Playlist For Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024: Another Cuppa Joe

1/3 down (well, almost), 2/3 to go (well, almost). 

Not talking about the fruitcake "aging" in the fridge. Not talking about that 7am Boot Camp class when I'm counting the minutes to finish. I'm talking about the 90 (wait, 91...it's Leap Year) Day Countdown, from January 1 to April 1, the Not-For-Me Season of the Year. The Gulag. The Edgar Allen Poe Dank Tarn Moment. Gray, slushy, mushy, depressing (unless you're a well adjusted poet, Zen Master, or Stoic), hardly fashionable thing called Winter.

 

Maybe all I need is a frilly umbrella? Nah.

 

So I keep a tally, a count, a day by day (like I'm in prison, chalking 'em up on the wall of my cell), until that first sign of Spring Sun and Fun.

 

 

And drinking. Well, mostly (daily) coffee. So as you can imagine, this show's theme wrote itself. Coffee, espresso, tea, all those caffeinated cuppas...plus a few beverages that require ice (or special glasses, or olives). Because it's the "Let's Have Another Cuppa" Edition, with songs from Loesser, Porter, Kander (mit Ebb), Berlin, and Hamlisch. And on the non-Broadway side (yup, I definitely fall off that wagon this Sunday), we'll have The Boswells, The Inkspots, Ella Mae, annnnnd The Chairman of the Board. We have a lot of drinking to do, and we'll need Representation from all persuasions/genres/percolators/french-presses/loose-leaf/and straight-no-chasers.

 

Meanwhile, some sort of precipitation is falling out there. I don't know if I should drag out the sandbags, fling the rock salt, vaccuum those leftover leaves, or call "my guy" to plow. Gulag Living requires flexibility and resourcefulness. I have those, just not always the UMPH to employ them.

 

 I guess I need another cuppa coffee.

 

 

Let's Have Another Cup Of Coffee (Kevin Chamberlin, Judy Kuhn, Ensemble, As Thousands Cheer)

Coffee Break (Charles Nelson Reilly, Claudette Sutherland, How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying)

40 Cups Of Coffee (Ella Mae Morse)

The Coffee Song (Frank Sinatra)

Coffee, Black (Daniel H. Jenkins, Jon Cypher, Big)

Coffee In A Card Board Cup (Gil Lamb, Mildred Natwick, Ensemble, 70, Girls, 70)

Coffee Break (Frank Loesser, An Evening With Frank Loesser)

Have Another Espresso (Shel Silverstein, Inside Folk Music)

You're The Cream In My Coffee (Annette Hanshaw) 

A Cup Of Coffee, A Sandwich, And You (Jack Buchanan, Gertrude Lawrence, Charlotte's Review)

Coffee In The Morning & Kisses In The Night (Gus Arnheim & His Orchestra, Vocals Jimmy Newell)

Nothing (Priscilla Lopez, A Chorus Line)

Something (Douglas Berstein, Upstairs At O'Neals)

Fugue For Tin Horns (Stubby Kaye, Johnny Silver, Douglas Deane, Guys And Dolls)

Fugue For Scalpers (Ensemble, Forbidden Broadway, Vol. 2)

Quiet Coffee (Sally Kellerman, Breakfast At Tiffany's)

The Java Jive (The Inkspots)

Black Coffee (Ann Hampton Callaway, A Peggy Lee Celebration)

Tea For Two (Doris Day, Tea For Two)

Tea For Two (Instrumental, No, No, Nannette)

When I Take My Sugar To Tea (The Boswell Sisters)

Everything Stops For Tea (Jack Buchanan, Come Out Of The Pantry)

Drinkin' Shoes (Company, Pump Boys And Dinettes) 

Dry (Mandy Patinkin, Marc Kudisch, Jane Summerhays, Eartha Kitt, Ensemble, The Wild Party)

Say It With Gin (John McMartin, High Society)

Well, Did You Ever? (Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, High Society)

The Movin' Uptown Blues (Adam Grupper, Stuart Zagnit, The Wild Party)

Champagne (Lin-Manuel Miranda, Karen Olivo, In The Heights)

How Does The Wine Taste? (Barbra Streisand, We Take The Town)

Muffin Song (Louis Edmonds, John Irving, Ernest In Love)

A Nice Cup Of Tea (Binnie Hale, Home And Beauty)

Have Another Cup Of Tea (Company, The Likes Of Us)

You're The Cream In My Coffee (Miff Mole and His Little Molers)

 

 

 

Playlist For Sunday, January 28, 2024: Carpe? Maybe Manana

One of my gym-mates (yes, I have friends who like to sweat/perspire/GLOW as much as I) said something profound the other day. She said that January should be treated like a Sunday. A whole month of Sundays. Like a slow, low-expectation month. A pajama month. A tomato soup and grilled cheese in front of Netflix month, a chunky book and hot chocolate month. A carpe manana month. I like that.

