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| PAL JOEY revisal | |
| Posted by: showtunetrivia 11:30 am EDT 10/04/21 | |
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| I’m either tremendously excited or tremendously nervous about this. Laura, whose love for Rodgers and Hart knows no bounds |
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| Link | PAL JOEY revisal |
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| re: PAL JOEY revisal | |
| Posted by: Chromolume 09:21 pm EDT 10/04/21 | |
| In reply to: PAL JOEY revisal - showtunetrivia 11:30 am EDT 10/04/21 | |
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| Am I correct that LaGravenese has never written for Broadway before? Stay tuned for the answer to the musical question, "If they ask me, can I rewrite a book?" |
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| re: PAL JOEY revisal | |
| Posted by: simbo 09:30 pm EDT 10/04/21 | |
| In reply to: re: PAL JOEY revisal - Chromolume 09:21 pm EDT 10/04/21 | |
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| He's never done stage work before, but he has done film adaptations of musical theatre ("Last Five Years" and the Gysy rewrite for Barbra STreisand) and is listed as one of the (many) writers on "Disenchanted", the Enchanted sequel with songs by Menken and Schwartz. | |
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| re: PAL JOEY revisal | |
| Last Edit: altonido 02:38 pm EDT 10/04/21 | |
| Posted by: altonido 02:35 pm EDT 10/04/21 | |
| In reply to: PAL JOEY revisal - showtunetrivia 11:30 am EDT 10/04/21 | |
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| From the NY Times: "The production will be set in a Black community — the South Side of Chicago in the 1940s." Puts me in mind of "Pal Joey '78," presented by L.A. and S.F. Civic Light Opera, and starring Lena Horne, Clifton Davis, and Josephine Premice. Directed by Michael Kidd, revised book by Jerome Chodorov and Mark Bramble. Probably impossible to come up with a new Lena Horne for '22-'23, but we'll see. |
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| re: PAL JOEY revisal | |
| Posted by: Pokernight 10:22 am EDT 10/05/21 | |
| In reply to: re: PAL JOEY revisal - altonido 02:35 pm EDT 10/04/21 | |
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| I saw that version and it was awful. However, I did get to see Bob Fosse play Joey at the City Center (with Eileen Heckart as Melba) and that remains a most treasured memory. | |
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| re: PAL JOEY revisal | |
| Posted by: westech 10:54 am EDT 10/05/21 | |
| In reply to: re: PAL JOEY revisal - Pokernight 10:22 am EDT 10/05/21 | |
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| Fosse was also the understudy, I believe, to Harold Lang in the acclaimed 1952 revival, which was the only revival to win the NY Drama Critics Circle Award as Best Musical. And it was the longest-running Broadway revival ever at that time. Really looking forward to this...it's such a great score and a sexy, smart story and I like the combination of co-directors. | |
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| re: PAL JOEY revisal | |
| Last Edit: WaymanWong 04:13 pm EDT 10/05/21 | |
| Posted by: WaymanWong 04:08 pm EDT 10/05/21 | |
| In reply to: re: PAL JOEY revisal - westech 10:54 am EDT 10/05/21 | |
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| Bob Fosse got a 1964 Best Actor Tony nomination for his performance in the ''Pal Joey'' at City Center. Also, that same season, the City Center Light Opera Company got a Tony nomination for its ''West Side Story.'' Does anyone know how the City Center got designated as a Tony-eligible theater back then and when did that stop? At the 1967 Tonys, director Jack Sydow and choreographer Danny Daniels were nominated for the City Center's ''Annie Get Your Gun.'' Since the original ''Annie'' predated the Tonys, wouldn't Ethel Merman, who reprised her role, have been eligible in 1967? ... Anyway, the Best Actress in a Musical nominees were Barbara Harris (''Apple Tree''), Lotte Lenya (''Cabaret''), Mary Martin (''I Do, I Do'') and Louise Troy (''Walking Happy''). |
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| re: PAL JOEY revisal | |
| Posted by: FleetStreetBarber 06:00 pm EDT 10/04/21 | |
| In reply to: re: PAL JOEY revisal - altonido 02:35 pm EDT 10/04/21 | |
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| "Pal Joey '78" was mind-numbingly awful. Like Wayman down below, I've blocked much of it from my memory, but I do recall that somehow Lena got to sing "Zip," which like most of the production made no sense whatsoever. | |
