Heart Eyes, Vol. 186: Anything Goes and Easy Pizza Dough
Friends! Hello. Happy Friday. We made it, and I am ready—eagerly looking forward to a lazy Saturday and a busy Sunday, the 1:1 formula I personally (try to) (with mixed results) adhere to for ideal weekending. Wherever you are and whatever you’re doing, I hope the ratio is just right. I think you’re doing great.
What to Watch: Anything Goes on PBS
I know you’ll be shocked—shocked!—when I tell you that I am firmly and forever in favor of televised broadcasts of stage productions. In the scheme of things that are life-giving and potentially life-changing and yet not geographically or financially accessible to very many people at all, doesn’t Broadway- or West End- level theater seem high on the list? And doesn’t it seem like both A Nice Thing and a potential investment in future fandom and ticket sales to bring a little of those things to the people?
To wit: I was in late elementary school when the telecast of the original West End production of Into the Woods came out, and for the next few years, it was everywhere. I saw it several times in school—both acts, which I’ve now learned is not necessarily the case. Now. Into the Woods is a complex text about desire and loss and collective responsibility, and did I absorb any of that in Mr. Johnson’s fifth-grade music class? I did not. But I loved the show anyway, and saw it many more times in other contexts over the years, and eventually grew up into 1) a person who does understand and appreciate Sondheim’s obsession with the ambiguity of being human, and 2) an active theatergoer who seeks out, and pays for, theatrical works of all types. (See also: Hamilton on Disney+, the highlight of all our first pandemic summers! [Sigh.]) I’m convinced: theater on the TV, even for a nominal fee, is a no-brainer.
Which is why I’m so thrilled to tell you that, until June 10, you can stream the 2021 West End production of Anything Goes for free on the PBS app or PBS.org. This is the London revival of the 2011 Broadway production that won a bunch of Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Musical; even better, Sutton Foster won the Tony for her 2011 portrayal of Reno Sweeney and came back ten years later to reprise the role.
Don’t know what I’m talking about? Anything Goes is Cole Porter’s 1934 musical farce set aboard a ship crossing the Atlantic—think silly mobsters, weird love triangles, stowaways, cases of mistaken identity, lots of excellent dancing, and a number of songs you probably already know. It’s light and goofy and would make an excellent Friday-night watch. I enjoyed it very much; maybe you would, too?
What To Cook: Easy Pizza Dough
As you probably know, earlier this year I instituted Pizza Fridays for myself—a way to eliminate one bit of menu planning each week and also to honor my truest self, which is to say, the person who always wants the end of the week to feel like an easy celebration. I’ve given myself plenty of latitude on where that pizza comes from: maybe I’m picking it up at my local spot, maybe it used to live in the Trader Joe’s freezer section, maybe the dough comes to me pre-made. But honestly, I usually end up making it from scratch, throwing together a four-ingredient dough at the end of the workday and scrounging together whatever toppings I have in the house. I’ve experimented with a few dough recipes and I think they’re all fine, and recommend that you find the one that makes the amount of pizza you want and works the best for your schedule. I like a half-batch of this one: it makes an approximately 9x13 pizza that leaves me Saturday lunch (but not leftovers for days) and if I mix it up around 4:30, I’m eating by 7:00, with time in the middle for a run + shower or a glass of wine in the backyard. Maybe today should be your Pizza Friday, too?
A Very Simple Pizza Dough
By Deb Perelman in Smitten Kitchen Every Day
Makes one 13x18 or two 9x13 pizzas
2 1/3 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp. instant yeast
1 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
3/4 cup + 1 TBSP room-temperature water
Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl with a wooden spoon, then reach your hands in and knead the dough for about a minute, until it comes together smoothly. Cover, ideally in a warm spot, for two hours, until doubled in size. (Or make it the day before and stick it in the fridge for a long nap!) From there, press it out on a baking sheet or pizza stone, and go.
Blockbuster Review: Miss Congeniality (2000)
Honestly still so funny—Sandra Bullock is obviously hugely charming and sympathetic and has excellent comic timing, but the snappy, lean script also gives her plenty to work with. Also: Gracie Hart is WAY too good for misogynist Benjamin Bratt, and I think she should end up with sweet Rhode Island instead. Their anniversary could be April 25! It’s not too hot and not too cold, and all you need is a light jacket!