haines his way

04/17/2002:
"THE TONGUE AND THE XM"

Well, dear readers, my very own film, The First Nudie Musical is now available for preorder at amazon.com. Isn't that exciting? Of course, I preordered it immediately, just so they'd have one order. If you use the handy-dandy link you can see the fancy shmancy cover of the DVD. They did get one thing wrong at amazon, but apparently it will be fixed in the next couple of days. They list the film as a full screen transfer, but of course it is a widescreen transfer and enhanced for 16x9 televisions. We don't need no stinking full screen transfers and we don't need no stinking badges.
This morning, bright and early, someone was using our handy-dandy unseemly search box and they were searching for "xm". If only they'd come an hour later they'd have gotten some hits, because I was going to write extensively about xm in today's notes. I've been meaning to write about xm for ages because I have been very neglectful of xm. I've often felt that those two letters, "x" and "m" were a perfect match because they look so incredibly stupid when placed next to each other. Just looking at those stupid letters cuddling close together gives me a case of both the warm fuzzies and the cold scuzzies, resulting in the tepid huzzies. What the hell am I talking about? Of course, our searcher could have been searching for either the film "Rocketship XM" or "X-Men". Well, I do hope our searcher comes back and gives us another try, because we do aim to please here at haineshisway.com.
I've been catching up on my CD listening at the expense of my DVD watching. Perhaps tonight I'll catch up on my DVD watching at the expense of my CD listening. I've listened to the new London recording of Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific, the new Decca release of the original London Oliver! (which I've already had for years as an import - I forgot, though, and got the new Decca version of it) and best of all, a new release from the Collectables label, a two-fer of Percy Faith's soundtrack to The Love Goddesses and Percy Faith's Hollywood's Greatest Hits from 1962. Perhaps I shall tell you about said albums, but not until we all click the Unseemly Button below and say xm three times.

