Seared by Theresa Rebeck

Photo by Joan Marcus

On Sunday, I went to see Theresa Rebeck's play, Seared at MCC Theater. The story is centered around Harry, a chef and his business partner Mike trying to take their restaurant to the next level otherwise they will lose the business. Raul Esparza playing Harry is sensational as the temperamental chef. His whole body at times vibrates with power as he and David Mason (Mike) spar in the kitchen about everything. The underlying crux is creative passion versus profit. Mr. Mason (Mike) held his own against Harry.

W. Trey Davis (Rodney) and Krysta Rodriguez (Emily) are wonderful counterpoint characters to Mike and Harry.  Mr. Davis steals a couple of scenes with his subtle but striking performance. He's got some really great one-liners. Ms. Rodriguez, as the consultant, manipulates and wrangles the characters to do her bidding. She plays a fine line between conductor and observer.  As an ensemble they worked really well together and played off each other beautifully.

As far as the story goes, I wanted more.  Mike is worried about money and being able to turn a profit. I wish his character had a little more to him other than the bottom line. He was at the end of his tether...yes, he could lose everything AND then what? Harry's character was a bit more developed, he cared about the creativity of his kitchen but he was also a hypocrite which is why his character is more interesting. That duality makes for a more rounded character.  Emily as the counterpoint character plays pretty well...she helps raise the stakes. But everything she does is pretty expected.  I was waiting for the unexpected, some  slight twist that I could sink my teeth into (pun intended).

I am a big fan of Ms. Rebeck, I think her level of work is pretty amazing. I go to the theater not just as an audience member but as a writer.  There are moments that I enjoy more because of her clever writing. I appreciate her craft and I know I have a lot to learn for my own work.  I just appreciate the work that she is putting out in the world. 

-Lily

All artwork, photos, and text © Copyright 2008-2019 Liliana Almendarez unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Liliana Almendarez.

Monologues, Musicals and Plays, Oh My!

Photo by Marc Brenner

For the past month, I have been going to see pieces on Broadway.  It started with Harold Pinter's Betrayal, directed by Jaime Lloyd. This performance gave me goosebumps.  Tom Hiddleston played Robert, Zawe Ashton played Emma, Charlie Cox played Jerry in a love triangle. Now I know this Pinter play was not one of his strongest pieces but with the direction from Mr. Lloyd and the subtle nuanced work from these amazing actors...it was a devastating piece. Weeks later the play is still reverberating in my writer's soul. Tom Hiddleston has one of the most heartbreaking moments and the scene still chokes me up. There is something about the emotional impact that has me tempted to buy another ticket to go see it again.

Then I went to see Bat Out of Hell playing at City Center on a high recommendation from a co-worker. Lord was that a mistake.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE music by MEATLOAF, which was why it wasn't a hard sell for me to buy a ticket to go see this show. Let me start with the positive...the stagecraft/set design was actually amazing. The performance of the songs was a bit cheesy but I went with it since the performers could hold the notes.  But the choreography was laughable. It was so basic and juvenile that it felt more like a school performance than a Broadway show. I was waiting for "jazz hands" to come out somewhere. The story arc felt forced...trying to fit songs into the story line felt a bit random. I love a good rock opera...hello, rocker chick here...but this did not work for me. The one saving grace was Danielle Steers, who played Zahara; that woman could belt out a song.

Photo by Annie Liebovitz, 2019

On Saturday I finally went to see Sea Wall/A Life....Monologues written by Simon Stephens and Nick Payne. Tom Sturridge played Alex in Sea Wall and Jake Gyllenhaal played Abe in A Life.  Both pieces talked about life, death and loss. Tom Sturridge's staccato performance of Alex was a bit rough. I'm not sure if he forgot lines or if his pauses were on purpose but it really pulled me out of the material. Stephens has some really beautiful transcendent lines that felt a bit butchered by Tom's performance.
Meanwhile, Jake Gyllenhaal's performance was quite captivating. He handled the telling of two stories simultaneously in a seamless manner without losing the meaning of either. It was an hour long monologue and he relayed the material with emotional impact. He made me laugh and also welled me up with tears at some of the more poignant moments. Truly an actor mastering his craft.

