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The Wavy Rule, a Daily Comic by Paul Morris: Feel the Beat of the Tambourine
Filed under: The Catbird Seat: Friends & Guests Tagged: Anthony Lane, cartoons, comics, Danny Shanahan, David Denby, John Lahr, movies, music, The Wavy Rule, theater
Paul writes of his Mamma Mia! and Iron Man fantasia, "I know this is a gross generalization, but in terms of media frenzy, it's all about the Streep and the Stark."
Here's David Denby's review of Iron Man; Mamma Mia! isn't out till July 18, but you can be sure Anthony Lane will eviscerate it. John Lahr wrote of the stage version of Mamma Mia!, "In dark times, art can raise the pulse and lift the heart of a community. Unfortunately, 'Mamma Mia!' is nothing but hokum." Danny Shanahan did a cartoon about the show (which I would link to, but I can't track it down on the Cartoon Bank; it's from 2001, too), and in 1939, there was a one-line Talk of the Town item (under "Incidental Intelligence") that read simply: "The Mamma Mia Importing Company has headquarters in Brooklyn, where it imports something or other."
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Check out the "Wavy Rule" archive! More drawings by Paul Morris: his very funny webcomic "Arnjuice," his motley Flickr page, and satisfying cartoon collections to download at Lulu.
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Comments
I really like this cartoon, Paul, but every single time I look at it, and I've now looked at it several times, I get both ABBA songs ("Mamma Mia" and "Dancing Queen" glued to the inside of my brain pan. Solvent, please!
Lahr wrote that when he saw the stage show, everyone, even way up in the (I'm typing from memory) "crepuscular nosebleed seats," was singing and dancing along. I bet I would, too. The songs are irresistibly abbalicious, no matter what you think of them the 16,000th time you've heard them.
The whole description also reminds me of seeing Hedwig and the Angry Inch on my 30th birthday, which was September 12, 2001. The Union Square multiplex had movies for free all day, and free popcorn and drinks, too. People sat cross-legged on the floor of the theater after the seats were filled, and everyone sang along. You surely couldn't blame us for doing more than a little crying. And I never get sick of those songs, either.
Fabba, like Abba, one never knows who you'll shine you're light on..maybe 'just a cosmic joke'. as gore vidal is wont to say...thanks emdashes, emilicious, per usual...
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