WEEK OF A LIFETIME





I am just emerging from jet lag, kicking and screaming. Not that I like being lagged, mind you, but it means I will have to face reality. I am back from one of the best weeks of my life.

For those of you not bombarded with my news nonstop for the last several months, I have been to Alaska! I attended the 17th Annual Last Frontier Theatre Conference in Valdez, Alaska, where for a solid week I was involved in non-stop playwriting, directing and acting. My play, HEART, received a lovely public reading (with Frank Collison playing Bert and an amazingly dedicated and talented cast), as well as a terrific presentation of ANCESTORS OF TELEMARKETING and an enjoyable reading of DEATH BY MISADVENTURE in the Fringe. Additionally, I was a reader in the wonderful works and words of Damon Chua (THE GHOST BUILDING), Alex Pollock (UNTITLED), and the wonderful wizard of Oz himself, Dawson Moore (BURNING). It was a week of wonderful readings, terrific performances, breath-taking landscapes and amazing people.

The week worked its magic on me in several ways.

First (and I suppose foremost), it gave me not only an opportunity to hear my work and receive valuable critique (a special thanks to Marshall W. Mason, Lee Brock, Tim Daly and the audience!), but also a much needed shot in the arm for my artistic ego. There were also some amazing workshops, with two (one led by John Yearley, the other by Richard Dresser) standing out as particularly enjoyable and helpful.

Secondly, the Conference was jammed packed with activities--more than any one mortal could hope to do!--that gave me no time to whine or worry. Just keeping up with it all was a challenge, and it required me to fly versus holding on for dear life, as is my wont. It was stimulating to say the very least, and I was required to try things I might not have let myself try under my "normal" circumstances. For example, as an actor I was cast in roles that I never would have thought of myself for--yet with nothing to lose, I threw myself into them and was able to work in ways I never had before and to (at least) satisfactory results.

Thirdly--and this is the kicker--after so many years of feeling odd-man out, the geeky asthmatic kid who dropped out midway through two-week day camp, I was actually feeling welcomed and "one of the gang." This has NEVER been my experience in 51 plus years! I met so many wonderful people, who were accepting of my, er, "quirkiness", and I had the most relaxed and wonderful discussions not only about art but about life. I'm amazed how well virtually everyone got along. I even was in a dorm with roommates and had a splendid time "roughing it." (Don't get me started about collapsing cots and corndogs!) To feel like one has repaired a failure in life--to be one of the guys--is a MAJOR gift and one that I truly appreciate. With help from the Internet and Facebook, there are folks with whom I will hopefully continue lifelong friendships. Talk about mining Alaska for Gold.

And finally, the change of scenery. As you'll note from the video above, the landscape was breath-taking. I've never seen mountains like that, mountains on steroids. With mists, fogs, snows, wild animals and, yes, green foliage of a different stripe than the New England and New York scenery I was raised on . . . if Edinburgh was Brigadoon for me, this was Shangi-La!

Needless to say, this is a trip I would recommend to anyone of a theatrical stripe and it will remain one of my cherished experiences.

A CAT'S EYE VIEW

In the interest of equal representation, a spokescat presents her point of mew about the upcoming Animal Haven event, BETWEEN MAN & BEAST.



Playwrights for Pets presents BETWEEN MAN & BEAST, Tuesday evening, May 19th at 7:30 pm at Animal Haven, 251 Centre Street (between Grand and Broome Streets). Suggested donation is $10, and all proceeds go to Animal Haven, the animal shelter/adoption center that cares for dogs and cats. Reservations for the evening can be made by calling 718-768-4213 or emailing sue@playwrightsforpets.com. Running time for the evening will be approximately one hour. Hope you can join us for what will be a fun evening--and it's all for an excellent cause!

QUESTIONING THE QUESTIONERS

Slow as I am, I finally just got to Michael Moore's 2007 documentary, SICKO, on disc. It was what I expected--intelligent if somewhat biased, entertaining if somewhat manipulative, and ABOVE ALL, thought-provoking. Moore's critics will seem to find his gift for "thought-provoking" to be his greatest sin.

What we should ask these critics is: What is the harm in provoking thoughts? In starting discussions? In looking at things that need improvement in our IMPERFECT system--yes, sorry, folks but there are indeed flies in the ointment! What is the harm in looking at where we need to improve? Isn't freedom of speech, freedom of opinion what we've been fighting for all these years?

Michael Moore is larger than life. He is a gifted film maker and an essayist--but not necessarily a journalist. He is not reporting, he is rabble-rousing, getting people hot and bothered and making them THINK. (I guess one can say the same thing about Rush Limbaugh--two bears on opposite sides of the ring!) If you are a liberal, then no doubt you will nod in agreement with many of Michael Moore's points, and if you are a conservative, you may well accuse him of being one-sided. But are we so insecure as a people that we can't take a hard look at ourselves and find ourselves wanting, in need of change? We champion our capitalist way of life but seem terrified to look beneath the shrink-wrapping to see what's really inside the package.

