A Behanding in Spokane.

Last Thursday I took a trip to my favourite place to see one of my favourite people closer than I ever thought I would. A Behanding in Spokane is a brand new play By Martin McDonagh that opened March 4th on Broadway starring Sam Rockwell, Anthony Mackie, Zoe Kazan, and the legendary Christopher Walken.
The plot revolves around a man named Carmichael (Walken) in his late 60's who has spent the past 47 years searching for his left hand. He claims to have lost it as a teenager when gang of hillbillies who held his arm down on the rails of an oncoming train, and then "waved goodbye to him with his own hand". The whole play takes place in a dilapitated hotel room owned by the simple, would-be hero Mervyn the receptionist (Rockwell) who is growing suspicious of the strange noises like gunshots resonating from Carmichael's room. Inside he is holding captive two young con-artists (Mackie and Kazan) who he paid to find his missing appendage. Within the first ten minutes Carmichael is reveled to be a violent racist, and threatens his captives that he will kill them if his hand is not where they say it is; and of course it isn't. What follows is a ninety minute mad dash for escape, reconciliation, and justice.
Despite all of these dark qualities, A Behanding in Spokane is a comedy, and a hilarious one. It is full of vulgar, clever, Tarantino-esque diaolouge, and terrific interaction between characters, particularly Walken and Rockwell. The writing is smart, and it keeps you guessing without ever getting too convoluted or boring. I highly recommend this to anyone looking to see a play while visiting the city. Be warned there is an abundance of offensive language, although it makes sure to offend EVERYONE and establish the characters ahead of time so that the slurs and curses are not out of place. The mood of panic also gives license to the obscenity. (If a one-handed maniac covered you in gasoline and threatened to burn down the room I can't imagine the priority would be watching your language.)
Christopher Walken is one of my personal heroes. The moment the curtain went up was monumental for me. I was fortunate enough to have second row seats, which were about 2 feet from the stage. Seeing someone you only know from the screen in real life is a surreal, wonderful experience, and Walken did not disappoint. I can't tell if he tones his voice down for the screen or amps it up for the stage, but either way, it was a realization, there is a large amount of him in every part he plays. While it does cost quite a bit, my family and I agreed it's some of the best money we've ever spent. A Behanding in Spokane is playing in limited release for 16 weeks at the Schoenfeld Theater in New York City, and closes June 6th.

Paolo Nutini

A friend of mine recently encouraged me to revisit an artist I had heard, but not been extremely impressed with on my first listen. Paolo Nutini is a 22 year old scottish singer/songwriter who's hit song "New Shoes" got him onto the American charts, while he has had more success in Europe. When I listened again, I heard a quirky voice rasping out catchy tunes that I couldn't ignore. I have been listening to his music non-stop for the past two days, and intend to keep doing so. He currently has two albums available; These Streets and Sunny Side Up.
There is a fearlessness and raw colour to his voice and overall style (including the bizarre music videos) that makes his sound original. In my opinion, this is an example of where music should be going. His music puts me in an immediate good mood, and I highly recommend him to anyone in search of something new to listen to.


This is the song that caught my ear:




And this is just my personal favourite of his: