tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26668447920089960352012-02-02T11:28:59.295-05:00Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.comBlogger5101100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-26075653680655120782011-09-20T13:12:00.001-04:002011-09-20T13:14:58.789-04:00

So this is apparently real: PITTSBURGH (AP) — A Pennsylvania school district has decided not to stage a Tony Award-winning musical about a Muslim street poet after community members complained about the timing so soon after the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.The show: Kismet. And although I read this story thinking "There has to be more to it," there isn't, at least not according to

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-79250887917279840732011-09-15T13:20:00.003-04:002011-09-16T12:25:08.581-04:00

Bernadette Peters in Follies: yes, please! I was looking forward to this show for months - we made it our first night out without the baby. My review is posted at Verdicts, Commonweal's new books-and-culture blog. Read it here. Looking back at what I wrote about the Encores! production four years ago, I see this version has many of the same high points and low points. The high points are not

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-39312526953813830272011-09-06T14:19:00.000-04:002011-09-06T14:19:51.234-04:00

Our go-to pizza place is called Luigi's. It's close and fairly consistent, and a good compromise for our respective expectations when it comes to pizza (you can't get a good Old Forge-style tray around here anyway). I did not know, until I looked at the menu just now, that this establishment is officially called "Luigi's Gourmet Grill." The pizza is tasty enough, but "gourmet" might be raising

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-15985244013314854792011-08-11T17:27:00.001-04:002011-09-16T12:26:09.105-04:00

Previously on Restricted View, we noted with approval that Stephen Sondheim does not like it when someone levels a negative judgment against a work of theatre that he or she has not seen. When John Lahr did so with Sweeney Todd, according to the account in Finishing the Hat, Sondheim complained to the editor and "then wrote Lahr himself a letter, saying that although it was his privilege to give

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-64425172916334853902011-08-01T11:48:00.000-04:002011-08-01T11:48:02.836-04:00

"Since Celia's baby was born, she had a new sense of her mental solidity and wisdom. It seemed clear that where there was a baby, things were right enough, and that error, in general, was a mere lack of that central poising force." - George Eliot, Middlemarch So, the happy ending: We have a son! His name is Martin George. He was not quite as enormous as predicted. And he's wonderful.

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-33362126990220460062011-07-20T09:04:00.002-04:002011-08-02T10:33:44.067-04:00

A couple years ago I bought a journal from Ex Libris Anonymous as a gift for a friend who was expecting. The good people at E.L.A. make journals out of discarded old books, leaving a few key pages of the original inside along with the blank paper. The book I bought was Mother and Baby Care in Pictures by Louise Zabriskie, RN, a sort of proto-What to Expect when You're Expecting published in 1935

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-80677087926046668242011-06-18T11:27:00.002-04:002011-06-18T11:29:19.871-04:00

It was the reviews that convinced me I needed to see Born Yesterday on Broadway. My initial reaction was something like, "Eh, there's a movie, and the movie has Judy Holliday, and I'm very happy with that, thanks." But reviews like Michael Feingold's made it sound like something much more exciting than a run-of-the-mill revival of a reliable old comedy was happening at the Cort. And you know I

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-73390058002515603832011-06-13T20:41:00.000-04:002011-06-13T20:41:18.263-04:00

So little attention was I paying in the run-up to the Tonys last night that I didn't even know the show had moved from Radio City to the Beacon until it began. From where I sit, the move was an upgrade -- the broadcast actually seemed professionally produced (as befits a show that pays tribute to live theatre). The performers seemed able to hear the orchestra! What a difference that makes. In

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-12052879307804617502011-06-12T08:19:00.000-04:002011-06-12T08:19:17.682-04:00

I can't think of a year when I've been less excited about the Tony Awards than I am now. I have been a bit distracted from paying attention to the Broadway scene this winter and spring, so that accounts for some of my lack of enthusiasm. But even when I have made it to the theatre I seem to have seen all the wrong shows, at least if the Tony nominating committee is to be trusted. And you know,

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-70513286997821493682011-06-03T10:29:00.007-04:002011-06-30T14:40:15.151-04:00

I got Stephen Sondheim's book Finishing the Hat for Christmas (obvs), and I spent a lot of that snowed-in vacation reading it. But I didn't feel moved to attempt a full on review, because it strikes me as a fans-only sort of book. You know if you'll like it. You'll like it if you think you will. Just having an authorized print edition of all these lyrics is a treat; the commentary (and the

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-14148584764856757612011-05-23T18:29:00.000-04:002011-05-23T18:29:24.752-04:00

Just wanted to let you know that I've been published on the Guardian's website. Here is my answer to the question, "Is the Catholic abuse scandal over?" based on the latest John Jay report (which is a long and dry but frequently fascinating read). Seeing my writing translated into British punctuation and spelling is the fulfillment of a dream I didn't even know I had. I believe the proper term

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-50871655853690305642011-04-21T17:24:00.003-04:002011-04-21T17:27:01.483-04:00

This past weekend I saw a new play, Matthew Lombardo's High, which I intended to review for Commonweal. This morning I saw an announcement that the play will close on Sunday. Too bad; I didn't love everything about it, but I did admire its serious, no-irony-quotes approach to and depiction of religion. In gratitude, I was looking forward to writing a review that didn't feel the need to say "

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-25060593216150224772011-04-16T14:49:00.001-04:002011-04-17T18:39:23.174-04:00

