Bruce Taylor once charged Stephen Sondheim with the death of the Broadway musical. I don’t know about that, but I do know that Sondheim wrote one of my favorite songs: “Send in the Clowns” from A Little Night Music. Finishing the Hat: Collected Lyrics (1954-1981) with Attendant Comments, Principles, Heresies, Grudges, Whines and Anecdotes is both Sondheim’s quirky memoir and a textbook to writing songs for Broadway musicals. If you’re at all interested in how West Side Story, Gypsy, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Company, A Little Night Music, and Sweeny Todd were made along with plenty of background information on the principals in the productions, you’re going to love this book.
I found Sondheim’s approach opinionated and unique. He takes you behind the curtain to see how producers, directors, stars, and even the guys who write “the Book” operate. I found Finishing the Hat fascinating. Love Sondheim or hate him, he certainly has a lot of acerbic insights about the craft of song writing and the state of musical theater in America. GRADE: A
They are the “Faceless 50,” the unnamed operators who decided to stay at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Station and try to prevent a melt-down. They volunteered to pump seawater on the exposed nuclear fuel rods in hopes of cooling them enough to prevent a disaster. If the fuel rods melt down, the result would throw thousands of tons of radioactive dust into the air and produce a ecological catastrophe. Remaining that close to the leaking reactors and the heightened radiation means the Faceless 50 are risking their lives. Like the esprit de corps found among firefighters, police, and military units, these operators feel a sense of loyalty and comaraderie to stay at their posts until the crisis is resolved. I admire their dedication and selfless sacrifice. 
Bill Crider recommended Don Winslow’s work to me years ago. And I dutifully bought Don Winslow’s books. But I hadn’t gotten around to reading one until now. Yesterday, I reviewed Shibumi, a thriller by Trevanian written in 1979. Now, 32 years later, Don Winslow creates an exciting prequel that begins in Japan in 1951. Trevanian’s super assassin, Nicholai Hel, agrees to a deal that will get him out of an American-run prison where he’s being held. The CIA requires Hel to acquire a new face and identity and then to carry out a secret mission to assassinate Soviet commissioner Yuri Voroshenin in China. Hel disguises himself as Michel Guibert, a French arms dealer. I liked the way Winslow develops Hel’s mixed heritage: son of an aristocratic Russian mother and a surrogate Japanese father and mentor. You don’t really need to read Trevanian’s Shibumi to enjoy Satori. Within the parameters of Trevanian’s template, I thought Winslow’s just published prequel was an entertaining, suspenseful novel. GRADE: B+
Andre Watts, a virtuoso piano player, brought Liszt to life beautifully in an all Liszt recital last night. This was Andre Watt’s third try to perform this concert. The first two attempts were canceled because he was ill for the first date and had fallen just before the second date. But last night, Watts showed up in fine form. From quiet, moody, dark passages to loud, sunny, bright ones, Watts plays in an effortless flowing style with precise and graceful dynamic ranges and transitions. Most notably, Watts separates notes and chords even in Liszt’s busiest, fastest passages. If Andre Watts performs in your neighborhood, you should make an effort to listen to this gifted pianist. GRADE: A-