THE ENCORE: ONCE IS NOT ENOUGH By Peter Filichia
Although “Always leave ’em wanting more!” has been a long-established and much-observed theatrical policy, there is a time-honored exception. The encore. This came to mind after Michael Portantiere’s excellent concert presentation of THE BOYS FROM SYRACUSE last month. Leah Horowitz, Megan Styrna and Katie Dixon did a sterling rendition of “Sing for Your Supper” at […]
John Kander’s Most Unexpected Birthday Gift By Peter Filichia
Have you ever received a 42-page birthday card? John Kander did in March, when he hit The Big Nine-Five and the “card” arrived in his mail. Quotation marks surround the word “card” because Richard Seff actually sent Kander a little book. He called it COME HEAR THE MUSIC PLAY, which he did with Kander’s music […]
SEVENTEEN WITHOUT THE SEVENTY-SIX By Peter Filichia
Remember the film 18 AGAIN, in which George Burns’ character goes on a youthful journey? It starts on Jack Watson’s birthday: his 81st, as we see from the foot-high numbers on his commemorative cake. The screenwriters made sure that a straight up-and-down “pole” was its number “1,” for that way, when Jack walked around the […]
For Your E-dification by Peter Filichia
So, do you know a novel called GADSBY? Not THE GREAT GATSBY, mind you, but GADSBY, a 50,110-word tome that Ernest Vincent Wright wrote in 1939. It concerned a man who thought his hometown would be better off if children ran it. As flabbergasting as that may sound, the book’s real surprise is that not […]
GIVE OUR REGARDS TO GEORGE M! By Peter Filichia
So what’s inspired me to listen non-stop to GEORGE M!? Inside Broadway gets the credit. If you grew up attending a New York public school, Inside Broadway may be familiar to you. For 40 years, founder and executive director Michael Presser has been sending 45-minute shows to P.S. This-and-That to acquaint kids with what a […]
