No One’s in the Chair! Come on! Come on!

We went to see a production of Sweeney Todd at the University of Kentucky Opera Theatre in Lexington on October 12. It was an interesting interpretation as it was set in 1950s London. The change in time period didn’t really detract from or enhance the gory story of the demon barber, but it did provide for some cool costumes and sets you wouldn’t normally see in this show.

Speaking of sets, we were anxiously awaiting the reveal of The Chair–you know, where Benjamin Barker’s victims met their demise and were unceremoniously dumped down a chute to become the flavor of the day. The chair was an old friend of ours.

Christmas in Music City

The day after Thanksgiving 2011 brought another of our famous girls trips. This time the girls hit Nashville for a show, some lights, some artery-clogging vittles, and of course, DEAD PRESIDENTS!

We left fairly early and hit a small town in Kentucky for a picnic of turkey sammiches whilst sitting in front of the courthouse…in a drained and dry fountain. It was odd, but so something we would do.

Once we hit Tennessee, we travelled a little south of Nashville to visit Polk’s home. Since I’ve already written about his home in a previous post, I won’t go into details here. It was pretty much the same as it was two years ago.

On our way back north, we stopped in at the Loveless Cafe to jam pack our guts. Huge portions. The biscuits were scrumptious, and we all bought some jam to take home. Was it worth an out of the way trip? Probably not, but it was a fun little spot for an evening’s meal and entertainment (we especially enjoyed toying around with the cardboard cutout thingies and taking weird photos).

Celebrity Autobiography

Thursday, May 5, 2011, I went to see Celebrity Autobiography at the Kentucky Center in Louisville. I just made it to the theater on time. The traffic on 71 was mad crazy. I sat and watched as the ETA on my GPS got closer and closer to 8:00 pm and I was like OMG. I jumped in my seat at 7:50 (front row, sort of center, but with weird tables in front of me. Why the tables, Kentucky Center?)

The theater was very intimate and the perfect setting for this show. Was I as close as I was for the Arj Barker show at Zanies in Nashville in 2009 where I could see up his nostrils? No. This was probably better. I didn’t want to look up Joey Fatone’s nostrils. Good lord.

An Evening with David Sedaris

Is one evening really enough? I say no! But that’s all I got.

When I told friends that I paid $46 to hear an author read from his works, they thought I was crazy. But honestly, it was better than most professional plays I’ve seen. He’s that good.

The night? October 10, 2010. The Reds were playing. The Bengals were playing. The Aronoff even called to remind me that I might need to leave extra early to find a parking spot. There was an actual festive atmosphere downtown (as opposed to the creepy, desertedness I often feel when going to the Aronoff) that I think carried over to our little soiree with Sedaris.

Regional Theater Doesn’t Suck

I caught two recent shows at Cincinnati’s Playhouse in the Park and one at the Actors Theater of Lousville. All were excellent, and if they were all still playing, I’d recommend them.

High: I got a free ticket to see this Kathleen Turner vehicle, and for the price, I cannot complain. Ms. Turner is no longer as stunning as she was in her younger days (was anyone more adorable than her circa Romancing the Stone?), but she still has the acting chops. It took a while to get past her voice (too Marge Schott for my taste), but once I got into the story, it didn’t bother me.

The plot was rather depressing, the ending not really satisfying, and the nudity seemed unnecessary to me. Yes, it definitely presented a certain level of shock value (the old people sitting around me at the Sunday matinee I attended audibly gasped), but it did not add to the story.

Comedy Begins at Home

Finally! After months of travelling to get my funny on, I enjoyed two weekends of entertainment in my own city. My car thanks me.

On September 13, I  hitched a ride with someone else to the Cintas Center to see Demetri Martin. Two words: pure bliss.

I have loved Demetri’s comedy for a long time and was so happy I finally got to see him perform live. I even got myself stoked for the show by seeing Taking Woodstock the week before.

Not exactly the best showcase for Demetri’s hilarity, but it was a good movie.