tavie.com

My mom is big on "theme" evenings. When we went to see Flower Drum Song a few weeks ago we dined, if you'll recall, at the Pan-Asian playground that is Ruby Foo's. Tonight we ate at Ulrika's, a charming little Swedish restaurant on 60th between Park and Lex, and then took the crosstown bus to Lincoln Center where we saw the magnificent New York City Opera production of A Little Night Music. (That is not an opera, for you philistines out there, but, rather, Stephen Sondheim's first successful musical.) Oh, it was delicious. I had recently begun to take a real interest in that musical (see here-- and, by the way, why the hell don't post-specific links work for me? Someone solve this, please!) and Santa Claus gave me the Original Cast Recording for Christmas. I've listened to it some, but it hasn't been an obsessive relationship like those I had with Hedwig or Godspell. But I occasionally listen to the CD at work, and it's a marvelous show. So I was just familiar enough with the songs to night to be enthralled by them, but not sick of them (except, of course, of "Send in the Clowns", but name one person you know who isn't sick of that song.)

How do you not love a musical with the lyrics:

Now as the sweet imbecilities tumble so lavishly
into her lap
I am presented with two possibilities: A, I could ravish her,
B, I could nap.

I could eat those with a spoon.

Four things added to my enjoyment:

1. Jeremy Irons as Frederik. Superb. And Claire Bloom as Madame, not too shabby either-- she was just Hermione Gingoldesque (Gingoldesque, a phrase I am now coining-- everyone use it) to delight the ear but not enough to seem obviously derivative.

2. NYCO is where we went to see The Nutcracker every Christmas when I was a small child. Tonight after the show was over my mum pulled me down the hallway and we both took turns drinking "Nutcracker water" from the traditional drinking fountain outside the third ring.

3. Sweden, Sweden, Sweden. The song "A Weekend in the Country" contains the lyrics,

A weekend in the country,
smelling jasmine...

Småland! The jasmine outside Linn's window! Smelling jasmine-- I can rarely smell anything, but when Linn pulled the branch of jasmine down to my face and I inhaled, well, I could smell that!

4. Going to the theatre with my mum. That's one of Our Things That We Do Together. And it was so nice to do that when, in the show, Desiree comes home after being on tour and Fredrika runs to her mother and they're hugging and they missed each other so much, I got a little choked up, 'cause I was there with my mum. And you know what Frederika sings in the movie version of "The Glamorous Life" (which is actually, in my opinion, a much better version of the song and my favorite song from the movie version, fancy that, it isn't even in the play!):

Ordinary mothers merely see their children all year,
which is nothing, I hear,
But it does interfere with the glamorous . . .

I love my ordinary mother. Also, she bought me a glass of champagne at intermission, and I adore champagne.

I wish I didn't have so much homework to do.

Why are you in Tavie's head? 1:41 AM | shower me with attention