Premiering at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on Broadway on this day in 1947, Tennessee Williams’ Southern Gothic play (previously) narrates the experiences and
trajectory of a former southern belle who loses her teaching job and the family home to creditors and with no other prospects, moves in with her younger married sister and husband in New Orleans’ French Quarter. Deceptive and critical of her new hosts, Blanche Dubois is acting out of self-defence and deflection to not own her series of bad choices, including an early marriage to a gay man and an affair with a student that led to her dismissal from the school. The original cast showcased the talents of Kim Hunter with Jessica Tandy and Marlon Brando and the name comes from a streetcar line (discontinued by the time of the cinematic adaptation in 1951 and replaced by a bus service) that ran not far from the playwright’s own apartment when living on Toulouse Street.
Sunday 3 December 2023
i just don’t see why blance should shove a broken bottle in stanley’s face—couldn’t she just take his abuse with gentle good humour? (11. 161)
Thursday 16 November 2023
edelweiss, edelweiss—every morning you greet me (11. 122)
Opening on Broadway on this day in 1959 after an eight-performance audition cycle in New Haven and Boston, the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical with book by Russel Crouse and Howard Lindsay was based on the 1949 memoir of the matriarch and lead character, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers, and the slightly fictionalised adaptation for the stage in set in Austria just before the Anschluss and annexation in 1938, we follow Maria, who vacillating on her decision to join a convent, has meanwhile become a governess to a large family. Maria is endeared to her charges as well as to their widowed father, Captain von Trapp. Opposed to the Nazi occupation, they all (now baroness) eventually flee Salzburg, with the help of the nuns, and escape to America. Musical numbers which have become show-tune standards include “My Favourite Things,” “Climb Every Mountain,” “So Long, Farewell” as well as the titular songs.
synchronoptica
one year ago: the Arecibo Message (1974), an edible rescue drone plus the Artemis mission to return to the Moon
two years ago: the Feast of Saint Matthew
three years ago: Word of the Year: Lockdown, an architectural fancy-dress party, the Day of the Icelandic Language, the day before yesterday plus an early draft of Take on Me
four years ago: Word of the Year: Climate Strike, headlines from 2029 plus ugly Christmas sweaters
five years ago: assorted links to revisit plus Word of the Year: Toxic
Sunday 29 October 2023
il dissoluto punito (11. 082)
The two act masterpiece, commissioned after his successful tour of Bohemia and finished just the night prior, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s (see previously) Don Giovanni opened in Prague’s The Estates Theatre on this day in 1787. The adaptation of the centuries old Spanish legend of Don Juan, a haughty libertine and lecherous young noble, believes no one can resist his overtures or match his wit until encountering on that is unmoved and singularly unimpressed, the vengeful funerary statue of the angry father of his first sexual conquest, killed by Giovanni in a duel.
Inspired by the character Il Commendatore (Don Pedro), a statue was installed in 2000 in the forecourt of the theatre, which still hosts performances of the opera.
one year ago: places lived and just past through plus a last day in Crete
two years ago: Constantine’s victory at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge, Orinoco Flow (1988), a Mario marathon, celebrating a Renault classic, a collection of horror GIFs plus the end of the Salem Witch Trials
three years ago: assorted links to revisit plus referring to parents by the names of their offspring
four years ago: the political alignments of Mario Kart characters
five years ago: Italy battles the EU over its fiscal policy, Merkel to not run again for party chair, synthetic traditional Chinese medicine plus more on Angela Merkel stepping down
Sunday 17 September 2023
heaven, sir—and hell, too—it’s the same place, you see (11. 005)
Punctuated with highly humorous dialogue yet dealing with serious subjects of class, spirituality and redemption, the premier play of of Sutton Vane (who turned to acting and writing as therapy after his experiences in the trenches during World War I left him shell-shocked) opened on this day in 1923 and was an instant success, resounding for audiences and critics alike. The stage piece relates the story of a group of seven passengers who are the sole compliment of a huge ocean liner with no crew save for a steward who attends them and who eventually helps them reconcile to the fact their destination is the afterlife and prepare them for judgment by the Examiner. Immediately moved to a larger venue due to its popularity and optioned by Broadway pre-production, adapted as a cinematic release three times and saw numerous revivals—including a season directed by Otto Preminger and starring Vincent Price, despite their difference, the passengers slowly realise that their lives were intertwined and alternately aid and antagonise one another under the watch of the Charon-like barman. The full radio play in three acts is below:
synchronoptica
one year ago: the debut of M*A*S*H* (1972), assorted links to revisit, Emperor Norton I plus a consequential forgery
two years ago: The Persuaders!, rewilding one’s attention plus more links to enjoy
three years ago: Hildegard von Bingen, tour guides, words with only plural forms, the musical stylings of Ady Zehnpfennig, the illustrations of Rex Whistler plus the microscopic world announced
four years ago: The Handmaid’s Tale, previously unreleased pictures of David Bowie, spoon-hanging plus more language hapaxes
five years ago: the space shuttle Enterprise (1976)
Friday 15 September 2023
9x9 (11. 002)
you deserve to sit: a comedian’s silly song about their favourite inactivity
๐ธ: visit a random feline friend featured on Wikipedia—via Pasa Bon!

