Hadestown vs. The Total Bent (or) The Importance of a Good Book

In the past week I happened to see two musicals built in similar ways -- HADESTOWN at NYTW and THE TOTAL BENT at The Public. One really grabbed me, whipped me around, shook me up and spit me out the door of the theatre a limp wet rag. The other one left me cold.

Both have wonderful songs, clever and razor-sharp lyrics and musical risk-taking that I always find both appealing and moving.