I have already admitted my weakness for true-crime television. Not all the time, mind you; just when I'm too tired to use my brain much and too dumb to go to bed instead. That's how I found myself watching 20/20 last night. The show focused on the 2007 murder of Rhoni Reuter, a case that got lots of attention due to the fact that the victim was carrying the child of former Chicago Bears player

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-87468633012454056132011-04-14T18:06:00.002-04:002011-04-15T08:23:25.457-04:00

If you subscribe to Commonweal -- and for goodness's sake, why wouldn't you? You can get 6 months' worth for just $17! -- you can read my review of Don Brophy's biography Catherine of Siena: A Passionate Life in our latest issue. St. Catherine is one of my very favorite saints and has had my back for some time now, so I was delighted to get this assignment and pleased to be able to recommend the

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-14801853914047279082011-03-27T09:11:00.000-04:002011-03-27T09:11:00.034-04:00

Whether or not you make it to Kathy Griffin's run on Broadway, I commend to you her Playbill bio, which you can read here (beginning with paragraph 3). Much of it falls under "trying too hard" or "anxious to let you know it's funny" -- compare and contrast with Eddie Izzard's understated joke-bio from Joe Egg -- but there are a few excellent lines. My favorite is this credit: "Neil LaBute's I

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-66315572811334084712011-03-23T10:58:00.000-04:002011-03-23T10:58:43.750-04:00

Not long ago -- perhaps on seeing the tab cover pictured here -- I said to the husband, "I wonder what tabloids like The National Enquirer will do once Elizabeth Taylor actually dies." They've been reporting from her supposed deathbed for so long that I'm pretty sure I first encountered Dame Liz in that context -- standing in line at the supermarket as a kid, noticing that this lady, whoever she

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-37496804819676870622011-03-13T09:50:00.002-04:002011-03-13T09:53:10.157-04:00

I was always told eating the crust on my sandwich would make my hair curl, which turned out to be a lie. But apparently the crust has a more vital role: it protects your sandwich from "contamination." 'Jamwich' Crustless Sandwiches Recalled SCRANTON - Giant grocery stores have removed "Peanut Butter and Strawberry Jamwich" crustless sandwiches, manufactured by Pierre Foods, from the shelves

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-20795035851593451242011-03-07T21:10:00.002-05:002011-03-07T21:15:02.890-05:00

I direct your attention to a fine "critiquing the critics" post over at dotCommonweal -- written by my colleague Paul Moses, who took issue with Ben Brantley's review of That Championship Season. Paul hasn't seen the production under review, and neither have I, but I think he's right to be surprised by Brantley's attack on the play itself. It's out of character for Brantley to strike this

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-49458393340989075702011-02-16T07:29:00.000-05:002011-02-16T07:29:21.129-05:00

As we prepare celebrate Presidents Day, I hope you'll take this opportunity to reflect on our nation's long, proud, imaginary alternative history. Yes, there have been dark times. But for every Daniel Flintstone, there's a Liam F. Stitches all Americans can be proud of. (Via Wonkette.)

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-50058172406043723792011-01-26T20:50:00.000-05:002011-01-26T20:50:29.678-05:00

In August I blogged about something I thought was strange: the use of Marty Haugen's tune for "Shepherd Me O God," his setting of the 23rd Psalm, as background music on multiple episodes of 48 Hours. No scandal broke as a result of my posting, but I'm following up anyway, because now I have evidence. Tonight I turned on an episode of 48 Hours: Hard Evidence (the repackaged reruns that air on

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-43525734369775979132010-12-18T13:27:00.001-05:002010-12-22T18:30:58.212-05:00

I've noticed typos here and there in The New Yorker over the past year or so. At first I brushed aside the conclusion that things are getting looser over there; perhaps I'm just getting better at this, I thought. (You don't turn off the error-detecting software when you're out of the office.) I try not to freak out too much about the impending Death of Print Journalism, for obvious

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-91772186731693194672010-12-03T10:08:00.000-05:002010-12-03T10:08:32.372-05:00

I don't know about the summer night, but the gods were truly smiling on me the evening I went back to see A Little Night Music. I'd been putting it off, trying to come to terms with my mixed emotions. On one hand: Bernadette as Desiree! What could be more tantalizing? On the other hand: this thoroughly disappointing production! What I wouldn't give for a do-over. Erase the memory of this whole

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-66564484442554443122010-11-20T09:37:00.000-05:002010-11-20T09:37:29.101-05:00

Some years ago, while trying to pass long hours of downtime at a freelance copyediting job, I stumbled on The Comics Curmudgeon, a blog dedicated to one of my own favorite pursuits -- exposing and mocking the inexcusably low quality of many (most?) newspaper comics. I read my way through the archives that week, and I've been reading faithfully ever since. (I wrote about my joy here, and also

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-59402720281879916242010-11-03T08:36:00.001-04:002010-11-03T08:39:07.437-04:00

I know you've been dying to hear how the whole office-chair debacle turned out. Well, I'm pleased to say that I ended up being assisted by not one but two helpful people at Crate & Barrel, and after more emails back and forth they ended up having a replacement height-adjustment mechanism sent to me. It arrived this week, and it looked identical to the one I received originally (they told me they

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-40827311526742692092010-10-27T11:29:00.001-04:002010-10-27T11:31:38.794-04:00

