Just watched...

..."Transparent: Musicale Finale," the end of the 4 season series "Transparent" on Amazon Prime. After binge watching the entire series two years ago (read my review here), the fate of the show was a bit up in the air. Jeffrey Tambor, the actor who played the lead character Maura Pfefferman, was accused of sexual misconduct on the set and was subsequently fired. Which is a shame since not only is Tambor a spectacularly talented actor, the show itself was amazing, winning 8 Emmys, 2 Golden Globes, an AFI award, a British Academy Television award, a Directors Guild of America award, a Screen Actors Guild award, a Producers Guild of America award, 3 Critic's Choice awards, and a Peabody award. Tambor has since apologized for bad behavior and temperamental outbursts but has denied any sexual misconduct. Whatever the truth, I am glad the creators of the show, Jill and Faith Soloway, decided to give the remaining characters and story lines a chance for some closure.

I recently came across a trailer for the series finale and I was quite surprised to see that it is a musical. And I was a bit put off..."Oh, I'm not going to watch that," said I with an inner eye roll. But I should not have been so quick to write it off. My husband was intrigued and took a peek without me. He came back and reported that the first five minutes had knocked him to the floor. So we hunkered down to catch up with the Pfefferman clan.

And indeed, the show does open with a very emotionally effective and arresting song, while each of the characters are introduced by a montage, showing where they are and what they are doing since we saw them last. But each of them are isolated, in their sheltered corners. It's one of the best, most touching opening sequences I've seen in a long time. And at the end of this sequence, we discover that Maura (Tambor's character) has died in her sleep. What transpires is the journey everyone must make when they have lost a loved one and are in a state of grief, but also the extra journey these characters must make to get out of their own ways.

Recommend? If you've seen the first four seasons, it is a must-see. It's moving and dramatic but also as awkwardly funny as it is always was. And it includes a final musical number that will surely push a lot of buttons for some...but if you step back and look, truly see, you will agree with the sentiment.

https://www.amazon.com/Transparent-Musicale-Finale/dp/B07SM1B1SP

MOTUS

Amazing. Motion controlled electronic musical instrument. Movement becomes music.

https://motusmotus.com/

Just watched...

...Disney's adaptation of the Sondheim musical "Into The Woods."

I am not a big fan of musicals. At all. I hope I never, ever hear any song from "The Music Man" or "The Sound of Music" again as long as I live, and I swear, if I ever have to sit through another production of "Oliver," someone is going to have to pay, and pay dearly. BUT, my one caveat is the work of Stephen Sondheim. His work far outshines and surpasses anything that a musical was or aspired to be previously to his "Sweeney Todd," "Sunday In The Park With George" (which won a mere PULITZER for gods' sake), and "Into The Woods."

Like so many of his works, "Into The Woods" uses a subject as a jumping off point for issues much deeper than those seen on the surface. The stage version of "Into The Woods" takes act one to tell--or re-tell in a wry fashion--fairy tales from our common cultural storehouse (although he did invent one, the story of the childless baker and his wife, and threw it into the mix). Act two is what happens after the end of the tale(s) as we know it. Much like Anne Sexton's book of re-examined and sequel-filled poems of fairy tales, TRANSFORMATIONS, act two of the show portrays the characters from the tales in a not-so-happily-ever-after situation. I mean, who would want to just marry the prince and be done with it? Wouldn't there be some kind of longing, some kind of yearning for something...something...authentic, genuine...something more personal, more alive? And what about what you sacrificed to attain your dream?

But on a deeper level, the show is about truth, perception, childhood, innocence, and above all, the lies that we tell children and the repercussions those lies can have ("Careful the things you say, children will listen"). And thankfully, Disney did not water down this sense of "Into The Woods." How could they? The songs are integral and the ultimate meaning cannot be changed without coming outright and changing the entire story itself. Meryl Streep, who can do no wrong, is just lovely as The Witch, bringing not only the proper spookiness but also a necessary poignant sadness to the role. Emily Blunt and English comedian James Corden are wonderful as The Baker and His Wife, Lilla Crawford kicks ass as Little Red Riding Hood (what a voice!), and Johnny Depp is adequate in the small role as The Wolf. Oh, and it turns out that Chris Pine is not only gorgeous but can also do comedy and sing. Alrighty then. Unfortunately, and this could just be me, Anna Kendrick as Cinderella was a tad underwhelming, and I can't put my finger on it. I perceive a certain kind of petulant, contemporary Valley Girl-ness in her and it was not suited to the role.

The visuals are fine, art direction spot on, and the music is largely in tact--a few songs are truncated and another few make their appearance as background music while characters basically talk quickly through whatever was in the song...and I understand these decisions in the interest of time.

Recommend? Oh yes, and I don't think you have to be a fan of musicals or Sondheim to enjoy it. But it helps.

http://movies.disney.com/into-the-woods/