Happy Mother’s Day!
Dug up likely the earliest photograph I have of mom and me!
Wrapped up a magical week (after an amazing weekend at the 2024 Kentucky Derby): On Monday, I began reading Deciphering the Indus Script, joined the Board of International Poetry Forum (thanks Jake for inviting me, I am truly excited) on Tuesday, stayed at the Mandarin Oriental – watched (on Broadway) Tommy (on Wednesday) and Six (on Thursday) – and The Fall Guy (on Friday) back in Pittsburgh – saw the most spectacular display of heavenly lights and several sets of double rainbows on the way to the movie theater – met Renee Elise Goldsberry (on Saturday, having previously met Leslie Odom Jr. in 2019 when I was elected University Professor, congrats Elias for being elected last week) at a CMU dinner and closed out the bar at The Oaklander with Frank and Ines!
Time to move from O Broadway, Where Art Thou? to Hello, Broadway!
2024. Six. Tommy. 2023. Leopoldstadt. 2022. The Music Man. 2019. Hadestown. 2016.Hamilton. 2013. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. 2013. The Audience. 2012. Heiress. 2012. Once. 2011. Seminar. 2001. The Producers. 1999. Annie, Get Your Gun. 1996. Rent. Hughie. 1995. Tempest. 1993. Kiss of the Spiderwoman. 1989. Grand Hotel.
Hello, Dolly! is a 1969 American musical romantic comedy film based on the 1964 Broadway production of the same name, which was based on Thornton Wilder’s play The Matchmaker. Directed by Gene Kelly and written and produced by Ernest Lehman, the film stars Barbra Streisand, Walter Matthau, Michael Crawford, Danny Lockin, Tommy Tune, Fritz Feld, Marianne McAndrew, E. J. Peaker and Louis Armstrong (whose recording of the title tune had become a number-one single in May 1964). The film won three Academy Awards for Best Art Direction, Best Score of a Musical Picture and Best Sound and was nominated for a further four Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
Been there, done that. I saw the Who do the original Tommy tour, August 5, 1971, perhaps Boston Garden, 5 rows from the right speaker ($5). Then when I was living in Milano, visiting Politechno di Milano for over a month, I saw Roger Daltry do the Tommy show, March 24, 2012, same seat, 5th row behind the left speaker (120 euro). Pete Townsend’s kid played Pete’s stuff. He looked and sounded like his dad, down to his pinwheel arm. There’s more, but this is getting too long … more on email. Cheers!
Awesome! When you saw the original, I was 5 years old, in India, when rock concerts were rare if not unheard of. In IIT-Madras I saw Uriah Heep. Ithaca was not any better, except for the annual Slope event where I saw Huey Lewis. Once I settled in Pittsburgh, Boston, Minneapolis: Rod Stewart, Phil Collins, The Who, Celine Dion, U2, Santana, Bruce Springsteen, Adele, Billy Joel, Beyonce, Eagles…I wish I had seen Whitney Houston in concert. Saw hologram ABBA earlier this year in London – maybe in time, they will make others.
Between Boston, Purdue, and Michigan, I heard lots, in acoustically perfect venues: Joni Mitchell joined a Neil Young show. Another year, Neil young joined Joni. Bruce Springsteen, U2 (many times), Moody Blues, Todd Rundgren, Jefferson Starship, Gordon Lightfoot, Art Garfunkel, Boz Scaggs, Paul Simon, Eric Burden and the Animals, David Byrne, Janis Joplin … many more.