Crazytown

LET ME NOT TO THE MARRIAGE OF TRUE MINDS ADMIT IMPEDIMENTS

On marriage, or whatever you want to call it.
By Alisha Giampola (Actor) 

The other day I was sitting in the usual table in the usual restaurant my best friend Jake and I tend to eat at in our neighborhood (Sunnyside, which is the absolute shit, just for the record) and eating my usual dear-God-I-couldn't-even-imagine-cooking-something-right-now snack and discussing marriage. Specifically, Jake and I were trying to decide who of the people we currently know who have gotten married recently will be the first of our circle of friends to divorce. This seems morbid, but Jake and I love slightly disturbing discussion games (Would You Rather being obviously the best, hands down). This discussion game was fun and I feel, valid, as statistically large numbers of married people (although maybe not quite the dreaded 50% that is so frequently touted) end their marriages some time before death doth part them. 

Marriage equality has been a huge topic in the past few years, and many states (NY included, woot woot!) have recently chosen to extend the right to marry to all people (and so far has turned into being able to marry cats and dogs pretty much the same way extending the vote to women also extended the vote to cats and dogs). According to current statistics, a majority of adults between 18 and 32 now favor marriage equality in the USA. My takeaway from that is: wow, young people still really care about the institution of marriage! And they want to invite all consentual adults in monogamous relationships to participate if they should choose to do so! Sweet! 

But why?

A very interesting opinion piece in the NY Times got me thinking about the reasons that my generation chooses to marry. We are marrying later than our parents and much much later than our grandparents, we are choosing to get educations first, cohabitate first, and then begin stressing that we might have waited too long to have babies. Personally, I am a huge advocate of all of these things (including even the last item on that list...it's called adoption, guys, there are a lot of kids that need parents out there). So ultimately, if we as a generation are already waiting so much longer than any previous generation to tie the knot, why are we bothering at all? 

If we are to believe the previously cited NY Times opinion piece (go ahead and take a few minutes to read it, it's cool) we are marrying because it is "a status symbol — a highly regarded marker of a successful personal life". If that didn't already make you want to punch yourself in the face, the author reiterates this point in an even bigger backhanded compliment later in the article: "People marry to show their family and friends how well their lives are going."

Basically, people are getting married to flip the ultimate finger at their single friends.

As a person with strong feelings about the current civil rights issue of marriage equality, very personal feelings about the entire institution of marriage, and as someone who has a marriage of my own that I happen to care about, this seems like a completely flippant and all-too-easy answer. 

I sure as heck didn't get married to say "screw you" to those in my circle who are not choosing to marry, be they currently single or simply uninterested in the institution. I definitely didn't get married because I was making some kind of civil rights statement. I certainly didn't do it to make anyone jealous of my life (if anyone ever had a jealousy-inducing marriage however, it is these guys). I didn't get married to get presents or have an excuse to throw a party or to have a reason to change my name (actually, I didn't change my name at all, although apparently I'm in a vast minority?!) and I one hundred percent didn't get married because I felt familial or societal pressure to do so. I know many women, particularly those who are well-educated, city-dwelling, and in their mid-twenties to mid-thirties feel exactly these same ways. And even though there are many religions and faiths that pressure young people to marry due to the stigma of sex outside of wedlock, fewer and fewer are choosing to succumb to this pressure. So it stands to reason that we are getting married for some mysterious other reason that thousands of internet opinion articles are not quite able to put their digital digits on. 

Could it be .... nahhhh.....

WHAT'S IN A NAME (OR TITLE, FOR THAT MATTER)?

The answer to that question? Everything.
By Annissa Omran (Writer/College Student)

Today I have been having one of those days. You know the kind - when you can't seem to focus and every single thing that is NOT what you are supposed to be focusing on all of a sudden becomes the most interesting thing on the planet.

