Boleros for the Disenchanted

Well, this is certainly much quicker than I would have anticipated making another post now that I'm back in school, but I had to pull myself away from my other important projects for this post. As I mentioned last time, on Thursay I saw Boleros for the Disenchanted at the Goodman, and I have to get on the record and say that it was the best play I have ever seen, and I have seen a lot of good plays. It was truly phenomenal and I can't recommend it highly enough. Anyone who's into theatre needs to rush to the Goodman before the 28th to check it out. It is the must see play of the summer. The story was wonderful, and while it could have been cliched in lesser hands, it was very profound and moving. All the performers were wonderful, particularly Elizabeth Ledo who played the younger version of the main character in the first act and a home health care nurse for that character's husband in the second act and Rene Rivera who played her character's father in the first act and her husband in the second act. They made us feel so personally invested in their characters and I can't remember the last time I was on the edge of my seat hoping and praying that a character would answer a question a certain way. Usually I just sit back with interest to see how they will answer, but this time I wanted a certain answer because I felt like I knew these characters and that they were family. It is so good, you have to go. Just be aware that while the signs on the theatre doors say the running time is 2 hours, it is actually closer to 2 1/2 so plan your intermission drinks and restroom stop accordingly. However, it's worth it for such a wonderful show. If there's any justice in the world, it will have a bigger life after the 28th, and in an ideal world it would head to Broadway, sweep the Tony's, and run for years. Unfortunately, In the Heights is already nicely filling the Hispanic niche and producers tend to discount this audience, so the play will likely not end up in New York until ItH closes, and that likely won't happen for a while (although now that Avenue Q is waving the white flat, ItH could be next, out of the four remaining Best Musical winners - Jersey Boys, Phantom, and Lion King being the others - it's the weakest in terms of proven staying power). Plus, it doesn't help that the Goodman's last transfer, Desire Under the Elms, was such a dud, it really weakened demand for any more Goodman material for a while, especially in these risk averse times. Still, maybe there's an Off-Broadway house it can transfer to and incubate for a while and then make the move like Avenue Q, In the Heights, Spring Awakening, Grey Gardens, and Next to Normal. Fortunately, the news isn't so bad for the city's other powerhouse. In case you missed it, Steppenwolf announced this week that the entire cast of Superior Donuts will be joining Michael McKean on Broadway, which is very good news indeed for a lot of Chicago actors. Also this week, I got my tickets for Souvenier and Awake and Sing at Northlight, with Souvenier in November and A&S in January. Now if I can just prod my companion into action on History Boys and Light in the Piazza it'll be a well spent theatre summer.

Honey, What's With The Torture?

Lots of big news. First of all, the lead story on playbill.com today was that Megan Mullally will be playing Beverly Wilkins in an LA production of The Receptionist in August and September! From a boozy unreliable receptionist for an interior decorator to an efficient, yet antique teacup addicted, receptionist for a professional torture organization, she's moving up in the world! If Blithe Spirit and 33 Variations hadn't already claimed the title, this would be the one show I would want to see this year, unfortunately it'll end up with a 33 Variations ending (ie not getting to see it) instead of a Blithe Spirit ending. Still, doing it in LA may provide some impetus towards a movie project, although I would love to see Jayne Houdyshell get the part. So, those of you in the LA area, get your tickets now.

The other big news is the massive addition to emusic's catalog. Seriously, take a look at them. They've got actual pop music that people listen to (Aerosmith's entire catalogue, The Offspring, The Eurythmics, Michael Jackson, everything that I've been wanting to get but not willing to buy and the library doesn't have). Plus, their cast recording offering has gone through the roof. They don't yet have West Side Story or Road Show, but they do have Hair as well as a massive amount of older recordings, including Best Foot Forward, Liza Minnelli's theatrical debut and impossible to find on CD! Best of all, they have just about every single album Barbra Streisand has ever recorded. They are going to keep me busy for years. Another nice update is now that if you get an album at once, most albums that are over 12 tracks will only cost 12 credits, meaning that you can now get a couple of complete albums every month. Even better, if you have less than 12 credits left, you can get as many tracks as you have credits for and then next month, when you go back, it will let you download the rest of the album for the difference between the full 12 credits and the amount of credits that you used last month. So, if you have 5 credits left and want to get a 17 track cast recording, you can download the first 5 tracks, and then next month download the remaining 12 tracks for 7 credits, you don't lose out on anything. I got my monthly allotment last night and finished up The Story of My Life (spending only 6 credits to get the remaining 11 tracks!), The Offspring's Greatest Hits, the Eurythmics tracks from their first Greatest Hits CD that didn't make it onto their 2006 Ultimate Collection CD and some dance mixes, Mahler's First Symphony recorded by the CSO, and Brahms' 2nd Symphony recorded by the Vienna Philharmonic (a historic recording that you can tell was mastered from a record by still very good). Next month I'm getting the 1973 Candide recording (24 tracks, 12 for each disc) and then starting Kyle Riabko's Parkdale Sessions CD. The only problem so far is that not every CD over 12 is 12 credits, the Hair recording, which is 37 tracks is still the full 37 credits, so that'll take a couple months to work on, but I'll start it the next month after completing Parkdale Sessions. There's never been a better time to join.

