Farewell To My Least Favorite Month!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                           As far as I am concerned, T.S. Eliot was right--"April is the cruelest month."  It brings me more anniversaries of losses than any other month.  And on those days, I still feel the loss deeply.

                          David and I both struggled with colds; mine was respiratory, the worst kind.  I could not really talk for a week, and I could not sing for three.  My Easter choral gig was ruined as I had no voice.

                             But now it is back.  Any challenges out there????????????

                             We saw "Redwood" on Broadway, which I will write about extensively, when I have more time, as well as The Narrow Community Players, out here in Bay Ridge, who staged a wonderful production of that beloved musical, "42nd Street."  "Hear the beat of those dancing feet," darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                               Looking ahead to May, there is more to write; if this is my least amount of posts this year, I apologize.  Life gets in the way even of blogging, sometimes.

                               But, girls, we made it through April!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                               And lastly, Happy Birthday to my father, whose birthday this is, was, and ever will be!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                 See you next month!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, Rats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's "Willard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                       As far as I am concerned, the 1971 thriller with Bruce Davison, is the one and only.  And what delights it offers!  Ernest Borgnine as the bullying boss who gets what is coming to him--every disgruntled employee's fantasy!  An extremely sympathetic performance by Davison as a tragically introverted, mother dominated young man, just one step short of Norman Bates, who gets pushed in that direction, when he connects with, of all things, a horde of rats.

                                        And speaking of mothers, there is a great, campy performance by Elsa Lanchester as Mrs. Stiles.  I don't know if this was her last movie, but she gives it her all, injecting pathos into the campiness, proving her skill as an actress.

                                          The rats in this film are all real; Davison and Borgnine had to work with them, and I read somewhere Davison was bitten at least once.  But because they are real, they are more believable than the cyber manufactured ones in the 2003 remake with Crispin Glover.  We don't even talk about THAT one, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                            So, join us tonight at 8PM as "Svengoolie" presents the original "Willard."  It is worth another look if you have already seen it.  But for first time viewers, it is a MUST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                             "Squeak, squeak!" darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday, Patti LuPone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                            I would not be doing due diligence as a gay man, let alone a Raving Queen, if I did not acknowledge Patti LuPone's birthday.  La LuPone is 76 years old and looks and sounds fantastic.  She already has an impressive theatrical legacy.  And I look forward to what she might do next.

                            But today, I want Patti to celebrate and enjoy herself.  Maybe some Prosecco, ice cream and cake.  Sounds good to me.

                             As she has said, when gay men are in crisis, they call upon Patti.

                            I have been lucky, thus far, not having to do that.

                             Happy Birthday, Patti. A true performer, and friend of the LGBTQ community.

                               We love you, Patti!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Truly, He Was A Pope Of The People!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                             At 7:35AM, Rome time, Pope Francis left this world, for greater glory, which he earned.

                           At around 9AM this morning, NYC time, David woke me to inform me of his passing.

                           I was saddened and fearful.  We have lost one of the best Popes I can recall in my lifetime.  The Catholic Church is on an uncertain precipice.  I fear we will return to darker times upon the election of a much more, putting it mildly, austere Pope.

                             Or maybe not.  Who knows?  But in this time of overall uncertainty, Pope Francis' passing adds more to the pot.

                               He was 88.  In October, Sister Camille will be that age.  Hang in there, Sister Camille.  Your presence is needed more than ever.

                                Rest In Peace, Pope Francis.  Few are as deserving as you,

Happy Easter!!!!!!!!!!!! Alleluia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                           I was awake at 6AM and could see the dark sky slowly turning pink.  I immediately thought of Mary Magdalene carrying spices to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus.

                          This is Easter, and He has arisen!!!!!!!!!!!!  It is also a day of parades, candy, and the culmination of the entire Lenten season.

                             For this house, Easter means mass, a fabulous dinner, and, of course, the annual screening of "The Song Of Bernadette."  If you want to join us all, tune in at 2PM.

                              A happy and joyous Easter to all.  And to Sister Camille!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Really??????????? "It Came From Outer Space????????????" On Holy Saturday?????????????????

