Sound of Music

Saturday afternoon, July 25th, Frank and I went to a 2:00 matinee performance of The Sound of Music at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts. We left in plenty of time but some sort of incident or hazard on the freeway ahead of us really backed up the traffic. It was like a domino effect. Although we'd been to this theatre many, many times, I got off at the wrong exit and had to navigate a different route to our parking garage. Once there later than usual, we had to settle for a spot farther away. Huffing and puffing, we ran (as much as folks our age can run, especially with a rollater), and reached the exterior door of the building right at 2:00 on the nose. Fortunately other patrons must have been late, too because we plopped into our seats, sweaty and breathless, for a show that did not start until 2:10. Whew!

I had brought snacks and so, other than a moderately-paced dash to the bathroom at intermission, we were golden. The fact that this particular musical was The Sound of Music was fortuitous, since we were familiar with the storyline and the songs from the movie. There was no stress with straining to hear or understand... just pure tuneful bliss helping us to relax. There were only two songs that were new to me: How Can Love Survive and No Way To Stop It. We enjoyed the staging and the music.

The casting was extremely well done. The children were talented and excruciatingly adorable. Mother Abbess's voice and her singing truly did justice to the classic Climb Every Mountain. A rough start certainly turned out to be a fantastic outing.

Back to the Future

Saturday, June 6th, Frank and I went to the matinee performance of the musical Back to the Future at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts.  The night before we watched the movie to refresh our memories and get more out of the stage production. For the plot of the musical see this Wikipedia article. We collected our programs and settled in to our seats, our usual Row 12 seats 45,47 on house right.

The show was great! The costumes were colorful, the dancing energetic, and the lead did an excellent job that I could almost believe it was Michael J Fox up there playing the role of Marty McFly. Biff and the Doc also gave talented performances, just as I remembered those characters to be - dumb and eccentric respectively. But I think the real star of the show though, was the Delorean that appeared majestically and magically during a thunderous blackout and subsequent blinding lightning bolt.

The staging was also awesome with an added engaging feature. Some of the backdrop was three-dimensional and some was projected, and you could not tell which was which. At one point Frank was certain the Delorean was projected — until the driver door lifted up and Marty stepped out of it. The speed scenes of the car racing through the town of Hill Valley were artistically and flawlessly achieved with a real 3-D and projected blend. How they spun around and maneuvered that car within the confined rotating space of the stage was truly impressive. 

The music numbers were peppy and enjoyable, although understanding the lyrics was not a strong point for either Frank me. Reading the lyrics the night before the show would have been beneficial, but then that would have seemed like homework. Watching the movie was enough prep. Although may words were not clear I got the gist of the song's meaning and could soak up the enthusiasm of each. The songs were all new, so not familiar, except for one. When Marty plays his guitar and sings Johnny B. Goode I recognized that musical number and relished his performance of it. 

At the end of the show an image quoting the mutilated brilliance of Bif was projected."Make like a tree and get outta here!" We crept along with the exiting crowd way to the lobby,  not at the precise speed of 88 mph but we got there eventually, and finished off our outing with some poster photos in the lobby.

The Wiz

Frank and I went to a matinee performance of The Wiz at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts Saturday, January 31st. The colorful stage debut we viewed while we were awaiting the opening was intriguing. It bode of good things to come. We had our usual vantage point from Row 12.

As usual at this venue, the staging was impressive and the costuming was flamboyant. The dancers were amazing with the amount of flexibility and limberness they demonstrated. I did not know a body could bend in the way the scarecrow did. The tin man really was stuck in certain locations of this body as if those joints were indeed welded and his movement truly reflected the constraints.

The music was loud, I mean really LOUD. The power, range, and modulation skills of the singers was positively awesome. The songs were impassioned. They were pulsating. They got lots of thunderous applause. I could be impressed the with talent of the singers but not with the indecipherable finished product. If we could have understood more than 10% of the lyrics perhaps we would have gleaned more from the plot. Simply put, the soulful screaming of songs, with scatting to enhance the notes, was not my cup of tea. I recognized only one of the songs from the production, "Ease On Down The Road". The others I cannot even tell you what they were about. 

My expectations were that this production was a jazzed up reinterpretation of the Wizard of Oz and I knew it had an all-black cast. There were long dance scenes that, although lively and raucous, seemed to slow down the pace of the show to me. I acknowledge that they are to be enjoyed for an entity unto themselves. The connection to the Frank Baum tale was far looser than I had anticipated. The return from the Emerald City was anticlimactic with no joyful reunion with Auntie Em and a tieback to the farm hands. There were no munchkins. There was not even a yellow brick road! Ok, we did "Ease On Down the Road" several times but that was not the same ambience. I even missed Toto ... there was no dog sadly. 

