I can hardly think of a better way to spend an evening than with the following items: ham and pineapple pizza, Rolling Pin doughnuts, and some Cupper's coffee. Add a warm and cozy couch to the mix, and, say, a blizzard outside, with the option of sleeping in the next day, and, voila, you have the right formula for happiness.
Well, at least for a few hours anyways.
The icing on the proverbial cake, of course, would be a good DVD or two. Now understand that there are DVD's and then there are DVD's. If you want comedy, I suggest anything with Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, or Martin Short (also known as "The Three Amigos"). I suppose you could watch a taped Flames-Blue Jackets game for added humour, but you get my point. Westerns have their place, as do any mysteries for that matter, so long as the latter isn't blood, gore and so much more.
But the real capper to any evening with pizza and doughnuts, with it warm inside and cold outside, of course, is a good old-fashioned (drum roll, please) musical. That's musical, as in M-U-S-I-C-A-L.
When I speak of musicals, the list would include my all-time favourites, such as "The Music Man," "Singing in the Rain," "Fiddler on the Roof," "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," and "The Sound of Music." I know there are others, but these are the ones that come to mind, some that I have seen over and over again for years. No warm and cozy couch—or DVD player, for that matter-- should be without them.
Or as the old saying could have gone: Don't stay home without it.
I need to draw a clear distinction between musicals and, say, operas. Musicals, on the one hand, are melodious and upbeat; operas, on the other hand, always seem to be about death, pain, and broken relationships. While both deal with life's realities, at least with musicals we generally understand both the words and the concepts. Operas are often in another language, from another worldview, and deal with issues that only opera singers face. With mouth wide, wide open, no less.
I'm sure there are trim opera singers, but there certainly seems to be a disproportionate number of overweight divas in that business. You might say they are true heavyweights in their world, if get my double entendre. Even the expression, "It ain't over till the fat lady sings," didn't come from the problem called Maria in "The Sound of Music."
I also need to draw a distinction between an honest musical and a true choreography. One is primarily singing, and the other, dancing. Sometimes there is even a blend of the two styles. Dancing has its place, I suppose, but most dancing has a strong sensuous side to it, and that is not helpful to any person of virtue. To be honest, I really like some choreography, but I find it can be a serious distraction for me, so I need to restrain myself.
Meanwhile, back at the musicals...
In true "musical" tradition, what really sets this specific genre apart from other styles is the after- effects. That is, how do I (the viewer) feel when it is all over? After a good time with the von Trapp family or Tevye, I want to, well, sing or shout or climb onto a roof and play a violin. The melodious and upbeat mood during the movie stays with me for some time (as does the indigestion from pizza and doughnuts, but that's another discussion). After operas, however, I want to climb up on said roof and jump off.
Well, okay, I exaggerate, but most operas put me into a mood alright, but not a very good one.
Musicals are also good for school presentations, so long as the kids can sing acceptably. There's nothing worse than singing "If I were a Rich Man" with a straight face and a strep throat. Better eat a four-course meal and call it an opera.
One doesn't have to wait till there's a blizzard outside or the Rolling Pin is open to enjoy life as it was meant to be. Any time is musical time. It's a great "T-R-A-D-I-T-I-O-N" to get into.
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