A Lulu of a Production

I just got back from seeing Lulu at the Lyric Opera, and oh my god, that was one of the best things they have ever done. It really sucks that this was the final performance because I would be singing its praises from the rooftops and encouraging all theatre and music fans to go see it. It was truly a music drama with a compelling story, gorgeous sets, a great concept (the whole thing was done as a movie) and of course the music. Hopefully it won't take another 21 years before they do it again.

Last Sunday was Porgy & Bess which was not quite so thrilling. It was good, and everyone did a good job, but I don't think it will ever be one of my favorites. It actually wasn't as jazzy as I feared, the music really was traditional opera-style with subtle jazz influence, but that also hindered some of the songs, particularly Summertime. I'm so used to Fantasia Berrino's performance, it's hard to hear it done any other way, and since that's the opening song it kind of gets the whole show off on an unsteady foot.

So, that's it, just a quick update since I know it's been awhile and I've been very busy. Thursday is Sarah Brightman, let's just hope the weather doesn't pose a problem, and then Saturday is Mame at Drury Lane, and the following Saturday is Grey Gardens at Northlight, and then it's a nice extended break with a trip to Disneyland before the madness starts again.

Home

Well, the trip back was not nearly so frustrating as getting there. Monday was a nice, calm day with good weather. We slept in a bit, then checked out of the hotel and stored our luggage. We stopped at the Broadway New York store where I got an Equus magnet for my fridge at work (now proudly displayed towards the top left corner between Evita and Passion), had lunch at the Westway Dinner (the #1 dinner in New York dontcha know!), and then hopped onto the subway to the Village. We finally stopped at the NYU bookstore after two foiled attempts on our last two trips and my companion got some gifts and other memorabilia, and then we went to Strand where I found a lot of good psych books that I want for my private practice library whenever I get my own office. Of course, I also want to read them, but God knows when I'll get the time for that. Instead of lugging the books back with us, my companion actually had the great idea of stopping at the FedEx store two blocks away and shipping them back home, which we did. We're still waiting, hopefully they'll arrive tomorrow. We then walked all the way back to the hotel (seriously, I got more exercise in those four days than I have all year), stopping for coffee at the Intercontinental. By the time we got back it was already 4, so we got our luggage, hopped in a cab, and made it to LaGuardia around 5:30. There were no disruptions this time, we got checked in and went through security, sat in the very nice Delta Shuttle terminal (seriously, all airports should have waiting areas like that), and our flight left on time. It was rather bumpy, probably due to all the snow over Indiana, but we made it, got a cab, and got home by 9. I was able to watch Friday's Top Model on the TiVo (I was so pulling for Marjorie, it was sad to see her go, but she needs to get a grip. You can tell she's European though with no hangover after the massive amount of wine she had). I've been catching up with work and school ever since and am finally about caught up, just in time for the final stretch of projects. We've got Porgy & Bess at the Lyric on Sunday, and then Lulu next Sunday, then I've got Sarah Brightman on the 4th and I need to get Mame tickets. There's no slowing down.

Wrap Up

After all the drama on Friday, I can't believe this trip is almost over. This has been the best theatre trip since my first time coming to NY when I just saw Wicked. All the shows have been A+'s.

Saturday morning my companion and I met his college roommate at HK on 8th and 38th for brunch, which was excellent. The restaurant was rather loud due to the concrete floors and walls, and the huge groups of queens all over the place, but they had all you can drink mimosa's, and that made up for a lot. We then went to Boeing-Boeing, which was terrific. Rebecca Gayheart was out, but her understudy did a great job, and Christine Baranski was excellent as always. Mark Rylance's character was exactly like he was when he gave his Tony acceptance speech. Some parts of the show are dated and just silly for the sake of being silly, but overall it was excellent, very funny and well done, we left in such a good mood.

We then walked around for a while killing time and met another college friend of his at Malone & Porcelli (I think the P part of that is spelled right). We had a fantastic dinner and then headed for August: Osage County, although we ended up having to run to get there on time, we just slid into the seats as the lights were going down. Again, excellent. Estelle Parsons played a much more extreme version of Roseanne's mom, but made it so different and so perfect in the context of the play. It was great to see Amy Warren again after her fabulous performance in Adding Machine in June. It is truly a great play, and I can guarantee it will still be relevant 100 years from now.

