More Than I Bargained For

Some pretty extraordinary things went down at MTC this week. Out of all of the excitement galore, two events in particular stand out in my mind.

First off, we had not one, but two seminars this week. One was with Barry Grove, the executive producer of MTC (as he has been since the company began, some 40 years ago). His life is pretty fascinating, and he's such a legend in New York theatre that it was incredible to be able to hear what he had to say. My favorite quote from the meeting: "You have to be like a chameleon and change colors...there are also some fish who change colors as well. I'm more of a fish person, so I associate better with water animals than with land creatures."...WHAT?!

But the other seminar was possibly even more exciting. This one was run by a special guest: Bill Pullman. That's right, the Bill Pullman. Of such classic films as "Spaceballs", "Casper", and "Independence Day". It was fantastic to hear him speak about his life as an actor - he has done a lot with both theatre and film, and he took a crazy road getting to where he is. He even has a Master's degree in directing - who knew?! Of course, we theatre interns were most interested in his work with Edward Albee, who is cah-razy. He told wondrous anecdotes, and we were even provided with free snacks and refreshments. An exciting time indeed.

And finally, I have saved the best for last. Around 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, I got a call at my desk from Kelly in the Casting Department, who was frantically looking for someone who can play the piano. They were doing auditions for a musical version of "The Hudsucker Proxy", and their accompanist had to leave. There were still three auditions left, so they wanted me to play for them. Of course I took them up on the offer. I hurried downstairs and into the audition room, where sat Lynne Meadow (MTC artistic director) and Glenn Slater (Tony-nominated Broadway lyricist), as well as some others. And the first audition was with Broadway star Jenn Gambatese. These auditions were legit, and I rocked all three (well, the last was a little sketchy, but it was mainly the girl's fault...). So basically, I made some good impressions in front of some big-time Broadway names. My professional accompanying debut, and I didn't even have to seek it out...

In return for coming to the rescue, the casting office delivered to me a bottle of red wine and card thanking me for "saving our bacon". They also said I should give them my resume for them to put on file as an audition accompanist. So yeah, I count this experience as a rousing success.

Happy to Have MET You

The past two days have been incredibly productive...in two completely different ways. Last night, I got home from work at about 6:30, unbelievably exhausted from my lack of sleep (which has accumulated slowly but surely over the past 3 months). I decided it was time to catch up - so I went to bed at 8:00 p.m. (yup). And I woke up today at 8:30 a.m. 12 1/2 hours was exactly what I needed.

And it's a good thing I slept that long, because I could not have gotten through the day without it. For tonight, Kelly and I went to the METropolitan Opera to attend a performance of Puccini's Il Trittico. Running time: 4 hours. We left at midnight.

I got in line for the tickets this afternoon at 3:00, waited 3 hours, and purchased the two $20 Orchestra tickets at 6:00. And the performance was absolutely wonderful. I don't know how they do it, but the MET rotates about 4 different productions every week, each with its own separate massive set. Il Trittico is a collection of three one-act operas (Il Tabarro, Suor Angelica, and Gianni Schicchi), so each act had its own elaborate, huge, gorgeous, awe-inspiring set. And in front of each seat there are "MET titles", where one can read the translations. This place is so legit.

All three acts were phenomenal in their own way, but the third was my favorite - it was genuinely hilarious and beautifully presented. Not to mention that at the end, the room in which the whole act was set descended to reveal the roof of the building, set against the skyline of Florence. It was absolutely breathtaking and spectacular. Everything was great: the music, the orchestra, the performances, the sets, the lights, the costumes, the direction. I shouted "Bravo!", "Brava!", and "Bravissimo!" as loud as my lungs would allow.

And if you're wondering: yes, I felt exactly like Cher felt when she went to the MET in "Moonstruck". Except my experience was better: Nicolas Cage didn't come with me.

It'll Fill Your Heart With Christmas

Today was a festive day indeed, filled with much mirth and Christmas cheer. The events that transpired at the Manhattan Theatre Club and subsequently at Radio City Music Hall got me in a happy holiday mood.

