New York State of Mind

Broadway, Broadway: How Great You Are

2009-12-20T18:03:00.000-08:00

And I would know, because I have literally seen it all. As of this afternoon, I have officially seen every show on Broadway (including national touring productions and exempting White Christmas and Burn the Floor - which don't really count). This semester alone, I have seen 30 Broadway shows, with a triumvirate of shows this weekend wrapping it up.

First, a quick quasi-digression: on Thursday, I returned to South Pacific, since I did not get to see Kelli O'Hara last time. Well, she was in the show this time and let me tell you - she was absolutely perfect. And Paulo Szot was even better when he had her to play off of - the magic of the two of them together was all a person could ask for. Sadly, Cable was still atrocious and Bloody Mary's understudy was pretty awful as well. But they didn't detract from the overall impact of the production, thanks to the power of Mr. Szot and Ms. O'Hara. I even got to see the show from house left this time, so I have an entirely new perspective. Yet another enchanted evening.

Moving on...On Friday, Kelly and I attended the eagerly-anticipated revival of A Little Night Music. Yes, Angela Lanbsury was there. Yes, Catherine Zeta-Jones was there. Yes, they were both very good. Ms. Lansbury can really do no wrong, so I was obviously blown away by her performance - she was hilarious, engaging, and completely affecting. And Ms. Zeta-Jones was surprisingly great - she landed the comic moments beautifully and offered a moving, tragic rendition of "Send in the Clowns." Sondheim's score is undeniably brilliant, so that alone more than justified the price of admission. After the show, we hit up the stage door (our first visit to one in months). Catherine emerged and was more than cordial, signing Playbills and chatting away to the crowd's delight. Unfortunately, we were stood up once again by Angela (she also failed to come out in May when we saw her in Blithe Spirit). Oh well, I can still cherish my memories of seeing her and the rest of the cast and crew while they rehearsed at MTC. Isn't it rich, indeed.

On Saturday we finally (and I mean finally) got to see Ragtime. After millions of failed lottery attempts (okay, it was at least 8 though...), we took a safer route and bought tickets on TDF. The seats were wonderful - Row P, orchestra left. And the production: wow. All the production elements were absolutely gorgeous, and the direction was so picturesque and electrifying. Each and every actor was wonderful as well - Quentin Earl Darrington was powerful and natural as Coalhouse; Stephanie Umoh was great as Sarah (and she looked and sounded just enough like Audra McDonald to get me through); Christiane Noll was deeply moving as Mother; Bobby Steggert was a fiery, impassioned Younger Brother; the list goes on and on... It breaks my heart that I couldn't see the original production, but this one was so incredibly wonderful that I think I can make it through now.

And today, we finally attended the elusive Superior Donuts. This was our fall-back show when we couldn't get into anything else (generally post-lottery loss); but strangely, the student rush tickets were always sold out. So this time we showed up early and snagged our tickets - this was tragically our last early-morning ticket line of the year, so it was definitely a bittersweet experience. The production was very respectable. Michael McKean's acting was wonderfully understated and Jon Michael Hill gave a breakthrough, effortless, passionate performance. I loved the play up until the last quarter of it, which let me down somewhat. It could definitely use another rewrite, and the fight choreography was bizarrely subpar. The most tragic part is that this is the show that replaced the Pulitzer-prize winning August: Osage County, which we had expected to still be running. Oh well, I suppose we did see enough great theatre to make up for it...

So there you have it: the complete Broadway experience. It's gonna be incredibly strange to not be able to see every show as it comes out from now on. Next semester I will just have to sit back and imagine what the shows are like...that is until I return in the near future. And I mean soon. Very, very soon.

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

2009-12-19T19:14:00.000-08:00

They say that dreams come true. And this day in New York City has been a verification of that idiom. After weeks of weather reports promising no wintry precipitation whatsoever, the winds have changed. For an epic blizzard is currently sweeping through the city, covering everything in lovely white sheet of snow.

To christen this joyous occasion, Sally, Kelly, Amy, and I headed over to Bryant Park for some ice-skating on "The Pond". We strategically arrived just as the snow began to fall. We waited in a slightly length line, but were on the rink and skating to our hearts' delight within a half hour. The picture was truly perfect: we skated at a leisurely pace underneath the illuminated tree, framed by the light-falling snowflakes. And as much as I hate the song "Christmastime Is Here", I succumbed to its charm when it began to play mid-skate. We were just like the Peanuts gang in "A Charlie Brown Christmas". So yes, it was pretty much perfect. I was sad to leave the rink, but we had to move on. And besides, everyone loves a good Zamboni run. Me most of all...

It's Hard to Say Goodbye, My Love

2009-12-18T19:13:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been fun. I had my last day at MTC today. It was a surreal affair, since I've gotten so used to working there - I don't think I really believed it would ever end. But unfortunately, this too must pass. The word on the street is that they are having quite a difficult time finding a replacement for me. But alas, I must go.

My last day was celebrated with a moderate amount of pomp and circumstance. It was also Andrew's last day, so Sunil and Caitlin pulled out all the stops. And by that, I mean they bought us pizza for lunch. The four of us split a medium buffalo chicken pizza and a large cheese pizza - and this is New York, so they here both HUGE. Impressively though, we managed to finish both. Other than an exciting lunch, I didn't do too much on my last day. I had to sadly turn in my key card, say my goodbyes, and walk out the door. Hopefully I can return someday...

My last day at Theater Mogul occurred prematurely. I finished work on Wednesday, and left thinking I would return on Friday and say my goodbyes. But I got an email on Thursday, explaining that I didn't need to come in on Friday since everyone was working from home: the office was robbed Wednesday night, and the computers are gone...wow. So they basically said their goodbyes then and there. But I won't stand for that - I'm for sure stopping by next week to wrap it all up. I'm also making a last stop at MTC to bid farewell to Debra.

So clearly I just can't stay away. Other last-week-happenings include dinner on Wednesday with fellow marketing intern Andrew and a joyous intern breakfast on Thursday morning. The semester has come and gone, and I loved it so.

Fabulous Fun with Friends and Food

2009-12-15T23:26:00.000-08:00

These past few days have been filled with merriment, camaraderie, and a smörgåsbord of delicious food. I like each of these elements individually, but together they constitute a delightful time for all.

On Monday, the New York Arts Program had its annual festive holiday party! 'Twas a lavish catered affair, overflowing with joy and sweet treats. I chomped down on cupcakes, pizza, chips, cheese, crackers, et al. Most of the interns this semester showed up, along with all the advisers and even some interviewees. In fact, Michael Fentin of Albion College was in town for the occasion (interviewing for next semester), which was absolutely lovely. I got to mingle with fun folks and catch up with an old friend. To boot, a whole bunch of us gathered in the lounge afterward and watched a nice...um...Christmas movie: Mary Poppins. Christmas movie? I beg to differ...

And tonight was just as eventful...if not even more so! The day at MTC was capped off with a wonderful seminar with Lynne Meadow, the artistic director. She is a hilarious, fun, engaging woman, and I so enjoyed everything she had to say. After work, I headed over to the Ensemble Studio Theatre (EST) to see a play called Heaven Knows, because fellow NYAP interns Kevin and Sally are working on the show. Well, on the way out of MTC, I randomly asked Maddie (another MTC intern) what she was doing after work, and she said she was going to see a show at EST. Crazy - so was I! So we waltzed on over to the theatre together and waited for the show to begin.

The play was very strong and intense. I didn't love all the performances, but altogether the end result was cohesive and powerful. And of course, Sally rocked the wardrobe supervision, while Kevin assistant stage managed to perfection. After the show, we made a much-needed dinner stop at the Westway Diner. Our waiter was absolutely insane, and had quite possibly the most frightening smirky smile I have ever witnessed. Much to our delight, though, he managed to successfully split up our bills (see picture for our bewildered excitement). My Mexican chicken wrap was less than adequate, but we made up for it on the way home by stopping at Baskin-Robbins for some scrumptious ice cream - I got three scoops for the price of two! Food. Friends. Fun.

And finally, my semester has come completely full circle. You may recall that a couple of weeks into the semester, I went to a show entitled Race Music. Well, the one good actor in that play was a man named Chris Ceraso - who I subsequently have seen all around town - in subway stations and even at MTC. When I spotted him at EST tonight, I knew something was up. Well, it turns out that he is a teaching artist at MTC and the author of Heaven Knows. This man has been all over my life, and it has provided this semester with a bizarre connected thread. Thank you, Mr. Ceraso, for the memories.

The Reign Is Over

2009-12-13T23:48:00.000-08:00

Today marked the end of a wonderful era at MTC: both of our current productions, The Royal Family and Nightingale, closed today. Being the sentimental person that I am, I could not resist attending the closing performance of The Royal Family. I brought Kelly and Amy along with me, and we had a rick-rollicking good time. We even crashed the patron lounge and took our fair share of coffee/water/m&m's/chocolate almonds.

As for the show, I had not fully appreciated just how brilliant it is until viewing it again...but it is seriously hysterical, perfectly paced, and deeply moving. Jan Maxwell is truly a comic genius (Kathie Lee said this on The Today Show, and she was right), and I am seriously going to miss watching her catastrophic meltdown at the end of Act Two. The cast of course got a rousing standing ovation, and Ms. Maxwell and Rosemary Harris were thrown more roses than they could possibly know what to do with. I am so proud to have worked at MTC during the run of this show. It had a great run (or should I say reign?).

This night, we were all discouraged about attending UCB, since it was raining so intensely. Fallon, Lisa, Amy, and Bryce braved it and waited outside for 2 hours to get front-row seats. Kelly and I finally decided to go, and headed out way later so we would only have to wait 45 minutes or so. Upon getting outside we were delighted to find that the rain was over (see what I did there? Refer to the title of this blog post for the pun). Well, we still got second row seats, directly behind the rest of our crew. There was nobody particularly famous this week, but the monologues and improv were simultaneously hilarious and bizarrely inappropriate.

So all in all, it's been a good reign. Rain? Reign.

More Than I Bargained For

2009-12-11T22:36:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-09T22:31:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-07T20:33:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-06T23:11:00.000-08:00

...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!

Four-Letter Words

2009-12-03T22:43:00.000-08:00

This has been the week plays with four-letter word titles. On Tuesday, Kelly and I saw Fela!, and followed it up today with Race.

