Review of DAMN YANKEES at Georgetown Palace Theater

Fio was excited about seeing Damn Yankees.This would be her first time, and, with images of Gwen Verdon dancing in her brain, she was looking forward to it.

The overture was full of energy, which boded well for the play.  But maybe it was a little bit too long, which Fio should have realized did not bode well.  First off, as usual, most of the actors were projecting stage voices despite the fact that they were wearing face mics, which meant Fiorella was applying fingers to her ears far too often. Second, Fio would have liked to have heard a balance between the band and the singers rather than a competition.  Third, the sets seemed uninspired, but that might have been because the sets in the last couple of shows Fio reviewed were spot-on.  

  

Then there were the awkward moments, like when "fans" in the background were continually and unsuccessfully trying to put up a sign, like the awkward scene change behind Mr. Applegate when he was singing "The Good Old Days."  And what the heck was that flash of blinding blue light that hit the audience in the tender "We've got Each Other" scene?

This is a man's show, and stand-outs were Robert Josef Cross as Mr. Applegate, Michael Rafferty as Joe Boyd, and Justin Dam as Joe Hardy--and when both Joes sang together, Fio's eyes misted over. Samantha Watson, always one of Fio's favorites, was great as Joe's wife, but Dara Hasenkampf, who played Lola, seemed uncomfortable in her role as a seductress.  And her costumes didn't help--that Amish outfit in red and black didn't look at all sexy, and her wigs were atrocities.

All in all, the show seemed uneven, the audience was remarkably unresponsive, and Fio was . . . disappointed.

Shifting Priorities

Fiorella has been trying to get back to writing again.  She really has, but everything she postponed until she had sent her revisions in.has come back to haunt her--the house, the yard, the laundry, the refinancing she and husband planned to do, the the critique she promised, the luncheon dates with friends she had canceled.

Writing can wait till another day.

Onward and Upward!

Fiorella is invigorated.  She attended Far North, the critique group she moderates, and came home high as the proverbial kite.  There's nothing like palling around with other romance writers to get the old juices flowing.

The group started with just three people, but now there are twelve on the roll, with attendance bouncing between three and six.  It's all women, of course, but we'd welcome any male romance writers who want to join our merry crew. We read each other's pages, offer what we hope are helpful comments, tell funny stories on ourselves, and laugh a lot.

As moderator, Fio spends a lot of her time soliciting and sending out pages, planning topics for discussion, reminding current members of the meeting date, and talking to potential members, but it's worth it.  Every meeting, she comes away empowered.  Yes, she can shape this book up!  Yes, it will sell!  Yes, she is the queen of the world!

Fixer-Upper Downer

Fio's tried out Fixer-Upper on HGTV and doesn't like it.

She thought she would--it's set in Waco, where Fiorella grew up, and she even recognizes some of the locations.  And the premise is interesting--Chip, a contractor type, and his wife, Joanna, a decorator type, give prospective homeowners their choice of three down-and-out houses, then renovate the winner.

The only problem--aside from Fio being tired of the "choice of three" format--is that the renovated houses all end up looking the same.  And, well, also that Chip and Joanna's relationship is downright irritating.  There's something about her humorless intensity and his country-boy goofiness that doesn't add up.

Poetic Preferences

Fiorella's taste in poetry runs counter to the current trend, which seems to be overlong flowery essays with the punctuation omitted.  She's more of an old-fashioned kinda gal.  In fact, she prefers rhymed verse, though not exclusively, because she thinks it has  a stronger impact, is a better mnemonic, and presents a more of a challenge to the writer.   She also likes poetry that speaks strongly in as few words as possible, in which the message outweighs the words.

Like, ahem, her own.