Tag: Culture
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My Best Book of 2025
I read 54 books from January 1 to December 31, 2025, which happens to almost divide perfectly into a book a week. Of these, there is one that, believe it or not, was my favorite. So, join me as I walk through some honorable mentions, and finally, my most highly recommended book of the year,…
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Opinion: the Merits and Drawbacks of Historical Musicals
Have you been keeping up with Broadway, West End, and local productions in Seattle? Over the past few years, I have noticed a trend of what I call historical theater, theater about historical events or people. It seems that every other musical involves a long-dead queen, king, or president, and I wanted to explore why.…
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The Music of Hadestown
The Magic of musicals is a result of the combination of songs, acting, set design, costume design, dancing, and more. But sometimes, even the score alone is enough to leave a lasting impact. Hadestown has an amazing soundtrack, which won a Grammy for best musical theater album after its Broadway debut in 2019. The music…
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How Top Boy Changed British Culture
Netflix recently released the much anticipated fifth and final season of the hit crime drama Top Boy. The show was initially released in 2010 in the UK and achieved mild success. However, Canadian rap star Drake was a major fan of the series, often posting about it on social media. He got in contact with…
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Osamu Dazai — The Voice of Cynicism
Shūji Tsushima better known by his pen name, Osamu Dazai, was a deeply troubled man. Despite being one of the most prolific Japanese authors of all time only a handful of his books are available in English, despite this his writing has still made a profound impact on international audiences. Dazai’s immense popularity is in…
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Comedy Controversy and How We Should Feel About It
Recently, stand-up comedian Hasan Minhaj faced criticism after admitting to making up and altering stories about discrimination he faced in his past. According to an NBC news article, one story about being rejected by his prom date due to his race (a story prominently featured in his stand-up material) was one of several of Minhaj’s…