It’s Monday & I saw two plays this past weekend

Or a musical and a play, if you’re being pedantic.

But, yes! I finally got to see the touring production of The Lion King, and I went to see Kiss of the Spider Woman, the play I assigned to my students this semester.

I really enjoyed Kiss of the Spider Woman, but I won’t say much more about it because my students have to write a paper on it and, unfortunately, many of them will still Google something to see what people say about it before writing their own thoughts. I will say that the play as staged had much more humor in it than I thought. It was also a lot shorter than I anticipated it would be, so that was a nice bonus.

As for The Lion King, I liked it but not as much as I expected/hoped. The artistry was absolutely amazing (the animals! the puppetry!), but–I dunno–I felt disconnected from the story and the characters to the point that I think I prefer the short Disneyland staged version better. But I could just be in a mood. My daughter loved the Animal Kingdom show at Disney World, and I was meh about that as well even as I could appreciate the artistry of that one (trapeze artists! flamethrower! ballet dancers!). Okay, after typing that I think I have to admit that maybe I am the problem. Be that as it may, the death of Mufasa was still heartbreaking, and I don’t think that can ever not be sad, so. Also, I think Nala (girl and woman both) was the real standout.

I will say that I don’t think I’ll go to another matinee performance of a family show. I usually don’t mind kids, but there were a LOT of kids there and many of them either (a) hadn’t been versed in theater etiquette or (b) just weren’t as interested in the show as their parents/caregivers thought they would be. The woman behind me had to tell the little girl she was with MULTIPLE TIMES to sit down and be quiet. That group also decided that the children should go to the bathroom at 2 p.m. (the show start time) and was surprised when they were locked out of the first ten minutes of the show. And then people kept getting up during the show to do what I can only assume were bathroom runs. On the plus side, the family sitting next to me didn’t return for the second act so I got to scootch over into their seats which was great because the guy in front of me had his head in my way the whole time.

Both plays were a great way to end the week especially because I feel like I have been on the computer nonstop since getting back from spring break. Non-screen entertainment felt like heaven, honestly.

Also, I finished a book:

Oscar From Elsewhere by Jaclyn Moriarty
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Hi, if you liked this book, then run don’t walk to read A Corner of White. It’s the first book in a YA series set in this same world.

When the book started, I didn’t love the dual narration because I felt it made the narrative too choppy. THAT SAID, the explanation of Oscar and Imogen’s connection near the end of this book almost made me cry, so I would say that the dual narration was warranted and all came together nicely. The lesson here is to always trust Jaclyn Moriarty, obviously, because I don’t think I’ve ever been disappointed by a book of hers. Do with that as you will.

By which I mean read her books.

Duh.

View all my reviews

Have a great week, everyone!