Did a page search for "Hellzapoppin" but didn't catch that, Captcha.

Treat Williams doesn't sing "Age of Aquarius" in Hair.  I think that's Melba Moore.  He does sing the crap out of his part of "Let The Sun Shine In."

My choice would be the swing dance sequence from Hellzapoppin.  Love the way the number starts with some guys jamming and improvising and builds and builds into the most anarchic dancing I've seen on film.  I'm surprised the whole sequence is only five minutes or so.  The first time I saw it, it seemed to last…

(duplicate post).

Perhaps everyone already knows this, but the original version of "Bat Chain Puller" is available from Zappa.com.

Ha!  Me too.

Ha!  Me too.

Act 2 is a mess, to be sure, but I still like it.  I keep wishing someone would try and stage "Preservation" as a musical or as a cabaret piece.

Act 2 is a mess, to be sure, but I still like it.  I keep wishing someone would try and stage "Preservation" as a musical or as a cabaret piece.

Typo in the article. "Preservation Act 1" came out in 1973, not 1977.

Typo in the article. "Preservation Act 1" came out in 1973, not 1977.

"Basically, [anything] that Don McKellar acts in, writes or directs is worth
checking out, even if it turns out to be middling. A blessing on his
long life."

"Basically, [anything] that Don McKellar acts in, writes or directs is worth
checking out, even if it turns out to be middling. A blessing on his
long life."

I don't necessarily agree, but that's a great line.

I don't necessarily agree, but that's a great line.

Agreed, but then I wondered if they liked "You, The Living."

Agreed, but then I wondered if they liked "You, The Living."

I haven't read "Years of Rice and Salt" but the reincarnation theme is fairly subtle, rather background, to "Cloud Atlas" the novel.  Personally, I think it's one of the weaker concepts in the book and could have (should have?) been edited out.

I haven't read "Years of Rice and Salt" but the reincarnation theme is fairly subtle, rather background, to "Cloud Atlas" the novel.  Personally, I think it's one of the weaker concepts in the book and could have (should have?) been edited out.

Great article and one of the best-written pieces the AVClub has posted in a long time.