Liars and Saints

  If I had to choose a favorite title, I might choose "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes." That title! So obnoxious, so shallow--and not untrue. In the middle of the story, the heroine Lorelei complains to her suitor that she can't control her own social life. She can't tell people to stop paying attention to her. It's just that "gentlemen prefer blondes--like me." And her suitor has a memorable reply: "What am *I* to do....if they keep on...PREFERRING you?" This is a sharp, dirty musical. It's famous for "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend." This song is an I AM song--the heroine has a message for us. The message is this: "I am FUCKING  SMART . Don't forget it." Men grow cold-- As girls grow old. And we all lose our charms in the end. But...square cut or pear-shaped... THESE ROCKS don't lose THEIR shape. Diamonds are a girl's best friend. Diamonds are interesting not because they are beautiful. Diamonds are intere...

  I actually have never seen the Robert Zemeckis film "Death Becomes Her"; when I mentioned this to a Broadway vendor, he looked at me with obvious confusion. I bought my (Broadway) ticket for the chance to see Jennifer Simard--and only for the chance to see Jennifer Simard. Also, I'm on vacation, and I'm hoping not to learn anything. No learning. No deep thinking. No "Our Town," no "Yellow Face." The only option was: "Death Becomes Her." It feels strange to say this, but the Broadway version of "DBH" is essentially a rewrite of "Sweeney Todd." Helen Sharp, a meek, unsuccessful writer, watches in silence as her future is ripped from her hands. The best possible response is murder. But, having sought (and achieved) vengeance, Helen discovers that it's not quite what she had hoped for. Is it possible to live without the desire for revenge? And if revenge "leads to hell," then why is it still (sometimes) irr...

One of the great features of life in New York City is the American Songbook series. These are wildly overpriced concerts that happen at Columbus Circle; you wander through the little mall, with the J. Crew (once upon a time!) and the Williams Sonoma, and you take a secret (not really) elevator, up, up, up to a grand hall (the Appel Room). The concerts themselves are very short, so I think the crazy ticket prices are mainly related to the view you get from this one big room. An entire wall has been replaced by windows, so you gaze out at the southwestern corner of Central Park; you see cars trudging along Central Park South. And horses. At Christmas, lights are everywhere, and you feel you're looking down from a spaceship. Several American Songbook concerts are being televised, in these Covid days, and I want to give my recommendation: * Sutton Foster . Skip right to "Sunshine on My Shoulders," "Take Me to the World," and "It All Fades Away,...

*The high point Friday night was Hilty's rendition of "The Heart of the Matter"--such a thoughtful and honest song. It was a nice change from the Broadway material that filled most of the concert. *Hilty actually played Galinda/Glinda for over four years. Her interpretation is ranked quite high, among fans. (Annaleigh Ashford also tends to rank high.) It would be nice if the Broadway community imposed a moratorium on cabaret renditions of "For Good"--maybe for the next five to seven years. Too much of a good thing.... *You have to wonder why, given all of the options in the catalogue, a Broadway performer would choose zero Sondheim numbers. I'm just saying. *So, the best work of the series, if you ask me, came from Annaleigh Ashford. Not that everything has to be a competition. Check out Hilty's new spin on the work of Don Henley. See you back on PBS!