While SICKO may play fast and loose by presenting only selected facts, one cannot deny that the American health system is broken. Anyone who has been through the mill with a serious illness--or even just attempted to prevent a devastating problem through testing, check-ups and doctor visits--will tell you that the health system itself is more terrifying than the illness. Can anyone (other than bonus-grabbing pharmaceutical and HMO executives) honestly say they feel safer for their coverage? That their financial survival is not troubled by the health care coverage in this country? Unless you are independently wealthy, does ANYONE have smooth sailing when visiting doctors, hospitals, dentists, emergency rooms? And while certain politicians have defensively decried the ills of nationalized health care in other countries, virtually everyone I know from those other countries has backed up Moore's claims--that public health care systems work and make for a more secure way of life. Health care should be government subsidized from tax dollars, as are police, firemen, schools, etc., and should be one of the things government does to aid and protect its citizens. (Of course, it also works in other countries because the drug manufacturers have not been allowed to drive up costs to ridiculous heights, placing coverage exclusions on the most needed drugs, and HMO's have not been dictating who gets treated and what treatments work versus being merely experimental in the name of reducing their payouts.) The American people are not happy, the doctors are not happy, the pharmacists are not happy. So who IS happy with the status quo? The same people who contribute vast sums to election campaigns, perhaps?

But this is all, I suppose, up for debate. My REAL point here is: why can't we look at ourselves and try to improve on our shortcomings? Self-critique is a sign of strength. Just as there are those who opposed the stimulus package and yet offered only criticism but no alternative solutions, it seems that there are folks who just slam the door when health care reform is even mentioned. There are those presently in Washington who are saying Obama is foolish to deal with health care now in the middle of everything. But health care IS in the middle of everything--employment, finances, household incomes, economic problems and basic day-to-day survival of the average American. To say it is not is being worse than ignorant--it is deliberately turning a blind eye to something that should be the right of every citizen. Sometimes it feels as though those who insist on less government are in fact only looking for less oversight of their own activities. Those who squelch the health care discussion are those who have the most to lose by allowing reform to happen.

The very basis of our country's democracy is supposed to be the ability to talk, to argue and, through consensus, arrive at systemic improvements. (Interestingly, in many of the countries that have nationalized health care, they view it as a product of a democratic society, NOT a socialist regime.) If people can't get health care for their children, if people put off major therapies and procedures because they can't afford them or their insurance won't cover them, if people have to choose between medications that will help them and putting food on their table in this, one of the wealthiest countries in the world, SOMETHING IS WRONG.

I have no expertise and can not tell you one plan is better than another or one side is right and one is wrong. I do know enough, however, to be suspicious: if there is no discussion, if we remain in this quagmire, then SOMEONE is responsible for the shutdown. (And it needs to be looked at WHY they won't let the talks take place!)

A BENEFIT FOR OUR FURRY FRIENDS!




Playwrights for Pets, a terrific organization dedicated to “making theater to benefit animals in need,” will present an evening of five staged readings under the title, BETWEEN MAN & BEAST, on Tuesday evening, May 19th at 7:30 pm at Animal Haven, 251 Centre Street (between Grand and Broome Streets). The event, which will benefit Animal Haven, will feature staged readings of five new plays by playwrights Bill Dudley, Evan Guilford-Blake, V.E. Kimberlin, Ed Vela, and yours truly ( who is also director for the evening). The work will be read by an estimable ensemble of actors: James Arden, Kaseem Bristow, Erin Cronican, Eric Hunt, Jonna McElrath and Annie Pesch.

Suggested donation is $10, and all proceeds go to Animal Haven, the animal shelter/adoption center that cares for dogs and cats. Reservations for the evening can be made by calling 718-768-4213 or emailing sue@playwrightsforpets.com. Running time for the evening will be approximately one hour.

Hope you can join us for what will be a fun evening--and it's all for an excellent cause!

PEARLS BEFORE . . .
(Not to hog up too much airspace, but thought this would be fun--and maybe one day bring home the bacon!)

When we panic, we try to protect ourselves and may inadvertently harm others less fortunate. There always has and always will be flu--let's put it in perspective, shall we? Or as Piggy says, "People, people, people . . ."




"Hello. I'm here to address an overwhelming concern that is sweeping the world. It's proper name, of course is the H1N1 virus. But far too often, it is being represented as the so-called swine flu. As a member of the maligned swine community, I wish to inform you all that we as a species do not pose imminent danger.

But someone got the idea that swine are easy targets.

I ask you--we already have to deal with prejudice in the entertainment industry, where pearls are ALWAYS cast before we are. But now to be blamed for some pandemic. Pandemonium is more like it!

People, people, people! We don't blame everything on you!

