Posts Tagged ‘Funny’
By Belynda, October 2nd, 2010 in Other | 1 Comment
Tags: Date Night, Funny, Merrimack Repertory Theatre, MRT, nablopomo, Reduced Shakespeare Company, reviews, Sports, theatre
No, I’m not watching baseball. If I’m ever watching baseball, it’s fair to assume I’m a pod person and you should run. The invasion is afoot.
Eddie’s mom was kind enough to get us a season pass to the Merrimack Repertory Theatre as an early Christmas gift. We live walking distance to the theatre, so it’s a great night out on the town for us, and this was a gorgeous night for the walk to the show. The first show of the MRT season this year is the Reduced Shakespeare Company’s The Complete World of Sports. (See how I did that? With the “play” theme? That’s why I get the big bucks. I’m going to make it through this month yet.)
RSC’s shows are always awesome (we’ve seen The History of the World (Abridged) in the past) and this was no exception. The guys covered everything from baseball and soccer, to cheese rolling, golf, and even some sports they made up just for the hell of it. The show was brilliant, enjoyable even for someone like me, who wouldn’t know it were football season if the guys in the IT department weren’t taking bets on it. The humor is intelligent and fast-paced, and per usual they got the crowd roaring even when they were riffing on local politics and sports. (They picked on the Spinners, and made it out alive. That alone tells you how good these guys are!)
And of course they had a heckler! She was dealt with masterfully. She wasn’t about to let the guys pick on Scott Brown (needless to say, she was the lone voice crying in the wilderness. Sorry lady). They let her have her fun, mostly so “Austin” (the intellectual whom, by their own admission, bears a more than passing resemblance to Al Franken) could call her a “Feisty yankee dame” and get a few more miles out of the joke. There was actually quite a few audience participation moments… mostly planned. It goes without saying, Ed and I were very happy to have balcony seats and leave the fifteen minutes to those who ordered their tickets earlier than yesterday at lunch! We’re fairly sure one of the guys was either a plant, or just a total ham, as he was almost a little too comfortable getting on stage and into the action. (There were big hand gestures involved.)
If you get a chance to see these guys before they head on to their next stop, I highly recommend it. Time is off the essence, however, as they’ve only got two shows left. The first show starts, well.. now. Sorry for the short notice. But you’ll have one more crack at it tomorrow. The Sunday matinee runs tomorrow, October 3rd, 2pm at the Merrimack Repertory Theatre, 50 E. Merrimack Street in Lowell.
The rest of the Rep’s season promises to be as wonderful as always. Tickets to the next offering, Four Places, are on sale now at the MRT website. Support local theatre and plan a great date night out!
By Belynda, May 3rd, 2009 in Reviews | 2 Comments
Tags: Anointed, Book Reviews, Christ Corporation, Funny, nablopomo, Satan, Timmy Christ, Zachary Steele
First of all, a BIG thank you to Russ Marshalek for sending me an ARC of “Anointed”. He heard from the twitterverse that I was was a fan of Christopher Moore, and thought I might be interested in Zach Steele’s story of the man who would be Christ (or the corporate equivalent thereof). I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I must admit, I’m a hard sell for “comedy” books, and I hardly ever read fantasy; while I love Christopher Moore and Douglas Adams, sometimes I go into “funny” books, especially religious funny books, with one eyebrow safely raised. I tend to reserve judgement for a good forty or fifty pages, but Timmy Webb totally won me over. A classic anti-hero in the beginning, I soon found out that Timmy is the kind of Christ I’d follow around (if I did that sort of thing.)
“Anointed” was a romp, fast paced and witty, full of characters who you’ll enjoy getting to know. Better, they are characters that you feel you might already know. I’m an office-dweller by day, and without giving away too much (you’ll know it when you read it), Steele’s group of wacky apostles could fit right in at any of the cube-cities dotting the corporate landscape. The entire Christ Corporation crew in fact, bears an eerie resemblance to some of the companies I’ve worked for in the past.
Steele brings a lighthearted sense of fun to the story, and manages to make even his oft-maligned Ms. Morningstar endearing and essential. God is equally delightful, with a carefree voice that at times reminded me of the ultra-quirky King of All Cosmos from Katamari Damashi (I’m equally proud and ashamed that I can make such a nerdy comparison). These characters brought a great sense of whimsy to the read. I often found myself sitting in cold bathwater, giggling to myself, forgetting to get out of the tub. That’s a great sign, as there is no greater enemy to me that cold bath-water (just ask Ed)!
What I didn’t expect out of the book was some really gorgeous writing. Steele has all these razor-sharp witty retorts and observances, and then hits you with a description of a view or a sentiment that really showcases his writing talent. One line in particular, which I won’t spoil for you, just completely got me. I forgot for a moment that I was reading one of those “funny” books.
So, file my name under “Steele fan-girl”, put me on the email list for the next book, and go get yourself a copy of “Anointed”. You’ll love it.
By Belynda, February 12th, 2009 in Reviews | No Comments
Tags: Adams, Books as Movies, Funny, Hitchhiker's, reviews, Sci-fi
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Rating: 5 of 5 stars
“The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” by Douglas Adams
Now, I know I’m a geek. Everyone knows I’m a geek. But I’d actually never read the Hitchhiker’s Guide!
I know, it’s like saying you have the BA in Nerd Arts, but still having 3 gen-ed credits to fill. Anyway, I was the poorer for it. It was FUNNY! I actually listened to the Audio version narrated by Stephen Fry, who is fabulous. I recommend that version for anyone out there who likes audiobooks.
Hitchhiker’s Guide is laugh-out-loud funny, savvy, down to earth, and just a really fun take. You don’t even have to be a nerd like me to enjoy it, I promise. The story is fast-paced, with sense often having to run to keep up with plot (in an enjoyable way). Adams imagery is flawless, his characters lighthearted and human (well, in some cases). It’s an adventure story in the best ways, a social satire that we can all relate to, and just a really good time If the rest of the galaxy is as it’s told by Adams, sign me up.
The movie, not as impressive. Although it benefitted from a decent cast, and Douglas Adams’ input into the screen adapt, it just couldn’t capture the same free-wheeling joie-de-vie of the book. As is usually the case, the book was light-years (sorry, I had to) ahead of it’s film counterpart.
