Music Monday: Zoom Cocktails Edition

Late last month, a still-dark Broadway (and Hollywood) celebrated the 90th birthday of Stephen Sondheim with a star-studded self-quarantine live-from-home show that raised money for the charity group Artists Striving To End Poverty. You can watch the whole two-and-a-half hour affair here (now embedded above, which you are welcome to restart or watch in its entirety) because, heck, what else do a lot of you have to do right now? (Though not us, The Essentials, but everyone else.) Still if you only have time for one I cannot recommend highly enough the boozy rendition of “Ladies Who Lunch” from Sondheim’s musical “Company.”

It features – wait for it – Meryl Streep, Christine Baranski and Audra McDonald in their bathrobes mixing and drinking cocktails on The Most Epic Zoom Call Ever. It’s so wonderful that after watching it the first time I replayed it – and I am not exaggerating – half a dozen times in a row. The robes, the sass, the cocktails, the glimpse inside these stars’ homes, The Voices. Goodness it’s just so damn great. May you enjoy (or re-enjoy) this to start your week and remember to find joy (and cocktails or mocktails) wherever you can. Cheers, kittens.

My Shoulda Been Weekend, New Week Crush

Oh, geez. Yes, this is another ridiculously late post. Apologies for going off the grid for a few days. My excuse is the totally unoriginal “I was busy” coupled with the always true “sleep is a nice thing.” But, fear not. I am still here and writing and now want to share this lovely little number with you as both an apology and a thank you. This past week I had the extreme pleasure of seeing Broadway legend and all-around incredible person Audra McDonald in concert. And she performed this song as the encore. She prefaced it by saying she used to sing this as a rallying cry for the marriage equality fight. But sine June of this year, she now performs it beacon of hope for anyone who needs it. Also, you know, there is the Dorothy connection.

p.s If you get the chance to see Audra in concert, sweet merciful Zeus, go. I cannot recommend her highly enough.