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About Last Night

Terry Teachout on the arts in New York City

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Archives for October 17, 2013

TT: At last

October 17, 2013 by Terry Teachout

Duke-for-Ivan_2518583b.jpgDuke: A Life of Duke Ellington was officially published today by Gotham Books.
I’m already up to my ears in book-related public appearances and will remain so for the next month and a half, but this is still a special day for me. Every author likes to think, however fleetingly, that his latest book is his best one yet. That’s how I feel–at least for the moment–about Duke. We’ll see if I still feel the same way in a year, but right now I’m more than happy to revel in the perfect joy and fulfillment of the present moment. Writers live for such moments.
I ought to be thanking any number of people on this great day, but I trust they’ll all forgive me if I mention only Mrs. T, the dedicatee of Duke. I owe all that I’ve done in the eight years since we met to her steadfast love and ever-inspiring faith in my ability to be better than I think I can be. If Duke is any good, it’s because she was sure that it would be.
* * *
To read the second installment of Marc Myers’ two-part conversation with me about Duke, go here.
To hear my very first radio interview about Duke, which aired yesterday on Seattle’s KUOW-FM, go here.

TT: So you want to see a show?

October 17, 2013 by Terry Teachout

Here’s my list of recommended Broadway, off-Broadway, and out-of-town shows, updated weekly. In all cases, I gave these shows favorable reviews (if sometimes qualifiedly so) in The Wall Street Journal when they opened. For more information, click on the title.


BROADWAY:

• Annie (musical, G, closing Jan. 5, reviewed here)

• Matilda (musical, G, nearly all performances sold out last week, reviewed here)

• Once (musical, G/PG-13, reviewed here)

OFF BROADWAY:

• Avenue Q (musical, R, adult subject matter and one show-stopping scene of puppet-on-puppet sex, reviewed here)

• The Fantasticks (musical, G, suitable for children capable of enjoying a love story, reviewed here)

CLOSING SOON OFF BROADWAY:

• Natural Affection (drama, R, closes Oct. 26, reviewed here)

• Philip Goes Forth (drama, G, not suitable for small children, closes Oct. 27, reviewed here)

CLOSING SOON IN ASHLAND, OREGON:

• My Fair Lady (musical, G, closes Nov. 3, reviewed here)

CLOSING NEXT WEEK IN NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, ONTARIO:

• Our Betters (comedy, PG-13, closes Oct. 27, reviewed here)

CLOSING THIS WEEKEND IN SPRING GREEN, WISCONSIN:

• Antony and Cleopatra (Shakespeare, PG-13, closes Sunday, reviewed here)

• Dickens in America (one-man play, G, too demanding for small children, closes Saturday, reviewed here)

CLOSING SATURDAY IN NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, ONTARIO:

• Major Barbara (drama, PG-13, reviewed here)

CLOSING SUNDAY OFF BROADWAY:

• The Old Friends (drama, PG-13, reviewed here)

TT: Your daily dose of Duke (cont’d)

October 17, 2013 by Terry Teachout

Duke Ellington performs live in Paris in 1958:

TT: Almanac

October 17, 2013 by Terry Teachout

I wish you all the joy that you can wish.
William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice

Terry Teachout

Terry Teachout, who writes this blog, is the drama critic of The Wall Street Journal and the critic-at-large of Commentary. In addition to his Wall Street Journal drama column and his monthly essays … [Read More...]

About

About “About Last Night”

This is a blog about the arts in New York City and the rest of America, written by Terry Teachout. Terry is a critic, biographer, playwright, director, librettist, recovering musician, and inveterate blogger. In addition to theater, he writes here and elsewhere about all of the other arts--books, … [Read More...]

About My Plays and Opera Libretti

Billy and Me, my second play, received its world premiere on December 8, 2017, at Palm Beach Dramaworks in West Palm Beach, Fla. Satchmo at the Waldorf, my first play, closed off Broadway at the Westside Theatre on June 29, 2014, after 18 previews and 136 performances. That production was directed … [Read More...]

About My Podcast

Peter Marks, Elisabeth Vincentelli, and I are the panelists on “Three on the Aisle,” a bimonthly podcast from New York about theater in America. … [Read More...]

About My Books

My latest book is Duke: A Life of Duke Ellington, published in 2013 by Gotham Books in the U.S. and the Robson Press in England and now available in paperback. I have also written biographies of Louis Armstrong, George Balanchine, and H.L. Mencken, as well as a volume of my collected essays called A … [Read More...]

The Long Goodbye

To read all three installments of "The Long Goodbye," a multi-part posting about the experience of watching a parent die, go here. … [Read More...]

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