It is hard to say xm three times, isn't it. That is a real tongue-twister. Look at that word "tongue" just sitting there like a dead herring in the moonlight. "Tongue". That is just a silly-looking word. It would be better if it were pronounced the way it was spelled - "tawngyouee". Yes, that is a whole different kettle of tongue, that is. But instead we pronounce it "tung" for reasons that I'm sure are obscure to even the person who invented the word tongue, Mr. Herman Pelt. One fine day, Mr. Pelt was looking in the mirror and he stuck the thing that was in his mouth out at himself. Then he thought, "That thing I'm sticking out at myself that resides in my mouth should have a name. Wait, I know, I'll invent a name right now and then I shall be famous once and for all." Mr. Pelt thought about it long and hard and also hard and long and then thought, "Zounds, I know - I'll call that thing I'm sticking out at myself and which resides in my mouth a tung. But I will confound everyone by spelling it "t-o-n-g-u-e" for reasons which are obscure even to me." And that is how the word "tongue" was invented.
Where the hell was I? Oh yes, catching up on my CD listening. I listened to the new London production of South Pacific, which has been directed by Trevor Nunn and which stars Lauren Kennedy and Philip Quast. I will listen to any recording on which someone named Quast appears, just because I like the way that name looks. In any case, I really like the score of South Pacific a lot. I also really like Lauren Kennedy a lot. She was on my Paul Simon album and I saw her in Side Show (Emily was out the day I saw it), in which she did a splendid job. To my ears, this is not a very wonderful-sounding recording - very dull, as if a blanket had been thrown over the CD. Also, the blend between orchestra and singer is not optimal, and they haven't done Lauren any favors in the way she's been recorded. Mr. Quast comes off very well, as do the supporting players. Lauren is perfect for Nellie Forbush, and I'm sure she's wonderful on stage, but the recording doesn't show her off as it should, which is not her fault. They use a combo platter of the original Bennett orchestrations supplemented with William D. Brohn orchestrations. It's worth having, though.
Next I listened to the original London Oliver! which is newly reissued on Decca. At the top of the front cover it says, "A Decca Broadway Cast Album". Hello? Anybody home at Decca? They do this all the time - even for albums that they own but that were not originally on Decca at all. Blechhh. In any case, at the bottom of the front cover in smaller lettering it does say "Original London Cast Recording". I bought this because someone had posted about it on the internet and had raved so about its sound and performance that I simply had to have it. I already had it, but had forgotten that fact. In any case, it's got Ron Moody, Georgia Brown and a lot of great music. I don't like it as much as the RCA Broadway cast recording, which has got more lively sound to it. This recording is fine, but it never jumps out at you the way Oliver! should. The performances, on the other hand, are brilliant. Did you know that Dame Edna's very close friend, Mr. Barry Humphries was in this show?
Then I listened to the Percy Faith two-fer. I am unashamedly a Percy Faith junkie. Call me a sap, call me a kook, call me a cab, but I just like his albums, and have since I was a kid. One of my favorites of his, Hollywood's Greatest Hits is on this two-fer and includes Mr. David Amram's gorgeous theme for Splendor In The Grass, done beautifully by Mr. Faith. This recording was one of only two (the other was by Stan Kenton on a Capital 45) of Mr. Amram's theme, until I finally ended up putting it on one of my jazz movie albums with Fred Karlin. It's also got great renditions of Mr. David Raksin's Too Late Blues and Mr. Mario Nascimbene's theme for Light In The Piazza (the only recording), along with King of Kings, Ben-Hur, Maria, I Enjoy Being a Girl, Over and Over Again (from Jumbo), Mr. Previn's gorgeous love theme from The Four Horsemen of the Apocolypse, Moon River and El Cid. The soundtrack to The Love Goddesses is loads of fun, too. The good news is that Collectables will be issuing several more Percy Faith two-fers of his instrumental cover versions of shows, including The Most Happy Fella, Do I Hear a Waltz?, and best of all Li'l Abner. These are great albums and I recommend them to one and all and also all and one. I recommend them to anyone who likes the word "tongue" and anyone who'd very fond of the letters "xm".
What am I, Ken Mandelbaum all of a sudden? Many new DVDs - including Mr. Bob Fosse's film of Lenny. I looked at a bit of it and the transfer looks very nice. I do think it Mr. Fosse's weakest film, but I'll give it a looksee in the next few days. I also looked at a bit of Mr. Roman Polanski's film of Macbeth - a very very very violent telling of Mr. Shakespeare's play, and it looks swell in all its widescreen glory. I've been watching Mr. David Mamet's The Winslow Boy, which I would be enjoying more if the transfer were not so soft.
Well, dear readers, I must be off, I must take the day, I must do the things I do before somebody else does them. I must ponder the true meaning of xm and all it implies. Today's topic of discussion: Well, today, of course, is Ask BK Day, wherein you can ask me any questions that tickle your fancy shmancy. Ask me anything at all and I will answer truthfully - I will withhold nothing from you, dear readers, except my tongue and my xm. Now, ask away. We do love your questions, you know.

Replies: 44 Unseemly Comments

I would just like to say thank you for loving Percy Faith. I was the object of much derision as a kid, when my buddies were listening to Steppenwolf and the Stones, and I was home furiously copying out my own "charts" as I heard them on Percy's recordings. The Broadway two-fers are now available for pre-order at Oldies.com, and I urge everyone to get them--they are splendiferous, indeed, and Collectables needs to know there is an audience for these re-releases. Percy is head and shoulders above the usual "easy listening" ilk (there's an interesting word, what happened to the "m", I wonder?). His "playlist" was always far more adventurous than others in this genre, including everything from Edu Lobo (one of my favorite Brazilian singer/songwriters) to Santana.
My question for you is: have you heard "Last 5 Years"? I was pleasantly surprised, as, though I love a great deal of "Parade," I found some of it aimless and less than satisfying. Most of "Years" I found completely wonderful, especially Jason's orchestrations, which are truly extraordinary (as I posted here the other day).
Posted by JMK @ 04/17/2002 10:16 AM PST

