Glee-tastic!

Omg, the Britney Spears episode! I always like when Glee dials down the plot to concentrate on the music. Let's face it, Glee's strong suit is not character arches and plot devices. It's unmitigated joyful camp- and that is in short supply on TV right now. The Brit episode was excellent because, as Kurt points out, Brit is popular culture. It was pure entertainment to watch the Glee kids recreate her image and voice in such an obvious tribute. The geek fandom was overwhelming and wonderful.

And they did their best to tangle with the cultural matrix that is Britney Spears, the object, by debating her place as a role model, popular icon, falling star, young mother and her slow and rocky road to redemption. Britney is the narrative, as Brandy would point out. I also liked the silliness of the episode as personified by Britney's doppleganger, Brittany (played by Heather Morris). Although she managed to pack some serious punch by using Britney as a path to feminist empowerment ("I get all the solos from now on. Next week I'l be doing Ke$ha").

All in all, a truly enjoyable episode. This is what Glee does best. Throw seriousness and plot out the window and let us have all the glory moments, the spectacle and the fantasies.

Next to Normal

Is a musical Broadway therapy session. The show is intense! and mad good, pun intended. It's about the average dysfunctional suburban family haunted by the image/ghost (played by a male actor) of their son who died when he was an infant. If there was any fault with this play, it was that the plot was structured in a fairly conventional way. Mom and Dad are unhappy, Daughter is ignored, Dead Son represents the unconscious.  Mom is emotional; Dad is the stalwart supporter. Daughter wants to escape in all ways possible.

 If the plot is a little well worn, the script really brings it back to life. The writing was at the perfect emotional level, getting maximum impact. And when you have incredible Broadway talents singing their hearts out in these rock-ballads about their deepest issues, it really works. I cried at the end and felt like I had just worked through some of my own issues, although this time with awesome songs! Quite the experience. It reminded me how Times Square can seem so irritating and cheesy, but within some of those theater doors there is a whole other world that justifies the throngs of tourists. It's Unique New York :)

Celebrity sighting!

Sometimes I even forget to look for celebs in New York City because I'm busy living my life. So on Saturday I did a bit of a double take when I tall, scruffy man walked by with a blond toddler on his shoulders. I thought, really? In midtown? But it was most definitely Liev Schreiber who I know best from Mixed Nuts and the Scream series.