43 Ideas for Birthday 43: Shipping News

Original Broadway Cast Recording of @LastShipMusical will be released on 12/16. Preorder here: http://t.co/qN9971TbRl pic.twitter.com/elxlaZVPJL
— The Last Ship (@LastShipMusical) November 7, 2014

Excited to announce @LastShipMusical is recording a cast album. Check out these shots from today's recording session. pic.twitter.com/vCacvSfgY6
— The Last Ship (@LastShipMusical) November 4, 2014

This unique portrait by @callmesquigs was created in celebration of the Opening Night of @LastShipMusical last week. pic.twitter.com/D6ywLJ47z5
— The Last Ship (@LastShipMusical) November 5, 2014

May-be I need to clone myself?

I  know I've been so busy this month, that it's almost hard to remember what all I've done. So, I've had to drag out my now-bulging scheduler with its receipts, ticket stubs, programs, and notes to just document it all. (And take this all in mind after this week's posts, and you see that I will be resting/scheduling better for the rest of the summer.)

May was abnormally busy, which is saying something for this year.

~ It started out one Friday night early in May with two vocal recitals, back to back, by two of the graduating  sopranos who have been my work study students, one for almost four years. If you know me at all, you know how I feel about opera, so this was an evening of love for those young women. It was a LOT of singing ... in many languages.

~ The next day it was off to the City for dinner and a show with Poopeh. The show always ends up secondary for us, even though it is the purpose for the gathering, and we try to find a quiet restaurant to sit and catch up. We happened upon an out-of-the-way Irish pub in mid-town that was blessedly quiet around 5:00 p.m. on Derby Day and we got a very quiet table in the back. Thanks Maggie's Place, for being quiet and not touristy. We needed the time to catch up before the critically acclaimed, yet very dark, tour-de-force production of Macbeth featuring Alan Cumming in about 90% of the roles. The Scottish Play is a heavy production in general, but with one person playing all the roles, set in an asylum ... whoa. It was heavy. Thanks to Poopeh for the tickets. I never would have gone on my own if she hadn't insisted. (I have good friends. Seats in 1st row, center mezz. at the show where you do not dare speak its name in the theatre.)

 ~ The next Monday after work, there was an open dress rehearsal of the Drama Division's Third Year Class presenting Twelfth Night up in the Stephanie P. McClelland Drama Theater. After the intensity of Macbeth on Saturday, a comedy was a good palate cleanser. There were some lovely moments in the production, and some stronger performances than other. It was set during Mardi Gras in New Orleans during the 1800s and actually worked better than you might think.

~ The next day after work, completing my slew of three plays in four days, was the Drama Division's Third Year Class doing Hamlet in the Drama Theater. I'm glad there was a comedy between the two tragedies. In these Shakespeare productions, the actors that had main roles in one play perform minor roles in the other play, so I got to see a different side of the actors and their range. The student playing Hamlet was quite good. I happened to be on a subway one night that he was on, and I overrode my usual reticence to just tell him how much I enjoyed his Hamlet. By their third year in the program, even the staff can start to tell who of the 20 or so in the class is going to "make a name" for themselves. I bet he's one of them. Sadly though, something was still rotten in the state of Denmark and everyone died.

~ Left abnormally early for me at least once ... at 5:30 ... due to the need to do copious amount of laundry. That was the night I got reacquainted with Grace. But I did manage to get my five loads of laundry done despite all the college kids in the building avoiding studying for finals and trying to do theirs! (These many weeks later, Grace has left .. but I am sure is lurking around to trip me up late and leave her mark.)

~ Rented a Zipcar to meander back to Manhattanville to see Marion. To combat the slightly musty/smokey smell I got in my ZipCar, I left behind the smell of MickeyDee's fries. You are welcome next Zipper. (read: when you have a car, you go to a drive thru for fries. Though they were meh...);

~ Spent time with Casey and her Ms. Addie, showing her the sights of the Big J and some of the Upper West Side. (More on that later - maybe on Casey's blog - as it's Addie's tale to tell, not mine);

~ Attended the Senior Dance Showcase at the Big J, featuring the graduating seniors of the Dance Division in solo pieces, duets, and a rousing final number ala Bob Fosse's Chicago. I'm getting jaded and/or I don't know dance as well as I know music and drama, but only about three of those student solos really stood out to me.

