The Hanslick Girls

July 23, 2018

Shooting The Breeze: Amelia Earhart’s “The Fun Of It”

Well, I’m never going to find better reading material on the flight than this, Eleanor thought.

Admittedly, she was very nervous to bring the book on the plane. While the library had facsimile copies of the book from the 1970s, Eleanor was a sucker for leather binding and had instead pulled the authentic 1932 edition of The Fun Of It off the shelf. Should anything happen to the book in transit, she was certain the fine would be hefty. Even the librarian, Eleanor recalled – did she glare at me?

But these concerns were shaken off quickly. The appeal of reading Amelia Earhart’s novel while literally soaring at 30,000 feet had a delicious appeal. She barely regarded the turbulence on the flight as she plowed through Earhart’s vivid account of early 20th century air travel.

July 16, 2018

Tracing A Lineage: Overbrook Entertainment’s “Annie” (2014)

“Okay, I will be in my room for the rest of the movie, come get me when––”

“Sit down, Gwen!” Eleanor tugged against Gwen’s sleeve.

“Do we really need to watch, though?”

“You picked it!” Dania shouted.

“I selected in ignorance!” Gwen cried out. ” I didn’t realize it was this bad!”

July 9, 2018

Tear It Up: “Cannonball Adderly’s Fiddler On The Roof”

The cover art made Eleanor uneasy. Something about that neon yellow background, with Adderly’s beady eyes at the center. Not to mention the forced perspective of his feet – he looked as though he were about to slip off the roof.

But the album cover, she knew, was not what she had purchased from the garage sale. What she had intended to buy was a gift for Gwen. The record was an unexpected but appropriate discovery, matching Gwen’s passion for theatre and her hipsterish fascination with vinyl. A quick search confirmed that the record was indeed the combination the cover implied: an album of jazz covers of songs from Fiddler On The Roof, performed by the famed Cannonball Adderly Sextet.

July 2, 2018

Cultural Commodities: Nothing Without A Company’s “Not One Batu”

The house lights rose – as much as they could in the already illuminated space – just as Eleanor was already standing. The patter of rain against the concrete step could be heard through the open door, though she noted that it had been stronger during the performance than now.

“We should bolt,” Eleanor said to Dania and Gwen, still seated. Gwen might not have even heard, her gaze fixed intently on the author’s note.

“Hey,” Eleanor repeated, tapping Gwen’s shoulder.

“What?”