Jigsaw Puzzles IV: Follies Edition

Here are some more puzzles for you to enjoy this weekend.  CAUTION:  These two are much more difficult!  Have fun!

Jigsaw Puzzle #10  (198 pieces)

This is FRAVER's interpretation of the show - the 2011 revival window card!

Jigsaw Puzzle #11 (260 pieces)

The original poster is a Broadway icon - as famouws as the show it is advertising.

Rate this blog below, and leave your comments here, or by email at jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com, or Tweet me!
Jeff
3.031

REVIEW: Follies

At the Marquis Theatre on Broadway, New York City. 2 hours, 40 minutes, with an intermission. Starring Bernadette Peters, Jan Maxwell, Ron Raines, Danny Burstein, Elaine Paige, Jane Houdyshell, Terri White, Mary Beth Piel, Rosalind Elias, Susan Watson, Don Correia, and Laura Lee Gayer, Kirsten Scott, Nick Verina, Christian Delcroix and Leah Horowitz. Musical direction by James Moore. Choreography by Warren Carlyle. Directed by Eric Schaeffer.

Grade: A+

I came to this Follies as one needing to be wooed, not as a fan already. I had never seen a production of the show and had only the original Broadway cast recording, such as it is, to go by. A self-proclaimed Sondheim fan, I have often counted Follies as second only to Pacific Overtures as my least favorite Sondheim show. But many a friend has counseled me, “this is one of those shows you have to see to fully appreciate the score and the book.”

Happily, all who have told me that were so right, and I am so grateful that this revival production has been my gateway into what is now in the top three of my favorite Sondheim shows, and probably among my top ten most amazing theatrical experiences. Ever.

I can, in all honesty, say that I went into the Marquis Theatre with as open a mind toward the show as possible. In fact, my biggest concern wasn’t even really about the show, but about Bernadette Peters: would she win me back after her so-so performance earlier this year in A Little Night Music? (She did, and then some.) Yes, walking to the theatre, I was fully prepared to just let it happen. And it had me from the second I walked through the doors.

Ensconced with tattered grey material on every wall, and hanging overhead, too, the house immediately plunges you into the world of a decaying, make that dead, theatre. Its once glorious countenance signaled only by a mere sliver of proscenium still in pristine shape while the rest of the stage frame lies crumpled on the floor or hanging precariously as if to collapse at any second. A sense of sadness, imminent danger, and of past glory clinging to life just before it is no longer even a memory pervading the air. And then there is the background noise - a cacophony of groaning, settling metal, creaking floors, and the echo of debris falling somewhere unseen - which surrounds you in every way that the intense visual doesn’t. And then there are the distant sounds of tap dancing and the occasional girlish giggle that seem to bubble up and can be heard over the ominous din. This is a haunted house, and it is both scary and profoundly sad.

"Beautiful Girls"

The same can be said for the show itself, the story of a reunion of follies girls at the very theatre where they became legends. The theatre, set for demolition the next day, creaks and groans, but stays together for one last follies. As each of the ladies performs her signature number, and the occasional production number is recreated, we find that their lives have gone in a variety of directions, some successful some not, and most mundane. And so they have come back to relive their highpoint of glory and to assess the damage others have suffered as their lives together as showgirls diverged and are now reunited for one night only. The central story concerns the marriages of two of the follies girls who were best friends, but are now miles (figuratively and, on the surface, literally) apart.

From the very moment the show starts, there is, to be blunt, a devastating mind-fuck going on here. Everything your eyes and ears are picking up suggests two or three things at once. And no matter what, you cannot escape the last breaths of the very building you are in. (This is no small irony, considering that the Marquis Theatre exists at the expense of several theaters that had to be demolished so that a hotel could be put up in Times Square.) The ladies are still so vibrant and full of life that they sell you immediately on the idea that this will be a fun, glamorous look back at a time that no longer exists. Some of these gals are old and they still have it; even the younger ones who are beginning to show their age manage to “bring it” when they see the elder gals going all out. Nowhere is this more evident than the opening number, “Beautiful Girls,” as they parade down the grand staircase and go through the motions of poses and arm figures that they once did in their glory days. The number ends and the audience cheers in kind. Good for them, right? But there is also a nagging feeling behind it all, that we’ve moved on and they haven’t. That they peaked in life when they still had so much of it to get through.



