Three Things

December is nearly upon us!  First comes a few weeks of tinsel-strewn goodwill and awkward office parties, then comes that period of merry mischief between Christmas and the New Year.  And here are just a few other things to enjoy in the month to come.

Streaming: A Very Murray Christmas on Netflix

Friday, Friday, Friiiiiday!  This Friday, December 4, is the long-awaited release date for Bill Murray's Christmas special, directed by Sofia Coppola and with vocals by Miley Cyrus*.  In my humble opinion, it may be the greatest holiday classic since Scrooged.   

*If you can't appreciate that, may three yodeling spirits visit you on their way home from a rave this Christmas Eve.

Reading: The Trilogy of Two by Juman Malouf

So, the holidays make you sick.  You'd rather lose yourself in some sort of dystopian hellscape than listen to one more cover of White Christmas.  The recently released Trilogy of Two may be your antidote to the month of December.  It tells the story of two identical twins, both musical prodigies, who were born on Halloween.  Abandoned on a doorstep and raised by a Tattooed Lady, they grew up in a traveling circus (sold!)  Inter-world hijinks ensue when their music begins to produce magical effects on audiences.

On a side note, I heard great things about the book, but had no idea that Juman Malouf is a costume designer, who happens to be Wes Anderson's lady.  According to The New York Times, she collects traditional Bavarian sweaters that make her feel like Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music (are you my soul's twin?)   

Theater: Lazarus at New York Theatre Workshop 

David Bowie's Aladdin Sane Album Cover Outtakes, Photographed by Brian Duffy

I have wished for a David Bowie musical for years: a Labyrinth musical, a Ziggy Stardust musical, anything.  And lo, sometimes wishes do come true.  Bowie has partnered with playwright Enda Walsh (Once) and Dutch director Ivo van Hove to create Lazarus, which officially opens at New York Theatre Workshop on December 7.  The still-mysterious project is an extension of the novel The Man Who Fell to Earth (Bowie starred in its film adaptation).   

Tickets sold out immediately, but there is still hope in the form of a cancellation line and a Cheaptix lottery in late December.  Get thee to the East Village.