Why am I on a theater jag?  I am trying to connect back with my own writing. I want to be inspired, moved, shaken awake...I need "something" to get me going again. I've been dormant for far too long and my inner writer is aching for some creativity. I journal to keep me writing but that's not nearly enough. The writing is slow, thick, molasses-like.  I've put so many years into this craft and the past couple of years there has been so much neglect that I can barely call it up. That might be why I've shown up to my blog again after all this time. Keeps my mind working on short pieces, hoping to spark that ember in my belly, breathe it back to life. I am a bit lost at the moment. 

L~

All artwork, photos, and text © Copyright 2008-2019 Liliana Almendarez unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Liliana Almendarez.

Submission sent

It's amazing how fast time flies when hyper-focused on a task. I left work 30 minutes early to work on my Application/Submission at home. I went through the play a final time, fixed typos, changed a line or two but really kept revision to a minimum and uploaded the draft, my resume, artistic statement, references and short bio. Phew!  It's done, it's out, auto-notification indicating its been received. On to the next thing.

Now I can focus on the short story deadline coming up in 5 weeks.  Eek! Now all I have to do is write a story for it. :-p

Peace,
Lily

All artwork, photos, and text © Copyright 2008-2018 Liliana Almendarez unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Liliana Almendarez.

Success!!

I have reached my minimum page count today. Woohoo! I'm not saying this draft is a masterpiece but I have no problem submitting this play for this application deadline. I won't lie, I am a little surprised. My muse showed up and we started at 9:30 am on this rainy Sunday morning. By noon, I crossed the 10 page mark.

Afterwards, I worked on the artist statement and a resume. I sent the draft to the people who will be my references and my sisters. I told every one to be gentle in their feedback because its the first play I've written in a while.  By 3:30 pm I was done for the day.

I haven't yet submitted all the elements to the application BUT I'll do it Monday night after work. I want to give the whole project one last pass before I submit it.  I rewarded myself with a couple of episodes of Stranger Things season 2. Yay!

Peace,

L~

All artwork, photos, and text © Copyright 2008-2018 Liliana Almendarez unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Liliana Almendarez.

Muse on Snooze

Today, I was unable to hit my 15-page quota, my muse hit the snooze button on me.  I managed eight pages and hit a bit of a wall. As I was writing, I was hit with a big wave of emotion. There I was typing and crying through the scene. Yes, the scene actually made me cry. Big tears streaming down my face, while tip-tapping on my keyboard. And then it stopped. Just like that. Both the emotion and the words...stopped. Screeching halt. Completely blank. I thought I could force the continuation of the scene even without the emotion but then I felt like I was slogging through the scene, trying to force the words, trying to force the scene and neither worked. Bummer! I tried to go back and figure out where it went pear-shaped but I couldn't figure out what line/what made the words stop. I took a deep breath and left it there.  Sometimes you just have to know when to let go. 

All artwork, photos, and text © Copyright 2008-2018 Liliana Almendarez unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Liliana Almendarez.

Muse - part deux

Day two: My muse was hard at work writing every line today.  I managed to get most of it down.  I'll need to read it back eventually but not yet. Today my muse gave me eighteen pages.  I thought I would try for 30 pages but my creaky back won't cooperate.  I left a note to myself on the last line of what might be next but that might change between now and when I wake up tomorrow morning.

I'm also trying to line up some references for this application. I'm hoping that I'll hear back on Monday if I can use their names/contact. I'm hopped up on the flow of creative juices.  I'm not sure what to do next but feeling very satisfied with my progress.  Ooo did I just jinx myself.  Nah! I'm good.  I'm going to make myself some Earl Grey Tea and break open one of the new books I've bought last night. I need something light and refreshing to cleanse the palate.  Not sure if I have a book title that fits the bill quite yet.

