Central Park, Broadway Preview: Fall 2006

So, today I got up relatively early and went to Central Park. I sat around for a few hours, wrote a little, listened to some music, knitted a little bit of my current scarf project. It was generally a nice time, and I saw a lot of really cute dogs. Lately I've been taking a liking to dogs -- despite the fact that I don't know that I could own one, because I can barely take care of a plant let alone a living creature.

I also just wanted to post a little something about what I'm looking forward to as far as the New York theatre scene this fall.

First off, Meryl Streep is doing a production of Mother Courage and her Children by Bertolt Brecht off-Broadway at Shakespeare in the Park that I really want to see.

As far as original material, there's a new political play called The Vertical Hour by David Hare opening with Julianne Moore in the lead. Disney's Mary Poppins will also be opening this fall at the New Amsterdam Theatre after The Lion King shifts its production this summer to the Minskoff Theatre, where Fiddler played. Martin Short also has a new show called Fame Becomes Me opening during the summer months.

As far as revivals this fall on Broadway, we're also going to see the current production of The Pajama Game re-open with new leads in place of Harry Connick, Jr. and Kelli O'Hara. A Chorus Line will also see its first revival starring Charlotte D'Amboise, who came very close to opening in Sweet Charity after Christina Applegate sprained her ankle. Les Miserables will also prematurely return to Broadway for a limited engagement, rumored to star one of my absolute favorites, Norm Lewis, as Javert. I also almost forgot to mention the new John Doyle revival of Company starring Raul Esparza, which will doubtlessly be fantastic.

Not too much is known yet about the spring, but the adaptation of Legally Blonde will be opening, and A Tale of Two Cities will probably also open.

There is also a revival of The Wiz planned for next season directed by Des McAnuff. Surely, other things will be announced over time, but it seems like it's going to be a relatively exciting season, especially for revivals.

"The History Boys"

So, as a contrast to my rather personal last post, I'll get back to the general purpose of this blog, which is to document my experiences, cultural and otherwise, in New York.

Having heard really great things about The History Boys, a recent play by Alan Bennett, which had played at the National Theatre of Great Britain, I decided I would buy tickets, particularly because I'm trying to familiarize myself with straight plays and this one is widely considered one of the best around and a definite Tony contender (always a thought at the back of my mind).

Anyway, I've been plagued by allergies lately, and, sitting in the theatre before the play was to begin, I suddenly had the onset of some kind of eye allergy the likes of which I've never experienced to such extents before. It kind of bothered me for most of the first act, but by the second act it seemed my eyes had adjusted for the most part. Another thing that I'd heard was that the seats in the front row (where I was, because of a really great student rush policy at the Broadhurst Theatre -- the ticket was only $26.25) obstruct your view of a lot of the classroom scenes. This ended up only very rarely being problematic -- just when the actors were leaning relatively far back in their seats.

Anyway, the play was absolutely great. Having just seen The Lieutenant of Inishmore last week, I'm not really sure which one I enjoyed better, but both are most definitely deserving of Tony nominations. The History Boys tells the story of 8 young men who are history students preparing for their college exams and the conflict within the school between the headmaster, who would rather strictly prepare the boys for their exams, and Hector, the boys' primary teacher, who would rather prepare the boys for life through helping them achieve a love of literature. As Hector, Richard Griffiths (known to most as Uncle Dursley in the Harry Potter films) turns in the best performance of the cast as an older teacher struggling with what he's made of his life. Dominic Cooper as Dakin and Samuel Barnett as Posner put in equally sensitive portrayals of students in their adolescence questioning everything and trying to find their way.

It's a play that's really relevant to today; my teachers in high school complained about things like this all the time -- how they have to teach specifically toward the aim of standardized tests when they'd rather teach us what they think would be most useful. A subplot about sexual abuse and about a troubled young gay student add interest and provide for some of the most interesting moments.

The scene in the play that spoke most to me was at the end of the first act, when Hector meets privately with Posner to speak about a poem the class has just learned from Irwin, a teacher who's just been brought in to gear the curriculum more towards their standardized tests (scene is pictured at left -- Barnett at left and Griffiths at right). They exchange some of the most beautiful lines I've ever heard in a play about how, sometimes, when you read something, you find validation for something that you've thought was unique to you, even if the author is long dead or far away. It's not a unique concept by any stretch of the imagination, but it's Alan Bennett's way with words that really lifts up the piece and makes it something unique.