"Light in the Piazza" -- cues from the movie soundtrack were issued on a 2-CD anthology of Mario Nascimbene's film scores issued several (five or six) years ago, possibly on the DRG label. I have it at home and I am at work.
Questions for BK:
1. Did anyone know -- at the time -- that "La Cage Aux Folles" would be the LAST Jerry Herman musical, ever? I'd love to think there might be another, but so much time has elapsed and his shows since that one seem to be all about the glorification of Mr. Herman's past work and nothing new.
3. Do you know anything about the announced release of Mr. Herman's "Parade" on CD? I only recently got a very good copy of it in stereo in an eBay auction. And NOW it's going to see a CD release?
4. Is 2002 the year of my karmic discontent?
5. How about "Kean", BK? Will "Kean" ever see a CD release?
and, finally, (I promise):
6. Why hasn't Andrea McArdle done more in the way of CDs and Broadway? I think she is amazing. I thought her bit in the Disney TV version of "Annie" was terrific (and the entire abridged production was musically brilliant, unlike the drab and dreary movie version by Mr. John Huston). Are there some great CDs out there of Ms. McArdle singing wonderful songs? I don't know about them if there are.
Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 04/17/2002 10:48 AM PST

I have come to look forward to these Ask BK days. Even more, of course, I look forward to the NEXT day when we get to see the answers. Here are my handy-dandy questions:
What do you think of Madeline Kahn? Did you ever meet or have any dealings with Madeline Kahn? (I myself have an unabashed love for Madeline Kahn.)
What kind of shoes do you wear?
and last but not least:
How many musicals have you written and what were they called?
Posted by Lolita @ 04/17/2002 10:49 AM PST

Questions, Questions:
1. How exactly does one do the pudding dance? What steps are involved?
2. Have you ever worked with Bernadette Peters? If so, what was she like? If not, what wasn't she like? I have been a huge fan of Ms. Peters. ever since "The Jerk" with Steve Martin.
3. Where is the love?
Posted by Mattso @ 04/17/2002 11:04 AM PST

First to Ron,
Yes, Andrea McArdle did record CD's and has one or two out. Try a search on amazon for her.
I know how Bruce hates us answering questions for each other on "ASK BK DAY," but I thought I'd stir things up.
Now a question for Bruce. You may already have told us this, but why do we have to have an unseemly button anyway, let alone click on it? Will the elusive Mark Bakalor bitch-slap me for asking this? We don't need no stinking unseemly buttons as I see it. I may feel differently after having been bitch-slappped though.
Posted by Kerry @ 04/17/2002 11:06 AM PST

Dear BK,
Why do Canadians say "eh?" at the end of their sentences?
And do Jewish Canadians say "Oyv-eh?" at the end of their sentences?
Posted by Laura @ 04/17/2002 11:19 AM PST

First, my thanks to Kerry for the input on Andrea McArdle. Still, BK, I'd appreciate any insights you may be able to share on her professional career.
Kerry, I, too, love Madeline Kahn -- especially her Eunice. Outside of the two stars, this film is a comic masterpiece. Streisand does very well, but O'Neal was no Cary Grant. Heck, O'Neal wasn't even an Arthur Lake. My favorite scene in the movie (other than Mabel Albertson's being tripped up in the lobby which just gets me rolling on the floor) is the sight of Madeline's "Eunice" being dragged out of the dinner, her heels leaving scuff marks on the floor.
Now, ANOTHER QUESTION for BK:
I think about this every once in a great while, but I still cannot remember the answer. When Bernadette Peters was cast in "Mack and Mabel," she was a replacement for another actress.
Who WAS that actress and do you know why she was replaced?
Why do I think I remember this as having happened? Because I seem to recall an "After Dark" article at the time talking about how Peters got the role and how little time she had to get "into" it before the show opened.
Did I dream this? I don't usually dream such stuff, but who knows....
Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 04/17/2002 11:43 AM PST

