Lately: Autumn 2023 Edition

I was inspired by Olivia to do another Lately post. They are always enjoyable to write, and I am home from work with a cold right now, and feel like being distracted by pleasantries.

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Note: please overlook the fact this is an autumn edition, even though we are a few days off winter here in Australia, as I write... ;) 

WATCHING...

• Gilmore Girls Season 5 (I know, I know, I said no more, and then I found season 5 at the Bookfest for a few dollars and missed it so much I caved in.)
• Julia & Julie (because I just finished "My Life in France"... I wanted MORE - it was too short lived :'()
• The Batman trilogy (one of my friends who is crazy passionate about film hosted them all in a cinema (which he used to work at) so we could watch it all together on the big screen
• Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (I've heard of the musical and wanted to see what the movie was all about... aside from seeing Michael Caine before he had gray hair, I apparently hadn't been missing out on too much)

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READING...

• "My Life in France" by Julia Child (delicious to read, even though I've never done French cooking)
• "It Ends with Us" by Colleen Hoover (one of my work colleagues leant it to me saying I must read it... definitely not the style I usually prefer. That one paired with "A Thousand Boys Kisses"... I don't think I need any more romance for the rest of the year)
• "Ben-Hur" by Lew Wallace (wish me luck. There's a reason the list ends here.)

CONSUMING...

• Chai lattes and chai tea (one of the few teas I ENJOY)
• Coffee, always 
• Pumpkin soup (my mum makes a mean pumpkin soup, and it's quite often the highlight of my winter - that and minestrone)
• Cinnamon rolls (a lady from our home group made them for us last week and I have decided I have a new favourite food)

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SINGING...

• The Tuck Everlasting musical (because, rehearsals, and also outside of rehearsals they are just permanently engraved into my brain)
• "Mister Snow" from Carousel and "Who Needs Love" from Ever After the musical (both of which I'm prepping for an upcoming audition... also please tell me you HAVE listened to the delightful entertainment that is Ever After the musical?!)
• "I Can Do Better Than That" from The Last 5 Years because it's FUN (and yeah I did rewrite some lyrics ;))

ENJOYING...

• Learning to swing dance! I went to a 1940s costume swing dance party and it was a blast. An absolute blast, I tell you. I want to go back to that chaotic era of red lipstick and swishy skirts and energetic dancing. 
• Cuddling our pet hare, who was adopted into our family just before Christmas, last year. He is much like a cat in personality, and can often be seen in someone's lap or hiding behind our couch, snoozing.
• Leading worship for my local church. I only recently started this year, and have only been able to do it a couple times, but it's honestly been such a blessing. I'm often just backing or singing harmony, but I have lead a few times as well. Singing worship songs with a small band and leading a room full of people in praising the name of Jesus... it gives me many thrills.

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LISTENING TO...

• That Sounds Fun podcast (it never fails to brighten my day)
• Tuck Everlasting soundtrack... over and over (and now trying to avoid it as much as possible)
• Michael Buble & Frank Sinatra radio on Spotify (I choose this as our waiting room music at work because I love it and it makes me happy)
• Caity Gyorgy (I've just discovered her! I love how she makes up lyrics to otherwise instrumental jazz songs, it's so clever. I am in awe.) 

WORKING ON...

• Running our new head office at work (eeekk I feel like I'm now a combination of sales rep and manager and real estate agent and HR)
• My mix belt. Always. *sigh*
• Getting off-book with my understudy lines (it's way harder as an understudy... :/)

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DAYDREAMING OF...

• Travelling internationally... especially to Italy.
• All the different careers I could pursue, while simultaneously staying in my current job (I've always done this; I'm so indecisive - some days I'm like, "I was made to be a counsellor", or "I should definitely pursue paramedicine", or "I could be a support worker" or "maybe I should do retail?")
• The day when I get to play a lead role in a musical... someday, some day. :D

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What have you been up to, lately?

10 Things That Make Me Instantly Want to Read a Book

I recently read Hamlette's post with this Top Ten Tuesday tag (which I'm posting on a Wednesday, hush) and decided I wanted to do it, too. After all, sometimes talking about books it just as much fun as reading them. ;) 

Also, the obvious answer to this question would be if it's written by an author I love, but for the sake of originality, I'll leave that as a given.

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1. Themes of cooking, food and hospitality. This is a recent discovery of mine, but I'm becoming slowly obsessed. I love non-fiction books that are peppered with descriptions of food and why it's important or sentimental to the person, and slow, soothing undertones of the dinner table and pottering around in the kitchen. (Case in point: "Bread and Wine" by Shauna Niequist.)

2. Written in a quirky style. I love a bit of quirk, and it will always catch my eye if it's something out of the ordinary. Some examples would be letters between characters (hello, Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society) or diary style entries.

3. Set around World War II. What can I say? It's almost sentimental of me. I'm not sure why, but I've always been drawn to that period - even in my own writing.

4. Books about peace and purpose. This is oddly specific, I know, but it's true. I read a lot of non-fiction, especially faith-based books, and at the moment anything that talks about peace or purpose - especially from a Christian view point - is sure to grab my attention. (A notable read from this category would be: "Rhythms of Renewal" by Rebekah Lyons or "My Jesus" by Anne Wilson.)