When people belly futures crashed and the farmers' market tumbled and so many of us lost our life savings, we didn't say "damn those humans"! And as glaciers melt and rain forests disappear and many gifted creatures disappear, did you EVER see one of us point a finger?

We are peaceful, loving creatures. We mean you no harm. So calm down! Have a glass of juice. Drink chicken soup. Point your snout away from others if you think you are going to sneeze and put a sock in it if you're gonna cough on someone. If feverish, stay home and watch a video--an excellent flick, for example, would be BABE. Great film, always good for a laugh.

And masks, in my experience, are colorful and attractive and stare at you from the walls, but they will not help you avoid the illness.

And please, please, please. Remember that every time you call it the swine flu, you insult me and my fellows. Every time you call it the swine flu, you hurt a piggy.

Thank you."

A TORTURED AND TORTUROUS DISCUSSION

Displaying the egotistical hallmark that has distinguished the American persona for the last 8-10 years, the conversation about torture and the Obama administration's anti-torture position would be laughable, if it weren't so sad. Let me be clear--NOT the the position, the conversation ABOUT it.

Torture IS a moral issue. You either have a certain code of behavior you find acceptable or you don't. Any form of torture is acceptable or it is not. It doesn't matter--or at least, shouldn't matter--what the rest of the world thinks or what you fear the rest of the world will (or won't) do to you when the shoe is on the other foot. If torture is wrong, then it is wrong in any degree.

If you believe it is wrong to torture other human beings to get the information that you want, then it is wrong to do it. If you believe the ends justify the means, no matter how evil, then the sky is the limit. It is one of the few all-or-nothing issues.

The idea that it is wrong for others to torture but that WE can do it because hey, look at all the other lives we saved and the rights we've protected . . . is hypocritical. You either have certain values or you don't. Period.

It is ironic how many so-called conservatives preach certain "Christian" values (and again I refer to their USE of the label, not what those values really mean), yet are saying well, the torture we performed on suspected terrorists got us information that made us safe so, in this case, it's okay. In short, better the other guy--THAT'S a good Christian value? An honestly moral person doesn't drop their beliefs just to protect their own skin.

Torture tactics we deemed unacceptable are in our case acceptable because they were monitored? Really? And did anyone step in during these monitored sessions and say, "Stop--now you're going over the line?" Would we ever know?

(It should be added that over the centuries, it has been proven that torture victims will say anything that ends the torture, what they think their captors wanted to hear. If it happened to be good information, good for the torturers, but if not, the results were no doubt catastrophic for someone.)

It is the flagrant "me first, screw everyone else" attitude that brought us to the time, place and financial disaster we find ourselves in at present. Flagrant greed, hidden under the cloak that we are the "land of opportunity." It is consistent with the values of Dick Cheney and the Bush administration, therefore, that torture is acceptable because we got what we wanted and WE are safe. (This is the same man who, once on his way out of power in the U.S., summarily moved his company to Dubai! The same man who, when questioned about the current financial plight, and all the lives lost in the war, said "So?")

To some, making Dick Cheney the poster child may seem unfair. But while Bush is quietly resting in Texas under the reasonable assumption that it's someone else's ballgame now, Cheney has been showing no respect for the Office or the folks who hold it, even as he continually invoked privilege during his days in office. If he's putting himself in the spotlight, then he's opened himself to critique.

I can fully understand why former Bush administration big shots are now saying publicly that Obama is risking U.S. security by admitting that torture was done and then refusing to continue it. It worked for them, they believed in it. They are not hypocrites, at least, in this regard. Lacking in moral fiber, perhaps, but not hypocritical in this regard.

The Obama administration is stating its life values. If we abandon those values when it suits us to get what we want, then what the hell are we fighting to protect? Standards are standards because they are unchanging, bedrock. (You would think Conservatives would understand THAT!)

So we are no longing endorsing torture and will not accept those who continue to advocate for it. Those who are proud to be Americans should not place their flag-waving pride over the values we supposedly hold dear, the ideals we supposedly live by.

BEING UNDER THE RIGHT IMPRESSION

Those who love impressionism, color, dynamic use of lights and darks, interesting perspectives. and generally great art should get themselves out to Brooklyn to see the fabulous exhibit of french painter Gustave Caillebotte (pronounced Ky-a-bott)(1848-1894). Entitled “Gustave Caillebotte: Impressionist Paintings From Paris to the Sea,” it is an amazing exhibition of paintings, sketches and yes, boat half models, for this vibrant gentleman was a rabid boat enthusiast and designer, as well as a painter, engineer, lawyer, and art collector. He was a major member, financial supporter and frequent organizer for the French Impressionists, a well-to-do gentleman who used his wealth and connections to further new thought in art, often putting his money where his mouth was (dying too young at age 46). But he was no dilettante himself, as this exhibit shows. He had great skill as a painter, and loved putting his various passions into his paintings. From the start, his sense of structure made him explore extreme and unusual perspectives in his work. (LOVE the round-topped painting, where two boats through the trees being watched by two boys and a dog, changes perspective radically depending on where you stand in the gallery!) It is amazing to watch as he transforms from a traditionalist to an impressionist, yet all the while keeping the dynamism and understanding of contrasting space from his formal training. His personality practically vibrates off the walls.