Now online at Commonweal: "A Vow of Parody," my review of Charles Busch's latest play, The Divine Sister. A taste: Some of those in the audience the night I saw The Divine Sister might have been expecting, or hoping for, antireligion satire along the lines of Christopher Durang’s Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You. But Busch’s target isn’t the church, as some have assumed. Archbishop

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-83937843638640016842010-10-20T08:59:00.001-04:002010-10-20T09:02:26.393-04:00

I watched a couple episodes of Happy Days last night in memory of Tom Bosley. (And boy, if you want to see some strange directorial choices, season one of Happy Days is a great place to look.) But I must say I'm disappointed that his obituary in the New York Times doesn't mention the role of his that figured most prominently in my formative years: his turn as the voice of David the Gnome,

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-68463686029791662092010-10-15T09:29:00.002-04:002010-10-15T09:50:22.291-04:00

Some weeks ago I was on my way to a Sunday matinee, slightly dreading the trip to Shubert Alley because I had heard about a hooray-for-Broadway concert happening in Times Square that afternoon. But I was very pleasantly surprised to discover, when I turned from Eighth Avenue onto 44th Street, that the block was closed to traffic and the crowds were behind a barrier at the other end. That meant

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-35725607233216700062010-10-08T08:51:00.003-04:002010-11-03T08:37:16.159-04:00

Gather round, children; it's time for another dissatisfied customer story! [UPDATE: with a happy, slightly sheepish ending.] A little more than a week ago I bought this chair from Crate & Barrel, via their website. It was delivered on Friday morning; I waited at home for the delivery guy and spent half an hour or so assembling the chair. Aside from the awkward placement of a few bolts (which

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-86511238363710590482010-10-06T10:51:00.003-04:002010-10-25T07:45:03.874-04:00

There's just one problem with Billy Collins's "What if St. Sebastian didn't die from his arrow wounds?" poem on page 88 of the October 8 New Yorker: St. Sebastian didn't die from his arrow wounds. The funny thing is, I don't usually read the poems. But my radar went off, I guess: another knowing reference to the trappings of religion that turns out to be not-so-knowing. And as you know, when it

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-1790567945911057912010-10-01T07:52:00.001-04:002010-10-01T09:30:23.861-04:00

I want to thank Tom Scocca for reassuring me that I'm not the only one who remembers that Mike Barnicle got caught plagiarizing and fabricating in his Boston Globe column, and lied about it, and was supposed to have resigned from journalism in disgrace. I was a kid when the most blatant instance of plagiarism happened, but this was a journalism scandal I could understand. I saw Barnicle's

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-78427623799633762952010-09-18T13:48:00.002-04:002010-09-18T13:55:25.070-04:00

The first time you see In the Heights you're mostly just puzzled by the false starts and stumbles in the plot. Everyone agrees that it's formulaic, but the real problem is that it doesn't follow through on the formulas it adopts. I mean, formulas are formulas for a reason. It's sort of like watching an improv performance where the actors aren't picking up on each other's cues: you think you know

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-34146801295169468602010-09-17T08:44:00.005-04:002011-01-17T08:13:11.454-05:00

Musical theatre is like any other art form: some people "get it" -- that is, are touched by it -- and some don't/aren't. That said, some shows make the case for the form much better than others, and Fiddler on the Roof (by Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick, and Joseph Stein) is one of those representative shows. See Fiddler and you ought to understand why it makes sense, at least sometimes, to tell

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-78991629382360839432010-09-11T21:11:00.000-04:002010-09-11T21:11:06.724-04:00

(Cross-posted at Hey Dullblog.) You've probably seen the Experimental Jetset T-shirt design with the Beatles' first names written in Helvetica. It is "an attempt to create an archetypical shirt by stripping down the concept of a rock band to its bare essentials," according to the creators, and I own it in limited-edition tote-bag form (as seen here), thanks to my fashionable friend Betz. I carry

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-485932034658798182010-08-28T13:55:00.001-04:002010-09-18T10:47:46.153-04:00

In April 2003, I saw Eddie Izzard in his Broadway debut, starring in A Day in the Death of Joe Egg. He was terrific, and so was the show, but I'm really only bringing it up now because I want to share with you his bio from the Playbill of that show: EDDIE IZZARD (Bri). West End: Henry IX, The Two Losers, Geoffrey of Kent, The Death of Everything (Brixton drama nomination), Give Me Some Soap

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-34950404988649912792010-08-24T15:47:00.001-04:002010-08-28T13:59:07.608-04:00

What do the editors of Commonweal have to say about the controversy over the so-called "Ground Zero Mosque"? I am so glad you asked. Our latest editorial is online now. P.S. There's lots more on the subject at dotCommonweal, as noted at the Daily Dish: hey, that's me!

