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Saturday mornings are for relaxing, so we’ll be using this time to share what we’re doing to escape for a little. Have a recommendation? Contact us at [email protected].
Happy weekend!
What I’m watching: Opera Saratoga
This weekend is your last chance to catch Opera Saratoga’s 2025 shows. Jonesing for a musical but can’t find time to get to the city during this busy season? She Loves Me is your chance to catch a showstopper, right downtown at UPH. This multi-Tony award winner stars some of the company’s finest singers and comedic performers and boasts one heck of a reward: a second act with three of the show’s four major hits one right after the other. Its last two performances are today and tomorrow (Saturday and Sunday), 2 PM. If you’re looking for a night out instead, join me at UPH at 7:30 tonight for the opera — I’ve heard it’s quite the Champagne-soaked romp. Sung in French with English dialogue, La Vie parisienne is satire at its finest, with a lot of laughs. Join me! Walk-ins welcome.
Next up: After a July Fourth week break, New York City Ballet at SPAC
What I’m reading: Such a Quiet Place, by Megan Miranda
Such a Quiet Place is crime fiction at its finest and a great page-turner for this time of year. A fast read I couldn’t put down — despite (because?) the actual murder takes somewhat of a backseat to the small town drama. And it goes deep, exploring motive, the dangers of building a community based on secrets, and how quickly fingers can be pointed at a “bad” person — while one of your “perfect” neighbors gets away with…you know the rest. “As if quiet were a positive thing,” Miranda writes, “and not an immense blanket of deception covering what was potentially brewing below.”
Next up: North Woods, by Daniel Mason
What I’m streaming: America’s Sweethearts, Netflix
Yes, dance once molded my own life. And yes, dance and writing have taken parallel paths toward being underpaid and under-appreciated in modern times…But while that’s what drew me in, it’s not why America’s Sweethearts shot to the top of the Netflix charts. This thought-provoking docuseries about the iconic Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders lifts the curtain on the hours that these professional dancers work — and how little they get paid by a franchise that rakes in billions. (They wash their own uniforms! With toothbrushes!) The head coach even landed in the political zeitgeist after making a pro-Kamala statement straight from the heart of Texas. The satisfying plot arc focuses on a small group of the cheerleaders who boldly take a stand — how they did it and how it impacted the women involved is worth watching, even if you’ve read the headlines.
Next up: The Bear
Abby Tegnelia is on the board of Opera Saratoga, but all opinions are her own.