And really, folks, The Brooklyn Museum is one of the country's finest--a very short trip over the bridge. Try to see this wonderful show (through July 5th). If you're like me, you'll discover an artist you didn't know before--and what an exciting discovery he is! (See the New York Times review, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/27/arts/design/27cail.html?scp=2&sq=Caillebotte&st=cse .)

OFF THE WALL

Okay, I've been good--well, relatively good--lately, writing versus animating everything. But I thought I would share this one, the most recent. No(h) Japanese prints were harmed in the making of this film, PRISONERS OF A BROOKLYN BATH(ROOM).






COMING UN-INGED

I don't care who or what is in vogue or popular. I've always loved William Inge because he deals with what I feel is a natural theatrical topic, as well as a difficult subject to explore--human longing. While Arthur Miller examines our moral sense and its collisions with justice, and Williams examines our survival in a brutal world, and Albee our, well, our defense mechanisms in a hostile society, Inge (who at one time was mentioned with equal reverence) was the prosaic poet of our dreams, desires and disappointments. In plays like PICNIC and COME BACK, LITTLE SHEBA, his characters want to follow their hearts but are perhaps too frightened of their own feelings to act upon their passions--rather like the majority of us. If current audiences are too "hip" to find such ordinary frustrations and inaction off-putting, I would counter that perhaps Inge's emotionalism cuts embarrassingly close to the bone. His work straddles a fine line of comedy and pathos, but is rarely slick, sardonic or biting--which is what many more audiences seem to trust today. (Tracy Letts seems to combine both successfully in AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY.) But to really find what motivates us or what holds us back, those small private fears that loom large in our own inner lives, Inge achieves achingly lovely and painful theatrical moments. In some aspects, he is our American Chekhov. And like Chekhov, he is hard to do well.

That said, you may wish to check out BUS STOP, one of his classics, now being performed by Brooklyn's Gallery Players through March 29th. If not the ultimate production, it nonetheless is a loving exploration of ordinary folks, road travellers stuck at a diner until a blizzard lets up and they can move on to their ultimate destination. (Like Chekhov, you have arrivals and departures and the folks that stay behind as the stuff of all drama.) It is not a searing, dark night of the soul--rather, it is regular people trying their damnedest to get through a long and somewhat awkward night together. The piece is probably best known as the film vehicle for Marilyn Monroe in the 50s, but while that film narrowed the focus to only one of the principal threads (and probably couldn't spend too much time on the alcoholic professor interested in underage girls, given the Eisenhower era), the play has many more layers, subtextures and currents. New York City only gets views of Inge once in a blue moon, given what's popular, so you may wish to take advantage of this opportunity to see some authentic American theater literature done with warmth and affection.

BUS STOP by William Inge, directed by Heather Siobhan Curran, now playing at The Gallery Players, 199 14th Street, Brooklyn, btwn. 4th & 5th Avenue (R train to 9th Street; F train to 4th Avenue), Thursdays-Sundays through March 29th. Tickets $18. Thurs, Fri & Sat Eves at 8 pm, Sat at 2, Sun at 3. www.galleryplayers.com for more information and ticket reservations. (Above: Pictured (l to r): Brad Lewandowski, Shawn Parsons, and Alisha Spielmann in The Gallery Players’ production of Bus Stop by William Inge. Photo by Bella Muccari.)

CONVERSATIONS ON RUSSIAN LITERATURE

As I've written before, being a blogger does not come with the same responsibilities as being a reviewer--one doesn't have to cover everything, and one is entitled to promote one's own or one's friends' projects. (Although I think it's important to disclose the context of your "review," just to let the reader know what they're reading.) Of course, you don't get free tickets as part of the job when you do it for your own blog. And if you don't like a production, you can simply keep your mouth shut.

That said, I am writing today about the final weekend of CONVERSATIONS ON RUSSIAN LITERATURE AND THREE OTHER PLAYS, an evening by my friend, David Johnston. Blue Coyote has been his home for a few years now, always giving solid and often gifted support. This production is no exception, an evening that ranges from entertaining to breathtaking. Johnston's writing ranges from wittily sophisticated to disturbingly thought-provoking. PLAY RUSSIA is a giddy poke at Chekhov, sending up almost all of the major works while enjoying the discomfiture of pronouncing long, tongue-herniating names and surnames. FOR THOSE OF US WHO HAVE LIVED IN FRANCE is comprised of three intertwining monologues by three unlikely stagemates: Mary Queen of Scots, Henry Kissinger and a Virginia housewife, all of whom are letter writing, to be able to visit France. MOTHRA IS WAITING is the backstage tale of a sister act that appears to be heading for a breakup. All three display sharp, witty lines and afterimages that will grab you, along with some splendid performances (David Lapkin makes a particularly amusing Kissinger, and Tracy Gilbert is quite touching as she waits to be rescued by her giant hero).

