7/7/2023: Hadestown again

Still genuinely my favorite show, I feel really lucky to have seen it on Broadway twice now. I was itching to see it again after the tour, which was still really good but had to reblock things which I missed dearly seat stuff: - row F floor seats on the left side of the theater, and on the left side of the row. pretty good seats, but I'm glad this wasn't my first watch of the show. - for the most part I could see all the major action. the only time i couldn't see was during Chant III (I think) where I couldn't see Hades at all for his dialogue at the bottom of the stairs or heading up them because Hermes was standing stage right. - only actual complaint about the seats is that there were a lot of times where I wanted to see the facial expression of an actor during a scene and they were facing the other direction LOL, which is just always the gamble on non-center seat. - it was pretty nice being close to the front, not gonna lie. Pretty sure I made eye contact with Hermes at the start of the show when she was doing some crowd work, also think I made eye contact with one of the fates during We Raise Our Cups - also. HUGELY GOOD SEATS for if you're doing stagedoor because they exit you on that side of the theater, which is also directly next to stagedoor. we were able to get out very fast.

cast stuff: - Reeve and Eva are still there <3 was able to catch a lot of cute moments this time. they're always so cute on stage. favorite was during Livin' it Up, they were sitting on the tables, he was holding her and they were whispering things to each other. it was so cute that after the show I googled if they were dating and they were LOL - Eva is so great, caught more little moments from her too, like when Persephone hands her the flask. She sniffs it and then her whole face is like "oh my god? how is she drinking this." When they throw her into the dance break in Livin' It Up, she's like "nooo I don't want to, I don't know what to do". - Reeve great as always. so obsessed with him. i think he's the only character in the show who doesn't acknowledge the audience at all, even when he looks out, he doesn't connect in the way that other leads do (which is for sure a character choice). - fave thing I noticed from him was during Wait For Me when he's dodging the lamps, just some great facial expressions and body language in that number. really communicated that this is representative of a long and hard journey. - first time seeing Lillias White as Hermes (cats fans make some noise), I LOVED her. I like that she's doing a different thing with the character. Her Hermes is "rooting" for Orpheus and Eurydice more - when Hades says he'll let them go, she visibly sighs in relief, and then is upset when he names the condition. I really got the sense of her struggle as the storyteller unable to change the story. Her dynamic with Persephone was great. She also has an incredible voice ofc. - Jewelle again as Persephone, she is just show-stopping. Her physicality when she dances is INCREDIBLE. Way Down was a personal fave from her this time. - Alex Puette was Hades, he's an understudy. i really liked him. he's not a super deep bass the way Hades normally is, so he had a more musical performance and less spoken word. I think he had great body language. He was sort of a silly Hades? there's a moment where he runs up the stairs in victory and he sort of made a little walking motion with his fingers on the arm rail like he was doing a victory lap lol. - he also did a line read in a way i have NEVER HEARD BEFORE: he read "oh, it's about me" in an "oh no, this is embarrassing" way instead of the "this kid is stupid" way most people do it.

set/blocking/misc stuff: - i really do think this show is best on Broadway because of the turntable and the circle trapdoor. the way that they use it is so smart and effective. commented on this last time but Chant (Reprise) is so good because of how they use the turntable to put Orpheus, Hades, and Persephone against each other. the ending is also better with the trapdoor. - being on the floor this time meant I couldn't see where the trapdoor was in terms of height when they used it, which actually helped with immersion haha. when Hades and Persephone leave after Way Down, the workers look at the floor where they disappeared in awe, and even though logically I know the turntable probably came back up already you picture a giant hole in the earth. - broadway set also rules because of the scale it has, so when it splits apart in Wait For Me it feels earth-shatteringly cool. - was glad to see the acoustic guitar again. on tour they give Orpheus an electric guitar because they're going to theaters that are too big to mic an acoustic one for i guess? but the acoustic guitar looks better and fits more with the tone of the show IMO. happy to see it. - i actually think Epic III was my favorite song this time. it is so beautiful when everyone comes together, it just feels magical.

jeff buckley in an interview about bob dylan writing for nina simone. bob dylan’s wrote sad-eyed lady about sara.