Oo[s! Sorry, folks. In case anyone doesn't automatically know, I was talking about "What's Up, Doc?"
Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 04/17/2002 11:44 AM PST

Oh, yeah! I know y'all are getting tired of seeing these little posts from me, but I have tons of questions popping into my head, and I have a root canal scheduled for this afternoon. So I'm asking everything I can think of now in case I don't feel like asking later.
BK: Re: your many references to chunks of ham. Is this site not kosher? Can one dance the hora and be lapsed?
re: Bitch-slapping. I think we need to develop an emoticon for bitch-slapping. Otherwise, how will any of us know if we've been bitch-slapped, elusively or not?
Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 04/17/2002 11:49 AM PST

Well, I know who Bernadette replaced in Mack & Mabel but I won't spill because I've been bitch-slapped before for incorrect web site protocol. (Though I've been tempted to misbehave again because being bitch-slapped is every bit as fun as it sounds. Oooh, baby.)
My question for BK: In your opinion, what is the best recording of the worst musical? And conversely, what is the worst recording of the best musical? (And to make that last one even harder, you can't say the OBC of Follies.)
Posted by Phil Crosby @ 04/17/2002 11:57 AM PST

Der Brucer and I are flying to the East coast for a week of fun and frivolity with the grandsons. Most of our time will be spent in Maryland and Delaware, but we will be spending a day in Washington, D. C. So my question, dear B. K., is this: If you could be an exhibit in any of the Smithsonian museums along the Mall, of what would you be an exhibit? (I seriously doubt you would count yourself as one of the dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum, but please try to not count yourself as one of the gowns worn by the First Ladies at the the Museum of American History, as you'ld be facing too much competition to be one of those. Sorry.)
Posted by S. Woody White @ 04/17/2002 12:35 PM PST

I was going to send E-mail asking if it might not be a good idea for Wednesday questions for bk to be E-mailed like Unseemly Trivia Contest responses, so that the board would not be covered with answers or pre-answers or other answers to questions intended to be answered in the following day's bk notes II, but I did not.
Bruce: Have Dame Edna Everage, Guy Haines, Barry Humphries, and you ever had a get-together? I imagine it would be quite a to-do, and that Dame Everage would insist upon teaching Edna's Pudding Dance.
Andrea McArdle
I am so upset to read a report that Carol Burnett will return to CBS for a new production of Once Upon a Mattress in which she is said to play the role of Aggravain. Burnett should play the role of Winnifred the Woebegone exactly as written, without a single change or acknowledgment of her age. Burnett is up to it, and I believe she would make it work brilliantly. Jane White should return as Aggravain, because no one sings "Sensitivity" better than White does. Matthew Broderick should be Dauntless. Bernadette Peters should return as Lady Larken, with Marc Kudisch as Harry. Bill Irwin should be King Sextimus, and either Nathan Lane or Michael McGrath should be the Minstrel. However, since there is virtually no chance of CBS casting Mattress as described, Andrea McArdle should play Fred.
La Cage aux Folles
I know that Jerry Herman described La Cage aux Folles as his very last Broadway musical, and to date it has been. Do you think he ran out of songs? Mrs. Santa Claus was a Herman-recycling score. Did Herman lose his ghost-writer? By the way, I also knew that one of the stagehands--did you know stages have hands?--at the Booth Theatre, home to La Cage arch Tony rival Sunday in the Park With George, wore a tie-dyed T-shirt with the legend "La Cage Awful," because I saw him wearing it in Shubert Alley. Did you know Shuberts have alleys? [Kirstie, do Alleys have Shuberts?] When will La Cage aux Folles be revived on Broadway? It is nearly twenty years old! Speaking of Herman revivals, when will Mame be revived? It has been nearly twenty years since the last one! And when will Hello, Dolly! be revived on Broadway? It has been almost seven years since the last one! Do you think it will be with or without Carol Channing? When will the first post-Channing Dolly! revival occur?
Madeline Kahn
A brilliant motion-picture comedienne I wish I had never met—twice.
Posted by freedunit @ 04/17/2002 01:41 PM PST

