newmoonstar: (sybil (olde_fashioned))
Gah, haven't had time to update LJ in FOREVER. I've been writing a play, and am still writing it, and should be writing it now instead of doing this, but sometimes you gotta take a break! I've also been working on several dresses for a convention this August, which has sorta become my epic cosplay fantasy weekend: I'm making Jane's yellow bustle dress from Disney's Tarzan, Christine's Hannibal costume & dressing gown from The Phantom of the Opera, AND Christine's wedding dress from The Phantom of the Opera! The other two I've had planned for a while, but the wedding dress got added at the last minute because everything kinda came together: I acquired a roll of white silk taffeta, I'm going to be making an 1880's bustle for the Jane dress anyway, & it's an indoor venue, so I can wear a silk dress with a train and not worry too much about it getting destroyed. Add to that the fact that the wedding dress in the Broadway production of Phantom is possibly the most beautiful, perfect Victorian bustle dress this girl has ever seen, and I want one so much I could die, and there was simply no way I couldn't do it. So I've got four months, approximately, to make it all happen. While also writing a play. Heck yeah! Let's do this!!!

All this work to do, and still, I find time to watch TV. (Probably why I haven't gotten much done yet!)

Downton Abbey is getting nuts, they'll have to stop randomly killing off everyone's favortie characters if they expect us to keep caring about the show, but hey, as long as there's pretty clothes, I'll probably still watch.

Mr. Selfridge has proven to be surprisingly good thus far. We're only one episode in, but I actually CAN accept Jeremy Piven in a period piece. Wonder of wonders. I'm pretty interested to see where it all goes, even if we already know the store will be a success!

The Borgias was actually, dare I say it, not awful in season 2! (I only just got cable again, so I just got caught up.) There was actual like, PLOT and DIALOGUE, man! WOW! I actually watched most of it, rather than just pushing the fast-forward button on the OnDemand until there was a scene with pretty clothes, which is how I got thru season 1. Though I fear the show is making me a worse person, because seriously, I'm rooting FOR the Borgias! I mean, I actually care about them! Granted, there was a helluva lot fewer murders, rapes, tortures & whatnot this year than last, but still, the very first show began with the drowning of an altar boy! Not good! Of course, that's pretty tame compared to most network shows these days, and this IS a totally first-rate piece as far as production values are concerned. Unbelieveable quality in costuming and sets. I'm definitely excited for season 3 starting next week, but have a feeling it'll probably be a return to more gross stuff again. Thank goodness for OnDemand viewing and that lovely fast forward button!

Doctor Who continues to be adorable and fun, and I hope it stays that way for at least this season. TV needs more nerdy heroes and zany adventure, if you ask me.

Miss Fisher Mysteries was a total chance discovery on the PBS cable station late last night, and I'm happy to have found it. Sophistocated heiress becomes private investigator in 1920's Australia sounds as good a premise as I can think of, and Phryne Fisher is a wild, independant, badass sort of character, which makes it even more fun! I'm totally excited to see where her next case will take her.

So that's my bit of chatter for today; now I shall go forth and sew! And write! And listen to cast albums! You can listen to A LOT of cast albums while you're cutting out fabric... that'll have to be a whole other post some other day...;D
newmoonstar: (Love Never Dies)
Here we go, the plot of Love Never Dies. I would call it an analysis, but at this point it's more a catalogue of it's crimes! Read it and weep! Contains spoilers, obviously! )

I could probably write a whole book on what's wrong with this plot, and another book on how to try and fix it (futile as that would surely be!) but somehow, despite everything, I'm probably as attracted as I am horrified by this show. It doesn't work storywise, but the score is so richly emotional and beautiful, even the recitative is melodious and never just filler. This work in no way lives up the magical, fantastic spirit of the original (I don't want these characters taken down off their pedastals, thank you, I like them there!) but in tiny moments, in beautiful songs, you do occasionally catch little glimpses of the characters you love, and getting to go there again, however imperfectly, is pretty cool. Do I wish it was better? Yes. Do I wish it had never been written? Actually, no. Yes, I would rather have this score in a good show, but at the end of the day, I'd rather have it here than not at all. It may be ugly, but the music is beautiful, and you can't help but love that about it, which in a way is strangely fitting for a show about the Phantom, because you could say the same for him.
newmoonstar: (Love Never Dies)
Okay, despite many weeks of sewing projects coming and going, my Phantom kick has turned into a full-fledged musical theatre binge, and the Broadway Odyssey has resumed full force! So for now the sewing updates will have to wait while I review some cast recordings! For today, the second part of my analysis of Love Never Dies!

