I can't live … with or withooooooout you … Welcome to today's edition of blogaraoke!
How interesting, that Romeo and Juliet's last names both become normal words if you remove the U! And it's so appropriate, given the lyric "I can't live, WITH OR WITHOUT YOU."
Wait. Doesn't that mean you can't live … period?
U2, J'accUUse!
As much as I enjoy mini-themes in my themeless, this was a too much of a good thing. A perfect mini-theme is two (maybe three) themers connected in a funny or thought-provoking way, while still giving the rest of the puzzle plenty of space in which to pack greatness. This one, with 44 squares of theme, would be light for a themed puzzle, but not unheard of.
So why didn't it run on a Wednesday? The theme, while covering a lot of squares, is far from meaty--more a piece of trivia than the basis for a full themed puzzle. It wouldn't have kept my attention if it had been the sole focus of a Wednesday puzzle.
Perhaps a better compromise would have been to only use MONTAGUE and CAPULET, with the Us grayed out. The clue could run double-duty, MONTAGUE = [Romeo's family / director's tool]. It's not a perfect solution, but it would have still presented the interesting find, while clearing out more space for our regularly televised themeless.
Astute readers may cry foul that MONTAGUE and CAPULET aren't symmetrical. Jeff demands symmetry, I hear you shout! Yes, but I can be flexible. I don't always need perfect symmetry. I'm not that anal.
(three hours later, after laying out hundreds of various configurations to achieve some sense of symmetry …)
Some may wonder about UPSET ALERTS. Jim Horne asked me if that's a thing. For bracketologists, it's definitely a (most unwelcome) thing. ESPN even has a feature called "Upset Alerts." I can understand how non-March Madness enthusiasts wouldn't enjoy this entry, though.
There is some great fill, like PIECE OF CAKE, the oh-so-catchy MY SHARONA, CORNERSTONE with a great clue about where to look for a (not a love connection) date. I just wanted A BIT MUCH more, since material like TRACES TO, TASTES OF, LETS DRY, GINGERED didn't add to the solve.