Question:
Penny Fuller was annnounced, but Marcia Rodd was hired and then fired. She was replaced by Kelly Garrett and then Ms. Garrett was fired and then rehired and then fired again. She was finally replaced by who played the entire 64 performance run on Broadway.
What was the role and who got to play the role on Broadway?
Posted by Seymour Butts @ 04/17/2002 01:55 PM PST

BK Question Day:
Who would you cast in Follies? The cast can be chosen from both people alive and dead?
Posted by Michael Shayne @ 04/17/2002 02:00 PM PST

In order to get it out of people systems I am posting a question that people can feel free to answer.
As far as I know this has only happened once.
A musical based on a well known source has two title songs. One is the title of the musical and the other is the title of the source material.
Name the musical and the source material
Posted by Michael Shayne @ 04/17/2002 02:05 PM PST

Mr. Shayne's answer: A Time For Singing. Based on How Green Was My Valley. Both titles appear as songs.
Now, you Hainsies/Kimlets, ASK the questions do not answer them otherwise it will be a VERY short notes tomorrow. I had only planned on having short ribs tomorrow not short notes and one simply can't have two shorts in one day. I shall now go to the post office and ship some packages, just to break up the day. Have you ever broken up the day? How hard did the day laugh?
Posted by bk @ 04/17/2002 02:14 PM PST

Mr. Shayne's answer: A Time For Singing. Based on How Green Was My Valley. Both titles appear as songs.
Now, you Hainsies/Kimlets, ASK the questions do not answer them otherwise it will be a VERY short notes tomorrow. I had only planned on having short ribs tomorrow not short notes and one simply can't have two shorts in one day. I shall now go to the post office and ship some packages, just to break up the day. Have you ever broken up the day? How hard did the day laugh?
Posted by bk @ 04/17/2002 02:14 PM PST

Actually, Mr. Shayne's answer is Lost in the Stars based on Cry, the Beloved Country.
Theoretically, you could also count Lorelei (based on Gentlemen Prefer Blondes) and Illya, Darling (based on Never on Sunday), but in both cases the latter songs were written previously.
Posted by Robert Armin @ 04/17/2002 02:34 PM PST

Do you always do everything twice?
Posted by Bob Roberts @ 04/17/2002 02:35 PM PST

Do you always do everything twice?
Posted by Bob Roberts @ 04/17/2002 02:48 PM PST

It's deja vu all over again!
Posted by Robert Armin @ 04/17/2002 02:51 PM PST

That brings up an interesting question:
If James Bond only lives twice, and the postman always rings twice, does that make James Bond a dead-ringer for the postman?
Posted by Mattso @ 04/17/2002 02:52 PM PST

Phillip Quast played the role of Javert in the Australian production of Les Mis and was in Secret Garden here too. He is a fine actor.
Question time: Do you have any information to impart on the writings etc of Kander & Ebb? Has "Over and Over" been recorded (legally!) and are they writing something NEW that will reach BROADWAY. Enough of the revivals. Did you like the score for "Steel Pier"?
Posted by Tom Guest (from OZ) @ 04/17/2002 03:05 PM PST

Two more answers for Mr. Shayne's question: "Holly Golightly/Breakfast at Tiffany's" (at least while the show was still called "Holly Golightly") and "Shangri-La/Lost Horizon" (NOT Bacharach/David, the Broadway version).
Posted by JMK @ 04/17/2002 03:20 PM PST

Might Mattso have explained for whom the bell tolls?
Posted by freedunit @ 04/17/2002 03:32 PM PST

That's easy. The Bell Tolls-ah, Oklahoma. I'm more concerned with for whom the Highway Tolls.
This line of reasoning is really taking it's toll, wouldn't you say?
Posted by Mattso @ 04/17/2002 03:55 PM PST

The highway to heaven help us?
Posted by freedunit @ 04/17/2002 03:58 PM PST

Dear BK,
It seems to me that Hinky Meltz and Ernest Ernest wrote a song called Don't Eat My Toes. Do you know anything about this?
Posted by Sandra @ 04/17/2002 04:04 PM PST