Wednesday I've got Garrick Ohlson at Ravinia and Thursday is Boleros for the disenchanted at the Goodman. I'm back in class again so while I can say I'll try to report on them right away, I'm not making any promises, but I will see you soon.

Oh What A Beautiful Weekend

Well, the rest of this trip has been a whirlwind, but in a good way. After my last post on Friday, we stepped outside into yet more rain, thus time a light drizzle. We ran into a Times Square souvenier store and got an umbrella and by the time we got outside and opened it up, the rain was prety much gone, and three blocks later it was totally gone, and was gorgeous for the rest of the weekend. One other thing I noticed was that the Starbucks that was acrossthe street from the Crowne Plaza two years ago is now gone, so I guess it's no big deal that I slept in so late, there was no centralized meeting place anyways. Next time I'll have to double check on Starbuck's website that the store I'm planning on going to is still there.

So, we went to the Biblical Art Museum at Columbus Circle, which was very nice. It was fairly small, we got through it in about 90 minutes, but they had a very nice, extensive collection of Medieval prints on display. Afterwards we had lunch at Fiorello's and then took a long walk through the park where I snapped about 200 pictures. We headed back to the hotel around 4 and briefly rested (and caught the fabulously shocking news about Sarah Palin) and then left about 5 for an early dinner at Seasonal. I cannot recommend that restaurant highly enough, it is our new find and favorite destination. The fod was excellent and the space is so nice. After that we headed off to the Marquis and I was pleasantly surprised to find that 9 to 5 is a very good musical. The three women were excellent (and I am not much of a fan of Allison Janney, but she was superb). Stephanie J. Block of coruse was fabulous and Megan Hilty perfectly captured the essence of Dolly. The music was very catchy and I will definitely be getting the cast recording when it comes out in a couple weeks. I can see why the critics weren't totally enamored of it, there were a couple too many fantasy sequences, especialy in the second act, which did make the story feel kind of lightweight, but it was thoroughly enjoyable, which is what really counts. Plus, as a bonus, there was a lot of eye candy on stage, my coffee invite list is going to be much longer on my next trip. Afterwards we headed up to the lobby bar to meet a friend for drinks and ended up hopping from there to Thalia for several drinks before calling it a night around 1 am.

The next morning we again slept in and then met some friends for brunch at a French restaurant whose name currently slips my mind but it was on 9th at 41st, and it was very good. After that we had just enough time to head to Broadway New York where I got a keychain to replace one I've had since I first got my driver's license that recently broke, and then it was off to the Jacobs for God of Carnage. However, on the way, I had my first confirmed celebrity sighting in all the times I've gone to New York (I do think that I saw Ralph Fiennes in 2006 when he was doing a play, but it was from a distance and no one was there to give a second opinion so I really don't count that one). We were walking down 44th past a deli across from the Shubert and right inside was Rupert Everett buying soup! My companion actually saw him first and I confirmed that it was him, so it's official. We left him alone, it was getting close to showtime and he was probably in a hurry, but it was kind of a thrill, and we kept going on our way to GoC. That was an interesting play and while I liked it, I'm still not sure how I feel about it. It seemed a little lightweight and contrived to have won Best Play and Best Director, and Marcia Gay's performance was one those that's so out there that it really seems like some critical deity just flipped a coin and decided that was good but consensus really could have just as easily gone the other way and deemed it too over the top and bad. Still, it was entertaining, and like 9 to 5, that's what counts. Everyone was excellent, although Hope Davis was my favorite with Jeff Daniels a close second. James Gandolfino tried to throw a little too much Tony Soprano mannerisms into the role which was rather distracting, and that mumbling style of talking made him hard to understand at times. But, I'm still glad I got to see it with the original cast.

