February 5, 2020 --

LPR congratulates, belatedly, Peter Gelb, general manager of the Metropolitan Opera (possibly the best job in the whole world) on the extension of his contract until 2027.  LPR is also very pleased to note that this leaves
General Manager Gelb seven years to give the music-loving public a Met production of Frank Loesser's great Broadway musical-cum-opera "The Most Happy Fella."   

After all, with the Met having given music-lovers George Gershwin's wonderful opera, "Porgy and Bess," this season, LPR strongly believes that Frank Loesser's magnificent work deserves a Met production, as well.   And LPR even has a "Tony" (the lead character in Happy Fella, not the Broadway award) in mind:  the great Shuler Hensley, who, as it happens sang the role of Tony in the New York City Center Encores! production of "The Most Happy Fella," in April 2014. 

LPR has no doubt that the Met will have a full house for all performances of "The Most Happy Fella,"  starring Shuler Hensley.  Indeed, this writer can hear the ovations for such a Met production as I type this item on a NYPL computer. 

By the way,  Shuler will appear with Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster on Broadway, in September, in a new production of Meredith Willson's wonderful musical, "The Music Man."   And this gives LPR the chance to also request that  General Manager Gelb  create a "Broadway" repertory company at Lincoln Center that keeps on the boards all the wonderful musicals of the past whose music and lyrics remain tonic to the hearts of music lovers, everywhere.