                                I know, girls, but really is there an Easter horror movie out there?  I really cannot think of one.

                                 Now, the poster for this movie looks promising, but remember it is colorized, and the movie is not, and it offers more than the movie delivers.

                                   I will say this--for those who have not seen it, tune in to "Svengoolie," tonight at 8PM.  It is one of those alien takeover movies like "Invaders From Mars," or "Invasion Of The Body Snatchers."  Both are superior to this film.

                                    For those having never seen it, I will be honest and say it is at least worth one look.  But not after that.

                                       You would think "Svengoolie" would have picked something appropriate for Easter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                          Maybe Nostalgiaferatu will wear rabbit ears!!!!!!  We can hope, can't we????????????????

Hey, Everyone! It's Holy Saturday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                          This is a day of waiting, darlings!  Jesus is in the tomb, and Mary Magdelene awaits her cue to do her thing at dawn.  Right now, we wait for the resurrection of Jesus.  Like Good Friday, it is a contemplative day.

                           Years ago, Holy Saturday was the big Easter movie night.  No, I am not talking about Cecil B. DeMille's 1956 "The Ten Commandments."  For years, there were two movies to choose from at 11;30 that evening.  On CBS, Channel 2, was offered "Easter Parade," the 1948 MGM movie, where Judy Garland and Fred Astaire sing "When The Midnight Train Leaves For Alabam."  Channel 7, ABC offered "The Song Of Bernadette."  No problem figuring out what I chose, girls, and still do!  Oh, my God!  The sheer beauty of it all!

                            Now that this tradition has vanished, I carry it on in my own way.  Each Easter Sunday, starting at 2PM, I screen "The Song Of Bernadette," and all our "Svengoolie" friends--Baby Gojira, Kerwyn, and Cucumbo come and watch with me.  Tomorrow should be a day of reverence.

                             Like yesterday, Holy Saturday is a day of reflection.

                              We await the resurrection of Jesus!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                Happy Holy Saturday, everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And Today Is Hayley Mills' Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Happy Birthday, Hayley!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                               Now, this makes me feel old, darlings!  Today, Hayley Mills turns 79!!!!!!!!!!!  I mean, can you believe it?  She looks fantastic.

                               Always the Disney icon of our childhoods, and a professional in every sense of the word, she has a charm and graciousness that has popularized her for decades.

                               So, today Happy Birthday, Hayley!  Have the celebration you want, with the biggest and most ornate cake, and all the ice cream you want!  On you, dear, it will not show!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                 Would that could be said of me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                  Here's to you on your special day, Hayley!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                  All of us on here love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today Is Good Friday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                            For Catholics, this is the most solemn day of the year.  When Jesus allowed himself to be crucified on the cross to save mankind.

                               Darlings, however you honor Good Friday, take time to reflect on its meaning, and the great sacrifice made by Jesus for all of us.

                                Even if you sit in your house, and pray, that is at least something.

                                 And think of all those still out there, who do things for us, like Good Friday, like Sister Camille.

                                Honor all those good in our lives on Good Friday, as well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Laudy, Laudy, It's Maundy Thursday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                          Popularly known as Holy Thursday, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

                         This was the night of The Last Supper, when, according to urban legend, Jesus said, "Everyone get behind the table, for the picture."   The night, according to Andrew Lloyd Webber, that The Apostles sang, "Look at all my trials and tribulations."

                            Bur, honestly, it is really the night the body and blood of Jesus was transfigured.  It is the day before Good Friday, when Jesus suffered on the cross.

                               So, it could be said Holy Thursday is a final celebration.

                                Because no one, at the time, had any idea of what was to come!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                  Thanks all to Jesus, girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can You Believe Today Has Been Fifty Years???????????????

                            Yes, girls, a half century ago, a group of people walked in and sat down in the Newman Theatre at the Public to see something never shown before.

                            It turned out to be the first public performance of "A Chorus Line."

                             With that now legendary Original Company--Donna, Kelly, Priscilla, Pam, Sammy, and others!!!!!!!!!!!

                                Imagine being in that audience.  The roof must have blown off the Newman, and the audience must have been staggered by what they saw.