I am glad Frank and I got out of the house. We were in a bit of a funk, not looking forward to this outing and therefore having low expectations. We have a theory that low expectations generally means higher enjoyment — because when something exceeds expectations, happiness often follows. That theory did not pan out for this show. On a positive note, taking at face value the colorful costuming, energetic dancing, and boisterous singing, and looking beyond the context of relaying a story, there was entertainment to be had. The entertainment was beyond the realm of what we were expecting, I guess. It was more in the land of "Aahs" rather than "Oz".

A Beautiful Noise

Saturday, January 3rd, Frank and I went to a matinee performance of the Neil Diamond Musical A Beautiful Noise. We had our usual season ticket holder seats in Row12, a bit off to the side. The pre-show staging (a solid colored curtain) was underwhelming but the show itself way more made up for that blah-ness while waiting for the show to begin.

I do not view myself as an avid Neil Diamond fan but I was familiar with his name. The song list in the program included many songs I did not recognize but those I did, I really knew. The ones that hit most for me are highlighted in yellow. I'm a Believer and Look Out Here Comes Tomorrow were big hits with The Monkees and I was a big fan of them at their peak. The audience sang along to Sweet Caroline. Sweet Caroline was also made famous by baseball games held in Fenway Park in Boston, home of the Boston Red Sox. Begun in 1997, the tradition of singing along to that song at the bottom of the eight inning, officially became a fan ritual in 2002.

One particular song, Forever In Blue Jeans, highlighted in blue (of course) was not familiar to me but the performer who danced it was phenomenal and had a fantastic figure to go with the jeans. She was a real knockout with a curvaceous trim figure certainly worthy of a "10". Watching her was awesome, even with me not being a guy. The lyrics to this song also have a sweet sentiment.

Money talks

But it don't sing and dance and it don't walk

And long as I can have you here with me

I'd much rather be forever in blue jeans

Frank and I learned of the humble beginnings of Neil Diamond and his rise to stardom. He truly, truly loved touring; it gave him confidence and a sense of well being that was instrumental in helping him overcome his innate shyness as a child, adolescent, and early adulthood. A Letter from Neil in the program stated:

The singing and dancing of the musical was energetic. Frank and I had a great time and are glad we went. Our limited knowledge of Neil Diamond and his songs did not matter at all.

MJ the Musical

On Tuesday night July 29th my friend Kathie and I went to see MJ the Musical at the Center for Performing Arts in San Jose. Normally I try to book matinee performances but I had my son's family coming for a weeklong visit that conflicted with my Saturday afternoon show tickets. After this evening experience, although the show was excellent, I will stick with matinees which are more convenient and easier logistics-wise for traffic, parking, and exiting the garage. UN-parking after the show seemed to take forever!

MJ the Musical is a jukebox musical based on the life of the American entertainer Michael Jackson, focusing on his creative process prior to the Dangerous World Tour. A jukebox musical is a stage musical or musical film in which a majority of the songs are well-known, pre-existing popular music songs, rather than original music composed for the musical. Neither Kathie nor I were as knowledgable about the Dangerous World Tour as we would have liked to have been and vowed to google some stuff in the next few days when were were home to educate ourselves.

Even without back information about the tour we enjoyed the show. The performance was energetic, colorful and extremely entertaining. The cast for the little guy who played MJ as a young boy was incredible. I think that kid, if times were different, could be another talented MJ. The casting for MJ as an adult was great, too. The actor had the moves and the body language and the voice for MJ down to perfection. On the way exiting the theatre we posed for pictures near the MJ poster.

Kathie dressed in character for the outing. She wore a black leather jacket (not shown) and sparkly shoes (shown enlarged in lower photo). It was a fun evening out.

Moulin Rouge

Saturday, July 12, Frank and I went to see the musical Moulin Rouge at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts. The first half was very colorful and lively but I was so glad we had researched it beforehand to know what was going on. 

We are season ticket holders, but had a new experience this time. Frank was feeling a bit ill, so we did not return to the theatre after intermission. Instead we watched the show from a big screen in the lobby. This set up is for people who are not allowed to return to their seats if they are late and also for ushers to watch and get their cues for actions they must take. True, the situation was not as good as being in the live theater, but it did have several perks. We had more room, comfortable soft seats, and we could eat while watching. Also, it was interesting to observe the behind-the-scenes responsibilities of the ushers. As the saying goes, "If life give you lemons, make lemonade." 

Attending these events has become routine for us. We have this parking spot pre-purchase-on-your-cell phone system in place now, so the stress has gone from the "Where do we leave the car?" scenario. FYI, Frank recovered sufficiently that the drive home was uneventful. 