Also notable where the interesting sets, with sliding walls that shifted seamlessly to set the scene, the entertaining Breafast Club-esque projected movies at the back of the stage that smooted the scene transitions, and the great '80s music that was also played between scenes that helped set the time period.

Overall, it was just a really great play. There's nothing bad of note to be said about it.

One final down, two classes down, much sleep, work, a mini-rant.

So, because I had a final yesterday morning at 7:30, I pulled an all-nighter from Wednesday into Thursday. The final wasn't too bad, but there was one question out of five that had me slightly stumped. I'm hoping I tiptoed my way around it well enough. I also finished with European Drama. We had to give a one-minute final "manifesto" for theatre. Mine was probably the absolute most boring, but I did it from the perspective of being an audience member. Most of the class did really garish performance pieces. If you ask me, less than half of them actually accomplished the task of saying something about theatre, but they were all pretty much entertaining.

After my classes were done, I sat in Washington Square Park with Emma, Meredith, and David for a while, as it was a really beautiful day. We observed a crazy breakdance guy and countless dogs and kids. At 5, I went to a caller banquet for NYU Phonathon/RuffaloCODY. I won the "Oustanding Non-Donor Service" award! Yay!

After the banquet, I went to sleep at 8 and woke up today at noon, so I had a really huge amount of sleep. Today, I went used book shopping without buying anything and then had work at 6. I tried to also spend some time in the park today, as it was another great day. Tomorrow I'm seeing The History Boys on Broadway, which I'm really excited about, particularly because it got really great reviews pretty much all around.

So, I haven't really presented many (any?) rants in the recent past. During 2004, I was probably one of the most politically frustrated bloggers ever, and up until this school year, I've been a pretty agitated person. That's not to say I'm not still a generally positive, sunny person, but I've always taken really huge issue with everything political and social that I could think of. This school year has really helped me put things into perspective, and I think I've definitely grown as a person because of the diversity of the city and my experiences with so many different people. Anyway, this isn't really a rant per se, but it's probably the closest thing to one that will be on this blog.

Anyway, that being said, I have anxieties about this summer, when I return home for three and a half months. I'm so used to this entirely open environment where I can be totally myself at class, in the dorm, at work. As a rule, I generally don't walk into a room and announce myself as a big ol' proud gay, but I don't have to work to cover it up or feel any kind of tension. Now, returning home, I have my family and a new workplace to adapt to all over again, and I'm starting to sort of stress out. I generally try not to get too personal on this blog, as I don't really generally like the idea of just venting for the world to read, but I guess I feel as if I want to write at least something personal about this year.

Anyway, the first point of reference is my family. Though, since I came almost a year and a half ago, my mom has adapted pretty well in realizing that this isn't something I chose and that I'm still a multi-faceted person with so many different levels and potentials, my dad still remains unaccepting and intolerant. Now, the odds are about 99% that he reads this blog as well, so perhaps he'll take note of what I say, though it's doubtful it would inspire any change. Anyway, I was reading some excerpts from a book today about parents of gay kids, and it reminded me of the fact that I've got to consider the environments that my parents grew up in, where "homosexuality" was barely a word and was such a taboo topic that it was rarely or never discussed. Additionally my dad prescribes to a Christian belief system that (in some cases) looks down upon homosexuality as a sin. Anyway, these issues seem almost insurmountable and are most definitely overwhelming. How can two people so utterly different, a straight Christian man and a young gay atheist, ever find common ground? Anyway, I hold out hope that, as he observes my life and just how normal I am despite our differences, he'll come to be accepting, but it's just such a difficult process. This is probably the primary point of stress about this summer that I can think of. Dating is totally out of the question and honest discussion a no-no. I feel as if he is so judgmental and has such a "not in my backyard" attitude, that he basically calls for a total lack of communication. Eventually, I will be in a nice relationship, and I'll probably, out of fear of some sort of retribution, fear telling him with an extraordinary dread. On top of all that, I have a problem faced by many: a relationship with a parent where you are "seen" and "loved" but not seen and loved. Yes, I'm loved by my father, but am I loved for who I am or who I'm wanted to be. Yes I'm seen, but am I seen as who I am in my totality or am I seen as what is desired to be seen. I just want to be seen and loved not "seen" and "loved," and think that's essentially what any person's life mission is. All of this is certainly not aided by the fact that my father buys into just about every stereotype of a gay man that's out there in our culture, which leads to my constant frustration. Though I can most certainly attest to the fact that many stereotypes of gay people are generally based on at least some level of fact, that doesn't mean that I'm personally destined for a life of endless sex or AIDS. Most everyone who knows me would attest to the fact that I'm just about one of the most subdued people in my age group, certainly opposite to the general trends of those my age. In the end, I'm a human being with so many levels. I'm not simply a gay man, you can't just tag one label on me and be done with it.
(I'm sure that's not really all one paragraph, but finding spots to break up the text would be kind of tedious, being as it was pretty much written in stream-of-consciousness).

