At the Theatre: A Spoonful of Musical Magic

I never enjoyed the film version of Mary Poppins when I was growing up.  I'm not entirely sure why, though I suspect that my reasons are similar to those held by P.L. Travers, the author of the novels, in that the film was too sugary.  I've somehow never read the novels, but I've now seen the musical adaptation twice, first in Chicago in 2009 and again last week here in Pittsburgh.  And I adore it.

Lolita often seem to gravitate toward children's fantasy from the Victorian and Edwardian eras, especially Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Peter Pan, so I feel that Mary Poppins should be getting more attention.  The play, at least, is whimsical without being too twee, with elaborate sets and special effects that bring Mary's magical world to life.  During the "Step in Time" number, the actor portraying Bert dances on the walls and ceiling of the proscenium stage, and in the Chicago production, Mary flew over the audience during the finale (being a one-week touring engagement, I imagine there was not time to prepare and test the proper rigging needed for that trick here in Pittsburgh).  With epic nanny battles, statues that come to life, and flying umbrellas, I think there's enough magic here to satisfy the Alice-loving Lolita.  And, of course, the ideas of striving to be one's best and retaining the kindness of childhood, which are present throughout, are tenets of most lifestyle Lolitas, which should add to the appeal.

If you find yourself in New York or the tour is coming to your city, please check out the musical.  And remember: anything can happen.

Pulled in a New Direction

After giving it much thought, I decided to attempt to revive this blog. Back in February, I stopped writing for a number of reasons, including being inundated with assigned reading and projects for graduate school and simply having too many books to review, as the idea of attempting to review them all was incredibly daunting! I have since graduated with my MLIS and find myself with too much time on my hands, having not yet found employment. However, I do not intend for this blog to be quite the same as it had been previously. I was stressing myself by trying to review everything I read, so that will no longer be the case. I was also bored with my posts, as they were all reviews. So, after some contemplation, I have decided to give this blog a new direction. It will retain its name and there will still be a number of reviews. However, the focus of said reviews will be shifting. Rather than being a children's and young adult fiction review blog, "An Obsolete Child" will have a more personal focus and a lolita bent. Reviews will focus on those genres I most enjoy, whether the intended demographic is child, adolescent, or adult. Such genres include fairy/folk tale, fantasy/fantastique, gothic, and historical fiction (Georgian to Edwardian). I will also be writing about films, television series, and comics that pique my interest, as well as goings-on in the Pittsburgh area and thoughts on trends in lolita fashion.

To those who have read my blog in the past, I apologize if the new direction will be cause for you to abandon ship. For those who wish to see where our new course will lead, I will be working on several posts throughout the upcoming week. Thank you and welcome aboard.