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-41142067526466093172010-08-21T13:18:00.003-04:002010-08-21T18:55:08.444-04:00

The recent collapse of Dr. Laura Schlessinger's radio show is a fascinating spectacle. I can't bring myself to listen to the audio -- I can hardly read the transcript without looking away in embarrassment. And then there's the self-justifying pity party she's throwing for herself in the media. And then there are the "She had it coming" responses, some of them very perceptive, like this one by

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-84113476858399479962010-08-08T09:53:00.001-04:002010-08-08T09:53:38.342-04:00

The subhead/kicker/deck on this article in The Economist made me laugh out loud: Cheerleading in Court Go Team! A federal judge rules that leaping sexily about is not a sport

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-87106331688255390952010-08-06T18:43:00.002-04:002011-01-28T17:46:47.114-05:00

I have written before about my weakness for true-crime television, which I still indulge from time to time. I'm getting to the point, though, where I recognize people on the Investigation Discovery ads that show clips from the programs, and that's never a good feeling. "Oh, I've seen this brutal murder before." Anyway, last time I wrote about how the host of 48 Hours: Hard Evidence, Maureen

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-89543418212535223222010-08-04T21:48:00.000-04:002010-08-04T21:48:13.982-04:00

Someone reached my blog today by Googling this: "Why did the Paralyzed Veterans of America send me a nickel and ask me to give it to the Paralyzed Veterans of America?" That is a good question! I wish I had an answer, but all I have is other, similar questions, in this old post of mine complaining about Catholic Relief Services mailings. (Stephanie, are you still getting nickels too?)

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-71921198549617083262010-07-31T12:28:00.002-04:002010-08-06T18:49:20.272-04:00

I've actually been keeping up with my New Yorker reading lately (the double issues always help me catch up, since they're twice as long but half as interesting as a normal issue, and then I get a week off). Skipping the stuff I know I'll hate is helping me pick up the pace, and not stopping to blog about that or anything else has been helpful as well. But this week I blogged not once but twice at

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-42419654367314126152010-07-30T17:08:00.000-04:002010-07-30T17:08:22.135-04:00

"Why are people so fascinated with this wedding?" the NY1 anchorwoman asked the field reporter on the scene in Rhinebeck, NY. The wedding in question is that of Chelsea Clinton, which I gather is taking place tomorrow. NY1 has created a graphic for the occasion that says "The Clinton-Mezvinsky Wedding." I had to laugh at that one, because seriously, nobody cares about the groom, but nice gesture.

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-87063202400702767962010-07-01T18:25:00.004-04:002010-07-19T15:10:29.609-04:00

When I was a teenager the Internet was new and limited and slow, and while I did use it to indulge my theatre geekery, that mainly took the form of long and passionate email conversations with my friend Sarah about which cast recording of Company was the best and who deserved to win (or lose) a Tony for shows we mostly had not seen. It's fortunate for me that I had to do most of my geeking out

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-63650821125475912832010-06-16T22:38:00.006-04:002010-06-16T22:56:50.781-04:00

I've accepted that the Tony Awards broadcast is primarily an advertisement for Broadway -- it's not really about honoring excellence in theatre, although that may happen, if there's time. I don't like it, and I still complain about it, but I understand that's how it works. But can't it at least be a good advertisement for theatre? When you're putting on a big, live show in a world-famous theatre

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-18344460131948457332010-06-08T16:49:00.000-04:002010-06-08T16:49:35.458-04:00

I passed on my recommendation of the current Broadway revival of Fences a few weeks ago. A much longer review is in the June 4 issue of Commonweal, and subscribers can read it online here. (An online-only subscription is just $29, by the way.) Before getting to the play under review, I devote a lot of space to explaining who August Wilson was and why he's important. Here's a sample of what I

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-71167270127009838622010-05-31T15:38:00.004-04:002010-06-01T09:51:37.314-04:00

The program for Sondheim on Sondheim, a revue now playing at the Roundabout Theatre Company's Studio 54, includes a "musical chronology" listing all of Stephen Sondheim's shows and the songs from each that the audience is about to hear. As she waited for the show to begin, the woman behind me perused this list. "Wait a minute," she said to her companion, "It says here 'Children Will Listen' is

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-68808586681463608992010-05-28T09:00:00.003-04:002010-07-03T15:56:51.520-04:00

As someone who always sort of hated Sex and the City, I am really enjoying looking on as the critics trash this new movie. My impression -- and I absolutely will not see the film to confirm this, as I can't even make it through a TV ad without hitting "mute" -- is that the movie does away with any and all of the series' laudable traits and leaves just the stuff I always found so irritating: the

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-84194199752116413852010-04-28T07:32:00.001-04:002010-06-08T16:50:11.826-04:00

It's great! Denzel is great! Viola Davis is great! Go see it! (Longer review forthcoming.)

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-12085490681453760522010-04-24T08:00:00.005-04:002010-12-22T18:53:43.822-05:00

While we're catching up: I reviewed Martin McDonagh's new play, A Behanding in Spokane, for Commonweal last month. It took me this long to mention it here because (a) the review is subscribers-only online, and (b) the play was a big fat disappointment. Most of what I wrote is an introduction to McDonagh, whose Irish plays I love and admire. (Did you know online-only subscriptions to Commonweal

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-13314042433847691732010-04-23T09:10:00.004-04:002010-04-23T09:40:21.256-04:00

I always assumed that Anyone Can Whistle made some kind of sense. I knew it was whimsical and wacky and all that, but I figured, if I saw the whole thing intact, it would have some discernible throughline. Not so much, as it turns out! This is too bad for me, because I've been staging imaginary productions of Anyone Can Whistle in my head for years, based on the 1994 Carnegie Hall concert

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-33701544262332224642010-04-01T14:43:00.000-04:002010-04-01T14:43:09.490-04:00

My wonderful friend Stephen is the brains behind The Lazy Scholar, a blog that explores and exposes the Internet's many archival treasures. He was kind enough to invite me to do a guest post for Easter, and you can read the results right here. Consider it an early Easter-egg hunt. Image: "Best Easter Wishes," Newton Owen Postcard Collection, University of Louisville Archives and Records Center