Last thing I wanted to mention: I had a dream that I had a porcupine resting in my arms and I was petting it's quills. At one point, the porcupine began to let go of its quills because it didn't want to be in my arms anymore. But I kept him in place, passing my hand over it's quills. It was important to keep him in my arms to pet him. Don't ask me why...it was a strange dream. Anyway, the quills would enter the flesh of my arms creating this sharp sensation of pain and pleasure. At one point I had one of the quills under my chin and when I yanked it, the barbed effect of the quill ripped the flesh into a bigger wound.  I woke up with a start, touching my chin and arms to see if any quills were left behind. Hmmm. Interesting, right?

Okay, that's all I have for tonight. With a curtsy I bid you adieu.

L~


All artwork, photos, and text © Copyright 2008-2018 Liliana Almendarez unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Liliana Almendarez.

Muse at Full Alert

It's an overcast day on this cold Saturday afternoon in February.  Brrr. I'm sitting at my desk and I showed up to the page today.  What does that mean? I have a deadline and instead of watching tv or cleaning, I chose to write. Full on. I spent the morning writing and came out with quite a few pages. I won't attach a value to it...good, bad, shitty first draft. Instead, I'm grateful for the quiet space to be able to get it done.

I'm working on a play. I'm trying to get a playwriting fellowship with a theater. This piece that I need to submit has to be 60 pages.  And it's due on March 1st. Yesterday I wrote 1.5 pages at work when I had a quiet moment. I emailed the words to my personal account and opened up that bad boy this morning and went to town.  I managed 14 pages today.  I'm glad the submission does not have to be a finished product otherwise I would have found every excuse under the sun not to even try.

Perhaps these deadlines help get me out of my stalling tactics. Now I'm in a straight up panic, writing as quickly as i can to get the idea down before my muse decides to flee the scene. Poor thing.  She's been so neglected for so long that she's like a starving artist coming up to a feast.  She wants me to keep writing but I need a break. I spent five hours working and now I need to take a long walk in the city to get my blood circulating again.

Just needed to write this quick entry first. All for now.
Peace,
L~


All artwork, photos, and text © Copyright 2008-2018 Liliana Almendarez unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Liliana Almendarez.

7:23 pm

It's been a long hectic week and I'm sitting in my living room listening to James Bay sing Let It Go. It's a gorgeous evening and a soft warm breeze is coming in through my window.  I just got back from doing laundry, folding/putting away clothes and now I'm taking a small break enjoying sitting here, writing this entry.  I'm trying to decide between leftovers and take out.  My veggie soup may win out by sheer proximity.

I was writing in my journal earlier about possibly wanting to stay in this apartment another year and then a slew of complaints came raging out.  I changed my mind very quickly. So there you have it, I just need to man-up and find a new place. Bah!

I've been to see a few of the early blockbuster superhero movies and to be honest I'm quite bored by them all so far.  I hear fanboys/grrls gasping in dismay for that statement but the story lines are quite tired and played out. The exception is Deadpool, of course, mostly for all the 80s references and superhero in-jokes. I think it's time to break out and see some of the indie films to get a dose of substance over flash and cgi effects. One last point on the subject-Ben Affleck as Batman?!! Come on!! What genius made that decision?

Oooo, I forgot to mention...I went to see The Book of Mormon on Broadway last week.  I've wanted to see this musical for so long that I may have been anticipating more from it.  Despite my sister and her husband telling me about it, I don't know *shrug* it was just okay for me.  Again it goes back to story arc, music was decent and some parts funny but again...I think wanted more.  Story of my life.

A stray tabby is stalking a bird outside my window...they totally took me out of my thoughts over musicals.  There is a slew of stray cats living in the backyard of this area.  One day this week I was sitting up against the corner of my couch and there were 5 cats sitting on my fire escape watching me.

