Archives for October 1, 2015

Apropos of this really embarrassing piece, my kind of person…

• …prefers hot dogs to hamburgers.

• …prefers trains to planes—in theory.

• …likes Johnny Mercer best:

• …likes Carolyn Leigh second best:

• …thinks funny is sexy.

• …isn’t cynical about anything except politicians and journalists.

• …can cry at the drop of a hat, even when he knows perfectly well that he’s being manipulated into doing so.

• …would give a lot to have written this scene:

• …is bone-tired of mere cleverness (except when it’s so virtuosic as to be completely irresistible).

• …is always happy to be somebody else’s straight man.

• …will go to any film or play that has Zoe Kazan in it.

• …prefers cats to dogs, though not militantly so (unless they slobber).

• …loves most of Stephen Sondheim’s musicals, but doesn’t think he’s God.

• …thinks the original version of The In-Laws is the funniest movie ever made, not excluding His Girl Friday and Some Like It Hot.

• …thinks The Glass Menagerie and Our Town are the greatest American plays, not excluding Long Day’s Journey into Night.

• …thinks this is the most beautiful piece of music by an American, not excluding the first take of Charlie Parker’s improvisation on “Embraceable You”:

• …likes John Wayne movies.

• …dislikes Woody Allen movies (except for Radio Days).

• …likes Steely Dan, but is O.K. about it if you don’t.

• …likes this just as much:

• …is never, ever afraid to praise what he loves and knock what he hates. (You’d be surprised how many people are—some of whom are professional critics.)

• …is too enthusiastic to be cool.

• …isn’t a snob about anything—not even snapping on one and three:

• …doesn’t confuse taste with virtue.

And yes, this is a self-portrait. Why shouldn’t it be?

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:
• An American in Paris (musical, G, too complex for small children, mos performances sold out last week, reviewed here)
• Fun Home (serious musical, PG-13, all performances sold out last week, reviewed here)
• A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder (musical, PG-13, many performances sold out last week, closes Jan. 17, reviewed here)
• Hamilton (musical, PG-13, all performances sold out last week, reviewed here)
• Hand to God (black comedy, X, absolutely not for children or prudish adults, closes Jan. 3, reviewed here)
• The King and I (musical, G, perfect for children with well-developed attention spans, most performances sold out last weekreviewed here)
• Matilda (musical, G, reviewed here)
• Les Misérables (musical, G, too long and complicated for young children, reviewed here)

OFF BROADWAY:
• Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps (comedy, G, ideal for bright children, remounting of Broadway production, original production reviewed here)
• The Fantasticks (musical, G, suitable for children capable of enjoying a love story, reviewed here)
• The Flick (serious comedy, PG-13, too long for young people with limited attention spans, reviewed here)
• A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare, PG-13, remounting of Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival production, closes Oct. 31, original production reviewed here)

IN ASHLAND, OREGON:
• Guys and Dolls (musical, G, closes Nov. 1, reviewed here)
• Sweat (drama, PG-13, closes Oct. 31, reviewed here)

IN CHICAGO:
• The Price (drama, PG-13, closes Nov. 22, reviewed here)
• The Time of Your Life (drama, PG-13, closes Oct. 25, reviewed here)

IN NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, ONTARIO:
• Sweet Charity (musical, PG-13, closes Oct. 31, reviewed here)
• You Never Can Tell (Shaw, PG-13, closes Oct. 25, reviewed here)

CLOSING SOON IN SPRING GREEN, WIS.:
• An Iliad (drama, PG-13, closes Oct. 18, reviewed here)

CLOSING NEXT WEEK IN BOSTON:
• My Fair Lady (musical, G, closes Oct. 11, reviewed here)

CLOSING SUNDAY IN SPRING GREEN, WIS.:
• The Merry Wives of Windsor (Shakespeare, PG-13, reviewed here)

“He who has never hoped can never despair. Caesar, in good or bad fortune, looks his fate in the face.”

George Bernard Shaw, Caesar and Cleopatra