tavie.com

I just looked at my anthro syllabus and saw the massive amount of reading I have to catch up on. She assigned this enormous Edward Said reading for last Monday, which of course I missed. Why did I not think to look at the syllabus before leaving? I should have been reading homework in the car...

I slept through my art class yesterday. My professor is officially going to kill me.

But, for the important part:

Time After Time: The Chet Baker Project
A review by Octavia "Tavie" "I'm No Drama Critic" Phillips

On Sunday in Toronto, I went with a gaggle of goils to see the Chet Baker play directed by the delicious Jim Millan. (Being a Jim Millan fan, I am in the middle of reading the play he co-wrote, Serpent Kills, and am in very much a Jim Millan State of Mind lately, which meant a lot of listening to the Tour 2000 soundtrack on the way to Toronto.)
I'd read some reviews of the play, but basically had little idea what to expect going in. I know zilcho about jazz music and zippo about Chet Baker. That's not at all a bad way to be going into this play. The reviews I read had Jim describing its postmodernism "apologetically", but I'm pleased to report that the play itself was unapologetically postmodern. The structure was absolutely perfect for a play that basically dealt with the nature of fandom and the search for "truth"/validation in constructing a biography. Anyone who's spent any time being a Fan-with-a-capital-F of someone can see the appropriateness of the narrator speaking to the characters in Chet's life through dreams and imaginary conversations. The playwright was the narrator, and it was his voice that we identified with. Chet Baker's voice was his trumpet and his sweet, seductive singing style. Oh, that trumpet. If you know me you know I've never thought much about the trumpet at all beyond the fact that my sister's stinky ex-boyfriend played one back in junior high. (Oh, that Nelson. He was such a turd.) Chet Baker: the anti-Nelson. Soulful. Sexy. Aloof. Mysterious. Homina...
Where was I? Oh, I was quite taken with the supporting cast. The actress in particular, one Philippa Domville, absolutely blew my mind. She played all the women in the play, and her skill at shrugging the straps off her shoulders and instantly becoming someone completely different was breathtaking to behold.
The whole thing had me entranced. As Linn fell in love with Chet Baker, I'll admit here that I rather fell in love with James O'Reilly, the playwright-narrator. This was probably not his intention while writing, but he was so perfect, so engaging in his portrayal of a variation of himself... I was completely sucked in. Whaddyagonna do? Shrug your shoulders and move on.
So, my general assessment is: it was everything theatre should be. Funny (not at all surprising), moving (pleasantly surprising), musical (ahhh) and completely new to my ears and eyes. I give it five golden thumbstars.
One more thing: it is my new dream to have a bed that hovers high in the air as if supported by nothing.

Why are you in Tavie's head? 1:52 PM | shower me with attention