It reminded me about this story...apologies if I've written about it before...but growing up I thought I had cats for pets. I mean I really thought that when I was in kindergarden/first grade I had a slew of cats.  I asked my mom to verify this fact sometime last year and she told me that I never had cats.  I was really shocked because I remember the smell of them and also being frightened over one that swiped at me.  It turns out I used to feed the stray cats near the building I grew up in so they would turn up when I would get back from school.  My poor dad, being the super to that building, found out pretty quickly and had to collect all those cats and take them somewhere else.  Where? I couldn't tell you but I remember being totally devastated over losing all my "pets."  A cat lady in the making. Haha.  I miss my Pandora but I think one cat was all the room I had for in my life, despite my captive audience outside my window.

I think that's all I have for tonight.

Best,

Lily


All artwork, photos, and text © Copyright 2008-2016 Liliana Almendarez unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Liliana Almendarez.

Forever by Dael Orlandersmith

I went to see this one-woman show Forever by Dael Orlandersmith (playing at New York Theatre Workshop). She calls it a semi-autobiographical play.  If I'm being honest, I usually don't care for one-woman/man shows because I find it hard for one person to sustain my attention for that amount of time.  But Ms. Dael Orlandersmith is an amazing storyteller.  She opened the circle and invoked a passage into her world.  Her past is painful and at times it's difficult to hear her speak her truth.  Her words are powerful and in the darkness of that theater I sobbed. For all the pains and difficulties she experienced but also for some of my own.  It was as if she reached out and touched those hurt places within my own soul.
There was a talk afterwards where Ms. Dael talked about her process and how this work Forever was developed out.  When asked what were some of the positives that she takes away from her past experiences, before she answered I knew exactly what she was going to say and the tears welled up again for me.  She said it was the Art.  The ability to express herself in a creative way.  This show is not for the faint of heart.  Ms. Dael digs way down and exposes truths about her past in a very explicit way.  But at the end of the piece, she inspired me.  I want to write plays again...especially ones that dig deep and move an audience the way Forever moved me.  It's quite the play to take in.

Peace,
L~


All artwork, photos, and text © Copyright 2008-2015 Liliana Almendarez unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Liliana Almendarez.

The Real Thing by Tom Stoppard

This is the blurb about the play:
Ewan McGregor plays Henry, a playwright not so happily married to Charlotte (Cynthia Nixon), the lead actress in his play about a marriage on the verge of collapse. When Henry’s affair with their friend Annie (Maggie Gyllenhaal) threatens to destroy his own marriage, he discovers that life has started imitating art. After Annie leaves her husband so she and Henry can begin a new life together, he can’t help but wonder whether their love is fiction or the real thing.

This play was directed by Sam Gold.  He's one of my favorite directors.  Alas, this was not one of my favorite plays.  Even tho' the humor was very British.  Even tho' Ewan McGregor can do no wrong.  This is supposed to be one of Stoppard's more heart-felt plays but the emotional content just wasn't there. The heart was missing from this play. Henry and Maggie talked around and around about their love for each other to the point where I just wanted them to shut up.  It felt as if they were playing at love and perhaps that is the point.  No, no, that wasn't the point. The material felt as dated as the 60's music they played in-between scenes. 

Once the curtain came down, I couldn't get out of the theater fast enough.  


All artwork, photos, and text © Copyright 2008-2014 Liliana Almendarez unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Liliana Almendarez.

Women or Nothing - Ethan Coen

On Saturday, I went to see Ethan Coen's play, Women or Nothing playing at Atlantic Theater Company, Linda Gross Theater. The play is about a lesbian couple who decide they want a child so desperately that they will pick a co-worker to sleep with to make it happen. The writing is quick and funny and at times it made me laugh so hard that I could hardly hear the next lines. Some of the monologues went too long but for the most part they held their own.

