Word: dictional
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...song which lasts only a few minutes, the sentiments Sondheim expresses through words and melody can be quite subtle. But with careful modulation and precise diction, the cabaret cast makes almost every song accessible. In many Harvard musicals the leads sing considerably better than the supporting cast. However, in Love is in the Air each vocalist does an impressive job, though Lynda Doctoroff stands out for her clear, powerful voice and considerable acting ability. And David Eggar, the pianist, both provides skillful accompaniment and shows his own talent during the piano solos of such songs as "Being Alive...
...through the Yard, wondering in awe of the brilliant students they see sitting on the steps of Widener (students who are probably blowing off work and bagging classes), they must be perplexed by the unfamiliar vocabulary they over-hear. The tourists are probably under the mistaken impression that our diction is just too sophisticated for them to understand--that it has something to do with Kant, Nietzsche or Wittgenstein...
What redeems the work in the end is the dialogue, in its acuity and trenchant wit. The levels of diction in the production, either through directorial or textual failings, are almost as numerous as the subplots, but it is hard to complain. The moments of lyricism in the play compensate. Chrissy wants to dance ballet and "other dances that tell a story, of which go-go is only a poor fascimile...
...crux of this work is confused identities and the situations that ensue. Audience members themselves will probably be confused for at least the first 10 minutes of the production. The language of the play is initially disconcerting. It takes a while to get used to the Elizabethan diction, and one may get lost in the opening scene while trying to understand what is being said. But the adjustment to the language comes fairly quickly, and is helped by the lively and very physical nature of the acting...
Unlike the Olympian detachment that is the traditional pose of Washington columnists, Safire projects a rumpled persona far closer to Walter Matthau's than Walter Lippmann's. His clothes are L.L. Bean, not Savile Row. Safire retains the unbuttoned style, the street-smart diction and the wry-not enthusiasms of a man who happily spent his formative years as a successful public relations flack in New York City. Where other conservative columnists like George Will and William F. Buckley can be precious and predictable, Safire prides himself on his reporting and contrarian thinking. "A column should not be a chore...