But the second act is the play, CONVERSATIONS ON RUSSIAN LITERATURE, which is not only more than worth the price of admission but is one of the most satisfying plays to be seen in New York at this time. The setting, a vodka-soaked summer evening in a Russian park, plays host to what appears at first to be a discussion about beloved books between an American woman and an older Russian gentlemen. The fact that we are actually watching a very delicate negotiation between representatives of two powerful nations is only gradually revealed as the intellectual dance progresses through a minefield of personal, political and artistic beliefs. Director Gary Shrader has given a stunning production to Johnston's brilliant words, and the performances of Jonna McElrath as the American and Frank Anderson as the Russian are full-bodied and superbly shaded. This is a totally absorbing forty minutes of theater that will make you question governments and how much the personal competes with the professional, with "we the people" the beneficiaries (or victims) of the results. This is a production that deserves a much longer run.

“Conversations on Russian Literature Plus Three More Plays” continues through March 7 at Access Theater, 380 Broadway, at White Street, TriBeCa; (212) 868-4444.

SEARCHING FOR INTELLIGENT CONSERVATIVES

I miss William F. Buckley. George Will can't carry the mantle alone, although he does so admirably.

I am a liberal or a moderate-to-liberal. But I enjoy a well-expressed point of view and feel we all learn from and grow from good, considered discussion.

I am so tired of Rush Limbaugh stomping his feet and whining like the big fat idiot baby that he is, throwing tantrums and tirades. To oppose socialism and to fear we're going in the wrong direction is one thing. But to say he hopes the stimulus plan fails and encouraging others to cause its failure is to encourage the failure of the country. He was the first to say we must support our leaders no matter what when HIS candidates are in office, but clearly, he just wants to be right, to have his own way. Well, where's YOUR patriotism now? And how disappointing that the leader of the Republican party, Michael Steele, who wisely chastised bad and self-serving behavior, recanted because he's afraid of a bully. Rush is entitled to his opinion, naturally, but that doesn't make his behavior off-limits for criticism.

And as for the lovely Ann Coulter . . . what a shame such a steel-trap of a mind is so mired in hate-mongering. She has a great brain for facts and figures, but so twists and distorts things to feed her own ego. She mistakes negative attention for positive reinforcement.

These are people who would rather be right than have things better. Or rather, THEY are doing well, so the hell with anything that would make life better for the rest of us--we got ours, so therefore something is wrong with all of you. In a most brutish way, they've gone extreme Darwin on us (and even Darwin wasn't recommending survival of the fittest as an excuse for selfish extremism.)

There are liberals as well who favor less government--but who also favor fair chances for all, who favor a generosity that the religious right gives lip service to but does not support with their actions.

On the other hand, the late great Buckley, and those who follow in his wake, would propose alternatives and would enter into the discussion with respect and intelligence, recognizing a need to solve problems over a need to be right.

In this day and age, pundits need to get over their egos--something else that grew overinflated over the past 8-10 years!

GARGOYLES

As if you thought there'd be no animations today . . . !

At the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, MA, you can see the original paintings which, in the flesh, reveal a far greater skill and artistry than the magazine cover reproductions that graced the many Saturday Evening Post covers over the years. His fame is well-deserved.

But on our visit one summer, we saw the wonderful, whimsical work of his son out in the gardens and walkways of the museum, terrific gargoyle creations that seemed like they could talk to you.

And now, one of them is . . . enjoy!

VIRGINIA

Moving into a more complex phase (I fear . . . )

Once public television and cable have ransacked all unknown, misunderstood artists and geniuses for their in depth documentaries, what will be left?

GETTING ANIMATED

Yes, yes, I know. It must be a phase I'm going through. I'm obsessed with my experiments in short animations. They're quick "doodles," if you will, inspired by some of my favorite things--antique photos, toby mugs, drawings and illustrations. I seem to be driven to explore new ways of story telling--new for me, at any rate.

Below are two more new ones. And then I will TRY to stop for a while--and maybe work on a longer work of more overall heft.

Enjoy.

Family Portrait




The Competition

Some commerical promotions . . . and a rant! Hope you're not sorry you visited!

TALKING DOGS

Chloe wants her chance in the spotlight--especially for a good cause.




AN ENDORSEMENT FROM MY PUBLISHER

Okay, okay, he has a vested interest, but Ernest Silliman has decided to help promote EDDIE HAS ALLERGIES. Here's HIS commercial.





SOMEONES GOT TO KNOW HOW TO PAY TAXES

Many thanks to President Obama for being a straight shooter and saying, hey, yeah, I screwed up on some of these appointments. It continues to show that he's "real people," one of us, and it helps earn our trust.