Upon glancing at the list directly to the left, I have realized that Fela! is the first show we have seen this semester with an exclamation point in the title - which is tragic, because I love and exclaimed show title. Well, Fela! definitely delivered on its promise of exclamation. The show is about Fela Kuti, a Nigerian musician and composer who pioneered Afrobeat music. The show's choreography is absolutely explosive - and we audience members even got our turn to break it down. The best part of the show: Sting was in attendance. Not to belittle the merits of the show (it really was phenomenal), but everyone loves a good celebrity.

Wednesday was definitely...um...eventful. Kelly and I planned on hanging out at Rockefeller Center for a few hours to see the lighting of the Christmas Tree. Well, we got there around 5:30, and the crowd was out of control...not to mention that it was raining. We were far away from the tree, couldn't hear the performances, and were getting wet, so we decided that the New York Arts lounge would be a much more comfortable place to watch the event. So we did just that - although, sadly, I managed to get distracted during the countdown to the tree lighting, and completely missed it. So I went from expecting to see the tree lit in person to missing it altogether. Oh well, at least I was warm and comfy inside.

And tonight we saw David Mamet's Race. It was definitely a step (or two or three) above the current production of Oleanna. It's about a law firm made up of two black lawyers and one white lawyer who have to decide whether or not to defend a white man who has been accused of raping a black woman. So...do we understand the title yet? The production was great - in classic Mamet style, it was incredibly provocative. James Spader and David Alan Grier were excellent in their parts, Kerry Washington was good but not great, and Richard Thomas was kind of awful. But the best part of the event - it was a press preview, so I was joking that we might see Ben Brantley (chief theatre critic for the New York Times) at the show. After taking our seats, I went down to use the bathroom, and who do I spot...but Mr. Brantley himself. BTW, He is just as frightening in person as he is in the picture to the right. We even stalked him a little at intermission, and found him outside reading an article about the show...making that exact same face. Absolutely frightening. A lovely evening at the theatre.

To Have and Have Not...

2009-11-30T21:35:00.001-08:00

Sunday was another case of the good and the bad (well, more like the ugly actually), compliments of (respectively) the Upright Citizens Brigade and the Roundabout Theatre Company.

We kicked off the day with a visit to the theatre to see After Miss Julie. Amanda, Sally, Kellie, Kelly, and I picked up our $10 tickets and took our seats. Sadly, the lovely discounted tickets are the last good thing I have to say about the show...it was pretty awful. Sienna Miller did not deliver what the title character needed, a good 20 minutes of the play was unspoken, and there was a large table around which the characters walked at least 40 times - including one fantastical sequence in which Johnny Lee Miller pounded his fist while hopping bizarrely all the way around the room. Roundabout produced this play (along with Bye Bye Birdie...eek), so I'm not really sure what to think of them anymore. Yeah, I'll stick with MTC.

But at least the post-show activities were exciting. We trekked on up to Blockheads and had a delicious Mexican fiesta of a lunch. My nachos were spectacular. On the way home, we made a much-needed stop at Duane Reade. I can't honestly recall why we went in, but suffice it to say that we left with (between all of us) two large bags of peanut butter m&m's, a Diet Coke, two boxes of Christmas cards, a Sprite Zero, a bag of sour gummi worms, two festive holiday garlands, a box of decadent chocolate, and then some. A productive stop indeed.

And of course, the night was topped of with an always-hilarious visit to the Upright Citizens Brigade. Kelly and I chose to stand in the back, which was fine other than the two girls to my right who snuck in and slowly but surely ousted me from my prime position. So I took the passive-aggressive approach to stand directly behind them and whisper loudly to Kelly about how upset I was. Regardless, the show was absolutely hysterical. Amy Poehler showed up once more, as well as Jason Sudeikis from SNL. Both the monologues and the skits were enjoyable this time. I love being an Uptight Citizen!

Cornucopia: Meaning Bountiful...A Lot Of

2009-11-28T21:51:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving in New York City has come and gone. My dad and brother came to visit, and we tackled a cornucopia of exciting activities. The festivities began on Wednesday and lasted all the way to Saturday. Nonstop.

First things first: I get word that the fam has arrived in North Bergen, New Jersey at around 5:00 on Wednesday, and they board a bus around 6:00, poised to arrive in the city within 15 minutes. So I scurry on over to the Port Authority Bus Terminal...only to discover that there bus is caught in ca-razy holiday traffic. So I wait (and wait (and wait)), and they finally arrive around 7:15. We quickly scarf down some pizza at Famiglia and hoof it on over to the Helen Hayes by 8:00 for a hysterical performance of The 39 Steps. It was just as funny the second time around, and provided a lovely start to the weekend ahead.

With Thursday came Thanksgiving itself! And what does Thanksgiving in NYC mean?...Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade! Live! In person! A large group of NYAPers headed out early (really, it was 6:30 a.m., a small price to pay), and we scoured out a prime spot on 42nd St. & 7th Ave. - the parade made a turn here, so we got to see the balloons and floats coming at us, and then do their wondrous turns. After two hours or so of waiting, the parade finally began! We could literally see it coming at us from a mile away - straight up the street from Central Park. And the parade did not disappoint: the balloons were massive and made some frightening turns over our heads/through narrow gaps, the floats were exquisite, the celebrities were...present (I either didn't really know who most of them were, or just didn't care), and the crowd was massive. The experience was thrilling.

After this, we made a trek up to Rockefeller Center (where the not-yet-lit tree stands) and then to Central Park. After accidentally riding an express train all the way up to 125th St. (we wanted 72nd), we finally made it to the park. We stumbled upon the Jacqueline Onassis Reservoir, which is huge and I've strangely never seen before, as well as Strawberry Fields, which was sadly not decorated - the homeless man who usually brings the flowers and does the work took the holiday off. We then rested for a little while in preparation for Thanksgiving Dinner, which was not to happen until late at night.

Around 8:30, we finally met up with the Voigt family and headed down to SoHo for our lovely feast at Bistro Les Amis. We arrived just before 9:00 (the time of our reservation) and discovered there were no tables available...so we waited outside (and waited (and waited))...until finally, we were seated at 9:30. Luckily, the wait was well worth it. The meal consisted of bread, carrot ginger soup, salad, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, squash, mashed potatoes, turkey stuffed with sausage and mushrooms, and a choice of pumpkin pie or cheesecake for desert (I had a little of both...). Each and every course was delicious, delectable, and festive. Properly stuffed, we headed back and hit the sack for the night.

Friday was the day of the museum. We first headed back to Central Park to visit the Museum of Natural History. I've missed this place since my first visit more than 5 years ago. The best parts are all the animal exhibits, which display all sorts of creatures in their natural habitats. And of course, the forest, biology, space, and dinosaur exhibits are all fascinating as well. What a wonderful tour - I even learned a little something in the process. After this, we headed to another museum for a less intellectual experience. Yup, we went to Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. It was so worth it, too. I got my picture taken with all of my favorite celebs: Tyra, Whoopi, *NSYNC, Shakira, The Spice Girls, and even Madame Tussaud herself. They look so real!

Saturday was the last day for dad and Scott in the city. So how did we kick it off? By heading to New Jersey of course! We hopped on the NJ Transit and headed to downtown Hoboken, home of Carlo's Bakery (of the show "Cake Boss"). Unfortunately, upon arriving, we discovered a huge line looping around the block - and it wasn't moving, so it was surely a good hour wait. Well, we didn't have time for that, so we just snapped some pics of the front facade and then headed out. Around the corner, though, we spotted the back alley behind the shop. And emerging from it, bearing two enormous sheet cakes for the crowd, was none other than Mauro (we didn't know his name at the time - I just looked it up). Well, he offered us the cake (I took one of each - chocolate and red velvet) and then we got a nice picture with him. These people are incredibly nice. It was so worth the trip.

After moseying around a nice park in Hoboken for a while, we re-boarded the NJ Transit heading for the World Trade Center. Except that we ended up somewhere else in Jersey and had to wait for the correct train to pick us up there. We ended up a good hour out of our way. The NJ Transit only has five trains, but it's still so confusing. Well, we finally got to lower Manhattan, saw Ground Zero, perused the memorial, and walked along the southern shoreline, catching a distant glimpse of the Statue of Liberty as the sun set. Wow, that was beautifully stated...

And for our last event, we attended a performance of the groundbreaking musical, Next to Normal. Upon entering the theatre, I was disheartened to find that the amazing Alice Ripley would not be performing in the show (let's be honest though, neither dad nor Scott cared - and her understudy was phenomenal anyway). Again, this was my second time seeing the show - and it was even better this time around. Everybody loved it - how could they not?!

So that's the amazing holiday weekend. It was great to see my dad and brother before I embark on my last month in the city (ah!). And it was also terribly convenient, because they drove in, and I was able to send a whole bunch of unnecessary things home - because I can't take it all on a plane. Now that Thanksgiving is over, bring on the winter!

It Won't Be Long Now

2009-11-25T21:30:00.001-08:00

We have officially reached the one-month countdown to saying goodbye to New York City. Not that I will actually be counting, because that would just be tragic. There's so little time, and so much left to do...I suppose. I guess other than seeing the rest of the shows on Broadway, I don't have much planned. We'll see where the road take us.

One thing I will definitely miss (and am sad that I discovered so late) is the free improv at Upright Citizens Brigade. I returned there for a third consecutive week this past Sunday, and it was the best show I have seen yet. The troupe this time included Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers once again. Oh yeah, and did I mention Rachel Dratch?! That's right, the Rachel Dratch from SNL partook in the improv hilarity. Honestly, it doesn't even matter what she says, because I will laugh regardless. And Fallon and I took a seat on the floor, practically on the stage, so we were dangerously and awesomely close to the stars and the action. I love celebrities. I love comedy. Put them together, and I will have a good time.

Speaking of a good time, one can also be currently be found on Broadway at Studio 54, home of Carrie Fisher's Wishful Drinking. And actually, the formula is pretty much the same as UCB: celebrity + comedy = good time for Nick. Kelly and I got some wonderfully discounted tickets for $10 (!) and the house wasn't sold out, so we even got to move closer to the stage. Now I've never been the biggest Carrie Fisher fan (although I do love her work in "When Harry Met Sally", and paricularly in "Scream 3"), but she is actually absolutely hilarious. She makes fun of herself and her ridiculous life (complete with lots of Star Wars references), and focuses on her struggles with addictions and manic depression. Another amazing part of the experience was the theatre itself - Studio 54 was a nightclub back in the day, and they have kept the wooden floors and cheetah-print carpet intact. Loves it.