Anyway...yeah. That stresses me out, and so does the prospect of my new job. Pennsylvania needs anti-discrimination laws in the workplace, which we currently don't have.

Luckily, I'm not one to be depressed or suicidal. My heart aches and feels for my fellow gay youths who are out there feeling worthless and simply not strong enough to continue their journeys on this earth, but in living my life to its absolute fullest potential, I strive not to be kept down by those who say "don't." In the words of Sondheim, I say "don't" as well, "don't be afraid." We all deserve love, we all deserve understanding. I live my life to become the best self I can be, and, in doing so, to show my truest, fullest self to the world, and say "This is who I am, the best me I can be." Now, I've totally gone Oprah on this blog, but I think it's kind of fitting. Since coming out to my parents and friends, I've become a fuller person. Despite the problems I've had, I feel comfortable in my own skin for the first time, and that alone has made me such a better person, and I thank my friends in particular for being there for me and for continuing to be there for me.

I think that's the end of my rant, which was probably overwrought, but oh well -- isn't that what blogs are for?

I'm reminded by two quick musical quotes:

"Hate the way you look at me like you can tell so much about my life, my life
Assassinate so carelessly, so assured, how sweet you twist the knife
Don't you know I'm just a lot like you, I need all the godly things that you do
When you're alone at night, do you run and hide?
Are you strong inside, are you full of pride? Or just petrifed?"
-George O'Dowd (Boy George), Taboo

"Love me, not your idea of me
Release me from your fantasy
Ooh, love me, forget your fear of me
Let me go, let me go, let me go, let me go, set me free!
Yeah, love me"
-John Guare, Two Gentlemen of Verona

Wow, I almost feel like myself two years ago, quoting songs and ranting about my personal life on an online blog.

Anyway, this weekend will be fun. I'm really hoping to make Sunday a day I spend all day in Central Park reading and just hanging out. That would make me very happy. Next week I'm seeing The Pajama Game on Broadway as well (hopefully).

Job

So, it's late and I'm taking a break from studying for my very early final on Thursday. I found this fun little thing on some random person's xanga that I figured I'd try out. Of course, Blogger blogs like these are so much less encouraging of comments, but it just seemed like a nice diversion.

Step 1: Put your media player on random.
Step 2: Pick your favorite lines from the first 25 songs that play.
Step 3: Post and let everyone you know guess what song the lines come from.
Step 4: strike out the ones people have guessed already. (I probably won't do this.)