"Who's That Woman?"
Terri White (center)

 Then there is the “Who’s That Woman?” production number, led by the remarkable Terri White, a look at what was a huge number, now reduced to a memory, with instructions being yelled out, “remember to look in your mirrors, ladies, not at me!” Joining them are the younger versions of themselves, dazzling in their bejeweled costumes and glittery shoes and hats, each with perfect extension, timing and clarity of movement. At once we can see what was and what it is, and once again we cheer. And then the lights go out for a split second, and come up on the stage filled only with the gals “now.” The specter of their past glory gone in an instant, and somehow the applause amps up. Are we that thrilled that these older ladies can still get through the number? Are we honoring their age? I clapped my hands off just like everyone else, until I literally had to stop in order to wipe away the tears that were now rolling down both cheeks. And it occurred to me then that I was not crying tears of joy at the glorious number just performed, but at just how unbearably sad the entire enterprise is.

Getting one shot at reliving our greatest life moments - who wouldn’t leap at the chance? But then it would be over. And then the regret of things left undone, the anger at the way things didn’t go as planned, the mourning of a life beyond the folly of youth sets in. And there are the could-a, would-a, should-as that set in. I am certain that even ten years ago, at the last revival of Follies, the effect would not have been as personally profound, for now I am middle aged and still have a lot ahead of me, but can recognize a past of misspent youth, of opportunities not taken. And it hit me.  Hard. There is something decidedly cruel about all of the meanings of the show’s title when you get to a certain age, isn’t there? I suppose that it is this very duality that has, and will forever, divide audiences. Those of us who revel in the entertainment value of a stunning performance that also makes you examine your own life will always be balanced by those in the audience who leave only mildly sated by the “Loveland” sequence that ends the show, offering the evening's only real glamour, color and literal follies show.

Bernadette Peters and Jan Maxwell

With a cast of 41 and a full orchestra in the pit, one imagines that this very well could be the last Follies Broadway will ever see of this caliber. And the production values are as stunning as the sheer number of those involved. The scenic, costume and lighting designs by Derek McLane, Gregg Barnes and Natasha Katz, respectively, represent each of these artists at the top of their game. Designing an environment that is both death and decay and life and larger than life simultaneously is no easy task. McLane’s work stretches throughout the theatre, but the simplicity of the bare bones stage itself (all four stories of it) allows for all possibilities, while the magnitude of it speaks volumes on behalf of the larger themes of the story. The setting amazes for both its simplicity and the incredible attention to detail. Similarly, Barnes’ costumes give you nearly everything you need to know about each character even at first glance, while the detail and complexity of each follies costume is evocative of a past glamour and glory that today, as we creep ever so further from that bygone era, we can still appreciate the work. And perhaps most revelatory is the completely unobtrusive lighting by Ms. Katz, who has never done better work. Until the “Loveland” sequence, there is never an over-theatricality about the lighting. Indeed, the best lighting, they say, is the kind you never consciously notice. And like the ghosts of the past that haunt the theatre, her lighting comes and goes unnoticed, ethereal and otherworldly.