Well, that's that. My dad and brother arrive in the city today! And tomorrow is Thanksgiving! So lots of fun things are in store - seeing The 39 Steps tonight, going to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade tomorrow, and seeing Next to Normal on Saturday. I'm not really sure what we'll do to fill in those gaps, but we'll figure something out. It should be an exciting time.

Some Guys Got It...And Some Guys Don't

2009-11-21T20:06:00.000-08:00

These past few days have been a strange combination of the terrible, the mediocre, and the amazing...all rolled into one. I guess it's been a guilty pleasure sort of week. Let's start with the worst and build our way up...

Well, first let me provide you with some more advice for NYC tourists: if you are looking to see a Broadway show, do NOT - I repeat, DO NOT - see Bye Bye Birdie. Kelly and I have realized that we are roughly 8 shows away from seeing everything on Broadway, so we figured why not go for it? The downside of this effort is that it may require seeing some atrocious things - case in point, the revival of Bye Bye Birdie. Now I am actually a fan of the show itself - I think it's pretty funny and has some very catchy songs. But this production may have changed all that. Let's start with a list of the good things: Jayne Houdyshell's performance as Mae Peterson. [.....silence as people wait for the list to continue.....]. Sorry, but that's where it ends. She gave an admirable performance (and notice I said good things, not great) and provided the only genuine laughs in the show. The rest was pretty terrible - John Stamos and Gina Gershon both have terrible voices and gave weak performances...not to mention that the latter had a CD for sale in the lobby - who let her record a CD?! The kids were trying so hard to give the show energy, and some of the teenage boys were hilarious in how much they committed to their roles. Bill Irwin, who played Mr. MacAfee (a role I once perfected myself...), was clearly aware of how terrible the show was and as a result gave an unrestrained, out of control, admirably awful performance. In the end though, this was one of those shows that is so bad that they I began to enjoy it for that very reason.

One thing that was not so bad (other than our terribly distant seats) was Girl Crazy at City Center Encores! (that exclamation point is a part of the title - not that I'm not excited anyway). MTC got some comp tickets, and I snatched them right up. Amanda accompanied me, and we had a ball. This is a show from 1930, so there was basically no substance to it. However, the book was pretty darn funny and Gershwin's score was played to sumptuous perfection by a huge orchestra. There were some pretty big names, too - Wayne Knight (Newman on "Seinfeld"), Broadway star Marc Kudisch, and Ana Gasteyer ("SNL" and, of course, MTC's The Royal Family). The best part of the event was just to be able to hear Gershwin as it should be played - because they just don't write music like that anymore...

And now for the greatest guilty pleasure of all...This week, Kelly and I had the honor and privilege to attend a taping of "The Tyra Banks Show". We got to sit through the filming of two episodes. What more could one ask for? We kind of got jipped on the seating - we were way in the back corner of the section they don't film that much - but it was still a blast. They divided the audience up into 5 sections, and each had to compete against the others to cheer the loudest and be the craziest. During the first taping, our section (Section D!) were the clear winners...but they gave it to Section A. Which means that they got Tyra shirts. Not cool.

That's alright though, because I soon made up for my lack of prizes. Before the second episode, they selected a representative from each section to take part in a contest. Because of my insane enthusiasm, I was selected to represent Section D. And then they revealed what kind of contest this was: a dance competition. I was doubtful about my odds, because I was up against three black girls and a Latina. But I broke it down and held my own. So after the dancing was over, the four women were presented with a bag of various products, and I received the grand prize: a $100 gift certificate to Levi's.

The taping of the show itself was pretty terrible...and wonderful. The first episode was a makeover show - three average people gave makeovers to strangers they found on the street. There was also a beautiful segment in the middle in which Tyra gave a quadriplegic fan a makeover. Tyra really knows how to tug at my heart strings...Now the second episode was a strange potpourri of sorts. Topics include little girls struggling with body image (this was sad and frightening), a boy wrongfully accused of a crime who was proven innocent with the help of Facebook (really, Tyra?!), a woman who has had three plastic surgeries without anesthesia (eek), and organic skin treatments (lame). So we didn't really get the best episodes - but gaining $100 and experiencing Tyra up close in all her madness made it more than worth the trip.

And of course, no indulgence of guilty pleasures is complete without a visit to Jamba Juice. On Friday night, Amanda, Anna, Bryce, and I spontaneously headed up to Times Square to get some late night refreshments. That is the farthest I have ever traveled strictly to get Jamba, but it was more than worth it. Actually, this time I didn't feel so guilty, as I tried a delicious Jamba Light, and found myself very pleased with the slimming decision.

Coming up this week, we have Thanksgiving, which means family, turkey, parade, shows, fun tourist activities, and (strangely) lots of work. Although I get off at 2 on Wednesday, I am working some crazy front desk and patron lounge shifts (for cash) that will keep me busy all the way up until break begins. I don't hate it.

Passtime Potpourri

2009-11-17T20:24:00.000-08:00

These past few days have been eclectic, to say the least. It wasn't my same old routine (work-->show; repeat) - I shook it up a little bit. On Saturday I did actually have a double shift working the patron's lounge for Nightingale. But I had four hours between shifts, so I hoofed it over to Central Park to (finally) get a look at the fall foliage! And let me say I was not disappointed. Sure, it was drizzling out, but the leaves were still all sorts of lovely colors - and the rain even added to the autumnal ambiance. That is until I reached the dead middle of the park...and it started pouring. Buckets. Vats. Dams. (It was raining very hard). I could not escape it, and even though I had my umbrella, I still got a got soaked. I hope the patrons at the night performance didn't notice my soggy clothing and the faint smell of mildew...

On Sunday, a whole gaggle of NYAPers went to see improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade. On Sunday nights, there are free shows - all you have to do is wait in line for an hour so, at which I am a pro. The show is basically an hour and a half of improv - the troupe performs skits based on improvised monologues given by a person called the "monologist" (who is generally famous). This was actually my second visit to the UCB - last time there was a whole slew of famous people - lots of SNL cast members, including Amy Poehler, Seth Meyers, and Bobbie Moynihan, as well as Jack MacBrayer from "30 Rock" - and the show was absolutely hysterical. This time around, the troupe didn't have any particularly famous people, although the monologist was none other than...Chevy Chase. That's right, the Chevy Chase. His monologues were actually incredibly strange and not terribly funny (and the ensuing improvs were a little sub-par as well), but being able to see Chevy Chase up close was alone worth the trip. I shall be returning very soon.

And now comes Nick's advice for the day. This one is for prospective NYC tourists: if you want to win tickets to a Broadway show via a lottery, go for Rock of Ages. I tried this on Monday, and the contest was virtually nonexistant - roughly 14 people vied for 28 tickets (at 2 per person), so everyone got in. I had my hesitations about this show, but I cannot lie - I actually liked it. A lot. It does for 80's rock songs what Mamma Mia! does for ABBA - and it even does it slightly better (although sadly without the exclamation point). The show is just downright silly, and I even recognized most of the songs! Not to mention that the vocals were absolutely phenomenal. I really went for Kerry Butler, who did Xanadu last year - I know, you wish you had seen that one, right? She was hilarious and sassy of course. And Constantine Maroulis (of "American Idol" Season 4 - back in the day when I still watched) was surprisingly great. Add to the mix the battery-powered lighters they handed out and the glittery confetti at the end of the show, and I am sold.

And finally, tonight I attended a taping of "Inside the Actor's Studio" with the Strasberg Institute - Kelly got comps, and I tagged along. The special guest was Kate Hudson, so it wasn't the most intriguing of discussions. Although I do love her work in "Almost Famous" and am super excited for "Nine". In the end though, it was just amazing to see James Lipton in the flesh - he seriously had a colossal stack of note cards and went through all of them. So look for the episode to air later this year and listen for a sustained scream during the final applause - that would be me.

If I Won the Lottery...

2009-11-14T20:41:00.000-08:00

I would see lots of shows! And indeed, Kelly and/or I won several lotteries this week, and saw three phenomenal shows.

On Monday we attended the lottery for Next to Normal. As always, I had my doubts - it's always better to go in expecting the worst. Well, the lottery drawing began, and I fortunately did not have to wait long before my frown was turned upside down. My name was called...first. Let's repeat, shall we? First. Once more: first. Yup, I am officially a lottery master! Kelly's name was also called about eight in, but it matters not, for we only needed my two tickets. I am actually seeing N2N again with my dad and bro over Thanksgiving, but it's totally worth a second viewing. The music and lyrics are (appropriately) eclectic, and the direction and performances are all spot on. Alice Ripley (who is cah-razy in real life) plays a bi polar mother/wife to perfection - although, let's be honest, it's not really that much of a stretch for her. My fave was actually Jennifer Damiano, who played the daughter - her storyline was the most moving and she has some great material. I'm really excited to see it again...from further away. Because we were in the front row and very close.

The post-show scene was an event in and of itself. We stopped by the stage door to see the cast and get some autographs. They were all very nice, and gladly obliged to photos. Alice Ripley was, of course, absolutely crazy...and she has the most bizarre autograph I have ever seen - it involves block lettering and takes a good 15 seconds to complete. Anyway, after this, we happened to pass by the Minskoff Theatre next door, where Bernadette Peters's benefit concert was just getting out. We decided to stick it out at the stage door and see some celebs...and indeed we did. We first spotted Martin Short, and then shortly thereafter Mary Tyler Moore - I was starstruck. And then came the greatest of all - Bernadette Peters herself emerged, in all her amazing glory. She is seriously 61, and looks like she is 38 or so. My life has been changed.

The next two days were not so kind for lotteries. On Tuesday, I attempted the Ragtime lottery (again) and promptly lost. On Wednesday, I gave Hair another stab (again) and promptly lost (again). On the bright side, it was nice to have some quiet nights at home. And Wednesday's loss gave me the opportunity to return to Ice Gleem Social Wednesdays! Let's be honest, they have been falling apart without my presence. I got a three one-dollar scoops and watched a lovely episode of "Glee". Not too shabby.

On Thursday, the victory continued! I couldn't make it out of work in time, but Kelly hustled over to the In the Heights lottery. I arrived too late to put my name in, but just in time to hear her name called! So once more we won the lottery and saw a show from the front row. The show is absolutely amazing as well - the set is exquisitely detailed, the songs are rhythmic/driving/beautiful/powerful/etc., the dancing is pulsating, and the performances are sound.

The best part of the occasion though was my triumphant return to the Richard Rodgers Theatre. This is where I saw my very first Broadway show, Movin' Out, just a mere five years ago. So returning was a homecoming of sorts - full circle, you may say. I found the area where our seats for Movin' Out were, and took some nostalgic pictures. I was just a bright-eyed young child when I saw my first Broadway show, and I have now seen 27. With many more to come...

