Archives for December 6, 2007

I’ve been writing like a lunatic all day–well, all week–and decided ten minutes ago that I needed some serious attitude adjustment right now, so I punched up iTunes and went looking for solace.
What did I choose? Miles Davis’ 1956 recording of If I Were a Bell, a song from Guys and Dolls that he turns into the hippest, hardest-swinging tune imaginable, aided and abetted by John Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers, and Philly Joe Jones. Three snaps of Miles’ fingers and the rhythm section eases in with a cool two-beat riff, followed by a tightly muted trumpet playing the theme. Then the Prince of Darkness takes a two-bar break, the rhythm section shifts gears, and all at once everybody’s off and running…and I’m smiling. And patting my foot. And wishing (for there is no light without shadow) that I were still a jazz musician so that I could spend my life playing such music. And feeling good again. And looking at the clock to see how long it will be before Mrs. T arrives on my doorstep after a week in Connecticut. And smiling some more.
Life is good. Likewise music. Listen to some.

Here’s my list of recommended Broadway, off-Broadway, and out-of-town shows, updated weekly. In all cases, I gave these shows favorable reviews in The Wall Street Journal when they opened. For more information, click on the title.

Warning: Broadway shows marked with an asterisk were sold out, or nearly so, last week.

BROADWAY:

• Avenue Q (musical, R, adult subject matter and one show-stopping scene of puppet-on-puppet sex, reviewed here)

• A Chorus Line (musical, PG-13/R, adult subject matter, reviewed here)

• The Drowsy Chaperone (musical, G/PG-13, mild sexual content and a profusion of double entendres, reviewed here)

• Grease * (musical, PG-13, some sexual content, reviewed here)

• Rock ‘n’ Roll * (drama, PG-13, way too complicated for kids, reviewed here)

• The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee * (musical, PG-13, mostly family-friendly but contains a smattering of strong language and a production number about an unwanted erection, closes Jan. 20, reviewed here)

OFF BROADWAY:

• The Fantasticks (musical, G, suitable for children old enough to enjoy a love story, reviewed here)

• The Glorious Ones (musical, R, extremely bawdy, closes Jan. 6, reviewed here)

• Things We Want (drama, R, adult subject matter, closes Dec. 30, reviewed here)

CHICAGO:

• A Park in Our House (drama, PG-13, adult subject matter, closes Sunday, reviewed here)

• What the Butler Saw (comedy, R, extremely adult subject matter, closes Sunday, reviewed here)

EAST HADDAM, CONN.:

• 1776 (musical, G, too complicated for small children, closes Sunday, reviewed here)

MILLBURN, N.J.:

• Meet Me in St. Louis (musical, G, completely family-friendly, closes Dec. 16, reviewed here)

CLOSING SOON IN NEW YORK:

• Pygmalion * (comedy, G, suitable for mature and intelligent young people, closes Dec. 16, reviewed here)

“You have to be careful with the intellect as an artist. The intellectual struggles with the facts. That’s not inspirational. If you are an intellectual and you are going to buy a house, you would think about the cost, check on the taxes, look at the survey, and go through a whole list of things that make you feel better about buying the house. If you couldn’t rationalize it, you wouldn’t buy it. If the house genuinely inspired you, you wouldn’t worry about the list. You would find a way to buy it. You have to deal with the practical matters, but you wouldn’t worry about them because you would be involved with your inspiration. That’s what artists have to do. They have to stay involved with their inspiration. They can’t be constantly worried about the cost of paint.”
Agnes Martin (interviewed in Michael Auping, 30 Years: Interviews and Outtakes)