What did you do this weekend?

Oh, not much. I saw two shows, applied for one job, and toured about a dozen homes...what about you?

Ha!

Talk about a busy weekend! I shouldn't complain, though...it was a fun weekend.

Friday night my hubby and I went to see That 70's Cindy, a reimagined version of the Cinderella story performed at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. It was great fun. All of the performers were under the age of 18 and were working their BUTTS off! You could tell this group of talented kids had thrown their heart and soul into this production. The set was simple but effective, costumes were fun and true to the flashy 70s style (which really didn't look all that dated, given that much of the style is back "in"), and the musical numbers were energetic and entertaining. The story moved quickly and held the attention of the kids in the audience, and the adults were entertained by references to 70s pop culture (think Shake and Bake - and I helped!). Standout Performances included "The Fairy Godfather" and "Geralda Rivera." Props to all the performers - you should be proud. And double props to the directors, for a job well-done harnessing the energy of all those kids!

I applied for one job on Saturday. Seeing as my current job won't exist after Nov. 1, I've slowly begun the tedious process of searching and applying for jobs. So far, I've applied for 2. I figure that's not a bad start. I'm being a little picky...definitely want to find something I'll enjoy that also pays me a decent amount. I've got a little time, so I figure I can afford to be picky right now.

Saturday night, my hubby and I ventured Into the Woods at Weathervane Playhouse in Newark. I do have to preface this by saying Into the Woods is one of my all-time favorite shows. I had the pleasure of performing the show in High School, so it has always held a special place in my heart. So, by default I am usually a bit harder to please with this show than others.

Weathervane's production was a bit hit-or-miss for me. Some elements of the show were fantastic - the set and the costumes, for one. Second, the overall singing of the cast was outstanding. I could understand every single word...and that's a feat for a Sondheim show! The amount of talent on the stage was immense.

I think for me, the problem lied more with some of the choices the director made, not with the performers themselves. For example, a young girl was cast in the role of "Little Red." In case you didn't know, the original tale of Little Red Ridinghood was written to warn young women about sex. And the way this role is written, it is ALL about sex (the Wolf costume for the original Broadway production was anatomically, for goodness sakes!). So, the fact that a pre-teen was on the stage performing the role bothered me just a bit. Also, Little Red has one of the most difficult songs to sing in the show. This particular actor's vocal chops weren't up to the challenge just yet. Maybe in a few years, but not yet.

The other thing that really bothered me was the amount of upstaging and stealing focus going on. (If you're not familiar with these terms, "upstaging" and "stealing focs" refers to actors who are NOT featured in the scene doing things that cause the audience to watch them instead of the main action on stage.) But, the thing was, this stuff was not accidental. The actors were obviously directed to do this. For instance, during the song "It Takes Two," the Baker and his Wife are singing about how they need to work together. All the while they're singing, an actor playing a cow is pretending to eat hair in the background, therefore causing the audience to laugh and watch the cow rather than the actors who are singing. I really don't understand why the director chose to have this happen. Yeah, it's funny, but it had nothing to do with anything. Cheap laughs aren't funny to me. OK - Rant over.

Overall, I did have a good time at this production. There were many Standout Performances: Cinderella and her stepsisters, the Witch, the Baker's Wife, the Baker and Jack were all fantastic. I think they were just hindered by the choices made by the director.

Finally, on Sunday we went to the Parade of Homes. The homes are absolutely beautiful. It's going on through July 26 in Dublin. The website is here...but if you go, I suggest going on a weekday/weeknight. The weekends can get really busy, especially if the weather is nice.