Dozens of individuals have approached me with numerous PLAY ideas: double play, Coldplay, underplay, overplay, play cash, play by the e book — so many performs on phrases! Hey, performs on phrases = crossword radar pinging …

Great rebus rationale as we speak, the sportsball time period SQUEEZE PLAY interpreted as “squeeze a play right into a single sq..”

Wait. Are these performs? Or musicals? Are musicals performs? Of course, they are often, Jeff! Who are you to play God? Bringing musicals into play is honest play.

Note to self: is there a play a couple of World’s Fair?

T(HAI R)ESTAURANT is a textbook rebus themer. No splitting hairs about splitting HAIR throughout the 2 phrases of the phrase, hiding that strand in your pad see ew.

Eew.

CURB YOU(R ENT)HUSIASM is strong, too. RENT is damaged throughout two phrases, and Larry David and JB Smoove nonetheless make me snort in any case these years. Will Shortz would usually ding a rebus themer like this as a result of CURB would not comprise any of the rebus entries, however that does not matter to all editors.

EVITA in LEVITATE / INEVITABLE is not as robust because it would not span two phrases. Perhaps a dose of the SUNSHIN(E VITA)MIN may have helped. CATS throughout CAT SCAN is best, but it surely’s not as stunning because the others, and shorties get misplaced within the shuffle. Something like WILD(CAT S)TRIKE would have struck thunderous applause.

Solid rebus general, although, with some nice finds and never many quick fill missed cues.