First off, Sunil (my MTC sponsor) is out of the office until Wednesday, so I have had the honor and privilege of completing his complicated weekly reports. I did the sales summaries and daily wraps for both The Royal Family and Nightingale, as well as the weekly Subscription Report. It literally took me a full 5 hours to complete the three reports, but I did indeed do so with much success. Debra even gave me the ultimate compliment - she said with all the work I had been doing with these reports, I could pretty much work in the General Management office. Thanks, Debra!

But even better than a successful day at work was the MTC Holiday Party that followed. We at MTC take this party very seriously, particularly the Pie-Off Competition - which awards winners in both the fruit and non-fruit pie categories. A presentation accompanying each pie is required. The grand prize: the coveted Golden Spoon!

Much to my delight, the Intern Brigade entered two pies (Scotch-Infused Pecan Pie and Vegan Pumpkin Pie Shots), and we whipped up one hell of a presentation to go along with it. Inspired by the song "The Juggernaut" from The Wild Party (which MTC produced 10 years ago), we sang and danced about baking pies. Have a look at our presentation here!: Intern Brigade 2009 Pie-Off Presentation

Upon viewing the video, you can see that we delivered a polished, flawless performance...Well, shortly after all the presentations were complete (others involved readings of children's books, short skits, dance routines, and song parodies), the winners were announced. Taking the prize for fruit pies was Laurel, who performed an inspired version of The Captain & Tennille's "Pies Will Keep Us Together." And the winners of the Golden Spoon for non-fruit pies...THE INTERN BRIGADE!!!!

So the party was a rousing success. I enjoyed the lovely potluck dinner (I supplied some scrumptious scallions rolled up in cream cheese and ham - they're called (w)rapscallions) and chatting it up with the employees at MTC. I really love working with these people - so it was wondrous to be able to relax and have a good time with them.

Directly after our win, I had to rush over to the Radio City Music Hall...for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, starring the Rockettes! It was the most beautiful, extravagant thing I have ever seen: the Rockettes kicked up a storm, took a trip around Manhattan, and performed the signature Wooden Soldier routine; Santa flew in 3-D (yup, we even got glasses) and made Patrick believe!; camels and donkeys strutted across the stage for a live nativity scene; and best of all, it steadily snowed! There is no better way to get in the holiday mood in New York City. The commercial jingle for the show is as follows:

It's fill your heart with Christmas
Take everyone you love
To the Radio City Christmas Show!

Seriously, everyone should see this show. Merry Christmas! (I know, we still got some time, but I couldn't resist...)

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

...Everywhere you go. Seriously, with this last week came the emergence of millions of mini-lights, an abundance of Christmas Trees, and even a little bit of snow! And we here at NY Arts have been taking full advantage of the seasonal opportunities.

On Friday, I finally made it to Rockefeller Center to see the wonderfully illuminated tree! It really is a wondrous sight - the lights do a little flashing dance sporadically, and the tree is topped with a nine-foot Swarovski Crystal star. Not to mention that Saks Fifth Avenue next door is bedazzled with with huge light-up snowflakes that do a dance to "Carol of the Bells". Of course, the tourists go mad around these parts and it's a mess to navigate through, but it's definitely worth the sacrifice.

On Saturday, we saw our first hint of snow. It really started off as rain, and turned into a wintry mix of sorts halfway through the afternoon...but there were definitely some clearly-defined snowflakes at times. Amanda, Kelly, Sally, and I used this as an excuse to visit Bryant Park and have a look at all the shops and the tree. Unfortunately, it was too wet out to ice skate, but we will surely return when the time is right. We then hiked on up to Rockefeller Center (yup, twice in two days for me) to have a look at all the madness before calling it a night.

And today, Fallon, Kelly, Sally, and I headed down to the Union Square Holiday Market. There are all sorts of fun shops in the square, selling knickknacks and scarfs and snacks and hats and ornaments and all sorts of crazy things. Sally and Kelly each purchased a delicious gingerbread woman, while I opted for the non-human-shaped form of same cookie. It was potentially the best cookie I have ever had - and paired with some delicious hot apple cider (or as I prefer to call it, wassail), it was exactly what I needed.

So New York has been transformed into a Winter Wonderland of sorts. Hopefully the snow will actually come down with conviction at some point in the next couple of weeks. And finally, coming up tomorrow night...the ultimate New York Christmas experience...The Radio City Christmas Spectacular with the Rockettes! I cannot contain my excitement!