Speaking of which, on Friday I attempted the Hair lottery once more. This is the eighth time I have attempted, and the first time my name was called! Last time we saw the show, we had the last row in the boxes (behind lots of heads) and could see - um - stage right only. This time I was hoping for some better seats, and we were given...the exact same ones. So we couldn't see much more of the show than before. But it was still absolutely phenomenal. And this time I had an aisle seat, so I got my hair tousled by cast members a few times. I tousled their hair right back. And of course, we danced onstage at the end, and had a ball. After the show, Will Swenson auctioned off the pants he wore that night to raise money for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. They ended up going for $600. That's right - SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS. I wish I had that kind of money to throw around willy-nilly.

So yes, this week was a rousing success. We have pretty much conquered all of the lotteries - the only ones left to win are Ragtime and Rock of Ages. I have confidence that it will happen. We will succeed!

The Sun Sits Low

2009-11-07T21:21:00.000-08:00

Time is slipping away in the City of New York. There are but six weeks left to cram in all the excitement possible. With the departure of daylight savings time, it gets dark here at roughly 5:00 p.m. As a wise man once said, you don't know what you got till it's gone. Seriously, my every waking moment of daylight is spent indoors working (not that I don't love my internship). But it is already halfway through fall, and I am yet to experience the true wonders of autumn in New York City. I tried to make it to Central Park yesterday to see the vibrantly colored leaves (as I assume they are), but upon my arrival circa 5:00, the sun promptly disappeared, leaving me no gorgeous sights to behold. Time is precious and it's slipping away, and I've been waiting for you all of my life - yes, I'm talking to you, NYC fall foliage.

And with that, I will transport you back to Tuesday. The Manhattan Theatre Club officially took over my life this week. Let's count the hours, shall we?
Monday: 8 / Tuesday: 11 / Wednesday: 10 / Thursday: 8 / Friday: 4 / Saturday: 8
And the grand total: 49 hours. AHHHHH!
Of course, this tally includes 12 paid hours and 3 hours at the opening night party, but still. This week was full of crazy hijinks at MTC - opening night party for Nightingale on Tuesday, review day and fun quote ad meeting on Wednesday, Associate Artistic Director seminar on Thursday, double Patron Lounge duty on Saturday, etc. Not to mention that I worked at the front desk for an hour on Thursday and got to buzz Angela Lansbury into the 8th floor for rehearsal. We made eye contact - we made a connection.

Tuesday was a marathon of epic proportions. I went straight from working at my internship from 2 to 6 to working the front desk shift from 6 to 10 to the opening night party until 1 a.m. The party was a grand (and classy) time. It was held at the Beacon <--- seriously, click on that link - you can tell just by looking at the home page that this place is legit. I had an absolutely amazing time at the party - all us interns hung out for a few hours and bonded. We all discussed what we plan on doing next semester - about half of the interns are sticking around, and I really wish I could, too. Realistically, though, I need to get back to school so that I can graduate - yikes. But anyway, it was really great to be able to hang with the other interns - they're all really cool and nice and I don't get the chance to see them enough (if at all) outside of work.

At the same time, I am simultaneously impressed and frightened by the sheer ambition all of the interns have. They have grand plans to direct and produce theatre - and what's more, a lot of them are already doing these things on a significant scale. I'm just happy to be working at such a prestigious theatre company, getting experience in the field and learning about it all. I don't have so many strong, unflinching goals considering my future. It has been comforting, though, to talk to my adviser Sunil about such things. He definitely hadn't figured things out at my age, and at 30 he is still discovering where he wants his career to go. I think it would be advantageous for me to develop stronger goals, but I also need to accept that I will never really be able to fully figure everything out.

Anyway, I digress. I also packed in two shows this week. On Wednesday, I got student rush to Oleanna. I accompanied Sally and Kelly, who had comps for the performance (in orchestra seats far better than my third row paid-for mezzanine seats). I thought the play was good, but I wasn't completely sold on the direction and performances. Bull Pullman was solid and Julia Stiles was passable (of course nothing can beat her flawless performance in "Save the Last Dance"), but the show just didn't flow and build to the climax like it should have. This production promised to be incredibly provocative and apparently after original production many couples left the theatre arguing. Leaving the theatre, I expressed my disappointment that I didn't feel there was much to argue about... Of course, immediately following this statement, we began arguing - although it was more about the merits of the production, and not the subject matter. Oh well, it was definitely an educational theatre experience.

Although I'll tell what's not so educational - the poetry seminar I've been taking for the last 3 weeks. It is uniformly agreed that no one has gotten anything out of this class - it had its interesting moments, but was overall pretty lame. For our last session, the class went to a poetry reading that took place in an art gallery. This idea is pleasant enough on paper...except that it turns out that all of the poets were pretty bad. I enjoyed the second woman, because she was just a precious old lady, but other than that they were pretty expendable. I'm rather excited to have my Thursday nights back - more time to see shows or watch the leaves change...oh wait, it gets dark at 5:00.

On Friday night, Kelly and I (after losing lotteries for both In the Heights and Ragtime) attended In the Next Room or the vibrator play. I know, sounds classy, right? Well, actually, strangely, it was. It is a Lincoln Center production on Broadway, so you can rest assured that it is well done and legit. The show is a dramatic comedy of sorts set in the 1880s, during which time doctors were apparently treating women for hysteria using...well, you know. But the play turned out to be a surprising poignant commentary on human connection, and I found the ending stunningly beautiful. I won't give it away, but let's just say that it steadily snows - which is always a plus for me. In fact, check out my new list of shows I've seen that feature onstage precipitation!

And you may have noticed one gaping absence in my blog as of late. Well, no worries, I have ended my hiatus...and made a triumphant return to Jamba Juice! Yup, as it gets colder, my love of Jamba grows fonder. A good Peanut Butter Moo'd can turn any frown upside down, as it has indeed done for me many a time. And with that, have a plentiful Jamba week!

We Did The Mash! (We Did The Monster Mash)

2009-11-03T18:37:00.001-08:00

Okay, so only two days out of the last week were actually dedicated to Halloween, but I felt terribly deprived of the Monster Mash song throughout the week, and as such I have decided to immortalize it as the title of this blog post. What now follows is a chronicle of the last week...

Tuesday and Wednesday were...(no surprise here)...fun show days. On Tuesday, I picked up some super-sweet student rush tickets for Memphis: front row. My eyes were just about in line with stage level, so it was a glorious view. I enjoyed the show a lot more than I expected to. The first act had some well-directed intense moments, and there were a good bunch of toe-tapping songs. Unfortunately, the second was kind of lame, and there were some extremely questionably book and lyric moments (Really, you just rhymed stupid with cupid? Really?!). The two leads were great - Chad Kimball owned his character and sang some beautiful high notes (even though he may have channeled George W. Bush a little), and Montego Glover could sing her face off - and the ensemble as a whole was incredibly energetic. All in all, it wasn't the greatest musical by any stretch, but definitely a good night at the theatre.

South Pacific, on the other hand, was another story. This was one of the most genuinely beautiful productions I have ever seen, which is a result of both the perfect writing and flawless direction. To my great disdain, the (supposedly great) Kelli O'Hara was out that night, so I was stuck with her (passable, but overall pretty dismal) understudy. It's okay though, because other than this girl and the absolutely dreadful Lt. Cable, the production was pretty much perfect. Paulo Szot gave one of the most heartfelt, effortless performances I have ever seen as Emile - he did win a Tony, and rightfully so. I wish they still wrote musicals like this. I would classify this night at the theatre as...(ahem)...some enchanted evening.

And now for the saga that is Halloween in New York City. I procrastinated a little in finding a costume, so I was left to whatever resources I had available...Fortunately, while looking around my room for inspiration, I spotted my good old reliable Snuggie. I put in on and paired it with a vest given to me by the lovely Chelsea Barberi. And through sheer serendipity, I had my costume: A Snuggie-clad Jedi.

The Halloween festivites began on Friday with a rousingly enjoyable party at the New York Arts residence. At 6:00, a pumpkin-carving contest was waged in the backyard. There were three pumpkins...and three people showed up. I competed against the well-equipped Kellie Holm and Jessica Black. I had neither the will nor the strength to compete, so luckily Kelly came to the rescue and pretty much single-handedly carved the pumpkin. At the eleventh hour, I made a crucial decision and carved out some hair for the pumpkin. Some would call this unnecesarry and bizarre, but I maintain that it was completely beneficial and genius. In the end, no real winner was determined - which is fine, because we all ate the championship candy throughout the course of the contest anyway. At 8:00, the real party began. The festivities included a donut-on-a-string race (I lost), a costume contest (I won "Most Creative"!), and a strange impromptu game that involved spraying whipped cream into each other's mouths (I did not partake). All in all, it was a wonderful evening of rabblerousing and camaradarie.

With Saturday came All Hallows Eve itself. I had been hearing talk for weeks about this famed parade that happens in West Village. It's supposed to be a grand time, and even better if you dress up and actually walk in the parade. So we all did just that. We got to the parade around 6:30, and promptly got let into the the parade...or rather, the waiting area for the parade. We waited around, packed in like sardines in a huge crowd for about an hour...during which time it started raining. I brought my umbrella, but that did not make it okay. We finally got moving, and endured this parade for a good 20 blocks. Maybe more. We basically just walked along the outside of the floats, cars, strange dancing people, and basically anything interesting - thus blocking the view of people trying to watch and detracting from their good time. We escaped a few blocks before the end and promptly headed to the Chelsea Square Restaurant for something to get our blood pumping again. There is nothing better than escaping the pouring rain in order to eat some delicious, nutritious breakfast food. By the time we got home, we were all completely exhausted. Bedtime: 11:30 p.m.

Sunday was a day of closing performances. The second closing, Off-Broadway's Still Life, was a less than enjoyable time. The play was alright, but overall jumbled and disappointing. I don't think anyone is too sad to see this one close.

