Santino Fontana plays the irascible struggling actor, Michael Dorsey. Dorsey can’t resist telling directors and script writers how to do their jobs. This arrogant behavior causes Dorsey’s acting career to self-destruct. In desperation, Dorsey transforms himself into “Dorothy Michaels” and gets a role in a Broadway play, Juliet’s Nurse. Dorothy becomes the friend and confidant of Julie Nichols, the actress currently starring as Juliet in Juliet’s Nurse. But even as Dorothy, Michael Dorsey’s volatility and meddling tendencies cause problems in his love life and his role in Juliet’s Nurse.

This reboot of the 1982 comic movie adds some clever music and silly situations. I saw Tootsie: The Musical at the Marquis Theatre at the Mariott Marquis Hotel where I was staying. The musical was sold out and the audience loved all the wacky scenes on the stage. I’m sure there will be a touring company performing Tootsie: The Musical in a year or so.

As far as I’m concerned, Santino Fontana carries this play with his talent as both difficult Michael Dorsey and demur “Dorothy Michaels.” I also enjoyed Jeff Slater as Michael’s roommate, Jeff, an unsuccessful playwright with a snarky sense of humor. If you’re in the mood for a fun musical, I recommend Tootsie: The Musical. Are you a fan of the original Tootsie? GRADE: A-
Musical numbers:
Act I
Overture – Orchestra
“Opening Number” – Ensemble, Michael
“Whaddya Do” – Michael
“What’s Gonna Happen” – Sandy
“Whaddya Do” (Reprise) – Michael
“I Won’t Let You Down” – Dorothy
“I’m Alive” – Julie, Ron, Max, Dorothy, Ensemble
“There Was John” – Julie, Dorothy
“I Like What She’s Doing” – Rita, Julie, Stuart, Suzie, Ron, Max, Dorothy, Ensemble
“Who Are You?” – Michael, Julie
“What’s Gonna Happen” (Reprise) – Sandy
“Unstoppable” – Michael/Dorothy
Act II
Entr’acte – Orchestra
“Jeff Sums It Up” – Jeff, Michael
“Gone, Gone, Gone” – Julie, Female Trio
“Who Are You?” (Reprise) – Julie
“This Thing” – Max
“Whaddya Do” (Reprise) – Jeff, Michael
“The Most Important Night of My Life” – Max, Suzie, Stuart, Rita, Ron, Ensemble
“Talk to Me Dorothy” – Michael
“Arrivederci!” – Dorothy, Julie, Max, Ensemble
“What’s Gonna Happen” (Reprise) – Sandy
“Thank You” (“Talk to Me Dorothy” Reprise) – Michael

I dimly remember seeing the movie version of Brigadoon (1954) as a kid. So when The Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada announced a musical version, I was intrigued. The story of two young American men getting lost in the Highlands of Scotland and stumbling upon the mystical town of Brigadoon retains the charm of the original. Tommy Albright is scheduled to be married after this bachelor trip and his best man, Jeff Douglas, intends to get Tommy back to New York City on time. But the magic of Brigadoon affects both men. Tommy falls in love with Fiona and Jeff has a fling with a hot redhead called Meg. But Brigadoon has its secrets and darkness.

Diane and I enjoyed all the singing and dancing in Brigadoon. Yes, the plot creaks like a production from 1947 (Brigadoon ran for 581 performances at the Ziegfeld Theatre with Broadway revivals in 1950, 1957, 1963, and 1980). But the fun and flair of the characters mixed with Alan Jay Lerner’s lyrics and Frederick Loewe’s melodies create a vibrant experience. GRADE: A

Lawrence Block’s Resume Speed was published by Subterranean Press back in 2016 but I only got around to reading it now. A man who calls himself “William Thompson” gets on a bus in  Galbraith, North Dakota and heads for Spokane, Washington. But when his bus stops in Cross Creek, Montana Thompson notices a HELP WANTED sign outside a diner. Thompson applies for the job and gets it. Lawrence Block carefully records Thompson’s steps in settling in to the community. Thompson gets a library card and ends up sleeping with the librarian. After a few months, Thompson has enough money to buy a used car. Life is good. But…Thompson’s past is always close behind which is why Thompson has to guzzle whiskey each night to chase his demons away. If you’re in the mood for a stark tale of naturalism, give Resume Speed a try. Are you a fan of Lawrence Block’s work? GRADE: B

When Diane and I visited Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada last week, I stopped into a Starbucks and what I saw shocked me! I’m a fan of the Starbucks Blonde coffees–Veranda, Blonde Espresso, Bright Sky blend, and Blonde Roast Plus–but this Canadian Starbucks offered a Starbucks Blonde coffee I didn’t know existed: Starbucks True North Blonde!

I immediately ordered a cup. Yum! Subtle flavors with delicate nuances of soft cocoa and lightly toasted nuts danced on my tongue. This is just the thing to make your day brighter! According to Starbucks advertising: “Roasting this blend of specially chosen Latin American beans for a shorter time allows the delicate nuances of soft cocoa and lightly toasted nuts to blossom. As enticing as the natural beauty of majestic Canada, this blend is dedicated to a country that’s been part of the Starbucks story since 1987. Mellow and easy-drinking.” I agree! Now I’ll have to make more trips to Canada! Do you have a favorite coffee? GRADE: A

After reading Tracy Lett’s August: Osage County (and watching the movie), I decided to read more of Tracy Letts’s plays. To my surprise, I discovered Superior Donuts (2010). I’ve never watched the TV version starring Judd Hirsch and Jermaine Fowler. But after reading the play, I know the TV series has to be a very sugar-coated version of the original production. Then Superior Donuts was put on a local stage by a regional drama group so Diane and I got to see the play performed.