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-52281842660856377662010-03-17T12:29:00.001-04:002010-05-31T15:40:22.783-04:00

Just looking at this picture makes my ears hurt. Speaking of which: have you seen ads for the Roundabout's upcoming Sondheim on Sondheim season-padder? I live a block away from the theatre where it will be playing through June, and I still can't quite be bothered to put it on my calendar. New arrangements of Sondheim tunes, performed by...Vanessa Williams and Tom Wopat! You know what, I will

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-63606029668095346902010-03-13T17:06:00.004-05:002010-03-17T12:43:15.953-04:00

I was excited about the return of The Bridge Project, after last year's productions of The Cherry Orchard and The Winter's Tale (which I reviewed for Commonweal). I got tickets months in advance, and I thought I would write up this year's plays too. But I reconsidered on the way home from As You Like It. There just wasn't enough to write about. Sam Mendes is your man when you want to create a

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-53905255299402410262010-03-10T11:03:00.000-05:002010-03-10T11:03:57.064-05:00

I don't have time to write much -- deadlines to meet in the non-Internet-based world! -- but this is awesome, and I thought you'd want to know: a bunch of people I don't know have taken some jokes I wrote years ago and turned them into many more much funnier jokes. (More back story at dotCommonweal.) Ain't the Internet grand?

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-37398750071410170562010-02-27T12:01:00.000-05:002010-02-27T12:01:28.929-05:00

Bush Administration lackey Mark Thiessen miscalculated when he decided to defend the use of torture in the "War on Terror" using the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The Catholic blogosphere is deeply polarized and heavily politicized, but there are limits to how much manipulation it will accept, and Thiessen is finding that out now. Read my post at dotCommonweal for the details.

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-49163887657511218262010-02-26T14:26:00.000-05:002010-02-26T14:26:24.327-05:00

Oh, sure, you admire him now for his heroic filibuster preventing the senate from passing an emergency 30-day extension of unemployment benefits. (Senator Bunning objects because the extension isn't paid for.) But there is so much else to love about this guy. And I'm not even talking about his baseball-hall-of-famer status. First, here's a scene from the Senate floor: As the fight drew to a

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-85358875523631868842010-02-20T16:04:00.001-05:002010-07-03T15:58:47.739-04:00

I lived in New Haven the summer after my junior year at Yale -- a baby step toward living on my own for real when college was through. I had long thought it might be fun to be a campus tour guide, but during the academic year the competition for the job was too intense, and the time commitment too burdensome, for me to bother. The summertime tour-guide gig was much more my speed, and so when I

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-59969895658862582912010-02-13T12:43:00.005-05:002010-12-03T10:10:32.473-05:00

The marquee at A Little Night Music says "Directed by Trevor Nunn," which is odd, because the show looks for all the world as if no one had directed it at all. The pace is slow. The staging, especially of the musical numbers, is weak. The performances are uneven. There's no sense that anyone has tried to impose a particular tone or locate a thematic throughline. In short, all the things a

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-13489816109447505072010-02-11T16:06:00.003-05:002010-02-11T16:16:08.806-05:00

So, Ben Brantley took some lady to the theatah, and she showed her appreciation for the free ticket and sweet orchestra seats by... forgetting to silence her cell phone's "particularly obnoxious" ring tone! This led him to feel bad for her, or hope she learned her lesson, or be convinced she learned her lesson, or something like that. He... thinks people should have hated her less? He thinks it's

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-65888119406119621632010-02-06T10:40:00.003-05:002011-03-23T11:00:21.101-04:00

I watched A Place in the Sun recently, having recorded it on TCM during their month devoted to the Method. A Place in the Sun is an Actors Studio double-whammy, with Montgomery Clift and Shelley Winters strutting their unglamorous stuff all over the place. According to my TV grampa, Robert Osborne, Elizabeth Taylor credited this movie, her first time working with Clift, with making her more

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-19094149969962695642010-02-05T08:00:00.001-05:002010-02-05T08:00:10.193-05:00

There are things in The New Yorker that I like, also! Just to prove it, here are two pullquotes from the February 1, 2010 issue. First, from George Packer's article about the city of Dresden and its complicated relationship with its history: Dresden is the Blanche DuBois of German cities -- violated, complicit in its violation, desperate to recover its innocence. It has the unstable character of

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-46816181631236804672010-02-04T10:27:00.003-05:002010-02-05T00:31:30.531-05:00

I know I already said New Yorker theatre critic Hilton Als was on my don't-bother-reading list. And I meant it! And the first line of his review of Young Jean Lee's Lear is a good reminder of why! Young Jean Lee’s “Lear” (at the SoHo Rep) is a hot mess, but it’s the kind of misfire that any young artist is entitled to, especially if he or she aspires to greatness.You stopped after "hot mess,"

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-33938042448828414142010-01-30T15:01:00.002-05:002010-01-30T15:19:25.081-05:00

I've come close a few times to posting here about Jack Shafer, Slate's press critic. I'm always up for good media criticism, and Shafer sometimes offers that. I'm also always up for pointing out bad media criticism, and Shafer occasionally delivers that too. For an example of the former, see this article of his on the mindless use of hyperlinks. It's right on. For an example of the latter --