~ Worked at the Big J's 2013 Commencement seeing the next generation 'leave the nest.' For me that meant, caffeine, carbs, constricting clothes and allergy medication. But I also, truthfully can now say, I was "this close" to a famous Oscar winner, though again, I'm getting to be a jaded New Yorker. You do your thing and don't make a fuss. It's not the time or place ... but ... "no matter what occurs .... I will find you....*"  DEEP DREAMY SIGH ... it was pretty cool to be there.

~ Spent the rainy holiday weekend lazying about, getting sleep, and hanging with friends. No schedule. No plans. No agenda. No deadlines. At some points, no makeup.

~ and THEN, finally, to complete our quartet of Shakespeare for the month, attended a screening at the Film Society of Lincoln Center of the new movie version of Much Ado about Nothing directed by Joss Whedon .. and attended by JOSS WHEDON. (I've been a Whedon fan since I skipped out of a film class I was auditing post my B.A./pre-grad school to go home and watch the first episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. So take that, Avengers Johnny-come-lately-band-wagonners!)

Oh boy howdy ... was that fun! The people next to me were friends with the moderator and I got to hear how nervous he was about it. The audience was strangely subdued (I thought) for a Whedon crowd, but comported themselves well during the Q&A. Not surprisingly there were many, many, many questions about his other work (Buffy, Firefly, the Avengers films), and then FINALLY a question about actual film techniques and camera work. I say FINALLY, because it was the Film Society after all, not a con. Anyway ... can you tell I'm trying to be all cool and collected about this? I'm not... it was Joss FREAKIN' Whedon!

And, the movie ... I'm going again. A few times. Aside from the fun of seeing my Whedonverse actors, and maybe Nathan's name originator, the acting, directing, and some of the camera work was really excellent. Given I took about 3 semesters of Shakespeare on Film, I need to watch again. I can tell you, if you ever saw the version with Keanu Reeves, it will totally get rid of that memory - no offense to Sir Kenneth Branagh and Ms. Emma Thompson.

~ Had way to many work meetings, interviews, and end of the year parties, including:

- the end of the year/meet the new VP margarita meet-up at a bar (skipped);

- a potluck in honor of the graduating work study students. (organized) Why is it that everyone wants to eat at the potluck, but no one wants to tell you what, if anything, they are bringing to the potluck? Or help clean up from the potluck? Just wondering.;

- the year-end staff meeting, and then the year-end staff party. (attended) There is a joke at School about the state of things being reflected in the appearance of, and quality of, shrimp at the twice-yearly parties. Given the shrimp bar, and ginormous offering of guacamole and salsa, things were okay this year.

Which indirectly brings us back to Hamlet. After the staff meeting, I went upstairs to grab my stuff. Behind the closed office doors, I thought I heard something weird for that hour of the night. I thought there was an intruder, or crazy person, until I started to realize there was a pattern to the ramblings, especially when I heard "neither a borrower or lender be" and "to thine own self be true." Turns out, the actor playing Polonius was pacing up and down the halls reciting his big speech to Laertes. 

~ Farewell lunches for colleagues like Ms. R--- who is leaving the Big J after a few years to pursue other opportunities. (attended, sadly).

Leading to the necessity of days off for:
~ food poisoning;
~ grocery restocking and retail therapy;
~ travel;
~ recuperating from sending an email to VP that had my stomach in knots, but one that had to be sent, because I needed stand up for myself and articulate my work needs. Since the new VP is starting to assess our working conditions, so I thought I better speak up for myself/my space. THUS ...

~ regrouping.

Also good for stress relief? Go to your work Mailroom. Get sheet of bubble wrap. Walk around popping it. It's good for you. But not good for coworkers. (EVIL LAUGHTER!)