 

Weathering weather, short days, looming taxes...that sorta stuff demands baby steps, naps, warm socks, scented candles, and heating pads. Not vim. For I am vimless. That is now a word. And I am the icon of Vimless-ness. I'm sneaking around the edges of the my To-Do list, side-eyeing those demanding chores, and overly layering (which means BIB...blankets in bed).

 

 

 

 

The one thing I HAVE done is (may the musical gods help me) sign up for the community band. Fifty two years ago, I played the saxophone. For all of 3 months of marching band. One summer. I was 15ish? Anyway, the leader of this band (Professor Hill?) has handed me a folder of sheet music, a pack of reeds, and a alto sax, and said Go. Learn. Get an embouchure. And I find myself honking away. 

 

 

 

 

So there's THAT! 

On every other subject, I remain ambivalent. Hence the theme of this Sunday's show: Yes. Well, no. Wait...maybe? Or as The Clash put it, "Is It Yes Or Is It No?" Something like that. (I am not playing The Clash.) But we'll have Yesses and Nos and Nots and Maybeees and we'll see what the decision is. Note: There are A LOT more nos in the Broadway canon than yesses. Yessiree, Bob. 

And then MAYBE I'll rev my engines and seize the actual day. And month. And year. One grilled cheese at a time. 

 

 

Gotta Be This Or That (Undecided)(Ensemble, Forever Plaid)

Yes (Liza Minnelli, Liza With A Z)

Yesterday I Loved You (Allen Case, Anne Jones, Once Upon A Mattress)

Yesterday, Tomorrow, And Today (Brian Stokes Mitchell, Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown)

No, No, Nanette (Ensemble, No, No, Nanette)

The Call Of The Sea (Bobby Van, No, No, Nanette)

I Want To Be Happy (Jack Gilford, Susan Watson, No, No, Nanette)

Yes, Indeedy (Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, Jules Munshin, Take Me Out To The Ball Game)

Yes, We Have No Bananas (Jim Borstelmann, Company, Bullets Over Broadway)

No Strings (Richard Kiley, Diahann Carroll, No Strings)

There Is No Other Way (Soon Tek-Oh, Pacific Overtures)

No Lullabies For Luis (Ensemble, Runaways)

Upstairs At O'Neals (Ensemble, Upstairs At O'Neals)

Stools (Bebe Neuwirth, Douglas Bernstein, Richard Ryders, Upstairs At O'Neals)

Theatre-Party Ladies (John Driver, Jeffrey Haddow, Roger Neil, Scrambled Feet

She Is Not Thinking Of Me (Corey Cott, Gigi)

But Not For Me (Mary Martin, Girl Crazy)

Not A Day Goes By (Bernadette Peters, Sondheim Etc.)

A Secretary Is Not A Toy (Ensemble, How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying)

Not For The Life Of Me (Sutton Foster, Thoroughly Modern Millie)

He's Not A Well Man (Barbra Streisand, Jack Kruschen, I Can Get It For You Wholesale)

Not While I'm Around (Ken Jennings, Angela Lansbury, Sweeney Todd)

I Do Not Know A Day I Did Not Love You (Tricia O'Neil, Walter Willison, Two By Two)

More I Cannot Wish You (Pat Rooney, Sr., Guys And Dolls)

Hey, Why Not? (Tony Roberts, Elaine Joyce, Sugar)

Maybe (Bobby Short, Bobby Short Is K-Ra-Zy for Gershwin)

Maybe I'll Come Back (Judy Garland, Judy)

Maybe (Andrea McArdle, Annie)

Maybe Love (Caroline Innerbichler, Shucked)

Maybe It Starts With Me (Shoshana Bean, Mr. Saturday Night)

Maybe It's Time For Me (Bernadette Peters, Sherry!)

Maybe This Time (Liza Minnelli, Cabaret)

 

 

 

Playlist For Sunday, January 21, 2024: Take 2 On The NIGHT!

Let's try this again.

Mr. Winter hit the pause button on 2 On The Aisle yesterday, and I wasn't able to do a LIVE program. Rats!

 

Cold, but cozy!

 

Sooooo what that means is that The Grand Night Edition will have a "take 2" performance this coming Sunday, January 21.  Same playlist (which I've repeated below), same pithy comments coming your way (probably even pithy-er, cuz they've now "aged"), and much musical fun, for sure.

 

Like this guy. We'll hear this guy. No snow at the opera.