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| re: PAL JOEY revisal | |
| Posted by: JereNYC (JereNYC@aol.com) 08:27 pm EDT 10/07/21 | |
| In reply to: re: PAL JOEY revisal - FleetStreetBarber 06:00 pm EDT 10/04/21 | |
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| The character of Vera Simpson sings "Zip!" in the film version of the show as well. I believe some lines were added to establish that she is a former stripper and, when she is asked to get up and do a number with the orchestra at a charity function, "Zip!" is what happens. I imagine that something similar might have been done to allow Horne to sing the song, either because they may have thought that people expected it, due to the film, or maybe simply because Horne wanted to do it. |
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| re: PAL JOEY revisal | |
| Posted by: keikekaze 02:01 pm EDT 10/04/21 | |
| In reply to: PAL JOEY revisal - showtunetrivia 11:30 am EDT 10/04/21 | |
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| I’m either tremendously excited or tremendously nervous about this. As Goldman says several times in The Season, "I'm worried." All those interpolated Rodgers & Hart songs were not written for this show or these characters. They won't make any sense coming out of these characters' mouths, no matter how the revised book tries to tweak the characters and situations. This never works, and the more famous the interpolated songs are, the less it works. What they'll wind up with, at best, is a possibly elaborate and possibly well-staged Rodgers & Hart songbook revue with an added-on plot that doesn't make much sense, having been twisted to fit the song list. |
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| re: PAL JOEY revisal | |
| Last Edit: WaymanWong 03:53 pm EDT 10/04/21 | |
| Posted by: WaymanWong 03:51 pm EDT 10/04/21 | |
| In reply to: re: PAL JOEY revisal - keikekaze 02:01 pm EDT 10/04/21 | |
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| I'd be concerned about interpolating Rodgers & Hart songs from other sources, but then again, it's not the first time. The last Broadway revival of ''Pal Joey'' was in 2008, starring Stockard Channing and Matthew Risch. Richard Greenberg, the Tony-winning writer of ''Take Me Out,'' did a new adaptation of John O'Hara's book, and interpolated ''I Still Believe in You'' and ''Are You My Love?'' And then there's the ''loosely adapted'' 1957 movie of ''Pal Joey,'' starring Rita Hayworth, Kim Novak and Frank Sinatra. It incorporated R&H standards, like ''I Didn't Know What Time It Was,'' ''There's a Small Hotel,'' ''The Lady Is a Tramp'' and ''My Funny Valentine.'' (I even saw ''Pal Joey '78,'' starring Lena Horne in a ''disco'' version, in San Francisco, but luckily my memory has blocked any recollections.) My concern about interpolating Rodgers & Hart classics from other shows is: Will they displace the lesser-known originals I enjoy? I love ''Plant You Now, Dig You Later'' and ''You Mustn't Kick It Around,'' but in the Sinatra movie, they're only instrumentals. |
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| Link | 'Pal Joey' (1957): 'You Mustn't Kick It Around' (as background music) |
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| re: PAL JOEY revisal | |
| Posted by: StageLover 07:55 pm EDT 10/04/21 | |
| In reply to: re: PAL JOEY revisal - WaymanWong 03:51 pm EDT 10/04/21 | |
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| I rather liked Circle in the Square;s ill-fated 1976 revival starring Christopher Chadman and Joan Copeland, who replaced Edward Vilella and Eleanor Parker during previews. Dixie Carter performed ZIP and the cast included Broadway pros like Janie Sell, Joe Sirola and in the chorus, Marilu Henner. | |
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| re: PAL JOEY revisal | |
| Last Edit: BroadwayTonyJ 05:14 pm EDT 10/04/21 | |
| Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 05:13 pm EDT 10/04/21 | |
| In reply to: re: PAL JOEY revisal - WaymanWong 03:51 pm EDT 10/04/21 | |
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| According to Playbill, they are interpolating 6 songs from shows like A Connecticut Yankee, The Boys from Syracuse, Babes in Arms, Higher and Higher, and On Your Toes -- all very well known songs from 5 other Rodgers and Hart musicals. The '08 revival was just OK. I thought Stockard Channing was fine. Risch certainly looked the part and was competent, but just didn't have the star power that Gene Kelly, Harold Lang, and Sinatra apparently brought to the role. The 2 interpolated songs didn't add much and certainly were not needed. |