                                  As have countless audiences since!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                 Having witnessed at least 40 different performances of this show, I can call myself a maven.

                                   And I have thought about this day for years.  What I always wanted was for the surviving members of the Original Cast to do a special live performance.  It will not happen today, but maybe later this year.

                                   Something must be done to commemorate the stature of this lasting show!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                    Happy 50th Anniversary to "A Chorus Line."

                                    Wishing you 50 more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                    Here is Donna McKechnie in her life altering moment that changed musical theater forever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today Is The Feast Day Of Saint Bernadette!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                        Now, girls, I know it is just four days until the annual screening of "The Song Of Bernadette," and everyone in this house is excited, but today is the real thing--the actual Feast Day Of Saint Bernadette.

                          She died on this day, in 1879, which is 146 years ago today.  She was declared a saint on December 8, 1933, and her Feast Day was established as April 16.

                             Take a moment, and reflect, darlings, on how much Bernadette did and continues to do for us, and what she endured and suffered.  She is one of the most revered saints, and with good reason, not just because of Jennifer Jones!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                 Pray for us, Bernadette.  Now, and at the hour!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                And Happy Feast Day, Bernadette!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today Is Spy Wednesday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                          When I was little, I thought this day meant one had to go and spy on someone.

                          It actually is a remembrance of the day Judas bargained with the Sanhedrin to betray Jesus Christ.  That Judas: his name has become synonymous with betrayal.

                           So, don't go and spy on your neighbors, tempting though it may be.

                            Judas' betrayal is the most heinous one in history.  The only thing coming near it is whoever ratted out the Franks in Amsterdam!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                              Spy Wednesday is a sad day, darlings, but, as we know from Holy Week, hope is coming.

We Just LOVE Astoria, The Turkey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                         I think she actually surfaced in Astoria, Queens, hence the name.  Not since Flaco has a bird captured the city's heart.  She is just a wild female turkey who is looking for a mate.  Let's face it, hons, a girl has to do what she has to do, and finding a man is difficult for anyone.  But Astoria is a smart turkey and made the right decision--she flew across the East River, and over to Manhattan.

                          There, among the city night life, I expect she will find her perfect mate.  She certainly has good instincts

                          Astoria is such a sweetie, I do not want to happen to be what happened to Flaco--eating rats and other poison.  But when one is a wild thing in Manhattan, how does one survive?  

                          I love you, Astoria, and so do all on here, and hope you find your mate soon.

                          Like Shakespeare said, Astoria, "Springtime is the only pretty ring time!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Finally, Darlings, Tuesday Has Some Meaning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                Tuesday is often the most misunderstood, and least lauded, weekday.  Sunday is traditionally considered the first day of the week, Monday the beginning of the work week, while Wednesday is its midpoint.  Thursday offers hope for Friday, Friday comes, and one can clock out for the weekend.  Saturday, one whoops it up however one pleases, and Sunday one winds down in preparation for the work week.

                                  So, where does that leave Tuesday?  Misunderstood and ignored!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                  Poor Tuesday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                  But this year, Tuesday is something special.  It is Tax Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                    A happy one for all you girls who have done due diligence.  As for the rest, I am sure the post offices are still filled with people stretched out on their floors now, filling out forms!  It is a sort of tradition for procrastinators.

                                       So, to those who can sit back and relax, I wish you all a Happy Tax Day!!!!!!!!!!!

                                         And a joyful refund!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We Love Lucy!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So, Save Her!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                           Recently, in my post on "The People Next Door," I spoke of how the quality of this 1968 work only highlights the decline of our culture.  Well, here comes another nail in culture's coffin!!!!!!!!!!!!

                            Since 1882, that is 143 years, Lucy, The Elephant, has been situated along 9200 Atlantic Avenue in the seashore town of Margate City, New Jersey.  She is as iconic as, well, Rutgers and New Brunswick!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                              But with all the culture cuts, it seems $500, 000 is being cut from Lucy's fund, which aids in her upkeep, because a girl has to look glamorous.

                               What follows after that?  The eventual demolition of Lucy????????????

