If you're of a certain age (and you know what age I mean) and you grew up in the US, you probably grew up with at least an awareness of the songs of Tom Lehrer. I grew up listening to his recordings over and over (when we weren't listening to Alan Sherman, Alvin & the Chipmunks, or Dirty Ed McCurdy) ... and I'm amazed that nobody called social services on my parents! No wonder I never fit in with my peers! I could sing along with every song -- I still have the lyrics squirreled away in my brain -- and I had absolutely no idea what any of them meant. Hearts full of youth, hearts full of truth, six parts gin to one part vermouth? Huh?Tom Lehrer was an integral part of my childhood. Therefore, when I saw that a local community theater was putting on a review of his songs, called Tomfoolery, I had to go. Lehrer was a solo performer, but the songs lent themselves extremely well to this ensemble performance. And the cast of 5 -- none of whom were even conceived in his heyday -- captured the satirical puckishness of the songs so well. And of course we owe so much to today's warmongers and neocons who continue to make songs such as "So Long Mom, I'm Off To Drop the Bomb" as fresh and timely as ever. Thanks George, Dick, Condi, and all the members of the Carlisle Group ... sniff. [Wipes tear from eye.]
What fun.