During one such flight of fancy, I found myself somehow on the Wikepedia page dedicated to Elizabeth I. A very natural progression led me to click on multiple links that led me to a variety of different pages. Eventually I happened upon the definition page for "Queen Consort", something totally cool.

(Unless you're Carol Burnett in Once Upon a Mattress, in which case it's an uphill battle^[source])

In a nutshell it simply refers to the wife of the reigning king/emperor/grand duke/head-honcho. The consort is not queen by birth right and does not have the same pull as a Queen Regnant (i.e. Queen Elizabeth II has got the power)

(I'm not going to try and pretend that I didn't absolutely obssess over the Unimpressed Queen meme^[source] )

Now, as a history buff, I was already aware of all of this information. In middle school I created a badass presentation covering all aspects of the life of Henry VIII (adorably cliche diorama and fact-plastered posterboard included). "Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived" was definitely my 8th grade mantra, although I'm not sure what that says about my mental well being. In literary terms, I have read books and books and books detailing and dramatizing the lives of queens long gone.

But what I wasn't aware of was the fact that there are actually quite a few royal families left in the world.

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING AGAIN

Trust me folks - I didn’t think I’d be writing about Much Ado About Nothing twice in one month, either.
By Rachel James (Treasurer/Writer) 

One of the perks of my job is that I get to see a lot of theatre.  This week, after working a 7 o’clock curtain, I raced through the throngs of spring break tourists in Times Square to get to The Duke On 42nd Street for the 8 o'clock curtain of Much Ado About Nothing.

My inner monologue anytime I'm forced to walk through Times Square

I am so glad I did!  What a fantastic escape from the stress of the City and the elongated winter we’ve been experiencing.  This new production from Theatre for a New Audience is wonderful!  I laughed so hard that my face hurt.  And I cried pretty hard, too.

 

I previously spoke on Crazytown about my love for this play.  And specifically about my love for the character of Beatrice.  Well, I’m happy to say that Maggie Siff does not disappoint.  She is droll and sarcastic while keeping the bite that makes the Beatrice/Benedick pairing so phenomenal.

Plus, she was fantastic as Rachel Menken on Mad Men and is one of the first people Don confides with about Dick Whitman.  New season starts April 7th!

Also, it was the first time I’ve seen Hero with some backbone.  Michelle Beck did a wonderful job in portraying the pain, anger, and confusion of Hero’s plight, while not appearing weak or forced.  That is a remarkable accomplishment, especially in this role.

But the real star of this production is Jonathan Cake as Benedick.  This role is such an actor’s dream - loads of humor and heart while being both the hero AND the fool. And Cake plays it with such charm and cheek that you don’t know whether to slap him or kiss him.

"When I said I would die a bachelor, I did not think I should live till I were married."

COMMERCIAL INTEREST: TIMOTHY RYAN COLE

By RSO

I don't watch a lot of TV, but I do watch a lot of the same TV.  Mostly CNN, Comedy Central, HGTV.  Shit Matt watches.

Because of this, I end up seeing the same commercials over and over again.  I become really fond of the commercials, and eventually fall in love with some of the guys in those commercials.  What!?  It happens. 

One of my commercial boyfriends is Timothy Ryan Cole.  This guy:

Don't recognize him?  How about now?

Not yet?  You know him, believe me.  How about now:

 

Okay, he looks familiar right?  This is why:

 

 

Yep, he's "JIMMY" in the "Happier than" Geico Commercial Series.  A little nerdy, kinda short, facial hair (usually), and oh he's a musician?  I'll buy car insurance from you anytime Mr. Cole.