1. "When you lose your light in the naked night, I'll be here. I'll be here."
2. "Pretty little thing, silly little nit, had her chance for the moon on a string."
3. "Each morning I get up I die a little."
4. "Lovely, bright home, we're drinking all night, never sleeping."
5. "Ain't got no mother, ain't go no culture, ain't got no friends, ain't got no schooling."
6. "Water make the flower bloom; you learn to rearrange."
7. "Here come the memories; lost in your arms down in the foreign field."
8. "A girl I saw in a valley, a girl I hardly knew, a girl that worked in a garden grew to love me."
9. "Without a song or a dance what are we?"
10. "My little baby sister can do it with ease. It's easier than learning your ABC's."
11. "You know how us Catholic girls can be."
12. "Everybody makes one another's terrible mistakes."
13. "He cooks revolting foreign things. Cooks? Can you imagine it, plates of stuff with parsley on top."
14. "No, had none to get, but they purloined my coat."
15. "Running the shadows, damn your love, damn your lies. Break the silence, damn the dark, damn the lies."
16. "Time it was, oh what a time it was."
17. "In Cairo you find bizarre bazaar. In London, pip-pip you sip tea."
18. "I warn you that I'm no boy scout. So don't think that I'm easy pickins"
19. "Go on, go on, go on, go on, you know my mama'd never let me till I turn sixteen."
20. "Poor baby, all alone, evening after evening by the telephone."
21. "If the nightingales could sing like you, they'd think much sweeter than they do."
22. "I feel it in my fingers, I feel it in my toes."
23. "I would crawl belly-deep through Hell."
24. "Milk, blood, we all God's children. And who're we to say what this life's about?"
25. "I'm buried alive, I hang by a thread, and people pay money to see if I'm dead. Like Mama once said --"

In other more important news, I found out from my mom today that I have a job again this summer at her place of work, The American College. I'm going to have a clerical job working with the maitenance staff, so it should be a relatively nice job overall. I'll be working full time for $10/hr., which is definitely the best pay I've ever gotten from any job I've had thus far. I feel much better knowing I have somewhere to work this summer.

Trying for "Rent 10," the BC/EFA Easter Bonnet Competition, etc.

So today was pretty busy. I had a review session for Brain and Behavior that was stunningly boring. Then, after breakfast, I finished up my paper for European Drama, which I wrote on the play Jaz by French-African playwright Koffi Kwahule.

Anyway, I remembered yesterday that today was Rent 10, the tenth anniversary concert for Rent on Broadway featuring the original cast, so I went up to do the lottery for that around 2. I ran into Joanna and Lindsay, who I see around Hayden a lot, so we waited together until they started picking names at 3. Frenchie Davis and Constantine Maroulis announced the names, and they did a pretty bad job. Frenchie kept stopping to strike a pose, and their bullhorns weren't nearly effective enough to compete with the crowd noise. Anyway, it took another half hour to announce all the names, and, needless to say I didn't win. They ended up selling another 15 more pairs than they had originally intended to by the lottery though, which was nice. I think they had a hard time selling all of the seats for the $1,000 price.

Anyway, it wasn't such a big deal that I lost, because I got a free ticket to the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Easter Bonnet competition, which is an annual event that celebrates the Easter season, when Broadway shows get together to raise money for BC/EFA. Most participating shows create a really outrageous easter bonnet, which they display as part of a skit. There were also a lot of other really great skits throughout. It was really great, because a lot of the humor was inside humor that I felt kind of proud of getting. There was a really great skit toward the end of the show where Little Sally and Officer Lockstock of the now-closed show Urinetown discuss the current theatre:

Little Sally: That man just touched me all over.
Officer Lockstock: Sounds like a backstage tour at Jane Eyre.
Little Sally: Allegedly.
[Referring to James Barbour, who's going to be on trial soon for child molestation backstage while starring as Rochester in Jane Eyre]

Little Sally: I really hope Lestat does well. I hear it took Elton John an entire afternoon to write the score.

Oh my...what a funny show overall. There were great skits from Wicked (which featured a really creative "what if" of Wicked on Ice), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (which did an interpretive dance of the politics of the past year), Ring of Fire (which performed a send-off of "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd" that was really great), and Sweeney Todd (which reinterpreted "Bohemian Rhapsody" Sweeney-style). The Color Purple did a really pretty presentation called "Lilies of the Field" that was probably the best put together of the skits and which featured some of the most gorgeous dancers' bodies ever.

After the show, I came back home and had dinner before going out to do a little shopping. I got a cheap book by Brooks Atkinson called Broadway that tracks the history of the Great White Way and a CD recording of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom by August Wilson. It's kind of like a radio play presentation of the play.

Touring colleges (with Jenna), "The Lieutenant of Inishmore," party time

So, on Friday, I went with Jenna and her dad, who came up for the day, to visit Marymount Manhattan and NYU. I had visited Marymount previously, and they didn't really like that school overall. They seemed to like NYU well enough, but the idea that, if you don't get into Tisch due to an audition you can't really go to NYU at all, seems a bit unreasonable. It was fun seeing Jenna again, and we got to catch up a bit. It also just so happened that our tour guide for the NYU tour was my orientation leader from the summer, Rob Byrne, so we also got to catch up a bit. We meant to go to lunch today (Sunday) as well, but he overslept, so we rescheduled for Tuesday.

