BEAUTIFUL

On 12 February 2019 I left for Bangkok.  To quote my posting of that day:

I leave this morning for Bangkok.  A simple trip with five others has now been reduced to three because the others felt it was too dangerous because of the coronavirus epidemic that has spread to Thailand.  There has been a lot of concern expressed to me by residents of 15 Craigside, mostly for my welfare.  However, no doubt there is also a worry that I will return to infect them with some horrible tropical disease, like perhaps the Wuhan coronavirus, which, incidentally, now has an official name:  COVID-19.  The 19 because it was discovered in 2019.

When I left Honolulu China had reported the most number of COVID-19 cases and Thailand was #2.  I returned two weeks later.  Here were my Thai highs.  In afterthought, I should have chickened out on my Bengal Tiger encounter, but glad I made that trip.  Phuket was hardly worth the effort, while Chiang Mai was a nice stop.  They sell yellow- to orange- to red-colored tilapia in the country.  Business class on Japan Air Lines was enjoyable.

While all went well and we returned healthy, I cite the above as my final splurge in public, for we were pretty much in personal lockdown until this weekend when finally went out to see Beautiful, the broadway show at the Blaisdell Concert Hall, preceded by dinner at the newly relocated MW.  A group from 15 Craigside went to the old MW in 2015.  We had a terrible experience.  Read that I had their Mochi Crusted Opakapaka, and said it was almost excellent, but much too salty.  The truffles had absolutely no aroma.

So with those thoughts in mind we began our first night out in 26 months with dinner at MW, located in the Symphony Honolulu.  We parked at the Blaisdell, and walked across the street.  The decor was like a cheap diner.  The din was loud.  The room is not well-designed to minimize noise.  In fact, one could argue that it was orchestrated to maximize clamor.

The beginning was exactly similar to our 15 Craigside group debacle.  It took forever for us to order drinks, and another forever before our martinis came, which we returned because mine had more vermouth than gin.  After another indomitable delay, we finally were asked about food.  After another indomitable delay, the appetizers came, and my Caesar Salad was not a Caesar Salad.  I had a pedestrian rosé wine.  What you see is what I got.  About 3 ounces for $15.  Outrageous.

Much later came the actual main dish.  My Mochi-crusted Opakapaka has evolved into a Mochi-crusted Snapper, which means any white fish they can find, like perhaps Swai from Vietnam.  While the fish came a bit too lukewarm, the sauce was the best item in the whole meal.  In fact, my only redeeming virtue of the night there.

Her lamb shank was okay.  By dessert time, which we were not inclined to order anyway, we had to leave for the show.  Would I go back again?  Only if forced.

If this posting sounds distressful, my attitude began when I first ordered the tickets to Beautiful from Ticketmaster.  I paid way too much for the seats we got.  Would you believe more than $500 for this view? In the balcony in the two left-most seats.

Worse, in the process of ordering and getting the tickets into my phone, it died.  I tried to make copies on my printer, something got stuck, and I broke the device, so had to order another printer.  If you're adding costs, I am now approaching $1000, not including something to replace my iPhone 7.  

Well, life is not all that bad.  The phone is old and I was planning to get a new one anyway.  Beautiful was beautiful.

It was four years ago when I was in New York City that I saw the original production of Beautiful.  I was there to catch the Hawaii at Army football game, and was able to also see The Book of Mormons and went to a Yankees baseball game, with hot dog and beer.

The Neil S. Blaisdell Concert Hall seats more than 2000, while the Stephen Sondheim Theater where I saw Beautiful has about a 1000 capacity.  They were both sold-out.

Beautiful:  The Carole King Musical, is about the early life and career of Carole King, using songs she wrote with her husband Gerry Goffin, plus those of Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, Phil Spector, Neil Sedaka and others.

• In case you're wondering why the show is called Beautiful, it is the closing number, which was never released as a single.
• Original show opened in San Francisco in 2013.
• Closed in New York City after 2418 performances.
• The first scene is Carole at 16 singing So Far Away.
• Ends with her Carnegie Hall performance of Tapestry, the album which topped the charts for 15 weeks in 1971.

She was born in 1942, which makes her 80-years old, and was one of the most successful female songwriters, being responsible for 118 pop hits on the Billboard Hot 100.  Won four Grammys.  Has had four husbands, but her relationship with James Taylor is purely as friends.  There is a 2022 documentary on Netflix featuring both, Just Call Out My Name.

Here were the songs from the show:

Act One

So Far Away - Carole King

Oh Carol - Neil Sedaka

1650 Broadway Medley - Ensemble

It Might as Well Rain Until September - Carole King

*Be-Bop-A-Lula - Ensemble

Some Kind of Wonderful - Carole King, Gerry Goffin and The Drifters (Ensemble)

Happy Days Are Here Again - Cynthia Weil

Take Good Care of My Baby - Gerry Goffin and Carole King

Who Put the Bomp - Barry Mann

Will You Love Me Tomorrow - Carole King

He's Sure the Boy I Love - Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann

Will You Love Me Tomorrow - The Shirelles

Up on the Roof - Gerry Goffin and The Drifters

On Broadway - The Drifters (Ensemble)

*The Locomotion - Little Eva and Ensemble

You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling - Barry Mann and The Righteous Brothers (Ensemble)

One Fine Day - Janelle, Carole King and Ensemble

Act Two

Chains - Carole King and Ensemble

Walking in the Rain - Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil

Pleasant Valley Sunday - Marilyn Wald, Gerry Goffin and Ensemble

We Gotta Get Out of This Place - Barry Mann

Will You Love Me Tomorrow (Reprise) - Carole King

Uptown - "Uptown" Singer and Ensemble

It's Too Late - Carole King and Ensemble

You've Got a Friend - Carole King, Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil and Don Kirshner

(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman - Carole King and Ensemble

Beautiful - Carole King and Ensemble

I Feel the Earth Move - Carole King and Company

Not to totally deprecate MW, but I had a better lunch yesterday, and much cheaper.  I fried the chicken katsu provided by 15 Craigside in butter, and truly enjoyed the enhanced dish, accompanied by hamachi sashimi, with hot sake and cold beer.

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