Then it was back to the hotel and to bed, after a long day, and today we really slept in and then went to Aquavit for brunch. It was very different than I was expecting but completely in keeping with their Scanadavian cuisine. There were no Eggs Benedict, no waffles, no carving stations. Instead, they had all sorts of seafood salads, pickled fishes, Swedish Meatballs, and excellent deserts, and I had a Swedish Bellini. It was very filling and we then headed to Studio 54 for Pal Joey, probably my favorite out of everything we saw. The set design was great, and Christian Hoff, Stockard Channing, and Martha Plimpton were all fabulous, particularly Martha's performance of Red Hot Woman. Studio 54 is kind of an annoying theatre, but our seats were good and I put in an advance order for an intermission cocktail, which kept me in a good mood. Pal Joey should be in top contention come Tony time.

We then made a quick stop at the hotel and then walked all the way from 57th street to SoHo. We weren't hungry, so we stopped at Le Petit Cafe for some coffee and then went to the SoHo playhouse. We got some more caffeine at the basement lobby bar and then found our seats. We were towards the back, only about 3 rows from the back, but about 3 minutes before curtain, the usher informed us that if we wanted, we could move up to the second row, so of course we did. Mindgame was fabulous, probably the best thing Ken Russell has ever directed. I was a little worried during the first act that it was going to just be a rehash of Don't Go In The Basement, but oh my god, it turned out to be so much more. Keith Carradine was fabulous (it was a big Carradine family day for us), and we were so close we could see his stray strands of hair flopping about. The set design was fabulous, and all three performers were terrific. I highly recommend the show if you find yourself in New York. It was exactly the kind of theatre people go to New York for, small and intimate with a big star, telling a great story, and so unique that you won't find anything like it anywhere else. We then had a very late dinner at an Italian place a couple blocks away on Spring Street. We then hopped in a cab and are now back in our room. I've got to start packing and then tomorrow we're doing some shopping in the Village, with our obligatory stops at the NYU bookstore and Strand, and then our flight leaves LaGuardia at 7, hopefully no delays this time, and I can almost guarantee that since I'm not in any hurry to get home and don't really care if we get delayed or cancelled, tomorrow's flight will be the smoothest I've ever had.

Finally!

Oh my god, what a disaster today almost turned out to be. I was supposed to be on a flight leaving at 9:00 am, and after two cancellations and a lengthy delay, my companion and I finally got on a flight that left at 1:40, just 20 minutes shy of the buffer I had mentally created. Once we were in the air, things got better. I listened to Patti and Jackie, and both were excellent. Patti's CD, being recorded in 1980, sounds a lot like Bette Midler's early bathhouse work. It's very different than she's ever been before or after, and she gives the definitive performance of Meadowlark, sorry Betty. Being in a gay club certainly brought out the catty side of her, she had quite a lot to say between songs. I highly recommend the CD, there are precious few acts like this any more, it's a great reminder of a time gone by. The other nice thing is that there have been posters for the CD all over midtown as we walked to the theatre tonight, it's really getting promoted, I may have to get my hands on one of those posters before I leave. As for Jackie, her CD is proably the best thing I have ever downloaded from emusic, All I have to say is get it. It's also something you don't hear much of any more, she is very original to say the least. I just got a start on 13, so I'll be listening to that on the way back.

Now, for what we all really care about, Harry Potter's gentles! We did make it to the hotel by about 5:30 and went for a great dinner at a little Italian place on 10th and 52nd, which I can't remember what it was called, but it was excellent. Then, we made it to the theatre with about 20 minutes to spare. Equus was fantastic in all of its aspects. The play was great (not nearly as dated as the critics would have you believe, the only thing that's not really done any more would be having the hospital psychiatrist doing therapy on a daily basis with patients, therapy now would be delegated to psychologists or counselors and would be 2-3 times weekly max). Richard Griffith as Dr. Dysert and Kate Mulgrew (aye captain!) as his lawyer friend were both fantastic, but Daniel is the true star of the show. There was no sign of Harry at all in his performance, he inhabited Alan Strang and had no inhibitions. It certainly was a very daring choice as he starts to prepare for a post-Harry career and I don't think he has anything to fear in terms of not living up to his performances as Harry. He certainly did have plenty there to push, but by the time the scene rolled around, the whole show was so electric that it seemed natural and not a big deal, as much as I was looking forward to seeing his magic wand. The set and costume design is a recreation by John Napier of his original design for the 1975 production, and is very effective. It's a very Gestalt-inspired design, keeping with the psychological themes of the play. I highly, highly, highly recommend the show. The Best Actor in a Play Tony race is going to be a tight one between Daniel and Frank Langella. Hopefully voters will decide that 3 is enough for Frank and pass the torch so to speak to the newcomer.

