Welcome Back! (fall 2024)

After taking a break from my (already infrequent) blog posts this summer, I’m committed to returning to more regular writing this fall. Most updates will come on Thursdays, though travel, etc. may limit the length and scope of some posts. Fair warning that these posts are still rather incomplete and fanciful musings. I write mainly to keep my own thoughts and writing practice going. If you’re looking for something more accomplished and thorough in our field, please sign up for Brian Herrera’s fantastic substack newsletter Theatre Clique. It’s fantastic!

I was able to see a few things this summer, including Oh, Mary! on Broadway and La Cage aux Folles at the Stratford Theatre Festival. (I wrote a short comparison on my instagram @sbaycheng; tldr: the NYC show was fantastically silly and wickedly subversive; the Stratford revival was, unfortunately, over-produced and under-thought.

I also binged-watched America’s Sweethearts on Netflix. I have many thoughts (including connections to the 1978 musical, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and the history of the jumbotron), but that will have to wait for a future post.

In the meantime, here’s the published interview with David Maggs, Metcalf Fellow on Art and Society. We chatted over the summer and the published version of our conversation on art and storytelling is available here: https://metcalffoundation.com/metcalf-story/art-after-this-with-sarah-bay-cheng/.

Happy reading and I’ll be back next week.