"Loveland"

Buddy's Folly

Sally's Folly

Ben's Folly

Phyllis' Folly

Warren Carlyle’s choreography is spot on - thrilling where it needs to be, and sad when it needs to be. He, like everyone else, has managed to find the perfect balance of past glory and present reality of aging. As I said above, the dance numbers beg you to applaud, and you give it generously, all while wiping away the tears. One can only imagine the research that went into creating early 20th century style dances, vaudevillian tap routines, and even showcase jazz numbers. Each and every one brilliantly conceived and executed. And then there is Eric Schaeffer’s direction, which in the past I have taken to task and nitpicked out of frustration. I have always felt that his work has had potential, but is always maddeningly underdone. Not anymore. I could quibble and say that every scene probably should not start down stage center, which it does. And I could really nitpick and say that his use of the second level upstage is inconsistent, which it is. But even those two minor things are barely noticeable compared to the subtle, ingenious strokes he has painted this canvas with. That he has consistently mined the script for both the surface reality and the deeply melancholy subtext is remarkable. The big touches - every time a new follies girl is presented you know immediately what she was to any given year’s show - are deepened and detailed by the minute gestures, pauses and shared glances that undermine any and all attempts to cover up the passing of time or any number of psychological goings on. The gesture, or lack of one, often tells us more than any five pages of dialogue could or should. The details of each performance wordlessly tell us about relationships and lives spent wondering, “what if?” I look forward to Mr. Schaeffer’s next efforts.



Elaine Paige

 Of course, much of the brilliance of Follies lays at the feet of Stephen Sondheim’s glorious score (whoever allowed the OBCR to be released should be arrested for crimes against art) and the subtle book by James Goldman (this version is his paring down of the original). But as other revivals, and even certain parts of the original production I’m told, revealed that all of the brilliance of the script, songs, direction and design are for naught without a great cast of actors who also happen to sing, dance, and be “of a certain age.” I can’t imagine a more perfectly cast production than this one. I have one partial quibble here, though. And that is the casting of Elaine Paige as Carlotta. She is the only person onstage whose present day veneer never seems to give way enough to let us see any of the trials and tribulations she has undergone. Even when confronted with the possibility of a one evening affair, she rebukes it with a musical comedy style delivery of joke. It is a small quibble, though, as it all can be justified by saying that Carlotta is the only one at the reunion that is there to show off what she has become, a celebrated screen star. She did not peak at the follies, she got out and got bigger. Still, no one gets through life or climbs the ladder of success without a few scars. It would have been nice to see a few in Ms. Paige’s performance. (Still, what thrill to see one of musical theatre’s greatest artists performing at all!)

Before I go any further, I must commend the ensemble boys and girls for superb, high quality work. By necessity, they must be razor sharp and youthfully vital at all times, and they are just exceptional in every way. But special kudos must be given to the ladies who are regaled in gorgeous and huge follies costumes, who appear and disappear on all levels of the set. Their ghostly presence both mesmerizes and terrifies me as they walk through the theatre alternately touching the walls, railings and foundation of the building, as if knowing the end is near, and ever so slowly doing their intricate dance steps and arm choreography as they slowly move through the dark shadows and misty pools of light. Until the very final moment of the show, they haunt the entire production in a way that is both seductive and depressing. Brava, ladies!

Don Correia, Susan Watson,
Jane Houdyshell and Mary Beth Piel

The rest of the cast is impeccable, each skillfully recapturing their past and revealing their present. Susan Watson and Don Correia manage in one brief song, “Rain on the Roof,” to vividly display the great heritage of vaudeville hoofers. Ms. Watson, who gets more stage time, also represents the decay of memory that aging brings, and she does so with a heartbreaking smile that never leaves her face. Then there is the sinewy sexiness of Mary Beth Piel, who slithers and rolls her way through “Ah, Paris!” This gal still has it ALL. And the show-stopping antics of Jane Houdyshell’s “Broadway Baby” are an exercise in timing and minimalism. She gets belly laughs with a sideways glance. And then there is the palpable exuberance of Terri White’s “Who’s That Woman?” whose real life baggage likely informs the strength and undercurrent of pain in her character. Whenever she is on the stage, she brightens up the room. And finally, there is the bravura performance by real life opera great Rosalind Elias, who is making her Broadway debut at 82. Her coloratura in “One More Kiss” cries out brilliance and a life well-lived, and is balanced by the youthful clarity of the gorgeous voice of Leah Horowitz, herself an already accomplished Broadway actress, who, with this performance, seems on the cusp of real stardom.

