Red, White & Royal Blue
It's only been a couple weeks since summer official began, and I've already devoured some incredible summer reads. So it's my responsibility and joy to gush about them with you. Take a look at part one of what is sure to be an ongoing rundown of summer reading:
The second I finished the last page of Red, White & Royal Blue, I felt that sense of melancholy I get when I'm done reading a book I love. Written by Casey McQuiston, the romantic tale tells the story of Alex, the son of the first female president of the United States, and Henry, a British prince (spare to the heir of the throne), who fall for each other, despite a rocky start to their relationship. In addition to its male leads, the book also focuses on a story arc centered on Alex's sister, June, who is also one of his best friends. The two siblings both handle life in the limelight differently and struggle to separate the politics that is naturally engrained in everything they do with their pre-White House relationships with their parents. I love the way sibling dynamics are naturally woven into this love story. The novel touches on politics, gender dynamics, sexual identity, while at its core being an incredibly romantic and story about finding home and opening up to new people around you. It's the most well-rounded and beautiful romance I've read in a while (and as readers know, I've read quite a few lately), and despite its heavy rooting in American politics, the book remains hopeful (our current President doesn't exist in this universe, so it's a happier place) that love can conquer all. The movie rights have been purchased... let's hope they don't mess it up.
As Seen on Screen
Now that I've had a little over a week to recover from my excitement about the Tony Awards. I can put some coherent thoughts together for you all. Despite not being as well-read as I normally am about this year's crop of nominees, I still really enjoyed the broadcast and found myself making notes to check out the Be More Chill (which got an indirect shoutout in the James in the Bathroom parody), Hadestown (the best performance of the night!) and this Oklahoma update. It got me thinking about some of my favorite performances from Tony's past, and I've put together a couple highlights to brighten your week:
I still remember sitting i the living room of my house and watching this performance for the first time. My brother and I sat there with our jaws dropped and couldn't stop gushing about it once the show concluded. During the 2014 Tony Awards, Bryce Pinkham, Lisa O'Hare and Lauren Worsham performed I've Decided to Marry You from A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, which features an adorable back-and-forth routine filled with two doors and plenty of hijinks. Bryce Pinkham goes from excited to exasperated throughout the performance, causing me to replay, "Yes, Wadsworth, I told you, BE JUST A MOMENT" over and over again.
If you don't know the origin story of Sutton Foster's fame, I think it's important for you to understand it before you watch this next performance. Sutton Foster was cast as the understudy in the pre-Broadway staging of Thoroughly Modern Millie, wowed the director and ended up as the lead. The rest is history, and Sutton is a Broadway darling. She won a Tony award for her performance in Millie and it's pretty clear why when you check out the 2002 performance of Forget About the Boy.
In 2011, the Book of Mormon craze was strong, and love for Andrew Rannells, who originated the role of Elder Price, was sweeping the theater community. Despite losing the Tony Award that night, he still delivered a memorable performance of I Believe, which manages to be funny and heart wrenching all at the same time.
Neil Patrick Harris is known for shining at the Tony Awards in a hosting capacity (and more on that below), but in 2014 he stole the show with a performance of Sugar Daddy from Hedwig and the Angry Inch. He dances on a car, marches around in platform heels, hits all the notes and dances into the audience to makeout with his husband, steal Samuel L. Jackson's glasses and sit on Sting.
Neil Patrick Harris has made some amazing appearances at the Tony Awards, but the one I always come back to is the opening number from the 2013 program. It's perfect opening number (it was co-written by Lin Manuel Miranda, which might be why it's FLAWLESS), featuring appearances from dancers from all of the major shows that year, a catchy song, a magic trick, a Les Mis movie burn and such a stunning conclusion that Debra Messing's jaw-dropping reaction has gone down in history. My favorite part? The inspiring shoutout to the young theater lovers watching at home, snuck in right before the closing verse: "There's a kid in the middle of nowhere who's sitting and living for Tony performances / Singing and flipping along with the Pippins, and Wickeds, and Kinkys, Matildas and Mormenses / So I might reassure that kid / And do something to spur that kid / Because I promise you all of us up here tonight / We were that kid."
Required Reading
In last week's issue, I raved about Booksmart, so I was especially excited to read an interview with Katie Silberman, who is one of the writers from the movie. Because Booksmart's script went through a couple different drafts (with different screenwriters taking passes at it through the years), it's interesting to read more into the writing process and how the characters that we saw on screen came to life behind the scenes. It includes fun tidbits about actors wearing their own clothes on the set, inspiration from Lady Bird and how Harry Potter references landed in the script. It's making me want to watch the movie all over again!
