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You’d think that someone who refers to his grandfather as Pop Pop would be a little kid. No. In the current off-Broadway musical hit BEAU, the grandson is in his 20s, if not 30s. He’s Ace Baker. Many of us became acquainted with him six years ago, when a pre-production album was released of BEAU’S […]

As I watched the excellent production of BAT BOY at City Center, two other musicals came to mind. ANNIE and FOLLIES. You’re laughing. Fine. But back in 1977, many walked into the Alvin Theatre thinking that they’d see a spoof about an eyeballs-deficient moppet who would say “Leapin’ lizards!” every other second. Instead, they came […]

In case we needed a reminder that RAGTIME is magnificent, the new production at Lincoln Center proves it. Many musical theater aficionados have known its worth for almost 30 years. There aren’t many scores that are recorded months before the show has an announced opening, but RAGTIME is one of the handful. In 1996, some […]

So, how much faith do we place in numerologists and astrologers? Many of them claim that people born on four certain days of the month – the first, the 16th, the 27th and the 31st – are more likely to remain single than those born on the other dates. Can we substantiate these claims based […]

But no mention of KISS ME, KATE? Granted, film producer-director Stephen D.M. Smith was more interested in celebrating where Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne lived in This Place Matters! Ten Chimneys. (Yes, Ten Chimneys. Santa Claus would have no problem entering Lunt and Fontanne’s rural Wisconsin retreat.) However, while I was watching this marvelous hour-long […]