Archives for July 11, 2013

The indispensable Maria Popova recently pointed to a cache of “seven-word autobiographies of famous writers, artists, musicians, and philosophers.” Some are clever, some coy, some smug. (Joan Didion: “Seven words do not yet define me.”)
I decided to play and came up with the following:
In flux. Musician, critic, biographer, librettist, playwright….
Not especially clever–except, perhaps, for the ellipsis–but at least it’s accurate. So far.

Here are the books I brought with me to read (or reread) on my trip to California and Oregon:
• Three sets of bound galleys: Stanley Crouch’s Kansas City Lightning: The Rise and Times of Charlie Parker, Chuck Haddix’ Bird: The Life and Music of Charlie Parker, and Alisa Solomon’s Wonder of Wonders: A Cultural History of Fiddler on the Roof
• Larry Birnbaum’s Before Elvis: The Prehistory of Rock ‘n’ Roll
• Jack O’Brien’s Jack Be Nimble: The Accidental Education of an Unintentional Director
• Brian Priestley’s Chasin’ the Bird: The Life and Legacy of Charlie Parker
• Tom Wolfe’s Back to Blood

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 (if sometimes qualifiedly so) in The Wall Street Journal when they opened. For more information, click on the title.

BROADWAY:

• Annie (musical, G, most performances sold out last week, reviewed here)

• Matilda (musical, G, all performances sold out last week, reviewed here)

• Once (musical, G/PG-13, most performances sold out last week, reviewed here)

• The Trip to Bountiful (drama, G, extended through Oct. 9, reviewed here)

• Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (comedy, PG-13, remounting of off-Broadway production, closes Aug. 25, most performances sold out last week, original production reviewed here)

OFF BROADWAY:

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

• The Fantasticks (musical, G, suitable for children capable of enjoying a love story, reviewed here)

CLOSING SOON ON BROADWAY:

• The Nance (play with music, PG-13, closes Aug. 11, reviewed here)

CLOSING SOON OFF BROADWAY:

• A Picture of Autumn (drama, G, too serious for children, closes July 27, reviewed here)

• The Weir (drama, PG-13, closes Aug. 4, reviewed here)

CLOSING SOON IN GLENCOE, ILL.:

• The Liar (comedy, PG-13, extended through Aug. 11, reviewed here)

CLOSING NEXT WEEK IN CHICAGO:

• Tartuffe (comedy, PG-13, closes July 21, reviewed here)

CLOSING SATURDAY IN PITTSFIELD, MASS.:

• On the Town (musical, G/PG-13, reviewed here)

“O for a life of Sensations rather than of Thoughts!”
John Keats, letter to Benjamin Bailey, Nov. 22, 1817