It's a bad sign when I'm watching a musical and wonder why a song is playing. And why none of the three leads is in the act 2 opening number. Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is juke box musical utilizing songs from the 1970s and 1980s. The show tells the story of 2 drag queens and a transsexual traveling from Sydney Australia to Alice Springs and their adventures on the title character Priscilla, their bus. Will Swenson plays Tick (aka Mitzi) who leads the merry band across the country in order to help out the wife the others do not know he has. Will plays the conflicted Tick quite well, however, he was not in the best voice today. Nick Adams plays Adam/Felicia, the youngest and most reckless of the trio. I found his character abrasive ... read more

"In olden days, a glimpse of stocking, was looked on as something shocking..." I've been singing this song for the past few days. And I'll probably be singing it for a while longer, since I walked out of "Anything Goes" today with a smile on my lips and a spring in my step. This show is a great example of old-fashioned Broadway musicals. Gorgeous songs, big long dance numbers, and terrific acting. The story and characters are a bit cliched, but with a cast led by Sutton Foster, those quibbles are happily overlooked. Foster plays Reno Sweeney, a "nightclub evangelist" off on a sea voyage to England. I never quite understood this character. Is she a nightclub performer (as evidenced by her costuming and behavior) or is she meant to be a con-woman using evangelizing as ... read more

T.M Roy's book about a truly odd couple (Oregon professor Kent Xavier and blue alien visiting Earth Povre) is a fun read with romance, adventure and humor. The couple bond as Kent tries to keep Povre out of the clutches of government agents while hoping that her people manage to rescue her. The action is deftly split between scenes of on Earth, and aboard the ship that brought Povre to Earth. The characters are well written and believable with the relationships between them ringing true. While the story may seem cliche (alien on Earth needs rescuing from the big bad government agency), T.M. makes it fresh and takes it in interesting directions. She has a nice turn of phrase and writes in an enjoyable style. The rescue of Povre has a bit of a Deus Ex ... read more

Well, now that I'm home, I can upload some pictures. Enjoy... read more

As faithful readers may remember, the main impetus for the trip to Scotland was to see John Barrowman in concert. For those of you who don't know of him, he's a singer/actor who has done shows in the West End and on Broadway. He had a bit part in the movies De-Lovely and The Producers and was seen on US TV in Desperate Housewives. Sci-fi fans will know him as Captain Jack Harkness from Dr. Who and Torchwood. I bought the concert ticket before booking hotel or air, how crazy is that? But it all worked out, got a hotel right next door to the Edinburgh Playhouse. The concert was quite good. JB (as he refers to himself) is absolutely gorgeous with an incredible voice. And he seemed to really enjoy being on stage. He did ... read more