Rec. #899/Streaming Suggestion of the Week #57: Tig Notaro - Drawn

Stream what: Typically for Tig Notaro, her latest stand-up special could easily have been called "Memorable Disasters in My Life: Real and Imagined." Untypically, it's fully animated -- in several different styles, no less. Fanastic results.

Stream why: It really is about time someone picked up where Dr. Katz left off*.

Stream where: HBO Max

Connections to previous Wreckage: For more Tig, see Streaming Suggestion of the Week #29: One Mississippi, and related nuggets (Rec. #420, Rec. #489).

*NB: If you are a critic who somehow did not make a connection between Dr. Katz and this special, you should probably give me your job now, please and thank you.

Streaming Suggestion of the Week #53: Flo & Joan - Alive on Stage

 

Stream what: Flo & Joan are a musical comedy duo (à la Flight of the Conchords or Garfunkel & Oates) and this is a fully produced version of one of their fantastic shows.

Stream why: I was lucky enough to see Alive on Stage, er, live in Edinburgh. It was one of my 2018 highlights. (Rec. #709: Best Musical Comedy Duo.)

Stream where: Amazon Prime

Rec. #884/Streaming Suggestion of the Week #44: What the Constitution Means to Me

 

Stream what: I was supposed to see a performance of What the Constitution Means to Me in Chicago on March 14 last year. That didn't happen.

I am therefore even more grateful that this live filmed production of Heidi Schreck's play exists. I knew it would be good, but I didn't quite expect it to be this amazing, riled up, live-wire tour de force.

Stream why: Schreck has been performing the show for 10 years. It just keeps being essential viewing as it asks a crucial question --- "Is it all broken?"

Stream where: Amazon Prime

Fun fact: This filmed production was directed by Marielle Heller (Can You Ever Forgive Me?, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood). Can't wait to see what she does next.

Streaming Suggestion of the Week #41: Take Me to the World

Stream what: This 90th-birthday celebration for living legend Stephen Sondheim is two-and-a-half hours of taped-ahead-streamed-live theater magnificence.

(And unlike the actual live stream from April 26, this video doesn't start with one hour of technical problems.)

Stream why: Remember real, identifiable emotions that weren't "nameless dread"?? Feel them all here!

There is so much good, amazing stuff. The highest highlights for me personally are Katrina Lenk's "Johanna"; Alexander Gemignani's "Buddy's Blues"; Ann Harada, Austin Ku, Kelvin Moon Loh, and Thom Sesma's "Someone in a Tree"; and, of course, Christine Baranski, Meryl Streep, and Audra McDonald's "The Ladies Who Lunch."

Stream where: YouTube. And donate to ASTEP if you can.



Connections from previous Wreckage: For more Sondheim, see also Rec. #99: Company, Rec. #215: The Last of Sheila, Rec. #511: The Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened, and Rec. #557: Sondheim Lyrics on Twitter.

List #95: Pop Culture Wish List, part 6

While we're in the zone of fulfilling my pop culture requests, I would like to put forward some additional items for consideration.

See Part 1 here.
See Part 2 here.
See Part 3 here.
See Part 4 here.

See Part 5 here.

Item 11: A surreal sketch show with Aparna Nancherla and Jo Firestone

Look. Both Aparna Nancherla and Jo Firestone are doing fine. They have successful comedy careers -- lots of gigs, Netflix stand-up specials, appearances on The Tonight Show, magazine profiles, a perpetually resurrected podcast ... the works.

But, still. They work so well together. I would like the two of them to write and host some kind of leaning-into-the-void absurdity. I'm thinking the fully committed surreality of Maria Bamford's Lady Dynamite. Hey! Have Maria Bamford as a recurring character!

Item 12: A miniseries adaptation of Widdershins

The webcomic Widdershins (Rec. #870) is funny and exciting and smart. It's structured around several small stories within one longer arc, which means it's perfectly set up to be a miniseries. Lots of memorable characters and big action sequences and sharp one-liners. Creator Kate Ashwin has even helpfully cast one of the leads --- Dev Patel as Sidney Malik.