Now as far as the story arc is concerned, that's a little more problematic for me. I don't think the story needed the mother to come into the mix.  Although Deborah Rush as Dorene was funny...I almost think Chuck's revelations (played by Robert Beitzel) could have been confessed to Laura the morning after.  It would have created a powerful intimate moment. And the revelation could have had more of a payoff because of the high expectations set up in the beginning. The stakes could even have been raised if part of the revelation was that Chuck had a vasectomy. If Coen had used that tactic, then the blow out between Laura (played by Susan Pourfar) and Gretchen (played by Halley Feiffer) could have been phenomenal. It would have given the audience a little more scope to their relationship perhaps seeing the cracks created by their decision.  All this analysis after the fact is just another possibility. My writer's brain hardly ever turns off so the critique is based on the love of the craft.

Susan Pourfar as Laura definitely played the part of high-strung creative.  At times, the affected accent was bit distracting but Pourfar's portrayal of Laura made her, by far, my favorite character. Robert Bietzel as Chuck was really well done.  I just wish he had more lines during his scene with Laura. However, his scene with Dorene was so nuanced and vulnerable that I really enjoyed his performance. Halley Feiffer as Gretchen was my least favorite character.  In her case, I think it had more to do with the way the character was written than with her acting. She seemed to be the least developed character.

My last kudos goes to set designer Michele Spadaro who created an apartment that I wanted to move into.  Women or Nothing plays until October 6th, definitely worth checking out if you're in New York City.

Peace,

Lily~

All artwork, photos, and text © Copyright 2008-2013 Liliana Almendarez unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Liliana Almendarez.

Falling Off the Grid

I admit, I fell off the grid for awhile.  Been traveling a bit.  Was also looking for a new gig since I have a stack of bills staring me down.  Landed a temp gig down on Wall Street through my agency.  The job is perfect.  It's easy admin work and at the end of the day I can walk out of the building and not give the "work" another thought.  Today I finished out my first full week so a full paycheck by next Friday will come in handy.  I was told the gig is good until the end of August.  I have the next three months to find something a bit more permanent but in this economy a steady paycheck is enough for now.

Where to start?

Moving: In 16 days, I move from my current apartment in the Bronx back to Brooklyn.  Being out of work for two months left me needing to re-evaluate matters. I used up my piddly savings to pay for living expenses.  So I'm moving back in with the folks temporarily while I get this whole job/money deal sorted out.  Which is really kind of odd since they plan on selling their house in the next year or so.   Guess I'll figure that out when it's time.  Anyway, in the meantime I've been packing.  I've got a stack of boxes, comprised mostly of books, against the dining room wall.  It's strange to not have access to them. I know it will only be for a short time but I already miss the ability to grab a book at random just to read a passage.  I've whittled down my library every time I've moved and I'm down to about 10 medium boxes.  It's the object that I still spend money on acquiring. I keep sorting and re-sorting through papers and old journals and I keep wanting to chuck them but then my attachment to them stops me from doing it. Guess they go with me.

This whole transition time has me thinking about moving away from NYC to somewhere more remote. The problem with remote is lack of access to public transportation, 'cause altho' I have a driver's license, I really suck at the whole driving thing.  The idea of having to take care of a car and insurance payments and gasoline and whatever else it might need just does not appeal to me at all. So I guess I'm choosing to stay in a more urban setting. At times, I wouldn't mind living a simpler existence. Have less stuff but I'm not sure I could live out of a backpack tho'.  There are limits to my running away fantasies.  I'm not much of a camper.

Movie: Wednesday night I went to see the movie: The East.  It's another Brit Marling film altho' it was co-written with the director, Zal Batmanglij.  I've been waiting for this one for awhile now.  It's a decent flick but some of the storyline was problematic for me.  Sometimes, the dialogue got caught up in it's own sanctimonious bullshit.  I caught myself rolling my eyes a few times.  HOWEVER, what's underlying the actual story is this call-to-action social activism that I really dig.  I think Marling is still genius and I look forward to her next projects!!