Good grief.

When do Summer Fridays start?  Because I need a break! Really Really Really need a Long QUIET BREAK!

I am not a social butterfly. I'm NOT. Really. Actually, I'm the complete opposite of one.

So if anyone wants to send me lilacs or  lavender roses so I can alight upon them and rest a bit, I won't mind.

 See the smiley face? Do you?

*“Stay alive, no matter what occurs! I will find you. No matter how long it takes, no matter how far, I will find you. I will find you!”

― James Fenimore Cooper, The Last of the Mohicans

Emily's Big Adventure - Tour by Auntie Nettie

This is Emily.

Don't you like how much respect I'm getting from my "niece?"

Emily is the daughter of my friend Wendy. Wendy and I have been friends since we were younger than Ms. Emily here. In fact, back in the day, I was Wendy's maid of honor, the first time I had the 'honor' of being a bridesmaid. We were both so young, in actuality Grandmary did most of the work associated with the MOH position. While things didn't quite work out with that marriage, I don't think my skills as a Wendy's bridesmaid had much to do with the state of things.

When I was back in CT last fall for something for GrumpaMax, Wendy and I were standing around reconnecting and Ms. Emily kept whirling in and out to see what was going on. Her mom had been telling her all along that we knew each other and had for years, but I don't think Ms. Em believed her. (Honestly, after a day together in New York, I don't think she still does.)

It's great connecting with dear long-time friends, but dang ... does it make me feel old to realize that Emily is the age Wendy and I were, JUST YESTERDAY! (cue the theme from "The Lion King.")

Anyhow, in another wonderful circle of life moment, I am yet again taking over where Grandmary has left off -- that of New York City Tour Guide Extraordinaire - or Extra-Weird-inaire. Wendy has been down to see me before, but this time Emily was going to join her.

Thanks to Grandmary I had many opportunities to visit New York, beyond the school trips, and then later during the college, post-college, and now working years. You get old and jaded and you forget how exciting those firsts can be.

The first train ride.
The first trip to New York.
The first time in Grand Central.
The first subway ride.
The first time in Times Square.
The first Broadway show.
The first New York street-car pretzel.
The first New York hot dog.
Lots of firsts...

This is the story of Emily's first trip to New York, or at least my version of it. I suspect that Emily's version gets shinier and bigger and more exciting every time it's told ...

I met up with Wendy and Emily in Grand Central and gave them a quickie tour, pointing out some of the little things. I told Emily there would be a quiz, and so, here it is:

What symbols are on the grand ceiling of Grand Central?
Why are some stars brighter than others?
What's up with the hole in the center of the ceiling?
Why is there one darker patch on the ceiling?
Where is there a secret staircase?
Where are the whispering corners and do they work?
Why will I be sending you a book on Greek myths? (Seriously! What are they teaching in schools these days?!)
Has anyone ever found a squirrel to eat all those acorns?
Why are people wrong when they call it Grand Central Station?

This is an open book quiz, Emily. Some of the answers can be found here.

After the tour, a bathroom break, and some refreshments, Emil got her first Metrocard and got to experience the difficulties of learning the "swipe" that would get her on her first subway ride. Unfortunately, Auntie Nettie forgot to be a good teacher and not the fun auntie, and taught her the trick of "subway surfing/swaying." Wendy demonstrated why you always hold onto the bar. Sorry Wend.

When we arrived in the Times Square subway station, I didn't rush us above ground. At that hour on a Saturday morning, it was still relatively uncrowded, so I made a point to show off the "hidden" Lichtenstein that hovers just over the heads of the rushed commuters. If you aren't looking up, or distracted by the musicians, you miss it. It's a great piece of Pop Art, probably worth more than me, my debt, and my wardrobe put together times 10.

We then ventured into the heart of Times Square - on a Saturday, during a holiday break. (The things I do for family!)

One of the things I always do when I'm doing a tour of Times Square is take people to the Times Square Visitor Center.

