Musical Musings

Several weeks ago, I saw the musical "Spring Awakening". I don't know if you've heard anything about this show, but it's quite ... interesting ... and addressed no shortage of social issues, including (but not limited to) teen pregnancy, back-room abortions, parental pressures, peer pressures, societal norms vs. social revolution, religious intolerance, suicide, homosexuality, teen angst, sex education, intellectual revolution, death, and emergence of underground 'hippy' counter-culture. (And all of this in the context of an awesome Duncan Sheik soundtrack.)

But in a flash of realization this morning, I finally figured out the moral of the musical:

Be gay.

Be gay and nothing bad will happen to you. What do you think?

In other musical news, I went to the opening night of 110 In The Shade at the Studio 54 / Roundabout Theatre Company last night on West 54th. Four-time Tony award-winner Audra McDonald played Lizzy, and just blew the stage away. Her performance was perfect, and her singing was awe-inspiring. John Cullum was also good, (though I still have a problem seeing him sing when all I can picture him in was Northern Exposure) but didn't command the stage like Ms. McDonald did.

The rest of the show was just OK, I'm sorry to say. The music was OK, the chorus was OK, but the plotline dragged a bit, and I found myself a bit bored. The second act was better (mostly because it was shorter and featured more of Ms. McDonald), but I think the problem is more that I'm personally not so keen on "love story" musicals. Call me anti-romance, but there it is.

p.s. Looks like I'm not the only one with this opinion: NY Post Review

In other random-thought news, it's a muggy day in NYC... but it's warm, so I'm tres happy.

p.p.s. This interview between Steven Colbert and Jane Fonda is one of the funniest pieces of television I think I've ever seen... .