Mea culpa, mea culpa. It's all my fault for answering Ron's question. I just meant to stir things up-- not start an epidemic (or maybe avalanche would be a better choice with "stir"). Mr. Kimmel, Sir, I stand ready to be bitch-slapped!
Posted by Kerry @ 04/17/2002 04:07 PM PST

Freedunit,
It could be a Phantom of the Paradise Lost Highway From Here to Eternity.
Posted by Mattso @ 04/17/2002 04:41 PM PST

Oh Michael-The answer to your question is the musical LOST IN THE STARS based on the book CRY THE BELOVED COUNTRY. Both songs in the Musical.
Posted by Arnold M. Brockman @ 04/17/2002 05:14 PM PST

This is great keep answering this question and leave the BK questions to BK.
I was thinking of Cry the Beloverd Country/Lost in the Stars. Two haunting and beautiful songs. They have endured will I guess the others don't.
I guess I just didn't remember BK's answer afterall I have never heard the complete score.It was one of the few original cast albums I never owned.
Breakfast At Tiffany's/Holly Golightly can work too, but Breakfast at Tiffany's was the show's final title and really doesn't count.
Illya Darling/Never On a Sunday I'll let go as I was really thinking of novel's as the source material and did not make that clear.(But it was really called Pote tin Kyriaki and then translated into Never On a Sunday. It also was not written for the stage version but the film.)
Lorelei was really a rewritten version of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes with a new title. (Kismet/Timbuktu also come to mind)As for the title song Lorelei I must do research on that one.
According to one of my sources that when it reached Broadway (Which I consider the final version of the show) the song "Lorelei" had been dropped and was replaced by the song "Miss Lorelei Lee" and therefore this song does not qualify. However "Lorelei" was incorporated as part of the finale and therefore not a seperate song unto itself and again probably wouldn't qualify.
But when the albums were recorded (and here's where it starts to get a little confusing) "Lorelei" (the song) was recorded instead of "Miss Lorelei Lee". So at least on the record it works for the question, but I really want the final stage version. There are audience tapes of the Broadway version out there and that probably would be the best to listen to decide if Lorelei had its own title song.
Now onto to Shangri-La. That one works too, I just never heard the score (except for the Ballet) and of course never remember this show. Has anyone heard this show in its entirity and are the songs Lost Horizon and Shangri-La actually songs? (Does anybody really care?)
Anybody remember any more shows that qualify? Remember it has to be a written source and not another film. Another play would qualify. but preferably a novel.
And to the Smart Alex who wrote and said Hello Dolly if you put Matchmaker from Fiddler on the Roof into the show, just won't cut it.
Posted by Michael Shayne @ 04/17/2002 05:26 PM PST

If you had the backing and full artistic control for one recording date at this moment what would you record and who would be in the project and if it was a recording of something different than a show(a concept album for instance what would be the concept and the songs?(By the way,have you ever seen a run on sentance like that in your life?)
Posted by Arnold M. Brockman @ 04/17/2002 05:29 PM PST

Now, Michael, would I post an answer that wasn't really an answer? Really! :) Yes, indeed, both "Shangri-La" and "Lost Horizon" are actual songs in the Broadway version. There is an abbreviated soundtrack (don't scream, read further) available from the tv broadcast of the show (I know from cast recordings and soundtracks!), which includes both songs. The score is actually pretty nice, in that mid to late 50s generically lush sort of way.
Posted by JMK @ 04/17/2002 06:51 PM PST

Simple questions BK...or not..
From A to Z, can you give us something you love for each letter.
and, could you write a verse or two in any style or parody as if you were writing a musical of AI
Posted by Craig @ 04/17/2002 07:41 PM PST

Speaking of Phantoms...
Phantom of the musical--that thing at the Majestic.
Posted by freedunit @ 04/17/2002 07:43 PM PST