I do this for a few reasons, the most important of which is to show people where there are relatively clean, free public restrooms. Think about it. Restrooms are important. You need to know where the public restrooms are throughout the City, and if you don't have a smartphone with the locator app, these things can be vitally important to know.

The Visitor Center is also fun for the typical tourist reasons - brochures, tour information, souvenirs, and photo booths. You can buy the expensive items like t-shirts, mugs, and other stuff to weigh you down. [Travel tip - travel light!] However, nothing beats the souvenir penny stamping machine for economy, ease of travel, and sheer amusement for children of all ages. The Visitor Center is also handy if you need to pick up emergency items like rain ponchos, cameras, feminine hygiene products, etc. etc. etc.

The BEST part of the Center is the interactive New Year's Ball display.

You can also add your own wishes to the confetti that will rain down on Times Square on New Year's Eve. It's better and less claustrophobic than being there. I make the same wish every time I go, and it has yet to come true. Here's hoping for 2012! (Don't ask - I'm not going to tell.)

I think Emily was wishing for another visit soon. Wendy was wishing I wasn't taking the picture.

Another reason I spent so much time at Grand Central, underground, and at the Visitor Center is that it was POURING this particular Saturday. And sooooo windy, that umbrellas and hairdos were worthless. Unfortunately, the line at the TKTS Booth in Father Duffy Square is not undercover, so we were pretty wet by the time we got to the front of the line and finally settled on our matinee tickets for the new Broadway show, Wonderland.

Since we had time to kill, and things to do before matinee time, we walked up Broadway to see some of the sights. We stopped by souvenir shops for 10 for $1.00 postcards, t-shirts, and other necessaries and then headed north. We passed Columbus Circle, where we waved at Central Park (next trip), and then up to Lincoln Center.

Along the way, Emily had a mid-morning snack of her first New York pretzel, which she munched on while splashing me and Wendy---exclaiming over and over "THIS IS SO COOL!". We passed sculptures along the way and continued to pose at important sights, before heading to my office at the Big J to pick up more souvenirs, go to the bathroom, and then go to the Bookstore for a bag like Auntie Nettie's.

Same pose, different location.

Lunch at a vestige of by-gone New York was quick, (you can't beat old diners), and we jumped back on the subway downtown so we could make our show. Emily was an old pro at the "swipe" and "sway" by this point, so there were no problems getting on the subway.

Here's are more my tips for being a tourist/visitor.

~When going up and down the stairs of the subways - STAY ON THE RIGHT.
~Stand to the sides of the subway car doors when waiting to enter - AND ALWAYS LET PEOPLE OUT FIRST.
~Do NOT text, talk on the phone, and walk. Pull over and do your stuff and get out of the stream of walkers.
~Whenever possible, avoid Times Square for the half hour leading up to, and immediately after, a show. It is madness. MADNESS, I say.
~Try to be at your theater at least 35 minutes before showtime. Who cares if you have to stand in line? You are not in the mob of folks still trying to get to the show.

Somehow, I don't know how, I managed to get us to the show and in our seats, at least 5 minutes before curtain. We bobbed and weaved, holding hands -- all three of us, snaking and abreast -- as I pushed and maneuvered us through the sea of folks also trying to stay relatively dry and make it to their matinees.

The show was at the Marriott Marquis Theatre, which is a more relaxed Broadway theater for a first show experience. Most venues will not allow late seating, people leaving and coming back through performances, or any food or drink in the hall. It is also MUCH bigger, so we had a bit more knee room. Wonderland is loosely based on the Lewis Carroll novel of Alice in Wonderland, so it was a good, Rated G entry into New York theater. Yes, there were innuendos, but they were pretty tame, and some of the references made me chortle with glee, even if the younger set couldn't figure out why. I think Emily enjoyed it. She was perched up on her seat, quiet the entire time (which is unusual in and of itself.) As a "techie," I'm sure she was analyzing the production values.

We took our time leaving after the show. Despite the fact that it was in a hotel, and had more facilities, the lines at the ladies room inevitably took forever. And then we had had to have photo ops in front of the shiny, "funky" escalators, (Ms. Emily's description), and giant posters of the show. I hate having my photo taken, so I'm sure there is a grimace on my face on Emily's roll of film.