List #95: Pop Culture Wish List, part 4

While we're in the zone of fulfilling my pop culture requests, I would like to put forward some additional items for consideration.

See Part 1 here.

See Part 2 here.

See Part 3 here.

Item 7: A TV series from EGG Comedy

Comedy duo EGG (Anna Leong Brophy and Emily Lloyd-Saini) are extremely talented sketch writers and performers. (I saw them in Edinburgh in 2018! See Rec. #749.)

They've had scripts in development, and I'd love to see them and their work on my TV screen.

Item 8: A Katie Presley podcast

Writer Katie Presley is sometimes a panelist on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour (see also List #92), and she has a lot of Very Good Opinions (see Rec. #673), and I would like her also to have her own podcast so I can hear her thoughts on more things.

That is all.

List #95: Pop Culture Wish List, part 3

While we're in the zone of fulfilling my pop culture requests, I would like to put forward some additional items for consideration.

See Part 1 here. See Part 2 here.

Item 5: A musical about the life of James Baldwin

In the life story of novelist-poet-playwright-essayist-activist James Baldwin, we've got a fraught upbringing and teenage ministry and life in Paris. We've got Richard Avedon, Sidney Poitier, and Marlon Brando. We have queer life and Black life and French life. We've got civil rights activism and even FBI surveillance.

We also have music. Jazz in France with Nina Simone, Miles Davis, Ray Charles, and Josephine Baker.

In 2016, Meshell Ndegeocello created a musical/theatrical tribute to Baldwin (Can I Get a Witness?), but I'm thinking something less ... churchy.

Connections to previous Wreckage: Rec. #23 and Quote for These Times #2

Item 6: Helen Zaltzman as host of The Great British Bake Off

With Sandi Toksvig departing as co-host of the current iteration of The Great British Bake Off, it's very fun to imagine new possibilities. Helen Zaltzman would be great! She is an adept podcast host (List #92 and Rec. #773) and could definitely transition to wacky banter with Noel Fielding.

Zaltzman herself is willing (see above)!

Rec. #871: The Psychiatrist Is In

What: I love Belle & Sebastian and I love their movie God Help the Girl and I love, love, love this performance of "The Psychiatrist Is In."

Representative lyrics:
Find your space
Are you breathing well?
Do you feel OK?
Are you calm?
Are you comfortable?
Is your heartbeat racing?
Is this your soul you're facing?


Connections to previous Wreckage: The concept album of God Help the Girl was Rec. #361. The film itself was SSoW #15 and appeared on List #47. Another top song from the God Help the Girl project is "Perfection as a Hipster," which was Rec. #439.

How to get it: Watch this clip on YouTube. The full movie is streaming on Kanopy.

List #94: Best of 2019

The Allusionist: Best Language About Language, Rec. #855

The Art of Process: Best Art About Art, Rec. #863

Be Prepared: Best Reason to Stay Indoors, Rec. #851

Come From Away: Best Reminder That Not All of Humanity Is Terrible, Rec. #852

 
David Tennant Does a Podcast With ...: Best Listener, Rec. #847

The Guardian Blind Date: Best Vicarious Dating, Rec. #865

Knives Out: Best Time at the Movie Theater, Rec. #856

Nothing Like a Dame / Tea with the Dames: Best Overheard Conversations, Rec. #860

Alexandra Petri: Best Way to Reflect on the Year, Rec. #866

"Quite Good, Considering [Rosalind's a Nightmare]": Best Earworm, Rec. #858

Russian Doll: Best Worst Day, Rec. #846

Simone (The Good Place): Best Outfit for Any Situation, Rec. #854 

Superstore: Best Season-5-and-Going-Strong, Rec. #848

This Way Up: Best Depictions of Relatable Human Emotions, Rec. #862

Three Identical Strangers: Best Ripped-from-the-Headlines, Rec. #864

Alie Ward: Best Campaign Promise, Rec. #859

Wine Country: Best New Endless Rewatch Potential, Rec. #850

Rec. #858: Best Earworm

The show Taskmaster is very funny -- both the UK and US versions. Many of the full British episodes are being added to YouTube by an official "Taskmaster" channel (finally!).

