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jurassicparkpodcast · 3 years

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Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous Season 2 | SPOILER Breakdown & Review

Be advised – this article contains heavy spoilers for the second season of Camp Cretaceous. Make sure to check out our non-spoiler review before you read this piece. If you’ve seen the entirety of Season Two, please feel free to read this review.

If you read my non-spoiler review of the second season of Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous, then you may have noted my choice to refer directly to coming back to the spoiler section for several bits of key information. That is primarily because the events of this second season take place at a previously un-documented timeframe – meaning everything which occurs is ‘new’ – even if it may have nods to earlier and latter parts of the timeline.

With that said, we’re going to use this article to talk about some of the juicier parts of the second season of the show. Let’s dive in.

The key part to the second series of the show is the idea of the emergency beacon on Main Street being used by the kids to summon some help to the island – making their rescue a possibility. I enjoyed how the beacon was uncovered by the kids within the Jurassic World Inside Guide – a nice nod to some of the real documents like the Jurassic World Staff Book we have in the real-world. I also enjoyed how this sequence was used as an opportunity to explain how lots of technology may be hidden around the park as ‘nature’ – helping to retroactively explain how the park may have functioned without us even realising in Jurassic World. We also get to see the Jurassic World Discovery Walk (a new attraction!) during this segment, building out the park a little more, and also spend more time in T-Rex Kingdom, which was a welcome addition. This sequence also features a gut wrenching flashback – with Darius having a moment where Ben’s fall from the train in Season One is replaced with his dad falling. This was a heart wrenching moment – and really sets up the guilt arc which is a key driver for Darius throughout the second season. Of note is the fact that the beacon message does change from ‘Sent’ to ‘Received’ – something which is not touched upon again in the second season. This sets up a couple of interesting options for a third season – something which we will discuss in another article here on the website soon.

The next interesting element I wanted to talk about is the implementation of the veterinary area of the park in Episode Two. This was a fun opportunity to peak underneath the hood of the functioning Jurassic World a little bit more – seeing where sick animals may have been quarantined and treated. I particularly appreciated how the animals in cages here included a Parasaurolophus and Stegosaurus – a fun nod to the same animals being caged by Ludlow’s team in The Lost World: Jurassic Park. I loved the way Grim, Chaos and Limbo were introduced during this sequence – and also loved seeing them squaring off with the Stegosaurs, showing that sometimes predators would rather leave groups of Herbivores than pick a fight where they would be outnumbered. This is a nice nod to the real palaeontological understanding that herbivores moved in larger herds to protect them from predators. Kenji and Yaz also got some interesting development in Episode Two, too – and I feel like the first two episodes were some of the strongest in terms of the areas of the park they explored, and also the animal behaviours which they showed throughout the moments we spend with dinosaurs in these episodes. This is continued in Episode Three, however – which introduces us to the watering hole, and some fun accompanying lore to flesh out the behaviour of the dinosaurs in the series a little bit more.

Episode Three introduces us to the watering hole – and is arguably my favourite episode because of the time it takes to really bring back the ‘natural beauty’ element of the dinosaurs and the environments in the Jurassic franchise. During these sequences we get some interesting bits of information – including Darius sharing that Doctor Grant stated that predators and prey may be able to co-exist at a watering hole if the right conditions were met. It is nice to hear Grant name dropped to remind us of the universe we are in, and this is a nice way of explaining the Ceratosaurus also at the watering hole. During this sequence the Ceratosaurus also encounters the kids but chooses to ignore them and walk off – a nice call-back to the more docile behaviour we see exhibited from this animal in Jurassic Park III. Of note during this episode is the idea that the Stegosaurus has shed its plate as it has grown and rubbed itself against a tree – something which Sammy compares to modern-day animals, and we also see a Parasaurolophus inhabiting a river – calling back to where they were located in the park. Although we don’t get much of it in the latter parts of the season, the steps taken to really add to the dinosaurs behaviours in the earlier episodes feels rewarding and helps to flesh them out as natural animals in their own right.

Another interesting note in this episode is the fact that Brooklynn, Sammy and Yaz revisit the genetics lab where Doctor Wu and Eddie were in Season One, to find it now stripped back and empty. This suggests that, much like we see in the film, Hoskins may have ordered his people to extract assets from across the island – which does then call into question some moments which occur later in the season. During this sequence the trio find a key card in an envelope – alongside a couple of pieces of paper which appear to contain information, potentially to do with E750’s genetics given the fact that this name is on the envelope. E750 is, if you remember, the ‘confidential’ folder we saw on Wu’s Computer in Season One – implying that this is something big. At the end of this episode we are also introduced to a campfire on the island – indicating that someone else is on the island. In Episode Four we learn that these people mercenary-type character of Hap, and two Ecotourists – Mitch and Tiff. Mitch’s character design is an overt Alan Grant reference – designed to make us feel as though we can trust him, whilst Hap feels more akin to someone like Dieter Stark. Over the course of this episode we learn a few interesting details – including the fact that the group’s boat is away refueling at Papagayo. Interestingly, this is a peninsula on the North Pacific Coast of Costa Rica – in keeping with the geography of the series. The episode ends with Hap chasing the kids after they tried to break into his yurt – only for them to be rescued at the last moment by Ben and an adult Bumpy.