I frankly was stalling our departure - partly due to the weather-and also because I knew what the streets would be like as everyone left matinees at the same time. Luckily, the entrance/egress to the Marquis is right near Shubert Alley. Another photo op and shopping opportunity! Yea!!! Postcards, pins, and pictures, oh my!

If we had had more time (and funds), there were so many activities that we could have done right there: Bowlmor Lanes, the Harry Potter Exhibit at the Discovery Times Square, plus Sardis.

Instead, I started ushering my charges back East, towards Grand Central through the madness of Times Square. As a bonus sighting for the day, we not only saw a film shoot (what I now think might have been the Glee folks in town for an episode), and the ubiquitous Naked Cowboy sighting. As Emily and Wendy dove into the crowd of women to really ogle the guy, someone started laughing at my exclamation: "Of course she wants to see the Naked Cowboy. She's a 12-year old girl!" (Just wait honey -- your mom can tell you, they ain't all built like the Naked Cowboy!)

Since we had time, and we were in the area, we headed past Radio City Music Hall, towards Rockefeller Center - where I was pleasantly surprised to still see people skating on the ice.

When I pointed out Prometheus, Emily was not pleased that I was asking her about Greek gods again, but I think I appeased her with a trip into the Lego store. Not only is Rockefeller Center pretty impressive, but the replica made out of Legos is amazing. Then there was the dragon that wound its way through the store, and that other Titan, Atlas, with the world on his shoulders. (I've already posted the Star Wars legos. Darth and Crew were on the rooftop patio cropped out of the picture on the left below.)

Rockefeller was decked out for Easter, and all the tourists were scrambling to get their photos taken with the finery. This is the closest I got. Photo ops are cutthroat. Watch out for those European tourists. They say Americans are pushy?! Please. 'scuzi. Por favor! Ay carumba! (Yes, I know that was Italian and then Spanish. Gracias.)

Since we were there, we also headed over to St. Patrick's Cathedral to look around.

Here's one of my last tips for visitors to the Big Apple.

BE RESPECTFUL!

Emily, Wendy, and I were in the City for what the Catholic's consider Holy Saturday. I explained my philosophy when visiting holy sights, even if it's not my denomination or belief system. To wit:

If it was Mass, or there were other services going, we were just going to stay in the back and look around.
We weren't going to take photographs.
We weren't going to explore.
We weren't going to converse.
We were going to be respectful and leave quickly.

Unlike other people. (Hello? Would you want people traipsing through your church services? I don't think so!)

If, in the strange event they we were actually interested in a comprehensive tour, we would make arrangements to come back sometime later in the fall -- say, when services weren't being held, so other worshipers could find the peace and tranquility that they were there to find ... Especially during Easter Weekend.

Turns out, it was time for Mass, so we came. We saw. We left. As we lingered outside on the steps, and I pointed out "fun facts" about Art Deco highlights on the building across the street (ala Ted Mosby), Emily got a preview of the Easter Hat Parade. Unfortunately, we think she was actually one of the more "eccentric" New Yorkers and not someone previewing her chapeau!

Finally, it was time to head back to Grand Central to grab some dinner and put my exhausted visitors on their train.

Before they went, Emily had to have her New York hot dog. Now, it wasn't from a street cart, and we didn't have time to make it to Gray's Papaya, but luckily for us, the lower concourse dining area has options for everyone, including hot dogs for Emily.

Don't disturb the eating Emily!

So, to recap:

There were a LOT of firsts, but this is just the beginning. Tours by Auntie Nettie (trademark pending) have already been reserved for the fall, where hopefully we can unhurriedly explore the City in better weather. I'm also going to call on my "connections" to get some behind-the-scenes personal tours of the theatrical stuff at the Big J, as Ms. Emily IS.SO.DRAMATIC!

Thanks to Wendy for traveling down to see me in my neck of the 'hood.