                               No!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                               Write to your congressman, council members, anyone who will lend an eye or ear, to prevent the tragic destruction of this cherished icon.  Hey, Sally Hershberger, how about contributing some of your profits to Lucy's glamour????????????????

                                 Embarrassing as it may sound, I, a Jersey child, have never been to visit Lucy, but that shall be taken care of.  The way I understand it, one used to be able to go up inside Lucy, not unlike the Statue Of Liberty.  I wonder if that still applies??????????

                                     Regardless, Lucy must be preserved at all costs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                      How much of this cancel culture can we stand???????????????

                                      Rally for Lucy, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey, Hons, It's Holy Week!!!!!!!!!!! Happy Palm Sunday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                           "Forget your troubles, c'mon, get happy?"  Well, not really.

                            This is the week to reflect on what Jesus, sparkling or not, did for us.  The "poverty and suffering," as Gladys Cooper says.  The agony in the Garden Of Gethsemane.  The betrayal by Judas, and his suicide.  And the inhumane suffering on the cross, and his forgiving of two thieves.

                            This all culminates in the celebration of Easter, when Mary Magdalene carries spices to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus.  For children, this means candied eggs, rabbits and Peeps chicks.  For our house, of course, it means the annual screening of "The Song Of Bernadette."  Seven days and counting!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                            But today, wave that palm and celebrate Palm Sunday. The hard stuff is soon to come.

                            Happy, happy, one and all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can You Believe It, Girls? On The First Night Of Passover And The Eve Of Palm Sunday????????????????

                                           "Svengoolie" has picked a strange time to screen "The Deadly Mantis," tonight at 8PM.  But at least this is a gem, not a dud.

                                              This poster is one of the greatest of all time, one I would love to have on my wall.  The artwork is stunning and promises much more than the movie delivers.

                                                But, girls, it is a riot. --

                                                 Just look at "The Deadly Mantis."  He is so cute; he's just popping up out of a hole in the Arctic and saying "Hello!"   He can't wait to visit the big cities of America!!!!!!!!!    This, and several other scenes, were done with a puppet replicating parts of an actual mantis.

                                                    Even more hilarious are the scenes using an actual mantis up against a microscope slide, making its "Hzzzzzzzzzzz!" noise.  Wait till he scales the Washington Monument; it is hilarious!!!!!!!!!!!!!  And what hangouts does he want to visit in New York?  He'll take Manhattan, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                    Girls, "The Deadly Mantis" is not only great fun, but also probably the greatest of the Universal 1950's giant monster movies!!!!!!!!!!!

                            Just look at this, darlings!  Something to watch the movie with.  Your own, personal "Deadly Mantis" Doll.  I cannot wait to order one.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Isn't it cute??????????

                               See you tonight at 8, girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                 We'll all go "Hzzzzzzzzzzz"-ing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                      

Take A Good Look, Darlings!!!!!!!!!!!! THIS Is What Used To Be Called "Concentrated Emotional Drama!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                            Such works flourished in the Fifties and Sixties, by writers like Gore Vidal, William Gibson, Paddy Chayefsky, and JP Miller, whose work above I am about to discuss.  And how about Cliff Robertson, who appeared in the Playhouse 90 version of "Days Of Wine And Roses," which transferred to film, and decades later, a Broadway musical.  He also appeared on TV in "The Two Worlds Of Charlie Gordon," which morphed into a movie, becoming his Oscar winning role in "Charly."

                               The Seventies had the series "Family," with Sada Thompson and James Broderick, plus a then young lady who skyrocketed to stardom--Kristy Mc Nichol.  Some episodes were better than others, but this show was always above the crap being turned out, even then.

                               As for "The People Next Door," it is a period piece, but the issues it explores could fit into the context of opioid addiction--fentanyl, and Oxycontin, to be precise.

                                 But this drama has more at stake.  Along with substance abuse, it tackles parental and offspring misunderstanding.

                                    Deborah Winters is extraordinary as Maxie, and she propels the piece.  Decades later, now, Maxie will be her signature role, the one she will be remembered for, and deservedly so.