Episode Five takes the time for us to explore how Ben survived – showing how he attempted to escape the jungle but inadvertently wondered into Toro’s nesting ground. This sequence is cool as it shows Toro has been hunting animals since the end of Season One – suggesting he has been taking his aggression out on Nublar’s other residents. At a couple of different moments here we see Compys surrounding Ben as he cowers – helping to create the similar sense of vulnerableness that we see in Cathy Bowman. Eventually, after snapping at Bumpy and finding himself on his own, Ben stands up to the Compys and decides to go and fight Toro. This leads to a cool sequence where Bumpy eventually saves Ben and fights Toro – although I do feel like here the kids show side of the series takes over a little bit more, as I can imagine a kid with a spear not being much of a problem for a fully grown Carnotaurus. With that said, seeing a fully grown Bumpy showdown with Toro was a nice call-back to the cut Sinoceratops vs Carnotaurus fight from Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom, and I was quite excited to see Toro back for an episode as I wasn’t sure we would see this animal again in the series.

The next episode reveals why Tiff and Mitch are truly on the island – because they are Big Game Hunters. In the yurt which was off limits Darius finds a lot of hunting tools, including a bear trap, and brutally – the head of a Sinoceratops. I was genuinely shocked at how morbid this sequence was – and think this reinforces the idea that this isn’t purely a kids show. Whilst this was mainly implied as the whole head is not shown under the cover it has over it, it was enough to shock me. I really enjoyed this reveal as I didn’t expect it – I thought it would be easy for this to be Mantah Corp, but obviously, as The Lost World shows us, there will be people out there who want to hunt these animals for a challenge. Interestingly, Mitch justifies hunting them as preserving their memory, saying that the UN will soon forget and abandon the island. I appreciated this attempt from the writers to show how the character would justify his actions as it helps to make him slightly more compelling – even if I would argue that the writing for both characters is weak here. In this episode we also see the death of Hap – who stays behind to distract the pack of three Baryonyx so that Brooklynn and Kenji can escape on a motorbike following Ben’s rescue. This was an interesting moment as it is clear Hap was written to fit the ‘villain’ stereotype and then flip it. Interestingly enough we don’t see Hap die – so whilst surviving an attack from three Baryonyx is improbable, it is possible he could return. I would argue that he was the best of the three new characters introduced in the second season of the show. We end with Yaz, Darius and Sammy at the mercy of the pair of hunters – who now want Darius to show them the watering hole so they can kill more dinosaurs. This makes sense – but may have benefitted from being slightly more fleshed out in my opinion.

This idea carries over into Episode Seven – where Darius falsely leads the pair to main street in a desperate bid to escape. There is a really cool sequence on main street here where Darius and Sammy are avoiding the couple in a way which almost mimics the Velociraptor kitchen sequence from Jurassic Park - with them moving from cover to cover in a slow fashion. Whilst this unfolds, Brooklynn, Kenji, Yaz and Ben find an emergency bunker when Brooklynn follows a hum she has heard throughout the series – pointing to something still being operational underground. The Bunker facility appears identical to the one which we see in Jurassic World Aftermath – which poses some interesting questions for where that latter entry slots into the story given what else unfolds here. We learn that this room connects to a room where a sample is cryogenically frozen – and Kenji inadvertently begins the process of awakening it. I enjoyed everything we saw on the computer screens on this sequence – including the location of the watering hole, which appears to be near Gyrosphere Valley. This then leads into the second sequence we get with the Tyrannosaurus Rex in this series – which is, unfortunately, a sequence which suffers from the necessity for plot armour to carry the antagonists through to the final episode. Rexy tries repeatedly to bite Tiff and Mitch and misses – allowing them to escape and eventually being distracted from Darius and Sammy by lights and sounds the rest of the crew activate in the command centre. Seeing Rexy unable to kill either Tiff or Mitch when they were out in the open is one of the moments which breaks the realism of the series, in my opinion – making it a little bit harder to accept at face value.

The finale starts with Tiff and Mitch heading to the watering hole whilst the rest of the kids attempt to stop them. During this sequence we get a brutal moment where Tiff kills Grim with a single shot – reminding us that this animals are not nearly as resilient as the Indominus Rex. This stood out to me as it reminded me how easy the dinosaurs which are rampaging during Jurassic World Dominion would be to deal with – implying that something more serious may happen to prevent authorities around the world from dealing with the animals so quickly. This moment really was brutal – as although Grim was technically an antagonist, the death had a similar effect to that of Zara, with it not feeling earned. Eventually the kids manage to stop Tiff and Mitch from killing any of the other animals – and both die in ways which homage different parts of the franchise. Mitch steps on his own snare and is eaten by the Tyrannosaurus Rex whilst hanging from a tree – a fun nod to the death of Cooper in JPIII who has a similar fate at the hands of the Velociraptors. Tiff, on the other hand, makes it onto her boat (which has been moored at the dock the whole time) – and makes it on in time to escape before the kids can get onboard. As she begins to sail away it is revealed that Limbo and Chaos have made it onboard – sealing her fate, and providing a moment of Karma for the brutal execution of Grim earlier in the episode. This also serves as a fun nod to the novel – where Velociraptors were able to board the Isla Nublar supply ships. This then ends with the kids practically in the same position as the end of Season One – which does, in some ways, negate the events of the second season as it feels as though no real progress occurs.

