Nana feels it is her civic duty on this the extended weekend of patriotism, to opine just a bit on this great country of ours.  There is so much going on these days and she doesn’t just mean the announcement of Bernadette bringing in ‘Follies’ and Harry Connick Jr. arriving at the St. James.  No, though those are real page turners on chewinthefatonbroadway.com or whatever those sites are called, she means politics.  It does seem a dangerous notion to even open that can of Beluga but let’s see if it can be done and yet still have a Broadway sensibility. 

Let us begin with the fine folks in the Empire State of New York who just the other day pushed through a bill to make it possible for all those chorus boys and good soft ball playing stage managers to marry one another.   I think it is nice and I am very happy for the kids.  Nana has even, for a small fee, offered up her voice in song at any of the upcoming same sex nuptials.  If she does say so herself she does a wonderful Ave Maria and she and her friend Sharon Horizons do a terrific ‘We’ve Only Just Begun.’  Sorry didn’t mean to turn this into self- promotion.  (If you wish to engage Nana for your upcoming event please comment below and she will email you a price list and a copy of her rider which includes that she must have blanched unsalted cashews and Mr. Pibb.) 

Going on, Nana would like to know who started this tripe about voting for someone you’d like to have a beer with rather than some elite Harvard Graduate.   In actuality an elite Harvard Graduate is exactly the type of fella Nana would adore having a libation with, so she does not see the difference.  Nana would like to substitute Beefeater Martinis as aperitifs and would like to choose the place.   If she were to have a toast or two with a candidate she would like it to be at the Algonquin Hotel in the bars “round table” or maybe under those wonderful caricatures in the Little Bar at Sardi’s.  Further if she is going to sit there with someone she is meeting for the first time she would like them to be terribly gregarious and pithy, not some ribald hooligan who graduated from Bunkie Jr. College with a degree in animal husbandry.  Maybe someone who did the Hasty Pudding reviews while away at Harvard and who might know something about Why “Sunday In The Park With George “is a masterpiece or who Lotte Lenya is would be ideal.

Nana loves America so much that she saw ‘George M!” on Broadway 9 times.  That unstoppable imp Joel Grey and the ever present, ever lovely, afore mentioned Bernadette Peters were such a treat and that Cohan score, well it was just to beat the band(pun intended) .  But, Nana’s love of her Country and home doesn’t end there, oh no, she recycles her paper once a week and occasionally rides public transportation when her Fiat Spider is in the shop.    One time she even allowed a Boy Scout to help her across the street though she didn’t need to go.  It is exhausting being Nana, giving, giving, and then giving more.  That is the American Spirit my friends, that plucky can-do kind of outlook.  Always remember that the last four letters in American spell “I can”!  Oh alright, even Nana can’t pull that off!  Nana would love to be plucky but she is best just being her old cantankerous self and what is more American than that?  Have a sparkling 4^th and forever in peace may you wave!