Music IS a creative passion!

• Continuing the 'food for thought' theme of Mr. Hawke and bovines, 'don't-ask-don't-tell-vegetarian' Josh Hamilton documents everything he eats in six days for New York magazine.
• Pianist Dan Lipton explains all about his involvement in the show, not least how he has ended up on stage for half of Salvage:

[...] There are a few actors who play piano, but I would have had to spend a lot of time coaching them to play well, and Mark would have been limited in what he could write. So the wacky idea was floated that I should just be in the show, and then Mark could write whatever music he wanted. I'd be able to hold the singing cast of "non-singers" together each night instead of trusting them to lock into pre-recorded tracks. Jack simmered on this idea over Christmas, and consulted Stoppard and Lincoln Center, because they had to okay another salary. I found this prospect HIGHLY unlikely, but I was wrong. So on January 2, I reported to work not as an intern but as a new member of the company. I was told not to cut my hair. Gotta blend in with the rest of the Russians. So I grew out the sideburns too. I was now, somehow, making my Broadway debut, in a straight play, without even having to audition! [...]

He also gives another indication that backstage life is a ball:

[...] I'm in the male ensemble dressing room downstairs, 11 guys plus 2 dressers. This is the new experience for me, because musicians in the orchestra pit don't even have a room sometimes. ... So I love to hang with this motley crew of supporting actors, who understudy all the guys upstairs. The backstage vibe in general is very warm and great fun. You get the feeling that this really is a once in a lifetime experience, and the movie stars and veterans are enjoying the community of personalities as much as the young actors and the piano player. [...]

Specific mentions of a certain person are as follows:

[...] I taught Jennifer Ehle and David Harbour how to look like they are playing piano. ... Jennifer Ehle and I always exchange glances while I'm playing and she's putting a decoration on the piano. [...]

The whole article is worth reading however, giving a more serious insight into the musical aspects of the production. To find out more about Mr. Lipton himself, visit his official site.

• Playbill comment on the award situation. They say Utopia 'was bound to collect the lion's share of noms given the copious amount of personnel eligible for recognition'. Variety meanwhile, say Utopia's scale make it 'the one to beat'.
• Subscription-only America magazine gives a big thumbs up to Voyage and its opening sequence.
• The Hollywood Reporter mentions Mr O'Byrne's new television project.
• In terms of the present, I wonder how Sir Tom, Mr. O'Brien and Mr. Crowley are enjoying the penultimate marathon?