Overall, there are some fun sequences in Season Two of Camp Cretaceous – but it feels as though there are less memorable moments than the first season, and many of them are over-exaggerated and therefore leave you questioning their realism within the canon. Whilst the show should be granted additional freedom due to its target demographic, this undoubtedly is a canonical piece – and I feel like the second season pushed the boundaries of being a canonical entry in the series a little bit too far at times. Whilst some sequences, like a stampede sequence in Episode Seven and the Baryonyx attack in Episode Two feel well executed, other sequences, like the chase in Episode Six, feel a little bit too extreme. With that said, I think kids are definitely going to love these set pieces, so I can look past them for the impact they may have on younger fans.

I also didn’t enjoy the lack of any presence for Mantah Corp in Season Two. Whilst I appreciated Mitch and Tiff not being agents of the organisation, as that would’ve been easy to do, I do think that having some kind of reference – whether it be another drone, or mention of another boat off shore – would have been a nice way of tying in the fact that Mantah Corp are still an active threat in this universe. Whilst I have no doubt that they will return in the future, the complete lack to acknowledge them beyond Brooklynn and Sammy name-dropping them a couple of times did seem like a shame considering the focus that was placed on season one. The issue which irked me most, however, is probably that of E750 – which is being thawed out. We will have a separate video speculating what this could be, but my biggest issue is how this sits within the canon. As per JWFK and Jurassic World Aftermath, we know that teams were sent back to recover assets and extract them off of the island – so if E750 was such a big project for Wu, then why did he leave it on the island? This makes little sense to me right now and is, in my opinion, one of the bigger issues with retrospectively building this mystery specimen into the Jurassic timeline.

With these issues highlighted, I think Season Two of Camp Cretaceous was good, but it fails to follow-up on some of the more interesting parts of the first season, and strays a little close to the boundaries of the pre-established canon present in the universe. Whilst I appreciate it is a kids show, and I can allow more due to this, I do feel like the E750 storyline has the potential to raise more questions about the rest of the lore, depending on the direction it takes – and this is a problem which can occur when retroactively building a multi-media timeline. I am interested to see how this unfolds in a third season – and I do wonder how much more we can explore on Nublar before it begins to feel stagnant. There is certainly more of the island I would like to see and explore – so I hope we get to do this in future instalments.

I think it is fair to say I enjoyed the second season of the show – but, perhaps not as much as I did the first season, which I felt gave a little more to adult fans and those of us more familiar with the lore. With that said, I would love to hear from you! Let me know what you thought of Season Two in the comments below, and stay tuned for more Camp Cretaceous content on The Jurassic Park Podcast in the near future.

Written by: Tom Fishenden

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thebookbandwagon · 5 years

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Memory and Dream book review

About this book:

- the setting is a town in 90s society where magic and magical creatures are real

- art = magic - when the main character creates her paintings, they literally come to life and escape the canvas

- urban fantasy but written in a literary style

Memory and Dream tells the story of a painter who can bring the subject of her pieces to life, her deceased best friend, and her abusive mentor, Rushkin the painting master.

This was my first Charles De Lint book – I'd been seeking out books within the urban fantasy genre that weren't written with that very easy to read straight forward colloquial contemporary style or were based on paranormal investigation type plots, and based on my research, Charles De Lint's Newford series seemed like the best option.

Newford is a urban fantasy/magical realism series about a town where magic is real and a part of the community, though it's often subtle and not everyone is aware of it. Each book is self-contained so it can be read in any order. Most of the books follow different protagonists, though some characters are reoccurring. Much of the series was written in the 90s and that is the time period in which most of the books are based, but the characters are still very much relatable and there was nothing while I was reading it that screamed at me that this book was written over two decades ago except for the cover design:

The story begins with Isabelle, who is sent a key from her best friend who's been dead for five years. We learn that Cathy had one dying wish: for Isabelle to complete the series of illustrations for Cathy's stories. It complicates matters because it turns out Isabelle has only been creating abstract painting for the last few years and there's a very good reason for that: if Isabelle paints people, they come to life.

This book is structured so the present often coincides with the past, so we are thrown from the present day world of the 90's back to the 70's when Isabelle was at university. Here we learn of Isabelle becoming an apprentice to the elusive but incredibly well known artist, Rushkin. Rushkin teaches her how to make her paintings come to life (and I mean this in a literal sense) but he's also an incredibly abusive mentor. He's manipulate, using guilt-tripping tactics to persuade Isabelle to stay with him, he's forceful, giving Isabelle little choice but to allow him to paint her naked, and he's physically abusive, striking her when she displeases him. And yet, time and time again, Isabelle returns to him.

It's not an easy read but I have no issues with how the abuse is addressed. Rushkin is the clear villain of the story and as the plot progresses, we get more of a thriller vibe. The story is very good at establishing the dynamics between characters and going into the deeper psychology of why Isabelle keeps returning to Rushkin even though she knows he's a horrible person. I wouldn't recommend anyone sensitive to psychological and physical abuse this book without warning them how much an integral part of the plot the abuse is. It's not overly gratuitous in the abuse scenes and there are not a huge amount of them either – Rushkin is very important to the story but for the most part, he's not present throughout most of it.

The characters were well rounded and the perceptive of the female protagonist was so believably done that it made me realise how rare this was for male authors at the time to accomplish this. Minor spoiler here: the only LGTBQ+ character dies which isn't great, but they still feel very much like a full character who isn't villainised. Considering the context of this time period I found it forgivable.

The writing style feels very literary but not overly so. It's complicated but not without being smooth to read, and it lacks pretentiousness while still feeling sufficiently elegant. The pacing felt a little slow in places and it took me a little while to feel fully emerged in the story but once the plot got going, things became much more interesting. The characters felt fully fleshed while I was reading it, but over time I've forgotten most of their traits and personality, as well as the finer points of the plot.