I had to work Friday night because I had to call out twice for sickness last week, but the shift went pretty well (as most shifts have been going lately).

On Saturday, I worked for most of the day on some German work for the last week of class. On Saturday night, I went to see The Lieutenant of Inishmore on Broadway with Emma. We had made tentative plans twice in the past to see shows, but this time it finally worked out. I didn't really know much about the show going into it, so I hoped for both of our sakes that it would be great.

Thankfully, it was one of the best shows I've seen this year. I'm used to seeing musicals for the most part, and this is only the third play I've seen in New York (Doubt and Red Light Winter are the others), but it was definitely my favorite. It's a very violent play, but it manages to make the audience laugh even through the most gruesome of situations. The acting was uniformly great (Jeff Binder and David Wilmot are pictured at left, photo by Monique Carboni). As soon as we'd left, Emma was saying how much she wanted to see it again, so, needless to say, I'm glad I made a good pick for what play to see. Next weekend, I'm seeing The History Boys, so we'll see how that play is as well.

After I got back from the play, I realized Christina had called me a few times, so I called her back, and it ended up that she and her boyfriend Richard were at a party next door to me (32 Washington Square West) for one of Christina's floormates, Enrica. The party's theme was supposed to be transvestitism, but generally it seemed like the girls were dressed as men dressed as women and, though Richard took the theme seriously, the other guys didn't really. I found out about the party at the last minute, but I still agreed to wear a slip for a short portion of the party. Anyway, it was a pretty great party overall.

Today was supposed to be my lunch with Rob, but instead I did some reading for European Drama that was actually pretty imperative. I had work as well, and my boss was in a surprisingly jovial mood. The time pretty much flew by, as most of the records that we called were really picked over, and not too many prospects answered.

Now it's time to focus on the last week of classes and my first final, which is on Thursday for World Cultures.

"Lestat," registration, and more

Wow. So, tonight I saw Lestat, perhaps the most painful theatrical experience of my life. I went into the show figuring that all of the bad comments I'd read online about the show were just being too tough. It's rare that I see a show and don't at least leave having enjoyed myself. With Lestat, I just wondered how so many talented people could have gone so wrong. Elton John and Bernie Taupin are certainly not untalented. Leads Hugh Panaro and Carolee Carmello are certainly talented. Somewhere along the long journey to Broadway, however, someone should have gently pulled the creative team aside and urged them to adapt any other book, or any other idea.

To start, the pacing and structure of the show was a mess. Scenes don't seem to play naturally, and they jump uneasily from dialogue to song with little build up to support the songs as they come along. The songs have a distinctly "Elton John" sound, and most of them are at least decent. Some ("Embrace It," "To Kill Your Kind") are embarrassingly bad, some are mediocre, and a few are standouts ("Right Before My Eyes," "The Crimson Kiss," "Sail Me Away"). On top of that, one number particularly stood out, and that was "Welcome to the New World," sung during the scene where Lestat journeys to New Orleans. It worked well within the context and seemed as if it would make a great Elton John single.

As for the cast, everyone was at least fine. Hugh Panaro was vocally strong, but he sometimes seemed aware of the weaknesses of the piece, and his acting sometimes brought out the flaws in the writing. Carolee Carmello was just a standout all around. She's so talented, and she brings a quality to her character that definitely shines through in the overall show. As Armand, Drew Sarich was the only weak link for me. He seemed to be acting in a cartoonish manner when he should be more menacing as the villain. Another standout was Allison Fischer, the youngest member of the cast, who, as Claudia, is quite impressive. She delivers the mediocre song "I Want More" with gusto and is a general light admidst the failure of the piece.

The design of the show was drab for the most part, with embarrassing projections during the "swoons" (bitings). It felt as if someone was cutting up a lot of old parchment paper and constructing sets from it.

Some parts of the show were just laughably bad, as when the mythical vampire Marius emerges from the abyss at the end of Act One, when Carolee Carmello's Gabrielle pounces on her first victim, and when Lestat, having just been thrown off a building, lies mangled on the floor of the stage, still singing.