But WHY are all these appointees needing to apologize for tax evasion? (Or "mistakes," as they so sheepishly put it?) They're up for posts as the country's experts. They are not just average Joes. (Or Joe the Plumber, for that matter.) It is true that few of us can know, comprehend and negotiate all the complicated tax codes. But surely Tom Daschle, former Senate Majority Leader, should know--or has a staff that knows the ins-and-outs? (And maybe he does!) Don't they have access to some of the best tax minds? And our new Secretary of Treasury, Timothy Geitner, former head of the New York Federal Reserve, should certainly have a handle on it! Once again, this is a sign of just how long power has provided loopholes. It's a symptom of the exact same malaise afflicting the executives who continue to want all the perks of their position while their company is begging for bailouts. Accountability, people! The word "bonus" was supposed to mean something extra, a special one-time gift for a job well done--not a guaranteed part of a salary regardless of whether or not you've run your company into the ground.

FRIENDSHIP

Sometimes, to reflect on the nature of friendship and how we connect, we have to go back a ways . . .

JOBS AREN'T EASY FOR OLD MUGS

With things the way they are in the present economy, it's not easy for ANY of us to find work--but the older you are, the more problematic it is, particularly in the arts. Witness this somewhat comedic attempt . . .

Striving to Stay on Top of It All

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RANDOM THINKING

Tomorrow will indeed be an amazing day. A start of what will hopefully be a new age.

There are no guarantees for the future, of course--no one person could meet the expectations being placed at the President-elect's doorstep. But the difference, the change in not only personnel but character, is clearly a step in the right direction. The need for a different way of thinking--one that reflects ALL of the American people--is long overdue.

The greatest support for this optimism lay in Obama's cabinet choices, in his careful and precise planning for the economy even prior to taking office, AND for his ability to remain an active dad and husband while dealing with a Herculean amount of pressure. All bodes well.

No matter what faith you hold, say a prayer for our future leader--that a practical, 21st century approach can perhaps dig us out of the mire and into the light.

VICTORIA CLARK

Those who know the work of Victoria Clark--or think they do from her Tony-winning turn as Margaret Johnson the southern mother abroad in LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA, or one of her other wonderful acting turns on Broadway--will still be amazed and startled by the fresh breeze on her album, FIFTEEN SECONDS OF GRACE, a splendid mix of songs familiar and less so. The voice is lovely, of course, but the interpretations are so inviting. For one who lately has played matrons and strong-willed ladies, it is a delight to find this is a voice of quick-silver, intelligence and delicacy. Under the superb musical direction of Ted Sperling, this album is one luminous discovery after another, with a wonderful sense of intimacy. Each number is a work of art, but to single one out, take a listen to BEFORE THE PARADE PASSES BY, that stalwart anthem to life from HELLO, DOLLY! Deftly defying expectations (in part thanks to a really splendid arrangement), a steamroller anthem to survive has been reborn as the tale of someone who is genuinely thrilled to re-discover life's adventure. By concentrating not on overcoming the past (as in usual interpretations) but rather on the promise of the future, the song takes on a glistening beauty previously overlooked. It is that delightfully inventive perspective that Clark brings to every note on the album. This is not a show-singer disc--it is an artist giving you a truly one-person exhibit, with something special around every corner. (PS Classics)

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

After a month-long siege of sinus problems, colds, holidays, deadlines & whatnot, I'm finally feeling (semi) normal enough to post!

Many random thoughts and topics . . . here are both philosophical moments and more earth-bound reflections . . .


ROAD SHOW
From the realm of the more concrete . . . it has taken years for WISE GUYS to become BOUNCE and finally ROAD SHOW, the new Stephen Sondheim-John Weidman musical currently playing at NYC's Public Theatre. It has been through numerous casts (Victor Garber-Nathan Lane, Howard McGillin-Richard Kind) and numerous directors (Sam Mendes, Hal Prince) before arriving in its current 105-minute off-Broadway version, featuring splendid performances from Michael Cerveris and Alexander Gemignani under the direction and design of the ubiquitous John Doyle (SWEENEY TODD, COMPANY, A CATERED AFFAIR). While some have expressed disappointment at this first new NY Sondheim since PASSION being, well, small . . . I can only counter--why is one of our greatest musical theater artists not allowed to sketch, to meditate, to do smaller, ideological pieces? ROAD SHOW ultimately is about how hype has overtaken the American dream--if you APPEAR to work hard and do the biggest and the best, then the world is your oyster (until reality crashes in). Certainly in the time of Bernard Madoff and bailouts and gold parachutes gone horribly awry, it is a timely piece (even though its creation started almost 20 years ago). Wilson and Addison Mizner (pronounced M'eye-z-ner) were con men-cum-entrepreneurs who, in the early 20th century, made and lost fortunes, most notably in the Florida real estate boom and bust (the first time round of a seemingly unending cycle). Addison, the sensitive gay younger brother, became a talented and creative architect who designed some of the homes still extant in Miami Beach but who also, under his huckster brother's influence, wasted his talents, with the ultimate initial plan for Boca Raton becoming just an over-hyped memory. (Obviously, Boca Raton DID become, well, Boca Raton, despite its name literally translating to "mouth of the rat.") Wilson, was more into spinning and promoting, everything from boxers to Broadway, along the way becoming a coke-snorting wastrel while charming a wide-swath of marks out of millions. Actually, Wilson's behavior is not all that different from many of the financiers begging Congress for blank checks today. And certainly the American Dream has always represented a hard work ethic, but remember that at least half of it was still "the Dream." Yes, America has always championed hard workers publicly but secretly idolized the get-rich-quick adventurers. (in ROAD SHOW, Mama Mizner on her deathbed rhapsodizes about her rapscallion adventurer son, while the good boy stays behind to hold her hand.) This is not a highly-plotted, conflicted drama--rather, it is a meditation on how America buys and sells and the human cost that grinds up everyone in the machine. Just as Japan was really the central character in their PACIFIC OVERTURES, it is American society and its economy that is the central character here. Not the stuff of most people's musical comedies, and this one IS more dark comedy than drama.

