Unlike Democracy, Theatre is Not Dead
Just kidding
Hello from Lisbon! I am nearing the end of a fun filled week in London and Portugal that only happened because I am a theatre nerd. I have raved before on this newsletter about the glories of Hadestown and I daresay I WILL RAVE AGAIN. I, of course, follow HTown the play not the band on Instagram so a month ago when I saw an announcement that the original Broadway cast was playing a short run on the West End and that tickets went on sale THE NEXT DAY I cancelled all of my plans. And folks, let me tell you, this was like buying Eras Tour tiks. I sat in line for over three hours with over 35,000 other people TO BUY A TICKET TO THE THEATRE. So, yeah, theatre is alive and well.
I have probably seen ten million plays in my life, having made the terrible mistake to major in theatre in college and not something that would make me wealthy and unhappy like finance or tradwifery. No, I only choose fields that make you poor and unhappy like the arts, or running a nonprofit. Anyways, this was the greatest night of theatre of. my. life. I knew from the Hadestown subreddit (that I obviously check every day) that people from all over the world were flying in to see this show. It’s not often that you get to see the original Broadway cast come together again years after their first performance (it opened on Broadway in 2019) so people were HYPED. Just in my section (and I did have a perfect seat, smack dab in the middle, eight rows back in the Orchestra, my second favorite place to sit) there were people from France, Australia, Mexico, the UK, and other Americans. And from the energy and excitement in the room- and the squeals- you would have thought the 20-somethings were at an *insert teeny bopper heartthrob artist whom I have never heard of here* concert. THEY WERE LOSING THEIR MINDS! And so was I! The actors were absolutely on fire, most of them were crying at some point in the show, as was the entire audience for the entire performance, and it was clear that these West End shows were some of the greatest of their lives. And ours!! Theatre is aliiiiiiive.
Also, I have some thoughts, some suggestions for the theatre world that I think would greatly improve everyone’s experience. I present them now:
Tickets should be sold in height order. The giant who sat in front of me should have been relegated to the back row. When you buy a ticket, you should have to submit your height (which will be double checked at the door to make sure you weren’t lying. If you did, straight to jail). I think we can all agree that everyone would be happier if the tallies had to sit in the back and the short kings and queens get the front row seats.
Anyone who takes their phone out during a show (any show- Broadway, off-Broadway, community theatre, child’s third grade play) has to face an immediate theatre tribunal made up of the ushers. They have a quick trial in the back and you are sentenced to five years in prison. If you come back from prison and do it again, THEATRE FIRING SQUAD.
These are great ideas that should be implemented immediately and I will take no questions.
Choose the Bear
Hopping across the pond to see a last minute play is a thing you can do when you are a DINK, SINK, or billionaire. This week’s guest on Choose the Bear is Dr. Angela L. Harris, a fun and energetic auntie whose organization No Bibs, Burps, Bottles not only has one of the greatest names ever but also brings together and supports black women living glorious childfree lives. She is so fun and enthusiastic and I really loved this conversation.
What to Do With Yourself
Watch
White Lotus (HBO)- White Lotus is back! I haven’t watched the first episode yet but it’s White Lotus so it’s good. Let’s watch it together and discuss.
This YouTube video about a really sweet man who used to live underground in New York and this follow up video ten years later.
Read
Elizabeth Holmes just will not let us live.
This guy exposes Switzerland’s dirty secrets (that we probably could have guessed).
Trump has only done two good things: ban paper straws and totally humiliate Eric Adams.
Woo! Angela is THE BEST. So glad she's going to be on the podcast.