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-25010871720707042702010-01-29T18:22:00.000-05:002010-01-29T18:22:47.916-05:00

One of the great things about working for a magazine with an 85-year history is our vast and fascinating archives. I haven't read much J. D. Salinger (just The Catcher in the Rye in high school, like everybody else), but I knew Commonweal must have published lots of interesting articles about him over the years. I spent this afternoon digging up and posting two of the best, and if you're a fan of

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-19988771300643590322010-01-18T17:25:00.002-05:002010-01-18T17:31:18.477-05:00

Today was a beautiful, sunny day, so I took a walk uptown, and brought the camera along. A few sights from my stroll through Harlem and Morningside Heights on this Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday (Observed)... 125th St. and St. Nicholas Ave., 1:15 p.m. ...Now let's widen the frame just a bit for a holiday greeting from Subway Restaurant! Riverside Church, seen across

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-89778124848991704702010-01-16T16:28:00.002-05:002010-12-17T13:35:01.536-05:00

BRISCOE: What's that? CURTIS: Looks like a printout from an online download. Yes, I watched "Rebels" again, and yes, it was as hilarious as I remembered. Above, sample dialogue. Some other great details: Lennie, annoyed after Rey finds yet another clue via e-mail (and by "e-mail" I mean "a white screen with text on it that appeared on Rey's display without his having to press a single key, which

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-34163783187389895122010-01-14T18:12:00.000-05:002010-01-14T18:12:08.807-05:00

Almost exactly three years ago, I posted about a hilarious rerun of Law & Order in which Det. Rey Curtis used his computer skills to access valuable crime-solving information on the World Wide Web. Well, get ready to laugh, because that episode ("Rebels," from 1995) is coming up again in the rotation on TNT. Set your DVRs to catch it tomorrow at 4 p.m. (ET). There was so much we didn't know then.

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-90515974416737857882010-01-11T22:19:00.002-05:002010-01-11T22:29:20.372-05:00

I've just finished reading Lauren Collins's sporadically entertaining, generally shapless profile of Justice Sotomayor in the Jan. 11 New Yorker. Yes, this time I had all the pages. And there were a lot of them, because this article was really long. You know that feeling when you're reading an article that you think has gone on long enough, and you turn to a new page, and you look in vain to the

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-85503751863133630232010-01-09T18:16:00.013-05:002010-05-04T17:36:46.757-04:00

"I have good news and bad news. The good news: I just saw a really good semi-professional regional-theatre production of Ragtime. The bad news: it was on Broadway." That's the opening line I was planning to use when I reviewed the new revival of Ragtime, which I saw way back in November. I was really excited about posting a review here, I swear. But I came down with a cold that sapped me of all

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-86395346135238147542009-12-28T20:14:00.011-05:002010-01-11T22:29:20.373-05:00

I felt better after getting all my New Yorker-related gripes off my chest Saturday. When I came home tonight to find a brand-new issue waiting for me -- dated January 4, 2010 (!) -- I was ready to start fresh. But... I think there's something wrong with my New Yorker, you guys.At first I thought this spread was supposed to look like this. Innovative design choice, I said to myself. But the next

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-42122817537611306022009-12-26T13:29:00.004-05:002010-01-11T22:29:20.373-05:00

As you know, when my subscription ran out at the end of 2007, The New Yorker and I took a break from our relationship for a while. We had grown apart. It was for the best. But I got a new subscription as a birthday gift, so we're back in touch, and I'm pleased to say I'm in a much healthier place now. I don't feel pressured to read every page. It's not scripture, for heaven's sake, it's a

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-88574576273784759522009-12-21T18:20:00.006-05:002011-06-23T17:55:30.524-04:00

Over at Hey Dullblog -- the occasionally updated group blog for Fab Four fans and obsessives -- you will find my thoughts on the twin Beatle-bio reviews in this week's New York Times Book Review. Nellie McKay decided to make her contribution, a review of the latest Lennon bio, interesting by writing a la In His Own Write. Do you think she pulled it off? Suzanne Vega took on the new McCartney bio

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-60083968171552839602009-12-05T15:02:00.004-05:002009-12-05T15:13:24.689-05:00

Here is a partial list of things I thought would go away if I just kept ignoring them:The Harry Potter crazeThe television show The HillsJohn MayerThose Geico ads with the cavemenTwitter"News reports" about Tiger Woods's car accident/alleged affairsObviously, this strategy is not panning out as I'd hoped. I suppose it must work for me sometimes, but I can't think of examples. (If I could, it

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-15231325716721834202009-12-04T14:13:00.004-05:002009-12-04T14:35:54.363-05:00

This summer, the husband and I took my nephews to see Up (which was excellent, by the way. I highly recommend it). Five-year-old Seamus sent us this drawing as a thank-you note. (Click to enlarge.) It's helpfully captioned by his mother: "This is Central Park and you can go uptown or downtown and I am in a truck." The truck is very detailed. Check out those tires -- and the taillights! I'm not

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-31908631453465670602009-11-26T09:14:00.003-05:002009-11-26T09:19:45.692-05:00

Is it surprising that the Atlantic's December cover story -- "Did Christianity Cause the Crash?" by Hanna Rosin -- is an unfocused, badly argued, cheaply provocative mess? Perhaps not, if you've spent a lot of time reading general-interest magazine articles about "religion"... or recent issues of The Atlantic... or pretty much anything by Hanna Rosin. But it didn't have to be this bad! I took it