The same cannot be said about Brighton Beach Memoirs by Neil Simon, which tragically closed on Sunday after only a week of performances. It was seriously one of the greatest things I have ever seen on the stage. It was deeply moving, heartfelt, and genuine. I don't think I've ever been so affected by a play. The set was intricate and gorgeous (done by Jon Lee Beatty - who also designed The Royal Family) and the performances were right on. Who can say exactly why the production didn't succeed, but the marketing campaign definitely didn't do any good (I know these things - I work in Marketing...). After the show, we waited around the for the actors. The first person to emerge was this old man who none of us recognized. People started swarming and asking for autographs, and Amanda, Kelly, and I stood by and pondered loudly (and rudely) who this man was. A kind gentleman next to us informed us that was indeed the Neil Simon...whoops. Well, we promptly rushed over and got his autograph as well. The rest of the cast exited carrying all of their dressing room decorations - it was a very sad sight, but they still gladly signed for us. I sincerely wish I could see this production again, as well as the sequel Broadway Bound (isn't that an ironic title...), which will not open now. Oh well...(sigh)...at least I know what Broadway should be.

Well, the Manhattan Theatre Club is a-hustlin' and a-bustlin', as usual. Last week, all kinds of fun things happened - I met with my mentor Jeff (the Director of Finance) and we discussed all kinds of fun things concerning finance and life in general. I also had my midterm review with Sunil and Caitlin, and they informed me that they think I'm a great intern and they love having me around. This week will be phenomenal as well - tonight is the opening for Nightingale Off-Broadway, so I will be heading to the post-show reception. In the morning, it's review day, so I have to come in early and compile all the reviews - then, in the afternoon, I get to go to an exciting quote meeting! I'll learn all about how they choose quotes and design the post-opening ads and all that mess. It should be a good time.

And finally: quite possibly the two most exciting things that have happened thus far:
1) Today, I finally got to see Angela Lansbury in the flesh. A fellow intern informed me that she was downstairs, so I promptly headed down. She was sitting in the lobby studying her script. We didn't talk or anything, but that is enough for me.
2) I will finally have my name in a Broadway Playbill! The final edits have gone through for the November Playbill for The Royal Family, and I will be listed under the Interns. This is pretty much the pinnacle of my career, and I can stop working now.

So that's the week (and then some...). All this posting procrastination has given me (and you, I'm sure) a real big headache. I will be getting back on track this week. I swear it's true this time. Okay, ta-ta for now.

Statues and Stories

2009-10-25T20:27:00.000-07:00

This weekend was chock-full of of good times. Friday was actually strangely eventful. I finally got trained for the patron lounge shift at the Friedman Theatre. (If you'll recall before, my earlier attempt at training was cut short when actor got sick during The Royal Family and the performance was cancelled). Well, this time, everything went as planned...actually, even better than planned. There were a couple celebrities in the house, and to my delight, they stopped by the patron lounge. The first to stop by was Judith Light - I had never heard of her, but she is apparently in "Ugly Betty" and was incredibly nice. During the first intermission, we got a visit from Jenna Fischer of "The Office". Her presence set the patron lounge abustlin' with excitement. She took a few chocolate-covered almonds and some coffee. When she returned for the second intermission, a few people mustered up the courage to talk to her. She was very amicable, but I prefer to keep my distance. This is wondrous job indeed.

With Saturday came a trip to the (in?)famous Metropolitan Museum of Art. The place is HUGE - I think I was in denial about just how much time it would take one to navigate through. We probably saw roughly 15% in just over 3 hours. The Greek and Roman collection was lovely and exquisite, the Africa/Oceania/Americas section had its moments, the Modern Art collection was crizazy (of course) and at times interesting, and the photography showcase was intriguing. Much to our chagrin, the musical instrument collection was temporarily closed. My favorite part, though, was the European Art. There were paintings by Van Gogh, Monet, Seurat, Degas, Picasso, and all of their friends...Although I was disappointed by the distinct lack of the Mona Lisa and Seurat's A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. But we still got to see some amazing stuff, so I'm not complaining. Don't tell the MET, but I may or may not have come very close to destroying a classic Monet painting - I went to point to it and somehow found my finger dragging across. I scurried out of there as fast as I could...hopefully, they'll let me back in some time in the future so I can explore the rest.

And finally, today I had my midterm review with the savvy Dana Tarantino. She thinks I'm doing just swell, but is of the opinion that I need to see fewer shows and get out and see the city a little more. I think I may agree with her. So what did Kelly and I do tonight to change this trend?...We saw Mary Poppins! We got quite possibly the best student rush ever - front row of the mezzanine, close to the center. The show was actually much better than anticipated. The set, particularly the house (complete with an attic and roof that fly in), was awe-inspiring. Our cast was so legit - we had Laura Michelle Kelly, the original Mary Poppins in London, and Broadway star Christian Borle. The musical had some questionable moments (particularly the terrifying life-size stuffed animal nightmare sequence), but the choreography and performances were wondrous. And it doesn't hurt that Mary Poppins flew at the end - not just on the stage, but out into the audience. She came literally within 5 feet of our seats. I felt like a child again.

Hi-Ho, The Glamorous Life!

2009-10-22T21:19:00.000-07:00

The Broadway cast of A Little Night Music has arrived! They started rehearsals earlier this week at The Creative Center at MTC, just one floor below where I work. Of course, I am starting to eat my lunch downstairs in the lobby with increasing frequency. Today, I did just that, and sat at a table just a few feet away from one occupied by none other than...Catherine Zeta-Jones. Unfortunately, I am yet to spot Angela Lansbury. Nonetheless, I did listen in on a some music rehearsals, and I am pleased to report that the cast sounds amahzing. I am super excited to see the show...and of course to creepily stalk the entire cast whilst I can.

In other news, the New York Arts theatre kids saw Finian's Rainbow on Tuesday. The entire group uniformly hated it. I didn't think it was so bad - once I reconciled myself to the fact that the play itself is extremely dated, bizarre, and altogether kind of terrible. I enjoyed a few of the performances, the dancing was nice (although it hit a little too close to home in its similarity to Li'l Abner), and the rainbow at the end was gorgeous. Not to mention that it steadily rained paper at the end of the first act...and we all know I'm a sucker for any kind of precipitation onstage. All in all, I would classify this play as a notch or two above a really good high school theatre production. Thank gawd for free tickets!

And in other amazing news, I finally won a Broadway ticket lottery! On Wednesday, I put my name in for the West Side Story lottery and they picked it...although the man pronounced my name "Libban" - a variation I have ne'er heard before. The seats were lovely - front row just off center. The stage was a little bit above our heads so we couldn't see the dancing feet, but I think we got the point(e). Jerome Robbins' choreography from the original production (and movie) has been reproduced here and it is absolutely explosive and brilliant. Tony and Maria were kind of lame, but Karen Olivo was terrific (and a little bit saucy) as Anita. She alone was worth the price of admission.

And finally, tonight a whole bunch of us (5 to be exact) saw "Where the Wild Things Are" in IMAX - which is kind of funny, because the kid's name in the movie is Max. But anyway, it was very cute and funny and I even cried a little bit at the end. Dare I even say it was better than "Fame"?! Yes, yes I do.

So in closing, I leave you with a selection from Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music:
Bring up the curtain, la la la
Bring down the curtain, la la la
Bring up the curtain, la la la
Hi-ho, the glamorous life!

I Am Steadily Aging

2009-10-19T16:59:00.000-07:00

I have a pretty mean record going: 11 shows in the last 12 days. It started with Circle Mirror Transformation and ended this past Sunday with Nightingale. Please consult the list to your left for more information on the shows in between, for I will not elaborate on all (or even most) of them.

One of the highlights was In Therapy With Celine, which was a part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival - a three-week event that premieres 30 new musicals. We unforunately did not take full advantage of this event, but this show was still great. It sets the songs of Celine Dion to the therapy session of a sad, lonely girl (aptly named Celine). The idea itself is absolutely hysterical, and the show lived up to its promise for the most part. My absolutely favorite song was "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" - which twisted the songs lyrics to be about food obsession. During the line, "There were moments of gold and there were flashes of light", Celine accented the word "gold" by holding up a bottle of mustard and the word "light" by holding up a bottle of light mayonnaise. It was absolutely hilarious. I stood. I cheered.

Oh yeah, and it was my 20th birthday on Saturday. How does one celebrate a birthday in New York, you ask? Well...by going to a show, of course. Kelly and I got standing room for Jersey Boys. We stage was cut off by the mezzanine from just under halfway up, but it doesn't matter. We crouched if need be, and more importantly, we danced around! Not to mention that the woman next to us was from Detroit and was celebrating her wedding anniversary on the same day as my birthday - crazy small world. But anyway, the show was phenomenal, and moved so so fast - it was roughly 2 1/2 hours and felt like 30 minutes.

My birthday was sprinkled with some other lovely highlights. Kelly made some peanut butter cup brownies, and a modest size crowd gathered in the backyard to sing Happy Birthday to me. I also received an amahzing gift from Kelly - a picture of all our friends, made up of a collage of loads of photos. And finally, I picked up some Jamba Juice and made it a very happy birthday indeed.

The Gang's All Here

2009-10-18T22:32:00.001-07:00

I apologize for the incredibly lengthy delay in post time - I have most certainly set a new record. I know all of you out there are have been pining for more news of the city. Although, let's be honest, more than half of the people who read this blog were in the city with me last weekend anyway. As such, there is lots (and lots and lots) to report.

It all started last Thursday. I picked up mom and Scott at the airport around 2:00. We arrived at the "305" around 3:30, got settled in, and went to eat lunch at my favorite place in town: Dinersty! This is cheap, disgusting Chinese food at it's best - they have the most exquisite Sesame Chicken in town. I go to this place so often, they just see me and know to give me Sesaly Elliot, The Royal Family, Nightingale opening, Central Park, God of Carnage, Staten Island Ferry, La Mela, Empire State Building, Jamba Juice, Shrek, Today Show, Chicago, parade, Columbus Dayme Chicken. (Although I once ordered General Tso's instead and they disregarded my order and gave me the Sesame - not that I'm complaining). Anyway, mom and Scott enjoyed their meals immensely - unless they were just being nice, but I sincerely doubt it.

We took it easy for a few hours before heading out to "dinner" in Times Square (wink wink). I strategically took them to Times Square through a Subway that would give them a good view right upon exiting - I remember my first Times Square experience well, and I try far too hard to replicate it for others. We wandered around the area for a while before heading down 45th Street. We told Scott we were going to dinner at a restaurant called Charley O's - which is conveniently located kitty-corner to the Imperial Theatre, home to Billy Elliot. Mom and I had been putting all our effort into averting suspicion - although there was a frightening moment in which Scott almost read my last blog post. Luckily, I put a stop to that...Anyway, we arrived in front of the theatre, right across the street from the fabled Charley O's, and I turned around and proclaimed, "You know, is anyone really that hungry? Because I do have three tickets to Billy Elliot here..." This is where Scott went crazy - he had absolutely no idea. We entered the theatre, took our seats, and the curtain went up. The show was amazing - a little different than expected, but still great. Phenomenal dancing of course, inspired performances (we got a Tony Award-winning Billy, thank goodness), and wonderful direction. Surprise!