After the show we walked through Times Square and Colony Records was still open so I popped in and got Billy, The Magic Show, and The Mad Show (and no, those two are not related at all). I was expressly looking for Billy and The Magic Show, I had seen them last time but didn't get them and looking for them since discovered that they are not on amazon and are very hard to find, particularly Billy. Then, I decided to round it out with a third, and since they still don't have the new London Revival cast recording of Fiddler or any of John Barrowman's CD's, I went with Mad since I had been looking for it last time and they didn't have it then. Then it was back to the hotel and I've got some wine which should put me right to sleep. Tomorrow is another day, and hopefully it will be better than today.

Oh, and one other thing. To top this all off, the reason my companion and I even came to NY in the first place was so that he could participate in some meetings for work, which were cancelled while we were in flight, so we are going to go to the Village on Monday morning and then try to get on an earlier flight home. So, sorry boys, no meeting this time. I'll be back in late February for Blithe Spirit and West Side Story, so maybe then.

Jesus Christ

And the 1:00 flight is now delayed until 1:30. When I said we could leave up to 5 hours late and just make it to the show on time, it wasn't supposed to be a challenge. That plane had better be taxiing down the runway and lifting off at 1:30 on the dot.

Motherfucking Delta Sucks Ass Worse Than NYC Transit

And now my 11:00 flight which was delayed until noon has been cancelled. We are now on a flight at 1, which is 2:00 New York time, so with a 2 and a half hour flight time, that puts us on the ground at 4:30, and of course they won't have a gate for us for an hour and then we'll have to deal with rush hour traffic to get from LaGuardia to the west side of Manhattan, and then from the hotel to the theatre, which means I won't be eating and may miss the beginning of the show. If this flight gets fucked I'm goingto call the theatre and see if we can still pick up the tickets at intermission and at least see the second act, which is the money act anyways. I'll still fight with Delta about getting reimbursed but I'll at least see what I want to see. Keep your fingers crossed, with abit of luck I might actually get to New York in time to see Mindgame Sunday night.

Delta sucks even more.

And Delta just keeps digging themselves into a deeper hole, our 11:00 flight is now delayed until 12. That's 3 hours into our 5 hour buffer, they're not leaving themselves much time to get me to naked Harry. If I miss it there will be a hissy fit of historic proportions in the lobby of Delta's headquarters.

DELTA AIRLINES SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OMFG, Delta is now the worst airline in the world We made it to Midway just fine, got checked in and flew through security (one of the many reasons I like Midway so much more than O'Hare), we went for breakfast and then got back to the gate about an hour before scheduled takeoff, only to find the display showing that our flight is cancelled, with no one at the counter to offer any explanation or assitance. My companion called Delta, waited on hold for about 20 minutes, and finally got through to an operator who was able to put us on an 11:00 flight. Fortunately we're confirmed and someone finally showed up at the ticket counter, offering only the explanation that air trafic control forced them to cancel the flight, which is nowhere near good enough an explanation, although I know who to go to for reimbursement if we don't make it to naked Harry Potter tonight, and she was able to give us our new boarding passes. So now we just have to wait and see if this flight will leave on time. My afternoon plans are now fucked, so if any guys were planning on meeting me today, it's going to have to wait until Monday morning, around 10-11-ish, at the Starbucks on 57th between 8th & 9th. Moral of the story, don't fly Delta, even American is less incompetent.