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| re: PAL JOEY revisal | |
| Posted by: WaymanWong 12:36 am EDT 10/05/21 | |
| In reply to: re: PAL JOEY revisal - BroadwayTonyJ 05:13 pm EDT 10/04/21 | |
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| I really enjoyed Matthew Risch in the role. (And I've always thought that Tony Yazbeck would've been a terrific Joey, too.) | |
| Link | B-roll from ''Pal Joey'' (2008), with Matthew Risch, Stockard Channing & Martha Plimpton |
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| re: PAL JOEY revisal | |
| Posted by: lordofspeech 02:56 pm EDT 10/05/21 | |
| In reply to: re: PAL JOEY revisal - WaymanWong 12:36 am EDT 10/05/21 | |
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| The Matthew Risch revisal directed by Joe Mantello had a lot of treats. Risch seemed to be working very hard, which didn’t seem very « Joey” but he was game and personable, and he purportedly was thrown into it with little rehearsal. Perhaps way too young for Channing’s Vera, too. And Stockard Channing should’ve been perfect, but she was too arch, her ironies too studied and too italicized, and her face was unnatural with plastic surgery which tipped her into a Cruella DeVil world. The Linda was excellent and had a lovely voice. And Martha Plimpton nearly walked away with the whole show as Gladys. Very va-va-voom and an absolute trouper of a golden-age musical comedy type. But Mantello’s staging was absolutely wonderful. Constant movement, constant action. A real pleasure. I’m not enough of a connoisseur to pronounce judgement on the rewrite of the book, but it played fine for me. Divine costumes. I must admit I’m spoiled by the singing in the movie version; Sinatra and the women who dubbed Hayworth and Novak are like velvet. |
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| re: PAL JOEY revisal | |
| Posted by: Chromolume 07:56 pm EDT 10/05/21 | |
| In reply to: re: PAL JOEY revisal - lordofspeech 02:56 pm EDT 10/05/21 | |
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| But Mantello’s staging was absolutely wonderful. Constant movement, constant action. That could also be dreadful. Nothing worse than a show that's TOO busy. I find too many directors are afraid to let stillness happen onstage as well. |
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| re: PAL JOEY revisal | |
| Posted by: larry13 05:42 pm EDT 10/05/21 | |
| In reply to: re: PAL JOEY revisal - lordofspeech 02:56 pm EDT 10/05/21 | |
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| The singers you admired were Jenny Fellner(Linda in 2008), Trudy Stevens(dubbed Novak)and Jo Ann Greer(dubbed Hayworth). | |
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| PAL JOEY & Matthew Risch | |
| Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 05:03 am EDT 10/05/21 | |
| In reply to: re: PAL JOEY revisal - WaymanWong 12:36 am EDT 10/05/21 | |
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| Risch is a fine performer, excellent dancer, and very good looking. He had a small role in Legally Blonde on Broadway as Carlos. He was hilarious and knocked his portion of "There! Right There!" out of the park. Christian Hoff had been cast as Joey, but suffered some sort of injury in previews. He either dropped out or was forced out -- there were conflicting stories. I had been looking forward to seeing Hoff as Joey and was probably a little disappointed. Anyway, Risch has had a very extensive career on TV (Modern Family, Looking, many other roles) and even a noticeable little bit in the second Sex and the City film. The role of Joey is a tough one to fill since he is an outright heel, but also charismatic and sort of likeable. The original Broadway production made Gene Kelly a star. He often played a variation of the role pretty much throughout his movie career. |
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| re: PAL JOEY revisal | |
| Posted by: Circlevet 03:54 pm EDT 10/04/21 | |
| In reply to: re: PAL JOEY revisal - WaymanWong 03:51 pm EDT 10/04/21 | |
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| The Goodspeed production in the early 90's with the terrific Peter Reardon as Joey added a beautifully arranged He Was Too Good For Me as a duet for Vera and Linda. | |
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| re: PAL JOEY revisal | |
