Blog

Doing my 2025 end-of-year newsletter was SO HARD. I could only cite one thing per month. It killed me not to share all the other things. So here they are. Plus what I learned - so good for me to remember, maybe helpful for you? IN THE 1ST MONTH OF ‘25 - (aka January) I said, oh what the heck. I'll get a pass for the Readers Room - into which you can bring very little, so you need to use a locker -             LESSON LEARNED : ALWAYS TAKE A PICTURE OF YOUR LOCKER I though

I just saw Dear Evan Hansen in Paris. In French . Both the book and lyrics. Which is unusual here (more on that below). So how was it? It was the same. And also pretty different. The French reviews were raves. From review Radio-France But what are American responses to the French version? I’ve been scouring the “Interweb” - and I haven't found any. NADA. (I did find one review from an Anglophone newscaster, but she lives here - so her French POV is stronger than mine.) So I

WHEN WE SING TOGETHER, OUR HEARTS MEET. Musicals - or " comédies musicales " are booming in Paris. Which is surprising . And may also be a sign of something – bigger. (IMHO) Musicals are a typically American art form. They tend to be sunny, optimistic, open-hearted and open-throated. Even when there is darkness – as in my two favorite musicals, Man of La Mancha and Fiddler on the Roof - there is light at the end of the tunnel. As the Greeks would say, catharsis .   This kin

What's special about the Holidays in Antibes? This is just from 24 HOURS (Sat - Sun. Dec. 13-14) I share here a wee slice here from the huge holiday log. (You'll get that reference below) NUMBER 1 - A TON OF SAILBOATS. Why not? It's 60 degrees. NUMBER 2 - A CHURCH CHECK-IN The Chapelle de Saint Bernardin dates back to 1513. No, it was NOT NAMED FOR THE DOG. I've been wanting to go here for two years - and finally I made it! Chapelle de Saint Bernardin HONEY, I SHRUNK THE MON

Do we all need a little music, laughter - a little joy? ( I do!)   If you're in the south of France... Please join us for Liberté, Baby! A rousing affirmation of freedom of expression We're partnering with  Fall Of Freedom  - so you get a chance to join artists like musician John Legend, film director Ava DuVernay and author Ann Patchett in making/riding creative waves for a better world.  (ok they won't be here in person - but they will be in spirit!) Singer/songwriter John

Many people go to the City of Lights for food, fun, shopping. ME, I'm on a mission - FINDING FORGOTTEN WOMEN OF FRANCE Who (and what) did I find this trip? A woman who is not forgotten - she's everywhere, in plain sight - but do we really notice her? THE VIRGIN MARY Mary and Jesus. No, her face isn't stained glass - one of the hazards of cell phone photography! Did you know the entire country of FRANCE IS CONSECRATED TO THE VIRGIN MARY? I didn't. I also didn't realize that a

I've been to Notre-Dame. Notre-Dame. Nice clean up job after the fire, non? I've been to the château in Saint-Germain-en-Laye. St-Germain-en-Laye. Cool place, no Marguérite. Nada. I've been looking for traces of Marguérite de Provence, the wife of Louis IX and eldest sister in my musical about four sisters in medieval Provence who all become queens (!). Marguérite upper left. Clockwise: Sancie, Béatrice, Aliénor. Next I head to Sainte-Chapelle. Heaven on earth to her husband,

Marguérite and Louis, Queen and King of France in the mid-1200's, live in lots of different châteaux in the course of their 36-year marriage. In Aigues-Mortes - about to set sail for the Crusade in Outre-Mer. Does she look pregnant to you? One day, I'd like to visit them all. Especially Pontoise...(below) - for salacious reasons (wink wink). Ramparts of the Château de Pontoise, where the love birds used to hide from his mother so they could play hide the sausage. Photo: Phil

In October, I had to be in Paris to teach a workshop on playwriting. So I decided to multi-task – and go in search of traces of Marguérite, Queen of France in the 1200’s. I'm always on the lookout for these "Forgotten Women of France..." I did find a statue of Marguérite - but not in Paris, in a small church in Auvergne. Marguérite is Queen One of my Four Queens  musical , inspired by sisters in medieval Provence who all become queens. Clockwise from upper left: Marguérite, S

Max Gallagher, Jon Bonner, Celine Rosenthal, Lizzie Hagstedt, Oliver Aston, Amy Bastani, and me. I've "produced" readings in New York...

Since we visited Forcalquier a year ago and discovered the amazing story of the four sisters in medieval Provence who all became queens -...

✈️ Just back from @BEAM 2025, the UK bi-annual musical theatre conference - and it was everything I hoped for and more. Birmingham...

Without Googling (or AI'ing) Marguérite, can you guess which king she was married to? Hint: he's the most popular king of France ever....

Note: don't go between 12-2pm They're closed for lunch! Always check website of call ahead in France. The first Sunday in France, many...

I’m a tad embarrassed to admit I hadn’t been to the Louvre in years. It’s overwhelming. Always packed. Give me the Musée d’Orsay any day....

Thank heavens for pop music. Yesterday, Nov. 6, the day after the US Election, two songs kept me going: There's Got To Be A Morning...

Sometimes, we're so fixated on making big waves, we forget how important the ripples can be. When I was making my play Unsung ( Inconnue...

Me and Freddy (aka Alfred) Cook - the very first presentation after my residency. I've just finished the summer presentations of my...

French actors Patrick Grenouilleau (Henry), Catherine Long (Marie) and Me (Writer) As I started getting my show "Unsung/Inconnue" ready...

"Marie's Theme' - music by Frederick Delius, words and vocal by Me. I just recorded one of my songs (and me singing/playing it) -- at the...