Planning

It's almost time boys! My flight leaves at 9 tomorrow morning, so I should hopefully be at the hotel around 1. However, it looks like everything will be as if I never said goodbye. It's supposed to rain all day tomorrow and Saturday in NYC (although it will be clear here), so who knows what time I will land. I figure we can leave up to 5 hours late and still get to Equus on time, which is doable, we only left about 3 hours late from New York last time and that was a Biblical level storm. A mild rain should only delay us 1-2 hours. Speaking of Equus, my companion is leaving me on my own from about 2-5 tomorrow afternoon, so I'm going to go to Colony Records then so we can hit the Village Saturday morning and go to Strand and finally the NYU bookstore which he has been trying to do the last two times. So, I may have to stop at Starbucks on 57th between 8th & 9th on the way and get a pick me up since I'll have to get up so early tomorrow and want to stay awake for the money scene tomorrow night. So, any free boys who don't want to wait until Monday may want to be hangning around Starbucks at maybe 2:30-ish tomorrow (hint hint Cheyenne!).

Speaking of showtunes, I stopped at Borders yesterday at got Patti's CD (and bad news boys, Gypsy is closing when her contract is up in March of next year, she's a busy woman, so get to the show NOW!). I haven't listened to it yet because I was in training at work all day today, but I did copy it and get it onto my mp3 player so I can listen to it on the plane tomorrow to set the mood for the weekend. They did not have Jackie Hoffman's CD, but emusic did, and my downloads happened to refresh last night, so I got that along with the 13 cast recording, again neither of which I have listened to but are now on my mp3 player. I was then only able to get 2 more tracks from Guys & Dolls, but there are only 5 more left and no matter what comes out between now and next month, I will get those 5. However, I had originally planned to then get Lady in the Dark, but on a hunch, I typed in John Barrowman's name to see if they had his CD which is supposed to be coming out sometime around now, and while they don't have the new one, they've got two older ones, an Andrew Lloyd Webber collection and a general Broadway collection, so guess what I'll be getting next month! I may just need to up my subscription level, I've had the NEO concert recording on the backburner almost all year now and that's going to be a multi-month download as well because of the number of tracks, and I want to start getting the "The Musicality Of. . ." CD's, particularly the Kander & Ebb one because it has the only recorded song from The Visit. Regardless of what I didn't get yet though, it's a great week for showtunes. Anyways, I've got to get to Supernatural (Jensen deserves my full attention) and then get packing and off to bed so I'm not falling asleep on anyone tomorrow. See you in New York!

A Brand New Day

Yes, you read the title right, Obama actually pulled it off and our LONG national nightmare is almost over (although let's hope that Bush doesn't go into overdrive trying to ruin the country before having to turn it over and give up mining rights to create policies that enrich his family and friends). Things started looking up on Monday when Celine Dion announced that she was postponing her Tuesday night concert at the United Center due to some sort of bizarre sounding illness. I knew that would be a sign of good things to come, and it was. Now let's just hope this illness keeps Ms. Dion sidelined forever. Seriously, where is the justice in a world where Julie Andrews' singing voice has been silenced forever by an incompetent surgeon and Celine goes on and on?

