It Was The Merriest of 'Merrily' Evenings, Darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

                                              Girls, when I first heard, back in July, than Ann Morrison, the original Mary Flynn of "Merrily We Roll Along" (1981) was going to be at 54 Below on Labor Day night, I knew I had to get there, and I had to bring my beloved Monsieur, who has never seen this Musical Theater Legend in action, so he does not know how she OWNS the role of Mary Flynn, unlike that no neck monster, Celia Keenan Bolger, who not only could barely squawk it out in the ENCORES production, but now has the arrogant hubris to take on the role of Laura in "The Glass Menagerie!"  Indeed!

                                                   Well, the Raving Queen was on the aisle last night, and let me tell you, it was like one big party.  At the end of our table, were the original Franklin Shepard and Charlie Kringas--Jim Walton and Lonny Price!  When Ann made her entrance, the room glowed.  Her stories were enlightening, and when she sang, whether the material was known, or not, her voice was as fresh as yesterday, and has not dimmed with age!  We should all be in as good physical and vocal shape as Ann, darlings!!!!!!!!!!

                                                     Not to mention, the space at 54 Below, which I had never been to, was
fabulous, and the meal offered prior to the show was luscious, especially for a supper club.  My short ribs, and Monsieur's halibut just melted in our mouths, the veggies and potatoes were scrumptious, the coffee was strictly high octane, and the chocolate desert was so filling I needed to tighten my corset, like Scarlett!!!!!!!!!

                                                        But Ann was the highlight, and she did not disappoint the legions (many of whom were Original Cast members of 'Merrily.' which thrilled the remainder of us Theater Queens there!!!!!!!!) of fans who came out last night to pay her homage!   I think my favorite moment was her simple, yet eloquent, rendering of the Sondheim title classic, "Anyone Can Whistle."

                                                           And you know who else was there, dolls???????? Former cabaret artist, Julie Wilson, herself!!!!!!!!!!!  Whom I saw, back in the Eighties, at Michael's Pub, during that period  when Woody Allen (whom I never saw) would play there on Monday nights!!!!!!!!!  Julie looked great,but I wondered what she was doing there???????  I came to the conclusion that the torch was being passed from one cabaret artist to another!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                              Ann kept saying she does not come to New York often.  Well, Ann, hon, you are going to have to change that!  Too many, like myself, miss you, and when you sing, like the lyric says in 'Merrily', "dreams don't die."

                                                                  Keep helping us keep our dreams, Ann, and thanks so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!















fabulous, and so was sthe meal provided before the sstart of the show!!!!!!!!!

Justice Triumphs Over Heterosexual Hypocrisy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                               Girls, I missed the premiere of Tamron Hall's new show, "Deadline Crime," though I did get to see Paula Zahn, who is still sprucing up pretty good.  While in black, which is not a bad color for her, she enhanced it with a lovely amulet around her neck, and a nice hair job!!!!!!!!!!!!  Way to go, Paula!!!!!!!!!!!!!   While her case was tragic, it unfortunately turned out to be all too routine, and the profilers completely missed their mark, as the killer did not fit their composite at all!   When you need some real profiling done, darlings, call me!

                                               However, I caught enough of Tamron's show to see that, next week, she is going to examine a case that presses all my buttons--the slaying of gay college student Jesse Valencia on May 23, 2005.  His body was not found till June 5, and , when the whole thing came out, it speaks of American hypocrisy toward homosexuality.

                                                Jesse, a likable and attractive college junior, at the University of Missouri at Columbia, had gotten into a romantic relationship with a 28-year-old police officer, Steven Rios, when the officer hauled him over for a speeding ticket.  Now, I do not know how things kicked off, but I do know this--what young , gay man does not, at some time, entertain the "hot cop" fantasy?  It almost goes with being gay, just like Barbra Streisand!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Jesse, at 23, was living out a dream, and quite happy.

                                                But Rios had a dirty little secret.  He was married!  He did not tell Jesse--hey, this happens to straight women, too!!!!!--so, when Jesse found out, he was stung by the hypocrisy, and talked about exposing Rios, who could just not have his perfect suburban hypocrisy exposed, so he solved it by killing Jesse, a sweet kid, and landed himself a Life prison term, when a Missouri jury found him guilty!!!!!!!!!

                                               Hey, Rios, and scum like you, if you are trolling for gay youth, what the hell business have you got being married?????????  I hope Rios' wife dumped him, but I bet she did not!  When he was sentenced, the two cried out to each other, like Romeo and Juliet!  Give me a break!

                                                 If you're gay, you are GAY!  Get over it, Rios!!!!!!!!!!!!  By now, I bet some of your inmate buddies have helped you get in touch with your orientation, and, hopefully, beaten the crap out of you, for killing an innocent kid!  A police officer, indeed!  Fortune And Men's Eyes!!!!!!!!!!

