November Reflections
Doing
Civic Duty
I voted! I vote in all US elections in New York and as I have dual citizenship, I vote for France as well. Although New York has been a blue state for a long time, it is such an odd dichotomy to live in the city where most people have liberal views and end up with a mayor like Eric Adams because the rest of the state has more moderate views. I wonder if the younger generations brought up in this state will go further left or further right, which seems to be the case all over the country.
Eating all the pie
The fall trend continues with the celebration of Thanksgiving. As much as this tradition is great for reuniting with family, it feels odd to celebrate it when the original Thanksgiving ended with a genocide of the indigenous peoples of this country. Is it possible to pivot this day to a celebration of food and a love of family, or is it tainted by a lack of effort from our government to give land back and pay reparations to the descendants of those murdered by early settlers?
Pet Sitter Extraordinaire
This month has been a flurry of pet sittings for me! I have sat for a cat and blogged with a dog. I am fortunate to have pet-sat for the chillest of animals, and while I don’t think I would want to adopt anytime soon (animals are expensive and time-consuming), it was nice to have a little time with these animals to cuddle and snuggle, especially in the ever-cooling weather.
Reading
Prelude to a Kiss by Craig Lucas
This crazy play starts out as a whirlwind love story - until someone body-swaps with the wife at the wedding. A truly bizarre tale of love and youth that asks us to re-examine how well we know the people closest to us. It is weird and wonderful and I cannot wait to read more Craig Lucas.
Don Juan in Soho by Patrick Marber
This play gave me big “Last Night In Soho” vibes, although that movie was not scary at all and I’m sure this play would set my nerves on edge. A re-imagining of Moliere’s Don Juan in present day London, the themes and storyline carries through in a way that makes sense and isn’t just pushed into a modern re-telling. Rhys Ifans was the first to originate this role before David Tennant starred in the newest version. It was easy to read the play with these brilliant actors in mind for the titular role.
Histoire de la Violence by Édouard Louis
This autobiographical tale from Edouard Louis recounts the night he spent with a stranger as they were getting to know each other intimately - before they tried to kill him. Although the reader knows what transpires within the first few pages, Louis takes us through the stages of his grief, anger and confusion in excruciating detail and does, fully, tell the story of violence.
Seeing
The Playlist
Big big big shoutout to Lucas Serby who has a role in this brilliant mini-series! The story of how Spotify came to be, told in six different perspectives, is truly the only way “origin” stories should be told now. I must say that Christian Hillborg, who plays Martin, really carries the energy of the show throughout the episodes. If you are cultured enough to be able to watch things in a different language, I definitely recommend!
Sandra
This show has been running for a few weeks now at The Vineyard Theatre, and boy is it a tale. This one-woman show features (actress) on a tiny elevated stage and an increasingly worrying tale. Although I loved the story told in this show, I believe it would be much better as a mini-series in terms of content.
The Piano Lesson
August Wilson plays are a classic what can I say. The set design is brilliant, the sound and lighting were incredibly artful and the direction and acting were absolutely flawless. Each and every actor in this show went above and beyond what I had thought to be a pretty flat play when I first read it in college. Special shoutout to Ray Fisher who’s Lymon warmed everyone’s hearts throughout the show.