montage: the animated collages of Alice Issac
shrinkflation: a French supermarket chain displaying advisory labels to alert consumers
word alienation and semantic satiation: one of the laureates of the thirty-third Ig Noble Awards—see also here and here
consult our extensive archives: veteran broadcaster—and BBC’s first podcaster, Melvyn Bragg celebrates one thousand episodes
pagliacci: a pizza chef turns melodramatic over a cursed request
synchronoptica
one year ago: Our Lady of Sorrows plus assorted links to revisit
two years ago: forest mascots (1971) plus a Star Trek: TAS classic
three years ago: more Trek with “Amok Time,” illustrations from the children of Charles Darwin, rousing public sentiment following the Gunpowder Plot, life signs on Venus plus a COVID movie-night
four years ago: more on Jupiter’s moons, a hot Colonel Sanders, public crucifixes, Lovecraft in the style of Dr Seuss plus Graphis Press
five years ago: an AI names apples, the Ig Noble Awards, the Great Recession’s Lost Decade plus legalising marijuana confounded by travel regulations
Saturday 26 August 2023
gaberboccus press (10. 965)
Named after a Latin translation of the Lewis Carroll poem Jabberwocky, the multimedia concern founded by the Polish refugee couple Stefan and Franciska Themerson in 1948, we learn courtesy of Languagehat, produced over sixty titles in its three decades of existence—ranging from the collected essays and lectures of philosopher Bertrand Russell, poetry by David Miller and Henru Chopin, the calligrams of Apollimaire to their work works and perhaps most famously a faithful English translation of the pataphysical play by Alfred Jarry Ubi Roi (previously here and here). Eventually sold to a publishing house in Amsterdam, Gaberboccus immediately following World War II was a rejection of the stateless author and political exile, bolstering the International character of their clients and exposing them to a wider audience with a experience and fervour that resists displacement.
synchronoptica
one year ago: assorted links to revisit plus the tyranny and utility of time
two years ago: prayers to saints during plague times ranked plus Steven Spielberg’s a.i. promotions
three years ago: the Isle of Wight Festival (1970), Ten Million Photo Play Plots, Space Force hierarchy, IKEA in Animal-Crossing, guerilla video documentarians plus more unbuilt New York
four years ago: pirate treasure plus the introduction of the Austin-Mini (1959)
five years ago: RIP John McCain plus the Chinese script for women only
Thursday 17 August 2023
gรถtterdรคmmerung (10. 949)
A translation of the Norse term Ragnarรถk, the final cycle of the tetralogy Der Ring des Nibelungen by Richard Wagner (previously) premiered on this day at the Festspielhaus of Bayreuth in 1876. The play opens with the Norn sisters (analogue to the the Moirai, the Greek Fates who weave mortal destiny) braiding their wyrding rope and foreseeing an avoidable future with Walhalla burnt and in ruins and the “twilight of the gods.” The cord breaks when they begin to contemplate the curse of the ring of power, Andvaranaut—that would reveal gold and other precious items to its wearer, stolen by the god Loki and given to Hreidmar, King of the Dwarves, with a curse to bring eventual destruction to its owner, Prince Fafnir stealing the ring from his father and transforming himself into a dragon to guard it and his hoard of treasure, himself slain by Siegfried and gifting the ring to Brรผnnehilde—and lamenting the loss of their foresight retreated into the Underworld. With this token recovered from the dragon’s lair as a symbol of his fealty and faith, Brรผnnehilde dispatches our tragic hero on a quest along the Rhein.
Monday 3 July 2023
lux รฆterna (10. 854)
Sunday 25 June 2023
l’oiseau de feu (10. 834)
The premiere work for then virtually unknown composer Igor Stravinsky debuted on this day in 1910 at the Palais Garnier, performed by the company Ballet Russe to critical acclaim, immediately solidifying him through this collaboration with choreographer Michel Fokine as an international figure in operatic productions and orchestral virtuoso. Staging, set and costume designs were quite phenomenal but the music alone was enough to propel Stravinsky’s career, The Firebird (see previously) tells the hero’s journey of protagonist Prince Ivan, based on the folktale, who becomes lost during a hunting expedition, loses his party and strays into the enchanted realm of the malevolent wizard Koschei the Immortal, kept deathless by keeping his soul in a pin in a magic egg. Ivan captures but spares the life of the Firebird, who is both boon and curse for her captors, who offers a feather as a token of gratitude to summon her aid in a moment of dire need, which comes when the prince confronts the wizard.
