Shakespeare seems to get credit for a great many things, but this time, he deserves it even if the quote is a bit “off.” We’re “Gilding the Lily” on this week’s Dress Circle (8/15 7:00 p.m.), well, we’ve amassed songs about beauty and its secrets, dressing to impress or excess, and a few make-up tips from a variety of musicals.
It’s understandable that the quote was shortened from the original. In Shakespeare’s “King John,” when his follower, Salisbury, says, “To gild refined gold, to paint the lily, to throw a perfume on the violet, to smooth the ice or add another hue unto the rainbow; or with taper-light to seek the beauteous eye of heaven to garnish is wasteful, and ridiculous excess” which is undeniably a mouthful. If we lost you in translation, this simply means that it’s unnecessary to dress-up, paint, or in any other way try to improve on something that is already perfect in its own way.
To this end, we’ve just programmed songs about fashion, beauty, make-up from a variety of musicals.
For fashion, we’re turning to “Hello, Dolly!”, “Singin’ in the Rain,” “Valmouth,” and “The Magic Show.”
For make-up tips, we’ve got “Mame,” “La Cage aux Folles,” and “Lola.”
The concept of beauty comes from “Meet Me in St. Louis,” “Sugar,” and “The Apple Tree.”
All in all, it’s just a happy collection of fun songs that’ll be sure to entertain you for an hour. …And don’t forget: To us, you’re beautiful just as you are!