Thanks to Emily for to reminding me how exciting this City is, even as I am in every day and have become jaded, cynical, and super "alert." (When I see something, I do say something! but usually it's something I can't repeat here on this blog...)

Thanks to Grandmary for all those many trips and tours when we were both younger, and for her patience for all those giggling teen aged girl trips she hosted for me and my friends when we were Emily's age. She assured me that yes, I was that excited, and yes, I was that exhausting too.

5/11/2011 Note: After 31 previews, and 33 performances (including the one we saw), Wonderland is to close on Sunday, May 15th, according to this New York Times article.

YouTube Tuesday: Secret Garden

A Clip from the 45th Annual Tony Awards with the original Broadway Cast of The Secret Garden with the incomparable Rebecca Luker, John Cameron Mitchell, Mandy Patinkin, and the much missed from the Great White Way, Robert Westenberg. I had the privilege in seeing him in Les Miz, Into the Woods, and The Secret Garden and still haven't see anyone to compare with him, even after all this time. He is much missed in New York.

One of the best parts of this clip is the excerpt of the duo, Lily's Eyes with Mandy and Robert, which makes me well-up every single time.

Photo of the Day - Dancing's in the Blood

Family Cemetery, North Carolina, May 2010

presented with some comments:

I've been in and out of this cemetery a number of times, but never really noticed this footstone until the last time through.

A few years back, Grandmary asked for tickets to see Mama Mia! on Broadway, because she said that she always loved the music of ABBA and was a big fan. Now, I was there in the '70s when ABBA was big, and I have NO recollection of ABBA being much more than a passing part of my childhood. Easy listening music** yes, but hello? My mother? A huge fan of ABBA?

It's little things like that that shift your perception of your parents as ... well, just your parents, and remind you that they are people, with identities separate from their relationship to you-- that they are people with their own distinct preferences in musical styles.

Okay. Well then.

Grandmary likes ABBA.

Grandmary really liked Mama Mia! She was dancing in her seat and trying to sing along with the Broadway musicians. (not at all embarrassing)

Seeing this headstone clarified that WHOLE episode for me.

Grandmary likes ABBA because ... it's in the blood.

**"The Lite FM?"

"It's my kryptonite. I'd wage many persons born in the mid to late nineteen sevenites share the same affliction. Like, whatever radio waves were wafting through the air at the moment of your conception inexorably bonded themselves to your disposition. Ergo: my parents were really into Lionel Richie and the Commodores." .... "C'mon. Everyone has a musical weakness. Even you."

This Must be the Place by Kate Racculia on page 185

Obama+Les Miz = Les Misbarack

I think I've talked about how I was a chorus and theater geek in high school. I came of age during the apex of the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Claude-Michel Schönberg/Alain Boublil era, with large casts, sweeping sagas, crashing chandeliers, hovering helicopters, and tear-jerking arias galore.

My theater buddies and I ate up this stuff. We collected Playbills, read the theater rags, and ran out to buy the sheet music as soon as it was available in the stores. [Remember, this was pre itunes, ipods, internet, youtube, Twilight, etc, so this was Great Stuff for the teen set back in the (ahem) 1980s and early 1990s. It was a different time, my friends. Different times!] We sang (or in my case, played) those songs and medleys ad nauseum. One of the highlights of the year was the theater bus trip to the Great White Way. One memorable excursion had us taking in a double-header: Phantom of the Opera as the matinee and Les Miserables as the evening show. (Or was vice versus? Doesn't matter! It was a long Broadway day!) Of the two shows, Les Mis was the more memorable and continues to get me right in my little emo-heart to this day.

So, imagine my amusement when someone forwarded the following clip on to me. A drama about a revolutionary political campaign plus a little office romance, just like the original: Obama+Les Miz = Les Misbarack

Again, I am NOT endorsing any candidate, political party, or platform. I am simply finding joy and the delight in the talents and creativity of other people who have time to come up with these things, all the while enjoying a blast from my past and one of my favorite numbers from one of my favorite musicals. Thank you. (**stepping down off soap-box, NOW!**)

Do Broadway shows need ratings systems?

