Thoughts on Theatre

Wicked: Not in Kansas Anymore …

by Karen Tortora-Lee August 25, 2008 Broadway

Years ago I got the Gregory McGuire book Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West and it immediately became one of my top favorites of all time. I’m a big fan of stories that tell the other side of the story (see: Rosencrantz and Gildenstern are Dead). Moral of Wicked: [...]

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Damn Yankees: You Gotta Have Heart

by Karen Tortora-Lee August 3, 2008 Broadway

When I was a little girl I was shocked to discover that you could check records out of the library just like you checked out books. It almost seemed like stealing … stealing with your EARS. Since my dad’s collection of records was extensive but sadly lacking a few staples I immediately headed over to [...]

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Celebrity Autobiographies: The Good, The Bad, and The Ones You Mine For Comic Effect

by Karen Tortora-Lee February 5, 2008 Manhattan

Years ago PEOPLE Magazine had done an excerpt of Celine Dion’s autobiography and it had me virtually LOLing on the plane all the way to Ft. Lauderdale. Unable to keep this gem of a story to myself, I proceeded to do a dramatic reading of it in the voice of Celine herself for my hosts [...]

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Where Has Sarah Brightman Gone?

by Karen Tortora-Lee January 27, 2008 Music

Seriously? Where the hell is she? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not asking as a fan. I’m not saying “The world needs more Sarah Brightman so, DAMN IT! I want to see her represented more in mainstream pop culture!” I’m also not asking where she’s gone on her travels as of late. And I’m not [...]

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Swing Your Razor Wide, Sweeney

by Karen Tortora-Lee December 22, 2007 Film

I was half-convinced I’d waken. Satisfied enough to dream you, happily I was mistaken …. – “Johanna” / Sweeney Todd My obsession with Sweeney Todd has been going on for close to 25 years now … trumped only by my obsession with the wondrous Stephen Sondheim himself which started when I was barely 13. I [...]

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Dueling Evitas ~OR~ Shut up, Patti LuPone!

by Karen Tortora-Lee September 20, 2007 Broadway

There’s an episode of Will & Grace where Jack tries to ignore Patti LuPone as she chatters, crawls around on the floor, and just generally makes herself un-ingnorable. At one point he screams “Shut up Patti LuPone! Shut your brassy, magnificent trap!!!” She turns around and deadpans … “They either love me or they hate [...]

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