THE PLAY’S . . . SORTA THE THING: Opening The Mousetrap

Today marks opening night for the production of The Mousetrap that I directed at the high school where I spent twenty-eight years teaching drama. I woke up all too early and checked my e-mail, only to find this missive, sent to the cast and crew from our play’s stage manager, a remarkable young woman named Kelania: "Hello, … Continue reading THE PLAY’S . . . SORTA THE THING: Opening The Mousetrap

BOOK CLUB DOES THREE-ACT TRAGEDY: A One-Act Comedy

The Members of Book Club (in order of appearance) Miss Dresden                                                                                                                                                Mrs. Russet-Tate                                                                                                                                            Arthur Mimms                                                                                                                                            Gracie Mimms                                                                                                                                               Mr. Panagotacos                                                                                                                                         Oswald Ginch (Scene: Miss Dresden’s parlor. A small fire plays merrily in the grate. There is a comfortable settee, draped over with a lovely antimacassar, and three oddly assorted armchairs, on each of which rests a … Continue reading BOOK CLUB DOES THREE-ACT TRAGEDY: A One-Act Comedy

SPIELBERG’S WEST SIDE STORY: Update or Improvement?

In 1957, when live theatre still rivaled movies for social relevance, and the latest Tin Pan Alley songs burst through the radio and were hummed everywhere, Broadway was teeming with musicals. Considering that the heyday of musical theatre was the 1930’s-1940’s, what’s interesting is how experimental the major composers got. Lerner and Loewe’s Brigadoon enchanted audiences with its … Continue reading SPIELBERG’S WEST SIDE STORY: Update or Improvement?

BEATING PUZZLE DOCTOR AND KATE TO THE PUNCH: The 2021 Mystery of the Year

It’s February 28, and I know exactly what you’re doing: you’re waiting with bated breath for 306 more days to go by, the amount of time it will for the Puzzle Doctor and Kate at Cross Examining Crime to finish sifting through the respective books they’ve read all year (about 2000 for PD, and 6953 … Continue reading BEATING PUZZLE DOCTOR AND KATE TO THE PUNCH: The 2021 Mystery of the Year

A CENTURY OF AGATHA CHRISTIE, PART TWO: The Glittering 1930’s

“They say all the world loves a lover – apply that saying to murder and you have an even more infallible truth. No one can fail to be interested in a murder.”                                                                              The Murder at the Vicarage (1930) WORKS Seventeen Novels (as Agatha Christie) The Murder at the Vicarage (1930) The Sittaford Mystery (1931) Peril at End House (1932) … Continue reading A CENTURY OF AGATHA CHRISTIE, PART TWO: The Glittering 1930’s