Afterwards, we took the subway to the village and walked around and then went to Strand where I got some good books (one a very critical biography of Bruno Bettleheim, who founded the institution where I got my first job after graduation; I hated that job so I'm very excited to read the book). We then hopped back onto the subway to 57th and walked to H & M where I got a couple of shirts (for less than $20!!!) and we then had dinner at an Indian Bistro on 9th around 50th. I had a very nice and mild tandoori lobster and they were giving out a free glass of wine with dinner, so I now have a second Indian Restaurant in New York that I will eat at if my companion insists on Indian. We then dropped off our purchases at the hotel and went to the Booth for Next to Normal.

First, Mr. Kyle Dean is even hotter in person than he is in his picture. I would really love to spehd some one on one time with those abs, pecs, and biceps on my next trip. That second scene of his where he's only wearing boxers with a towel drapped around his neck was worth the price of admission (plus, we had really good seats since the theatre is so small every seat is close to the stage). However, going beyond the eye-pleasingness of the show (and the rest of the men in the cast were not unpleasant to look at either, and the set was superb, having seen Billy Elliot's London set, I am surprised that N2N didn't win that award as well). The music was excellent, although I still think BE should have won that award, and everyone was fantastic, particularly Alice. She really deserved that Tony and Jennifrer Damiano really was robbed, having seen Haydn and Martha, and being familiar with Carole Shelley's role, if not her exact performance, I have to say that Jennifer seems to be the most deserving, and hopefully I'll see Karen's performance next time I'm here so that I can know for sure who was best. I am surprised that Aaron didn't get a nomination because that role seemed to require more work than any of the others with all the running around all over stage, but it was a crowded field this year. My companion liked it, but said it was his least favorite out of the 4 we saw because it was so sad. It was my second favorite, after Blithe Spirit. It will be a classic, although the end still needs just a little tinkering, it was still somewhat unresolved, and while that's kind of the point, they could have driven hat home in a more clear manner. Still, that is a very minor quibble and I'm annointing N2N as the show to see this summer. Originality like this needs to be encouraged. We them headed back to the hotel, fighting our way through the throngs leaving the fireworks display, and called it a night.

Today we again slept in and only managed to check out about 15 minutes before the noon deadline. We stored our luggage and went to the International Photography Center and saw the Richard Avedon exhibit, which was so fascinating. He was quite talented, although after seeing so many fashion photographs, I was expecting to see Tyra Banks at the exit saying "America's next Top Model is. . . Novina!" Afterwards we had about an hour and a half before we wanted to be in a cab on our way to Newark, so we just kept walking east on 42nd until we got to Tudor Village where I got a lot of good pictures of the shoreline, Brooklyn, and the UN. That is quite an impressive area, it doesn't even feel like a part of the city. I could see myself living there if I had unlimited riches. We then turned around and headed back, got our bags, and caught a cab. I was expecting that traffic was going to be awful, with holiday travellers cloggimg up the highway, but it was like driving in the middle of the night. We seriously got to Newark from the Times Square Crowne Plaza in 25 minutes! So now, I'm way early for my 7:15 flight (it's now 4:40), and I'm sitting at the gate typing this up on my phone. So far the flight is on time and with the weather being nice here and at home, hopefully there won't be any problems.

So, it's been a terrific trip. I've got one more week all to myself and then it's back to another 10 weeks of class with a residency in Arlington thrown in for good measure. Fortunately I'm now well rested and in a much better mental place than I was at the end of the term a few weeks ago. Next up is the CSO at Ravinia on the 15th. See you in Chicago!

High Spirits

Well, it's 11:15 am and I'm writing this as I'm lounging in bed in the hotel room. I still haven't made it across the street to Starbucks. Getting rained on is exhausting and it kept raining last night. We stayed holed up in the hotel room until about 6 and then walked down the block to Pigalle for dinner, which was excellent. However, it was sprinkling the whole way and as soon as we stepped inside, it was a downpour again. The monsoon lasted through most of dinner but miraculously and unexpectedly, it let up some as soon as we were ready to go around 7:30. We managed to walk to the theatre and only get slightly damp. I pickedup the tickets and bought a magnet for my work fridge and we settled in for the show. I am happy to report that Blithe Spirit gets a big A+ and not just because of Angela, although she was truly superb and deserving of that 5th Tony, but the whole ensemble was terrific. I really can't understand how only Angela got a nomination, Rupert and Christine deserved them to and the production should have been up for Best Revival, it was pitch perfect and the packed audience seemed to love it. I guess the current glut of classics (some that got worse reviews than Spirit yet still got a nomination - I'm talking about you Mary Stewart) really pushed farcical comedies out of favor, which is to bad. Blithe Spirit is a classic itself. So, afterward, it finally stopped raining and we came back to the hotel. I had the rest of my sandwich and a brownie and went to bed and slept until just after 10. I'm now ready to go andmy companion is getting ready. He decided not to work since we both slept so long, so there's no trip to Starbucks to meet ay adoring, hot, fans, who may still be waiting, knowing that I always seem to show up later than I intend to. So far the weather looks ok, although there are plenty of clouds in the sky, so we're going to walk up to Columbus Circle and go to the Biblical Art Museum and then head over to 5th Ave. for lunch, shopping, and maybe another museum. Of course, since Little Mermaid starts at 2, the weather will probably be terrific until then and at 2:01 I will suddenly be standing in the middle of a monsoon. Trust me, that's my luck

