I have been feeling crummy all week thanks to so many things and today was just the worst thanks to scary bank issues SCARY SCARY. And then a very happy happy coincedence happened but I got home to find info about Scary Bank Thing.
I skimmed through Ethan Mordden's new volume of his Broadway musical history: this one was on the 70s. He has some different opinions than John Clum. He prefers Dean Jones to Larry Kert (and, as usual, Mordden's footnote asides are fucking hysterical. The Larry Kert Birthday Story is a hoot and '"'Also""?' just killed me.) I couldn't concentrate 'cause of stuff, but, hey. "Stupid hippies" is funny and "remember when Judas Priest was a swear" Not too nice about my fave the Raul Julia Threepenny Opera but "zombie prom" is funny. And he has nice things to say about Annie!! I didn't think anyone, except women who were girls in the 70s (uhhh), like it. Also I always thought one of the songs in the musical has bits of the melody of the movie's "We've Got Annie" floating around in it, and now I find that that song was a cut one from the show. Also the final line is a goodie (albeit a bit sad). He ends with discussing the 1979-80 season, and 42nd St "And then David Merrick came on stage and told us Gower Champion was dead. the Golden Age was over"
Mordden got some good points about film and rock critics taking on criticisms of musicals and how they fail, and ooo he gives Kael a good rib. Didn't see Fiddler on Stage? Yes, it did close so quickly HAHA. Well, I think it's funny.
Oh and I read Phyllis Chesler's new book and it's sooooo depressing epsecially after being up this morning listening to Koby Mandell's mother Sherri on the radio. At Housing Works, I read that Might anthology. Hey, remind not to sleep with, I mean fuck, David Eggars. I found a another version of Jerusalem of Gold performed by the songwriter Naomi Shemer. There's just a piano, it's very touching.
And then there are things I'd go into, but, uh. They are silly and slight and incriminating.
Posted by rosemary at September 13, 2003 01:31 AM