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-28526253259772834902009-11-19T18:27:00.003-05:002009-11-19T18:33:59.335-05:00

I share this list with you at the risk of revealing just how much time I spend screwing around on the Internet when I should be getting work done. Seriously, though, today was a good day for LOL-ing, if that's your kind of thing.First up: this Wonkette post about Saxby Chambliss's hilariously bad drawing of Georgia. To be fair, I'm no geography star, and I couldn't draw an accurate outline of

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-15068558231673853242009-11-14T19:12:00.001-05:002009-11-14T19:16:31.981-05:00

"When I bought The Fountainhead, I remember being impressed by how light — literally lightweight — the book was, despite its tremendous thickness. If I were a character in an Ayn Rand novel, that impression would have been symbolic. But since I’m not, I’m forced to admit that the book sucked me in...."Read all about my not-quite-full-blown Ayn Rand phase at dotCommonweal, along with a roundup of

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-43330422026431808302009-11-06T20:33:00.002-05:002009-11-06T20:41:32.481-05:00

I have mixed feelings about the suprise commercial flop of "The Neil Simon Plays" -- despite the critical success of Brighton Beach Memoirs. On the one hand, it means the words "Neil Simon" -- even coupled with the word "revival" -- are not enough to sell tickets these days. I think that's a good thing, generally, for Broadway. On the other hand: this was an exceptionally good revival, and it's

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-54701427138674094402009-10-26T21:33:00.002-04:002009-10-26T21:37:54.033-04:00

We have come to the final page of my birthday book -- and, as you can see, Connor saved the best for last.This makes me laugh each and every time I look at it. Everything about it is awesome -- the gills! The blunt top fin! The way it emerges from the left margin! The upward-slanting caption! But I think the yellow, different-sized eyes are my very favorite part.

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-43416185411253292382009-10-23T11:04:00.005-04:002009-10-23T11:15:19.236-04:00

On the third page, Connor broke from the animal theme to do a portrait of me. I don't care to inquire about the not-so-subtle echoes between this page and the PIG drawing on the previous page.My hair is particularly short (and a little patchy) because this was created just about a year after I finished chemotherapy. "You're wearing one of those shirts with no sleeves that you wear," Connor told

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-39024033108921772002009-10-21T19:11:00.002-04:002009-12-10T23:00:51.441-05:00

The new "Fall Books" issue of Commonweal has my review of Mary Karr's new memoir, Lit. Do check it out.(Following this interruption we will return to your regularly scheduled posting of pictures from my birthday book.)

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-21127534603997666912009-10-17T23:19:00.005-04:002009-10-23T11:14:16.749-04:00

My nephew was, and is, a lover of animals (an "animal expert," as he once put it), so the subject matter of my birthday book was pretty much a given. As you can see, he drew the animals with loving attention to detail. This one is helpfully labeled:I love the concentric circles that form his crazy eyes. And of course his little blue hooves. And the nose! It's almost cubist. Part three coming soon

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-80554821376945725412009-10-16T13:53:00.008-04:002009-10-17T23:32:35.671-04:00

For my birthday two years ago, my then-almost-five-year-old nephew made me a book. It's been on our coffee table ever since, but the colors are fading rapidly, because he drew it using those "Color Wonder" markers that only work on certain kinds of paper. Good for avoiding messes; bad for archival purposes. Since the book is too precious to lose, we decided to make a digital copy, which means I

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-13808194061124506122009-10-11T11:58:00.004-04:002009-10-12T09:28:35.594-04:00

The Church has five new saints today -- as of about 4:30 a.m. EST -- and one of them, Jeanne Jugan, is an old friend of the family. I wrote about how she and her Little Sisters of the Poor have been part of my family's life over at dotCommonweal. I also happened to be awake (thanks to an upset stomach) to see the canonization rite more or less as it happened. The sisters in Scranton were

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-59835540251954836042009-10-10T08:55:00.006-04:002009-10-10T09:23:29.215-04:00

1. Read this essay: a eulogy for Cookie magazine by my very own sister. 2. If you are planning to see the Vermeer show at the Met -- which is organized around the visiting masterpiece "The Milkmaid," and which runs between now and November 29 -- don't go when it's crowded. Do what you have to do to go when nobody else will be there, like on a Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. Because these are small pictures,

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-38927833488716192752009-10-09T09:32:00.005-04:002009-10-09T10:12:52.475-04:00

Back when the 2008 Broadway revival of Speed-the-Plow was struggling to make money for its producers in the wake of Jeremy Piven's sudden departure, I noted that the New York Times was doing everything it could to help. This is why the Times has such a glowing reputation in the theatre community for using its power responsibly, and for trying to be as fair and generally supportive of high

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-89258760944926461012009-10-05T18:09:00.003-04:002009-10-05T18:15:11.765-04:00

The chain of hat-tipping is particularly convoluted and random: Andrew Sullivan linked to an essay published months ago in Commonweal, which he'd found via this blog. I don't know this blog and have never seen it before, but it can't be all bad because it recently posted this video, which I decided I had to share with you right away.My favorite part is the exasperated sigh Sherlock Hemlock gives

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-87004010401897953152009-09-30T12:02:00.003-04:002009-10-08T15:48:44.421-04:00

...from falling for every stupid smear that plays to our prejudices and distracts us from discussing important political issues like adults. (More at dotComm.)Update: Since I know you all like a good blog fight, you may also want to read this follow-up.