Reading: While on vacation last week, I picked up the book Delirium by Lauren Oliver.  It's a young adult science fiction novel.  It's part of a trilogy: Delirium, Pandemonium & Requiem.  "In Delirium, the government requires that all teenagers be cured of love, a.k.a. deliria, to keep society safe. But 95 days before her treatment, Lena Haloway falls in love--and must face the truth about her own feelings and the world in which she lives." The writing at times has a lyrical quality that really made me savor the story. Oliver really captured that angst that comes with budding love.  I picked up her second book when I got back to the city and then downloaded the last novel onto my Nook.  I have to say the first novel was the best one for me because of the depth of emotion I felt while reading it. The second one was compelling but the writing was uneven for me. I finished the third novel today and hmmm....some of the story was satisfying and some of it was not.   

Writing:  I haven't been writing at all.  I've been trying to start a couple of new short stories but they won't come out.  Unfortunately, Indigo is still my obsession but I haven't been working on it either.  Which reminds me, I want to change the title...the title is starting to bug me.  I can't stop thinking about the story itself and my characters.  I just have to sit and write but I've been too active, too up-rooted, too social and doing everything else other than facing a revision of this novel.  I've been drinking with friends and going to movies instead.  Ergh.  Despite the fact the novel still calls to me.  I feel it constantly in the back of my brain, working, working out some of the problems.  But I need to take pen to paper or sit in front of my laptop and just start pounding on the keys.  I just need to get past my laziness and just take it one chapter at a time.  I can just feel that it's going to be a HUGE undertaking and I'm just not ready.

Play:  I went to see the play Relatively Speaking and I laughed so hard I could barely breathe.  I was up in the balcony section but I actually think the actors heard my hysterics.  I really love comedies based on misunderstandings and in this piece they were able to sustain the misunderstandings almost all the way through.  I want to know the craft behind that piece...perhaps I will break it down one day and figure out how it works.

Publication: I was notified a couple of weeks ago that Applause Books is going to take a monologue from Glass Knives and publish it in Best American Monologues.  How cool is that?!!  When I find out publication date, I'll let folks know.

All righty, I think that's all I have for the moment.  I've been sitting here for an hour trying to fill in all the blank spaces on this page.

Peace,
L~

P.S. Please forgive all typos and grammar problems.  I've realized lately that when I am writing off-the-cuff...the words are coming out before my thoughts have even formed.  It happens.

All artwork, photos, and text © Copyright 2008-2013 Liliana Almendarez unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Liliana Almendarez.

Mondays are for Whiners.

Hehehe. Seriously. I’ve spent the better part of the day listening to folks bitch and complain about one thing or another. I need a tea break and an escape route. It’s going to be a short week for me. Off to upstate NY to help T. out with his last craft show for the season and some quiet time to work on my novel. Sweet Jesus..I need to finish this draft by year’s end.

I’m still reading Highsmith’s bio. I came up to the chapter on her racist views of Jews, Blacks and Puerto Ricans. It left me in a quandary. I wasn’t sure I wanted to read on. I just don’t understand how an intellect can be a racist. Won’t delve too deeply into my own thoughts on that right now. Some friends encouraged me to keep going with the bio and keep in mind the context of the socio-political-economic atmosphere of her times. I’ve pushed on and am now reading about her life in the late 1970s. I’m almost done with this book. As much as I want to read every book she’s ever written…I may hit just a few more of her most noted novels to see the progression of her craft. It will be interesting to see how her work unfolded and her writing developed in her lifespan. I’ve also jotted down a list of books that influenced her work. May read those as well.