I have emotional motion sickness, somebody roll the windows down… (shop)

It’s weird being a Taylor fan right now because so many outlets are publishing as many stories about Taylor as they can to the point where it feels like there’s a microscope on us and what we talk about. Like we used to be able to talk about theories and trademarks and other silly stuff casually and now those discussions are being spun into headlines and I’m not a fan of it.

dream state… by lucy dacus

Between filming and documenting so much death and destruction, and working so hard to stay alive, Ismail Jood films Motaz Azaiza singing a song by famous singer faya younan. Ismail's caption said: "We try as much as possible to stay away from the atmosphere of war and try to create a pleasant atmosphere away from the suffering that we see every day."

The Song is beautiful, the lyrics go:

"Your eyes are my dream that will be // As big as the tired dream // As great as my country.

Your hands wave to the returnees // And bring bread to the hungry // I love your hands // I love your hands // And more and more... I love my country"

Words cannot describe how wholesome and beautifully human this is. Hoping they stay safe and sane🙏

Some of my medieval-inspired calligraphy with Florence & The Machine songs ✒️

Editor and SEO Researcher Dr. Jerry Doby Releases Book for Digital Journalists and Newsrooms

Excited to have released my first book...would love to know your thoughts! SEO Essentials: A Journalist's Handbook is as up to date as it gets!

For his first published book ever, editor and published SEO researcher Dr. Jerry Doby just released SEO Essentials for Online Magazines: A Journalist’s Handbook on MagCloud. This book is based on his published research paper SEO-optimized Writing: Removing the Mystery, featured in the Cognitionis Scientific Journal (2023) and sponsored by Logos University International (UNILOGOS).SEO Essentials…

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To refer to LSD: Dream Emulator as a game can be as misleading as it is reductive. It was a three-pronged attack on contemporary art conventions as they existed in the mid-to-late 1990s, one comprised of an interactive dream, a profusely illustrated journal, and an avant-garde electronic music album. It was also the most sophisticated coalescence of art and interactive media coming out of Japan at the time. There had never been anything like it before. One may even argue there has never been anything quite like it since.

pete on folie a deux's title

pete journal entry (2007) / blender magazine (2009)

7/7/2022: Hadestown babyyyyyy

i cried the whole time, long-ass rambles below

- i really like hadestown but i’ve never listened to it in order all the way through because i knew it would be a very special and unique show, and i was right, it’s truly unlike anything i’ve ever seen

- it truly does feel like a greek epic. there’s not extended dialogue, everything spoken happens as a part of a song, and songs move between each other so seamlessly you don’t even notice it’s happening

- started crying during the first song because the music was so beautiful. started crying again during gathering storm, and wait for me, and basically by the chant reprise i was silently crying with growing intensity until the end of the show

cast stuff:

- Reeve Carney and Eva Noblezada (original Orpheus and Eurydice) are still with the show and i got to see them. both incredible performers

- funny story, I didn’t know Reeve was the original Orpheus, i know him as “the guy in the spider-man musical” and, more importantly, “riff raff in the kenny ortega rocky horror” (beloved to me for that role), he sounds a lot different than on the hadestown soundtrack so i totally thought he was new to the show

- on the soundtrack he alternates between the other-wordly falsetto style and singing like a normal guy, in person he’s doing the falsetto thing the whole time and it was a little off-putting at the start but i was completely sold by wedding song. it really does make him feel “touched by the gods” so to speak

- Jewelle Blacknab was our Persephone, she had a lot of energy and a VERY powerful voice. incredible dancer too. she was less matter-of-fact and more pleading and passionate which I liked. she used to be one of the Fates in the OG cast

- Tom Hewitt was Hades, and I looooooved him. his voice was crazy deep (way deeper than Page!) and he had a great stage presence. you really did feel like he was the most powerful person on the stage

- T. Oliver Reid as Hermes, obviously a lot different than Andre, but while Andre is obviously incredible I didn’t find myself wishing he was there instead. I think Reid brings something unique to the role and he’s fun to watch

set/lighting/blocking stuff:

- best set in the fucking world what the hell. what the hell. turnables are kind of expected at this point but hadestown made it really unique with the 3 turntables AND it fit with the theming of the show (cyclical choreography rules)

- from memory i think my favorite bit with the turntables was with the hades and orpheus confrontation when they’re on opposite ends of the turntable and walking in place but also walking against the turntable and then with it, it just ruled. i was endlessly impressed in general with the control the performers had on those things, they knew how to move and how to stay still ON SOMETHING THAT IS MOVING

- lol when it descended. and then when it came back up again. blew my mind what the hell

- the set was designed in such a smart way that it would have looked good from anywhere in the theater - i know this because i was in nosebleed seats and most productions don’t think about those seats and certain tricks/blocking don’t work from those angles. did NOT have that issue with hadestown. it also helps that the actors were in character no matter where they were on stage - when the turntable descends, they stayed in character all the way down, even though you’re really just playing to the nosebleeds when you do that. i appreciated it immensely. 

- the set transformation when they go into the underworld also blew my mind, when elements of a set are THAT BIG you really don’t think they’ll move them around, and then they do and it’s like. excuse me.

- i feel stupid because i don’t remember if this is exactly what it was (it might have been switched???) but i liked the use of red/orange lighting for Eurydice and blue lighting for Orpheus in their earlier duets, it alludes to her going to hadestown and such.

- really cool lighting design where certain characters would be in shadow even though the stage was lit where they were standing - most notably Why We Build the Wall, persphone was in shadow even though the whole stage was lit, it was a neat effect

- lighting/special effects ruled most exquisitely during doubt comes in, the whole stage is dark except for the actors who are lit, and there’s smoke/fog, so you can’t see the turntables at all and the movement is so beautiful. seeing eurydice come in and out of the song is very cool.

favorite moments/things:

- wait for me (the song i know the best) was so gorgeous and it made me CRY SO FUCKING HARD. the choreography with the lamps is so gorgeous and ethereal. i had a moment after the song ended where i had to put my head in my hands and just dry heave sob quietly because the inevitability that he would not rescue Eurydice just got to me so bad

- i liked the revolution songs and the choreography for it. there’s a lot of repeated lyrics and movements throughout the show with layered meanings the more certain things come up so it’s nice

- i liked the costuming and specifically the use of red for love and hope, other than persephone’s green dress basically nobody is wearing color except for orpheus and his red bandana

- i liked the ensemble a lot. it’s a small cast so every voice counts, and it was so beautiful to see everyone sing together. in particular Epic III is incredible with the swelling of the voices and everyone coming in and out at different times

- Chant reprise, Hades gets more and more powerful during the song, and when he shouts “i am the king of the electric city”, the lights get VERY bright and then go out. it ruled

- the core aspects of the myths involved are used very smartly and the changes and parallels are deliberate and cool. i very much like that hades is characterized as an insecure and lonely man, and that he uses these insecurities against Orpheus at the end of the show, and that is what does Orpheus in.

- at the end of the show when Orpheus turns back (waghhhh) after Eurydice responds to him, she collapses to her knees and does this beautiful and sad silent wail to the heavens as the platform descends. favorite moment in the whole show for reals

theater notes:

- this is in the Walter Kerr theater, i’m not sure if it doesn’t have a lobby or what but they ushered us straight into the theater from off the street which is really weird

- i was in the front row of the balcony, which is insanely high up and far away from the stage. note to short people: this is sort of a struggle because you have to lean forward to see the whole stage (you can see most of the stage but the front is a little blocked off if you don’t lean). i am 5′4 and my back hurt so much at the end of the night. i didn’t mind though

merch notes:

- i got the program :) i love to get the program if they have it, they’re basically just original high-quality production stills with quotes about the concept/creation from the production team

- hadestown program is a lot different and more artsy than my other programs, it’s like a beautiful collage of stills with handwritten production notes. very cool. 

Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The best tv show of all time. 🩷

“If the apocalypse comes, beep me.”

“Just gonna go come, lie down, and listen to country music, the music of pain.”

“I’m eating this banana, lunchtime be damned.”

happy bday jeff, ur my fav scorpio

rep tour 😭🖤🩶🤍