Music
5.13.18 How a musical called ‘Chess’ keeps making all the wrong moves after 34 years
Chess is not a great musical. It is not even one of Tim Rice’s greatest musicals. But if you’ve ever heard “One Night in Bangkok” or “I Know Him So Well,” you know this: it’s got some pretty awesome 1980s-era pop music. And I love it dearly. How could I not? Along with Rice, the…
Read More10.10.16 Berry, flashin’ those high beams
We all deserve the same level of treatment, the same level of respect. And if I could guarantee that no one would ever give me a pass again for whatever superficial element of my appearance might make them decide to do so — so that everyone else’s appearance would also not matter when it comes to violations of the law — I would happily pay the fine.
Read More6.13.16 ‘Til the world turns upside down’
Hamilton comes along at a surly time in American history. We are at a stage where we no longer trust our captains, where we believe everything below decks is made of barnacled, rotting wood. Where we have two people running for the highest office in the land – one Hamilton himself never achieved – one of whom will help steer the course for our country’s future as the world slowly turns upside down.
Read More4.24.16 ‘Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life’
The ability to disappear into the moment of creation with a writer is fairly dull to watch; that same blending/vanishing act, when performed on stage to a thumping beat and a heart-soaring melody, can be breathtaking.
Read More4.17.16 ‘Yes, there were little musicians’
Keep hard at work on the penny whistle lessons. You, too, could feel the Force one day.
Read More3.28.16 20 Years in NYC, Pt. 4: ‘They’re touching you!’
Having stakes in the city — that is, a mortgage — and being here during a national tragedy seemed to forge a whole new sense of belonging for me. By 2002, I’d been in New York City for over five years and it was the place I never knew I wanted to be but couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.
Read More1.12.16 ‘Keep me in your heart for awhile’
We put a lot on to our heroes, our entertainers, the people who make us feel all the feels. We want to thank them and don’t have the language to do so, so we buy and watch and record and ask for autographs if we happen to cross paths but it is a vocabulary of gibberish. They are creating from a well from which we can only bathe, not drink and so we can never fully know what is going on as they weave mystic dreams out of sound and vision.
Read MoreBroad Universe Full Moon Blog Tour: Free excerpt from ‘The Only Song Worth Singing’
Welcome to the Broad Universe Full Moon blog hop, where you can read wonderful words from women writers and make yourself eligible for terrific prizes. Read on for more!
Read MoreSad songs say so much: the enduring appeal of songs that hurt your heart
You don’t have to look far to find songs about sadness. Popular music of all genres has trafficked forever in lyrics that tell terrible tales, suggest dark motives and insist that we all live in a vale of tears. Plus, there’s a catchy chorus.
Read MoreWhiteboard company proves it: Weird Al was drawn that way
The array of "Weird Al" Yankovic videos that recently took over the Internet was an eight-day Al-palooza for fans of the parodist — and their devotion was rewarded when his 14th album, "Mandatory Fun," hit the top of the charts. But fans don't yet have to go into withdrawal — there's one unique video left to watch. …
Read More