“First Daughter Suite”: My FT Review
The Financial Times has posted my review of the new chamber musical “First Daughter Suite,” by Michael John LaChiusa, at the Public Theater in New York. Bottom line: ‘LaChiusa is a whiz at whimsy. His lyrics sail playfully in pleasurable, sometimes unexpected directions while his music bears the stamp of Sondheim. All the open fifths and soaring phrases can produce an emotional sameness, though you can understand why performers relish singing the often haunting melodic lines.’
