One of Broadway’s most legendary flops, Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s 1981 show, “Merrily We Roll Along,” is enjoying a renaissance. I’ve written before about my love for this mus...
https://bettysbrownies.wordpress.com/2023/10/04/the-problem-child-grows-up/
Sometimes the most unlikely stories are turned into musicals. At first blush, it would seem that “Days of Wine and Roses” could easily fit into that category, but judgment should be reserved ...
https://bettysbrownies.wordpress.com/2023/05/30/its-now-a-musical/
Certain images are guaranteed to stay with you your entire life. For me one of the most vivid is the photo you see above, which first appeared on the back page of a New York City tabloid on March...
https://bettysbrownies.wordpress.com/2023/05/08/champion-and-other-opera-notes/
Happy New Year to one and all! December at the Metropolitan Opera brought “The Hours,” based on Michael Cunningham’s novel and the movie of the same title. The source material, so grounded ...
https://bettysbrownies.wordpress.com/2023/01/03/the-hours-the-automat-and-those-ohio-state-murders/
During my college days there was nothing as intriguing as a rock mystery. I still remember a 2:00 AM debate in my dorm bathroom as to whether the rumor was true that Paul McCartney was dead. We s...
https://bettysbrownies.wordpress.com/2022/11/22/american-pie-meets-peter-grimes-and-the-dude-too/
Prior media recently gave birth to two series I’ve been watching—Amazon Prime’s “A League of Their Own” based on the 1992 movie of the same title, and “House of the Dragon,” a prequ...
There are certain movies I stop to watch whenever they pop up on TV, no matter how many times I’ve seen them. Pretty close to the top of my list is 1936’s “Dodsworth,” based on the novel ...
. . . or why some critics have rocks in their heads. This past Saturday I had the extreme pleasure of seeing the current revival of “The Music Man” on Broadway, starring Hugh Jackman and Sutt...
https://bettysbrownies.wordpress.com/2022/03/21/the-music-man/
The Metropolitan Opera has finally turned a new leaf. This season the Met is featuring not one but three contemporary operas: “Fire Shut Up in My Bones,” Eurydice” and “Hamlet.” Fortuna...
https://bettysbrownies.wordpress.com/2021/12/10/welcome-to-the-21st-century/
CAUTION–SPOLIERS ABOUND One of the best series I’ve seen in a long time is Hulu’s “Dopesick,” based on the book of the same name by Beth Macy. It explores the many aspects of the opiod ...