With the death of the dryly sarcastic and always funny Jayne Meadows yesterday, I cannot help but to think back on the 1985 TV movie musical Alice in Wonderland in which she appeared as The Queen of Hearts. For any of you who grew up with this inception of the Lewis Carroll classic, you understand the deep affection I have for this tuneful, completely cheesy, almost Vegas-inspired version. Packed to the hilt with B list celebrities of stage and screen (and the occasional game show panel member), this two-part TV movie event felt like The Love Boat had crashed into Wonderland, spilling its decade’s worth of guest stars onto the colorfully designed soundstage. For me, it was a little slice of gaudy heaven.
Tony Award Wishes
It's Tony nomination time and I always feel a bit like a kid at Christmas as I wait to find out which shows will receive recognition, which ones will establish themselves as historical pieces of art, which will be also-rans, and which will be "egregiously overlooked." The Tony awards used to be an enormous deal for me, a chance to sit down for three hours and see the faces that made Broadway. How completely did I revel in the scenes from plays such as Lettice and Lovage with Maggie Smith or Fences with James Earl Jones? The myriad musical numbers that I committed to memory and then replicated to the best of my ability in our basement. I can even remember such moving speeches as Michael Jeter accepting for Grand Hotel or Andrea Martin hilariously making the most of her time to talk, winning for My Favorite Year.
Remembering The Secret Garden
Lucy Simon is an eclectic composer who adeptly infuses her music with the sounds and folk styles of other cultures. With her new musical Doctor Zhivago opening on Broadway last night. I began feeling affectionate about and nostalgic for her first foray into writing for the Broadway stage: The Secret Garden. The Secret Garden is richly textured musically and features expert allusions to the music of India and rural England. In fact, the musical went so far as to employ instruments outside of the norm for a Broadway pit, including a hammered dulcimer.
Top Ten Stephen Sondheim Songs To Live By
Stephen Sondheim is perhaps the greatest teacher of all, hiding pearls of wisdom throughout his lyrics that offer uniquely sage perspectives on the world. Now, I am not suggesting that you should adopt all of the philosophies within his musicals, as Sweeney Todd and Assassins might serve as a ticket to prison, but there are some songs that just so perfectly capture the lessons of life that they deserve to be committed to memory for the wisdom they impart. So, today’s “Top-Ten List” will feature my favorite “Stephen Sondheim Songs to Live By.”