When we ran into Melody Herzfeld at the Tony Awards, she seemed stunned at the place history had taken her. This week at a special screening of “Song of Parkland,”  an HBO documentary directed by Amy Schatz, she had her Tony Award by her side, still stunned, and feeling guilty. She would have preferred a prize for merit, she said. Instead she was honored for her heroism in a tragedy, coolly ushering 65 students into a back storeroom closet for two hours as a gunman murdered 17 at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida where she taught drama. At HBO, dozens of her former students attested to her epic qualities as a teacher. While she was not falsely modest, part of her charm is a self-effacing humor worthy of Joan Rivers. Then again, as she told us at the Tony’s, she was from these parts, from New Jersey.

While “Song of Parkland” does not shy away from the graphics—we do see iPhone footage of the massacre as well as students taken out of the building shielded by police, the purpose is not to dwell on the horror but rather to note the bravery of simply healing. As we know from the headlines in the aftermath, some students have taken the road of activism for sensible gun reform, advocating for background checks, and getting more young people to vote.  As student Alex Wind, said, “We’re trying to make activism cool again.”

This half hour film focuses on the continued work in theater, kids coming back to the show: students rehearse for a musical for children called “Yo, Vikings,” that has sustained them through song, community, and shared grief. In rehearsal, when they go slack, Herzfeld shouts, “Game of Thrones,” exhorting them to give greater voice. Song of Parkland asks, how does anyone survive such a dire moment? Featured are songs composed by Herzfeld’s students, seen as well put together, articulate high schoolers. As student Ashley Paseltiner reminded everyone, “We’re just teenagers.”

NBC has cancelled its live musical, “Hair.” Apparently no one told them it was about hippies, and naked ones at that. It was supposed to air live on May 19th against “Game of Thrones,” which is “Hair” without music.

Whoops!

NBC’s last musical was “Jesus Christ Superstar,” from April 2018. Now they have nothing in the hopper. They were supposed to do “Bye Bye Birdie” with Jennifer Lopez until someone told them JLO doesn’t actually sing live. So they said it was postponed, and now they don’t talk about it anymore.

Part of the reason for killing “Hair” may be the low ratings and botched production on Fox of “Rent,” which modeled itself on “Hair” for a new generation.

Now NBC wants family fare. They can’t do Disney musicals, because they’re owned by ABC. They can’t do “Hello, Dolly!” unless they deliver gold bricks to producer Scott Rudin. They should do “Sweeney Todd” with Andy Lack in the title role, and Megyn Kelly as Mrs. Lovett.

This is really sad, heartbreaking news.

Kristoff St. John, a star of the Young and the Restless for 19 years, has been found dead at his home in Los Angeles. He was 51, suffered from depression, and apparently took his own life. TMZ reports possible alcohol poisoning.

St. John twice won the Daytime Emmy Award, was nominated 9 more times. He was also 10 time NAACP Award winner.

St. John temporarily left the show in 2017 after an earlier suicide attempt. He couldn’t get over the death of his son in 2014.

He came from a showbiz family. Kristoff’s father Christoper St. John is a veteran Hollywood actor who appeared in the original “Shaft.”

Kristoff and his wife Mia lost their son, Julian, to suicide in 2014 while he was in a mental health facility. The couple sued the hospital for negligence and the case was settled.

There will be no replacing St. John on the soap, but writing his character, Neil Winters, out permanently won’t be easy. He’s been central to the show for a long, long time. His character was a good guy, beloved by his fictional characters and no doubt by the soap’s ensemble.