When I first saw Hamilton a few days after it opened in February 2015 my very first reaction was that I could not wait for the high school version of the script to be licensed.  Finally the drama club at your local high school might be the cool place to be.  Not so when I … Continue reading Hamilton – the Future

Still can't get Hamilton off the brain, out of the head.  Because this was the second time I saw the show, I tried to watch off focus to see what was going on in the periphery.  With the double turntable it is a complicated performance.  The music and lyrics are amazing.  And of course the … Continue reading Hamilton – Flawless Show?

Today I won the Broadway Direct lottery for a ticket to Hamilton on Broadway.  I attended the Saturday matinee at the Richard Rodgers Theatre.  This is the second time I've seen the show.  I won a Today Tix Lottery on February 21, 2015, also a Saturday matinee.  For each ticket I paid only $10 as … Continue reading Hamilton – Again

Oh yes, my children, it is true.  The greatest popular poet of our time has been awarded the Nobel.  I could never have dreamed to hear that as a young man.  Wow.  I have a substantial music collection and a good chunk of that is Bob Dylan and the many covers of his work.  Amazing. … Continue reading Bob? Nobel? Dylan?

Had the chance to see this comic play skit recently.  It was funny but uneven.  It really was a very long Saturday Night Live sketch that sometimes hit and sometimes missed.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it, but Neil Simon they ain't (does anyone else alive even know who Neil Simon was is?)  Sigh. … Continue reading Oh Hello on Broadway

Got word today that a group called Culture*Park will include my play "Freedom Training" in their 14th Short Play Marathon on Saturday, November 12 at an auditorium in the New Bedford Whaling Museum in New Bedford, Massachusetts.  It will be a staged reading.  They require that playwrights attend to discuss their inspiration and process.  I'm … Continue reading Plans to attend presentations of two of my scripts in November

Helder Guimaraes is a talented, earnest magician.  His moves are smooth, his presentation solid.  He holds forth on a set stacked with crates and memorabilia.  He ties his illusions to his memories, lessons learned, a self examined life and lessons learned.  His patter, at least to my ears, was less interesting than his magic. All … Continue reading Verso – Truth in Deception

Who is to say what a Broadway show should be?  The Encounter certainly does not fit any of the molds.  I came with high expectations as I usually agree with reviews by Ben Brantley and he had given it raves in London and here.  The components were spectacular and yet... Simon McBurney has done yeoman's … Continue reading The Encounter

Got around to seeing Andrew Lloyd Webber's new piece, School of Rock the Musical.  I have not seen the movie it was based on, I just don't get to see that many movies. The stage show is extremely high energy, has lots of very talented kids and is very well put together.  As complicated as … Continue reading School of Rock, the Musical

I'll get back to documenting my theater reviews soon.  I'll be going to several plays this weekend and will set them up over the next few days, but until then, more about food! I have been trying meal kits over the last couple of months and love them.  Early in life I enjoyed baking for … Continue reading Food, Glorious Food

I've heard the term "Theater Geek" many times but never attributed it to myself.  After all, I was a theater aficionado, a person versed in the performing arts, even a produced playwright.  But not a theater geek.  Last night I was at a New York Yankees game against the Boston Red Sox.  I enjoyed the … Continue reading Yankees v. Red Sox v. Theater

I enjoyed another trip down The Fantasticks lane last night.  It is the perfect little musical.  I have always enjoyed this show.  I worried about long run fatigue and new actors just plugging along in a low audience backwaters.  No need to worry.  The cast last night was extraordinary, on their toes and giving 100%.  I was … Continue reading The Fantasticks

I keep a spreadsheet of all of the plays I have written and all the submissions made (of course I do).  Looking through it yesterday I realized that my first submission was made ten years ago and on August 31, 2006 I was told that I was one of three finalists, though another script was … Continue reading A decade of writing

Adding a topic to this blog.  Food.  My favorite topic.  Not only do I like to cook, but I certainly enjoy eating out.  There are innumerable options in this area and I'll highlight some from time to time just to hear myself talk. Today's feature is notably low brow.  Accidentally ran across a New Jersey … Continue reading Not fancy eats, but fun

Escapism time tonight.  The glorious Irving Berlin songs from the original film. I never saw the movie but am told the script was pretty faithful to it.  I found the first part of the first act dragged with all the exposition, but hit it's stride in the penultimate scene with "Slap the Blues Away" and … Continue reading Holiday Inn – the New Irving Berlin Musical

Today 60,000 people flock to my little neighborhood to attend the Medieval Festival at Fort Tryon Park.  It is always a fun day with lots of chain mail, damsels, and wizards walking through food stalls and craft merchants.  There are jousts, live chess games and many families trying to keep plastic swords sheathed.  I enjoy … Continue reading Thoughts on two Manhattan Neighborhoods

I am delighted to report that my short play "Your Turn to Watch Dad" will be part of the 6th Annual Tri-State Theatre Festival by the South Street Players in Spring Lake, NJ.  There will be three performances: Friday, November 4 at 8:00 PM, Saturday, November 5 at 8:00 PM and Sunday, November 6 at … Continue reading Your Turn to Watch Dad

Tonight I had the opportunity to see a performance of Matilda The Musical at the Shubert Theater.  It was special in very many ways.  I saw the return of Leslie Margherita to the show as it plays it's last months.  It was Roald Dahl Day - what would have been his 100th birthday.  Plus it … Continue reading Matilda the Musical

Two off Broadway Plays today. Marie and Rosetta is based on the real life partnership of Marie Knight and Sister Rosetta Tharpe.  Playwright George Brant has clearly done his research and brings together convincing interaction for the two woman cast.  Ultimately though the script becomes manipulative, explanatory and maudlin.  He did get me though, I … Continue reading Marie and Rosetta; Small Mouth Sounds