Monday 19 June 2023
come up to the lab and see what’s on the slab (10. 819)
Preview performances given at a couple of other venues earlier in the week, the B-movie, schlock horror musical—see previously—by Richard O’Brien opened on this day in the experimental space, “upstairs,” at the Royal Court Theatre in Chelsea, under the direction of Jim Sharman, renowned stage producer for his earlier work on Jesus Christ Superstar and Hair. The show ran for seven years, approaching three thousand performances, and the original cast whom crossed over into the 1975 cinematic adaptation included the starring roles of Tim Curry as Dr Frank N Furter, Patricia Quinn as Magenta the Usherette and O’Brien himself as Riff Raff.
synchronoptic
one year ago: Juneteenth, assorted links worth revisiting, Saints Gervasius and Protasius plus an early home office set-up
two years ago: rendered realities plus generated fabric patterns
three years ago: ecclesiastical courts, more dazzle camouflage, Trump censored for his social media posts plus a queen bee’s performance
Thursday 4 May 2023
7x7 (10. 718)
eyecandy: a collection of dynamic, animated type—via Pasa Bon!

expo 67: impressions of the central exhibition of Canada’s centennial celebrations—see previously
may the fourth be with you: a retro, fan-made Star Wars film festival—see more under the tagged posts
not lovin’ it: McDonald’s franchises in the United States fined for violations of child labour laws—see also
playfair: data presentations by the eighteenth century creator of the the line, bar and pie charts
fontself: the midpoint of the annual Thirty Six Days of Type celebration
Wednesday 12 April 2023
the flesh failures (10. 670)
Beginning a six week run at the top of the US singles charts on this day in 1969 with a medley of two musical numbers composed for Hair, the release by the group the 5th Dimension went on to be certified platinum and ranks as according to Billboard as one of the greatest numbers of all time. The genesis of the eventual recording came after producer Dayton Burr “Bones” Howe was reunited with his lost wallet and invited the finder—a cab passenger who was involved in the production of the musical—was invited to a show in gratitude and raved that the introductory song “Aquarius” would complement and complete the titular sequence with its refrain. Purportedly leaving the Age of Pisces (Jesus fish), current or hence according to reckoning, some astrologers have derided the lyrics as premature and uninformed in terms of sun-signs, pointing out that Jupiter aligns with Mars multiple times annually and the Moon is in the seventh house daily.
Monday 3 April 2023
9x9 (10. 652)
eieren blazen: egg blowing was all the rage in the Netherlands in the 1950s
autofill: Google search recommendations illustrated

horsell common and the heat ray: the 1978 War of the World’s concept album featuring Yes and Richard Burton
vexing vexillogy: CGP Grey grades US state flags—see previously
airspace: Alex Murrell on the ‘Age of Average’—via Kottke—see also
if the engine jumps the track: another in a series of derailments—thankfully this time with no fatalities—yields some amazing photographs but a few beer or two, via Super Punch
katkhakali: the dance of the ‘speaking hands’ about the myth of Kali and Travancore, a 1981 Soyuzmultfilm short
peepshi: a complete guide to deconstructing Easter candies for festive onigiri
Thursday 2 March 2023
kรฉpzelt riport egy amerikai popfesztivรกlrรณl (10. 581)
Set in Montana but giving a fictionalised recounting of the Altamont Free Concert, the musical by Gรกbor Presser, Anna Adamis and Sรกndor Pรณs—based on the novel of the same name by Tibor Dรฉry—An Imaginary Report on an American Rock Festival premiered in Budapest on this day in 1973. The production team portrayed the plot of a young Hungarian couple that defected to the West with themes violating taboo subjects of homosexuality, illicit drug use and the war and the Holocaust to the Department for Agitation and Propaganda as a criticism of hippie culture and were granted permission to go on with the show. Resonant among its target audience, many musical numbers became hits and the musical (see also) toured throughout Eastern Europe.