| Last Edit: PlayWiz 12:14 pm EDT 10/04/21 | |
| Posted by: PlayWiz 12:05 pm EDT 10/04/21 | |
| In reply to: PAL JOEY revisal - showtunetrivia 11:30 am EDT 10/04/21 | |
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| Have been listening lately to the Ella Fitzgerald Rodgers & Hart Songbook, and that's one of the best of her songbooks series, with Ella in top form and great orchestrations. Hart's lyrics are so witty and at times incredibly deep and moving, and can in turn be absolutely breathtaking, along with Rodgers' ability to meld a wonderful melody along with them. Now, "Pal Joey" actually has a wonderful score and if done right, a perfectly fine book. I skipped the last Broadway production, but did see it in London years ago, and it played very well indeed. I agree with Laura that this new production could be wonderful or disappointing. I rather hope they are judicious in terms of putting in other R&H songs, as it doesn't really need much to flesh it out. Joey and Vera Simpson have their showcase numbers. Linda English could be built up somewhat as a contrast, since she's the only really sweet person in the show. But Joey and Vera were the real revelations of the original show -- a real heel who's pretty hot with the ladies, and a lady who wants to let loose sexually with a stud with no other real redeeming qualities; that is, it's a lark for her for a while as long as it suits her. Characters like that were original on the Broadway stage, and hopefully this production won't diminish them or their impact. Someone like Hinton Battle could have knocked this out of the park years ago, or with more traditional casting, over the years Gene Nelson or Michael Berresse seem to be missed opportunities. Perhaps Corbin Bleu, who really danced up a storm in "Holiday Inn" might fit the bill, though he might have to rein in his very likeability to play the sometimes charming louse Joey. | |
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| re: PAL JOEY revisal | |
| Posted by: WaHiGuy 12:52 pm EDT 10/04/21 | |
| In reply to: re: PAL JOEY revisal - PlayWiz 12:05 pm EDT 10/04/21 | |
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| I'm always leery of revisals that interpolate songs from other scores by the same composer/lyricist. The people making the choices usually opt for hits and pass over little known gems, making the revised song list a hit parade of R&Hart songs. I hope this will not be the case. I don't' know Pal Joey well enough to comment on whether or not it even needs additional music, but they should trust the original material. | |
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| re: PAL JOEY revisal | |
| Posted by: showtunetrivia 12:25 pm EDT 10/04/21 | |
| In reply to: re: PAL JOEY revisal - PlayWiz 12:05 pm EDT 10/04/21 | |
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| Agree on all counts, PlayWiz: Ella, the added songs issue, and yes, I would love to see Bleu try this. Full disclosure: Larry Hart is a major character in my forthcoming novel (yes, I can say “forthcoming” at long last, loves! I get preliminary cover sketches this week!), so I am certifiably obsessed with his career. Laura |
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| re: PAL JOEY revisal | |
| Posted by: WWriter 10:38 pm EDT 10/04/21 | |
| In reply to: re: PAL JOEY revisal - showtunetrivia 12:25 pm EDT 10/04/21 | |
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| Congratulations! How exciting! I love forward to reading it | |
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| re: PAL JOEY revisal | |
| Posted by: StageLover 07:57 pm EDT 10/04/21 | |
| In reply to: re: PAL JOEY revisal - showtunetrivia 12:25 pm EDT 10/04/21 | |
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| It's too bad Sondheim hates his work so much. | |
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| re: PAL JOEY revisal | |
| Posted by: keikekaze 01:52 pm EDT 10/04/21 | |
| In reply to: re: PAL JOEY revisal - showtunetrivia 12:25 pm EDT 10/04/21 | |
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| I can say “forthcoming” at long last, loves! I get preliminary cover sketches this week! Wonderful! Congratulations! I didn't realize you'd even sold it--but then, like so many of us, I've been a bit out of the loop for the last 18 months! |
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| re: PAL JOEY revisal | |
| Posted by: showtunetrivia 02:20 pm EDT 10/04/21 | |
| In reply to: re: PAL JOEY revisal - keikekaze 01:52 pm EDT 10/04/21 | |