I just really can't believe how bad it was and that I can never go back and retrieve those hours of torture.

In other news today, I registered for my classes. My final schedule is:

MON
12:30-1:45 – Foundations of Journalism
2:00-3:15 – Natural Science I: Einstein’s Universe

TUES
9:30-10:45 – Musical Theatre
11:00-1:45 – Major Playwrights: August Wilson

WED
12:30-1:45 – Foundations of Journalism
2:00-3:15 – Natural Science I: Einstein’s Universe

THURS
8:00-9:15 – Foundations of Journalism Recitation
9:30-10:45 – Musical Theatre
3:00-4:40 – Natural Science I: Einstein’s Universe Lab

After finding out that my German class was closed, I made a mad dash to the Dramatic Literature department to declare my major so I could snatch up a spot in the August Wilson class that I wanted to take so badly. Luckily, I got it, which was probably the high point of my day. I was surprised how easy it was to declare the major -- fill out a short form, and it was in the system within a few quick minutes once I handed it into the department. I was also initially going to take Cinema & Literature, but I replaced that course with Einstein's Universe so I can make sure I have my requirements done on pace.

I also found out from my mom that her work is looking to hire some summer interns, so I'm pretty sure I'll be able to get one of those because of the nepotism factor and because I worked there before. I really like The American College, so I hope I get one of the positions. My mom said there are openings in maitenance filling out paperwork and dealing with contracts and clerical work and also in the alumni association, which I think would be more interesting. It always feels nice to have a full-time job where you're making decent money on a fast pace. It's nice to go home for the day and know that you've earned at least $50 rather than the $24 or so that I make for each shift at the Phonathon (not that I don't like the Phonathon).

Anyway, it's been a really busy day. Tomorrow I'm accompanying my friend Jenna and her dad on college tours of Marymount Manhattan and NYU, so that will take up most of the day. Then, I have to work. This weekend is going to be quite hectic.

Scheduling is killing me

Okay. So, tomorrow is my registration date. I'm pretty sure that I have to go see my advisor once again before I can register to get her to sign off on my schedule, which I was pretty sure I didn't have to do. Arrrgh! Other than that, I really wanted to take a class on August Wilson that I can't really take unless I take German in the spring, and, by then, I'll have forgotten all that I know.

I'm pretty sure my schedule will be:

MON
12:30-1:45 – Foundations of Journalism

TUES
8-9:15 – Foundations of Journalism Recitation
9:30-10:45 – Musical Theatre
11-12:15 – Intermediate German II

WED
11-12:15 – Intermediate German II
12:30-1:45 – Foundations of Journalism
2-4:45 – Cinema & Literature

THURS
9:30-10:45 – Musical Theatre
11-12:15 – Intermediate German II

If I don't get the Cinema & Literature class that I want, I'll have to take Einstein's Universe instead, so that's the only real change I can see happening to my schedule, particularly since most of the classes that I want to take have plenty of spots left in them. Anyway, my registration time is 2:15 tomorrow, so that means I have to go to my 2 o'clock class late tomorrow as well, which I don't really mind.

In other news, I have plenty of homework for the weekend. This is going to be one of those busy weeks where a lot of things are due, but next week is the last week for classes, so the only things I have after next week are two finals for which I'll have plenty of time to study.

For next week, I have a German project, paper, and portfolio due. I also have a paper due for European Drama on Tuesday and a World Cultures final on Thursday for which to study. Blah.

Anyway, I also have a lot to do this weekend. Tomorrow night I'm seeing Lestat, on Friday I'm going on college tours with my friend Jenna from home and her dad and working, on Saturday I'm seeing The Lieutenant of Inishmore with Emma, and on Sunday I'm working as well, so I have to find a place to fit in a lot of work within that schedule. Wish me luck.

I also found out that the seat for The History Boys that I have is actually in the first row rather than the second! Yay!

Anyway, writing this is wasting time as it is.

Busy day

Well, today was a busy day. Besides for having classes, I went to the registrar to get a health coverage paper signed and went uptown to buy some Broadway tickets. I got fourth row tickets for this Saturday to see The Lieutenant of Inishmore with Emma. It's a black comedy that's supposed to be one of the best plays of the season. I also got a second row seat for The History Boys next Saturday, so yay!

