Month: December 2018

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A most precious and sentimental Christmas gift

Some Christmas gifts strike us to the core, whether it’s due to the excitement, the thoughtfulness, or the emotion. There are years where I can look back and remember opening certain gifts so distinctly, and the feeling I felt when I opened them.

I remember the year in elementary school when I asked my mom to get me a leather hat like the one Alyssa from “All That” on Nickelodeon wore in the opening credits, and she actually found one just like it! I wore it all of Christmas Day and in the months after.

I remember the year in high school when my friend Andrea made me a poetry writing notebook just like one of her own, with a paperclip chain along the spiral and photos of The Beatles and old library book pages pasted on the cover and insides. After admiring her notebooks for so long, it meant so much to have one made just for me.

I remember just a few years ago, before getting pregnant with Margot, when Zack surprised me with a weekend trip to Boston, planning only the flights and hotel because he knows how much I love planning restaurant reservations and excursions down to the hour. I spent our Christmas Day commute to my parents’ house securing our dinners and getting tickets to see Guster at the Boston House of Blues.

And I will always remember this Christmas as the year I received a gift so unexpected, so sentimental and precious, that it caused me to break down in tears at the sight of it.

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Rent the Runway: A success story

This past weekend, I had my first experience with Rent the Runway. And let me say, I am a changed woman.

I own more than my fair share of dresses, but as I began to consider what I might want to wear to my friend Jen’s mid-December wedding, I realized that much of what I own is for warmer seasons. Rent the Runway to the rescue!

Rent the Runway allows you to borrow designer clothing and accessories for any type of occasion for a fraction of the cost of buying the clothing in a store. Think a $95 rental fee on a Monique Lhuillier dress that retails for close to $700. The outfits are shipped to your home, you wear the one that works best, and send everything back through UPS when you’re done. 

Over a Black Friday weekend full of online promotions, Rent the Runway was offering some great deals, including a percentage off a rental and a free back-up outfit. I decided to give it a try and browsed through the dresses that would be available in my size for the wedding weekend.

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Review: “Fiddler on the Roof” is a timeless celebration

Talk about a perfect match.

Amid a month of holiday festivities, on the third night of Hanukkah, the Wharton Center welcomed the touring production of the 1964 Broadway classic, “Fiddler on the Roof.” The timing and setting could not be more appropriate for this celebration of a show, playing now through December 9th.

In the stripped down but exquisitely rich production from Tony Award-winning director Bartlett Sher and the team behind “South Pacific“ and “The King and I,” audiences will enjoy the timeless themes of family, love, and traditions. Not to mention, the infectious score and memorable songs. On opening night, the audience couldn’t help but clap along with the orchestra at the beginning of Act II.

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Interview: Maite Uzal of “Fiddler on the Roof” talks traditions

The holiday season is upon us, and with it comes the time to gather as friends and family to celebrate all sorts of traditions, grand or small. What perfect timing that the Wharton Center will be welcoming its next Broadway show this week, during the nights of Hanukkah. “Fiddler on the Roof” will arrive in East Lansing Tuesday, December 4 and run through Sunday, December 9.

The Tony Award-winning musical, which first opened on Broadway in 1964, has been updated for a new generation of audiences thanks to Tony-winning director Bartlett Sher and the team behind “South Pacific,” “The King and I,” and 2017 Tony-winning Best Play, “Oslo.” The story is a celebration of family, traditions, and life itself.

Spaniard actress and singer Maite Uzal plays Golde, the wife of Tevye and mother to their five daughters. I spoke with her about the production’s updates, her personal traditions, and who introduced her to musical theatre in Madrid. Continue reading “Interview: Maite Uzal of “Fiddler on the Roof” talks traditions”