RYAN SCOTT OLIVER wrote the music and lyrics for Darling, Mrs. Sharp, 35mm, Jasper in Deadland and more. www.ryanscottoliver.com
EMAIL HIM |  FACEBOOK | TWITTER | YOUTUBE | FANSITE | OTHER POSTS BY THIS AUTHOR

MY NORWEGIAN VALENTINE

Min Norske Valentine.
By Alisha Giampola (Actor) 

I had never been to a private screening of a film before Daniel announced that we were going to one a few days ago. It was the only way he was going to get to see one of the Best Foreign Film nominees for the Academy Award. (More on Daniel's OCD about the Oscars here.)  He had somehow found out about one of the very few screenings of this Norwegian film that were being shown in NYC before the Academy Awards, and had managed to get us two spots on the guest list. 

We arrived at 729 7th Avenue, which also houses the Actors' Fund, and went up to the second floor to the Magno Sound & Video screening rooms. A nice girl in a pencil skirt checked us off her list and we went into the warm theatre, which looked exactly like you would imagine a private screening room to look. Ahead of us was an old wild-haired European man, physically reminiscent of the Wizard of Oz, who was accompanied by two towering supermodel-esque women with high buns and hipster boots. He had friends in the room and spent every second before the film began speaking loudly about how excited he was for it to start. 

I was pretty excited too, because when I finally remembered to ask Daniel what we were seeing, minutes before we walked out the door of our apartment, he said "it's a movie about Kon Tiki." UH. HOW EXCITED WAS I NOW?! 

Who knows the names of all the Pharaohs of the
Old Kingdom and looks amazing in a pith helmet?! THIS GIRL.

In case 4th grade me isn't selling this enough for you, the answer is: VERY EXCITED. Soon after the period of my life devoted to Harriet the Spy, I entered a rather intense obsession with explorers including, but not limited to: Marco Polo, Howard Carter and Lord Carnavon (the discoverers of King Tut's tomb), all of the children on the television show Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego (gumshoes, get your mind blown, right here), and Thor Heyerdahl...the daring and handsome leader of the Kon Tiki expedition. 

F'ING HOT OLDER DUDES

I wanted to do a blog this week that was lighthearted and happy; so this is a shout out to some Hollywood's hotties who are post male menopause. I thought I'd show a little love and appreciation and say thank you kind sirs for keeping it super sexy past sixty.
-By Leah Bonnema (Stand Up Comic) 

I was watching The Lion King (we just got cable and I get sucked into every movie "You won't believe what is on the tv right now") and I realized that even though I am supposed to hate him I just can't help but think Wow that Scar lion is tres sexy. Leave it to Jeremy Irons (you had me at Twin Gynecologists) to make the villian your heart's protagonist (Yeah well maybe you should think about Scar's feelings Simba, listen to that voice). That is the same way I felt about Jeremy (we're on a first name basis) in Die Hard with a Vengeance as well; he might have been all mayhem and murder but look at him in that tight vest speaking in riddles. 

 "Call me Simon" 

Gabriel Byrne. I'm on fire. 

Smouldering

REINTERPRETING THE HITS

The best (or at least my favorites) of cabaret series/madhouse Our Hit Parade.
By Kimberly Lew (Playwright/Blogger)

The concept is simple: once a month, hosts Neal Medlyn and Bridget Everett took to the stage with Kenny Mellman to count down the top ten pop songs from the previous month. For every song, they would have themselves or a guest (who ranged from Broadway stars to series regulars to indie darlings) reinterpret the songs however they chose.

It seems like a simple enough idea, but when I attended my first Our Hit Parade show at Joe’s Pub a couple of years ago, there was no way I could have prepared myself for the joyous chaos that pursued. I watched Cole Escola smearing lipstick across his face as he sang a gentle-hearted Taylor Swift song. I watched Bridget Everett belt out a ballad in a diaper. I heard Tracy Bonham use a looping technique to add artistry to a Black Eyed Peas song, a feat that defies the laws of science, if you ask me. And through the nudity and the manic dancing and the sexual come ons that almost bordered on harassment, there was always clearly a special energy in the air. Because no matter what happened, there was a vibe created that assured everyone that we were in a safe place. Anything could and would happen there. And we all gave into the genderbending, un-PC, wild antics onstage and just enjoyed the ride.