Still, it's a very unique and well written book and I enjoyed how intertwined art and magic were so I'm giving it 7/10. It’s one of those books that’s technically very good but the heavier themes made it not quite the enjoyable read that I was after.

#book review #book reviews #urban fantasy #urban fantasy books #book recs #fantasy book review #fantasy books #magical realism #magical realism books #sff #adult fantasy books #newford #charles de lint #tw: abuse #sff books #fantasy book rec #urban fantasy rec #my book reviews #adult fantasy book reviews

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andsjuliet · 7 years

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NYC Trip Highlights!

Hey ya’ll, it’s finally here! There’s a lot of stuff, especially on Tuesday and Wednesday as those were big days, you don’t have to read it all, but if you do, thank you! It’s under a cut to save your dashboards.

I’m also not going to go into super specifics about the shows because of spoilers, but if you have questions or just wanna talk about the shows, I’d be more than happy to do so!

Sunday:

Walking around the Broadway Theaters

Getting dō * Sitting in Washington Square Park

Going to the Aladdin stage door and meeting LJ and Courtney

LJ was super sweet and recognizing us right away. She gave us big hugs. She was super excited about meeting us and took a picture with us. *

Courtney said "My girls!" when she saw us at the stage door. She spent a good 10 or so minutes talking to us. She was so so sweet and she gave us big hugs. She loved our gifts, and then asked if she could put us on her Instagram and snapchat stories. She also signed my Aladdin card

Monday:

Went to the Met

Took a picture on the steps of The Met, ala Blair Waldorf

Looking at all of the stunning art in the Met and taking a picture with the Sunday in the Park with George painting (I know that’s not the name, that’s just what I call it)

Walking around Central Park

Tuesday:

We went to the AOL Build interview with Andy Blankenbuehler and Corey Cott.

Andy and Corey answered my question and made eye contact with me while doing so

We met Andy after the interview. I told him that I saw Hamilton in SF over the weekend and that seeing that choreography made me even more excited to see Bandstand. Andy was so so nice and signed my Lights of Broadway card, he also took a picture with us

We also got to meet Corey after the interview. He was so kind. He was so excited when I said it was my first time in New York and that I basically planned this trip to see Bandstand. He said he hoped that I loved it. We told him we were seeing it the next day. He signed my ticket for the interview and we took a picture with him (I died)

Laura Heywood, BroadwayGirlNYC on twitter, was the moderator for the interview and she's just the best. We got to meet her afterwards as well, and she's also from the Bay Area, so when I told her I was too, she was really excited and it turns out her sister takes her kids to see shows at my youth theatre company all the time. She also followed me on twitter!

We went to Strand Bookstore. It's amazing, I could spend hours in there and I need to go back, asap

I got to see my first Broadway show! In Transit was amazing. I love a capella so much and the entire cast was fantastic. I can’t wait for the cast recording. After the show we found out that the show was closing on Sunday, which was super sad, so the cast was down about that at the stage door.

The cast of In Transit is all so sweet! When I told Justin Guarini that I was a fan of him on American Idol and was super excited to finally see him perform, he smiled so big and he rubbed my arm and said that it meant a lot to him. Chesney Snow was the coolest guy and his beat boxing is amazing! When I told him this was my first Broadway show, he went “Me too!” and when we took our picture together he kissed me on the head, which was adorably sweet. Erin Mackey and Margo Seibert are so sweet and they’re GORGEOUS! I’ve been a fan of James Synder since She’s The Man and I was so excited to meet him, I told him so and he told us that the part in She’s the Man where he’s like “I see you through your window, while I’m standing on a tree outside...” was improvised which was really cool, and our picture together turned out really good. Telly Leung was really nice, but it was easy to tell he was really down about the news of closing. He still stopped to sign for everyone and took pictures.

Earlier in the day I messaged Teale (another one of the Gagged Choker girls) and asked if we could meet her after Wicked (she’s a dresser) she said she’d love to meet us if we went to the stage door. So we got Wicked playbills and picked up a gift for Kara Lindsay because we felt weird about going and not seeing the show or having anything. Teale came out and recognized us right away. She said she put on one of the chokers just to meet us, and she and I happened to be wearing the same one. We took pictures together and then she asked if she could put us on her instagram, so of course we said yes. Then she asked if she could TAKE US BACKSTAGE!! We went backstage at the Gershwin, and she showed us her corner where she does quick changes. She showed us props (and told us to take as many pictures as we wanted to) AND THEN SHE ASKED IF SHE COULD TAKE A PICTURE OF US ON STAGE!!!! The trick, she told us, to getting a good picture on stage after a show, is to have someone stand in front of the ghost light. Then she took us down to get back to the stage door and we got to see the wall that has plaques with the names of all the people who have been in Wicked which was so cool to see! Afterwards she gave us hugs again and told us to visit her again.

We stayed to stage door and a friend of one of our mutual friends is playing Boq, so we met him and told him and he was like “We have to take a picture to show her!” which was really cute. Then Michael Campayno came out to sign and he said “Didn’t I just see you on stage?” lol it was so great. Kara Lindsay came out and omg I swear she’s such a princess. She signed her us and was so shocked when I gave her a gift (it was a Belle plush doll) and we said it would go well in her dressing room and she said “Now I have 2!” and we took a picture with her, then left because we were dead.