                                                   I cannot wait to see how Tamron treats this.  I cannot believe the defense attorney asked the jury for compassion for Rios!  Well, he is just  doing his job, but how about compassion for Jesse and his family, and friends????????  I am glad a jury in Missouri had the guts to convict him!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                    Maybe the Tyler Clementi case should have been tried, there!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                       

"Gingerrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Gingerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!"

                                       No, darlings, that line is NOT heard in Woody Allen's "Blue Jasmine," which I just loved!  I did not intend this to be some kind of Tennessee Williams Day, but it is interesting he turned up consecutively in two posts!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                         First, let's get this 'Streetcar' stuff out of the way.  Anyone who knows that play or movie will see the connections, but Jasmine, as played brilliantly by the stunning Cate Blanchett is as much Ruth Medoff as she is Blanche Du Bois!

                                           I was struck by a line Sally Hawkins says, early on, that is never really explored.  When one of her disgusting, working class kids, whom you can tell will turn out no better than their father, and are SO dumb, ask about the sisters' differences, Ginger (that's Sally Hawkins) says that they were adopted, and their parents liked Jasmine better.  Now, THERE is a story, right there!

                                            The movie wants to portray Jasmine as a tragic figure, but, honeys, when you look as good as Cate, with a wardrobe to match, not to mention a Hermes bag, you are not heading down the path of Fantine!  The ending is wide open to interpretation, but I maintain that Jasmine will reinvent herself, and start her own clothing line!!!!!!!!!!!!!  She is much too sophisticated for the people she ends up hanging around with; she knows it, and they know it, and so she will survive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                              Some of these people reminded me of some of my Neanderthal relatives!  Who have as low opinion of me, as the folks here do of Jasmine!  But, then, they are the ones who would call themselves God fearing Christians, while those like Jasmine and myself are hedons!  Screw that!!!!!!!!!!

                                             So, I am with Jasmine all the way!  But Alec Baldwin does his usual great turn
as a charming sleazebag; a role that fits him like a glove.  Andrew Dice Clay and Bobby Carnivale score as two low class, but street wise, lunkheads!  And Sally Hawkins matches the great Cate for dramatic magnificence!!!!!!!!!!!

                                             You have to see it, girls!  The Hamptons House, Tammy Blanchard...oh, my God!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                             Of course Jasmine does not belong among these lunkheads!  She has  her own life to live, and she will!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                              As Blanche told Stella, "Don't hang back with the brutes!"  You can bet Jasmine won't!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Then, Go! Go To The Moon, You Selfish Dreamer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                     Who could forget those final words, Amanda Wingfield hurls at her son, Tom, who flees an existence he cannot tolerate, while leaving his damaged sister Laura, at the mercy of their mother???????  It is the climax of Tennessee Williams' first play, "The Glass Menagerie," and it is followed by Tom's concluding speech.  Whenever I have seen this, each time he gets to, "Blow out the candles, Laura," I lose it, and the tears come!

                                    What people like Amanda don't stop to realize is the selfish dreamer they are referring to is themselves.  Amanda wanted her children to be status quo for their time, when they were not any more capable of it, than she!!!!!!!!!!!!  But do you think she realizes it?  Of course not; that;s why there is "The Glass Menagerie."

                                       Which is a play I have lived with, ever since I discovered theater!  Now, it is coming to Broadway again, and I am forced to ask myself--do I really want to sit through another production???????? I know how Tom felt, because so many teachers and relations thought, and some still do, that I am, or was, nothing more than a selfish dreamer!  Well, screw you, all!!!!!!!!!!!!!  But do I want to see it again?  I am sure Cherry will nail Amanda, though the idea that she is old enough now for that role is kind of hard to wrap my head around!!!!!!!!!  And I do not agree with the casting of Celia, as Laura!  You have heard me on that one, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                          So, I had made up my mind NOT to see this!  But two dreams of late are making me reconsider.  The first one, two nights ago, had Monsieur and I standing in front of the theater, where it is playing--the Booth Theatre--and talking about getting tickets to it.

                                            The second dream, last night, involved me auditioning for a production of it, where I wanted to read for Laura. In my dream, snarling, growling, and yelling, appeared Insanity Wolf, telling me all the reasons I could not do this!  I did not expect to be cast in the role; I just wanted to read for it!