It was also a good day for Liza and Broadway in general. Liza announced a 2 week extension of her concert at the Palace, taking it to the end of December. It won't benefit me since I won't be going during that time, but it's great that there's enough demand to keep her booked for a full month, especially when other shows are down. As if that wasn't enough, one of my all time favorite actresses (although I do find it ironic that her two Oscars are for two of my least favorite of her movies), the one and only fabulous Jane Fonda will be making a long overdue return to Broadway about a year from now in a new play called 33 Variations. It goes without saying that I will do everything in my power to be there, even if the play sucks, she's sure to be electrifying (see Monster-In-Law and Georgia Rule for proof). Speaking of being there, I bought tickets for all my top choice shows last night, Equus, Boeing-Boeing, August: Osage County, Pal Joey, and Mindgame. I didn't get great seats, but they're all good seats, and thanks to Playbill Club, I saved a boatload of money. It's obvious the economy isn't doing well when there are still bargain tickets to be had to see Harry Potter naked. Unfortunately I'll be in the mezzanine for that but I plan on having binoculars (although from what I hear, Daniel Radcliff doesn't really need anyone using binoculars to get a nice view, he's got plenty there to push to quote the Beggar Woman from Sweeney Todd). We're also in the balcony for Pal Joey, which sucks because the balcony aisles at Studio 54 are so narrow, but I did get aisle seats so my companion can at least stretch his legs out into the aisle. I would have sprung for main floor seats, but there were only 5 and none of them were together and were all on the very outer edge of the seating area, so I figured I'd get cheap seats since it's not that long anyways and use the money I save for an extra CD at Colony Records. Then we're on the main floor for B-B, August, and Mindgame, although towards the back for all of them, but that's ok, Broadway theatres are small and I'd prefer to have a panoramic view, particularly for August, and the Music Box is so small that I think our seats there will be almost perfect. We were in the middle for Deuce and I felt like we were almost looking straight up to see the top of the set, so being towards the back is better. Anyways, one final note, yesterday was a bad day for more than just John McCain and the Republicans, it was announced that Tale of Two Cities will be closing on the 16th. I'm a little disappointed that I won't be seeing it that weekend, but there are just so many other shows I want to see because they're good and not to see how bad they are that it just won't happen. It's not like it's like Carrie anyways, and hopefully I'll get to hear a cast recording sometime, although I'm still waiting on that Lestat recording to see the light of day. Anyways, after I issued my invites, I realized that several TV shows have also started filming in NY, and I know you guys have busy schedules, but if any of the Gossip guys (especially Chace Crawford) want to stop by Starbucks on Monday morning, I wouldn't mind, nor would I mind Joshua Jackson or Eric Mabius, and I can't imagine how I left this off my original list, but Daniel Radcliff is also absolutely welcome as well, and I promise I'll make up for the initial oversight. Someone's got to be desperate for attention. Anyways, it's time to wrap up and head home so I can finish up one class project and get to work on the other one so I can finish it up before leaving next week.

Good News and a Warning

Ok, I don't have a lot of time, but there's been a rash of good news lately I've got to comment on. First of all, get ready boys, I'm on my way back to New York, Nov. 14-17. The plane tickets have been bought and the hotel reservations (again the Holiday Inn on 57th) have been made. We're waiting to hear if my companion's friends that we met last time want to go to any shows, so I haven't bought the tickets yet, but will on Tuesday if we don't hear anything. I've done some preliminary research and South Pacific is still sold out the entire time, apparetly it's the only show doing any business to speak of. So, barring any other sell outs, the shows will be: Equus, Boeing-Boeing, August: Osage County, Pal Joey, and Mindgame. It's kind of crazy there's only one musical, but plays are cheaper to produce, which means there's a lot more running right now with business down and the environment being even riskier than ever. The backups in case of a sellout are: Road Trip (and the only reason that's not on the to-see list is because I saw the Bounce incarnation at the Goodman 6(!) years ago, and I know there's a lot of changes and I love the new casting, but new shows always trump already-seen shows), White Christmas (not my choice at all, but my companion wants to see it, although he's using his one choice for Boeing-Boeing so if that's the one that's sold out, Christmas will be the replacement), the Seagull (again, not my choice at all, I've hated every Chekov production I've seen, although that could be that they all just happened to be sucky presentations of otherwise classic plays), and 13 (which I really would like to see and would be on my to-see list if it was just me, along with Little Mermaid, but my companion so hated Spring Awakening I'm not risking another youth-oriented show with him), and if we really need it, A Tale of Two Cities, just to see how awful it is (we did that with Dracula and actually ended up enjoying it on its own terms, maybe lightening can strike twice). We're flying in Friday morning, which makes me a little nervous for the Friday night show, but we're leaving early, so if the flight gets fucked up, we've still got plenty of options to get us there before showtime. Once we're there we'll check in and head to the Village to hit The Strand, the NYC bookstore, and our other haunts, head back for a nap, and then it's dinner and showtime. Saturday and Sunday are shows, and we'll be doing Mindgame Sunday night, which means another Times Square to SoHo between show trek, hopefully without the subway meltdown and biblical flood this time. Then Monday my companion is working so I'll be off to probably the Neue Gallery (because it's a quick romp to see everything and get your money's worth), lunch back across the park at the Carnegie Deli, and then hanging out at the Borders in Columbus Circle to use the wifi and do classwork until my companion is done, and then we pick up our luggage and head to the airport to fly back, and it's off to work on Tuesday. So, boys, Monday morning is Starbucks time before heading over the Neue Gallery, and I'd love to see Cheyenne, Matt Cavenaugh, Curtis Holbrook, Hunter Parrish, and/or Matthew Morrison Monday morning at Starbucks on 57th between 8th & 9th, as well as any other previous invitees who I may not know are in the city and hence left off the list (and Matt C. & Curtis, if it's going to make your upcoming work in West Side Story awkward, I'm open to scheduling one at a time, although you may find you can work together better on stage after all three of us meet up, I'm open). So, another quick but hopefully fun and rain-free trip.