Wednesday:

Wednesday was our 2 show day, first we saw Dear Evan Hansen. Trust me, all the hype is worth it. This show is beautiful and moving and so so so important. It really moved me. It hit close to home, and I am really glad that this show exists. I really could talk about this show for a long time, so if you’d like to talk to me about it or hear my thoughts, please let me know!

Also, Ben Platt more than deserves that Tony. His performance is incredible.

Gonna say it only because it’s being compared to it. I think DEH is better than Hamilton.

We decided to not stage door DEH because the line was insane, it was basically just a mob. So we were headed to Starbucks and we were about to walk past the Miss Saigon stage door, so I was talking about how Katie Rose Clarke is my favorite Cathy in The Last Five Years. When we walked past the stage door, there she was! We decided to go to the end of the line, and when she got to us I said: “Hi Katie! We didn’t see the show, but I was just saying how you’re my favorite Cathy in TLFY, and I just wanted to tell you that” and she gave me a big smile and a hug and thanked me, I asked her if we could take a picture together and she said yes. Then as we were leaving she said “I hope you can see the show!” so we decided that we were going to rush it on Friday morning lol.

Then it was time for Bandstand.

When we went to get merch I told the girl that I was going to get like all of the merch because it’s already my favorite show, and she said “Why is it your favorite? Ohhhhh! Laura” lol like wow way to call me out, but yes. And yes, I did buy everything. I got: a shirt, a sweatshirt, a hat, a bag, a poster, a mug and a magnet.

BANDSTAND IS MY NEW FAVORITE SHOW. IT IS INCREDIBLE. I WAS SO MOVED BY IT. GIVE ANDY MORE TONY’S. GIVE COREY A TONY (at least a nom, like come on). GIVE LAURA A TONY. GIVE THEM ALL TONY’S. Honestly, I could talk about this show forever. #GoSeeBandstand

Stage door for Bandstand was PACKED YA’LL. It was crazy. Almost the whole cast came out. We got to tell all the guys how impressed with them we were because of their playing the instruments live and their incredible talent and all of them were super kind and genuinely thankful. I told Brandon James Ellis that Bandstand is my new favorite show, and he said “How many shows have you seen?” lol. I was like “Well this is the 3rd of this trip, but it’s my fave” and he said “Thank you, that really means a lot”

The screams when Corey came out omg lol. He was super sweet to everyone and took lots of pictures. When he signed my playbill, I said he was amazing and he looked up to thank me and said “Hey! i saw you the other day! Nice to see you!” omg Corey Cott remembered who I am??? Like what is life. I told him that I loved the show, and he thanked me. He also signed my Newsies Lights of Broadway card and we took a picture together.

We were worried that Laura wasn’t going to come out because she had been sick, but she did and the screams were crazy. She too signed for everyone and took pictures. When she got to us I told her how incredible she was and she thanked me, then I said “Laura, I have a gift for you” and she went “What!? Why!?” and I just laughed and was like “Because you’re amazing” lol. I gave her a card and the Cinderella Funko pop.She got so excited and said “Oh my gosh, thank you! I don’t have her yet!” and we got a cute but awkward picture because of the angle lol, but it was so nice to meet her again because she’s the sweetest and it was incredible to finally see her perform on Broadway. That’s been my dream since becoming a fan of hers.

Thursday:

We took the Staten Island Ferry and saw the Statue of Liberty

We went to Trinity Church and got to see Alexander Hamilton and Eliza Schyuler’s graves, which are kept in pristine condition, let me tell you. There were also pennies and other coins all over both their graves? I don’t know why, so if anyone does, let me know!

I am obsessed with the Drama Book Shop and I want to work there/live there lol. I got The Last Five Years script, the Peter and the Starcatcher script and the Carrie cast recording.

Then we went to Anastasia. Anastasia is so beautiful oh my gosh. It’s stunning and they need to win a scenic and costume design Tony. The cast is incredible and I love that it’s like exactly the same almost, as it was in Hartford. There was a little mishap, yay previews! lol. They did have to stop the show for like 10 minutes, at the most, but then it went off without a hitch.

We got to meet the entire leading cast which was amazing and they all were so so lovely.

Mary Beth Peil was stunning as the Dowager Empress. When we met her she signed my Lights of Broadway card of hers. I told her that I would watch this movie with my grandma, so the scene with she and Anya where they find out she is Anastasia was really special to me, and she said “I watch this movie with my granddaughter too” and it was really sweet, then we took a picture together after she signed my playbill.

I love Caroline O’Connor as Countess Lily, she’s hilarious and just such a sweet woman!

John Bolton is hilarious as Vlad and he’s the kindest man! My friend and I were both wearing our Bandstand sweatshirts and he said “What are you wearing? Oh! Bandstand! How was it? I have friends in that show!” and we were like “Oh my gosh, Bandstand is amazing!” and he said “I can’t wait to see it!” it was the funniest interaction lol.

OMG RAMIN KARIMLOO I LOVE HIM AND HE IS AMAZING IN THIS ROLE. He’s also such a kind man. I told him he was amazing and he thanked me. He signed my Lights of Broadway card and my playbill, when I asked him for a picture he said of course and then he asked me if he wanted me to take the picture and I was like “YES!” so he took my phone and took a selfie of us. I also told him that I loved him in Les Mis and he was really kind. My friend also said that Gleb is such an interesting villain and he goes “He’s not a villain though” lol it was so funny. Yes, Ramin, I trust you.