On Friday, I went to see Nilo Cruz’s play, A Bicycle Country at Theater for the New City in the East Village. The first half of the play was much better than the second half. His writing is so beautiful, it’s poetic. A few lines have stuck in my grey matter. There was supposed to be a Q&A with the playwright but alas he cancelled out. One of the actors said, she thought the play was a hopeful piece. Oh my gosh, I completely disagree with her. It’s the antithesis of hopeful. In fact, the second half goes to such a dark place that I expected all the actors to each take a knife and open their veins right there on stage. Gruesome visual but true sentiment nonetheless.

On Saturday, I met up with my writing group at our monthly meeting. I think we need to find a new venue. Our current location was so filled with a tour group that we could hardly hear ourselves. Afterwards, we went to a wine bar for a little catching up. I’ve been to this place once before, Amelie down on West 8th Street. It’s so cute and I had a lovely glass of Cote du Rhone wine. I actually had several glasses of wine but the red was my favorite. Yum!

Alas, all this socializing has left me a little off-track with some of my healthier eating choices. Drat! But today I’m back on track. Yay!! I’ve hit a bit of a plateau but I’m not worried as long as the scale doesn’t start trending back up again. I am steady with 19.5 lbs lost. I just need to break the 20 lb mark ‘cause I have a long way to go.

Tonight some yoga and a light dinner and I’ll be good to go. Working on strengthening the muscles around my crappy knees. Hehehe…that made me giggle.

Mmm, I picked up Mumford & Sons new album, Babel. Really good album. I still like Sigh No More much better but maybe I just haven’t listened closely enough yet. We shall see.

All for now.

Peace,

L~


All artwork, photos, and text © Copyright 2008-2012 Liliana Almendarez unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Liliana Almendarez.

Short plays and a short story

Tonight I went to see a series of short plays by one author.  The first piece was decent but it went on a bit.  The subtext was the best part of the play.  The next two pieces were just not properly developed.  And it didn't help that the actors were god-awful.  As in, they sounded like stiff, affected nubes who just learned the script an hour before they went up. Ergh!  I gave up after the first part and during intermission snuck out into the cool NYC night. I won't name the writer because for the most part I really think he's quite talented and his writing is quite smart.  The pieces just need more work.  It's a decent starting point but they were more works-in-progress than final product.

That said, I have another friend who gave me a draft of his short story to read a couple of weeks ago.  It was amazing and the ending was fresh and surprising. The way he uses language...his turn of phrases is quite gorgeous.  English is his second language and he makes fiction writing quite beautiful.  Then he revised his draft and the story only got better.  His additions only added layers, giving the whole piece depth. I am quite humbled at the beauty in his work.  There is no envy, no jealousy warming my blood tonight because all I feel is true appreciation for another writer's act at honing his craft.  To think that he almost quit writing a couple of years ago.  Thank goodness he didn't because this writer...this young talented writer...will have students studying his works in years to come.  I will share his name when he's ready to share his work with a larger audience.

Anyway, it's a little after midnight now and I'm finally feeling the effects of a full and eventful day.  My brain is in need of a break.

Peace,

L~


All artwork, photos, and text © Copyright 2008-2012 Liliana Almendarez unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Liliana Almendarez.

The Road to Mecca by Athol Fugard

Last Friday I went to see Athol Fugard's play, The Road to Mecca at the Roundabout Theater. Although the cast was stellar…I have to say that the piece was over-written. The story could have unfolded without so much exposition. I was drowning in words. I held up pretty well in the first (hour-long) act, primly perched on my seat, listening to the conflicts that were unfolding for the two main characters (Miss Helen and Elsa Barlow). I was interested, invested, and following along. But once the intermission came up, I realized I didn’t quite understand the relationship between the characters until deep into the second act.

Rosemary Harris (Miss Helen) had this gorgeous monologue halfway through the second act but it went on way too long and when it was over, I thought the play was close to finished…only to learn that it would go on for another 25 minutes. It was a painful 25 minutes because the exposition continued and new information was introduced. From that point on, every five minutes, I thought the play was winding down only for more words, more story and I was overcome with an attack of the giggles. In this instance, I was really glad I was in the nosebleed seats because I couldn’t stop laughing. I kept asking out loud, “Is it over yet?” only for the actors to go into another monologue.

