Masherwood

Charles Isherwood's new mode: unlikely juxtapositions, such as seeing both South Pacific and Rock of Ages in one day, or comparing Placido Domingo's turn in Simon Boccanegra with Elaine Stritch's Sondheim show at the Carlyle. These strike me as a little stunt-y, but there's some critical substance in them, as well as some sly one-liners at the intersection of high and low:

Unlike the mercurial Mr. Domingo, Ms. Stritch began her career as a baritone and has remained a baritone ever since.

And:

As we settled in I commented to my companion that it was a pretty safe bet that I was the only one in the theater who’d just been to see “South Pacific.”

“You’re probably the only person here who’s heard of ‘South Pacific,’ ” she replied.