Rosalind Elias and Leah Horowitz

The four younger versions of the four main characters are an excellent pairing to their current day counterparts, each clearly having spent much time studying the physical and vocal ways of their corresponding actor. These young triple threats (Nick Verina, Christian Delcroix, Kirsten Scott and Lora Lee Gayer) are stars in the making for sure. They are each as captivating as the people they are emulating. Their part of the Loveland sequence - “You’re Gonna Love Tomorrow” is a small tour de force.

"You're Gonna Love Tomorrow"

I think it speaks to the power of his stoic and aggravatingly rigid performance that I frequently felt the urge to rush the stage and pummel Ron Raines in the face, so convincing is his cruel performance as Ben Stone. He is rude, arrogant and verbally abusive to any and all women, particularly his desperate housewife, Phyllis and his fling from the past, Sally. Raines possesses the perfect stage presence - he dominates by even being there - and a superb voice, with just the right imperfections to show us what he once was and now is. It is only at the end of the show that he finally breaks, and his true nature comes shining through in what is possibly the only glimmer of optimism at the end of the show.

As Ben’s best friend in the past, Danny Burstein embodies that great guy we all know - charming, adorable, and inevitably in the shadow of those around him. He will always be the sidekick.  He is the nice guy who finishes last personified. And because he is so likeable, it is easier to feel for him, and even empathize with him when he reveals that he has another woman that he keeps house with when he goes away for business. Like all of his work, Mr. Burstein is incredibly detailed and warmly broad, making him easy to connect with immediately and infinitely interesting as you study his performance.

Ron Raines and Danny Burstein

Jan Maxwell, I am beginning to think, is incapable of a less than masterful performance. This leggy, curvy goddess (especially when done up in sequined gowns or fiery dance dresses) still manages to let you see the real woman - caring, suffering, broken woman - beneath the façade of glamour and almost maniacal self-assuredness that her Phyllis portrays to the world. Nothing will hurt her, and yet everything does. Gorgeous to look at, you can still see that life has taken its toll on this one time follies girl. Instead of letting it beat her, though, she has fought to make every let-down and disappointment make her stronger. Probably too strong. This role showcases all of Ms. Maxwell’s talents - drama, comedy, song and dance. Could this be the role that earns her that elusive Tony Award?

If anyone will give her a run for the money in that department, it will be Bernadette Peters, who should be all but guaranteed a Tony nod (if not a third Tony) for her incredible and heartbreaking performance as Sally. From the moment she bounds on stage full of enthusiasm and hope, you also have no doubt that Sally will leave this reunion even more disillusioned than when she arrived. Ms. Peters uses her squeaky, nasally little girlish voice to supreme advantage, easily manipulating us to her side, no matter how much we find out about this lost soul. Her Sally is so neurotic and out of this world that you mourn for her and what she always dreamed of and all that will never be. There is no doubt by the time it is all over that this version of Sally is indeed a hot mess of craziness, one that engenders our sympathy not only for her, but for the friendship it has cost her with Phyllis and for the bad marriage that she has with Buddy. I don’t think Ms. Peters has given such a nuanced, detailed or riveting performance since Song and Dance. And let anyone who doubts her status as one of the greatest interpreters of Sondheim just witness the master class that is her delivery of “Losing My Mind.” It rates right up there with LuPone’s “Don‘t Cry For Me Argentina,” Buckley’s “Memory,” or Lansbury’s “If He Walked Into My Life.”

Jan Maxwell and Bernadette Peters

There is a song that is sometimes done in the show in place of “The Story of Lucy and Jessie,” called “Ah, But Underneath.” It is the “underneath” that makes this show go from interesting to brilliant. For those who miss that, I can see why Follies is a bit of a letdown. The title, after all, promises the glitz and glamour of Broadway. But that promise goes largely unfulfilled. Instead, as this production beautifully realizes, the real treasures lie in what is not being said or sung. The window card for this production quotes Ben Brantley as saying that it is “one of the greatest musicals ever written.” This Follies certainly lives up to that statement. And to think, three days ago, I hated it.