But why can't one of the most revered talents do an essay piece, as it were? And why not off-Broadway, a perfect setting for this piece? John Doyle's "box set" is appropriate--actually, they're crates and file cabinets that look rustic and become many locations effectively against the brick backdrop of the theater. (It still can't be cheap--how many desk drawers do you know that can withstand the standing and sitting weights of large men?) Ann Hould-Ward, a veteran of other Sondheim musicals, does wonderfully evocative costumes with her signature patterning that gradually etches its way into your cognition, and trusty orchestrator Jonathan Tunick has done his signature job of providing an evocative sound for a small ensemble under the direction of Mary-Mitchell Campbell ( Doyle's frequent collaborator in musical crime). It is not the most soaring of Sondheim's scores, but when your range and talent is that vast, any exploration is miles ahead of everyone else's. ROAD SHOW ultimately is more compelling as a story and think piece than it is for its musicality. Michael Cerveris, of course, has become the leading Sondheim interpreter, able to catch the brilliant and chiling dark edge in everything from PASSION to SWEENEY TODD to ASSASSINS, and he does not disappoint as the charming bad-penny Wilson. But Alexander Gemignani is extraordinary as Addison, the Mama's boy who, in turns, tries to become his own man while succumbing to the insistent Wilson's nefarious ways. His gay love affair with his patron. wealthy would-be artist Hollis Bessemer (an appealing Claybourne Elder), is all the more tragic for its duality of deception and genuine tenderness. Fine support is provided by a talented top-drawer ensemble, and one must mention the strong contributions of Alma Cuervo as Mama (playing a role Jane Powell played in the previous BOUNCE incarnation) and frequent Sondheim vet William Parry as the ghost of Papa. There is wit and wisdom in this tale, but rather than transport us, ROAD SHOW peels back a chapter in history that shows just where we were heading-- and just what it is in the American nature that we are sadly harvesting right now. ROAD SHOW is scheduled to close December 28th--but it is my hope that this show (with a lot to say) has a future around the country.

MAMET MAYHEM
How strange that in attempting to celebrate the talent and staying power of David Mamet, his gifts have also been rather punishing. (Ah, well, that's what we do to our talents--see Sondheim above). AMERICAN BUFFALO with the combined gifts of Robert Falls, John Leguizamo, Cedric the Entertainer and Haley Joel Osment didn't last a week in this financial climate. And now the acclaimed revival of SPEED-THE-PLOW will have to survive the departure of the mercurial Jeremy Piven. Piven's reputation is prickly to begin with (and his last NY stage adventure, Neil LaBute's FAT PIG, was also rife with rumors despite excellent reviews), so in some ways it is not surprising that he would depart ten weeks early--and as he is a talented and soulful gent, we do hope his health is restored and that he is not as gravely ill as was reported. The news that first gifted Norbert Leo Butz and then William Macy will succeed him for the rest of the run was indeed a sign of creative casting and loyalty from friends. One can only hope that the production will last to regain its footing and recoup at the box office.

THOUGHTS FROM THE FIELD
Well, 2008 will indeed be remembered as a rough one, historically and personally. Lows will of course include unemployment (especially my own), illnesses, a family member passing, fluctuating health, and periods of depression and frustration. Highs will include some artistic joys, love of friends and, well, loved ones, and at least a ray of hope in the form of a new regime finally coming in, perhaps a bit too late, in 2009.

I will not be sorry to see 2008 go, even as I try to learn whatever lessons I can. Sometimes, when a bubble bursts, all that's left is escaped air and some wet soap.

