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Ann Arbor's Penny Seats to perform Tom Lehrer tunes in October

Musical Tom Foolery will be performed at Conor O'Neills by Ann Arbor's The Penny Seats the first four Thursdays in Oct

Save the date for cheeky ribaldry! The musical revue Tom Foolery will be performed at Conor O’Neills Ann Arbor by Ann Arbor’s The Penny Seats the first four Thursdays in October (October 2, 9, 16, and 23)!

More info at pennyseats.org. The show, originally conceived by Cameron Mackintosh (Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables), celebrates the music of Tom Lehrer, a comic misanthrope who makes Lewis Black and Jon Stewart seem like Mr. Rogers and Spongebob Squarepants.

Gen X knows him best as having written the songs for Electric Company (“Silent E”) but he also wrote a number of satirical songs in the 50s and 60s for shows like That Was The Week That Was, The Frost Report, and The Steve Allen Show as well as his own concert performances.

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Lehrer observed, “I know it’s very bad form to quote one’s own reviews, but there is something the New York Times said about me [in 1958], that I have always treasured: ‘Mr. Lehrer’s muse [is] not fettered by such inhibiting factors as taste.

The show features Laura Sagolla, Brent Stansfield, Roy Sexton, and Matt Cameron and is directed by Lauren London with music direction from Rebecca Biber and choreography by Victoria Gilbert. You can check out all of Lehrer’s music at his YouTube channel here.

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ALSO, enjoy this interview of Roy’s mom Susie, a columnist and author, on Fort Wayne’s Patty’s Page talk show. Click here to view. Susie discusses the experiences of growing up in small-town Columbia City, the high and lows and the delights and frustrations of writing her columns and books, her love of animals and movies and fun, the importance of always keeping an open mind, and many more wide-ranging topics.

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