I'm getting ready to see "Death of a Salesman" tonight--my sole source of interest is Laurie Metcalf. Recently named one of the theater actors "you must see," Metcalf is always mesmerizing. Here are my three favorite Metcalf memories: *"The Other Place." I think this was toward the start of Metcalf's Broadway reign. All I remember is that it begins with a monologue and that Metcalf's character is losing her mind. A theater actor has to command a cavernous space; there has to be a sense of "layering," a sense of mystery. I remember feeling that right away from Metcalf. She was the center of a force field--that's the only way I can describe it. *"Little Bear Ridge Road." By this point, Metcalf had become something like Broadway's Mozart. In my favorite scene, she was near comatose--she was listening to a story that her troubled nephew had written. Because she had invested so much in her character, because her perform...
The recent Times interview put a spotlight on a Taylor Swift song I admire; this is a widely beloved song. I want you to know I'm a mirrorball-- I'll show you every version of yourself tonight. I'll get you out on the floor-- Shimmering, beautiful-- And when I break, it's in a million pieces. To me, this is notable because Taylor is speaking directly to the listener. This isn't unparalleled--but, in other settings, I tend to think of Taylor in storyteller mode, writing to "Betty," to Jake Gyllenhaal, to her mother. The idea is that a pop performer--or any public figure--is just a vessel to be used. You listen to a pop singer so that you can learn or understand something about your own life. "When I break, it's in a million pieces." The personal failures of the songwriter are a gift to the world--because the shattering yields a million pieces (a million songs). This composition is celebrated for its bridge: And they called off the circus-- Bu...