Today's Moment of Mindfulness

 

Be curious!  Open your mind to the new and the unknown in all walks of life. 

10 original Broadway musical casts I wish I'd seen

 As a lover of musical theatre, I sometimes wish that I could time travel back to the golden days of Broadway.  Days when there were great shows.  Even the not-so-great shows were great, comparatively.  And you didn't have to take out a loan to get tickets.  As much as I have loved going to NYC in the past and seeing shows, I do not foresee that happening any time soon with prices the way they are.  Still, there are some shows that I would love to go back in time and see.  Sometimes it's because the show is amazing itself.  Sometimes it's because the cast is phenomenal even when the show isn't. Sometimes it's a star turn that made history.  If you could go back in time and see some original casts of musicals, what would they be? Here are my top 10 choices:

1. Mame

The 1966 musical adaptation of Patrick Dennis's Auntie Mame by Jerry Herman.  To see this with Angela Lansbury in the role that catapulted her to Broadway stardom.  And, of course, Bea Arthur as Vera Charles, her best friend.  Nothing would be better than to see them live on stage together! And that wonderful Herman score!

2. A Chorus Line

Michael Bennett's 1976 Pulitzer Prize winning musical about the lives and struggles of Broadway gypsies.  I have been obsessed with this musical for years.  And knowing the history behind its creation, seeing the original cast would be a dream come true.

3. Dreamgirls

Incredible staging by Michael Bennett.  A fun score and an outstanding ensemble cast.  A star making turn by Jennifer Holliday and an act 1 finale that went down as Broadway legend.

4. Gypsy

Gypsy brought a roaring end to the 1959 Broadway theatre season, missing out on Tony contention by a few days. It was nominated for the 59-60 season but lost out all awards.  Ethel Merman at the pinnacle of her career, creating the role to end all roles.

5. My Fair Lady

This classic 1956 musical made a Broadway sensation out of Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison earned a Tony Award (and later an Oscar) for his performance as Henry Higgins.  A delightful score full of wonderful songs.  I wouldn't have minded seeing Sally Ann Howes, Julie's replacement, either!

6. South Pacific

The 1949 Pulitzer Prize winning musical by Rodgers & Hammerstein.  While not my favorite score of theirs, as a package deal this show is the one to beat.  Its themes are timeless, its score is beautiful, funny and poignant. It swept the acting categories at the Tony Awards that year. Something no other musical has achieved.

7. Camelot

Despite the many book flaws of the show, the score is wonderfully entertaining.  And the chance to see Julie Andrews, Richard Burton and Robert Goulet...Wow!

8. Follies

The original production of Follies is legendary.  Everything came together in this concept musical that still divides the theatre going public.  It's one of my favorite scores of Sondheim's and the shear magnificence of the production design alone would be worth the trip back in time.

9. Sweet Charity

Gwen Verdon played so many fantastic roles on Broadway but if I had to choose one to see, it would be her portraying Charity Hope Valentine.  Verdon's appeal and Fosse's choreography are an explosive combination that I would love to have seen.

10. Funny Girl

Barbra Streisand already had buzz surrounding her name when she exploded on stage as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl. The score was fitted for her amazing vocals and it shows.  What an evening this would have been!

Thinking about this makes me want to get out and see more theatre.  Who knows what new show may blow my mind!

You're a nice guy but...

 

After 5ish years of being single again, I am finally starting to embrace what I call my spinster status.  And I am not saying that as a dig on myself.  Granted, this word has such negative connotations in our society, and I used to be someone who agreed with that stereotype.  But not anymore. I look at it as something to aspire to.  What being a spinster means to me is someone who is completely comfortable in his/her own skin.  Someone who enjoys their own company.  Someone who does not rely on anyone else for happiness.  That is not to say that I believe it should be someone who lives life without others.  Quite the contrary.  It's someone who's relationships with others are enhanced by that person being feeling whole and not dependent on others to feel complete. That's what I want to be like as a spinster. 

I think back to some of the people in my life that would be considered spinsters and realize now how much I look up to them even though they are no longer with us.  They lived their own lives and did what they wanted to on their own terms.  They had successful lives that were filled with people and rich experiences.  They made and followed their own paths from an early age.  Of course, this is where I differ from them in that I am coming into this late in life.  But I think it's never too late to start something new LOL I only wish that I had soaked up more from them while they were still here. 

I never thought that at this age I would be single but after two failed relationships in the last 25 years, that seems to be the hand that I have been dealt.  I have been thinking about that a lot lately and I found myself to be surprisingly fine with it. That's a very freeing feeling to have. I have started taking myself out on dates and going out and doing things on my own.  I have absolutely loved that!  It's not that I would not enjoy someone's company for dinner or for seeing a show or for going antiquing.  It's that I can do these things alone and be perfectly fine.  I'm doing the things that I want to do.  I have learned that the key to my success is learning to enjoy my own company and that's not as hard as I expected it to be.  I'm a nice guy so why not have a good time by myself and not wait on others to join in?

You're a nice guy but...that phrase comes from the speech that I have heard over and over throughout my life. If I had a dollar for every time some guy has said it to me, I could not retire but I could treat myself to a fancy dinner LOL And I know that the words were not said with malicious intentions over the years. I'm not everyone's cup of tea as far as dating goes and that is ok. So, I am taking those words and turning them into a positive in my life. Basically, I am looking to enjoy myself on my own terms after years of making sure others were happy first.  While that is not necessarily a bad thing and I still love doing things for others, it no longer defines who I am.

That is all. 

Daily challenge for August

 It has always been said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  This is not something that I have adhered to in my life.  Do not get me wrong, I love breakfast foods.  Always have.  But I have never been a big breakfast eater.  As a child, I would eat my bowl of dry cereal every day.  Not a fan of milk here even with cereal LOL But as I got older, eating breakfast every day became less and less frequent.  A hot breakfast was always welcomed but it was not a constant.  If I spent the night at Grandmother's there was always breakfast of some kind that I would eat.  If family was visiting, there was guaranteed to be at least one big family breakfast.  And on Christmas morning, Mom always cooked a big breakfast for everyone.  But that really has been the extent of my breakfast habits.

Breakfast out at Miam's

As an adult, eating breakfast daily was definitely not on my radar.  If I was on vacation, I would go out for breakfast but really that was about it.  Part of it was the fact that for a long time, I would wake up about 30 minutes before I needed to be at work.  Time enough to throw on some clothes and get to work.  Of course, that was back in my younger adult days when my nights were spent out.  Those were some good times, but I definitely do not miss that existence.  Now that I have become a morning person, I need to include breakfast in my daily routine.  And not just something small.  I need to have a good, balanced full breakfast to get me through the day. 

Scrambled eggs topped with Mexican street corn and salsa.  Yum!

I have started going out on Saturday mornings and treating myself to a good breakfast.  What I am learning from this is that when I eat a nice breakfast like that, I am pretty full for the rest of the day.  Last Saturday I had a great breakfast out and then didn't eat again until dinner time.  And even then, I only had a small salad. That was all I needed.  Breakfast allows me to not eat again until I am actually hungry and not just on an eating schedule. That is good for me.  Also, it's nice to treat myself every week.  I think I deserve that LOL  So, this month, my goal is to eat breakfast every day.  Here we are on day 5 of August and I'm on a roll.  Let's hope that continues!

Magazines....still a part of my life

 I often wonder if I am one of the few people in my life that still have magazines all around the house.  Hmmmmm.  It definitely goes with my "Grandmother's house" vibe, even though Grandmother didn't have that many laying around her house.  Some, but not like me haha!  I need to read them more simply because I have them and I, or others through gifts, have paid for them. Growing up, there were always magazines around.  Anytime you went to a doctor's office or the beauty parlor, there were magazines available for you to thumb through.  They were often very old magazines, but it still made the time waiting go by quicker. Of course, this was back in the day before everyone had phones and there were televisions in every waiting room.  Reading a magazine today while you wait is pretty unheard of these days.  That's kind of sad but oh well.

Like I said, Grandmother did have some magazines on her coffee table.  Southern Living and Ideals were the ones she mostly had.  Ideals isn't really a magazine but it's close enough that I am including it here.  Also, I will pick up issues of Ideals whenever I'm out doing my antiques shopping LOL  I remember that Aunt Sara had magazines in her den.  She put them on an old towel rack.  I have that rack, btw, with quilts on it now.  But she would hang the magazines on the rack for display and you could easily pick and choose which one you wanted to peruse.  In our home, we had magazines fanned out on the coffee table and on a rack in the bathroom.  Better Homes & Gardens, Newsweek, Sports Illustrated.  

When Bill and I were younger, we would get the latest copies of Mad Magazine when they came out.  We didn't subscribe to it but would pick it up at a local store.  That was always a fun one to look at. I think it's still in operation. Then when I was in high school, Mom got me a subscription to Playbill magazine.  How I loved that one.  It was a great way to keep up with Broadway before the internet.  They still have a website now but it's not nearly as fun as the magazine used to be. Still, each month I loved reading up on the latest Broadway news.  I maintained my subscription until they stopped producing paper issues. 

Now, as an adult, I still get magazines each month.  I used to subscribe to Taste of Home and Reminisce Magazine.  Sadly, Reminisce went out of business.  That was a huge bummer to me.  I stopped Taste of Home because their recipes went from simple things from the past to overly complicated recipes with 30+ ingredients.  Oh, well. Now I get Our State, Guideposts, Reader's Digest and Remind. I still get excited when I see one of them stuffed into my mailbox.  I find it so much better to have the magazine in my hand than reading them online.  Just my personal preference.  I just hope there never comes a day when electronic magazines are my only option.  My old lady soul will be crushed!

Today's Moment of Mindfulness

Wear a piece of jewelry or place stickers on your cell phone that have significance to you.  Whenever you notice them, pause to take in what's happening in your mind and body and be guided towards peace. 

 

Prayer for hope