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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...
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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, par
ticularly 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 PresentationUpon 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...)
...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 Avenu
e 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 Par
k 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!
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 exclama
tion. 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 wo
uld 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.
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 wen
t 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!
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.
