Well, tonight I fly to Canada, drawing to a close my second sojourn to New York in 6 months. Just like at Christmas I have seen a total of 16 shows (15 on Broadway, 1 off) in the past two weeks. I went through Playbill and the ones currently playing that I haven't seen are very very small in number. Still pissed that Jesus Christ Superstar closed early.
The non-theater highlight of the last few days was seeing the Space Shuttle Enterprise. The exhibit opened on Thursday, and I was there, lined up in the rain with every other space nerd this side of the Hudson river on day 2. It is HUGE. They don't let you in it, you are only allowed to walk around it, but still it was something to be in awe of.
Part of what I found entertaining was the pictures and history of the shuttle that was in the pavilion. There was video of it being transported to it's home on the Hudson river atop an airplane (this pic is actually of it being transported on a special plane for its first flight in the 1970's).
But my fav picture by far was the one below. NASA had intended on naming the shuttle Constitution, but in the 1970's fans of the original Star Trek series petitioned President Ford to call her Enterprise. NASA caved, and the crew of the other Enterprise were invited (flared trousers and all) to be there when she was launched.
You had to walk across the top of an aircraft carrier (the Intrepid) to get to see the space ship. Weather wise, it was not a great day for a stroll across the top of an aircraft carrier...
Well I also have a few outstanding theater reviews from the past few days. First up we have the British comedy 1 Man, 2 Guvnors.
This was hilarious, but not because of the writing. The funniest moments of this show were the impromptu ones. James Corden (who you might recall from Gavin & Stacey) lost it completely, twice. He fell totally out of character, and would instead revert to the performer/audience banter of a stand up comic. Then someone in the rest of the cast would run on with a line and try to remind him to get back on track. The funniest moment came when one actor came on stage during one of these moments looking pissed. James (between giggles) told the audience that this guy had three lines, and the guy in the audience who had been talking back to James just ruined two of them. At one point Corden was laughing so hard he was crying. There was a running gag in the show about Australia that I must confess went over my head. Might need to google it...or ask a Brit to explain it to me.
Friday night was Newsies. I'm not going to say much about this. I was underwhelmed. I suspect part of my disappointment came when I realized the Jeremy Jordan playing the lead was the guy that was in Bonnie & Clyde, and not the one hit wonder from my teenage days...
Saturday afternoon was Peter and The Starcatcher.
This play is to Peter Pan what Wicked is to The Wizard of Oz. It sets out to explain why Peter wants to stay a boy (though not forever as we have been led to believe, just "for a while"), how he gets the ability to fly, and exactly how he becomes Hook's Nemesis. It also explains why Hook has a hook, and you get some insight into why Wendy was the girl Peter sought out in London. They are making a movie out of this, but I am not sure it is going to translate well to film. The charm of this is that it is done like a group of kids playing make believe. The costumes, the sets, everything in this is about you using your imagination to see what the characters want you to see, and not about what is on the stage. It is fantastically clever in that respect.
Saturday night was Mama Mia! Now this is not my fav show. I contemplated going back to see Once again, but instead bought a ticket to this as I had only ever seen it in Australia and not on Broadway. It was okay, but I wish I had seen something else instead. I love ABBA (what Eurovision fan doesn't), but I find this trite. Does that make me sound like a theater snob???
Sunday afternoon was End of the Rainbow
This is set in London in late 1968 and is about Judy Garland and Micky Deans. Judy really was a tragic figure, and I have to say if Micky Deans was anything like he was portrayed he was a complete jerk who probably sped up the death of Garland. The woman who played Garland was amazing. It's gotta be tiring to play someone that f$&@ed up each and every night.
Today I also partook in a Broadway tradition and had a per-theatre meal at Sardi's. Jodie Foster was there. I loved it. Food was fantastic. When you walk in the first question they ask everyone is "so, what are you seeing today?". I sat underneath the charactiture of Melanie Griffiths. Whilst I was there though, I had a thought, I need to summarize the hits and misses of the past 2 weeks with my own little awards ceremony. The Tony awards are named for Antoinette Perry, so perhaps we can call these the "Bellies" (I've had too much coffee today to come up with anything cleverer!). So, without further to do, the winners are:
Fav show of the past 2 weeks - it's a tie! Between Once and Nice Work If You Can Do It
Least fav show of the past 2 weeks - Newsies (with Mama Mia! A close second)
Show that make me laugh so hard at one point I accidentally smacked my head into the seat in front of me (seriously...) - Nice Work If You Can Do It
Fav Actor - James Earle Jones from The Best Man (who wouldn't pick Darth Vader?)
Fav Actress - Cristin Milioti from Once
Song that I hummed the whole walk home and then downloaded from iTunes - Falling Slowly from Once
Worst behaved audience - Mama Mia! (ugh, talking, cellphones, photos, kids kicking chairs...turns out though that I can still shut people up with my famous finance meeting death stare...)
Rudest Ushers - Mama Mia! (possibly because of the rudeness of their audience...)
Most Tears (from me) - tie between Rent and Once (only because I was ready this time for the bit in Jersey Boys that makes me cry).
Number of times the word "wow" crossed my mind during Bring It On - I lost count...I have a new respect for cheerleaders (of the gymnastic type, not the pompom type)
Celeb that surprised me the most - Ricky Martin. Turns out he can do more than just shake his bon bon.
Most ill placed sound effect - the subway trains running under Studio 54 during Harvey.
