I'm pretty excited

'cos I'm going to see Billy Crystal in his play 700 Sundays tonight. It has got nothing but rave reviews.

What? Not a froggy flick or a Brechtian monologue or a new poets open mic night? Good to see you dumbing down to the masses' level rybs.

At $150 a ticket I don't expect to be too assailed by the smelly masses.

If he mentions chalkies or schools, claim it as a tax deduction!

$150 a ticket! I wouldn't pay that to see anyone.

We're off to the Kransky Sisters tonight - which unfortunately means rubbing shoulders with the Albany masses!

Social climbing is good occasionally.

Ah, big city prices....and of course the salaries and mortgages to match...!

i like billy crystal. when i was 14 he inexplicably turned up at 'the briars' restaurant in the southern highlands, where i was having lunch one sunday with my school friend and her mum - a brief respite from boarding school cuisine. anyhoo, we spotted billy crystal having lunch and waited for him to finish and leave before following him out the door and asking him for his autograph. he obliged very graciously and charmingly.

Yes, we have the mortgages, but not the salaries in the west now.

ryb: Did you go to 'Keating!'?

Keating was FANTASTIC. (So was Billy - haven't laughed so hard in ages!)

nette: I understand he has a house in Sydney and spends quite a bit of time here.

<blockquote>Quote
<hr>we spotted billy crystal having lunch<hr></blockquote>
and you didn't say "I'll have what she's having" ... ?

LOL! it might have sounded a little sleazy coming from a 14 year old in school uniform (yes, even though it was sunday. we'd just come from a school service).

State schools have their drawbacks, but at least you NEVER had to wear a school uniform on a weekend!

Early 1990s, nette? That's when he apparently first came to Sydney and fell in love with it. He says. He turned down the Oscars this year to bring the show here. They say.

Anyway, the man is a comic genius. Doing a one-man play, based on your family, in which various forms of stand-up routine are the vehicle was an amazing thing to watch. Timing impeccable. Mind you, he has been practicing in his lounge room since he was nine years old.

Also, his family history is amazing. Russian/Austrian/Hungarian Jews who emigrated in the early 20th century to America - the classic American immigration story which always makes my heart swell (a bit like a lovely story in the Herald last week about a young Afghan girl - will see if I can find link). Anyway, back on topic. His grandfather started a small electrical shop sellign radios, gramophones etc. Then his uncle fell in love with jazz, and convinced his father to let him record a couple of jazz musicians. Then it grew into Commodore records, the most famous, and first jazz label of its day (his uncle went on to Decca where he ruled the roost for decades, and also wrote exceptionally famous songs). Billy grew up with Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, and Billie Holiday in his living room! One of them (Basie I think) nicknamed him "Face" cos even from age 5 he could imitate all their faces. His first trip to the movies was with "Miss Billie" (she called him "Mr Billy"). sitting on his lap.

And all this is told in the most hysterically funny way, with slapstick, mime, the old "hearing aid" routine (splutter, splutter), fart jokes, penis jokes:

"I knew a man with five penises. He bought a new suit. When I asked him how it was, he said "Fits me like a glove". Boom! Tish!

Melbournians, he's headed your way next week. Thoroughly recommended and worth every cent (you pay more than that to see something in the West End or a good seat on Broadway)

Oops, Billy was sitting on "her" lap (Billie's lap), not the other way round!!!

sounds great.

yep, early 90s ryb.

<blockquote>Quote
<hr>State schools have their drawbacks, but at least you NEVER had to wear a school uniform on a weekend! <hr></blockquote> lol, true ian - there were pros and cons to my 9 years in public schools and my four years in private - but of course i had no say in where i went to school one way or another, so you just appreciate what you've got at the time.

I think the uncle he means was Milt Gabler who produced many famous artists including Billie Hliday and Bill Haley but didn't himself write any famous songs as far as I know..

I first heard that 5 penis joke at school (Catholic, 1960s, uniforms, etc etc) , but the old 'uns are the good 'uns

it's all in the delivery, as they say.

.. in the maternity ward

boom tish.

nerb:

<blockquote>Quote
<hr>Through the late ’50s and ’60s, as musical fashions evolved at an ever-increasing rate, he continued to guide the direction of Decca, penning lyrics to best-sellers (Wayne Newton’s debut hit, “Danke Schoen”; Sarah Vaughan’s “L-O-V-E”), <hr></blockquote> Billy mentioned another one - can't remember what.

from here

Anyway, the Kransky Sisters were very funny. Off to Keating this week. Lucky me.

OK, Milt Gabler wrote lyrics to some not-so-famous songs.

Did he talk about "Soap"? That's where I first saw BC, as the gay son.

Yes, Soap got a mention.

Keating is just wonderful, wombat.