Archives for December 23, 2005

Not only am I not dead yet, but I’m back in The Wall Street Journal today with a review of two shows, Mrs. Warren’s Profession and Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life:

George Bernard Shaw had all the defects of all his virtues. He offered Edwardian theatergoers a heady brew of progressive ideas–but the left-wing notions that propelled his once-controversial plays long ago lost their power to shock. His characters were forever tossing off speeches that crackled and fizzed with wit–but they never knew when to shut up. Even the best of his plays can be unutterably tedious in anything short of a near-perfect performance. Am I surprised, then, that the Irish Repertory Theatre’s revival of “Mrs. Warren’s Profession” is so exciting? Not even slightly. When it comes to my favorite Off Broadway company, I take such marvels for granted….

I wasn’t around for the 1975 New York Shakespeare Festival revival of “Mrs. Warren’s Profession,” which starred Lynn Redgrave and Ruth Gordon, but I can’t imagine it having been superior to this production, which ranks with “The Trip to Bountiful” and “Sweeney Todd” at the top of my list of new shows worth seeing….

It’s not ungentlemanly to say that Chita Rivera is 72, since she makes no secret of it. Nor has she sought to conceal the fact that her “autobiographical” show, “Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life,” was written by playwright Terrence McNally. For that matter, “The Dancer’s Life” isn’t even a one-woman show: Ms. Rivera does nearly all the talking, but she’s backed by an ensemble of ten dancers and an on-stage orchestra. So if you were expecting something similar to “At Liberty,” Elaine Stritch’s brassily candid solo show about life upon the wicked stage, you’re going to be surprised by “The Dancer’s Life,” which feels more like an as-told-to musical than a hot-dish gossipfest. It’s brisk, slick, just a little bit impersonal–and boundlessly entertaining….

No link, so if you want to read the whole thing, pick up a copy of today’s Journal, or give yourself a Christmas present by going here to subscribe to the Online Journal, which will provide you with instant access to the complete text of my review (along with lots of other art-related stories).

Not forever! But in light of my new resolve to take things easier, my plan for the coming week is to blog minimally–if at all. I might conceivably poke my head in once or twice, but don’t count on seeing me again until next Friday.

Before I go, here’s a sneak preview of my next “Sightings” column, “Not for Blacks Only,” which will be published in Saturday’s Wall Street Journal:

Morgan Freeman may have a bone to pick with you–especially if you’ve ever had occasion to refer to him as “one of America’s best black actors.” Which he is, of course, the same way that Lynn Nottage is one of America’s best black playwrights, or Martin Puryear one of America’s best black sculptors. But the trouble with these three descriptions is that each contains the same needlessly limiting adjective. Mr. Freeman is one of America’s best actors–period. To narrow the scope of his superiority to other actors with black skin would be like calling Helen Frankenthaler “one of America’s best woman painters”: True, yes, and totally beside the point….

Needless to say, there’s plenty more where that came from. See for yourself–buy a copy of tomorrow’s Journal and look me up.

One last thing: I suspect that most of you have some idea of how deeply touched I am by your kind words and best wishes. There is nothing I could possibly say that would do more than hint at what I’m feeling right now, so I’ll put it as simply as I can: you have lifted up my heart.

Merry Christmas!

“I think the name of leisure has come to cover three totally different things. The first is being allowed to do something. The second is being allowed to do anything. And the third (and perhaps most rare and precious) is being allowed to do nothing.”

G.K. Chesterton, “Our Notebook,” Illustrated London News (July 23, 1927)

Not a lot of arts content from my corner this week, but I do have this recipe for the cookie that has been deemed best in show at our house this year.

Pecan Cups


1 cup flour

3 oz. cream cheese

1/4 lb. butter, softened

3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1 tbsp. melted butter

1 egg

1 cup chopped pecans

dash salt

3 drops vanilla

Make the dough by blending flour, cream cheese, and softened butter together well. In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients to make the filling. Roll dough into 1-inch balls and flatten evenly into mini-muffin pan cups, dough flush with tops of cups. Drop about a teaspoon of filling into each cup (do not overfill). Bake in a 350-degree oven for 25-30 minutes.

Walnuts would work, too. We doubled the recipe, a wise move since we ate half the results almost immediately.

UPDATE: A reader knowledgeable in these matters writes, “This recipe is an old Southern favorite of British origin. The