A great review from Pittsburgh in the Round: Aided by Kirk Howe’s skillful musical direction, and the excellent instrumental work of Howe (Keyboard 1) Beth Minda (Keyboard 2), Dave Minda (Bass Guitar), and Jesse Wall (Percussion), the performers of Theatre Factory’s latest production dazzle and elate throughout the many silly twists and turns. Fantasticks is wonderfully…
Similar:Actors Fail to Distract Audience from Prop Newspaper HeadlinesMy daughter and I were talking about pro…AmusingBuzzFeed plagiarism, deleted posts: Jonah Peretti explains.In 2012 my former Slate colleague Farhad…BusinessThe Chase (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season 6, Episode 20) Planet-hopping archaeological DNA…Rewatching ST:TNG A well-done mystery…CultureWhat About “The Breakfast Club”?I made three movies with John Hughes; wh…CultureAmazing…
Similar:Epilogue to Rossum's Universal RobotsMy big finish as Alquist in a Zoom-based…DramaCrochet octopus for the win! Crazy costume for #pptplaytime Boougie Gentleman (adaptation …PersonalThe girl continues her exploration of Scottish history.Carolyn: “Does no one have a kind word f…PersonalMy Father's Day adventure included replacing the family gaming computer (a 2011 Mac Mini…..One of the…
For Luisa, Jerz’s character, “the world is still a magical place, full of epic characters and situations and — above all — romance.” She says the audience should like Luisa and care about her, not wanting the world to hurt or change her. A fun show to perform “‘The Fantasticks’ music is uniquely beautiful, and…
Similar:Google, AI Announcements, and the Future of LearningGlenda Morgan does not sound that impres…AcademiaIn May, 2002, I was blogging about… typefaces in period movies; poets Paul Dirac and Ste…In May, 2002, I was blogging about …ArtUnmarked assignments. Major drafts came in over the weekend so I lost some ground but I kn…PersonalStudying STEM Isn’t…
Similar:You don’t hate millennials. You hate 21st-century technology.A favorite observation about millennials…CultureFull Bloom opens next weekend. Tickets 724-527-5777.PersonalLook how the box leads your eye down to the car, then the two signs lead your eye up to th…PersonalNext up for the girl: Amy, the youngest sister, in Little Women: The Broadway Musical. Nov…PersonalMore #steampunk control…
Similar:Portraits of my 11yo: Pretty, Goofy, and Pretty GoofyAmusingThe Outcast (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season 5, Episode 17) Genderless civilization oppress…Rewatching ST:TNG Members of a ge…CultureRaise It Up! :: Star-Spangled Banner – 1814-2014I usually start my American Lit I course…Culture4 writing lessons from the comedy of Joan RiversAll writers can learn from studying the …Current_EventsPrincess…
During Fall Break, I filmed my scenes for the horror indie The First Night of Summer. My character is a cheesy dad who’s trying too hard to engage with his sullen teenager — played by my daughter. While coaching us on the set, director Mark Sciubba described the dynamic he was looking for, and asked…
I ſhall always treaſure the pleaſant ſurpriſe of ſeeing the “long s” while reading Epicoene, by Ben Jonſon. Similar:Long Live The English Major—If It’s Paired With An Industry-Recognized CredentialWhat does this simple question and its r…AcademiaThe Onion's Supreme Court Briefing on Satire Is StunningFrom October: A man who was arrested ov…AmusingTechnical and Literary Writing: What’s…
Rewatching ST:TNG after a 20-year break. Riker accepts a temporary assignment as first officer of a Klingon vessel. “A Matter of Honor” offers a thoughtful, enjoyable dramatization of differences between Federation and Klingon culture, and a good B-plot in which Wesley helps a visiting officer adapt to routine operations on the Enterprise. It’s a nice touch…
Similar:America’s Real Digital Divide If you think middle-class children are…CultureThe battle against airborne COVID has shifted. Why your mask is the last layer of defence There has been a paradigm shift in t…CultureHTML5 Boilerplate: The web’s most popular front-end template HTML5 Boilerplate helps you build fast…CyberculturePeople with autism spectrum disorder avoid eye contact because it…
Chants of “no justice, no peace” drifted from the hallway into the the 204th District Court, and then Botham Jean’s 18-year-old brother stepped up to the witness stand Wednesday. This was Brandt Jean’s chance to tell Guyger exactly what he thought of the former Dallas officer after she was sentenced to 10 years in prison…
Similar:The press lobby is going feral—ignore it Given that they need to write multiple…CultureI Never Would Have Guessed I Would Be Able to Complete a Close ReadingI started my American Literature class b…AcademiaRefreshing my memory of working with reel-to-reel tape as a radio news intern (c. 1989).HistorySpring and Fall, by Gerard Manley HopkinsMárgarét, áre you…
Turns out, getting a STEM education may help you get a good job early but if you want a good career, you’re better off in liberal arts lane. In other words, even if you’re only measuring money, a liberal arts education is probably worth a ton more than most people may think. […] [B]y the time…
Rewatching Star Trek: The Next Generation after a 20-year break. Tension mounts between Captain Picard and Dr. Pulaski as the Enterprise encounters a rapid-aging disease. I rather liked how Picard, who just last week quoted part of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18, is in his ready room reading a book when Troi reminds him he wanted to…
Rewatching Star Trek: The Next Generation after a 20-year break. In his final hours, an arrogant, crotchety cybernetics genius takes a liking to Data. After the genius dies, Data starts acting arrogant and crotchety. Hmm. This early in the run of TNG, we’ve already seen the trope of a brilliant, older professional man supported and…
Saving for the next time I teach “Intro to English Study.” It’s all well and good to sing “The Ballad of Sweeney Todd” to the tune of “Hallelujah,” but why can’t you do it the other way around? For that matter, why does it work only when you limit yourself to the first two lines…
Rewatching Star Trek: The Next Generation after a 20-year break. A mediator who communicates via a telepathic chorus is a warring planet’s only hope for peace. While the episode isn’t perfect, nothing made me want to facepalm. I cared about Riva (the mediator) and his romantic (but at the same time respectful and professionally empathetic) interest…
Rewatching Star Trek: The Next Generation after a 20-year break. A pony-tailed pirate-shirt-wearing pile of charisma steps out of a Renaissance Festival sideshow onto the Enterprise for a silly low-stakes caper. Meanwhile, Data tries stand-up comedy. I cringed when the guest star put the moves on the pretty transporter technician (played by a before-she-was-famous Teri…
A librarian at the University of Virginia kindly scanned and emailed the review I wrote, as an undergraduate student journalist, of the pre-Broadway tryout of A Few Good Men, in September 1989. I was prepared to cringe, but I was actually kind of proud of the lead, which applies equally to the professional production now…