5. Set in France/Italy. Yep. That should probably be at the top of the list, really. (Although these are in no particular order.) My obsession with France and Italy continues. I just finished devouring "My Life in France" by Julia Child. Somehow, this seems to go hand in hand with the food part. (So please, any recommendations of books about France/Italy with food as a theme - THROW 'EM AT ME!)

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6. It's a classic. Ain't that a fact. I've grown up reading classics as my go-to pick and I believe I will live and breath and die a classics girl.

7. It's mysterious. Give me a solid book blurb about someone missing or why they can never go back to the island and I am sold. Here. Take my money.

8. The heroine is around my age or is particularly relatable. This almost seems a little egotistical, but if the story sounds like something I could imagine myself at the centre of, I will be more attracted to it. On the flip side, if it states on the back of the book that the heroine hates music, is disastrously shy, and wears mismatched socks every day, I will most likely re-shelve it immediately. ;)

9. It's a story I've heard referred to within ANOTHER story. Maybe it's because I hate to feel uncultured, but understanding the context within the context of a story makes me ~ delighted ~. What greater feeling than hearing a reference to a classic book in a modern TV show and knowing exactly what they're talking about?

10. Several people have mentioned it/recommended it - especially if those people are unconnected and it's a SIGN that you need to read it. Even if it doesn't sound like something I'd usually read, if it's popped up in conversation multiple times, then I will give in to the peer pressure just to try it out. (Curiousity, and all that.)

Do we have any in common? Have you lost all faith in my book recommendations now? xD

I'm In Another Musical!

 Yeehaw!

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I'm finally in another show! (I say finally. It's been, like, 6 months, haha.) But after taking a couple rejections on the chin, I was thrilled to get the opportunity to do another show! (Especially when the audition was probably the worst I'd ever done. I had prepared exactly what they said to in the audition pack, but when we arrived and they had some people away sick, they advised they'd jump straight to callbacks and proceeded to do absolutely nothing in the audition pack. I didn't even KNOW the first song that we had to sing! I suspect my eyes may have been bulging with stress.)

And I know what you're thinking. Another show, Gabby? So that means you're going to drop off the face of the earth for another 6 months? To which I reply, "the show season is only 3 months this time! :D" 

But no, I'm hoping to still keep up somewhat during this busy season. Fortunately, rehearsals are only twice a week, and slightly less demanding than Mamma Mia! was, so I think it's more do-able.

But the question that I'm sure is at the fore-front of everyone's minds...

... which show?!

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the answer.

... TUCK EVERLASTING!

Me ^^

Almost everyone I tell ^^

Potentially you ^^

So apparently, a lot of people don't know it. That's fair. We are doing the Queensland premiere of it in Australia, and the musical is fairly new. It was first a book, then a movie (starring Alexis Bledel, for any Gilmore Girl fans), and then premiered as a musical in Atlanta, Georgia in 2015, opening on Broadway in 2016 (starring Andrew Keenan-Bolger as the lead male, for any Newsies fans!). (If you're true Newsies fans, you will probably already know this musical, because you will have madly researched the entire careers of all the casts. ;P) It's pretty sad, because this is one of those stories where they developed the show over 6 years and it closed after 39 performances (still better than Bonnie & Clyde  :'(), even though it received positive reviews! (This fact also makes it difficult to source good quality photos of the production. Rude.)

Rough plot: a story of a family who drink water from a magical spring and become immortal. When they encounter a young girl who lives in their rural town, she becomes friends with one of the sons (Crutchieee) who soon offers her the secret to everlasting life. She then has to decide if she wants to join her new friends in immortality, or continue living out her normal life. The themes are of family, loss, friendship, and love.

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The show is almost like a children's story, a fairytale, so it can take a little getting used to the plot. But once you've gotten past the fountain of youth, it's quite a moving story. They cover some heavy topics, but in a gentle, beautiful way. The ending of the show is a 12 minute ballet, portraying a time lapse of the little girl's life. 

One of the things I love about the show is THE MUSIC! It's so beautiful. It has a whimsical folk-type feel to it, with a few jazzier, swing songs (mostly for the villain, hehe). It almost gives Frozen vibes, with the "day-na-na" in the background. (If you know, you know.)

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Another reason I was keen to be in it, was because three of my siblings are also in it! My older sister is playing a supporting lead role - Betsy, the mother of the little girl Winnie Foster. I play Betsy understudy, and a featured ensemble. My little sister is playing in ensemble and Toad (a vital character, and one of the biggest cast-to-audience jokes), and my little brother is also a featured ensemble. It's been a lot of fun so far, and we're only a few weeks into rehearsals! 

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So if I do get a bit quiet on here, I haven't been kidnapped by aliens. Most likely, if I'm not at work or driving, I'll be running lines, practicing choreo, or going over my harmonies and "day-na-na's" with the score. ;)

I may wrap up this post here, but I'll leave one little gem with you. If you are a Newsies fan, or a theatre fan, or just intrigued by this musical, I highly encourage you to check out the backstage at Broadway vlogs that Andrew Keenan-Bolger did when it opened on Broadway. 

Let me know if you would like to hear more about the rehearsal process! And tell me about what exciting things have been happening in your life!