The more problematic songs and why I love/hate them. )

Well, that's it for the songs, but as for the plot itself... to be continued once again! It'll require a whole other post to tackle that!
newmoonstar: (Love Never Dies)
Well, here goes my attempt to sort out my thoughts on Love Never Dies into a somewhat neat and intelligible review! (Haha- we'll see if that actually happens!)

So, firstly, having sat with it for a couple of weeks, my overall feelings toward LND are somewhat different than they were upon my initial listening. Since then I've been re-playing my favorite songs almost non-stop, and I can actually say that it's a truly beautiful score that I honestly love. The initial shock of the more preposterous plot points and out-of-character characters made me rather resistant to loving any part of it, but I think I'm finally at that point where I can be whole-hearted in my embrace of it's good parts, even if I still hate other parts of it. Having seen the Australian production helps a little too, since some of the tweaks softened it's fail to less epic proportions!

The differences between the London and Melbourne productions )

But I still prefer the London leads, and can't help raving about them! )

...To be contined in the next post! Yes, I have VERY mixed feelings and a VERY complex love/hate relationship with this show, and I'm gonna need another day and some more time to get it all out coherently!
newmoonstar: (phantom of the opera)
Ever since they aired the 25th Anniversary production of The Phantom of the Opera at Royal Albert Hall on PBS, I've been on a huge Phantom kick, which has even extended to Love Never Dies. This week I actually went to see the films of both productions on the big screen at the movie theater (final encore showings! Thank heaven I found out in time!!) and so, obviously, I have some thoughts!

PotO 25: totally worth spending way more than a movie ticket should ever cost! )

To be continued in the next entry with thoughts on both productions of Love Never Dies!
newmoonstar: (phantom of the opera)
Okay, I know I'm a few years late, but I finally listened to the cast recording of Love Never Dies, the infamous Phantom of the Opera sequel. I remember back before it opened I'd seen Sierra Boggess sing the title song on some TV show, and I remember being seriously unimpressed, and once the production actually appeared, the word among Phantom fans was that it was terrible and to be avoided at all costs, so I shrugged and didn't give it a second thought. Until this January, when the 25th anniversary staging of PotO aired on PBS. Once I learned that the leads had also been in Love Never Dies, the curiosity was too strong! I knew it would be a train wreck, but like all good train wrecks, as much as you don't wanna look, you just HAVE TO!

An overview of the original London cast recording of Love Never Dies, not terribly in depth because I'm still reeling from it! Contains spoilers! )
newmoonstar: (Default)
Well, long time no post, but still not much sewing progress! I had to get a table at the local doll show to sell off some of my collection (I just don't have room for it all!) and between getting it all out, setting it up, selling it, and taking what didn't sell back home again, I had no time for anything else, and now I'm exhausted! *whew!*

But nonetheless, my busy little brain wouldn't leave sewing alone, and I've decided I just don't have enough to do already, I need ANOTHER project! (Yes, that was sarcasm, but seriously, I'm doing it!) So:

I'm going to make Christine's dressing gown from The Phantom of the Opera!

I've been obsessed for so long, someday a Phantom-related costume project was inevitable! I'm using Sarah Brightman's original West End costume as my inspiration, and I'm going to make the bodice from the Hannibal outfit to go underneath it. I'm just going to put some Victorian bloomers underneath that though, since I'm aiming to have it done for a Con in September, and considering how much other sewing I have to do, I'm not going to have time to make the little rope skirt. (Maybe in the future though!) I luckily have some fabric that will be perfect for the dressing gown; years ago I bought this white paisley cotton voile that is such amazingly fine quality, but the paisley pattern is so pronounced and weird that it really can't be used for regular period costuming. Weird paisleys work perfect for POTO though! The original costume was a weird swirley pattened sheer (paisley?) judging from the photos, and even though it was probably polyester (or silk? It was a pretty big budget production) I think my patterned sheer cotton will produce the same effect. Now gotta dig out my red & green velveteen & gold trim for the bodice! Eeps!! I'm so excited to make this!!!

I fear my secret geeky doll clothes project will have to be shelved for a while now! (But I'm gonna do it someday, by golly!)

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