Mindful Consumption #3
In which I return from an accidental hiatus with lots of consumption to fill you in on.
Remember when I said I was going to be posting these weekly? I can hear you laughing on the other side of your screen. Don’t worry, I’m laughing too. The only consistent thing about me is that I’m inconsistent. But I’m here, aren’t I? And I’ve got thoughts to share with you.
What I’m reading
I don’t think it will surprise you that I’ve once again listened to an audiobook. After a couple of failed starts, I got hooked on Deep Cuts, a decade-spanning novel following the push-and-pull relationship between Joe, a budding indie songwriter, and Percy, the music critic who shapes many of Joe’s artistic decisions. It begins when they meet in college in the late 90’s and chronicles their musical and interpersonal partnership through world events, life changes, heartbreaks, and so many songs. I love reading about passionate, intelligent people with something to say (though they definitely could be mildly pretentious about music), and I appreciate that the author gave Percy and Joe the freedom to be messy and hurt one another and consequently hurt their own feelings. It’s also a vividly drawn portrait of the world from the late 90’s to the early 2000’s, capturing the turn of the century, 9/11, and the beginnings of the 2008 recession through the eyes of young adults coming of age and discovering their passions. This is the rare exception I make for a book without a real plot—if there’s an angsty romance, I can get on board with just about anything.
A couple weeks ago, I made my co-workers come with me to McNally Jackson so I could get a copy of Sunrise on the Reaping, and afterwards we all got drinks from my new favorite place, Cool Sips. It was the best part of my day. Well, maybe second best to starting a new Hunger Games novel. I inhaled the original trilogy as a twelve year old, and while I mainly enjoyed this new installment, I’d be okay if we didn’t get any more prequel novels. I am really looking forward to the movie, and I’ll be very curious to see who they cast as Haymitch.
What I’m watching
Do I even need to say that I watched Severance? Isn’t it a given at this point? I think it’d be harder to find someone who hasn’t watched it. Then again, I know Apple TV is a barrier. This season started off very strong for me, reaching a fever pitch at the ORTBO (Irving is my everything). But doubt started to set in during the Gemma episode, which I know that some fans are hailing as the best episode of TV ever made. I think that honor belongs to Connor’s Wedding (Succession, 0403), but we can hash it out in the comment section.
At this point, the finale has been out for over a week now, and the discourse started at precisely 10:16 PM on March 20th and has already been beaten to death, so I’ll spare you by not contributing to it. But—spoilers ahead if you haven’t watched—I actually cried laughing at the marching band. I had to rewind and watch it twice. TV brilliance, even if it only served to create more questions.
I have some shows returning this month that I could not be more excited about: The Last of Us Season 2, and Hacks Season 4 (yes, the one that Jake Shane is going to be in). I discussed my love for The Last of Us in the first edition of Mindful Consumption, but Hacks Season 3 was a perfect season of television, and I won’t hear otherwise.
If you haven’t watched it, it follows Deborah, a stand-up comedian past her “prime,” hankering for a comeback. Through her manager, she starts an unlikely partnership with Ava, a Gen Z TV writer who was fired from her latest gig because of an unsavory Tweet. Their relationship is the driving force behind this hilarious show, especially their differing perspectives on comedy and culture based on the eras they grew up in. But don’t just take it from me: take it from the experts. Hacks triumphed over The Bear to win Best Comedy at last year’s Emmy’s, which, deserved, because though I’ve only watched four episodes of The Bear, they weren’t really funny. A comedy winning a comedy award — what a concept!
What I’m seeing
I went to London at the end of February (sorry I didn’t fill you in sooner!) and I saw what will likely be one of the frontrunners for Best Musical. That’s right, it’s Operation Mincemeat. I came into this show with very little idea of what I was getting to; I’d known that it was beloved by many, but a friend who had seen it on the West End wasn’t among them, so I had a healthy dose of skepticism. While it did take some time to warm up to the humor during the first act—it’s very British—by the time intermission arrived I was fully hooked, and by the time I left the theatre I was buzzing with energy and the desperate need to see it again. It retells the true story of a World War 2 mission involving a corpse and a briefcase holding false information to trick Hitler into believing that the Allied Forces are going to invade Sardinia, when they actually plan to invade Sicily. This show is irreverently funny and wildly unique, with only five actors playing a variety of parts, and there’s even some gender-swapped casting which I adored. If you’re reading this and you have an extra ticket, please give it to me.
Back in New York, I saw one of the early previews of Glengarry Glen Ross with my family. After eating a lovely dinner at Blue Fin (which had—unexpectedly—a killer bread pudding topped with dulce de leche ice cream), we headed to the Palace Theatre. On the stage before the show began, instead of a curtain, there was a screen (lazy) featuring an image of steak knives. “What’s with the steak knives?” I asked my dad. “Second place gets steak knives,” he and another man echoed—fans of the movie. This was the most men I’ve ever seen in a theatre; I think the line for the men’s bathroom was actually longer than the women’s. I settled into my seat with truly no idea what I was getting into. But alas.
I know people can get touchy. So just warning you, this is about to be a bad review.
If you’ve ever called Roman Roy babygirl, I urge you to reconsider seeing this show. I know you probably won’t, but I had to try. I spent the whole 45-minute first act bored by drawn-out monologues where nothing happens. Kieran’s is the last one and it’s short. Act One ended so abruptly that I was confused. What I noticed in the second act was how many times these actors said “fuck.” I’d guess that it’s over 100. Bill Burr was particularly excellent. And those are my takeaways from this show. I know this is a Pulitzer Prize winning play. But I wasn’t on the committee.
Thankfully, I also got to see a wonderful play, much more suited to my demographic. If you are a millennial or Gen Z woman, there is a show in Hell’s Kitchen begging to be watched and felt by you. Courtesy of one of my coolest and most impressive friends, I ended up at a Saturday matinee of All Nighter, which centers a group of five seniors in college pulling one final all nighter to prepare for their exams. Over the course of the night, long-held secrets are unveiled, truths are revealed, and friendships are reexamined. My personal standout was Havana Rose Liu, of Bottoms fame, who delivers a brilliantly layered and compelling performance. I don’t want to say any more because I think it’s best to see for yourself, which you most definitely should.
That’s all I’ve got for you this time! I’m thinking about making these monthly instead of whatever I have now, which is, I’ll publish when I have enough to say. I’d like to be more consistent, but it’s hard, okay?! Anyways, thanks for reading. I’ll see you when I see you.
You got me with that dessert at Blue Fin, WOW