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-63769059136407780522009-09-27T18:35:00.003-04:002009-09-27T18:45:06.165-04:00

He really is a terrible writer, in the most basic sense of the word. That's what I've learned from the Telegraph's list of 20 awful sentences from the collected works of Dan Brown. (I blogged about it at dotCommonweal too.) It doesn't get much worse than this:Deception Point, chapter 8: Overhanging her precarious body was a jaundiced face whose skin resembled a sheet of parchment paper punctured

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-6069594793321046332009-09-24T17:06:00.004-04:002009-09-24T17:12:08.989-04:00

I don't read Terry Teachout regularly, because he's in the Wall Street Journal, which is behind a firewall online and not something I regularly come across in person. But when I got on an Amtrak train to Boston last week I found that day's WSJ in the seat-back pocket in front of me, so I flipped through it, which is how I happened to read Teachout's review of a Boston production of Kiss Me, Kate.

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-67239696543826732292009-09-12T16:47:00.004-04:002009-09-12T17:09:00.990-04:00

This has been bothering me for a while, and it seems to be getting worse. So listen up, people: Your favorite expression of moral responsibility and noblesse oblige has more words in it than you think. You hear it during graduation season -- it's popular in commencement addresses and yearbook quotations. Vicki Kennedy botched it at Senator Ted's memorial service. And I came across it recently in

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-15533376245318654552009-08-31T09:41:00.003-04:002009-08-31T09:43:54.631-04:00

I reviewed the 2008 documentary Trouble the Water (now on DVD) at dotCommonweal. It's a moving, disturbing, inspiring view of the storm and the aftermath from inside the Ninth Ward. Not easy to watch, and impossible to forget.

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-51723807698269480222009-08-28T08:44:00.012-04:002009-08-31T09:47:39.269-04:00

As satire this is only middling. But as comedy, it's gold. And it must be healthy to take a break from moral outrage, however righteous, once in a while...Is Using A Minotaur To Gore Detainees A Form Of Torture?

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-41910395668640791762009-08-27T17:25:00.005-04:002009-08-28T09:44:29.943-04:00

Today's NYT has an op-ed by Chiara Volpato (professor of social psychology at the University of Milan) complaining about the outrageously sexist behavior of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. I know what you're thinking: if Italian women didn't like being sexually harrassed, why were they born in Italy? For real, though, this woman has a point. She has also won the award for the most wonderful

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-70264549852008966212009-08-26T21:27:00.011-04:002010-09-18T15:32:44.402-04:00

I know I never got around to elaborating on my review of the new Broadway revival of West Side Story earlier this year. In fact, it seems I didn't even link to it when I reviewed it for Commonweal, probably because it was available only to subscribers. By now I'm sure you've subscribed, in which case you can read the whole thing (I paired it with In the Heights, since -- as I noted back when I

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-16112589696695024402009-08-21T14:12:00.009-04:002009-08-21T14:50:13.353-04:00

Why yes, I did watch the Jon Stewart/Betsy McCaughey interview, although only the part that was broadcast (I'd had more than enough by the time that was over). Basically, what James Fallows said sums it up: "She is just making it up, as anyone who has followed her work over the decades will know." I haven't followed her work, but it was still glaringly obvious to me that she was full of it. And

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-90979085015551813142009-08-14T11:36:00.008-04:002010-01-13T10:42:31.395-05:00

If the state of the health-care-reform "debate" in America has you hovering between dismayed and disgusted -- well, this charming photo essay at Blue Hampshire (which I found via Wonkette) won't make you feel better. But wait -- that last photo! In the midst of all this madness, I take it as evidence that there are still young people in America who remain focused on what really matters... Who

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-77354182071794077922009-08-06T21:15:00.005-04:002010-01-09T19:21:48.056-05:00

When it comes to coffee, I am a Dunkin' Donuts devotee -- although most of the time, it's home-brewed. My parents started brewing DD coffee at home years ago, when I first developed my morning-coffee habit, and when I got the husband hooked I made him a DD fan too. Now he always makes the coffee at home, because he's much more serious about it than I am (there's a trick to measuring the beans I

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-61095050662106602252009-07-20T08:43:00.000-04:002009-07-20T08:43:00.235-04:00

I didn't spend much of my weekend trip to Georgia sightseeing (we were there for a wedding). But we did have time for a stroll around the Decatur Cemetery. Lots of great Southern names from generations past, but this one was my favorite...May (s)he rest in peace.

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-2677143180356470812009-07-04T09:52:00.002-04:002009-07-04T09:57:22.084-04:00

I will miss you, other "Mollie"! As young Mr. Grace would say, You've done very well.Even if you've never seen Are You Being Served?, Sudgen's is an obituary worth reading. After making shells for the Royal Navy in an armaments factory during World War II, she studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. Her first role was the juvenile lead in “Dear Octopus.” Truly the Greatest

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2666844792008996035.post-2420313040882777682009-06-27T15:29:00.003-04:002009-06-27T15:31:26.411-04:00

I found something funny in the Commonweal magazine archives, which you can see over at dotCommonweal. I don't want to ruin it, but let's just say it involves the phrase "Coke party for the youngsters." Catholics in the 1950s weren't as uptight as you think!

Molliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12350892542573842455noreply@blogger.com0