Friday: incredibly eventful. It all started with the Today Show - I could unfortunately only stay for a few minutes, but I hear that Scott and Diane enjoyed it very much - they even stayed for Kathie Lee and Hoda (but who wouldn't, really?). After I got out of work at MTC - it was a very eventful day, what with The Royal Family reviews coming out and all - we headed to Central Park. We went to the wondrous Belvedere Castly, saw some crazy street performers, and stumbled upon Strawberry Fields - and get this: it was John Lennon's birthday! There were a good 150 people or so packed in and singing along to a whole bunch of Lennon songs - what an amazing coincidence. That night, we ate dinner at Monetti's - so they could get their first taste of New York pizza - and then got standing room for God of Carnage. Everyone loved the play of course, because it is amazing. We even got to chat with Jeff Daniels (who did not seem to care that we are from Michigan), James Gandolfini (who does not pose well for pictures), and Marcia Gay Harden (who unfortunately had to hurry out because she had some sick children). A grand time was had by all.

Saturday: Beka arrived in town! We started the day off by heading to the Staten Island Fairy and taking lots of unnecessary Statue of Liberty pictures. We then checked out the 9/11 memorial before heading to Greenwich Village to check out some beautiful apartments we could never afford. After this, we decided Chinatown would be a lovely place to visit...it is not. It smells stank nasty and is dirty as all hell. So we wandered around for a while (led by my misguided direction) before finally finding Little Italy. We stopped in for a delicious dinner at La Mela Ristorante. We were taken down a dark, scary hallway before emerging into a lovely dining room. The food was delicious and there was even a wonderful two-man band that played some lovely Italian songs, my favorite of which was "That's Amore" by the incomparable Harry Warren. Penultimately, we made a visit to the Empire State Building - a la "Sleepless in Seattle". We all felt just like Meg Ryan waiting for Tom Hanks, and we even got in some lovely sightseeing in the process. New York is gorgeous at night. To cap it all off, we stopped by Times Square (Beka's first visit - she was astounded) for some more sights and sounds, and some delicious Jamba Juice (this was Scott, Diane, and Beka's firsts - they were all astounded). Wow, we did a lot.

Sunday: Mom and Scott had to head out in the early afternoon, so we walked around the town a little more before heading to the airport. We said our goodbyes, and I headed back to meet up with Beka and Kelly. We headed to Beka's first Broadway show: Shrek. It was a riotous good time, and clearly warranted a Stage Door visit. Beka got some lovely photos with some cast members, although we were unfortunately stood up by Sutton Foster once again (this also happened when Kelly and I saw it in May) - but we are determined to meet her at some point. We headed to Jamba Juice once more, and then layed down for a good night's rest.

Monday: We woke up bright and early to check out the Today Show. We got there around 8:00 to find a mob of screaming little girls. We couldn't get within 200 feet of Matt and Meredith. "Why?", we asked. Well, it was apparently all because 15-year-old singing sensation Justin Bieber was performing - he is now all of our nemesis. Luckily, the screaming girl crowd cleared out around 9, after Justin Bieber left, and we were free to enjoy the Today Show as we pleased. Kelly had to go to work, so Beka and I hung around for Kathie Lee and Hoda (again, who wouldn't?), and we may have even managed to get on TV. Soon after, we stumbled upon a Columbus Day Parade - apparently, in New York, this day is an excuse for Italian Americans to celebrate their heritage. The parade was overall pretty lame, with the possible exception of a crazy winged girl on roller skates and a man we met dressed up in Italian garb, complete with glasses with windshield wipers. Beka enjoyed her first NYC pizza, and Kelly rejoined us for dinner at Applebee's and Beka's second Broadway show: Chicago. As always, the show was phenomenal - this was the best cast of the three times I have seen it. And of course, we stopped by Jamba Juice after for a perfect ending - our new best friend is now Jesus, the man who works the register there.

On Tuesday, I dropped Beka off at the airport bright and early...well, "dropped off" isn't really the right phrase. There was all kinds of drama because they thought Beka owed $25 for her luggage from Detroit, and they were not at all hasty about solving this problem, even though her flight would leave in 40 minutes or so. We waited around for a while, and Beka was finally able to get in line (where I understand there was even more drama), and finally onto the plane. I took a lovely bus/subway ride to work and my normal routine began again.

So that's the amazing weekend. I know what you're thinking - there is another week to cover! Well, I'm exhausted, and I will give you the rest of the update tomorrow (hopefully...). So everybody calm down and I'll be with you shortly. I hope you can forgive me for the delay, and will all stay the faithful followers I know you to be.

Perpetual Anticipation

2009-10-07T20:28:00.000-07:00

I am super duper excited for this weekend - my mom and brother (Scott, that is) are arriving in la ciudad tomorrow afternoon, and the lovely Beka Kroesing is dropping in on Saturday. We have a cornucopia of fun things planned. And by "cornucopia", I clearly mean "empty chasm", as I have done little to no preparation. We'll figure something out...

But for now, back to the past week. Last weekend was actually packed with a cornucopia of fun (and mostly free) things. Friday brought the off-Broadway production of Blind Lemon Blues (comp tickets of course - I love my internship). The show is about blues-folk singer Blind Lemon Jefferson and is basically an excuse to sing his songs - no plot really, but mostly strong performances and some stunning music arrangements.

Saturday brought rain (of the steady variety, of course). Kelly and I ventured to Union Square and then north to Times Square, where we once again met up with her friend Michael...who ironically lives near Union Square. We ate a scrumptious meal at the Applebee's in Times Square (which is not too ridiculously overpriced) and got some complimentary desert shooters. We then pranced around H&M for a while (because the Disney store was sadly closed) before returning home.

Sunday was extremely eventful. I pretty much spent the whole day at the Friedman Theatre, home of MTC's The Royal Family. I got trained to work in the Patron's Lounge (abbreviated P.Lo for some reason) during the matinee. That is, I got trained until 20 minutes into the performance, when Tony Roberts (an actor in the show) experienced a minor seizure and the show was subsequently cancelled. Well after this I promptly headed to Central Park, where the New York Arts kids had a fun picnic. We ate. We drank. We played frisbee. We hit people with frisbees. We danced. We got weird stares from other people because of our dancing. 'Twas a wondrous time. And after all this hullabaloo, I finally got to see the night performance of The Royal Family! The show was absolutely hysterical, the set was gorgeous (it even got some applause), and the performances were very strong. And, of course, our tickets were generously provided by the Manhattan Theatre Club. Love it.

And guess what? More comp tickets! Tonight we saw the off-Broadway play Circle Mirror Transformation. I kind of loved this play - it was very simple, but very funny and moving. The dialogue was very realistic, and the all of the performances were pretty much perfect. This may be my favorite off-Broadway experience thus far. And another great experience: I ran into Bridget Martin (sister of Claire) today! We just happened to pass each other on 8th Avenue - small city, no? We agreed to meet up some time soon, and I am real excited about it!

So there's the lowdown. I gosta got to bed - I have 3 long hours of work tomorrow. MTC was kind enough to let me off at 1 so that I can pick up some folks from the airport. Tomorrow's a big day, and it will be amazing. (Don't tell Scott, but we're seeing Billy Elliot tomorrow night - it's kind of a surprise). Alright, good night. And good luck.

Working 10 to 6: What a Way to Make a Living

2009-10-02T21:49:00.000-07:00

One amazing work week down. Lots and lots to go. Although not enough, really. It's already October. Meaning I've been here for a month. Meaning I only have about two and a half months left. I kind of love it here and don't want to leave.

But anyway, this work week was really great. My coworkers are absolutely wonderful - there are a good 70 staff members and 15 interns working at MTC. There's always a lot going on, and lots of people to see. I am actually technically "Marketing Intern 2", as there is also an intern in the department named Andrew. I do not appreciate this second-billing, and I am determined to proof my worth...Actually, Andrew is incredibly nice, as are all of the other interns. I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone.

The work I'm doing at MTC is very interesting - a lot of it involves gathering data to assist the Marketing directors in making decisions. I put together reports for daily wraps, single ticket sales, zip code breakdowns, show discounts, website visitor statistics, and loads of other things. It's really fascinating to see how they make important decisions - and of course, they couldn't do it without me.

Another cool aspect of working at MTC is that I can also work night and weekend shifts (for cash) at the front desk and theatre patron lounge. The company has rehearsal spaces that it rents out, so they need someone to work the front desk after normal work hours. In fact, I got my first go at it on Thursday - when the girl who was supposed to work dropped out and they needed a last-minute replacement. The job was real tough - I sat in a chair, directed a few people to their studios, surfed the interweb, and ate Taco Bell. And the best part about this job...the Broadway revival of A Little Night Music will be rehearsing in our space for about a month - which means I'll get to see Angela Lansbury, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Stephen Sondheim, et al. up close and personal.

Yup, it's all pretty amazing. This Sunday, I am getting trained to work in the patron lounge at the Friedman Theatre, and I will also get to see our current Broadway show: The Royal Family. Things are looking up, and I kinda like it that way.

I Play It The Company Way

2009-09-28T21:03:00.000-07:00

The Manhattan Theatre Club is just swell. I started my marketing internship on Monday, and I really love the place. I can't honestly say I've done too much yet, other than general office duties. There is a wondrous binder, though, that explains in detail all of my duties as an intern. I am excited for the weeks ahead, and all the wonders that this internship will bring. I'll letcha know.

And now just a few more fun things from the last two days:

Monday: saw the new "Fame" movie with a bunch of NY Arts folks. The theater was huge...the $4 sour patch kids were scrumptious...the movie was terrible.

Today: attempted the Hair Lottery once more to help Amanda out - I lost once again, she won. She and Sally got to see the show tonight, and I'm happy for them. Later in the night, Kelly and I made some ambrosial funfetti cupcakes with funfetti icing. They were a rousing success.

Money Well Spent

2009-09-27T17:13:00.000-07:00

I wasn't necessarily what one might call "frugal" this weekend, but I would like to think that my money was spent wisely.

Friday: Kelly and I ventured to The Colony - the world's great sheet music store. I resisted temptation to buy anything in the store, although I did fall prey to the homeless organization asking for money outside - I forked over $10. Yup, that one better come back around. And for my final smart purchase of the night: a Mango-a-go-go at Jamba Juice.

