Happy New Year. I started this project on June 1, 2008, stating that I wanted to recapture the interest of my teen years when I (like so many others) would obsess over Broadway musical cast albums. As adulthood has taken hold, I felt I had lost some of that "can-do, let's put on a show" enthusiasm. I hoped to bring back some excitement, and see where it lead me.
So what I have noticed over the course of 365 days, 240 entries, 214 shows, 14 live performances, 126 DVDs, and 77 cast albums?
Nothing beats seeing a show live. Even if the show is a bomb, the truest sense of it is obtained when sitting in a darkened theater surrounded by an audience all anticipating the performance. The least effective version is often a film version, or perhaps I should call them film adaptations.
I'm not as myopic as I was in high school. I need more than just one distraction. Call it maturity, television obsession, or ADHD, but I can't listen endlessly to albums like I did back in the day.
I like cross-over singers, by which I mean those trained as opera singers who have either chosen to focus on musical theater or are "slumming" for a production or two.
There is usually something or someone I am drawn to in every production. One song, one actor, one voice can capture my interest and sustain me through any production.
I'm not an expert on the American musical stage--I'm not even reasonably knowledgeable. Just ask anyone who has corrected me in a comment on this blog.
I don't write as well as I wish I did. One of my unstated goals in starting this Year past was to hone some rusty writing skills--primarily unused in my current professional life. My vocabulary is limited. My sentence structure is not varied enough. And my style is often too casual.
I'm lazy. I was much too willing to watch a DVD that Netflix delivered to my mailbox, which is much more passive than seeking out and listening to a cast album. Even if my mind wanders while listening, it is a much more active process for me.
There is more to do. Even if the 12-months is over, there are lots of musicals to go, lots of Thinking to do and obviously lots to still learn and discover. I hope I will continue posting entries on a weekly or twice-weekly basis.
But then again, I'm lazy, so it might not be as often as I hope.
So what I have noticed over the course of 365 days, 240 entries, 214 shows, 14 live performances, 126 DVDs, and 77 cast albums?
Nothing beats seeing a show live. Even if the show is a bomb, the truest sense of it is obtained when sitting in a darkened theater surrounded by an audience all anticipating the performance. The least effective version is often a film version, or perhaps I should call them film adaptations.
I'm not as myopic as I was in high school. I need more than just one distraction. Call it maturity, television obsession, or ADHD, but I can't listen endlessly to albums like I did back in the day.
I like cross-over singers, by which I mean those trained as opera singers who have either chosen to focus on musical theater or are "slumming" for a production or two.
There is usually something or someone I am drawn to in every production. One song, one actor, one voice can capture my interest and sustain me through any production.
I'm not an expert on the American musical stage--I'm not even reasonably knowledgeable. Just ask anyone who has corrected me in a comment on this blog.
I don't write as well as I wish I did. One of my unstated goals in starting this Year past was to hone some rusty writing skills--primarily unused in my current professional life. My vocabulary is limited. My sentence structure is not varied enough. And my style is often too casual.
I'm lazy. I was much too willing to watch a DVD that Netflix delivered to my mailbox, which is much more passive than seeking out and listening to a cast album. Even if my mind wanders while listening, it is a much more active process for me.
There is more to do. Even if the 12-months is over, there are lots of musicals to go, lots of Thinking to do and obviously lots to still learn and discover. I hope I will continue posting entries on a weekly or twice-weekly basis.
But then again, I'm lazy, so it might not be as often as I hope.
1 comment:
Congratulations on a great year, Michael- you met your goal and had fun, learned a lot and shared your interest with us. Bravo!
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