                                        The parents are something else.  Lloyd Bridges and Kim Hunter as the Masons are an affluent blue-collar family who don't understand the world outside them.  I love the camera shot of Kim Hunter holding the joint and cigarette at the same time.  In fact, there are few times when she does not have a cigarette in her hand; even in bed before going to sleep, even when holding her afflicted daughter, she cannot let go of that nicotine stick.  Just like Arthur cannot stop drinking.

                                           Just like Tina Hoffman (Phyllis Newman, in a subtly nuanced and smart performance) has to have her alcohol, and David (Fritz Weaver) has to have his caffeine.  I am guilty of that.  They have bigger problems lurking beneath the surface, and when those problems erupt, Maxie's tragic situation is blown wide open, and alters the neighbors' relationship forever.

                                               I am glad this ended on an ambiguous note.  There are no easy answers here. How does one help someone intent on destroying themselves?  Believe me, I know.  Miller said his son's experience with some hippies led him to write this.  The viewer cheers for Maxie, but can she ever get better?  Substance abuse kills in more ways than one.

                                                 This statement above, and the havoc and self-destruction such abuse could lead to is the entire point of "The People Next Door," and the issues still hold up today.  How many Maxis are out there, with the parents not knowing?

                                                    Sure, the costumes and sets and lighting are from a different era, and highly theatricalized, but look at the results.  The watered-down cinematic version, from 1970, with a different set of parents (Eli Wallach and Julie Harris as the Masons, Hal Holbrook and Cloris Leachman as the Hoffmans) was good, but not as good as the earlier version.  But Deborah Winters still soared as Maxie.

                                                         What Maxie is going through is something we all do.  She is beginning to see her parents for what they are, and she does not like it.  Adolescents take mamy options at this stage--mine was books and movies-- but not all destroy themselves.  The ones who do are turning their ambiguity and confusion onto themselves, resulting in self-destruction.

                                                            I urge you to see the kind of drama, like this which exists no more.  Even this kind of acting.  I wonder if it could be brought back.  It should.  Nothing today compares to it.  And yes, one still could play the same script, substituting fentanyl or Oxy.

                                                               "The People Next Door" exposes all the social issues needing to be reviled.  But, today, it also exposes a lack of quality in our culture.

                                                                    Bring back performances like these!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

An Apt Question For This Time Of Year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                              Both Easter and Passover are on the horizon, darlings, and while everyone at one time or another has asked this question, the answer if not so simple.  And it is the perfect time to think about it.

                               What is the question??????????????

                                 What is the afterlife like??????????????

                                   Everyone, of course, will have their own answer, so I would like to offer mine.

                                    To start, I think the Afterlife offers peace.

                                    Here is what I think will happen.  Based on what I believe

                                     Some form of myself--I don't know which--will be standing on the sidewalk in front of the home I am forever attached to--166 North Tenth Avenue, Highland Park New Jersey.  My Tara!!!!!!!!!!!  The inside will be bigger than the outside.  I walk into the dining room, where seated at a large table is everyone I have known from my life, who helped and loved me along the way.  And I them.  I take a seat, and we begin conversing about what we have done over the last several decades.  No shame, guilt or anger just peace and an eternal party.

                                          That's what I think.

                                           But someone I revere thinks differently.

                                          To paraphrase Emily Bronte-- We shall "sleep in the quiet slumber of the earth."

                                            What do you think, darlings????????????

                                             It's anybody's guess!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                       

Does Green Goddess Salad Dressing Still Exist????????????? Does It Have To????????????? Why???????????????

                                                      Honestly, girls, I have never seen anything more disgusting!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                      I remember, when "The Exorcist" first came out, back in 1973, when I was just an innocent college freshman.  When I saw that green mess pouring out of Linda Blair's mouth, most people likened it to Split Pea Soup.  Not me, darlings.  You just knew I would have a different take.  And you are right, darlings.

                                                         I thought it resembled Green Goddess salad dressing.

                                                        My mother actually served this stuff for a time.  Its color was repellent, and its taste was foul.  She would serve the salad in these small wooden salad bowls, and I swear this dressing would eat right though the wood!  Psychologically, I could not stand it, so one night I actually got sick and upchucked the dressing!  That was the last time I ever ate it.