Saturday: Another mornin', another show ticket line. This time we got in line around 8:45 to get student rush tickets for the matinee performance of Hamlet, starring Jude Law. The cost was $35, and I got more than my money's worth. For starters, the show is over 3 hours. And what's more, Jude Law was surprisingly great, the whole cast (with the possible exception of Ophelia) was wonderful, the lights were stunning, the costumes were modern and sleek, and it steadily snowed! The day was capped off with hours of sing-along time in the "305" piano lounge - and that is always fun and free.

Sunday: The day started with a trip to the annual Broadway Flea Market. The place was stuffed with thousands of people clamoring for tons of Broadway memorabilia. I spent $8 here (for charity once again) and got a couple posters, some old-time Playbills, and a souvenir program or two. Not to mention that we spotted Seth Rudetsky (again), this time in the company of Audra McDonald(!). More creepy stalker pictures were a given. Later in the day I made the best purchase of the weekend: complimentary tickets to Off-Broadway's A Boy and His Soul, graciously provided by fellow NY Arts intern Edward. The show was very entertaining and moving - I feel like I actually made money from seeing it.

So lots of great purchases all around. You may also have noticed a great addition to the blog - a list of links to blogs kept by other members of the New York Arts Program this semester. Feel free to compare and contrast our experiences at your leisure.

In the morning, I'm off to work at the Manhattan Theatre Club. I am excited beyond belief right now. I'll probably be letting you know how it goes, as is my way. Just you hold tight...

A New Beginning

2009-09-25T21:37:00.000-07:00

Will start today,
A chance to change and learn
And know a better way.

I have a new internship! The Manhattan Theatre Club called me today and offered me a Marketing Internship. I am incredibly excited about this opportunity - MTC produces shows both on and off Broadway. Their shows this season will include some people you may have heard of - Ana Gasteyer, Lynn Redgrave, Rosemary Harris, Laura Linney, Alicia Silverstone. Anyone?

The internship is pretty darn legit, too. I get to learn all about the wonders of marketing. I get my own desk, computer, phone, and e-mail account. I get to attend full-staff meetings. I get to attend weekly seminars. I get a mentor from outside the Marketing department so I can get a fuller experience. I may get to go to opening night performances. I will apparently be offered lots and lots of free tickets. Not too shabby, eh?

I was also in the process of doing a final interview for Nederlander Worldwide. Yes, the Nederlander - of Broadway producing fame. Unfortunately, I had to call and tell them I was no longer interested. I was scared that this would mean that I would never be hired in the theatre industry again - who do I think I am to turn down Nederlander?! But luckily, they were incredibly understanding and supportive. Amanda, the secretary I talked to, was even quoted as saying "I'm just sorry that we couldn't snatch you up first." I guess I am just in demand.

Well, the great work begins on Monday. This internship is only part-time, so I may still get to work at Theater Mogul a few hours a week. I am super-excited, and you should be, too.

Let the Sun Shine In (Finally!)

2009-09-24T22:11:00.000-07:00

The streak has been broken! I am a Hair lottery winner! Yup, tonight I finally got to see Hair. And it exceeded my wildest expectations. But more on that in a minute...

So remember a minute ago when I said I won the lottery? Yeah, that was a lie. Here's the real story: I decided to go for the Hair lottery tonight. Kelly had rehearsal so she couldn't go to the lottery (this brings our odds down significantly...). Luckily, as I was about to leave, I told Amanda (a fellow NY Arts student - read her blog!: go<3yourowncity) that I was going to the lottery, and she offered to put in her name as well to increase our chances. Well, thank gawd she did. Her name was called! (And not mine - ergo, I am still not a winner). Amanda so kindly let Kelly and I have the tickets. We seriously owe her big time.

So now for the show...wow. Our seats were in the back of the stage-left boxes, so we really couldn't see too much onstage. But no matter - we could hear, I could see a fair portion of the stage, and Kelly (who could see basically none of the stage) got her hair tousled by at least 5 tribe members. The show was directed flawlessly and moved so darn quickly that it pretty much flew by. The band was phenomenal, and the music direction was absolutely top-notch. Let's be honest, I even sang along a little bit. The cast was absolutely perfect - incredibly well-defined characters, even in the tribe. And yes, we did indeed go onstage during the curtain call and dance around. It was pretty surreal, absolutely amazing, and scorching hot.

The stage door was lovely as well. Everyone in the tribe is just so nice, and we got a few beautiful pictures. If you're wondering what in the world is with Gavin Creel...well, after the show, some of the cast members were going bowling dressed as Goth Hippies. We literally had to wait 30 minutes for him while he put on eyeliner, nail polish, and that wig. So worth it, though.

And if any are you are worried about the fate of the Failed Hair Lottery list (I'm sure someone out there is concerned...), fear not. I plan on seeing Hair a minimum of 3 more times, so I will surely lose the lottery a few more times before this semester is over. Yay?

Let the sun shine in, y'all.

Peace.

Hilarity and Riot

2009-09-22T19:55:00.000-07:00

Fun developments in the internship department...well, soon-to-be developments I suppose. Today I set up two additional interviews with another to be set for next week. These agencies are pretty much begging me to work for them. Hopefully I'll know something by early next week.

But now for the real fun news...Today, the New York Arts theatre kids had the best seminar ever - a free performance of The 39 Steps! I have ne'er seen the Alfred Hitchcock film of old, but it mattered not. The play takes the movie's plot and turns it into a farce of sorts, with four actors playing all the parts. Hilarity ensues. The script was hysterical, but the real highlights were the physical and visual gags: two actors swapping hats every second to switch between 5 characters, a silhouette depiction of a police chase, etc. The lights were awe-inspiring, the direction was precise, the acting was great. How could this get any better, you ask? Well, add on a post-show talk back! And that is just what we got - this crazy comedian woman moderated and the actors talked about how much fun doing the show is. I am jealous. And for the grand finale...the actors posed for a picture with us outside the theatre! What a wondrous seminar experience.

A Weekend in the City

2009-09-20T16:25:00.000-07:00

Buckle your seat belts, folks - this is gonna be a long one. This weekend was just a bucket of fun, so there's lots to report.

First off, you may have noticed a brand new addition to my blog - The Failed Hair Lottery list. Kelly and I have thus far attempted to see Hair four times (once in May, and thrice this semester), and none have worked out. I can only assume that this will happen several more times, so feel free to check the list frequently for fun new updates!

Going all the way back to Thursday...after losing the Hair lottery once again, we decided to head to the TKTS Booth for some happy people-watching. On the way we passed Jamba Juice, where I experienced a true test of character. Kelly wanted a delicious smoothie, but I decided that I did not need it - so for the first time in my life, I resisted the temptation of a Jamba Juice! But the story doesn't end here...no more than 15 minutes later, while walking down the street, I could no longer resist. So I turned around, went back to Jamba Juice, and shamefully purchased myself a smoothie. The overwhelming pride I had gained now diminished as quickly as it arrived. I guess I simply cannot resist a delicious, nutricious Jamba. But who can, really?

With Saturday came my first early-morning ticket line of the season. Kelly and I arrived at the Gerald Schonfeld Theatre at roughly 7:45 in the morning to get tickets for A Steady Rain, starring Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig (yes, Wolverine and James Bond). Sally joined us around 8:30 or so, and we gleefully purchased our tickets at 10:00 a.m. Seriously, shows are the only thing I will wake up early for. I'm excited for the next outing.

I have to admit, I'm not the biggest fan of either Hugh Jackman or Daniel Craig, and I was only mildly excited to see this show. But they both did a phenomenal job, and the show was very well-written and directed. We were particularly nervous about the accents - an Australian and a Brit doing Chicago accents could be pretty bad, but they both pulled it off very well.

What was even more exciting than the show itself was the stage door scene - we were some of the first people outside, and there were already a good 50 people waiting. These were people who did not see the show, but just wanted to see the stars. Not cool. Even less cool were these two ladies who trotted on over from the theatre next door, where they had just gotten out of God of Carnage. They decided it would be fun to squeeze into the chaos of people. But once they got into the crowd, they would not stop complaining about how little room they had, and how one of them had just undergone physical therapy and it wasn't safe for her to be here - this literally went on for 20 minutes. But Hugh and Daniel were both very nice and signed everyone's Playbills - even better, Diane Sawyer made an appearance. All in all, 'twas a wondrous Saturday afternoon.

And a wondrous Saturday evening. Unfortunately, the New York Arts Program is full of indecisive individuals, so it took us roughly 3 hours to figure out what to do for the night. We finally decided to head down to SoHo and dine at a cute little restaurant called La Esquina (The Corner, if you don't happen to speak Spanish - or have simply forgotten what the word means, like me). I enjoyed some scrumptious and exquisite bistec tacos, and a grand time was had by all. Sure, we may have stiffed the waitress on the tip a little, but what the hey.

Sunday may well have been the best day of all - Kelly, Fallon, Amy, Jessica, and I ventured down to Coney Island, the home of lots of world-famous things: the boardwalk, Nathan's Hot Dogs, the Cyclone rollercoaster, etc. First things first: we rode the wondrous Wonder Wheel. Now this isn't your average everyday Ferris wheel - the gondola was on a track and rolled frenetically back and forth...I would explain more, but I will just let this video do the talking:

........................................

We also visited the boardwalk and the beach before stopping by Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs for some lunch. We went to the original location for our meal - or so we thought...we would later discover that the actual original is located just down the road - but we can pretend, right? Anyway, the hot dog was absolutely delicious - as were the fries, which came with these precious miniature pitchforks for ease of handling.

And finally, we of course stopped by the historic Cyclone for a ride. I have been wanting to ride this rollercoaster for roughly 10 years, so this was an absolutely amazing experience. The Cyclone was built in 1927 and is still running - it's crazy old and crazy fun. Thank you, Cyclone, for making one of my childhood dreams come true.

So that's the weekend - back to work in the morning. I have an interview or two this week, so new things will hopefully be developing.

And one final note: there is a distinct lack of comments on this blog. If you have gotten to this point in the note, you clearly are dedicated and probably have something to say. Hit me up!

Peace and love.

Check It Out

2009-09-16T19:35:00.000-07:00

I suppose the "educational" portion of the New York Arts Program has begun - for yesterday the Theatre & Drama students had their first seminar with Dana Tarantino (remember? The savvy the adviser...). We meet once a week to learn fun things about theatre and life and all that (hot) mess. For our first seminar, we basically just introduced ourselves and explained our internships, and then chatted for a little bit. Next week should be even better - Dana got us all free tickets to The 39 Steps, which comes complete with a post-show talkback. Should be fun times.

