David Young (6) (1946–)

I've seen two productions of this play now and both times I've been struck by its brilliance. Using the structure of the Goldberg Variations, Glenn Gould's great claim to fame, and having the artist represented by different actors for each stage of his life, we get a powerful examination of the nature of art and the artist.

The second time I saw this play I had just come back from a life-changing trip to Australia. There was a line I remember that made me cry like a baby, a validation of my choice to be a theatre artist. When I get my hands on the script again I'll update this review with it.… (meer)

Red and Boober wander off together so the others can finish preparing for Boober's surprise birthday party, and are trapped by a cave-in. The characterization and dialogue were spot-on with my memories of the show (a favorite from childhood), and the illustrations were great. The story was surprisingly dark and scary. A happy ending is assured, of course, but there's a lot going on here. Which is what made Henson's creations so compelling: even the children's shows have layers and complexity. Add some wonderful music and you have the show distilled into book form.… (meer)