The screams when Derek Klena came out, good God lol. I had out my Anastasia playbill and the booklet of my Carrie cast recording for him to sign, so after he signed the playbill I asked him to sign my Carrie recording and he was like “Oh my gosh! Yes! Like no one has this!” lol it was so cute. We took a super cute selfie together too. Derek is so sweet.

Christy Altomare is an actual princess and the cutest/sweetest person I have ever met. She not only stops to talk and take pictures with everyone, she also gives so many hugs and is genuinely so touched when people tell her how great she was. During curtain call, the applause for her was practically deafening and she was so touched she started crying before she even came out. When she got to us I thanked her for her performance and told her how amazing I thought she was and that Anastasia is my favorite movie and she was so perfect. She thanked me and gave me a big hug. I also told her that I love her solo music and have been listening to it her years. I asked her to also sign my Carrie album and she was so excited! I gave her a card and she opened it and looked and it really fast and thanked me, then said “I’m going to keep it in my dressing room!” and we took a super cute picture together. She is the sweetest woman, and is incredible in this role. I really hope she gets the recognition that she deserves and that everyone falls in love with her.

Friday:

Friday was our most relaxed day. We got up early to rush Miss Saigon and then went back to the apartment to sleep lol.

Miss Saigon is...wow um interesting. The cast is incredible though.

Turns out Devin Ilaw, who I saw as Marius is in the show which made me so excited. So I pulled out a picture of the 2 of us from 2013 to show him at the stage door. When I did he freaked out! He was so excited and was like “That’s so cool! Oh my god, look at my hair! I had a faux hawk!” lol and when I asked for another picture he said “of course!” and wrapped his arm around me, then said “Wait! Get my hair in the picture!” lol he’s the best.

Eva Noblezada is A BEAST. She gives an incredible performance and when i told her she was super sweet. When I asked for a picture with her she was like “of course! and let’s get chris in there too!” I love that she called Alistair ‘Chris’ instead of his name lol. So I got a cute selfie with them and Alistair was super sweet as well.

It took Katie a while to come out, but she did! She saw us and said “Oh my gosh! You two came!” it was the sweetest thing and she was happy to sign my TLFY script, she put “xo Katie”, I didn’t ask her for another picture because we already had one from before.

Abby, the 4th Gagged Choker girl, was there because she was hanging out with Katie and her husband, so we did get to meet all 4 Gagged Choker girls! She was so kind and spent a good 10-15 minutes talking to us and we got a super cute picture together.

Random Highlights:

The Miss Saigon cast and twitter account and I are like BFFS. Colby, one of the ensemble members and I believe the Chris understudy, liked one of my instagram photos and commented on my picture of the playbill when we saw the show. The Miss Saigon twitter liked and replied to me like 3 times and one of the female ensemble member liked all of my NYC pictures on instagram.

Claybourne Elder liked 2 of my pictures. If you know how much I love Bonnie and Clyde (doesn’t everyone though?) then you know HOW FREAKING COOL THAT IS FOR ME!

Michael Campayno liked one of my instagram pictures.

#caitlyn's nyc adventure

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spherekuriboh · 4 years

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honestly i was trying to cook an angels of death swap au but i really think the framing of the regular game would have been cleaner if like,

the game angled itself in a way where the player would assume that rachel "knew" all the angels? in the same way she knew/knows danny. like. the assumption being that's the reverend of her church, etc etc. i would probably also switch the positions but not roles of zack and the reverend-- making the church B6 and zack the master of B2 instead. the game tells you instantly and upfront that he's a serial killer and like That's Fine And All but i think the gamelong assumption that he killed rachel's parents would be way funnier in terms of payoff. also, instead of following her, it would literally just straight up be (zack appears on b5 nonetheless to bitch something out with danny!)

or, now that i’ve thought it through more, (danny baits zack into becoming a sacrifice to maintain the illusion of being ray’s friend!)

#i think zack pushing ray around b5 a little bit-- you know how those rooms get trashed?-- would work for the purposes of the start #where (zack voice) holy shit i could see the will to live just straight up disappear from your face #danny pretends for 20 seconds to be a normal person but he's actually good at it this time #iiiii didnt realize that zack had heterochromia for regular people? i was honestly waiting for the joke to be that danny gave him an eye lol #i think its weird that danny doesnt snipe about it either way #i think danny would be PISSED if zack managed to show up at exactly the wrong time but also?#he's good at this and zack is the world's easiest scapegoat lmao #i think theres a really interesting implicaton in the fact that zack never managed to kill anybody as a floormaster?#which. no traps! (reverend voice) zack's floor design is uncomplicated.#but also he literally isnt bad at what he does. like at all. anyway i think the meaning of this would change if zack's floor WASN'T b6 but #like it woud just be funnier honestly. (zack voice) people never GET this far its BORING #i feel like it being rachel-centric doesnt change the cult thing #bc 1) rachel is wrong about 90% of things and 2) cathy and ed as darkside zack and ray still works? in a lot of ways #like this isnt built for rachel as much as rachel assumes its built for her #so by the time she hits the tenuous connection of cathy as (throws dart) fuck i dunno her mom i guess? the pattern is already ready to fly #lads: (arrive at b2) / zack: oh this is my floor! i could kill you. / ray: / zack: you're boring.#anyway i think i could put more thought into it. i'll be back.#also ive come to the conclusion that ed and cathy could and should be darkside ray and zack in a proper swap but fjjdhdhfjfjdh god #anyway.#angels of death spoilers #im still thinking this through. might actually write this fic.#might have to consume the adaptations first.#anyway. anyway.#distext

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keepingupwithfundies · 7 years

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Counting On Season 4 Episode 4: The Bachelor Party

Baby Seewald just missed my birthday, today I am 22 years old. Here is a party that includes none of the dancing and drinking I am about to go do! :)

-Admin T

Opens at Jessa and Ben’s home. Jessa is six months pregnant and going for a 3D ultrasound to find out the gender. She is feeling great, she says. This baby is more active than Spurgeon was, and Jessa thinks thats indicative of a “fire-y” personality. Ben, Jessa, Jana and Joy will all find out, and not tell anyone.