Dear BK,
Have you ever done a commercial?
Posted by Laura @ 04/17/2002 07:53 PM PST

A couple of things....first, I trust that BK will not allow the double posts to count when discerning whether a record number of replies has been attained.
Second, I think it "tres amusant" to wrack my brain over such impenetrables as the one about the play based on a well-known source having two title songs.
Therefore, I would like to reverse that and suggest we come up with plays based upon well-known sources that have NO title songs.
To get the ball rolling, I'll offer up "My Fair Lady/Pygmalion."
Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 04/17/2002 08:07 PM PST

Broadway Musicals Without Title Songs, and Their Sources
Carousel: Liliom
Carnival!: Lili
Cats: T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats
Chicago: Chicago, Roxie Hart
Fiddler on the Roof: Tevye and His Daughters, Works of Sholom Aleichem
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum: Works of Plautus
The Goodbye Girl: The Goodbye Girl
Gypsy: Memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee
The Lion King: The Lion King, Hamlet
A Little Night Music: Smiles of a Summer Night
Les Miserables: Les Miserables
Once Upon a Mattress: The Princess and the Pea
Saturday Night Fever: Saturday Night Fever ["Night Fever" does not count.]
South Pacific: Tales of the South Pacific
Sweet Smell of Success: The Sweet Smell of Success
West Side Story: The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet
Wonderful Town: My Sister Eileen
Posted by freedunit @ 04/17/2002 08:48 PM PST

Doonybrook/Quiet MAn
First Impressions/Pride & Prejudice
Foxy/Volpone
The Gay Life/Anatole
The Girl Who Came to Supper/The Sleeping Prince
Golden Rainbow/A Hole in the Head
High Spirits/Blithe Spirit
Hot September/Picnic
Juno/Juno & the Paycock
The King and I/Anna and the King of Siam
Posted by Michael Shayne @ 04/17/2002 09:03 PM PST

My question for Bruce:
Today my Joe and I drove out to Cutchog on the end of Long Island to buy some trees. It was glorious August weather in April and we had the top down, playing your close personal friend Amanda McBroom and singing along with "Saturday Night in Reynosa" at the top of our lungs.
My question is, what is your favorite Amanda McBroom song? Oh, and also, of course, what is Amanda McBroom really like?
My only contact with her has been through e-mail, by which she was nice enough to send me her recipe for preserving cut roses, which was on her refrigerator door and is now on our refrigerator door. So, although that does amount to one degree of separation, you would hardly call us close personal friends.
Posted by William F. Orr @ 04/17/2002 09:23 PM PST

All right, now I feel like answering a question.
YES, we have ordered the DVD for The First Nudie Musical. We look forward to watching and listening to it very much.
Now, dear Bruce, as long as you have mentioned short ribs, do you have a good recipe for preparing short ribs? Would you care to share it? Or do we have to tickle your ribs to get the recipe? No, really, because my ever-loving der Brucer was looking for a good short rib recipe recently, and got short with me when his search came up short.
Posted by S. Woody White @ 04/17/2002 11:28 PM PST

How thrilled I am that TFNM can now be ordered!!! But I think I must restrain myself until we can order it right here at this very site. A difficult bit of self-control, this, as my credit card practically leapt out of my wallet at the news of it's newfound orderableness (lovely new word, no?).
Posted by Jed @ 04/18/2002 12:23 AM PST

My, my. This message board has grown by leaps and bounds since I've been away, and also by bounds and leaps. I wonder if it is even necessary anymore for me to add my two cents' worth; is there any room to squeeze more words in? Nevertheless, I shall hold my nose and dive in and see if I don't splash the last little drops of water plumb out of the pool.
My question for BK (the first I've asked...on the message board at least) is thus: When was your daughter born, and is she your only child?
That is all.
Posted by Lulu @ 04/18/2002 04:42 AM PST

Ask BK: Got a question? Ask Bruce Kimmel...

© Copyright 2001-2003 Bruce Kimmel.
All Rights Reserved. Site design by hijinks design.