1) The alarm went off at 6 AM, awakening me from a surreal dream involving a restaurant trying to serve me a grilled surfboard.  I got up, turned the heat on, set the alarm for 7 AM, and went back to bed.  The alarm went off at 7, awakening me from a surreal dream involving a car dealership trying to sell me a motorized tricycle.  I set the alarm for 8, and went back to bed.  When the alarm went off for the third time, I actually got up.

2) I thought about going for a walk.  It was very drizzly outside, and it looked cold, and my stomach hurt, and I didn’t feel like it, so I didn’t go.

3) I called my friend Russ to tell him I’d pick him up at 9:30 so we could have coffee and doughnuts (per his request) at Krispy Kreme prior to going to an early showing of Sweeney Todd.

4) Sometimes, and today was one of those times, I have an odd sense of spatial/temporal disorientation in public places.  I felt as though the Krispy Kreme store were an alien planet.  I was having trouble understanding what anyone was saying.  The whole concept of doughnuts seemed profoundly wrong to me.  I couldn’t figure out where the line was, or where we should sit.  Luckily Russ knew what he wanted and sort of helped me out, so we landed successfully in a booth with our coffee and fat-bathed dough inner tubes.  I’m not a big fan of KK doughnuts, but as a novelty treat, they’re fine.  There was a herd of children playing “Simon Says” in the lobby next to our table.  They were very loud. 

5) Then we went to the movie.  The movie theatre also seemed like an alien planet.  It occurred to me that maybe I should get out more often.  I remembered how much I dislike movie previews … they’re too fast, and too loud, and frankly they kind of scare me. 

The movie was very good, though I did wonder how it would strike a viewer who was not intimately acquainted with the Broadway show.  It is a very bloody and gory film; two of the deaths were extremely violent, but the grotesque excess lends sufficient unreality to make it palatable, at least to me … however, if one were taking the film completely seriously, it would be deeply disturbing. 

I thought that the movie was very good despite its flaws … it is brilliantly-directed, and visually stunning.  I was particularly impressed by the costumes; whoever designed them realized that in mid 19th-century London, clothing bore a great resemblance to upholstery, unless one was fabulously wealthy and custom-fitted in Bond Street. 

Johnny Depp was very good in the title role, though he was vocally inadequate for what is absolutely a singer’s part.  Most of the score can be scaled down for a lighter voice, but the central emotional piece, the Epiphany, is written for a voice the size of a freight train, and without that weight and substance, one of the greatest emotional climaxes of the show is lost.  Depp did his best, but he simply doesn’t have the voice. 

Helena Bonham Carter was breathy and reedy as Mrs. Lovett; like many people who are not trained as singers, she has no sense of phrasing, and so the “punch” of her lyrics was often lost, which was too bad, since Mrs. Lovett is very much a vaudeville-style (or music-hall style) role.  Her voice was pleasant enough, but her acting was static, and betrayed no emotional development. 

The supporting roles were all beautifully-cast and incredibly well-performed.  The role of Toby is cast as a treble, which makes more sense for the story; the boy playing the part is excellent, and utterly devoid of the “cuteness” that often poisons children’s performances in film.  Alan Rickman is phenomenal as the Judge, making a huge impression during his brief time onscreen.  Sacha Baron Cohen has to be seen to be believed … I think it’s safe to say that anyone who is chiefly familiar with him from Borat will be amazed at his theatrical integrity.

6) I worked for a while and then wrote this post. 

7) I thought about what to do for New Year’s Eve.  I thought I might buy myself a Cornish game hen and stuff it with lemon and sage.  I already bought myself a half-bottle of champagne.  Then I thought about fighting with the cats over the hen, and wondered whether I should just have dinner out.