They arrive at the ultrasound place. Producers ask the family what the baby’s having, it’s about half and half guesses. Spurgeon “talks” and claps while Jana asks him about the baby which is precious. The baby’s face is precious. Jana and Joy say sweet things, and they kick out the camera crew to find out the gender. (spoiler: its a boy) Spurgeon is pretty happy, and Jana and Joy refuse to tell the camera crew.

Jeremy and Jinger and Justin to chaperone are heading to the airport to pick people up for their Bachelor/Bachelorette weekend. The party will be Jeremy’s friends (the goalie, the photographer from the proposal are included) and Jinger’s family. Jeremy reminds us their bachelor party will not be “mischievous” but will instead be good quality time with friends. Fine, I guess. They walk in from the car and the goalie Luis makes a joke that there are couples holding hands and him and Justin in the back, to which Justin jokingly offers his hand.

Ben reminds us that Duggar Bachelor(ette) parties are more boring- I mean- different than typical bachelor parties. “We aren’t missing out,” Jessa guesses (how do you even know girl?) Luis says there are so many names and he did not realize they all started with J at first. They are going to do an escape room. Jana is staying home with Spurge, which seems sad but who know maybe she just didn't want to do an escape room.

They arrive at the Escape Room. They put you in a room and you solve clues to find your way out. These actually look kinda fun, I’ve never tried one. They are Spanish explorers looking for a missing person whose “researching” the Maya. In 60 minutes there will be a Volcanic eruption (this is looking less fun the more they explain it). Guys against girls, one group at a time (so they just wait for an hour while the other group go? ok) The guys try to figure out the clues. Jeremy says the guys are fierce competition for the girls. Ben, naturally, is confused. Jeremy jokes about his friend going to Yale, and Jeremy going to Syracuse, like, those are good schools? Kinda surprised by that. The girls do not seem excited by the escape room at all. The guys seem to be having fun but are struggling. They get one key and there’s another room with 5 more locks and they are beginning to run very low on time. The guys do not solve the room. They are shamed. They put the girls in the room. Derick says the girls are much more efficient then them. Producer: What are some skills you used in this game that can also be used in a marriage? Jeremy: Blame shifting! No, I’m just kidding. Jinger: Listening. The girls are in the other room, and are solving stuff much more quickly than the guys but they do not finish the room either. They talk about how tough the challenge was and they say the girls win.

The guys go golfing the next day, and Jeremy goes all out in a golf get up. Derick and Ben say he’s trying to intimidate them-and yes, you should be intimidated (even though no one is good a golf Jeremy is the best Duggar husband sorry not sorry). Derick and Ben have not golfed other than putt putt and driving range. They tear the course up, Luis is witty, and they laugh and have a good time. 21 strokes to get Ben’s ball in the first whole. No one knows what a boogie is, or a birdie, or even par, or club names.

Finally, we switch to the girls making jewelry. I actually really enjoy making jewelry so I was into this scene. Seung Hye who is married to Jeremy’s friend James, is apparently a great jewelry designer. They will wear the jewelry for the wedding. Jinger tells us the wedding plans are going well. Seung Hye asks if they have any plans for their first kiss. This results in the married girls explain how kissing works (spoiler alert: you touch lips. Not too challenging) Jinger looks like she wants to die. Jill reminds us that Derick dipped her but she says he did tell her he was planning on dipping her. Jinger and Jeremy are gonna kiss on stage because they’re traditional and Jinger is excited. She’s pretty worried about missing which makes me think she realized how odd Jill and Derick’s looked. Michelle says the day will be mixed emotions because she is moving so far away. Jinger, right now, says she will miss her family will a small smile on her face that implies “but not THAT much” Then Joy reminds us that they love and will miss Jinger by sharing stories about her spontaneity.

Back to golf, oh no. The boys are still not great. James and Luis are killing it. They have fun though. Derick says he wants to take Jill golfing. My parents golf and it’s pretty cute so I say go for it.

Back at jewelry making, Jana is killing the game. Jinger says the bracelet will be her something new. The men return from golfing. Jeremy goes back to Laredo for church and they remind us they are excited for the wedding and not saying goodbye. They tease that next week is the last episode before the “two hour event of the season” YOU SHOWED US THE WEDDING ALREADY WHY THE HYPE?

Derick reminds us he was Pistol Pete, and so was his dad who passed away when Derick was a sophomore. Derick sweetly talks about his dad and then they play with Israel who is precious! Cathy arrives and Derick tells us she is an OSU alum as well. (Oh, send Izzy to college Derick. Please.) They head to homecoming, which begins with a parade which has a great crowd. The Duggars tell us they don’t know what homecoming is. Joy figures it out. Derick is on the Pistol Pete Alum float which is sweet, some of the guys tell stories about his dad. Israel loves the parade, oh my goodness, he is so cute. Derick then gets to meet fans as Pistol Pete. They show Izzy Derick in the costume and Izzy is not too sure what is going on and is pretty scared by the massive head. Derick and Cathy show Jill and Izzy around the campus. Cathy shows them concrete with her and Derick’s father’s initials carved into it, which, that is pretty cool. They visit Derick’s old dorm room, which is where Cathy told Derick Mr. Dillard had passed away unexpectedly. This is an actually emotional moment and it was sweet for the family. They keep calling Izzy Three-Pete because Derick wants him to be Pistol Pete when he is in college (I hope so!!!)

