It’s my Joe’s Pub debut! Songs from my show Days of Rage with Hyeyoung Kim will be part of this concert: Hyeyoung Kim: Water & Fire. I’m so excited to hear them in this venue, one of the best in the city, and I’d love to see you there to celebrate on Thursday, May 23rd at 7pm. Get your tickets now.
Happy New Year!
I thought I’d do a little year in review roundup. I’m not one for New Year’s as a holiday. In fact, I hate New Year’s and I wrote a song about it. But I do love taking stock of a specific period of time, and the secular new year cycle provides a nice timeline for that.
On New Year’s I was busy finishing up my 2023 books, TV, movies, and theater up to the last moment. I am always jealous of folks who post their end-of-year lists in mid-December and then get to relax for the next week or two. I go up to the deadline. Here is each one:
2023 Theater
2023 Movies
2023 Books and Podcasts
2023 TV
Articles!
I had three articles published this year, two for American Theatre magazine and one for Theatermania.
Disclaimer: I only rank shows that I watch and I’m not a TV critic. Also, there are some spoilers. Read at your own risk…
Continue readingLast year, I read 11 books! This year I read 15. Well over my usual goal of 10 books per year thanks to four audio books. I also listened to a lot of podcasts, which I have included at the end of this list. This was the first year I listened to audiobooks! I’m not the best listener, but I realized that if the book is non-fiction and similar in style to the podcasts I listen to, then I can do it, and it’s a good way to experience more books. I’m still primarily a reader, and I usually use my listening time for podcasts, so any audiobooks I choose should have a real reason to do the audio version, such as a specific reader or style.
Last year I saw 30 movies, all at home or on a plane, and this year I also saw 30. I saw 4 new movies (last year it was 2), and 26 older movies streaming/on a plane. I saw 2 of the new movies either in the theater, and 2 streaming.
Continue readingLast year I saw 36 shows. This year I saw 34, so a little drop from last year, but not too bad. 24 of those were in person, 10 were streaming, on Zoom, or in a movie theater. I saw two more in-person show than last year, and slightly fewer streaming shows.
Days of Rage, the musical I’ve written lyrics for, with book and music by Hyeyoung Kim, had an industry presentation on December 4th.
We had a fantastic cast and team, and I’m so proud of everyone involved. Days of Rage has been developed for the last decade and we strongly believe that this show has a bright future. This reading was a major step forward.
Days of Rage explores the experiences of various activist groups during the late 1960s and early 1970s, delving into their struggles, triumphs, and the lasting impact they had on society. How can we stop the cycle of violence? Days of Rage explores this ever-present question. Jean Avery leads a militant protest group that tries to stop the war and bring troops back home, and David Hayward, the leader of the Black Angels, tries to build a community and protect their homes from Urban Renewal. As David and Jean’s paths intertwine, they grow closer and apart in a turbulent time of war, civil rights, and rage.
It’s about a fever, a passion and conviction to stand up for what is right at home and abroad. And it’s about caring for our community, coming together to collectively nurture what is needed now, for us all.
Read the press release on Playbill.com.
Listen to music on our Soundcloud.
I finished The White Lotus season 2 over the weekend. Yes, I know, I’m late to a party where you definitely needed to be there. But it took me a while to get started. I think I was resentful of the show for a while. Creator Mike White’s show Enlightened (2012-2013) with Laura Dern is one of my top favorite shows, and it did not get the audience it deserved. And here comes Mike White’s next show, a show that everyone is talking about though it’s not as good? It was too much. But after everyone’s season 2 chatter I decided to start it earlier this year. I was disappointed in season 1, but friends said season 2 was better, and I must say, it was.
Continue readingDisclaimer: I only rank shows that I watch and I’m not a TV critic. Also, there are some spoilers. Read at your own risk…
Continue readingLast year, I read 10 books! This year I read 11. I am a little over my usual goal of 10 books per year. I also listened to a lot of podcasts, which I have included at the end of this list.