                                                         Now it is being featured on some sandwich commercial and seems as repellent as ever.  Companies get rid of products now and then.  Why the hell doesn't Kraft get rid of Green Goddess???????????????

                                                           I am sure you would not see this in supermarkets in Ireland, girls.

                                                           Yuck!  Grossness plus!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This Is A Day To Celebrate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                           Seventy-six years ago, at Broadway's Majestic Theatre, the curtain went up on Rodgers and Hammerstein's "South Pacific."  But that's not reason enough to celebrate.

                           Eighteen years ago, on this very day, I wrote my first blog post.  That is right, darlings, today The Raving Queen turns 18.

                             I never thought things would turn out this way; I thought I would have stopped writing, by now.   As long as I can sit up and press keys, I don't intend to stop.  Yes, I know Tolstoy dictated "War And Peace," and "Anna Karenina," but I am not Tolstoy, and I may be ill, but I ain't down yet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                             It has been my honor and pleasure to share the past eighteen years with you.  May we have another eighteen more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                               Thanks to all my readers and commentators.  I look forward to more excitement in the forthcoming year.

                                 Happy Anniversary, everyone from The Raving Queen.

Girls, Not One, But Two! Two!!!!!!!!!!!!! Two Sets Of Bosoms!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                          My dears, if you have never seen 1958's "Attack Of The 50 Foot Woman," there isn't a better time to do so, as "Svengoolie" is showing this gem, tonight at 8.

                                             Alliison Hayes plays Nancy Archer, a former mental patient, who looks like some harridan out of a Joan Didion novel.  She wants her husband Harry, but he would rather take up with town slut Honey Parker, who has her own individual brothel above the local bar.  I mean, darlings, it is a REALLY small town.

                                                 One night, coming home from a drinking binge, Nancy sees a giant global sphere, radiating white, and a giant, white looking man emerges from the ship and approaches her.  From then on, things are never the same.  Nancy morphs into a sexual bombshell, the real Allison Hayes, with bosoms galore.  But Yvette Vickers, as Honey Parker, has some bosoms of her own, too.

                                                     This movie sealed Yvette's career.  Whenever a film called for an actress to play a slut, Yvette was called and was ready.

                                                       The film has any number of classic lines.  The best is when Nancy, now giant-sized stalks through the town, crying out, "I know where my husband is; he's with that woman!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  Then Yvette, before she is crushed, cowers under a table, screaming, "Haaaaaaary, what's gooooooooooooing onnnnnnnnn?"  Then she is crushed under the table by debris.

                                                              They really knew how to make classic crap, back in the day.  You owe it to yourselves to see this campy gem!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                                 Oh, yes, one more thing.

                          Eileene Stevens' performance as the hysterical nurse defines hysteria.  This role should have made her career; instead, it became her career. Until three years later, when Veronica Cartwright supplanted her in "The Children's Hour," Stevens' performance was the gold standard for film hysteria!!!!!!!!!!

                               Really, girls, you should see it.  Cancel all plans, stay home, and watch!

                              See you at 8PM, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today Should Be Declared "Follies" Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                         Fifty-four years ago, this evening, at the Winter Garden Theatre, currently represented by the dreck that is "Good Night, And Good Luck." the curtain went up on my all-time favorite of the Harold Prince-Stephen Sondheim collaborations, "Folles."  Until "A Chorus Line" came along, also choreographed by Michael Bennett, this was the most artistically successful concept musical of all time.

                                           And the cast!  Alexis Smith, Dorothy Collins, Gene Nelson, John McMartin, Yvonne De Carlo, Ethel Shutta, Mary McCarthy, Victoria Mallory....my God, a cast like this could never afford to be assembled like this again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                             How about the songs?  "The Girls Upstairs," the haunting "In Buddy's Eyes," the devastating "The Road You Didn't Take," the chilling "Too Many Mornings," and the apocalyptic "Losing My Mind."  Every song in this score is a gem, which cannot be said of today's musicals.

                                               I have seen five productions of "Follies," unfortunately not the original, and while each may have varied in quality, the integrity of the score was preserved.