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| Well, I haven’t sold it. After a decade of non-stop rejections from publishers big and small, I’ve decided to self-publish. I’m not getting any younger; publishing in general is in the toilet (my husband has written over a hundred novels, won awards, and made the NYT bestseller list, and even with that track record, he’s feeling the pinch); and, let’s face it, marketing the world’s first alternate theatre history novel is a hard sell. Niche market, anyone? More like a crevice! Of course, I probably didn’t help my chances of getting a sale by devoting an entire chapter to moving a piano. :) It’s an important piano, but still… Anyway, fingers are crossed that BROADWAY REVIVAL will be available by the end of the year. Laura |
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| re: PAL JOEY revisal | |
| Posted by: WaymanWong 03:58 pm EDT 10/04/21 | |
| In reply to: re: PAL JOEY revisal - showtunetrivia 02:20 pm EDT 10/04/21 | |
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| Laura, even if some publisher didn't ask ''if you could write a book,'' congrats on self-publishing it. Hope your novel wins best ''Revival''! | |
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| re: PAL JOEY revisal | |
| Posted by: Someday 03:21 pm EDT 10/04/21 | |
| In reply to: re: PAL JOEY revisal - showtunetrivia 02:20 pm EDT 10/04/21 | |
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| Hey, August Wilson wrote a whole play about "an important piano"... and much else. I'm glad you stuck to your guns with that chapter! And I empathize about the apparently crevice-like market for the material you're most passionate about. It's a crevice whose contours I happen to love, and I suspect most of the lurkers and posters here feel the same. So please keep us posted! | |
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| Thanks, gang! | |
| Posted by: showtunetrivia 07:47 pm EDT 10/04/21 | |
| In reply to: re: PAL JOEY revisal - Someday 03:21 pm EDT 10/04/21 | |
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| My thanks for the encouraging posts above. You can expect a great deal of noise from me when BROADWAY REVIVAL is indeed available. Because who on earth is more inclined to be interested in a book where Gershwin doesn’t die in 1937 than my fellow Chatterati? :) Laura, still chuffed at the notion of being connected (however tenuously) to August Wilson |
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| re: Thanks, gang! | |
| Posted by: WWriter 10:43 pm EDT 10/04/21 | |
| In reply to: Thanks, gang! - showtunetrivia 07:47 pm EDT 10/04/21 | |
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| I love that concept! I read once that Gershwin said that he had written a piece in his head for, IIRC, a string quartet and only needed to find time to write it down. And then he died. Of course it's terribly sad that we lost ALL he would have done, but that particular piece breaks my heart, because it almost existed. Put me down for a copy. Wendy |
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| re: Thanks, gang! | |
| Last Edit: Chromolume 09:19 pm EDT 10/04/21 | |
| Posted by: Chromolume 09:19 pm EDT 10/04/21 | |
| In reply to: Thanks, gang! - showtunetrivia 07:47 pm EDT 10/04/21 | |
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| It may seem like a backhanded compliment, but I do actually mean it to be a true compliment - I'm far far more interested in your book than in this already odd rewrite of Pal Joey. Looking forward, Laura!! | |
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| And I got the first look at the cover art today! | |
| Posted by: showtunetrivia 11:55 am EDT 10/05/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Thanks, gang! - Chromolume 09:19 pm EDT 10/04/21 | |
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| Wow, I woke up this morning to a lovely email from Ann, this terrific compliment from Chromolume, AND the early cover art for BROADWAY REVIVAL, which looks awesome. And it rained last night, too! (We’ve had about five inches all year.) Laura, having a Very Good Day Indeed! |
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| re: PAL JOEY revisal | |
| Posted by: PlayWiz 12:36 pm EDT 10/04/21 | |
| In reply to: re: PAL JOEY revisal - showtunetrivia 12:25 pm EDT 10/04/21 | |
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| Let us know more about the book as it progresses. That sounds exciting! Good for you! | |
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