Dark Monday • Too Darn Hot

In 1949, the very first Tony Awards were given, and the big winner that year was 'Kiss Me Kate', the great show with music by Cole Porter, was named Best Musical, as well as winning Best Author (Musical) for Samuel and Bella Spewack, and Best Original Score for Porter. The show was a look at the lives of an acting troupe performing in a musical production of Shakespeare's 'The Taming of the Shrew', and the hijinks and drama that goes on. The original production was Porter's most successful and longest running musical. Fifty years later, the show was back on Broadway, and once again was a Tony favorite, being named Best Revival of a Musical, and saw Brian Stokes Mitchell winning Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical, and Best Director for Michael Blakemore.In 2001, the revival opened on London's West End, also directed by Blakemore. This production was also taped and released for PBS, and later released to DVD. This is the long version of the hit song "Too Darn Hot", featuring Nolan Frederick and the West End cast.

You can purchase the DVD for the West End Revival of 'Kiss Me Kate' from Amazon. You can find the 2000 Broadway Revival Cast album on iTunes. You can also find the 1949 Original Broadway Cast Recording on iTunes.

Dark Monday - Mikail Baryshnikov

Russian born Mikail Baryshnikov is considered by many to be one of the greatest ballet dancers ever, and was certainly someone who was great for dance. He headlined for Russia's premiere ballet company, the Kirov, astounding audiences the world over with his grace, good looks, and amazing athletic ability. His leaps were legendary, as were the tales of his womanizing. In 1974, while the Kirov was touring Canada, Baryshnikov, known as Misha to his friends, controlled the headlines throughout the world by defecting to Canada.




Once he had severed his ties to Mother Russia, he set out to make a name for himself, and fully embrace the freedoms and opportunities commercialism had to offer. He danced wherever he wanted, whatever style he wanted. He became a known figure in NYC nightlife, often seen in the company of Liza Minelli and Bianca Jagger at places like Studio 54. He appeared in movies, including a brilliant turn as a former Russian ballet dancer in The Turning Point, as well in the movie White Nights.



Misha has been nominated for an Oscar, a Tony, and has won 3 Emmy Awards. One of those for a 1980 TV special, Baryshinkov on Broadway, co-starring good friend and party buddy, Liza Minnelli. The show had them performing together - dancing, playing the piano and singing - to many of the great Broadway show numbers of all times. This includes Too Darn Hot from the Cole Porter show, Kiss Me Kate.



Deciding he needs to have a big finale for the show, he finally decides on the most logical show for a dancer, A Chorus Line, and is joined by the Broadway cast of the show in the big number, One.



I think that I, like every other gay boy in the world at the time, had a massive crush [ie lust] for Baryshnikov, with his beautiful body and striking looks. But he boy was stridently str8, having a child with the gorgeous and talented Jessica Lange, and three more with former ballerina and current girlfriend Lisa Rinehart. In one of his latest acting roles, he played Aleksandr Petrovsky, the older love interest of Sarah Jessica Parker, in the series Sex and the City.