Tuesday 28 February 2023
7x7 (10. 578)
for love of the glove: a revival of the unauthorised musical biography about the King of Pop

davy and goliath: smaller AIs recom-mendations on how to hack a more dominant one—see previously from AI Weirdness
girl with the pearl earring: whilst the original is on loan as part of a comprehensive Vermeer exhibition, the Mauitshuis is displaying a set of reinterpretations—see previously
steak & ale: the Midcentury Medieval aesthetic—via Messy Nessy Chic
diamonds are forever: tiny spherical chambers could help harness the power of the sun—see also
zone improvement plan: more on the Swinging Six and Mister Zip—via Weird Universe
catagories: ⚛️, ๐จ, ๐ญ, ๐ถ, ๐ฏ, ๐ค, architecture, libraries and museums
Friday 24 February 2023
the great bรธyg of etnedal (10. 569)
Accompanied by an original score by Edvard Grieg that includes two of the most recognisable pieces of classical music, “In the Hall of the Mountain King” and “Morning Mood,” Henrik Ibsen’s Peer Gynt, chronicling the journey of the titular protagonist from his home in Norway to Egypt and back again, premiered on this day in Oslo (then known as Christiania) in 1876. A social satire struggling with modernism with both pastoral and surreal portrayals of characters and calamities as our dissolute anti-hero comes to understand the consequences of his actions and the nature of responsibility—regardless whether or not accepted, its underlying message is echoed succinctly in the line: “If you lie; are you real?”
Wednesday 1 February 2023
la cage aux folles (10. 514)
The farce, “The Cage of the Mad Women,” by playwright Jean Poiret portraying the comedy of errors that ensues when the son of a Saint Tropez night club operator and his gay boyfriend invites his fiancรฉe’s conservative parents to meet their future inlaws had its debut this day in 1973 at the Thรฉรขtre du Palais-Royal, running for over eighteen-hundred performances. After being adapted as a Franco-Italian film—a trilogy ultimately, in 1978, it became a musical with book by Harvey Fierstein and music by Jerry Herman, with later cinematic premiere as The Birdcage in 1996.
catagories: ๐ซ๐ท, ๐ญ, ๐ณ️๐, 1973
Monday 23 January 2023
6x6 (10. 492)
zhengyue 2: the second day of the Lunar New Year is considered the birthday of all dogs

i shot the serif: US Department of State drops the typeface Times New Roman in favour of the more legible Calibri font
yellow magic orchestra: watch performances by the Japanese group that created some of the most innovative and influential acts in electronic music
odonymy: more open etymological street maps—see also
tet: a short, hand-drawn game about cooking and serving a Vietnamese holiday meal—via Waxy
Monday 16 January 2023
the night of january sixteenth (10. 423)
In a rather satisfying coincidence, this day in 1983 marks the the expiration of the monopoly for the manufacture of safety matches (Zรผndwarenmonopol) in West Germany when the rights were acquired by Swedish swindler, Ponzi scheme architect and racketeer Ivar Kreuger—the Match King who’d fit in perfectly with contemporary grifters and fraudsters—in 1930 with a loan of five hundred million Reichsmark to the Weimar Republic, whose bonds extended through World War II and finally lapsed—and the titular stage play by Ayn Rand (previously), inspired by the death of Kreuger († 12 March 1932—usually performed as Woman on Trial.
The lover of industrialist Bjorn Faulkner (Kreuger’s analogue, whom Rand became obsessed with though was quite a questionable pillar to uphold) is accused of his murder and the author’s intent to dramatise the conflict between conformity and individualism leaves the verdict unresolved and invites the audience to decide. The courtroom setting is artistic license as most likely Kreuger committed suicide facing the prospect of bankruptcy once accounting manipulations were revealed, paying investors dividends from their own money. One year after its premier in Los Angeles, the production team took it to Broadway in 1935 and saw a revival in 1973 under the title “Penthouse Legend.” Meanwhile it was adapted into a film in 1941—which was not a commercial or critical success—and a 1989 Bollywood version called Gawaahi (Testimony), which might be worth seeing.
Sunday 15 January 2023
spider web castle (10. 420)
Considered among the finest adaptations of the Scottish play with production and development deferred for six years after learning that Orson Welles directed his own Macbeth in 1948, Akira Kurosawa’s (previously) transposition of the plot of Shakespeare’s masterwork to feudal Japan (่่ๅทฃๅ, Kumononsu-jล—literally the above title but released in English-speaking markets as Throne of Blood) premiered in Tokyo on this day in 1957. Under contract to produce three samurai movies (jidaigeki—period, costume dramas) for Toho studios, Spider Web Castle was originally slated to go to director Ishirล Honda, best known for his 1954 kaiju classic Godzilla but Kurosawa ended up making the trio of films. His 1960 The Bad Sleep Well was informed by Hamlet—though not a direct correspondence—and Kurosawa’s final work Ran, which is based off of King Lear. Throne of Blood in turn influenced Roman Polanski’s adaptation of Macbeth and the death of Taketoki Wasizu (the Lady Macbeth analogue) inspired the death of the mother of the titular Carrie in the 1976 horror classic.