#counting on #recap

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larryland · 4 years

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by Fred Baumgarten

Every generation, it seems, must have its “Chalk Garden.” Major revivals pop up every decade or so like crocuses sprouting in spring. And then there’s the popularity the 1955 Enid Bagnold play enjoys in regional theater, perhaps owing to its meaty dialogue and eccentric characters.

Is it any wonder that the Ghent Playhouse’s new production of “The Chalk Garden,” under the direction of artistic director Cathy Lee-Visscher, took an exceedingly dark tone with this British dramedy? That’s about right for this #MeToo generation. But it’s a pity that some of Bagnold’s wit and satire couldn’t shine through more.

In actuality, “The Chalk Garden,” for all its actorly chops, fits awkwardly against contemporary America—both more relevant than ever and oddly disconnected—hailing from a time of nascent feminism in England weighted down by postwar norms and still viewing liberated women as upstarts and eccentrics. (Trigger warnings and spoilers ahead.)

The story revolves around a triangle of “troubled” women: Mrs. St. Maugham (Wendy Spielmann), who tends her country estate garden and looks after her granddaughter, Laurel (Elisheva Malfatto); and a mysterious governess, Miss Madrigal (Sally McCarthy), who answers an ad to take care of the teenager.

Each of them bears a kind of moral burden, though an ambiguous one: Mrs. St. Maugham may have driven away her daughter, Laurel’s mother Olivia (Lee-Visscher); Miss Madrigal may have murdered a stepsister; and Laurel may have been “violated” (Bagnold’s explicit term) as a preteen.

The heart of the drama turns on the question most often associated with #MeToo: whom do you believe? In 1955 England, the answers are complicated by other questions regarding women’s ability to distinguish truth from fiction and whether anyone can see through to their “true” natures.

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Also hovering around for the unfolding events are Maitland (Steve King), a reluctant servant; an unseen, unwell butler living upstairs, named Pinkbell, who represents something like the old order; his nurse (Jewel Winant); and “The Judge” (George Filieau), a friend of Mrs. St. Maugham’s whose arrival for a visit sparks an unraveling of stories.

The Chalk Garden, incidentally, is a literal description of the estate’s garden, where the soil is limestone and everything planted by Mrs. St. Maugham, with advice from the unseen butler, dies. You would be hard-pressed to overlook the metaphorical meaning, just as Miss Madrigal’s healing touch with the garden symbolizes this play’s belief in second chances.

There was ample ramping up of tension as the third act’s confrontation between The Judge and Miss Madrigal drew near, and some riveting mother-daughter showdowns between Olivia and Mrs. St. Maugham, courtesy of some excellent acting by Lee-Visscher and Spielmann.

What was missing from this production of “The Chalk Garden” was the sense of hope and possibility, not to mention just plain carpe diem zaniness hidden underneath each character like a seed needing watering. The actor who came closest was Malfatto, the youngest, who imbued Laurel with a mischievous sparkle. Spielmann had moments of inspired battiness as called for by Mrs. St. Maugham’s character.

Unfortunately, as Miss Madrigal, the heart and soul of the play, McCarthy sustained an overly angry and emotional demeanor—though as I said at the outset, as a directorial choice it may not be entirely inappropriate to our time. It was also difficult to draw a bead on King’s Maitland; he too seemed alternately angry and confused. Filieau was fine as The Judge, if a little stiff, and Winant serviceable as the nurse in a part that is admittedly marginal.

Sam Reilly’s set was gorgeous, Joe Sicotte lighting luminous, and Joanne Maurer’s costumes lovely.

Part of me feels like it’s time to retire old chestnuts like “The Chalk Garden,” and yet as long as there are literary and challenging plays like it, they will forever grow again in half-decent soil.

The Chalk Garden by Enid Bagnold, directed by Cathy Lee-Visscher, runs January 31-February 2, February 7-9, and February 14-16, 2020 at the Ghent Playhouse, 6 Town Hall Place, Ghent, NY. Stage Manager Ariell Lant, Props Cathy Lee-Visscher, Kelly Mackerer, Costumes Joanne Maurer, Set Sam Reilly, Set Construction and Décor Sam Reilly, Cathy Lee-Vissscher, Lighting Design Joe Sicotte, Sound Effects Monk Schane-Lydon, Lighting and Sound Operation Randi Lant. CAST: Sally McCarthy as Miss Madrigal, Steve King as Maitland, Joanne Maurer as Second Applicant, Elisheva Malfatto as Laurel, Karen McNulty as Third Applicant, Wendy Spielmann as Mrs. St. Maugham, Jewel Winant as Nurse, Cathy Lee-Visscher as Olivia, and George Filieau as The Judge.

Tickets $22, $17 for members, $10 for students. For tickets and information, call (800) 838-3006 or visit ghentplayhouse.org.

REVIEW: “The Chalk Garden” at the Ghent Playhouse by Fred Baumgarten Every generation, it seems, must have its “Chalk Garden.” Major revivals pop up every decade or so like crocuses sprouting in spring.

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