 

Thanks for your patience, and barring another Snow-Ma-Geddon, I'll be comin' atcha with NIGHTS this Sunday. :)

It's A Grand Night For Singing (Company, State Fair)

Tonight At 8 (Zachary Levi, She Loves Me)

Nightlife (Anita Gillette, All American)

The Night They Invented Champagne (Karin Wolfe, Daniel Massey, Maria Karnilova, Gigi)

A Lovely Night (Julie Andrews, Cinderella)

I Wonder What The King Is Doing Tonight (Richard Burton, Camelot)

Knight Of The Woeful Countenance (Brian Stokes Mitchell, Man Of La Mancha) 

Goodnight, My Someone (Barbara Cook, The Music Man)

'Tain't A Fit Night Out (Ensemble, Bullets Over Broadway)

The Story Of Tonight (Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton)

We Own The Night (Aidan Gemme, Matthew Morrison, Laura Michelle Kelly, Finding Neverland)

The Invitation/Forever Starts Tonight (Tony Danza, Rob McClure, Honeymoon In Vegas)

Some Enchanted Evening (Ezio Pinza, South Pacific)

I Could Have Danced All Night (Lauren Ambrose, My Fair Lady)

All Through The Night (Hal Linden, Barbara Lang, Anything Goes)

Raining On Prom Night (Carole Demas, Grease)

A Rainy Night In Rio (The Andrew Sisters)

You And The Night And The Music (Instrumental, The Band Wagon)

Opening Night (Ensemble, The Producers)

Comedy Tonight (Nathan Lane, Company, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum)

Welcome To The Night (John Lithgow, Sweet Smell Of Success)

Tonight (Larry Kert, Carol Lawrence, Chita Rivera, Michael Callan, Ken Leroy, West Side Story)

Meet Me Tonight In Dreamland (Judy Garland, In The Good Old Summertime)

On This Night Of A Thousand Stars (Max Von Essen, Call Me Old Fashioned)

The Music Of The Night (Michael Crawford, The Phantom Of The Opera)

One Night Only (Jennifer Holliday, Dream Girls)

At Night She Comes Home To Me (James Congdon, Martin Vidnovic, Todd Graff, Baby)

Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 Sportscast (Peter Schickele, PDQ Bach On The Air)

Last Night When We Were Young (Judy Garland)

A Long Night (Frank Sinatra, She Shot Me Down)

Goodnight, My Love (Shirley Temple, Stowaway)

Playlist For Sunday, January 14, 2024: We Own The Night, Right?

So that was fun! Last Sunday's Past Pastiche edition with Bellisant humming along metaphorically (and a surprise appearance by some dude named Lucky) was just what my January Gulag-y Mood required. Now that my tree is naked and jettisoned, and the holidays are G O N E as well (with the exception of National Popcorn Day, which is next week?), I have to face that 90 (91, it's Leap Year) Day Countdown til April 1. I guess we could say 90.1?? :-) 

 

See? 4 lords a-leaping!

 

Not like I'm looking forward to Fools. I AM looking forward to Light and Warmth and Bike-ability. 

Meanwhile, we still have Dark. At 4:50pm, I get the feeling it's at least 10:57, if not midnight. That's A Long Night. And sometimes it Tain't A Fit Night Out (for man nor beast). But by going Broadway, we'll Own The Night, it'll be a Grand Night For Singing, and maybe (for One Night Only) we'll meet in Dreamland. And that, dear listener, is our Theme. :)

 

Tain't A Good Night Out, via Bullets!

 

 State Fair's Grand (if corny) Night!

 

Jennifer (above)...in Dreamgirls,

and Judy (below)...in Dreamland!

 

 Humor me. It's January. Not even the Ides. 

 

My thoughts exactly, Victoria.

 

 But we WILL survive. Gulag be damned. Join me for Nightlife!

It's A Grand Night For Singing (Company, State Fair)

Tonight At 8 (Zachary Levi, She Loves Me)

Nightlife (Anita Gillette, All American)

The Night They Invented Champagne (Karin Wolfe, Daniel Massey, Maria Karnilova, Gigi)

A Lovely Night (Julie Andrews, Cinderella)

I Wonder What The King Is Doing Tonight (Richard Burton, Camelot)

Knight Of The Woeful Countenance (Brian Stokes Mitchell, Man Of La Mancha) 

Goodnight, My Someone (Barbara Cook, The Music Man)

'Tain't A Fit Night Out (Ensemble, Bullets Over Broadway)

The Story Of Tonight (Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton)

We Own The Night (Aidan Gemme, Matthew Morrison, Laura Michelle Kelly, Finding Neverland)

The Invitation/Forever Starts Tonight (Tony Danza, Rob McClure, Honeymoon In Vegas)

Some Enchanted Evening (Ezio Pinza, South Pacific)

I Could Have Danced All Night (Lauren Ambrose, My Fair Lady)

All Through The Night (Hal Linden, Barbara Lang, Anything Goes)

Raining On Prom Night (Carole Demas, Grease)

A Rainy Night In Rio (The Andrew Sisters)

You And The Night And The Music (Instrumental, The Band Wagon)

Opening Night (Ensemble, The Producers)

Comedy Tonight (Nathan Lane, Company, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum)

Welcome To The Night (John Lithgow, Sweet Smell Of Success)

Tonight (Larry Kert, Carol Lawrence, Chita Rivera, Michael Callan, Ken Leroy, West Side Story)

Meet Me Tonight In Dreamland (Judy Garland, In The Good Old Summertime)

On This Night Of A Thousand Stars (Max Von Essen, Call Me Old Fashioned)

The Music Of The Night (Michael Crawford, The Phantom Of The Opera)

One Night Only (Jennifer Holliday, Dream Girls)

At Night She Comes Home To Me (James Congdon, Martin Vidnovic, Todd Graff, Baby)

Saturday Night Fish Fry (Jerry Dixon, Doug Eskew, Jeffrey M. Sams, Ensemble, Five Guys Named Moe)

Good Night, Irene (Mississippi Charles Bevel, Dan Wheetman, It Ain't Nothin' But The Blues)

Last Night When We Were Young (Judy Garland)

A Long Night (Frank Sinatra, She Shot Me Down)

Playlist For Sunday, January 7, 2024: Daze of Future Past/Passed Pastische!

What I haven't done:

1.) Jettisoned the tree, chucked the poinsettia, shoveled the needles, and frized/frazed/frozed the leftovers.

 

Yup, still holding up! Tho I do need to comb the tinsel.

 2.) Boxed up the ornaments, holiday platters, and Christmas cards (note to self: I got 3 this year, and mailed 25. Don't send 'em!!!.

3.) Dumped the rest of the panettone bread pudding (what "rest"? There IS no "rest".)

4.) Wrestled the wreath into its 11 month hiatus, under my Memory Foam. 

 

This is NOT my panettone bread pudding. This is a stock photo bread pudding. 

So you'll have to use your imagination. :)

 

Nor will I, until I get good and ready. It's all still on display, at the ready, jollying my environment ANNNND my menu options. 30 Day Challenges, chucking, and additional vacuuming can just "sit on their hands" and wait. I'm not ready to let this holiday go. Harrumph. (Which is my version of Bah Humbug.)

Especially since I have had to postpone Christmas til this week, when certain family members are finally ready and available to celebrate with. Bellisant is here from the gritty city of Philadelphia (well, B's neighborhood is gritty. I fully respect grit, btw.), so we'll be cracking open our crackers and unwrapping Santa gifts THIS WEEK and...co-hosting this coming Sunday! 

 

We duetted in October...driving the pledge "car". 

This time you don't have to donate, but call in anyway! Why not?

Our theme is: That Year and This Year...what happened in '23 and what we hope to happen in '24. Or something like that. Any excuse to do a duet, I guess. Retrospection and Projection. Here and There. Then and Now. The Days of Future Past. And glibness. Lots of glibness. 

 

Another very successful duo...

you'll hear a snippet of both!

 

So peruse the list of "play" and hope you can tune in. And THEN and only then, will I take down Christmas. :)

 

It's Today (Ann Hampton Callaway, Liz Callaway, Sibling Revelry)

We Are What We Are (Gene Barry, Ensemble, La Cage Aux Folles)

A Little More Mascara (George Hearn, La Cage Aux Folles)

I Love To Travel (Nathan Lane, Roger Bart, The Frogs)

Why Do The Wrong People Travel? (Elaine Stritch, Sail Away)

1985 (Bo Burnham)

The Future (Bo Burnham)

Face Timing With My Mom (Bo Burnham)

Try To Remember (John Barrowman, The Fantasticks)

I Remember (Alfred Drake, Maria Karnilova, Gigi)

On An Evening In Roma (Dean Martin)

You Don't Own Me (Leslie Gore)

Sherry (Ensemble, Jersey Boys)

Soon It's Gonna Rain (Barbra Streisand)

Song On The Sand (Gene Barry, La Cage Aux Folles) 

Send In The Clowns (Glynis Johns, A Little Night Music)

Gay Paree (Robert Preston, Victor/Victoria)

If I Were A Rich Man (Zero Mostel, Fiddler On The Roof)

It Just Takes Time (Conrad Ricamora, Alyse Alan Louis, Soft Power)

Democracy (Alyse Alan Louis, Conrad Ricamora, Soft Power)

Lovely (Jack Gilford, Zero Mostel, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum)

Each Tomorrow Morning (Angela Lansbury,  Dear World)

I Guess I'll Have To Change My Plan (Fred Astaire, Jack Buchanan, The Band Wagon) 

There'll Be Some Changes Made (The Boswell Sisters)

Why Try To Change Me Now (Frank Sinatra) 

Sue Me (Frank Loesser, An Evening With Frank Loesser)

You I Like (Michael Feinstein, Jerry Herman, The Grand Tour)

You And Me (Robert Preston, Julie Andrews, Victor/Victoria)