                                              Also, last night, I dreamed  about a production of 'Merrily' that was being done by our staff at work!  It was directed by Grotesque Creatures, who would not even allow me to audition!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   So, you know what I did?  I waited till the show went up, sneaked back stage, and watched from the wings!  When it came time for each musical number, I simply walked out on stage, and inserted myself into each song.  The audience went wild, and Grotesque Creatures blew a gasket because I triumphed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                              Wonder what my therapist would make of all this?  I can tell you!  These two are manifestations of two coworkers I have serious issues with, and this is all a manifestation of my deep resentment for them, and that, in my book, nothing is done about them!  So, watch out, dolls!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                  Too bad Tennessee Williams did not appear in the dream!  Not only would he have let me read for Laura, I bet he would have cast me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                    At least, I am not a midget, dolls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Labor Day, Darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                           One may wonder, darlings, what is happy about this day, as it marks the unofficial end of Summer, and after that things shut down, and people retreat indoors!  But, let me tell you, when it is a Monday morning, and the alarm goes off, and you can actually stick out your tongue at it, and remain in bed, that is certainly reason enough to be happy.  Mondays are depressing, anyway, so the thought of the work week beginning on Tuesday, which is a "Rizzoli and Isles" night, is uplifting enough!

                           And we--Monsieur and I--have exciting plans for the day--a sojourn into the city, with dinner at 54 Below, and a cabaret gig by Musical Theater Legend, Ann Morrison, star of the original production of "Merrily We Roll Along," which I saw, twice, back in 1981!  Wonder what kind of audience will be there, and the songs that will be sung!  With my preoccupation lately, I hope she does "There Won't Be Trumpets; " I would love to hear Ann nail that, which I know she could!  If she takes requests, I may suggest it!

                          So, whatever you are doing today, darlings--CELEBRATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!  It may be Labor Day, but this is one day where no one has to do any!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                           And who says Summer has to end????????????????????????????????????????

Poor Wilma Harvey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                What did Wilma Harvey do, to end up meeting her demise, at the hands of David Mark Pruett?????????   And what was Marlo Thomas doing, narrating a story that, truthfully, belonged more on "Unusual Suspects" than "Happily Never After!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                 They say "Virginia Is For Lovers," but that scum, Pruett, took care of that.  Wilma was a mid-thirties woman, a music teacher, who had resigned herself to being a spinster.  Well, you know what happens, darlings, just when one does so, along comes Mr. Right!  Wilma's was Richard Harvey, a Virginia restaurateur.  At first, Richard would not commit, but once Wilma pinned him down, dolls, he caved in, which shows that he really loved her.

                                   Richard and Wilma were married, and happily settled into their Virginia Beach home.  But this happiness ended, ten months later, on February 13, 1985--just one day before Valentine's Day; can you imagine?  Richard was out of town, and his "best friend," David Mark Pruett, who had acted as caterer at their wedding, paid her a visit that morning.  Richard was out of town, and he ostensibly stopped by to "check up" on her!  Yeah, right!!!!!!!!!!!

                                   During the visit, the paper boy stopped by to collect his fee, and Wilma paid him out of money hidden in a wooden box.  David Pruett was sitting in the living room, then, and the boy could see another person was present in that house, but he couldn't tell gender, or anything.  David then got the idea of robbing Wilma, and, when she returned, and told him she had to get ready for church, he asked to use her bathroom, before leaving.  She said yes, and went upstairs.  When Pruett was done, he approached her in the bedroom, demanding sex, at knife point, and then raped her.  He then slashed her throat and body, leaving her nude hands tied,  but with glasses on, in one of the most horrible displays of carnage that police force had seen.

                                 What no one--not Wilma, Richard, or anyone--knew, was that David had a criminal past. Back in 1975, he had murdered Deborah McGinnis, a coworker at Kentucky Fried Chicken, who, interestingly enough, had recently gotten married!!!!!!!!!!

                                      I wonder what Pruett's issues were?  Inability to find a relationship?  At the time of his execution, on December 16, 1993, Pruett had a wife; though that might have happened, while he was in prison.  Did he long for Wilma or Deborah?????????  Or was sexuality an issue; on "Happily Never After,"
narrator Marlo suggests David might have been obsessed with Richard, and jealous that now he spent more time with Wilma!  And Richard had hired him, as a cook, at his restaurant!!!!!!!!!  Who was it who said,
"Beware of mad dogs lurking.....????  Richard should have had his guard up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                   David Pruett deserved what he got, but Richard and Wilma did not!  Just ten months
of happiness, and then...snuffed out by scum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I have never seen a more disturbing episode of this program!

                                   Which goes to show how essential background checks are!  Unless one is dealing with Mary Poppins!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Welcome, September!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                 Girls, here we are; the year  is starting to wind down.  And what a month we have ahead!  Back To School...Frank Mills Day,,,Tyler Clementi...The World Trade Center....more things happen in this month than one realizes.  Some of those things may be sad, but the important thing is to keep alive the memories, and to welcome in this most enigmatic of months!

                                  If you are a mother, you must be counting days!!!!  If you teach, you may be counting...with dread!!!!!!!!!!!!   If I were going back to school this year, with what I know NOW, it would have been an altogether different experience!


                                 So, here we are at the ninth month!  When it ends, we will  be three quarters through!

                                 Make this slice of year count, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!