(Photos by Joan Marcus, Bonneau/Bryan-Brown and Sara Kulrich of The New York Times)

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Jeff
3.028

Musical Words of Wisdom: The Sondheim Musicals

Just over a month ago, I posted a blog of words of wisdom and witty, creatively stated ideas from the musicals of Andrew Lloyd Webber.  Today, here are just some of the many you have sent in (along with a few of my favorites) from the musicals of Stephen Sondheim.

There were so many, it really was hard to choose, so below are the ones I think are the most clever, most meaningful; but most of all, these are the ones that most of you repeated.  Clearly, some of these quotes mean a lot to many of us.

Here is a quote, sometimes two, from each of his Broadway shows. Some are my contributions, others are singular submissions from one person, and others are quotes sent in from several of you. In the interest of fairness, I will attribute the quotes to no one, except the lyricists themselves. I think they are all kind of catchy and all of them at least clever and thought-provoking.

I have included more than a couple from the most quoted of his shows, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and Into the Woods.  Not surprising, really.  What does surprise me is how many I got from Merrily We Roll Along!

And I am still collecting your quotes from the musicals of Kander and Ebb!

Anyone Can Whistle

• "Crazy business, this, this life we live in - Can't complain about the time we're given - With so little to be sure of in this world." 

Assassins

• "Everybody's got the right to their dreams."

Company

• "Everybody rise!  Rise!  Rise!  Rise!  Rise! Rise!  Rise!"


• "But alone is alone, not alive."



• "And that's what it's all about isn't it? Company!  Lots of company!  Life is company!  Love is company!  Company!"

Follies

• "The things that I want, I don't seem to get, The things that I get...well, you know what I mean?"


• "Sometimes when all the wrappings fall there's nothing underneath at all."

Gypsy

• "Some people sit on their butts. Got the dream, yeah, but not the guts!”

Into the Woods

• "Opportunity is not a lengthy visitor."


• "I was taught to be charming not sincere."


• "We disappoint. We Disappear. We die, but we don't."


• "Isn't it nice to know a lot? And a little bit not."


• "Someone is on your side, Someone else is not. While we're seeing our side maybe we forgot: they are not alone. No one is alone."


• "Careful the tale you tell. That is the spell. Children will listen."

A Little Night Music

• "I frequently laugh myself to sleep contemplating my own future."


• "Isn't it rich? Are we a pair?"

Merrily We Roll Along

• "Dreams don't die so keep an eye on your dreams."


• "And a friendship's like a garden: you have to water it, and tend it, and care for it. And I want it back."


• "Okay, so now you know, life is crummy."


• "Some rides are rough and leave you jumpy, why make it tough by getting grumpy?"


• "Success is like failure - It's how you perceive it, It's what you do with it, Not how you achieve it"


• "You need a tune you can hum."

Passion

• "Why is love so easy to give, and so hard to receive?"


• "They hear drums. We hear music. Be my friend..."


• "Just another love story, that's what they would claim. Another simple love story. Aren't all of them the same?"

Sunday in the Park with George

• "The choice may have been mistaken, the choosing was not. You have to move on."



• "We do not belong together, and we should have belonged together. What made it so right together is what made it all wrong."



• "There are only two worthwhile things to leave behind when we depart this world of ours: children and art."

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

• "Don't you know, silly man, half the fun is to plan the plan?  All good things come to those who can...wait."


• "We'll not discriminate great from small.  No, we'll serve anyone - meaning anyone - and to anyone at all!"


• "Eat them slow, 'cos that's the lot and now we've sold it!  Come again tomorrow!  Hold it! ("More hot pies!") Bless my eyes! ("Right this way, Sir!") Fresh supplies!"


• "Being close and being clever ain't like being true."


• "No one can help, nothing can hide you -- isn't that Sweeney there beside you?"

Rate this blog below, and leave your comments here, by email at jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com or Tweet me!