39th and 72nd Birthdays

Monday, May 26th, the day of Alex's and my shared birthday, Frank, Alex, and I visited the Discovery Museum in San Jose, the purple building with the huge yellow duck on the roof. The last time we'd been there was August of 2022. There are many more extensive photos in that blog post even though it had been during times of COVID and a modified visit. This post just hits some highlights. To commemorate this birthday occasion, Alex and I posed for a selfie inside a full size Wells Fargo Stage Coach.

Having been to the museum several times before, we knew what Alex's favorite spots were and were sure to visit those. Shortly after entering there is an air-powered air maze which when loaded with fluffy pompoms whizzes them all around before spitting them out to do a repeat. Alex loved loading the yarn balls and laughing when they shoot out in a random location on the floor or when they actually clobber him upon ejection.

I think Alex's most favorite spot of all is the water play area. He tossed balls into the vortex and watched them spiral down, then shoot out to do again.

There are several activities he likes to do with Frank. Building with huge foam blocks is one. Walking across a bumpy moving bridge is another. Alex will go back and enjoy jumping solo on the bridge, as well.

Upstairs there are stacking and building manipulative activities in which Alex can become very engrossed. The tower stacking station has a button to press to shake, simulating an earthquake and knocking down the newly built creations. Alex liked that part, also.

Wheels vs. no wheels? Frank and Alex race in the friction test by pulling on a rope to drag a sled weighed down with a cinder block. Frank let Alex have the sled with wheels but Alex did not always win. He was too distracted gleefully pointing out to Frank what a good job he was doing pulling the rope.

The pin sensory board was also a big hit.

Outdoors, the occasional big bubble, in the rare instance when I could succeed in forming one, was good for a laugh and a pop. The notable point of this photo is that Frank took it with his new iPhone 16 Pro Max. My birthday present was that Frank finally — yes, finally — gave in, and we got the same iPhones, so doing and learning actions on the phone would be the same for both of us.

Once back home at St Denis, Alex blew out some candles on his doughnut and opened a few gifts. He is holding two more Squishy Dogs like those we got him and that had been such a hit when we went to the Stunt Dog Show two weeks earlier.

Alex did enjoy his birthday. Sometimes repeating an activity known to be a sure winner is the way to go.

The Cher Show

Saturday, March 22 Frank and I went to see a musical in San Jose, The Cher Show. We have season tickets to musicals at the Center For The Performing Arts. This advance purchase is a ploy on my part to get us off our duffs and out and about doing something. Well, technically, I guess we are still on our duffs in the theatre seats but we had to get dressed, drive, park, and walk to our seats, so that is something. Generally we see the outing on the calendar and inwardly groan at expending the effort to go. But, pretty much all the time, we are glad we did. The Cher Show is a shining example. It was a super enjoyable production I am so glad we attended.

We had tickets in the twelfth row, a bit off center but that meant fewer people had to squeeze past us to get to their seats. This was our view of the stage and I was fascinating by the rotating logos of Cher that were projected before showtime. I occupied my wait time before the performance by taking photos of each different logo. They rotated and people were clambering past to get in their seats so this challenge of simultaneously timing and aiming kept me busy and amused. I am not sure if I captured all the logos since some are very similar, but I compiled a collage of eight in the assortment. I challenged Frank to help me watch for any I missed. 

We perused our programs while we waited. There were three performers who performed Cher, and not necessarily one for each of the stages of her life. Sometimes the trio sang simultaneously adding richness to the song. This performance strategy was a good method to illustrate the strength and depth of Cher's voice.

The songs were familiar to me and brought back memories. All the singers were strong and energetic. The role of Sonny was well-cast and the audience chuckled as he sang his first note. Sonny Bono's voice has been described in https://singingcarrots.com.

Sonny Bono, the group's tenor, had a distinctive nasal quality to his voice that made him stand out, while Cher's powerful contralto voice was celebrated for its vibrato and emotional depth.

The costumes were fantastic, the wardrobe was expansive, and each outfit was more outrageous than the previous. No photos or video recordings of the show were permitted but the tour's website gives an excellent display of the extravagance and elegance of the wardrobe. Definitely check out https://thechershowtour.com/#videophotos, especially both videos.

In addition to being immensely entertained, I learned about Cher's life such as stories of her poor upbringing and her suffering prejudice as a "half-breed" due to her Armenian heritage on her father's side and her mother's English, German, Irish, and Cherokee ancestry. I learned of her interaction with and advice from Lucille Ball as another talented and independent woman. Her relationship with Sonny Bono was unique enough that I wondered about it and the show handled it well. My interest was whetted enough that I went home and checked out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cher. I highly recommend seeing this tour when it is in your area.