Friday, February 15, 2013

Gaga Power



I got lucky couple of weeks back. No not that. I got lucky when I found a pair of  lady gaga ticket on TicketVistas. The popular website did what it promised; notify me on my email when tickets started selling for a bargain. I’ve been meaning to catch this pop sensation in action ever since she burst onto the scene couple of years back and made established stars like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera look old fashioned and clichéd. For me Gaga was a reinvention and a younger version of my favorite artist Madonna. Only this was a raunchier and bolder version of the Queen of Pop.

I had heard several stories about Lady Gaga’s Concerts and she goes the distance in entertaining her fans but this was the first time I was actually going to know what all the fuss was about. I mean I knew she’s a good singer but was she even better live? Well after attending her concert I can safely say that she is by far one of most entertaining and exciting icons of music to watch perform live. I would probably run out of good adjectives to describe how good her concert event really was.
Gaga appeared on stage on a giant animatronic horse which completely captivated the audience and loud cheers could be heard as her “little monsters” welcomed her onto the stage. She began with “I’m going to sing my heart out for my fans” and to say that she made good on that promise would be a huge understatement.
The concert not only featured her smash hit singles which brought her to mainstream prominence like “Poker Face”, “Bad Romance”, “Telephone” and “Paparazzi” but there were insane props and laser lights that filled up the arena including mesmerizing pyrotechnic effects.
The tiny singer performed for a staggering two hours and every song was accompanied by a completely wild costume which blended well with the gothic background.
The highlight of the night for me was when Lady Gaga performed her controversial slow-temp ballad “Princess Die” to honor the late Princess Diana and raise questions about her death. What’s worth mentioning here is that the entire song was performed from a keyboard while sitting on top of a motorcycle.
What sets “mother monster” apart from the current lineup of pop stars is that she interacts with her fans throughout the show and this particular concert was no different. Gaga continuously told jokes and at one point played with the mouth of a blowup doll that had been thrown on the stage by one of her fans and said, “Is that supposed to be me?” and “That’s a pretty small hole … just saying”.
Lady Gaga officially blew my mind. You need to experience her perform live at least once. Trust me … it’s well worth the money.


Wednesday, February 6, 2013

The Book of Mormon is a Fucked Up but Funny Musical



Hilarious, funny, offensive and sacrilegious. After purchasing Cheap Book of Mormon Tickets from TicketVistas for a discount and watching one of its presentations at the Eugene O’Neil Theater in New York City I was completely lost for words when it came to describing this particular musical
On one hand The Book of Mormon is freakishly hilarious. From the opening Act to the entire length of the show laughter could be hard. LOL took on a whole new meaning during the show and audiences could be seen laughing their ass off, and I’ve got to admit, there were times when I ran out of air from laughing so hard.

The Book of Mormon is hilarious, no doubt about it. It’ll have you LMAO’ING in to time, and chances are you’ll have a grand time. But then there were plenty of, “OMG they didn’t just say that” moments as well. When you purchase The Book of Mormon Broadway Tickets, keep one thing in mind. This musical isn’t for the faint of heart or for religiously sensitive people. It is laced with profanity throughout. The F and C words have been brutally overused and it doesn’t hesitate in making fun of the Mormon Church.
Despite the fact that practicing Mormons have been depicted as good, kind hearted individuals, the religion itself is ridiculed constantly by a Jesus dressed in a light-up costume, Joseph Smith in a spray tan and blond wig and a silent Brigham Young. The church’s morality, official stance on homosexuality and acceptance of black people as its members is questioned multiple times throughout the musical. 
Controversial creators of late night smash hit comedy South Park have gone all out on this one. Some would even say they’ve gone overboard and don’t hold anything back when it comes to making fun of the Mormon religion. Matt Stone and Trey Parker have made a musical comedy that has offended a lot of people, but it’s probably what they were aiming for.

Offensive sure but the Book of Mormon is a great production. The highlight of the show is adrenalin soaked choreography of Casey Nicholaw and tight laughter based direction of Trey Parker. The leading man Gavin Creel is brilliant in the role of Elder Price and his performance sets the tone of the show and contributes heavily to the overall feel of the musical.
If you’re not sensitive about religious matters or profanity laced content I recommend you watch a presentation of The Book of Mormon at your earliest. Your face will hurt from laughing constantly. That’s a guarantee!