You know ... I love free Broadway tickets as much as the next girl. Free stuff is good. Actually, free stuff is GREAT, especially for Broadway shows that cost way the heck too much. However, I just couldn't make myself take advantage of the offer that came pinging into my Outlook mailbox this afternoon for:

Tickets to Equus for tomorrow night, starring Richard Griffiths and Daniel Radcliffe.

Now, I like theater. I love me some o'the Brits. I love their accents. They could sit and read the phone book and I would be perfectly happy to hand them my money to do so. I have thoroughly enjoyed both of these actors in their various roles on film and the telly. That being writ, I couldn't bring myself to go to the show because of a) the very mature, disturbing, and adult subject matter and b) because I would have to see the young boy wizard get naked. For me, it would be creepy on so many different levels--mostly because I'm old enough to have been his teen-aged mother!

Call me a prude. (Ummm, Okay. You are a PRUDE.) I'm not sure I'm up to seeing people get butt-naked on stage. My last Broadway play experience, Shakespeare's Cymbeline of all things, had gratuitous nudity in it as well. It was so unexpectedly jarring that it took me completely out of the rythym of the play. Since it happened in the first act I had to sit there wondering if I'd have to see other people get naked at another point. I've still not recovered from the experience, (though it was mostly due to Phylicia Rashad's horrific accent and acting). A little warning would have been nice. I could have chosen not to attend or to look away.

Sadly, I'm used to the use of foul language in everyday use and on stage. (I'm a guilty party here too). I'm also regrettably getting used to suggestive situations and content creeping into my many forms of entertainment. Unfortunately, I am not used to the gratuitous nudity that is starting to crop up everywhere, even on the stages of the highest of the high-brow, the opera. Even The New York Times has noticed (see article here).

There should be a quick way to know about a staged show's "adult" content, aside from first-hand experiences, word-of-mouth, reviews, and other publicity. Some productions have a clue in the title, i.e. Naked Boys Singing, but other shows seem innocuous, i.e. Avenue Q. If all you see is the poster with the cute puppets, would you know that this musical addresses issues like sex, drinking, and surfing the web for porn? Avenue Q's website is very good about being upfront about what ages the show is appropriate for, but not every one will take the time to do the research.

For all that the systems are criticized, the television and film industry has a well-established rating mechanism. Is it time for stage productions to have one too?

In the Heights -- Best Musical 2008

Congratulations to the cast and crew of In the Heights for winning the 2008 Tony Award for the Best Musical.

Show creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda had the best acceptance speech of the night for the best score. Seriously. He has mad skills. Here's a clip.

Go see the show. I did! It was great.

Here's a behind the scenes tour of the set and the dressing rooms with Lin-Manuel, and another on the making of the tv commerical above. (Thanks broadway.com!)

RENT

No, not the kind you pay. The kind you see on Broadway.

A few weekends ago, I went to see a Saturday evening presentation of RENT with a former colleague at Caramoor, Amelia. Of course, being me, there's a story about WHY.

Once upon a time, an old ogre named Auntie Nettie worked in a castle called Caramoor. She toiled and labored, and much time passed. After the tenth year of her labors, along came a young, dewey-eyed college graduate named Princess Amelia -- who then spent the next 12 month calling the old ogre "Dude" until the ogre couldn't take it anymore and chucked things at the princess's pretty little head. During this time of turmoil, a musical called RENT was being made into a cinematic presentation and Amelia decided that she MUST listen to the original Broadway soundtrack in the ogre's office ALL THE DAMN TIME.

Flash forward more than a year: The ogre left the castle (for lots of reasons) and was transformed back into semi-human form. Princess Amelia continued to call the residents of Caramoorland "dude," to drive likest an old woman, and to listen to the RENT soundtrack and to cry for 525,600 minutes.

Suddenly, horrible news flashed across the land. The Broadway production of RENT was to end. Weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth abounded, as many a RENT fan had still not seen the production. Being among this group of slackers, the former ogre and Princess Amelia banded together with other fans and bought tickets to the show.