                                                Then there was the number that blew the roof off the Winter Garden on opening night and continued to do so throughout the show's original run.

                                  Here is the original "Follies" cast, performing "Who's That Woman?"

                            And here is how haunting and chilling "Too Many Mornings" was.

                           Happy "Follies" Day, everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Girls, How About Some Christian Lacroix?????????????

                       Spring is here, darlings, and that means color, excitement and a blossoming of fashion.  I know my closet could do with some Christian Lacroix, but how about the rest of you out there????????

                       This pattern would be perfect for a dress or living room.  Imagine wearing it and having it on the wall at the same time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                            Isn't this number a delightful one, darlings? And the sweet little boo boo!  I think our foyer would look perfect like this, and for anyone who has a foyer, why not??????????????

                              And look at this. Patterns everywhere! Nothing like the right patterns arranged in the right way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I think this would look great in the dining room, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!

                              Ah, Spring!  When the world changes colors--for the better!!!!!!!!!!!!

                              Why not change your interiors, with some Christian Lacroix, loves?????????????????

This Show Is No "SMASH," Darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                          I am so sick of the redundancy in today's Broadway musicals.  They all look, sound and feel the same.  Color and glitz don't do it anymore; what I want is substance and originality. As Madame Armfeldt said in "A Little Night Music,"  "Where's discretion of the heart, where's passion in the art, where's craft?"

                                         All are missing from "SMASH," which is expected to open at the Imperial Theatre, but who knows how long it will run?  I bet it does not last until the TONY Awards.  The show is about a show within a show making a musical comedy about Marilyn Monroe.  Girls, are you confused?  You should be.

                                          "SMASH" has an array of talented artists floundering in a vehicle going nowhere.  The recent opera of "Moby Dick" at the MET probably had more resonance.

                                              What it has is a group of immensely talented artists trapped inside a black box of a stage, like the victims in "Attack Of The Puppet People."  To be sure, for Theater Queens and insiders like me, I knew the references and who was based on whom.  For instance, Brooks Ashmanskas, who plays Nigel, the director, is based on Walter Bobbie, whose career imploded when he drove "Chicago" understudy Jeff Loeffelholz to suicide.  And Krysta Rodriguez, playing co-writer Tracy, is desperately trying to replicate either Priscilla Lopez or Laurie Beechman.  Then there is the lead, Robyn Hurder, who spends the entire show replicating......Robyn Hurder.  It is not entirely her fault, because the choreographer, Joshua Bergasse, replicates so many of the steps and moves from Michael Bennett's "A Chorus Line" I think Baayork Lee and John Breglio, who controls the Bennett estate, should march down to the Imperial, demanding the show be shut down, or overhauled.  

                                                  All of this is not surprising, since Robyn Hurder is one of the best of our recent Cassies; I saw her do the role at the City Center Gala, several years back, and while no one is Donna McKechnie, she did a wonderful job.  But so many of her moves, especially the arms, are reminiscent of that show, it is like she is doing "A Chorus Line" all over again, and the company is trying frantically to stage its opening number.  If I WANT to see "A Chorus Line," I WILL see "A Chorus Line," not some hackneyed replication.

                                                    To think Susan Stroman, a choreographer herself, directed this mess.  I can see this show nailing the head on her career coffin.

                                                    Oh, and of course the latest thing is using video and social media, which "SMASH" takes full advantage of.  Maybe I am old fashioned, but I prefer moving music and dramatic substance to media gimmicks in a show which does not need them.

                                                     Back to nails driven into coffins.  Shows like "SMASH" and others seen this season, are driving nails into the coffin of musical theater.  I fear for its extinction.

                                                      Ernest Hemingway was an overrated writer, but he said it right, here--

                                                      "Ask not for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."

                                                     

Oh, Girls, We Have To Talk About Betty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                         I really had high hopes for "Boop! The Musical," now at the Broadhurst.  It is colorful, laced with generic choreography and has a star turning performance by Jasmine Amy Rogers in the title role.  But David Foster and Susan Birkenhead give it a lackluster score, and Bob Martin's book goes on for far too long, and there is no real story.  