And now for the big story of the day - today I got my New York Public Library Card! I am officially experience life as it should be in New York City. Kelly and I explored the Mid-Manhattan branch of the library and found it to be treasure trove of wonderful literature and media. However, I found it particularly difficult to find a few items I desired - for none were on the shelf, as the catalog stated. Luckily, I was able to track down one book on a stray cart lingering far away from the book's Dewey Decimal placement. My first checkout from the NYPL: Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris.

So Much to Do in New York

2009-09-14T20:57:00.000-07:00

So I was right - this weekend was fabulous. Lots of shows, lots of people, lots of fun times. It all started on Friday, with Race Music - okay, this show was actually pretty bad, but it was free so I'm not complaining. But the evening was topped off with a delicious late-night dinner in Chelsea, so it's all good.

Not too much happened on Saturday - except for 90 of the greatest minutes of my life. Sally, Kelly, and I got standing room tickets to God of Carnage and it was absolutely perfect. The cast came out to the stage door, and they were all so nice. Unfortunately, Jeff Daniels signed with such agility that we couldn't chat about Michigan. But Hope Davis and Marcia Gay Harden were incredibly kind. James Gandolfini didn't come out, but that's fine. The play was absolutely amazing, and the performances were flawless. And once again, the performance was followed up with some delicious Jamba Juice (we need to start practicing some self-control in that department...).

Sunday was incredibly eventful - the morning brought Broadway on Broadway to Times Square - the casts of all the Broadway shows came and performed for free! We were incredibly far away, but it was still cool. The highlight of the event: Seth Rudetsky made an appearance. Even better, we spotted Seth later in the day outside the Avenue Q theatre - we thought it best not to say anything, so I just took some creepy stalker pictures instead. But anywho, Broadway on Broadway was a wonderful experience, and came complete with a confetti-splashed finale.

Later in the day, we stopped by Radio City to see the red carpet action at the VMA's. We arrived at 5:30, and once we realized that nobody was actually arriving till 8:00, we promptly left. One fun thing came out of this though: my first subway ride of the season! Yeah, I think I might stick to walking - it's way cheaper and not that much more difficult.

Okay, I have just one more show to report - tonight Kelly and I saw Altar Boyz, which was absolutely hilarious.

So that's the weekend - lots and lots of shows for very little money. Now I'm back to work. If anyone is wondering about the internship scandal - I have sent in applications for some other internships and should hopefully have some news before the week is out. Hang tight, y'all.

Well, It's Been a Long Day...

2009-09-11T14:07:00.000-07:00

So things have been a little shaky in the last few days - no worries though, we will rise above. Without giving too much away, I'll just say that there is less work than anticipated at my internship. I have talked to Dana (my savvy New York Arts adviser) and we're figuring out some new internship possibilities. That's all I can say for now - I'll keep you posted.

But other than that, things have been glorious. After all, I'm still in New York City. I'm proud to announce that Wednesday nights have been dubbed "Ice Gleem Social" night at the New York Arts Program. Yup, every Wednesday we will go to Baskin-Robbins and get $1 scoops of ice cream and watch the new episode of "Glee" at 9 p.m. The first one was a rousing success, and I can only hope for more of the same.

Also, Kelly and I saw The Toxic Avenger (yes, the musical) last night. This was my first Off-Broadway show, and a very exciting one at that. We got tickets for $20 twenty minutes before the show (thanks to the aptly-titled "20@20" promotion) and they were located...third row center. It makes me sad that more people don't go to Off-Broadway shows, but in the end I won't complain. The show had a hilarious book and a rockin' score, and was also a bit scary. Not to mention phenomenal performances from Broadway's Nancy Opel as Mayor Belgoody & Ma Ferd (including a side-splitting scene in which she played both simultaneously) and Demond Green as the aptly-named "Black Dude" (what's with all the aptness, Off-Broadway?). Oh yeah, and American Idol's Diana DeGarmo was in it as well. Anyway, it was a good time, and was followed up by some even better Jamba Juice.

Tonight, the whole program is seeing Race Music - my second Off-Broadway show! And what's better, we got our tickets in advance, not the day of the performance - what a concept! The weekend should be - nay, will be fabulous. Catch ya on the flip side!

Don't Rain On Our Parade

2009-09-08T21:09:00.000-07:00

Good news: it didn't. But it was very cloudy the whole day. And it was actually a cruise, not a parade, but still. Anywho, today the whole darn New York Arts Program went on a cruise around Manhattan. This was slightly nostalgic for me, as it was the same cruise ship I went on circa five years ago when I first visited New York City. I am happy to inform everyone that the tour hasn't changed much in that time. Although the tour guide was insistent on bringing up tidbits about September 11, which in turn brought down the morale of the whole group. I still enjoyed the cruise very much, and took even more useless pictures of cityscapes than last time.

Today afforded the group some bonding time, which was real nice. In addition to the cruise, we had an enlightening, if somewhat brief, orientation and a delicious dinner. I got to experience the wonders of a multitude of fabulous people literally all day. This semester should be a wondrous experience. On that note, my internship starts tomorrow - at 10 am sharp. I'm excited to meet all my new colleagues and start doing some arts managing! I can't wait till tomorrow, when I discover what I am actually doing and can finally elaborate on that statement...

Ooh, My Feet! My Poor, Poor Feet!

2009-09-07T20:22:00.000-07:00

I think the painful reality of living in a pedestrian city hit me today. After four days in the city, I am still yet to take a subway. Kelly and I decided a trip to Central Park was in order for this day of Labor. We speculated that we might even visit the zoo (on the stipulation that it be free - a detail it would have been handy to research before taking to the streets). So we traveled north 30 blocks till we reached the park.

Upon entering the park, we promptly found the zoo only to discover that it costs $10...nay nay, that I will not pay. Lost for words at this point, we decided that an excursion another 20 blocks north to visit the exterior of the MET was completely rational. Along the way, we encountered a myriad of eccentric folks, including a juggler with an inspirational message for the children, and an impoverished family lipsynching for money. Upon arriving at the MET, the harsh reality set in: we now have to walk back. And we did just that, arriving back at 305 a mere hour and a half later. The total distance: 7 miles. Yeah, I think I might do some stretches before embarking on another walk.

Supermarket Sweep

2009-09-06T22:47:00.000-07:00

After days of fruitless searches, Kelly and I have finally found the fabled grocery store down the street. The excitement of finding the darn place wore off, however, once we got inside and realized we actually had to shop for food...and had no idea where to start. We had a haphazard grocery list with us, so we went with that. Our main purchases were fruit, vegetables, bread, cheese, tortillas, yogurt - you know, things we are sure we'll use. So basically this week's meals will consist of PB & J/grilled cheese sandwiches and quesadillas. And that is just fine by me...In fact, for lunch today I had a peanut butter & jelly sandwich and a raspberry yogurt, which brings the meal's total to roughly $0.90. Beat that, Sandra Lee.

Later in the day, we went to NYU to visit Kelly's friend Michael. He took us to dinner at his cafeteria, which was a lovely experience, as I always prefer for other people to make me my food (and this stuff was delicious). We also got to meet some wonderful and kind people. Just being around NYU students makes me feel important - they're so fashionable and seem to have everything together. At least this is what I like to think.

Alright, so nothing too exciting has really happened thus far. Things should pick up in the next few days though. Don't bail on me now - the future looks bright.

Theater Mogul

2009-09-05T18:28:00.001-07:00

It occurred to me that I should probably explain what my internship will entail...in all honesty, I don't rightfully know yet. I will be working Mondays thru Fridays from 10 to 6 (this is supposedly a typical workday in New York - I'm not complaining).

Theater Mogul is an international theatrical production agency. Its business approach is to buy plays directly from the playwright, so that the company can then license the rights and produce productions. They typically target shows that require very few actors and can be produced inexpensively. Their current production is Defending the Caveman, which has played in over 30 countries and is currently touring the United States with nine actors alternating the single role.

The office in New York is a small one, consisting of fewer than ten people who specialize in areas such as general management, advertising, and booking. I will basically be filling in the gaps wherever they need help. Hopefully I'll get experience in several areas of arts management. Should be a good time.

Here I Am!

2009-09-04T22:32:00.000-07:00

This was a good day - celebratory, you may even say, if you were to also follow Kelly's blog. So we got into the city today and, after spending a great length of time experiencing the confusing one-way streets and lack of parking spaces that make up New York City, arrived at our...um...humble dwelling. I discovered that my room at the 305 is located 4 excruciating flights up - I hope I'll get over this minor setback, but only time can tell. After Rob and I moved everything in, he promptly headed out and Kelly and I were left to get things in order...5 hours later, we were ready to hit up the town.

We decided to stop by the lottery for 9 to 5, because it closes on Sunday and everyone loves Allison Janney. In my way, I was sure we would not win (the odds were roughly 50:1)...but I was pleasantly suprised to hear Kelly's name called out. The show was pretty alright, but the three leading ladies - Allison Janney (of Drop Dead Gorgeous fame - yes, that is her best work), Stephanie J. Block, and Megan Hilty - were phenomenal. Not a bad way to start of my fall theatre experience...which I assure you there will be much more of.

And finally, we of course made a stop by the TKTS booth in Times Square. I was hesitant about this whole no traffic in Times Square thing, but it's actually not so bad - cars still drive on one side of the street, and the other is reserved for pedestrians. Good decision, New York City - I approve.

I have no idea what else we plan on doing in New York, but at some point we need to buy groceries, which is a foreign concept to me. As is the cooking of the groceries. I guess I'll just feel my way through for a while...wish me luck. Till next time, peace out.

Well, I'm On My Way...

2009-09-03T20:12:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my blog, everyone! I am currently sitting in a hotel room in Ledgewood, New Jersey - tomorrow, we will make the final stretch of our drive and arrive in New York City. For those who are unaware, I will be doing an apprenticeship for the fall 2009 semester through the New York Arts Program. I will be working for a company called Theater Mogul, which will provide me with experience in arts management.

This blog will be dedicated to documenting my experiences this semester - with my internship and the program, as well as whatver else I decide to do in the city. I'm sure we'll go see a bunch of plays, do some sight-seeing, visit landmarks, etc. I've never had a blog before, so I don't honestly know how much I will update this (let alone what I will write about), but I hope that it will happen daily - I make no promises, though.

So thanks for reading...I will definitely miss everyone at home and Albion this semester, but hopefully I'll get something out of the whole experience. Farewell for now.