When It Rains. . .

Oh my God, I think I'm getting a message from someone not to come to New York anymore. We get here, get to the hotel, go to lunch, and then as we leave the Carnegie Deli, there's a slight drizzle. About a block and a half later the drizzle has become full fledged rain and after another block it's a monsoon with thunder and lightening. I had my camera around my neck and while it was in its bag, the bag got pretty wet, and if my camera is ruined I'm not going to be happy. We were on our way back to the hotel to drop off the half of the sandwich that I didn't eat and am saving for a late night snack tonight, so we tried to stay under canopies and made it to Colony Records and ran inside; I figured I could get my fix taken care of then. However, while I got some good CD'S (Promises, Promises; I Can Get it for you Wholesale, and On Your Toes with Elaine Stritch), I was rather disappointed as it looked like they've really downsized their collection and they didn't have anything really obscure, not even stuff I had seen on previous trips, and now they're somewhere between Borders and Barnes & Noble. Still, I like what I got, and the ran had died down by then, so we ran across the street to the hotel and have been here ever since. It's still pouring outside and without an umbrella I don't feel ike dealing with it. I've been watching USA's Burn Notice marathon while my companion has been sleeing (we did have to get up horribly early this morning). It's about 5:30 now, we will hopefully head back out around 6 for diner and if there's time we can get a little bit of shopping in before heading to the theatre, otherwise there's always tomorrow, and hopefully the sun will indeed come up then.

I can't quite believe it. . .

. . .I'm actually here!!! The one place on earth I want to be! Yes, I made it and now New York is no longer short of perfection. Apparently United's misery was American's opportunity, the flight went smoothly, although the landing took forever and we landed about 20 minutes late, but in the grand scheme of things not bad at all. I'm currently sitting at Carnegie Deli, and my food just arrived so I'm out!

Knocking on Wood. . .

Well, I'm sitting here at the gate about an hour and a half before takeoff and so far we're on time and the plane is here. Of course, that was also the case in November and we know how that turned out, and since the weather is supposed to be crappy today it still could. At the very least though, I'm glad I'm not on United. Apparently they're having some sort of computer glitch and nearly their entire fleet is grounded. Let's hope it's not a cascading problem.

So, here is the plan, assuming a smooth arrival. This afternoon is a late lunch at the Carnegie Deli and then a walk through the park, a trip to the Met, and a stop at H&M (no sales tax!!!!!!!) before heading back to the hotel for a nap and then dinner and Angela Lansbury. Tomorrow, given the weather forecast, it's going to be early coffee at Starbucks across from the Crowne Plaza (see you there Cheyenne, Matts (Morrison and Cavanaugh), Gossip Guys, Gavin, and/ or Kyles (Dean Massey and Riabko)), and then off to the International Center of Photography. My companion isn't too thrilled about going to another museum, so since we would rather take a wak and Sunday is supposed to be a nice walking day, we're going to flip the activities. Then it'll be down to the village with him when he's done with work for a trip to the Strand and NYU. Friday night is 9 to 5 and hopefully dinner at Seasonal. Saturday is a trip to Colony Records, God of Carnage, a trip next door to Broadway New York, and then Next to Normal. Sunday will then be Battery Park and downtown (much less crowded, another good argument for switching plans around), and then off to Newark for the trip home. It's going to be a whirlwind but I'm expecting a good time once/if we get there. I'm still kind of debating Little Mermaid tomorrow afternoon, especialy since they just announced that it will close in August, but since, unlike Tarzan, they are planning to tour, it's not quite as urgent. There's a lot of factors that I need to see how they'll play out (and hopefully at least one of them will show up for coffee tomorrow!) and we'll see how it goes. See you in New York!