Born and raised in Washington, D.C., I couldn't help but develop a keen interest in politics, but music, theater and visual art also proved great attractions. Music became my main focus after high school. I thought about being a cocktail pianist, but I hated taking requests, so I studied music history instead, earning a B.A. in that field from Eisenhower College (Seneca Falls, N.Y.) and an M.A. from Occidental College (Los Angeles). I then landed in journalism. After freelancing for the Washington Post and others, I was classical music critic for the Sun-Sentinel in South Florida, where I also contributed to NPR. I've written for the New York Times, BBC Music Magazine and other publications, and I'm a longtime contributor to Opera News. My book, The NPR Curious Listener's Guide to Classical Music (Perigee, 2002), can be found on the most discerning remainder racks.
I joined the Baltimore Sun as classical music critic in 2000 and, in 2009, also became theater critic, giving me the opportunity to annoy a whole new audience. In 2010, my original Clef Notes blog expanded to encompass a theatrical component -- how could I resist calling it Drama Queens? I hope you'll find both sides of this blog coin worth exploring and reacting to; your own comments are always welcome and valued (well, most of them, at least).
Think of this as your open-all-hours, cyber green room, where there's always a performer or performance to discuss, some news to digest, or maybe just a little good gossip to share.
Note: Tim Smith now writes about the fine arts at
baltimoresun.com/artsmash. This blog will be kept in place as an archive for an indefinite period. Please visit the new location to get the latest Mid-Atlantic arts coverage.
View the Artsmash blog
Comments
You're absolutely correct -- the music, in particular, is _unremarkable_. In fact, it's incredibly bland, generic "rock on stage" stuff that just screams "I wanna be _on_ Broadway, but I don't wanna _be_ Broadway, get it?!" Ugh. The whole "work" is like a bunch of bubblegum-pop-ballad cast-offs and Green-Day rejects, with lyrics that set my eyes a-rollin'. Short of the "story" holding it all together, nothing flows. I certainly wouldn't call it any sort of "evolution" or "step forward" in the world of musicals. (If it's anything, then it's a step either _backward_ or toward a weird, forgettable tangent.)
If this is the kind of work that wins a Tony, then I can't say the expectations are set all that high.
Posted by: Doug Halfen | June 10, 2009 8:28 PM
Really? I found the songs VERY melodic, catchy, and hummable. Not like Sondheim at all. It's a beautiful, wonderful, and most importantly--FUN show.
Fun isn't exactly the word that comes to mind, given the suicide and death-by-botched-abortion in the plot, but, hey, maybe I'm just being too serious. Anyway, I still find the melodies uninspired. I suspect the composer got the chords down first and then tried to write the melodic lines. To my ears, they simply don't measure up to the work of great tunesmiths. I expect more from a hot musical. As a total experience, though, I appreciate the show a lot, and tried to make that clear in my review. Thanks for the comments.
Posted by: Pun | June 11, 2009 10:08 AM