Now, as I alluded to, there's been some great casting news. Matt Cavenaugh will be playing Tony in the upcoming West Side Story, with Curtis Holbrook cast in the ensemble, two hotties for the price of one. With WSS, Blithe Spirit, and Guys and Dolls, February is probably the next month I'll head back. Then, on top of West Side, it was just announced that the Pre-Broadway The Addams Family run will take place in Chicago about a year from now. While I'm not thrilled with Brickman & Elice writing the book, they did show a lot of improvement between Jersey Boys and Turn of the Century (which just finished up its final performance a couple hours ago), so maybe they'll continue to improve and give us something good. Music though is by Andrew Lippa, which is appropriate and gives me a lot of reason to hope, and then in the leads as Gomez and Morticia are Nathan Lane, and, wait for it, in her long awaited return to the stage (not counting her recent Chicago re-engagement in New York), Bebe Neuwirth!!! The role is tailor-made for her, and she's one of the few remaining divas I have yet to see either in concert or in a show (although I would love to see Bernadette Peters in a show, she's been concert only, and Angela Lansbury in a musical, she's been play only). Keep your fingers crossed, I'll be seeing it anyways, but if she comes along, I'll be first in line for tickets for multiple dates.

Speaking of Divas, while it's unfortunate that I won't be able to see Liza in her 2-week concert run at the Palace in New York (or Chita Rivera's 2-week run at Feinsteins, starting the day after we leave New York), A&M Records is re-releasing her first 4 non-cast album albums on a 2-disc CD set the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. They have been out of print for years, leaving the cast recording of Flora. . . as her earliest available legal recording (not counting her appearances on some of her mom's live concert recordings as a young teenager). Given her fabulous performance in Liza with a Z just a few years later, I'm very eager to hear how these early albums sound compared to her later showtune-adult contemporary recordings (although the Pet Shop Boys produced Results is a fabulous departure). With Patti's and Jackie Hoffman's CD's, November is going to be pretty divalicious as well.

Lastly, the title of this post mentions a warning. First of all, I want to remind everyone to vote on Tuesday. However, while Obama's coattails will carry a lot of dems to victory (although I'm not convinced he'll win, the Republicans have too long a history of election-day hijincks and while they can let some house and senate races go, they're not going to give up the oval office), please be mindful about blindly voting for Dem candidates in Illinois. While this is not a political blog and I don't want to run afowl of campaigning laws, I believe the sharing of information is perfectly legit, and I have some to share about Dick Durbin, running for re-election as Illinois Senator. Four years ago, as the last presidential election was in full swing and the Republicans were trying to get the marriage amendment going, I sent emails to both Durbin and Fitzgerald (the senator that Obama replaced in that election, although he was a co-sponsor of the amendment and did not even acknowledge my email) urging them to prevent the amendment from coming up for a vote, and if it did, to vote against it. While Fitzgerald did not respond, I got a prompt, auto-reply, back from Durbin assuring me that while he is opposed to gay marriage, he is also opposed to writing discrimination into the constitution and would do everything he could to defeat the amendment, but do know that he is personally against gay marriage. What the fuck?!?!?!?!?!?!? With supporters like that, who needs Republicans? I swore then and there that I will never vote for him again. Unfortunately, his opponent, Steve Sauerberg, is no better, being resolutely pro-Iraq war and running basically as a last ditch attempt by Republicans to try to give some legitimacy to Bush's legacy by showing that there are people out there who do still support the war even though the vast consensus is that it was such a horrible mistake. So, I can't really vote for him either, so I will be leaving that contest blank on my ballot. While Durbin is on track to win, if enough of us don't vote, particularly in the Lakeview-area and adjacent districts, that will get his attention. With that, hopefully the title of my next post will be Brand New Day and not Something Bad. See you in a new world.