PICKET TICKETS: DYI WILLIAM FINN "TWIN BILL"

A Broadway show that is running despite the strike is the delightful 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, with music and lyrics by the gifted William Finn.

What makes this a special time for Finn and Finn's fans is that Make Me a Song, a revue of his music, is running about a block away from Spelling Bee. The production of this song sampler is a little rough around the edges, but it's a great complement to Spelling Bee, an opportunity to immerse onself in Finn songs from the Falsettos trilogy as well as relatively obscure shows such as A New Brain and Romance in Hard Times, which I regret missing. Plus there are the one-shot numbers. At the performance that I attended, attendees were encouraged to vote for their favorite Finn songs—it was really tough to choose! I hope that the run of this show leads to more productions of Finn's other works, if only so I can catch up with them.

Here's a song that's not in the revue: "Joe Papp" from Elegies: A Song Cycle. The video isn't great, but it's got spirit!



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Photo from Spelling Bee: Joan Marcus