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House? Let's ask Wilson about this episode of House. What does Wilson say? "Good times!"

( Sam's Three Things About House )

3a. I'm not sure I really like any of the remaining doctors, but I do like the bigger cast. It feels like the episode is a bit snappier with more people in it.

I....haven't watched Heroes yet *hides face* I have all three episodes on my computer, waiting, I'm just scared to watch it.

Pushing Daisies remains fantastic, however. "This is the result of years of hard work, ritalin abuse, and a long-sublimated passion for botany!"

(no subject)

I'm off to the interview in a few minutes. Let's hope when I get back I feel at least this good:

\o/

(no subject)

I'm back!

Interview went well, they were really impressed with my creds (natch, as generally an MA with several years marketing/admin experience does not apply for unpaid internships). I'll hear back from them within the week. The theatre's really cool, it seems up-and-coming. I think I could be happy working there.

Now I am going to nap and watch TV until I have to leave for my ushering gig downtown. O the life of an artist is a hard one. :D

(no subject)

I'm home!

I am fortunate in my life to have seen two excellent productions of The Crucible by Arthur Miller, which is a hard play to direct and a seriously hard play to read. It's a joy to see when it's well-done, but that's not easy and so it's not done very often.

I saw The Crucible tonight at Steppenwolf and if you are in the area and have the chance, go and see it. Get hot-tix or standby tickets or something, but go. Anna Shapiro directed and she did an amazing job; clearly she understands how to use her actors and, more importantly, how to use silence. There were two amazing moments of silence -- one where the audience held totally silent for nearly a minute, and one where the audience literally rippled in surprise as a sudden noise broke the quiet.

The Crucible is so hard because it's difficult to witness that much stupidity on stage, but Shapiro let her actors play the comedy at just the right moments to diffuse the complete homicidal frustration it all inspires. I wasn't quite certain of her decision to cast African Americans as both Proctor and Hathorn, but it wasn't made an issue at all within the action of the play, and it certainly put an interesting twist on the opening scenes. I could talk too about the fantastic scenic design and subtle but powerful lighting design, but the production as a whole was so cohesive that I don't really think I need to.

The audience tonight was not particularly enthusiastic or energetic at first -- an usher knows these things -- but by intermission everyone was thoroughly engaged and at the curtain call there was a spontaneous standing ovation. In some places that doesn't mean as much as it used to; on the roadhouse circuit in San Francisco or on Broadway in New York a standing ovation is practically de rigeur even for mediocre plays, but in Chicago the audiences are harsher and I believe this is the first standing ovation I've seen. Well-deserved, too.

I was also vastly impressed by the house managers and box-office staff, and may start stalking the Steppenwolf website for jobs. :D

And now to bed. Phew.