Jeff

3.025

More Broadway Milestones

It has been quite a week for Broadway shows, with several shows marking milestones.  Here's a quick look at the ones that happened this week (September 12 - 16, 2011)!

OPENING:

September 12: The starry revival of Follies opened to mostly enthusiastic reviews at the Marquis Theatre.  StageGrade.com took all of the major reviews into consideration and gave it an average score of A-.  (Talkin' Broadway was the major nay-sayer giving it an "F".)

Ron Raines, Bernadette Peters, Lora Lee Gayer, Nick Verina
Photo by Joan Marcus

The Follies Ensemble
Photo by Joan Marcus

PERFORMANCE MILESTONE:

September 14:  Mamma Mia! became the 10th longest-running Broadway show in history with its 4,098th performance at the Winter Garden Theatre, surpassing the run of Miss Saigon.  The show will celebrate its 10th year on Broadway on October 18th.

The Dancing Queens: Donna and the Dynamos on September 14.
Photo by Joseph Marzullo

Nothing says long-run record like cupcakes!
Stacia Hernandez, Lisa Brescia and Jennifer Perry
Photo by Joseph Marzullo

ATTENDANCE MILESTONE:

September 14: Spider-Man:Turn Off the Dark welcomed its 500,00th audience member, Jordan Muir an 11 year old from Australia.

Patrick Page addresses the audience as the cast looks on.
Photo by Krissie Fullerton

The Green Goblin introduces Spider-Man's
500,00th audience member Justin Muir (and family).
Photo by Krissie Fullerton

The Muir Family at the Foxwoods Theatre, with a special edition
of The Daily Bugle, one of Justin's special commemorative gifts.
Photo by Krissie Fullerton

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Jeff
3.018

LOGOS: Follies (2011 Revival)

The Follies logo in practice

Perhaps the wisest thing the producers/company of this 2011 revival of Follies did was NOT repeat - or even really attempt - any more than a suggestion of the iconic logo from the original 1972 production.  That version, cracked statue and dynamic lettering in primarily bright orange is widely regarded as one of the greatest Broadway art logos ever created.  The current revival resembles it only in composition: the largest single figure is the face of a woman, crowned bu the word "Follies" in dynamic lettering.

The Title Lettering

And what about that lettering?  It speaks volumes about the show's story, themes and setting.  First, each letter is rimmed in gold, certainly a not to the rich, sumptuousness of follies shows in general, and the elegance of a by gone era in this history of theatre.  Notice, too that each letter is filled with an almost sparkly blend of a soft blue, rising to an elegant pink.  The combination itself is both strong and softly feminine, like a showgirl, and colored in that fabulous blend of two colors and sparkling like so many follies-styled gowns might have been at the hey-day of that style of theatre.  Yes, the logo's lettering does suggest a bygone elegance that is certainly featured in its still talented, but fading fast company of players who have returned to celebrate their past only to find the decay of the present taking over the theater they are in and the lives they are leading.

The collage of images below the title, as well as the way in which the credits are arranged on the larger poster version definitely suggest a passage of time, as one might have seen on the paper posters that used to adorn Shubert Alley.  Today, large plastic and vinyl painted posters hawk the latest Broadway hits.  Back in the day, those same images were conveyed on glued sheets of colorful paper, that were literally torn down (and apart) in order for a new poster to take its place.  The glue was such that it was nearly impossible to cleanly remove one poster before gluing up another.  Over the years, layers of these things would build up, and eventually, bits and pieces of logos and photos from shows past would peek out from under the more modern posters glued over top.  And sometimes, a lighter image, once glued, would become almost translucent such that that image would be superimposed over hints of what came before.

The Artwork for Follies by FRAVER

All of this happens in the colorful, thought-provoking imagery of the Follies logo presented here.