But in the spirit of the Great White (House) Hope, one has to pick oneself up and say we can do this. Things will get better. I have to believe that creative, determined, imaginative people will survive and grow stronger. Life isn't about a constant level of joy--it is about the striving for those moments that make it all worth while, and the lows come along with the highs. Sometimes, these extended spells make it seem like the abyss is right around the corner and, hell, maybe it is. We choose, not to be noble, but to survive, hopefully discovering our inner strengths and growing as we go.

May this holiday season find you healthy and whole. May the new year bring you peace--and a new honesty, a new admiration, a new strength and a reaffirmation of purpose.

PUSHING DAISIES IS . . . PUSHING DAISIES?

ABC has to do something about its split personality. Their development department often rises above the usual mundane, feed-em-a-fish banality to create fresh programming ideas. MEN IN TREES, for example, was somewhat literate and extremely well-acted and produced. Gone, gone, gone--after ABC's scheduling and promotion department deflated the show into oblivion. (Even if you were a fan and looking for scheduled episodes, it was always a hard show to find.)

And now ABC is making the exact same blunder. Twice. ELI STONE, one of the smarter, kinder and more intelligent pieces of television will be gone--no order past this season's 13 episodes. But worst of all, PUSHING DAISIES, the Emmy-lauded, inventive series will be no more. (I choose not to put DIRTY SEXY MONEY in the same category--despite Peter Krause, Jill Clayburgh, Lucy Liu, Blair Underwood AND the great Donald Sutherland, it is a soap opera so vapid you can jump in and second-guess what you haven't seen. Few will lose sleep over its departure.)

PUSHING DAISIES, on the other hand, is a spectacular if strange little world, with a cast of endearing characters that made it a televison classic. Original, funny, fast-paced, beautifully acted and amazingly filmed and designed, it was something unique and special. It's absence will be truly felt among its dedicated followers.

(I might add that it has more people watching it than MAD MEN, which is the most celebrated show of the year and no one is cancelling THAT!)

As the networks lose more and more yearly to cable channels, streaming video and the DVD market, they sadly seem to learn less and less about the viewing public. Almost anyone in America could have told them that it was a mistake not to bring the show back last season for SOME kind of wrap-up episodes after the Writers' Strike. Waiting all that time without so much as a re-cap was a huge mistake. What about running the already shown episodes in summer to build new fans, show folks what they missed, and ramp up excitement for the season to come? Where was any kind of real fanfare or promotion to herald PD's return? Any kind of decent marketing buzz would've made sense. And then to continually break up the showing schedule--okay, they actually ran PD against Obama's infomercial, but then left it off the air for two weeks in a row. So the gains it made were soon squandered. They never tried it on another night, nor did they promote it on other major shows.

ABC's marketing department may not be as corrupt or obtuse as the heads of AIG or the Big 3 Automakers who still party hearty and fly private jets to beg Congress for bailouts. But clearly their heads are not atop their shoulders where they should be--and once again, we the viewers suffer for it. And again, they blame the viewers to justify their actions. We're going into a deep recession, people--can't we at least have the shows that lift our spirits with some positive and imaginative storylines?

One can only hope that one of the cable networks will be smart enough to pick PUSHING DAISIES up in some form so it can spread its magic unencumbered. (And then ABC can kick itself, as HBO undoubtedly is over passing on MAD MEN.)

Make your voice heard, viewers. Let ABC know just how ticked off you really are! And while you're at it, drop a line to USA, SciFi, FX, AMC--they're looking for viewers, you know, they just might take the hint. Maybe we should all just boycott Disney and see what the mother ship does . . .

A NEW PRESIDENT, A NEW DIRECTION

It is with enormous pride (and relief!) that we have reached the end of the election season (that lasted over two years).

President-elect Barack Obama. Our soon to be 44th President of the United States.

The fact that the issues led the day, not race, is a source of enormous pride for all of us.

The fact that there really is an undeniable change coming is heartening and uplifting at a time when despair threatened to overwhelm. This doesn't mean that happy days are here again or that all is solved--we are in tough, tough times, and amidst the joy and congratulations, you can't help but think, "That poor man! Why on EARTH would he want this job?!"

But there is something pretty remarkable about him, determined, unflappable, that one has to admire. He is smart and attentive. Thoughtful. Open. And while it may have been one of the most expensive campaigns ever waged, one feels that it was beautifully managed and that every penny spent was spent well and wisely. He handled the ups and downs of the campaign, the triumphs and the tragedies, with strength, dignity and grace, displaying all the leadership qualities we look for in a President. He got through this campaign with his soul in tact. This speaks well for our future.

And I know I'm not the first to remark on this, having been glued to the TV, but it seems Campaigner McCain was exorcised and the decent, if conservative, John McCain returned last night with a truly gracious, thoughtful concession speech. THAT was the man who should have run for President, not the "maverick".

Our President-elect is right--apparently, one can still hold onto their dreams and hope for the best. With hard work, they clearly can come true.