In one such episode, people are tasked with writing and performing a song for a stranger.

"Quite Good, Considering [Rosalind's a Nightmare]" is one of the gobsmacking results, and I've now had it stuck in my head for ... literal weeks. 

And I don't even hate it yet!

(See also Rec. #696 and Rec. #731)

Rec. #852: Best Reminder That Not All of Humanity Is Terrible

I don't know why, but it surprised me that Come From Away, the 2017 Tony-winning Best New Musical, is really incredibly excellent.

It also surprised me that this show --- focusing on the logistics of planefuls of people stranded in a small Canadian town on and after Sept. 11 --- was a true adrenaline rush of emotions. It moves fast and doesn't stop until the very end.

(Rec. #832)

Rec. #832: Come From Away

What: Here's what I knew about Come From Away before I saw the show -- it's a musical about flights that were diverted to a small town in Canada on September 11; it won the Best Musical Tony; one character is a female pilot.

Here's what I didn't realize until I saw it -- it handles tone perfectly (appropriately empathetic but with pockets of very Canadian humor); stories and dialogue were drawn directly from interviews with passengers and locals; with only one act and no pauses for applause until the end, it moves fast.

It will make you feel better about humanity in general (but also probably worse about how much the U.S. in particular is failing right now when it comes to the basic human decency of helping people in distress).

How to get it: Of course, the best option is to see a live production if you can. Failing that, the original cast recording is still stirring, gorgeous, and powerful.

Rec. #828: Echad Mi Yodea by Ohad Naharin performed by Batsheva

What: During the summer of 2018, I saw work by choreographer Ohad Naharin performed by Hubbard Street Dance in Chicago. (See Rec. #573.)

At the time, I described it as "exquisite and powerful and maybe even life-changing?" This particular piece, Echad Mi Yodea, is the one that's stuck with me the most. In this clip, it's performed by Naharin's own Batsheva Dance Company. Just wait until they start throwing shoes.

How to get it: You can watch the piece on YouTube, and you might be interested in Batsheva's YouTube channel in general. Or you might want to watch performances from other companies, such as the Opéra national de Paris.

Connection to previous Wreckage: More on DecaDance/Chicago is at Rec. 573.

Rec. #768: Broadway Miscast - "The Schuyler Sisters"

What: The performances from the Broadway Miscast events can be anything from broadly comedic to acutely poignant. This one -- three Broadway boys performing "The Schuyler Sisters" -- is mainly super-duper fun.

How to get it: You can watch this particular performance on YouTube here. Go to the MCC Theater channel to see playlists for each year of Miscast.

Learn more about the Miscast events on the MCC Theater website and appreciate that the performances are posted online because the event ("gala") itself is SPENDY.

Rec. #759: Olivia Colman in Green Wing

What: Olivia Colman is, of course, gobsmackingly fantastic in everything she does, and I'm delighted that she's deservedly getting accolades this awards season. 

It seems like a great time for a reminder that she is also very funny as frazzled Harriet in the deliciously bonkers show Green Wing, which aired in the UK 2004-2006. 

Representative quote: [Pulls a cat out of her bag] "But then who did I leave at the vet?"

Connection to previous Wreckage: Green Wing was Rec. #110.

How to get it: Green Wing is currently available to stream in the US on Amazon Prime and Netflix.

