Breaking Bad

Given that it recently ended, and was something a lot of people were talking/raving about – I'm very into my pop culture, and I hate it when I'm outside the loop on a popular/interesting tv show – one of my goals over the Christmas break was to watch Breaking Bad from start to finish. So, on New Year's Day I achieved completion of that goal: all sixty-two episodes in just under a week of watching (a few things got in the way, like cricket, going to the cinema to see American Hustle and New Year's Eve celebrations¹) – and I'm now reflecting upon the experience.

Recent goings-on

I've started a number of posts lately but haven't managed to finish any; that usually means I should do a compilation instead – so that's what I've done.

A Little Night Music

I didn't get allocated to review this show, but I felt it was one worth writing about because of how much I enjoyed it, and how it fits into a bigger picture of my taste in musical theatre.

The core plot is about Fredrik Egerman, a lawyer, and Desiree Armfeltd, an actress – they have a past, which, when Fredrik and his young trophy wife (in the parlance of our times¹) attend a performance of a play Desiree is performing in, becomes the present. Complicating this is – of course – Fredrik's wife, Anne, but also Count Carl-Magnus, Desiree's lover and his wife Charlotte. And then there's Fredrik's seemingly humourless, seminary student son Henrick; Anne's amorous maid Petra; Desiree's mother Madame Armdfeldt (a retired courtesan) and daughter Frederika² and a handful of servants. Oh, and there's a wandering five-person chorus which opens the show and pops up from time to time, but they don't factor into the plot.

State Theatre Company Season 2014

A few weeks back – I've been distracted and/or lazy; take your pick – the hard copy of the State Theatre Company 2014 season showed up in my mailbox today; so, as I've done a couple of times in the past (in 2011 and 2013 at least), I've put down my thoughts on what Geordie Brookman and his team are bringing us next year.

Oh, and this is only the regular season shows; for everything including the State Ed and touring shows, see the official site here.

Pacific Rim

I'm not sure which was the first piece of promo material I saw for Pacific Rim – I have a feeling it was a huge poster at the Piccadilly cinema which showed the head of the Jaeger¹ 'Gypsy Danger' – but it certainly got me interested enough to look further into it. When I found out what it was about – human-operated giant robot-like mecha fighting giant monsters – I was keen to know more; when I read it was to be directed by Guillermo del Toro, director of Pan's Labyrinth and Hellboy, I decided to put it on my 'to-see' list.

Homemade Fusion

"HOMEMADE FUSION is a series of musical snapshots from the imaginations of Michael Kooman (music) and Christopher Dimond (lyrics). Each snapshot attempts to make sense of an increasingly senseless world by examining the paradox of modern times. At once dangerously cynical and desperately romantic, it is a tale of love, loss, and candy bars."

I can't really come up with a better description of the show than they one they provide - so I'm not going to try.

On paper this show certainly had a lot going for it; the musical director is Aaron Nash, who in the last few years has made a name for himself with his Tom Waits tribute show New Coat of Paint (a great show I saw in 2012), the highly acclaimed Tears on My Pillow shows and – demonstrating his breadth – composing music for the multi-award-winning University of Adelaide Theatre Guild production of The Pillowman.

Then you add the performers – Brady Lloyd, Claire McEvoy, Rachel Rai and David Salter, four hugely talented young people with well-earned reputations in the Adelaide musical theatre community; I've seen all of them before and have been impressed every time.