The acting was superb. The stage design and lighting were beautiful. I just wish some of the monologues were tighter. I think the next play I want to go see is Look Back in Anger by John Osborne. It’s been in previews this past month and it opens on Thursday night. Hmmm. We shall see.

All artwork, photos, and text © Copyright 2008-2012 Liliana Almendarez unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Liliana Almendarez.

Close Up Space

Last night, I went to see Close Up Space by Molly Smith Metzler currently in previews at the Manhattan Theater Club. I haven’t stopped thinking about the craft of the play. The story has SO much potential but I don’t think it’s quite fully realized. It had some interesting and beautiful elements to it, like the way Harper (the daughter) uses the Russian language and poetry as a way of communication with her father Paul. And the great chasm between them created by Harper’s mother’s death. Rich, interesting back story.

Instead, this piece gets mired with weird office antics. There are several characters that could well be cut out and never missed, i.e. the intern. The office manager is there for comic relief but winds up coming off like a Zach Galifianakis wanna-be character.

No disrespect to Rosie Perez but she was completely miscast as the superstar writer, Vanessa Finn Adams. She shrieked through her scenes and she had trouble enunciating words that were supposed to give her an air of intellect and sophistication. Her final exit was a Shakespeare piece but I couldn’t tell you which one it was because I could barely understand her. Metzler was starting to use the character of Vanessa Finn Adams as Paul’s confidant but I think Metzler could have gone further with that relationship, shy of a consummated sexual relationship. That way when Vanessa finally leaves it’s not just a professional blow but a personal one too as another relationship slips through Paul’s fingers.

Okay, the best moments are David Hyde Pierce as Paul sitting in a tent dictating a letter to his daughter. It was painful and beautiful to witness. The other moment was Paul’s confrontation with Harper as she tried desperately to communicate with her emotionally distant father. They were by far the two strongest scenes.

Last but not least, big shout out to Todd Rosenthal for his set design. It was absolutely perfect. He worked some serious magic on this set.

All artwork, photos, and text © Copyright 2008-2011 Liliana Almendarez unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Liliana Almendarez.

I’ve spent the better part of the day working on one component to a grant application. I’m bleary eyed and bored of it. How does one come up with a narrative bio that doesn’t bore the reader to tears? Ergh! I wrote one up but it doesn’t seem quite right yet. It just feels like something is missing. I have time before the deadline but I was hoping to send it in this weekend. So I can move onto the next application for a playwriting contest. *yawn* I’ve bored myself with my own writing, never a good sign. Hehehe

It’s a grey rainy day in New York Sitty and I’m cold and achy despite the many cups of tea I’ve had so far. I’m listening to Bon Jovi’s, Living on a Prayer. Great rock song!! Wish I could belt along with it but I think my co-workers would not appreciate my off-key version.

I wanted to share this Broadway tidbit: Seminar written by Theresa Rebeck. A comedy about four young writers and their private instructor played by Alan Rickman. I laughed so hard, I was crying. I went to see it last Saturday while it was still in previews. Rebeck captures the stereotypical young writers so well and is so on point that I could hardly breathe. Rickman is stellar as a jaded writer, I’ve always been a big fan and his cast mates really played well against him. Hamish Linklater really captured the tortured writer. I think the only character that fell flat for me was Izzy. The actress, Hettienne Park, did well with the material that she had but I wanted the character to have a bit more dimension. Other than that, it was an amazing show and I’m glad I went. Also, it gives me hope knowing a woman wrote this piece…hoorah! A woman playwright can be produced on Broadway. Halleluiah!!

Okay, that’s all I’ve got for today!

Rock on people, rock on!!



L~


All artwork, photos, and text © Copyright 2008-2011 Liliana Almendarez unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Liliana Almendarez.