And That's Not All, Girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                   Today, darlings, also happens to be the birthday of the enormously talented, wonderful actress, Martha Plimpton.  Hard to believe little Martha is now 42!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                    Martha is mentioned during Musical Theater Week, because she comes by it naturally, in both pedigree and talent.  Her mother, Shelley Plimpton, was the original Crissy, both in the Off-Broadway and Broadway productions of "HAIR," introducing what is my favorite song in the entire score, "Frank Mills."  Even though I do my best each year on September 12, in front of the Waverly, no one has done this song with the poignancy of Shelley.  Not only that, but Martha is descended from a great acting family--the Carradines, because her father, Keith Carradine, was a noted actor himself, and something of an accomplished musician, having appeared in "HAIR," when he and Shelley met, and, of course going on to be featured in Robert Altman's 1975 masterpiece, "Nashville," where he wrote and performed the Oscar winning song, "I'm Easy."

                                     And Martha's first foray into acting, when she was 9, was at the Public Theatre, in a musicalized presentation of "The Haggadah," by Elizabeth Swados.  Over the years, she has claimed to do backup work on friends' bands, but several years back, in the Roundabout's revival of "Pal Joey," she singlehandedly walked off with that show, and her performance of "Zip!" was a showstopper! I shall never forget leaving the theater that evening, with these two queens in front of me praising Martha to the hilt, and one of them saying, "In twenty years, that will be the next Mama Rose!"

                                        I wouldn't mind seeing Martha do it!  If she want to!!!!!!!!!  Meanwhile, Martha has made an art out of making White Trash so entertaining on TV, as Virginia in "Raising Hope."  I am convinced if it were not for the success of this show, there would be no 'Honey Boo Boo," though Virginia and her gang come off as classy, next to the Honey Boo Boo crowd.

                                          So, birthday wishes to the exquisite Martha Plimpton!  Keep On Truckin', darling!!!!!!!!!!  We love your humor and your talent!  Congratulations on your 42 years of being young!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                              Yea, Martha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!