Aging hippy Arthur Przybyszewski arrives at his failing Uptown Chicago donut shop (a Starbucks has just opened across the street) and finds someone has broken his window and spray-painted PUSSY on the wall. Franco Wicks, an African-American college dropout, shows up and applies for a job. Arthur reluctantly agrees. Their relationship swirls around the problems and secrets each man hides. Issues of race, class, and personal decisions power this play.

Where August: Osage County explored a dysfunctional family, Superior Donuts explores the highs and lows of personal relationships with some humor thrown in. I enjoyed seeing a performance of Superior Donuts. GRADE: B+

I also read Tracy Letts’s Bug (2006), a story about paranoia and conspiracy. Not to my taste. Bug became a movie with Ashley Judd, Michael Shannon, and Harry Connick, Jr. It was directed by William Friedkin. I haven’t seen it…nor want to. GRADE: C-

In Blowout: Corrupted Democracies, Rogue State Russia, and the Richest, Most Destructive Industry On Earth, Rachel Maddow is convinced the United States is chaining itself to a corpse. The “corpse” in Maddow’s eyes is the oil industry. Chapter after chapter, Maddow builds her case against the oil industry around the globe. She shows how many oil rich countries send most of their inhabitants into poverty. I found the chapter “The Other 1 Percent” about the hundreds of earthquakes in Oklahoma both funny and sad.

If you’re in the mood for a well-written, cleverly crafted book that mixes humor with profound insights, give Blowout a try. Blowout is one of the year’s best books. Are you a Rachel Maddow fan? GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Introduction: In a surrealist landscape ix
1. Splendor and fragrance — 3
2. The genie — 11
3. Stolen goods — 20
4. Charlie Hustle — 44
5. Thunder up! — 56
6. Rex shrugged — 69
7. A risk management problem — 81
8. Poster boy — 95
9. Practical realities — 107
10. Who does that? — 120
11. The other 1 percent — 134
12. Ultrahazardous activity — 152
13. A significant strategic step — 162
14. Trust — 166
15. The handsome hero — 175
16. This ain’t no disco — 184
17. Such a man is born once every few decades — 203
18. Putin zassal — 217
19. All hail the mercenaries — 226
20. His idea of America — 245
21. Because they could — 255
22. “We greatly value our relationship” — 269
23. Pobeda! — 280
24. “Yeah that was crazy” — 290
25. Active appreciation — 306
26. It all ties back — 316
27. “All they have is this” — 328
28. “Constituency trumps everything” — 341
29. Containment — 351
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS — 369
NOTES ON SOURCES — 371
INDEX — 391

The 4-1 Buffalo Bills are enjoying a much needed BYE WEEK. How will your favorite NFL perform today?

Yes, it’s been 50 years since Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid made movie history. The critics panned it, calling it “not a real Western.” But for a film that cost $7 million, the Box Office was $100 million ($700 million in 2019 dollars). I loved the film back in 1969 and I loved it when I watched it again last week. It’s a great buddy movie packed with wit and humor as two outlaws who find America too hot from their “career” of robbing trains decide to move on. Cassidy, Sundance, and Etta (Sundance’s girl friend played by Katherine Ross) travel to Bolivia to continue their reckless ways.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid won four Academy Awards: Best Cinematography; Best Original Score for a Motion Picture (not a Musical); Best Music, Song (Burt Bacharach and Hal David for “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head”); and Best Original Screenplay.

This edition includes Audio Commentaries: The first features director George Roy Hill, lyricist Hal David, associate producer Robert Crawford, and the late cinematographer Conrad Hall. The second commentary track has screenwriter William Goldman who provides some detail on how his script took true life events from history and glamorized them for the film while reshaping the Westerns that followed.

All Of The Following Is True: The Making Of ‘Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid’ (HD, 36 mins): This documentary is from 2005 and delivers a good overview of the movie’s production. Paul Newman, Robert Redford, and Katherine Ross together with director George Roy Hill, screenwriter William Goldman, and composer Burt Bacharach share insights. They discuss the whole beginning of the project, give us their views on some scenes like the ‘Raindrops …’ bicycle sequence, and speculate about the movie’s legacy.

The Wild Bunch: The Fact vs. Fiction of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (HD, 25 mins) The real Butch and Sundance are discussed by some Academics and then compared to the on-screen characters with references to many movie clips.

Deleted Scene (SD, 3 mins)

Theatrical Trailers (HD, 6 mins total) – The original movie preview and additional two trailers for the movie.

Are you a fan of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid? GRADE: A

Set in the 1950s, The Living End explores the rise of disk jockeys and a music industry corrupt to its core. Eddie Marlon weasels his way onto a radio station and then launches a series of marketing coups that produce big ratings, plenty of advertisers, and money for the radio station. But Marlon doesn’t stop there. He targets teenagers and gears the music on his radio shows to their tastes. Marlon’s next strategy is to coerce performers to deliver their services for free at events and in return, Marlon would play their records. Later, Marlon schemes with a music publishing company to get a percentage of the sheet music and royalties on records. The Living End exposes the payola practices of the 1950s and 1960s when deals were made and stars were born amid a blizzard of dirty money.

Frank Kane, most famous for his Johnny Liddell private eye novels, captures the excitement of the rise of Rock & Roll radio with all its luridness and corruption. If you’re looking for a gritty novel set in the steamy radio industry of the Fifties, The Living End will fog up your glasses! GRADE: A