what a week that was!

nothing much happened this week.  can't quite believe it's actually been an entire week since i last posted anything.  but nothing much happened this week. what do you want, an olivia newton-john video?

i'll attempt to collect my thoughts and make something up.  soon.

in the meantime, political junkies read this.

favre junkies, read this.

and theatre junkies...

...stay out of show business.

UPDATE  9:34 a.m. -- and now, sadly, i realize the last two post titles have ended with exclamation points.  ugh! 

on, wisconsin!

or...reasons to (not) be proud of your home state.

1. debra bartoshevich is not only from wisconsin, but from my hometown of waterford. the 41-year-old nurse and mom of two told the milwaukee journal sentinel that after hillary clinton dropped out of the presidential race, she decided she would vote for sen. john mccain, not sen. barack obama. that's all well and good, except that dear old debra was a pledged democratic delegate.

2. keith walendowski just wanted to mow his stupid lawn on friday. that's all. just mow the damn stupid lawn. and maybe have a few beers before lunch. but then something terrible happened: the damn mower wouldn't start. just would not start. so he shot it. shot the mower with a gun. which might have been fine, if he hadn't used a sawed-off shotgun.

to be, or...not?

mccain campaign, 7/24: obama needs to stop acting like he's already the president.

"The McCain campaign and the Republican National Committee have been hitting hard on the theme that on his trip Mr. Obama has cast himself as not just as the presumptive Democratic nominee, but the presumptive president three months too early." -- NYT Michael Falcone

mccain campaign, 7/25: obama needs to start acting like he's already the president:

"The most solemn duty of a commander in chief is to fulfill his responsibility to the men and women who serve this country in uniform. Barack Obama ... broke that commitment, instead flitting from one European capital to the next." -- retired Lt. Col. Joe Reypya, speaking on behalf of the McCain campaign.

mockingbird

while barack obama was giving an historic speech at the tiergarten in berlin today, john mccain was basically mocking him by having lunch in a german restaurant in columbus, ohio. from the associated press:

McCain told reporters that he'd loved to give a speech in Germany. "But I'd much prefer to do it as president of the United States rather than as a candidate for president."

i've eaten at schmidt's restaurant and sausage haus, the restaurant mccain visited today. it's delicious and...filling. had he asked, i'd have recommended that after dinner, grampa pay a visit to the fudge haus, owned by tim dick. tim's a great guy, and if you love fudge as much as i do, he'll shove a piece in your mouth right as you walk in the door.

did i mention that barack obama gave a speech today?

who'll stop the rain?

so, okay.

nothing against the new star of broadway's legally blonde (cast via an mtv reality show, legions of fans were standing clear down the block to get her autograph last night, in the pouring rain.) nothing against the stars of the current broadway revival of grease. and i'm certainly not saying i could do any better (although i do think i'd make a fierce elle woods.)

but the key word in both of those sentences is broadway. lately, in certain instances, you could replace broadway with college theatre and you wouldn't be far off. here's a fun quote i found on wikipedia:

"Along with London's West End theatre, Broadway theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English-speaking world."

the highest level in the english-speaking world. wtf.

well, you know what? legally blonde is selling like nobody's business. and so are the t-shirts. i've made more dough-re-me in the last three weeks schlepping t-shirts and little stuffed chihuahuas in fuzzy pink purses than ever before. that mtv reality show has put money in my own pocket.

but at what cost? at what, dare i say, artistic cost.

that is not to say there isn't amazing stuff happening in broadway theaters every night. there is. lots of it has been brought in from chicago, sure. but some of it is new york based.

i have plenty of uber-talented friends who actually appear in shows nightly on the great white way. even after seven years, mamma mia has yet to bring in a "star" (although don't hold your breath or you'll miss the movie's amanda seyfried as sophie. nothing official, but just watch.) and of course, there's south pacific, there's lupone in gypsy, there's in the heights and passing...oops. no more passing strange.

and listen. i think even legally blonde has it's place. much of it is great fun, and performed with great precision and joy by real pros.

but mix that in with...the rest. and those midwesterners coming to see the theatre's "best and the brightest" might be better off buying a ticket to the malt house theater in burlington, wisconsin to see the neighborhood letter carrier in the music man.

at least they won't have to stand in line in the rain to get an autograph.

(btw: the image above is a painting by canadian artist emily strong. see more of her work here.)

i just had a mamma mia stroke

last monday night, i was lucky enough to be invited to a special "family and friends" screening of the new mamma mia movie.

meryl streep was not there.

christine baranski was. "this was the best time i've ever had making a movie," she said. "i'm proud to be able to say, as all of you can, that i've now had the mamma mia experience."

fellow wisconsinite bradley whitford was there (he and baranski are working together in boeing, boeing.) director phyllida lloyd, producer judy cramer, and writer catherine johnson were all there.

more importantly, mike cannon was there.

and anthony cefala. and pearce bunting, and glynn turner, and kristin harris, and denise reynolds, and lori haley fox, and andy parkhurst, and michael grayman, and sophia thomas, and tim booth, and tim ewing, and anne tolpegin, and laura ware, and lisa mandell, and robert mcqueen, and martha banta, and amy jacobs, and devin keudell, and...sweety. and lots of other dear, old friends i know because of mamma mia.

there were hundreds of other people too, filling up two gigantic theaters. current and former mamma mia cast members, creative types, producers, directors, musicians, theater staff.

it was sort of like my first AA meeting, in the basement of de paul hospital in milwaukee, wisconsin. i looked around the room and thought, "i don't know all of you, but i know we all have that thing in common." it was at the same time delightful and completely frightening.

sort of like the movie itself.

now, by frightening, i don't mean bad. just overwhelming. seeing on screen, the scenes and lines and choreography you know so well, is just a little bizarre at times.

personally, i thought meryl streep made a lovely donna (just not as lovely as lauren mufson) julie walters a terrific rosie, and amanda seyfried a great sophie.

reviews seem to be either love it or hate it (if you're a.o. scott from the new york times, love it and hate it) just like the reviews for the stage show: if you're in bakersfield, you're "a giddy good time" and you've got "a rich baritone that fills the hall." if you're in portland, you're "a stunning bore" with "a nasal tenor that inspires no confidence." (note to grumpy MM reviewers: nobody cares how witty you can be. the houses were full every night with people singing and dancing in the aisles. i doubt you get that for your little book on how you got started in musical theater.)

the crowd on monday was raucous, loud, and had a great time. but these were folks who had (and have) a great time doing the show every night, many of whom realize -- there's something very special about the mamma mia experience.

(in rehearsal: the original company of mamma mia tour 2, january '02.)

don't i know you?

interesting when two friends meet...

i went to waterford union high school with blogger jeff ircink (passion=truth) who now lives in l.a. and works as an actor, playwright, and...what else is it you do jeff? jeff's a published playwright (and a good one) who in his spare time fishes, smokes, and has a major man-crush on brett favre. (yes, straight men can have crushes on other straight men without thinking about penis.)

i've worked in milwaukee theater with blogger jonathan west (artsy schmartsy) many, many times, and i actually just saw him in a wonderful production of tally's folly at milwaukee chamber theater. over the years, jon's been an actor, a director, a writer, run a theater company of his own...and i'm sure there's more. these days, he's also a devoted father and spouse.

two days ago, jeff and i had a delightful phone conversation about the recent brett favre "i'm retired -- no i'm not!" debacle, easily summed up in two lines:

tony: it makes that weepy news conference seem like bullshit.
jeff: he changed his mind, it happens all the time.

this morning, i realized these two old friends were already having this conversation...