List #71: Best of 2018

The Big Family Cooking Showdown: Best Replacement for the BBC's Great British Bake Off, Rec. #717

Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Most Positive TV Twist, Rec. #707

Burn, Burn, Burn: Best Road Trip, Rec. #723

Can You Ever Forgive Me?: Best Return of the '90s Snarky Brunettes, Rec. #743

Captain Awkward: Best Advice on the Internet, Rec. #705

Check, Please: Best Webcomic Now in Print, Rec. #735

Chess: Best Live Musical Performance, Rec. #721

Colossal: Best I-Guess-It's-Technically-SciFi, Rec. #713

"DecaDance/Chicago": Best Live Dance Performance, Rec. #703

Dogs on Twitter: Best Reason Not to Rage-Quit the Internet, Rec. #747

Dr. Gameshow: Best Way to Keep Up with NYC Comedy When You're Not in NYC, Rec. #719

Edinburgh Festival Fringe: Best Place to Discover New Sketch Comedy Duos, Rec. #749

An Emmy for Megan: Best Short Form Comedy Concept, Rec. #751

Flo & Joan: Best Musical Comedy Duo, Rec. #709

Full Frontal with Samantha Bee: Best Righteous Fury on the Screen, Rec. #739

Janeane Garofalo: Best Return of the '90s Snarky Brunettes, Rec. #743

Giant Days: Best Continuing Comic Book Series, Rec. #711

Good and Mad: Best Righteous Fury on the Page, Rec. #737

The Good Place: Best Recent Evidence of the Genius of Allison Jones, Casting Director, Rec. #745

The Good Place: Most Deserving of Implicit Trust, Rec. #757

The Great British Bake Off (Channel 4): Best Replacement for the BBC's Great British Bake Off, Rec. #717

The Guardian: Best Photography Curation, Rec. #729

Making It: Best Replacement for the BBC's Great British Bake Off, Rec. #717

Only Connect and Victoria Coren Mitchell: Best Match of Host with Show, Rec. #755

Paddington 2: Best Movie Featuring Sally Hawkins Underwater, Rec. #701

Helen Rosner: Best Insight Into the Food World for Non-Foodies, Rec. #715

Schitt's Creek: Best Serenades, Rec. #733

The Spy Who Dumped Me: Best Buddy Comedy, Rec. #725

Taskmaster: Best Embrace of Meaninglessness, Rec. #731

Louis Virtel: Most Welcome Podcast Guest, Rec. #753

Visages Villages: Best Road Trip That Is Also a Buddy Comedy, Rec. #727

W1A: Best Faux Documentary, Rec. #741

You're on an Airplane: Best Return of the '90s Snarky Brunettes, Rec. #743

Rec. #749: Best Place to Discover New Sketch Comedy Duos

***BEST OF 2018***

Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world's largest arts festival. With more than 3,500 independent shows, of course it's *the* place to spot the next big thing, and this year I found the sketch comedy to be particularly strong. 

(I still think Chicago on any given night is better for improv.) 

Specific kudos to EGG Comedy (Anna Leong Brophy and Emily Lloyd-Saini) and Croft & Pearce (Hannah Croft & Fiona Pearce).

(See also Rec. #709)

Rec. #745: Best Recent Evidence of the Genuis of Allison Jones, Casting Director

***BEST OF 2018***

Allison Jones is the casting director for The Good Place, which means she was responsible for pulling from the worlds of theater, improv, hip-hop dance, and British presenter-dom to find the perfect relative-unknowns to embody Chidi, Janet, Jason, and Tahani.

William Jackson Harper (Rec. #627), D'Arcy Carden (Rec. #629), Manny Jacinto (Rec. #628), and Jameela Jamil (Rec. #626) --- aka "the babies" --- hold their own, even against established television sweethearts Ted Danson and Kristen Bell.

(See also List #68)

Rec. #743: Best Return of the '90s Snarky Brunettes

***BEST OF 2018***

Parker Posey's memoir, You're on an Airplane, mentions Party Girl (Rec. #141) in the first few pages, which delighted me.

Can You Ever Forgive Me? itself takes place in the early '90s, but my personal '90s were also filled with Dorothy Parker.

It was so, so great to see Janeane Garofalo do winding, confessional standup at Edinburgh this year. I believe she severely underestimates the vast reserves of goodwill an entire generation has for her.