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.      

Como Agua Para Chocolate

I fell in love with Laura Esquivel's novel Like Water for Chocolate while reading it in a college Spanish lit class.  Happily, the sumptuous adaptation is streaming on Netflix these days.   

The story is filled with dizzying romantic and familial intrigue.  Reading it in Spanish some years ago was an extended process.  So every evening as I met my usual dining partner in the cafeteria, I would ply her with the latest plot twists.  Tita and Pedro are madly in love, but she's forbidden to ever marry!  Pedro is marrying her sister, Rosaura in order to remain close to Tita!  And that was just the first chapter.

The true heart of the story though is Tita's liberation (personal, sexual ... even political since the story is set against the Mexican revolution).  She is bound by an oppressive family tradition and a mother will continue to plague her from beyond the grave.  However, her vitality cannot be repressed and seeps out into her cooking (as she prepares all of the meals on her family ranch).   This in turn makes extraordinary things happen to everyone who consumes those meals.

Tito and Pedro have a clandestine love for the ages, but truth be told I don't care much for Pedro.  He's the jealous, moody type even if he is an impressive romantic.  

     

I rooted for Tita's unflinchingly doting suitor, Dr. John.  The bow tie and test tubes belie another deeply romantic, more responsible spirit. 

And then there's Tita's other sister, Gertrudis.  She's a saucy ginger with the boss attitude to match.  After eating one of Tita's recipes, she runs away to join the revolution while er, making whoopee atop a galloping horse.  Naturally, her judgement never disappoints.