Notice that each "layer" is "torn" to expose parts of what came before it:  smiles on youthful faces, both male and female, headless chorines in colorful costumes.  There is one eye, staring out at us in the upper right corner.  Are these tears, stains or phantoms of dancers in the bottom corners?  And surrounding the face of the said, plaintive main image are young, supple lips and wisps of feathers.  She is not smiling, her heavily made up eyes looking up and off in the distance as the memories of what was swirl around her.  Snatches of memories, torn from a full life, some focused on some youthful details, others colorful, if incomplete memories.

The Complete Logo and Credits
on the Follies Windowcard

And the poster's most vibrant, present colors, are reserved for the most current "tears" of a poster, the cast members, authorship credits and critical quote.  Their presentation is both very now and very then.

Eye-catching, hinting at past beauty, and haunting.  That is the world of Follies in a feathered, bugle-beaded nutshell. 

Grade: A



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Jeff
3.014

Back to School: The 2011 - 2012 Broadway Curriculum

UPDATED!  See below in RED!

Just a year ago, as I was driving behind a yellow school bus, I thought to myself, "remember to leave earlier for work in order to not get stuck behind this bus next year."  Fast forward to this morning.  The bus was bright yellow and it stopped seven times on the main road near my house as the kiddies piled on headed for the local elementary school. 

Oh, I chastised myself for not remembering to start leaving earlier after Labor Day.  Then I tried to make the most of it - watching the "seasoned veterans" (3rd - 5th graders) push each other onto the bus and run to the back seats.  Some of them waved to me, others stuck out their tongues.  And I even teared up a bit as I watched a mom and dad bravely shepard their kindergartner onto the bus, all smiles and reassurances.  And as the bus pulled away slowly, my car following just as slowly, noting that same mom and dad holding each other sobbing.  Ah, parenthood.

Well, by stop three, my mind wandered again to Broadway and school.  Last year, I suggested a general curriculum of plays and musicals to cover a variety of subjects.  This year, I thought, "how much academic ground would be covered by only the shows currently and scheduled to appear this season?"  As it turns out, quite a bit!

Physical Education:
Lysistrata Jones - a course that covers both the rules and regulations of basketball and the physical prowess needed for cheerleading.

World Literature:
The titles speak for themselves:
The Phantom of the Opera
Rebecca
Mary Poppins
The Lion King (Hamlet)

World History:
War Horse - World War I
Yank! - World War II

African-American Studies:
Stick Fly
The Mountaintop
The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess

Women's Studies:
Chicago
Evita
End of the Rainbow
Funny Girl
Mamma Mia!
Venus in Fur
Wicked
W;t

Sociology:
The Road to Mecca
Detroit
Fat Pig
Picnic
Private Lives
Other Desert Cities

Writing:
W;t
Seminar
The Columnist

Business:
Chinglish
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Man and Boy

Music:
Jersey Boys
Rock of Ages
Memphis
Nice Work If You Can Get It

Foreign Language:
Chinglish

Art:
The emphasis this semester will be on drawing comics-style:
Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark
The Addams Family

Psychology:
On a Clear Day You Can See Forever
W;t

American History:
The Mountaintop
Bonnie and Clyde
Memphis
Hair

Comparative Religions:
The Book of Mormon
Sister Act
Godspell
Jesus Christ Superstar (I'm thinking it'll come in this season...)

Gay Studies: (Hey, my school is liberal and progressive!)
Yank!
Priscilla Queen of the Desert

Survey of the Arts:
Dance - Billy Elliot
Musical Theatre - Follies
Drama - Death of a Salesman
Music - Anything Goes
Acting/Vocal Master Class - An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin

I guess that goes to show that all theatre is a learning experience!

EXTRA CREDIT:  What "subject" would you use Ghost: The Musical to teach?  It is the only one I didn't use!

I ASKED, YOU ANSWERED!  If they recreate the pottery wheel scene onstage, you could probably claim "Art class". You might also make a case for criminal justice, since at the end of the movie, at least, the bad guy gets his reward. Maybe a stretch, but...
Keep up the excellent work, Jeff.
Chuck

Well, thank you, Chuck!  And it seems that they do the pottery wheel scene...!

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Jeff
3.008