I have relalised something today as well (and this may be filed under too much information for some of you...). After many, many years of using a handbag that sat on one shoulder, and then moving to one that goes across my body over the last few months, I have sustained an "injury" of sorts. Because of the way it sits across my body, it pushes my left boob up, and my right one down. I realized this morning when I put a fitted shirt on that my left book currently sits higher than my right. I have wonky boobs. Do you reckon they compensate for that through travel insurance???
The non-theater highlight of the last few days was seeing the Space Shuttle Enterprise. The exhibit opened on Thursday, and I was there, lined up in the rain with every other space nerd this side of the Hudson river on day 2. It is HUGE. They don't let you in it, you are only allowed to walk around it, but still it was something to be in awe of.
Part of what I found entertaining was the pictures and history of the shuttle that was in the pavilion. There was video of it being transported to it's home on the Hudson river atop an airplane (this pic is actually of it being transported on a special plane for its first flight in the 1970's).
But my fav picture by far was the one below. NASA had intended on naming the shuttle Constitution, but in the 1970's fans of the original Star Trek series petitioned President Ford to call her Enterprise. NASA caved, and the crew of the other Enterprise were invited (flared trousers and all) to be there when she was launched.
You had to walk across the top of an aircraft carrier (the Intrepid) to get to see the space ship. Weather wise, it was not a great day for a stroll across the top of an aircraft carrier...
This was hilarious, but not because of the writing. The funniest moments of this show were the impromptu ones. James Corden (who you might recall from Gavin & Stacey) lost it completely, twice. He fell totally out of character, and would instead revert to the performer/audience banter of a stand up comic. Then someone in the rest of the cast would run on with a line and try to remind him to get back on track. The funniest moment came when one actor came on stage during one of these moments looking pissed. James (between giggles) told the audience that this guy had three lines, and the guy in the audience who had been talking back to James just ruined two of them. At one point Corden was laughing so hard he was crying. There was a running gag in the show about Australia that I must confess went over my head. Might need to google it...or ask a Brit to explain it to me.
Friday night was Newsies. I'm not going to say much about this. I was underwhelmed. I suspect part of my disappointment came when I realized the Jeremy Jordan playing the lead was the guy that was in Bonnie & Clyde, and not the one hit wonder from my teenage days...
Saturday afternoon was Peter and The Starcatcher.
This play is to Peter Pan what Wicked is to The Wizard of Oz. It sets out to explain why Peter wants to stay a boy (though not forever as we have been led to believe, just "for a while"), how he gets the ability to fly, and exactly how he becomes Hook's Nemesis. It also explains why Hook has a hook, and you get some insight into why Wendy was the girl Peter sought out in London. They are making a movie out of this, but I am not sure it is going to translate well to film. The charm of this is that it is done like a group of kids playing make believe. The costumes, the sets, everything in this is about you using your imagination to see what the characters want you to see, and not about what is on the stage. It is fantastically clever in that respect.
Saturday night was Mama Mia! Now this is not my fav show. I contemplated going back to see Once again, but instead bought a ticket to this as I had only ever seen it in Australia and not on Broadway. It was okay, but I wish I had seen something else instead. I love ABBA (what Eurovision fan doesn't), but I find this trite. Does that make me sound like a theater snob???
Sunday afternoon was End of the Rainbow
This is set in London in late 1968 and is about Judy Garland and Micky Deans. Judy really was a tragic figure, and I have to say if Micky Deans was anything like he was portrayed he was a complete jerk who probably sped up the death of Garland. The woman who played Garland was amazing. It's gotta be tiring to play someone that f$&@ed up each and every night.
Today I also partook in a Broadway tradition and had a per-theatre meal at Sardi's. Jodie Foster was there. I loved it. Food was fantastic. When you walk in the first question they ask everyone is "so, what are you seeing today?". I sat underneath the charactiture of Melanie Griffiths. Whilst I was there though, I had a thought, I need to summarize the hits and misses of the past 2 weeks with my own little awards ceremony. The Tony awards are named for Antoinette Perry, so perhaps we can call these the "Bellies" (I've had too much coffee today to come up with anything cleverer!). So, without further to do, the winners are:
Fav show of the past 2 weeks - it's a tie! Between Once and Nice Work If You Can Do It
Least fav show of the past 2 weeks - Newsies (with Mama Mia! A close second)
Show that make me laugh so hard at one point I accidentally smacked my head into the seat in front of me (seriously...) - Nice Work If You Can Do It
Fav Actor - James Earle Jones from The Best Man (who wouldn't pick Darth Vader?)
Fav Actress - Cristin Milioti from Once
Song that I hummed the whole walk home and then downloaded from iTunes - Falling Slowly from Once
Worst behaved audience - Mama Mia! (ugh, talking, cellphones, photos, kids kicking chairs...turns out though that I can still shut people up with my famous finance meeting death stare...)
Rudest Ushers - Mama Mia! (possibly because of the rudeness of their audience...)
Most Tears (from me) - tie between Rent and Once (only because I was ready this time for the bit in Jersey Boys that makes me cry).
Number of times the word "wow" crossed my mind during Bring It On - I lost count...I have a new respect for cheerleaders (of the gymnastic type, not the pompom type)
Celeb that surprised me the most - Ricky Martin. Turns out he can do more than just shake his bon bon.
Most ill placed sound effect - the subway trains running under Studio 54 during Harvey.
I have relalised something today as well (and this may be filed under too much information for some of you...). After many, many years of using a handbag that sat on one shoulder, and then moving to one that goes across my body over the last few months, I have sustained an "injury" of sorts. Because of the way it sits across my body, it pushes my left boob up, and my right one down. I realized this morning when I put a fitted shirt on that my left book currently sits higher than my right. I have wonky boobs. Do you reckon they compensate for that through travel insurance???
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