This then be the photographic tale of fair Amelia and the former ogre's journey to RENT, as much as they could show you before theater management wouldst intervene and actest to abscond with the various photographic equipments.

Amelia: Wait, what is this show about?

Pay RENT here

The Marquee

Current cast: including an American Idol contestant and a soap opera player or two The set

The merry travellers: Introducing Lindsey and her brother!

The land of Times Square -- late in the even

Chrysler Building from the vicinity of Broadway

We did NOT take this Subway back to the train stationWhilst it was good to be with friends, old and new, for this evening of song and dance, the production itself was not all that I had hoped for. It felt rushed to me. The audio was too loud, the mix was bad. What's worse, I just didn't "connect" to the production. I wanted to be, but it left me cold. (In speaking with some current associates who also just saw the production, apparently it wasn't just me. They had the same impressions.)

I actually was more moved by the movie, especially with Jesse L. Martin (who knew that the dude on L&O could sing!?), and by the tales of the original Mark Cohen, Anthony Rapp. I recommend you read his biography, Without You: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and the Musical Rent. (Though it does have some references to "adult" content, the story of love and loss gets you right in the heart.)

RIP: Jonathan Larson -- Gone too soon.

The end.

In the Heights

Last night I had great plans to do something like 5 loads of laundry. I had even gone so far as to strip the bed, sort the colors/white, find the fabric softener sheets, haul out the 5 lb bottle of detergent, sort out the change to find all the quarters, and place the two baskets of dirty laundry by the apartment door. I was committed to doing the laundry. I had a plan.

Plans change.

About mid-day an e-mail went around the Big J with a free ticket offer to a newish Broadway show, In the Heights. Hello? Free show? Yes please!

I knew next to nothing about it, aside from it being a new musical set in the Washington Heights section of New York during the present day. I'd heard the radio ads and it had been peripherally on my radar, but since Broadway ticket prices are so expensive these days and I don't have a lot of time or money, I hadn't investigated it further. (Plus, I loathe mid-town. Don't get me wrong. I love Broadway and theater -- but the hordes of people there are worse to navigate than the subway and Grand Central during rush hour -- and that's saying quite a bit.)

The show was totally relatable, especially if you've spent any time in an ethnically diverse neighborhood, have friends from P.R. or any Hispanic/Latin background, or have worked in NYC. My Spanglish was good enough to understand the mix of English, Spanish, hip-hop rap, NY patter, and slang. The set made it look like it was a typical corner in NY, with its bodega, beauty shop, and apartment walk-ups. Two of the leads were actors known for their appearances in Center Stage and Charmed (among other shows), and the mix of Puerto Rican, Dominican, Cuban, African American, and other ethnic mixes were hysterical. There were a lot of "in" jokes that I don't think that the vast audience got, seeing as it's April break and a great deal of out of town school groups are here from the mid-West and the deep South, but those of us who did were crying with laughter. The dancing was a phenomenal mix of Latin, hip-hop, and modern street dancing, and the music was infused with an infectious Latin flavor. (Click here for the Musical Montage)

Apparently the show has quite an evolution. A few colleagues and I were talking about it today, and one of my office mates knows the lead, who was also the show creator. There are a bunch of articles at The New York Times site (see here, here, here, and oh ... here).

Yes, there were moments when the plot was contrived, the songs and staging were calculating, and a few of the characters were weak and their voices weren't as strong as the others. But, it's like t.v. -- suspend belief and buy into the story. If you want to go to a Broadway show set in the current "real" New York, this is it.

For those who need to know about ratings, I would consider it PG-13 for some language, both English and Spanish; suggestive situations, including implied sexual relations (not shown), "dirty" dancing; and some revealing clothing, i.e. short skirts, bared mid-riffs, exposed arms, etc. However, I saw and heard worse every day in school, many many years ago, and see it everyday going to work. If you're prudish, it might be a problem.

If you get a chance to see the show, I recommend it. Avoid the Disney-fication of Broadway and go see ...

In the Heights

Vamanos!