Caught a new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's EVITA downtown, with Eden Espinoza (one of Broadway's Elphabas) in the title role. Evita is one of my favorite Broadway scores, but this particular production was good, not great. The pace was great, and yet at the same time, there was a distinct lack of energy and fire.

Which Kiss Me Kate were you listening to? I really adore the Kiss Me Kate film, although it certainly gets less attention than some of the other MGM musicals. Even then, I wonder if it wasn't seen as B string compared to even The Band Wagon, etc. I love Howard Keel and Kathryn Grayson as the leads, but for me the real…

I usually have several things going at any one time. Currently:

North by Northwest
Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Doctor Zhivago
All About Eve
About Time
The Talented Mr.Ripley
The Shop Around the Corner

I adore Auntie Mame. I remember it would randomly come on A&E when I was a kid, and it was such a treat when it did. Still obsessed with it. It's #reallytopdrawer

I've got way too many books going right now.
-Ron Chernow's Hamilton biography
-Really enjoying this one; reads like a novel
- Volume 1 of James Kaplan's massive Sinatra bio
-Kaplan's voice is very ring-a-ding-ding, which is appropriate in this case,
I suppose, but I'm curious if this is his writing style all…

the Dixie Chicks oeuvre in anticipation of tonight's concert. I miss them making new music.

You will not be disappointed once you start Americanah - it's exquisite.

Orange is the New Black
Slowly making my way through the new season. I find that, with this show, it's a bit of a slog for me to get through the first few episodes of a season, but about halfway through, I start steamrolling through. It's fairly solid so far (I'm on episode 6), although I must say that something about…

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is such an outstanding album - so rich, and spilling over with a number of styles and genres - the slow-burn R&B/rock of Ex-Factor, the horn-fueled hip-hop of Doo Wop (That Thing), the great Mary J. Blige on When It Hurts So Bad, man I could go on and on. That album is such a soundtrack…

Franko, I WISH I did. Of course if I did, I'd stay broke from spending my paycheck at the TKTS booth every week. I live in Nashville, so if you're ever passing through, do look me up!

SO glad that you had a great trip!!!

NBC, just cast Anika Noni Rose. Do it right now.

I'm late, but I'm here.

Can we talk about the U.N.C.L.E. movie coming with Armie Hammer and Henry Cavill? *swoon*

I saw Kinky Boots in December 2013. I liked the show, but I'm sad to say that Billy Porter completely phoned in his performance that night.

I actually think it's got some good things going for it. A half-hour comedy really is the wrong vessel for what it's trying to do though. The elements are all in place and they're good, but the way it's been baked is off. It looks a little thrown together and cheap. That being said, the cast all seems pretty game and…

At the risk of losing all credibility, I adore the cover of The Beautiful Ones that Mariah & Dru Hill recorded for her 1997 Butterfly album. (now ducking from all overly ripe vegetables)

I thought Stoker was fantastic. It was actually filmed close to where I live. And true story - the character mowing the lawn in the flashback is someone I used to babysit years ago.

I had a blast watching Empire. Way more fun than I expected. And yes, while most reviews keep focusing on the King Lear parallels, it seems to have far more in common with The Lion in Winter.