Compassionate Curmudgeon

New iPhone Firmware

I'm downloading the new iPhone firmware which is alleged to break the various iPhone hacks, none of which I have. (What syntax!)

I know the new firmware should have the Wi-Fi iTunes Store, but what else will it bring?

Carless in Philadelphia

I am now officially carless. The towing company just took away my green 1999 Saturn; actually the fellow was surprised to find out that the car works just fine, so he ended up driving it away. He was under the impression that the car was going in for repair, so he was non-plussed when I gave him both keys. That's when I explained to him that the car was being donated to charity. To an organization called Charity Cars.

They will now verify that the car is in good working order, and if it meets their criteria (it should; the car is in fine shape), they will present it to a presumably needy family.

They told me that they have a lot of open applications in the Philadelphia area, mostly from women who have been victimized by domestic violence. So the car should find a good home.

And, yes, I get a tax deduction out of all this.

BTW, my experience with Charity Cars has so far been excellent. I called them last Thursday around noon; on Friday I received their package with the form to sign; I sent it back by overnight messenger (they provided the shipping material, etc.); on Monday I received a call from them to arrange the pick up; and on Tuesday the car was picked up. Very smoothly done.

And as for what I'm going to do without a car, well, that what Philly Car Share is for.

Arden Does Assassins

Just back from the first preview performance of the Arden Theatre's production of the Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman musical Assassins.

While it's not fair to review a preview performance, let me just say that I loved it. An extremely strong cast, both dramatically and vocally, combined with some imaginative staging made for an immensely satisfying evening. This is an Assassins worth seeking out.

Director Terrence Nolen used a bare bones cast with each actor having multiple duties performing in the crowd scenes and the smaller parts such as Emma Goldman. He even made use of the John Doyle gimmick of having the actors play instruments on stage. This all worked much better than I expected it to.

The eight-piece (I think) orchestra sounded better than such a small ensemble has any right to sound, although some of the balances between the orchestra and singers could be improved.

All the cast members were wonderful, but I'll single out Jeffrey Coon as John Wilkes Booth, Scott Greer as Sam Byck, and James Sugg as Charles Guiteau for special mention as being especially outstanding. Of course, they each have some outstanding material to perform.

The Arden did its usual trick of rearranging the performance space. This time they used a thrust stage with plenty of projections of still photos and motion pictures. I especially liked how Nolen staged the Garfield assassination, and "The Ballad of Guiteau" had a very satisfying and unexpected "button".

Not everything worked and certainly some adjustments will be made. I've not always been happy with the Arden's Sondheim productions, but this may turn out to be one of their best. I'll probably try to visit it again after it officially opens next week.

One minor sour note: in the Arden's otherwise excellent program notes there is a big howler. Describing Lee Harvey Oswald's attack on JFK they say "he fired a single shot at Kennedy." Maybe they were thinking of (and misinterpreting the meaning of) the single-bullet theory.

Well, That Didn't Take Long...

Hey, I just received my passport today.

I applied for it on July 5...

Three months; not bad.

Now I can visit Canada.

It's Always Funny in Philadelphia

The Funniest Show on Television has just come out on DVD.

Now you have no excuse for not catching up with the first two seasons of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

And there's more good news. The third season is about to start on Sep 13th. Catch it on FX.