Ah Knows You Means It!!!!! Ah Seen It In Yo' Eyes, Bess!!!!!!!!!!!

Purists, rule, darlings!!!!!!!!!

For the records, girls, I am with Stephen Sondheim all the way for his denunciation of the new Diane Paulus Broadway bound "Porgy And Bess," where characters are going to be fleshed out to the point of being reinterpreted, the text is going to be cut, and--horrors!!!!--it is going to have a more upbeat ending!!!!!!!!!

Personally, I think all of this is nuts.

Mr. Sondheim goes on to deride Audra McDonald, whose remarks about purists, I agree, are off the mark. But what Mr. Sondheim does not take into consideration is that Miss McDonald, talented as she is, is a working actress, she wants to work, and, honey, if that means kissing ass and playing the game, then I guess she is going to do it. Not that I approve.

But I think the one at fault here is Diane Paulus, who would seem to be suffering from a bout of what I call Julie Taymoritis!!!!! Miss Paulus' position in the theater scene has been so elevated by the deserved success of her brilliant remounting of "HAIR" that she now, like Jules, thinks she can do no wrong!!!!!! Except in "HAIR" Paulus simply kept what was great about an established classic and simply heightened visual and philosophic conceptions. "Porgy And Bess" is not as philosophic as "HAIR." Hell, it ain't even close. It is romantic, melodically gorgeous and lyrical, as befits great opera. You can highlight certain aspects within the staging, but there is nothing to philosophically expand and expound upon.

However, Miss Paulus, will not be stopped. She thinks she can destroy a classic!!!

Hey, Di, you better watch out, because this show is unique--it has a following among Theater AND Opera Queens!!!!!!!! Having riled as esteemed an artist as Sondheim, the flames have been fanned among theater queens, and are being fanned further by this blog. But don't discount the Opera Queens, who are even more vicious than we theater folk!!!! Watch your back, Di!!!!!!!!! You may find yourself being torn apart as though victim to a pack of hungry tigers!!!!!! And you would deserve it!!!!!!!!!!

Let's face it, if critics are dumb enough--God help us--to fall for this crap, then what is next??? "A Chorus Line" set in a bus station???? "Follies" in a nursing home???? Or maybe "Evita" behind the counter of a Taco Bell!!!!! And Miss McDonald, who won a TONY for her brilliant Carrie in the ground breaking Lincoln Center reworking of "Carousel", should be ashamed. It was reworked, yes, but nothing was changed!!!!!!!!!!

Diane Paulus came VERY close to being tomorrow's Bitch OF The Week! Which means I already know who that will be. You will have to wait until tomorrow, girls, but I can tell you this much--it is NOT Diane Paulus!!!!!!!!

I have other fish to fry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!