The Funniest Thing I Have Seen In A Long Time

On Friday I went to karaoke and saw something I hope I can do justice to because it was so hilarious. The gentleman sitting in front of us headed up to the stage when the screen showed the song he had chosen and the following four words never seemed quite as funny to me as they did on a karaoke screen: We Are The World. That’s right he sang this song and he was great. He had us rolling off our chairs he was so damn funny--though his wife looked a little embarrassed. He tried to do every single voice in that ensemble and I think he managed all but one. His take on Bruce Springsteen and Cyndi Lauper put me over the edge but Stevie Wonder definitely took the cake. He sang some other classic songs, but I will never forget the first time I heard We Are The World at a karaoke bar.

Girls Night Out

I think I enjoyed one of the best ladies nights of my life last night. While the drink specials were incredibly cheap, the company I kept was spectacular. Two days ago I was invited to go see The Secretaries by one of my friends in the play. The Secretaries is a quirky play with a lot of dark humor and five very talented actresses, which is currently running at the Cleveland Public Theatre (CPT). Thursday night is “Pay What You Can” night and you can’t beat a ticket half off to a show at CPT, so I was game. The play kept my interest the whole way through, which if you know anything about me, is hard to do, and it also starred my favorite actress in Cleveland, Meg Chamberlain so my evening would have been great had it ended there.

Enter the Highland Tavern. This quaint little dive bar is located right where Cleveland and Lakewood meet, and on Thursday nights, they offer two for one drink specials for ladies night and karaoke. Last night I experienced karaoke like I never have before. Sitting at a table with the whole cast and much of the crew from the show, the five women I had just watched in a dark comedy stole another show last night with their voices. Song after song, they blew everyone away at the tavern. From Pink Floyd to Alanis Morisette to the Counting Crows and many more, they made each song extraordinary. I sat there amazed by the talent in Cleveland that too few people know about. (I also sat there thinking I can’t believe I watched American Idol last night and how watching these five women perform was better than any performance I had ever seen on that show.) For four hours, they sang song after song and I got to see two shows last night for the price of one. They were just an incredible group of women, not only vocally talented but hilarious and so supportive of one another.

If there is a point to this entry, aside from the drink specials at the Highland Tavern, it is that everyone should give themselves the opportunity to experience the local talent in Cleveland by venturing out to a theatre such as Near West or CPT or catching a show produced by the Charenton Theatre Company (shameless plug for Mindy). I have never been disappointed, which says a lot because I have a lot of trouble sitting still for longer than 15 minutes.

Put Another Dime in the Jukebox

Last night was one of those nights when we thought we would just be going out for a quick bite at the Winking Lizard and we would be home in time to catch Medium. In typical fashion, we strayed from our original plans and left Union Station at 1:30 am after doing karaoke to Joan Jett. I also got challenged to a rap contest by some guy sitting next to me. Boy was he surprised when I broke it down. My only disappointment of the evening was that I didn't get to sing "Ruby Don't Take Your Love to Town" by Kenny Rogers. It is one of my favorite childhood songs and also serves as the namesake for my car. I turned in the card but it was too late. Perhaps I will try again next Monday....

I saw her dancin' there by the record machine
I knew she must a been about seventeen


In other news, it is often hard to imagine some of the things people your own age are accomplishing as you sit through the same episode of Sportscenter for three hours in a row. Today, I tip my hat to Ellen MacArthur. The 28-year old set an extraordinary record yesterday in a sport I know very little about: sailing. http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/news/story?id=1986217