                                              The show starts out promisingly, immersed in the black-and-white world, superbly recreated by David Rockwell's sets and George Barnes' costumes.  I was anticipating a sophisticated romp back to the Twenties and Thirties, the era of Betty Boop herself, and had the creators stayed with that they might have had a halfway decent show.  Hell, with that concept and a classic score, they might have created the greatest cartoon musical since "Annie."

                                                  Alas, no.

                                                 Because Betty gets in Grandpa's time machine where she is transported to 2025, and cannot figure out how she fits in.  Ho hum.  Angelica Hale's performance livens things up a bit, but I would rather have had the 2025 characters transported to Betty Boop's world.  My eyes nearly popped out of my head when this Jennifer Coolidge impersonating woman walks out on stage--and David told me it was Faith Prince!  He was right!  Oh, Faith, what has happened?  A girl has to work, I suppose,

                                                     All the color and glitz cannot make up for the lack of fun.

                                                       But I know what you girls want to know--

                                                        Yes, Pudgy is in it; actually, he steals the show!

                                                         And, yes, Betty says "Boop boop a boop!" at the beginning and the end.

                                                           Had she just done that, it might have been a fun evening!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Sad Anniversary, Darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                        Right away, this month challenges me.  Today is the 46th anniversary of my mother's death. I know that sounds like a lifetime, but I can remember back to when I was 24--I am now 70--and when it happened.

                          Two things I remember most.  First, I was just getting out of bed--it was around 8AM, when the phone rang.  I just knew this was it.  My father confirmed that a few minutes later, but what sticks in my head the most was that the radio was playing a song I never like from the start, but hereon in would hate forever--"Honey," by Bobby Goldsboro.

                             The second was going to the hospital to collect things.  My father stopped at the nurse's station, while I went on to her room.  The body had not yet been removed, so there I was, and there she was, as I looked death in the face. It was not pretty, and I recall both these moments to this day.

                                I still wonder what would have happened had my mother lived longer.  Would I have continued in Highland Park, or would I have moved to New York?  How would my mother have dealt with it; my father did pretty well, but I am not so sure about her.

                                My father would have had an altogether different retirement from what he had in Florda, because my mother was never going to go there.  And I was with her on that. But her passing allowed him to go to Florida, making for a peaceful transition into old age.

                                The image I hold most dear is me in our television room, reading, when my mother's car pulls up in front of the house, and, atop a love seat by the right front windows, our poodle, Baby Mouse, alerted us excitedly to my mother having arrived home.

                                   How I miss Mother, Daddy, Nana and Baby Mouse.  And so many others.  May God have mercy on my tormented soul and unite me with them all when my time comes.

                                     I think I have said enough, girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"In An April Dream, Once You Came To Me................."

                            That is right, darlings.  Today is April Fools Day, where we ask ourselves whether or not we are just April Fools.  Or even April's Fools.

                             This is a tough month for me, personally.  Tomorrow, I go to the dentist, which is bad enough, but it also happens to be the 46th anniversary of my mother's death.  One never forgets especially as I was so emotionally young at the time, though I was 24. The next day marks the year anniversary of my friend, Steve, who suffered a terrible, cancerous death.  Saturday is the year anniversary of my fall on Ovington Avenue that nearly sent me to the hospital.  As well as the anniversary of the passing of my sister's husband.  April 22 is the anniversary--47 years, just one year before her daughter--of my maternal grandmother.

                              So, April is not exactly a great month for me or our family.  T. S. Eliot, in his opening to his poetic masterwork, "The Waste Land," remarked that it is the "cruelest month," and I agree.

                              But there is also Easter, the annual screening of "The Song Of Bernadette," and this coming Thursday, we are seeing the Broadway musical "Smash."  Will it be such?  I will let you know.

                               And I have so much to write about that I did not get to in March, so perhaps this will help to distract me from the malaise that is April.

                                For the rest of you, I wish a happy, sunny and bright April.

                                 Think of Judy Garland and Fred Astaire doing "When The Midnight Train Leaves For Alabam," in 1948's "Easter Parade!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                   Happy April, everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!