I know that I promised myself not to pay too much attention to the election, because as someone (Sondheim) once wrote, “If you have no expectations, You can never have a disappointment.” But this country has such a damned long election cycle, and I’m such an impatient kind of guy, I can’t seem to help … Continue reading Early Birds
Sondheim
Every Day a Little Death
I bought this book last year and I realized that I never wrote about it. It’s an anthology of short crime stories, each one of which is related in some way to a Stephen Sondheim song. But not simply related to a song, most of the stories are filled with sly and not so sly … Continue reading Every Day a Little Death
What’s the Name of This Country?
When I went to elementary school, I remember believing that the name of the country that I lived in was the United States of America. It was right there in the Pledge of Allegiance. It was one of several countries on the continent of North America, and as the continent was called North America, the … Continue reading What’s the Name of This Country?
Alan, Angie, and Clarke
There are a couple of recent Fresh Air episodes that I want to highlight. First, there’s a retrospective episode of interviews from several years ago with Alan Cumming and Angela Lansbury. Cumming talks about his appearance in Caberet among other things, and the Lansbury interview is from 1980, so she’s talking about her role in Sondheim’s … Continue reading Alan, Angie, and Clarke
This and That
An update from my sister on yesterday’s post: Besides the, I think 50, jabs on my back, I had injections up and down both arms. I think I was 10 years old and I cried the entire time. Also, I had a sulfa allergy. I had tonsillitis a lot in winter and that was how … Continue reading This and That
The First 50 Years
Steve Jobs might very well still be with us if he hadn’t tried to treat his cancer with quack, “alternative medicine” techniques. He had a form of pancreatic cancer that could have responded to treatment, but he waited too long before checking into a hospital. He was a brilliant man in many ways, but he … Continue reading The First 50 Years
A Wink and a Wiggle and a Giggle on the Grass
Maria Friedman has gotten a lot of attention in recent years as a director, in particular for her direction of the West End and Broadway productions of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s Merrily We Roll Along, which was recently released in a movie version. But before that she was known for her work as an actress … Continue reading A Wink and a Wiggle and a Giggle on the Grass
Sondheim’s “Our Time” Vamp
Quote of the day: When I was born I was so surprised I didn't talk for a year and a half.—Gracie Allen Last summer—and by “last summer” I mean the summer of 2024, not this past summer, but you know, the summer of last year, but that’s a rather ambiguous phrase and different folks ascribe … Continue reading Sondheim’s “Our Time” Vamp
“Life is a loveless tale”
Quote of the day: A rich man is one who isn't afraid to ask the salesperson to show him something cheaper.—Jack Benny It was 1942 and Richard Rodgers wanted get to work on Green Grow the Lilacs, a play that had failed on Broadway a decade earlier but in which he saw possibilities for a … Continue reading “Life is a loveless tale”
Quick Takes
Quote of the day: I am terribly shy, but of course no one believes me. Come to think of it, neither would I.—Carol Channing According to Ashley Cullins in her new book, Your Favorite Scary Movie, the writer of the original Scream movie, Kevin Williamson, was inspired to create that horror film by of all people, … Continue reading Quick Takes