Liars and Saints

  I loved this movie. Dwight Garner somewhat ludicrously referred to Marlon James's new novel as "the novel of the century." I won't say "Coyote vs. Acme" is the movie of the century, but it has the aura of a classic. Wile E. Coyote wants to sue Acme because its products are defective. You buy mechanical wings--and you find yourself immediately falling to Earth. Will Forte--in a beautiful performance--agrees to take on Wile E. Coyote's case. Wile E. Coyote cannot speak, but his face displays a range of emotions. It's just like the faces of the various sheep in "Mossy Bottom." Also, Wile E. Coyote can hold up cue cards that convey some of his more complex thoughts. Likewise, Road Runner cannot articulate motives, but Road Runner *can* say "meep meep" for "yes" and "meep" for no. The WEC/Road Runner relationship is important in our culture; it's the source of the Bob/Bart relationship in "Cape Feare...

 Niagara-on-the-Lake is a posh tourist town that traces its origins to the Revolutionary War. According to my husband, Loyalists fled the colonies and built a new life in Canada. But the rebels sought revenge in the War of 1812. Niagara-on-the-Lake was then reconstructed. The town hosts the Shaw Festival--although, in my experience, no one actually likes the plays of George Bernard Shaw. I've yet to meet someone who can't stop talking about "Mrs. Warren's Profession." Those indifferent to Shaw include the Shaw's own former creative director, who turned down the Shaw Festival's job offer several times before saying yes. Over time, the Festival's mandate has become slightly watery; there is now a vague understanding that a Festival play should have a setting that overlaps with Shaw's own era (roughly 1850 to 1950). But Marc and I just saw "Sleuth," which seemed to take place in the 1970s? So who knows. As I grow old, I find myself wishing j...

 The George Cross mysteries feature a detective "on the spectrum." He seems to have no interest in dating or sex, so his family life is centered on his parents. (By contrast, "The Tunnel," a TV series, features a neurodivergent detective who seems to have a robust sex life. I wonder if Tim Sullivan--author of the Cross novels--is aware of "The Tunnel.") George Cross grew up without a mother. For a long while, it was his belief that Christine, his mother, couldn't handle the challenge of living with a "special needs" child. But, in fact, Christine left for unrelated reasons. She discovered that her husband, Raymond, was gay; in that era, the "cleanest" solution seemed to be the act of disappearing. I think Sullivan could dig deeper here. There was really no other way for Christine to cope with complications? The author's "blurriness" around the Christine question is one of the weakest aspects of the George Cross books. ...

  The reason I felt drawn to Dolly Parton was that she seemed to follow the Stephen Sondheim playbook. One of the Sondheim rules was that form should match content. And there I was last night in a restaurant, listening to "Jolene": Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene. Please don't take him just because you can. Dolly's speaker does not need to explain to us that she is obsessed--because Dolly's use of *form* conveys the message. Those four "Jolenes"--on ascending notes--create the feeling of obsession. We know what it is like to be inside the speaker's ruminating head. Another note from Sondheim was that every song should function as a one-act play, with exposition, development, and a conclusion. Recall that Dolly was just in high school when she wrote "The Bridge." It's a little bit overheated and predictable--but it's still nothing like the writing you would expect from a teenager. A kid appears on a bridge and recalls that this was he...

  I have no idea how carefully the writers of "Six" were thinking about Ariana Grande. There is of course the link between Catherine Howard's hairstyle and Grande's iconic ponytail. There is also the choice of song structure. Howard's solo is a kind of resume: the verses walk us through the story of her love life. Grande uses the same trick in "Thank U, Next": we hear about each and every major ex (rather than focusing on just one). I can't help but notice an additional parallel. When a pop star addresses a crush, she is also (covertly) addressing her audience: A little less conversation and a little more TOUCH MY BODY. Cuz I'm so into you, into you, into you. We would be naive to pretend that the music industry isn't--on one level--selling sex. "All you wanna do--all you wanna do, Baby, is touch me, squeeze me, birds and the bees me." At some point, the relationship becomes toxic. Some of Grande's recent songs have been "a...

  We flew to another country — then drove a long way — to see a revival of “Guys and Dolls.” Is this odd? I don’t care. Loesser’s musical, one of the all-time greats, is essentially a Shakespearean comedy, and so it “works” at the Stratford Festival. In a Shakespeare story, a young man or woman travels to an enchanted place (a forest or island), assumes a false identity for bizarre reasons, then makes a mess. That’s also Sky Masterson. He begins wooing Sarah by pretending certain things are true: a Havana “milkshake” doesn’t really have alcohol, a certain flight to Cuba is really just about finding a decent lunch. Complications ensue. Amazingly, Sky’s conscience begins to wake up. He finds that he cares too much about Sarah to continue pulling the wool over her eyes. At the same time, Sarah notices she has a “well of forgiveness” deeper than the well she’d imagined for herself. A casual remark from a third party points the way toward resolution — just in time. Generally, a succ...