Last December, Our Hit Parade played its last show. I was lucky enough to see it, and I can’t even convey how magical the whole thing was. I cried. I laughed. I was confused. I even felt a little sick. It was the perfect evening-- the kind that reminds you why you came to New York, why you create art, why you search for collaborators and partners. So though Our Hit Parade is no more, I did want to pay a last tribute with some of my favorite performances from shows past:

 

Molly Pope singing a mashup of Lil Wayne’s “How to Love” and Rihanna’s “We Found Love”

As though this isn’t already one of the classiest, most gut-wrenching covers of these songs artfully stitched into one, but OHP regular Molly Pope sang this at the final show and brought the house DOWN. I was in ugly tears, y’all. It was rough but exquisite.

ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER MUSICAL

The story of one man's iPod and the 125 cast recordings on it. And why you should be as crazy as him.
By Michael Kras (Actor/Playwright/Director/Broadway-Fanboy)

Show of hands: Who listens to at least one musical cast recording a day? Keep 'em up.

If you didn't hilariously raise your hand in front of your computer screen, you are one of two things:

A) Not insane.

B) Missing out.

Let's look at my own iPod for a second. I have just under 200 albums on there, total. Of those 200 albums, 125 of them are cast recordings. Maybe I have a problem. I admit I don't like much of today's "normal music." I don't pump myself up in the morning to Maneater by Nelly Furtado (that song's still popular... right?), I get dressed and cleaned up to Spring Awakening.

It's safe to say I kind of love musicals. And if you're reading this blog right now, I think it's safe to say you do too. This is why I present a challenge to you: Listen to one cast recording a day. Why, you ask? Well, I'm glad you asked that question.

GEEK CHIC

Geek vs. Nerd vs. Dork... and why the battle itself is so darn cool.
by Amanda Louise Miller, card-carrying nerd 

“Being a geek is all about being honest about what you enjoy and not being afraid to demonstrate that affection. It means never having to play it cool about how much you like something. It’s basically a license to proudly emote on a somewhat childish level rather than behave like a supposed adult. Being a geek is extremely liberating.” ― Simon Pegg

Hello, my name is Amanda Miller, and I am a geek. Also a nerd. 

Oh, and occasionally, a dork.  And, like any self-proclaimed "genork," I can tell you with complete confidence that these terms should not be used interchangeably.  There is, in fact, a "genork heirarchy."

Genork: n., A term coined from the words "geek", "dork", and "nerd" combined for those people who fall under the category of all three.  -- Urban Dictionary

I was first introduced to said heirarchy several years ago, at one of the nerdiest locations I have ever visited-- "Blackboard World" (an annual convention for computer programmers and system administrators who use Blackboard educational software).

Sidebar: You have not lived until you've seen a Blackboard World party. If you thought theatre people were crazy...

But the "geeks-are-cooler-than-nerds-are-cooler-than-dorks-are-cooler-than-dweebs" heirarchy briefly outlined for me by Neil (the high-level IT professional from Blackboard World who was, he insisted, a "geek," not a nerd) was only the beginning. These days, geek is chic, and heirarchies, memes, definitions, and totally awesome flowcharts abound in the interwebs....

 
(Image located here.)

(Geek vs. Nerd vs. Dork:  Read the blog post that goes with this picture here.)

(This one is the most common according to my google search and is worth viewing full-size.  Or see it on the web here.)

DEBATE #2 BY MEME

Did you miss the debate last night? No worries!!! Here's a review of the big revelations for those of you who get all your news coverage from memes on Facebook...
By David Davila (Playwright / Songwriter)

First off... the moderator, Candy Crowley, was like:

Then Romeny was like:

then Obama was like:

Then Romney was like:

Then Obama was like:

Then Romney was like:

and Obama was like:

and Clinton was like:

Obama and Romney compare their pensions after the jump