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*Medea,* 2/7/20
Liz, David, Richard, and I saw *Medea* at BAM on 2/7/20. It’s a new version of the ancient story, written and directed by Simon Stone....
ladiesvoices
Feb 13, 20204 min read
Diva / Mensch pair for 2/12/20
This week I'm highlighting another master of the art song form, Francis Poulenc. I'm using recordings by the quintessentially French...
ladiesvoices
Feb 12, 20201 min read
CDA: Mirella Freni
The great Italian soprano, the last of her kind. Really, is there anyone else from her generation still around? She had a long,...
ladiesvoices
Feb 11, 20201 min read
Ryan on the Runway: PR18, ep 9
Top seven! Wow, we’re closing in on the big finish. The challenge: reinvent the tuxedo in a modern, fresh way. Christian said that the...
ladiesvoices
Feb 10, 20203 min read
CDA: Orson Bean and Robert Conrad
A double header! First, the adorable Orson Bean. Here's a clip from his extraordinary performance in *Being John Malkovich*: And Robert...
ladiesvoices
Feb 9, 20201 min read
*Grand Horizons,* 2/5/20
I saw *Grand Horizons* on Broadway on 2/5/20. It's a new play by Bess Wohl about a couple who's recently celebrated their 50th...
ladiesvoices
Feb 8, 20202 min read
Fabulous Friday: Mystery Guest, Kirk Douglas
My website provider is being fussy today and not letting me dump in the video, so I'll paste in the link below. He comes in at 16:00....
ladiesvoices
Feb 7, 20201 min read
CDA: Kirk Douglas
Oh, the marvelous Kirk Douglas. 103! Pretty impressive. I read in his NY Times obit that he was good friends with Burt Lancaster,...
ladiesvoices
Feb 6, 20201 min read
Diva / Mensch pair for 2/5/20
I'm devoting the month of February to art songs and starting with the undisputed master of the genre, Franz Schubert. I've chosen two...
ladiesvoices
Feb 5, 20201 min read
*Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice,* 2/1/20
I saw *Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice* at the New Group (off Broadway) on 2/1/20. It's a brand new musical adaptation of the...
ladiesvoices
Feb 4, 20203 min read
Ryan on the Runway: PR18, ep 8
It was hard to see Victoria being so down on herself. I know that they’re all in a pressure cooker and everything is amped up to an 11...
ladiesvoices
Feb 3, 20202 min read
Blythely Oratonio performance, 1/30/20
I saw Stephanie Blythe as Blythely Oratonio at the American Songbook series on 1/30/20. Blythe is an A-list opera singer, a mezzo with a...
ladiesvoices
Feb 2, 20204 min read
Fabulous Friday: "MacArthur Park"
I'm closing out our Jimmy Webb tribute with one of his most famous (I won't say "most beloved") songs, "MacArthur Park." Who the hell...
ladiesvoices
Jan 31, 20201 min read
CDA: Kobe Bryant
I'm not a basketball fan - - I'm not a fan of any sport actually, unless you see opera or dance as a sport (and maybe you should). I was...
ladiesvoices
Jan 30, 20201 min read
Diva / Mensch pair for 1/29/20
I'm ending the Hitchcock tribute with the greatest diva / mensch pair in the Hitchcock canon, Mrs. Danvers and the New Bride (or whatever...
ladiesvoices
Jan 29, 20201 min read
*Wozzeck,* 1/22/20
Barbara and I saw *Wozzeck* at the Met on 1/22/20. I love this opera, it's a masterpiece by Alban Berg from 1925 about a soldier going...
ladiesvoices
Jan 27, 20202 min read
Ryan on the Runway: PR18, ep 7
Anyone heard of Ashley Longshore? She’s allegedly the new Andy Warhol. Mm kay! Whoever she is, I love her energy and her work. The...
ladiesvoices
Jan 26, 20202 min read
*Rev 23,* 1/18/20
I saw *Rev 23* at the Prototype Festival on 1/18/20. It’s a new opera with music by Juilan Wachner and a libretto by Cerise Lim Jacbs. It...
ladiesvoices
Jan 25, 20202 min read
Fabulous Friday: "Up, Up, and Away"
I didn't know until recently that "Up, Up, and Away" (thank you, serial comma) was a Jimmy Webb song. Of course I'm starting with the...
ladiesvoices
Jan 24, 20201 min read
CDA: Terry Jones
Beloved Pythonian Terry Jones died the other day. I had hoped to post the "Penguin on the Telly" sketch, but YouTube only has an audio...
ladiesvoices
Jan 23, 20201 min read
CDA: Catherine O'Hara
Oh my I was not prepared for this one. My brother Howard texted me yesterday to alert me to the death of the extraordinary Catherine O'Hara at the too young age of 71. Like many of my generation I first encountered her on SCTV. My favorite of her characters was Lola Heatherton, a dimly talented nightclub performer, her name pointing us to Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon mainstays Lola Falana and Joey Heatherton. She was delightful in Beetlejuice (1988) but I'm not so into
ladiesvoices
3 days ago2 min read
Fabulous Friday: Alanis Morissette
I've asked my friend Jori Hume to write a few Fabulous Fridays in the Rock and Roll Woman series. Jori is a friend from high school, without a doubt the coolest person ever to attend Delavan-Darien High School. I was about to write "ever to graduate from" but I bet there are some cool people who were dropouts! Jori is cooler than any of them. I'll hand the baton to Jori: Do you remember the first time you heard “You Oughta Know” by Alanis Morissette? Picture it: Kansas City.
ladiesvoices
4 days ago2 min read
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