Theater Thursday: Six by Sondheim and More

What: Six by Sondheim

Where: Available for purchase or rental on Amazon Prime

Next month will mark one year since the death of the beloved composer, Stephen Sondheim. Although his incredible body of work will always be with us through the numerous revivals and restagings of his shows if you want to get a closer view of the composer and his process you are definitely going to want to watch the wonderful documentary Six by Sondheim. This 2013 film directed by Sondheim's friend and collaborator, James Lapine gives you an intimate look at the life and creative process of Stephen Sondheim through the examination of six of his best-loved songs in his own words. The documentary also features performances of each of the songs. They include Send in the Clowns from A Little Night Music and Sunday from Sunday in the Park With George. Some of the performances are from original productions of the show. Some were created specifically for the documentary and feature such Broadway favorite as Audra McDonald. Lindsay Mendez, and Jeremy Jordan. Whether you are fan of Stephen Sondheim and his work or you just want to know more more about the songwriting process, you are not going to want to miss this film.

And that's our view. For more information about this film or to purchase or rent it from Amazon, go to www.amazon.com/Six-Sondheim-Stephen

If you are interested in watching other Sondheim works versions of the following shows are also available for purchase and/or rental from Amazon Prime*:

Sweeney Todd the Demon Barner of Fleet Street

Into the Woods

Putting it Together

Gypsy 

There are also the following concerts and documentaries available*:

Judy Collins: A Love Letter to Stephen Sondheim

Follies the Rehearsals

Film versions of the following Sondheim works can also be found*:

Into the Woods 

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

Gypsy

West Side Story

*Availability of any of the above videos can change at any time

Tune in Sunday for this week's Sunday Scoop.

Where-To-Go Wednesday - The Strong National Museum of Play

We were given complimentary tickets to The Strong National Museum of Play for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own. 

What: The Strong National Museum of Play 

Where: 1 Manhattan Square 

              Rochester, NY 

Who: All ages

Me - The Strong National Museum of Play was really fun. I really enjoyed it. They had a lot of different toys from different generations. It was really cool. It reminded me of my childhood because a lot of things were toys that I played with when I was little. 

There was one room that had a bunch of stuff related to Sesame Street. I really enjoyed that because me and my sister and my mom all watched it when we were little. There was one room that was all related to reading and books and stuff. I really enjoyed that too. 

There were a lot of parts of the museum that were interactive. That added to the enjoyment of the museum. That also makes it even more entertaining even for very young children.  There were instruments to play in different ways. There was a slide for little kids. There were books to look at and read. There were a whole bunch of other things to do too.

The Strong Museum is a great museum for anyone of any age. Anyone is sure to find things to do and see that they enjoy there. It is one of the best museums ever!

 Mom- A great place to take a child and/or relive your own childhood is The Strong Museum in Rochester, New York. This venue dedicated to playing is a nostalgia trip and a fun adventure rolled into one. Just about every kind of toy you can think of is on display somewhere in this museum, and there are plenty of interactive exhibits as well.

There are displays devoted to Barbies, building toys, and Peanuts comic strip character-related toys among other things. There are whole areas dedicated to Superheroes, Sesame Street, games, books, and more. The book section not only has toys related to books but plenty of real books to look at and read as well. It is a functioning library for people who live in the area who can take home books to read and return them.  You can build your own Mr. Potato Head, play a giant piano on the floor with your feet, see what you would look like on television with Elmo, and that's only a small sampling of the fun interactive activities you can participate in,

The Toy Hall of Fame is located at the museum, You can learn about the toys that have been selected for this prestigious honor and see them too, They include American Girl dolls, the Teddy Bear, and Scrabble. You can learn about famous toy designers and their creations as well.

The World Video Hall of Fame is located at the Museum as well. You can learn about the history of video games or  you can play them (board games are available too play also at the museum), You can even see a video game that was such a flop that all copies of the game were once buried in the sand. That video game was featured on an episode of Mysteries at the Museum. Plenty of other objects in the Strong Museum collection were featured on Mysteries of the Museum at one time or another as well.

The Strong Museum is just an incredible fun-filled place. It might not feel that big when you are inside it, but it is packed to the brim with exciting things to do and see. Once you come here, you won't want to leave.

And that's our view. For more about the Strong Museum of Play or to purchase online tickets, visit www.museumofplay.

Tune in tomorrow for Theater Thursday.

Tips for Tuesday - Books: Friends Don't Lie & We Never Die: Secrets of the Afterlife

We may have been given complimentary copies and/or access for review purposes to any products, and/or visual or audio media mentioned below. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.

Books: Friends Don't Lie and We Never Die

Today we are talking about Friends Don't Lie by Nell Pattison. This is a fasinating thriller about a woman who finds out that another woman with the same name as hers may be in danger and worms her way into the other woman's life allegedly to protect her. This book is exciting and original and has a couple of shocking twists. However, one of the major plot twists doesn't really make sense and is never really explained fully which keeps us from being able to wholeheartedly recommend this book. 

Today we are recommending We Never Die by Matt Fraser. This book by the well-known psychic is about what happens after we die. It is a must-read for anyone struggling with grief as you will surely find great comfort in it. It is also fascinating reading for anyone particularly interested in learning about what it is allegedly like in the afterlife and/or how your loved ones remain connected to you even after they die.

And that's our view.

Tune in tomorrow for Where-To-Go Wednesday.