cockeyed optimism IS brat — with ‘a little touch of REVOLT’!

Who in the world is Nellie Forbush? She is the naive nurse in Rodgers & Hammerstein’s smash hit South Pacific, which premiered in 1949 and won a Pulitzer in 1950. Ensign Nellie is hickish, wide-eyed, and in love with a middle-aged French plantation owner whom she meets on active duty while in the South Pacific. The original “Cockeyed Optimist” is sure things will work out and love will endure. So, it seems somewhat ironic and prescient that she spilled across my desk while thumbing through my sizable collection of vintage Broadway Playbills today.

I think Nells is the perfect heroine for three weeks turned on its head. Project 2025 has rung alarm bells with more than half the electorate. The utterly bizarre RNC Convention saw the nomination of Vice President nominee and Appalachian hillbilly JD Vance — who this past week committed political faux pas by denigrating — and infuriating — middle-aged cat ladies with disparaging remarks that could not be digitigrade back. The disastrous Presidential Debate added fuel to the fire while the nation reeled from the shocking assassination attempt on former President Trump. President Biden’s stunning decision to step down as incumbent only stirred the pot further, paving the way for the rocket-like ascension of VP Harris. And let’s not forget pop culture sensation Charli xcx’s election influencer endorsement “kamala IS brat” spurring Harris’ meteoric rise — indeed a spectacle to behold.