I'm Not Talking About Harry Potter

Of course I love Harry Potter, but today I want to talk about a different Hedwig.

This past week I saw Hedwig and the Angry Inch on Broadway, starring Darren Criss. The plot of Hedwig is a bit hard to explain, especially when explaining it to your religious grandmother, like I had to recently.

So, quick plot summary-
Hedwig is originally Hansel, a young boy living in Cold War Germany. Hansel meets Luther, a general, who 'falls in love' with Hansel, and wants to bring him to America, but it can only happen if Hansel becomes a woman. So Hansel becomes Hedwig, but the sec change surgery gets botched- hence the Angry Inch. Anyway, Hedwig moves to the US, becomes a rock star, falls in love, etc. It's an interesting story.

So did I mention Darren Criss? I was skeptical about seeing Hedwig, because I knew it was a rock musical, and that's not exactly my genre. But like, it's Darren Criss.

For those of you who love Darren, you know why you love Darren. He's got this sweet, soulful voice that makes you melt when you hear it. You just love him right away.

But this isn't the Darren you get in Hedwig. He's got an accent, So it doesn't even sound like Darren. And he's this sassy, feminine, rocker. It's not the Darren not the fangirls love. He's screaming and belting rock songs. You don't get to hear that charming Darren voice.

But you know what? I didn't miss it. Well I mean, I did. But I was okay with not having it. Darren made me love rock and roll, that's how awesome it was. I was waiting and waiting for traditional Darren, and I'm glad I didn't get it because I got to see this whole world of other things Darren can do. And what he did with the role was amazing. He was so sassy and hilarious. It made me love him because he's a good actor, not because he's Darren.

I knew that Darren had been wanting this role for a long time. That it was his dream role. I felt like a part of the show, knowing how much he loved this role and how badly he wanted to play it. And you could see it in his character. You could tell how happy he was. And it made the show that much more enjoyable.

Seriously, it's so funny. And it's unlike any other show because Hedwig interacts with audience the whole time. There's this great line about breaking the 5th wall that makes you die. I also really love how Hedwig makes fun of all the other broadway shows out right now.

IE: (not an offical script)

Hedwig: Clean up this stage! You wanna see a mess on a stage? Go see Finding Neverland! Haha. Oh and did you hear about the Act of God? Yeah, it's that Mamma Mia is finally leaving!

I mean, that Finding Neverland line was a shot to the heart, but it still killed me.

So what more can I say? Darren was amazing, and this show is great. There's have been some amazing people in this role. NPH, Andrew Rannels, soon to be Taye Diggs. It's worth a visit. I haven't seen the movie, but you could totally check it out. I'm sure it's great.

It's a great story too. Really. I could go on about it, but I wanted this post to be for Darren and his amazingness.

Don't Be Fooled: Newest Obsession

I'm lucky to have a lot of politically educated friends. They are such an inspiration to me. Recently, a lot of them have been talking about a particular website, which I thought was a great idea for a post.

I really love this site. It's called "I Side With". So often, we make judgments about political candidates that have nothing to do with their policies. We say we won't vote for them for reasons that are unrelated to political stances. I was talking the other day about something Hillary Clinton said that I really liked, and my brother exclaimed "I'd never vote for her, she's crazy!" I asked him what makes her crazy and he had no answer. My brother doesn't know a thing about politicians. He just knows what my parents have told him, or what he's seen in the media. But that's not accurate.

This site asks you your stance on an array of issues, without saying which candidates hold which stances. I think it is so important to vote for who best supports the issues you find important, regardless of some crazy things you hear about the candidates in the media. Now do I think my brother will end up siding with Hillary? Probably not, and I'm not saying he should or shouldn't. I just want everyone to have the opportunity to learn who they favor in the most objective way possible. 

So to finish this short post. Educate yourselves. Learn about the issues and figure out who you support- not who other people tell you to support. 
Take the quiz! (And make sure to vote in 2016!)
isidewith.com

It's Okay

As we grow up, we constantly rebel against our parents; it's the nature of being a child. As a preteen and teenager, we want to make our own rules. When it comes to safety, our parents do know best. They've lived more worldly lives then us. They know how to keep us safe, how to make decisions regarding our education, or our finances. But if there is one thing I've learned as an adult, it's that your parents are not always right.

Actually, I didn't learn this as an adult; I've always known it. But a lot of my friends did not learn it until adulthood. I was punished a lot as a child for rebelling, but it wasn't rebelling in the conventional sense. Believe me, I've never been a wild child; I've always followed the rules. However, I was a headstrong kid, and I still am. I wasn't afraid to let my parents know when I disagreed with them. There were plenty of times where I didn't agree with their parenting choices, or I disagreed with some beliefs they held. The problem with parents is that they think in order to be respected by their kids, or even feared by their kids, they need to be right %100 percent of the time. Speaking my mind often led to punishment.

Thankfully, I never let it get me down. I maintained my ability to be headstrong. I didn't concede. As an adult however, my parents still refuse to allow me to speak my mind, or oppose them. As someone with what I think is a lot of worldly experience, and an education, I still don't have the respect I deserve.

The unfortunate reality is that parents will be parents. When their child speaks out against them, they aren't going to listen to the content of the child's message. They are going to assert authority without considering that they might in the wrong. This is not okay. And we as children need to understand this.

So today I wanted to write a message to parents, or to kids with similar parents. It's okay for kids to disagree.

Parents, please don't do what mine did. Don't overlook me simply because I'm not as much an adult as you are. Being young does not make me inferior. Parents, please do not punish your kids for politically disagreeing with you, or for speaking their minds. Don't consider them ignorant or uneducated, They are much smarter than you think Don't silence their voice.

Kids, be strong. It is okay to disagree with your parents. I'm not talking about something like staying out past curfew. I'm talking about other examples. I always told my parents that comparing me to my brother wouldn't make me a better person. They disagreed. They fought with me. It's okay to fight back. It's okay to stand up for yourself. They might yell at you, tell you you're wrong or you're stupid. Don't be silenced. Be yourself, and don't lose who you are.