Oscar Follow-Up: A MacLaine-Hathaway Connection

It was gratifying to see Anne Hathaway singing at last weekend's Academy Aware Ceremony, and especially gratifying to see Shirley MacLaine urge Hathaway to use her beautiful singing voice more often. Hathaway's been a BAT favorite ever since her outstanding performance in the Encores! production of Carnival.

There's an interesting potential connection between MacLaine and Hathaway that I hope will develop: MacLaine appeared in the great movie The Apartment, which was later adapted as the great Broadway musical Promises, Promises—and Hathaway appears to be headed to appear with Sean Hayes in a new production of the Burt Bacharach-Hal David-Neil Simon musical.

Here is Hathaway on the red carpet.



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I'll NEVER FALL IN LOVE AGAIN/SAVOY TRUFFLE

Last week, thanks to The Other Dave, I learned that two "color words" that rhyme are "green" and "tangerine." And then, with the help of Dave and Sasha, I discovered something about the Beatles song "Savoy Truffle." Just like Halloween, it's all about candy!

Looking for "Savoy Truffle" on YouTube, I found a single by Ella Fitzgerald pairing the song with Burt Bacharach and Hal David's "I'll Never Fall in Love Again." Not her best moment, but worth a listen.

LAUREN PRITCHARD AT ARS NOVA

Lauren Pritchard's sold-out showcase at Ars Nova on Tuesday was one of the best performances I've seen this year. Her singing was remarkably strong and virtuosically calibrated, enhanced by a strong sense of rhythm that also came through in her piano playing. And her patter was quirky like her delivery as Ilse in Spring Awakening...but funny! I'm not a fan of some of her material (I'm told one of the selections was a Kelly Clarkson cover), but she shaped everything so effectively that I enjoyed all of it.

It's just too bad that Pritchard's set was so short (maybe 40 minutes?). Her other numbers included two break-up songs that she wrote herself and at least two numbers by Spring Awakening's songwriting team of Duncan Sheik (who accompanied Pritchard on guitar and exchanged quips with her too)and Steven Sater (who was in the audience, along with many other Spring Awakening folk).

Sheik, Sater, and Pritchard just might have the right stuff to give Bacharach/David/Warwick a run for their money--and I mean that in the best possible sense! Plus Pritchard can write her own music, too...so I'm very curious to see how she builds on her potential.

Spring Awakening cellist Ben Kalb accompanied Pritchard throughout the evening--his playing was terrific, as were the arrangements.

Here's a write-up of the event by meli. (The tupperware on the walls was from the set for Dixie's Tupperware Party.)