-wrenching.

Meanwhile, in Storybrooke, Mr. Gold is making sure that Mo French, who is Belle's father, suffers for what he did to Belle in Fairy Tale Land all those years ago. Mr. Gold repossesses Mo's flower delivery van, the day before his busiest day - Valentine's Day. Then Mo robs Mr. Gold, but Emma recovers everything except the most important item, the chipped cup. Mr. Gold kidnaps Mo, and beats the crap out of him, but luckily for Mo, Emma comes in time to arrest Gold for assault and battery.

Regina goes to the jail to have a little talk with Gold while he can't run away, and we find out that Regina suspects that Mr. Gold knows who he really is, and she bribes him into telling her his name, "Rumplestiltskin." And what does she bribe him with? Chip.

Oh, but that's not the end. There's the twist. We don't see the Storybrooke version of Belle through the whole episode, but it isn't because she's dead. No, that wouldn't be true to the power that Regina holds over everyone in Storybrooke. Regina goes to the hospital, and there being held in the bowels of the building is none other than Belle. Dun dun dun.

Oh yes, and there were some Storybrooke subplots as well.

Mary Margaret, Ruby (when are we going to get her Fairy Tale Story?), and Ashley (Cinderella, remember her?) go to a bar on Valentine's Day night. Ashley was complaining that she never sees Shawn anymore because he's always working. He shows up at the bar during his break with flowers, a ring, and a proposal of marriage. Now she'll be a married woman who never sees her husband because he's always working. Mary Margaret breaks it off with David - again, when he gives her the valentine card meant for Kathryn that says, "I love you."

All, in all, I liked the episode, but I feel that it tried too hard to deconstruct the story of Beauty and the Beast; well, the Disney version of Beauty and the Beast. It assumes that we all know the story so well that we'll just believe the love between Belle and Rumple. Well, the love story didn't ring true for me. I didn't believe the actress as Belle, and I didn't see any reason for the two to fall in love. They laugh over a spinning wheel joke, he catches her when she falls off the ladder, he gives her a rose. And suddenly, eternal love?

Also, the Rumple/Belle relationship was too creepy to me. He's too old for her. It was an original idea, I'll give it that, and I like how it answered some questions about Rumple/Mr. Gold and Regina, but I didn't believe the love story, and the age difference just creeped me out.

Observations:

Belle starts in her pretty yellow gown and ends up in the cute little blue peasant dress

Mr. French's flower business is called "Game of Thorns"

Mr. French has an Australian accent in Maine

Rumple's castle is in snow capped mountains, but the road and forest have no snow

Where's the library?

Rumple tells Belle that Gaston was just an old woman selling flowers

We may be seeing Ariel the mermaid's story eventually

Regina asks the nurse in the hospital if anyone has been in to visit Belle. Who does she expect would visit her?

Quotes:

Belle: No one decides my fate but me.

Rumple: Bad things happen to bad people.
Emma: Is that a threat?
Rumple: Observation.

Rumple: I like to watch the wheel, it helps me forget
Belle: Forget what?
Rumple: I guess it worked.

Shawn: Your carriage awaits.

Grimm: Tarantella

This was a sad episode. We already know that not all Wesen are bad in the Grimm mythology, but this was a closer look at how being a Wesen is not always easy. I like that they aren't making the episodes back and white. It makes the show more interesting and unpredictable.

The Wesen in this episode is a spinatod, a death spider that sucks out her victims’ internal organs, which kills and mummifies them at the same time. Nick finds information about her kind on old Japanese documents, but I wonder if they were around in ancient Egypt?

Monroe introduces Nick to Charlotte, a spinatod who turned her back on who she was, to get some information on what they're dealing with. She looks like she's about 70 years old. She tells them that her kind has to suck out the organs of three men every five years or they will age instantly. She decided she couldn't do it anymore, so she’s accepted her fate. Then she reveals her own age. She's 26.

Lena, the organ-sucking spinatod that Nick and Hank are looking for, is actually a soccer mom with an ordinary-looking husband, and a teenage daughter. After her first kill, she shows remorse and disgust at what she did. I’m glad that they are showing the “humanity” of a Wesen, and that not all of them are happy with what they are.

Lena meets her last victim on a boat at the marina. I love that Monroe said previously that when he finds spiders inside the house he drowns them, and spider-woman tells victim #3 that she hates water. Hank saves victim #3 while Nick goes looking for the spinatod. He finds her and catches her in a web (net). The look on her face is heart-wrenching. She didn't want to kill, but she didn't want to grow old before her time either, who would?

Nick picks up Sally to take her to her grandmother's, and Nick sees that she is a spinatod, just like her mother. What does the future hold in store for her?

Also, in this episode, we find out that the Wesen who was fixing Nick and Juliette’s fridge in an earlier episode and ran away after discovering Nick was a Grimm, has been telling other Wesen about Nick and they are getting bolder. Some of their kids even egged Nick and Juliette’s house. Juliette, of course doesn’t know the real reason and just chucks it up to mischievous boys. Nick confronts the Wesen and warns them to leave him and his girlfriend alone or they will be sorry. We’ll see if that really sticks.

I wonder why Monroe knows about every kind of Wesen. You'd think they have weekly Wesen meetings where they all get to know each other. "Hi, I'm Monroe, I'm a Blutbladen. I like toy trains, gourmet cooking, and playing the cello." "I'm Jennie, a Geier. I'm an herbalist, and I like to climb trees." "Beware of Grimms, they are bad people and will kill you in your sleep."

Even though this episode wasn’t based on a standard fairy tale, I think it’s one of my favorites. It had an interesting central character who was not totally good or totally bad. It showed how the Wesen live in the world of humans, but are still not human.

Quippy Quotes:

Monroe: You're the monster under the bed.

Monroe: Join the misunderstood.

Hank: Do you want to pick it up again, or do you want me to give you the finger?

Hank: Anybody look at our pension funds lately? There's motive for homicide right there.

Wesen: You have a very lovely wife.
Nick: We're not married.
Wesen: Even better.

Monroe: "I'm going to stay home tonight and play a little cello."