April Wrap-Up

"Mary Poppins Jr." has consumed my life (in a good way), so I have a feeling this post will be pretty short. Goodreads has so kindly informed me that I am nine books behind my reading challenge, which is not great, but I'm hoping to catch up on the books piled on my nighstand once the show is over. Then again, it'll be on to the next one by that time, so it might be a while before I catch up!


Books I Read

5/5

I got this as a stocking stuffer for Christmas last year, and it was the perfect book to read first thing in the morning and last thing at night. Lin-Manuel Miranda compiled his iconic "good morning/good night" tweets into a book with super cute illustrations. They're great affirmations to keep in mind throughout your day, so I read one each morning and night every day until I finished the book. It's very fun and inspirational. I instantly felt like I was in a better mood after reading them.

3.5/5

This was really interesting for both fans of musicals and those hoping to write one someday. I loved the analysis and learning more about the history of some musicals and how they've evolved from the early stages to the productions we see today. I didn't agree with everything the author had to say, but he made some interesting points. I just wished he would have had a little more variety in the examples he used. I could've used more excerpts from modern musicals, or at least those different from "Gypsy," "Carousel," and "Oklahoma." You could definitely tell those were his favorites.

Movies I Watched

2/5

Cheesy as all get out. Bad acting. At least the robot was cute. That's pretty much all I have to say about this one.

3.5/5

This was fun and goofy and totally relies on the audience's ability to suspend their disbelief. I still take issue with the fact that this school seemed to have no security checks at all when it came to confirming that the guy who shows up claiming to be a substitute teacher is actually the substitute teacher you hired. I appreciated the Adam Pascal cameo, even though I wished he was in it for longer than about five minutes, total. I'm curious to see how this compares to the musical itself.

4/5

This was one of the better older movies I've seen. Even though the whole thing was completely predictable, it kept my attention pretty much the entire time. I saw the ending coming from a mile away, but it was still interesting to see how it would get there. Any movie that can keep me engaged for an hour and a half despite it only being set in one room is a well-written movie.

5/5

By the time you read this, I will have probably seen this movie for a second time already. I knew it was going to be good, but it was so good. I didn't expect to cry much, but I actually cried a couple different times. I was very satisfied with it. I can't say a whole lot without spoilers, so I'll just leave it at that.

Quotes I Wrote

This is my life right now, so no quotes to share.

Obsessions I Acquired

Billie Eilish - Her "When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?" album is so good! Her music is very eerie and off-kilter in the way Melanie Martinez is, though I think I like Billie Eilish's stuff even better. I'm not sure I have a favorite song yet, but the first one I was introduced to was "Wish You Were Gay."



Pictures of the Month

One of my "Mary Poppins Jr." castmates was Rooster in "Annie," and a photo of him as the character became a meme throughout the cast, so yes, yes I did make t-shirts with his face on them for April Fools' Day.

 

Another "Mary Poppins Jr." castmate was super sweet and invited me to go see "Be More Chill" with her since she had an extra ticket, and the whole experience was so much fun!

 

GUYS IT'S WILL ROLAND

 

My Playbill board is getting pretty crowded . . .

For my 19th birthday, we went out for sushi, watched "Sherlock," listened to John Mulaney sketches, got a free drink at Starbucks, and played games with friends. It was perfect.

I had a Broadway-themed birthday party and all of my friends dressed up as their dream roles.

Newsies!

With my LCT family.

With my Manheim family.

It was a great group of friends!

I got to catch up with Sam, one of my writer's camp friends. It had been way too long since we'd seen each other!

Spirit week at "Mary Poppins Jr." This was from dream role/show shirt day.

Gender swap day is always a huge hit.

 

 

 

Painting crew working on the set!

My whole family auditioned for "Beauty and the Beast." Yes, the whole family. I convinced my parents to do a show with Max and me since this will be the last one before I leave for college. My parents are townspeople, my brother is a featured dancer, and I'm a Silly Girl! This is one of my favorite shows, and it's so cool that the last show I'll perform in before college was also my first musical. I can't wait to get started!

Max and I had some car troubles, so we got to practice our practical life skills in finding someone who could help us jump it. We also learned how to check our oil, wiper fluid, coolant, and many other things. It was a great day of unexpected, natural learning. xD

Post-"Endgame" selfie, after we've dried our tears!

Impromptu game night with friends!

A bunch of "Mary Poppins Jr." castmates goofing off before rehearsal.

I dog sat a couple of adorable, snuggly, sweet labradoodles. I loved the quiet time and the cozy window seat.

This month's picture of Scout is brought to you by my mom, who snapped this adorable shot.

How was your April?