Fangirl

Sometime in the middle of Covid before vaccines when we were completely locked down, I became obsessed with watching videos of Sutton Foster. I’d heard of her in a far-off way—Broadway actress, Tony Award winner, on the show Bunheads. But I really didn’t know her work. Then a friend pointed me toward a 90th birthday tribute to the great Stephen Sondheim, whose plays I’d long adored, with performances by actors who had starred in them. And it was there I first heard Sutton Foster among the other Broadway legends, in her apartment against a plain curtain backdrop singing, from Anyone Can Whistle, “There Won’t Be Trumpets.” At the phrase, “The play isn’t over by a longshot yet,” I held my breath and almost stopped breathing. Sutton Foster’s voice—so pure and authentic–stilled me. By her interpretation of the first chorus, a slower and quieter lyric “There won’t be trumpets or bolts of fire,” I was a forever fan. Stephen Sondheim died this week. His genius lives on in his musicals and performances like this one by Sutton Foster. His legacy is eternal. PS: I recently discovered Foster is an adoptive mom to a daughter named Emily. I loved her before I knew that, but now I love her more. In case you haven’t seen this, watch her singing There Won’t Be Trumpets here. (Thank you for indulging me. It’s just that when I love something, I really really love it and want everyone else to love it too!) “There Won’t Be Trumpets” by Stephen Sondheim Performed by Tony Winner Sutton Foster – YouTube

Blue Bayou, film about Korean American adoptee

I’m posting here the NPR review of Blue Bayou, the story of a Korean American adoptee who faces deportation. Filmmaker Justin Chon, who is not himself adopted, has said he was inspired by the case of Adam Crapser, the Korean American adoptee who had run-ins with the law, lacked legal citizenship papers and was deported. I haven’t yet seen the film but hope to watch soon. And will we ever get back into movie theaters? Right now, I can’t imagine it. Sitting inside an enclosed space with other people, who may or may not be wearing masks. I’ll wait for Blue Bayou to arrive on cable, which we now have after decades of not having. The pandemic did that. Olivia’s at college and so far, so good. After a wonderful, eventful summer, I’m trying to get back to some kind of writing routine. Everyone is different and I’m a person who needs silence and routine, none of which I’ve had in a very long time. But Mateo is back at in-person school and I’m tackling a few home projects that have been hanging over me. I need to clear up head space for thinking. xoxo

Qwirkle

My oldest sister Patrice moved in with us soon after Covid hit and, along with her new Chihuahua Clementine, is still here. Patrice and I have developed a serious and competitive after-dinner board game Qwirkle habit—reminding me of our childhood marathons of Monopoly, which were also serious and competitive, in which Patrice always was the “banker” and which Patrice always, always won. Some things never change.