I had work tonight, which went fine. We changed our system over to a web-based program, so sometimes it takes longer for things to load than it used to.

After work, I went to Virgin Megastore and picked up the brand new South Pacific CD recorded live at Carnegie Hall with Reba McEntire, Brian Stokes Mitchell, and Alec Baldwin. I didn't have a South Pacific CD previously, despite the fact that I love the movie and the music, so I had been anticipating this CD. I really liked Reba when I saw her in Annie Get Your Gun some time back, but I find her kind of trying on this CD. Granted, I understand that she has a Southern twang, but it seems like she's particularly playing it up with weird vocal quirks that just bug me. As for Brian Stokes Mitchell, can he do no wrong? Overall, I'm glad to have a recording of South Pacific at all.

That was pretty much all I did today.

Broadway Report 2005-06 (early edition)

So, later in this post, I'll give my Broadway report for this year. Before that, I'll just remind myself that I really need to formally declare my Dramatic Literature major tomorrow so I can properly schedule my classes on Thursday.

Tomorrow, besides for having classes and having to declare that major, I want to go uptown to get tickets for The Lieutenant of Inishmore, which I'm seeing with Emma on Saturday, and The History Boys, which I'm seeing later in the month. I'm making an effort to see the two big plays of the season so I have some familiarity with plays when the Tony Awards roll along. I think I'm going to decisively skip Tarzan this spring. I don't predict it'll make a big dent at the Tonys considering the buzz surrounding the production, and I'm sure it'll be around in the fall if I have a real urge to see it. I'm also pretty sure I'm going to skip Three Days of Rain with Julia Roberts, because it doesn't seem like that play is living up to its hype. I'm seeing Lestat this Thursday, which is supposed to be horrible. I, for one, have been looking forward to seeing this show for quite some time, so I'm hoping it's not as bad as many have said. I think I'll probably treat myself to The Pajama Game in early May as my last show of the season, because I finally found a feasible, affordable way to see it, but we'll have to see if that works out.

Anyway, my Broadway report is as follows:

This season, I've seen:
SHOW DATE
1. Two Gentlemen of Verona Tuesday, August 30, 2005
2. Lennon Saturday, September 3, 2005
3. Sweet Charity Sunday, September 4, 2005
4. Lennon Saturday, September 17, 2005
5. Blue Man Group Sunday, September 18, 2005
6. Lennon Saturday, September 24, 2005
7. Fiddler on the Roof Thursday, September 29, 2005
8. The Light in the Piazza Sunday, October 2, 2005
9. Doubt Thursday, October 6, 2005
10. Sweeney Todd Thursday, October 13, 2005
11. Sweeney Todd Saturday, October 29, 2005
12. See What I Wanna See Saturday, November 5, 2005
13. The Light in the Piazza Sunday, November 13, 2005
14. The Woman in White Sunday, November 20, 2005
15. The Color Purple Wednesday, January 18, 2006
16. Spamalot Thursday, February 9, 2006
17. Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life Saturday, February 18, 2006
18. Red Light Winter Saturday, February 25, 2006
19. Bernarda Alba Wednesday, March 22, 2006
20. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Sunday, March 26, 2006
21. The Threepenny Opera Thursday, March 30, 2006
22. The Wedding Singer Wednesday, April 5, 2006
23. The Drowsy Chaperone Saturday, April 8, 2006
24. Lestat Thursday, April 20, 2006
25. The Lieutenant of Inishmore Saturday, April 22, 2006
26. The History Boys Saturday, April 29, 2006
27. The Pajama Game(?) [forthcoming?]

So, if all goes as planned, I'll have seen at least 27 Broadway and off-Broadway performances this year, which I think is pretty impressive.

Those in blue are on Broadway.
Those in red are off-Broadway.
Plays are in bold. All others are musicals. Blue Man Group is a special theatrical event.

Statistics/Facts:
-The projected average admission paid is $24.31.
-Two Gentlemen of Verona, Blue Man Group, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels cost me nothing.
-One performance each of The Light in the Piazza and Sweeney Todd cost $10.
-The highest price paid will have been for The Pajama Game, if I see that, at $43.
-The most common price paid was $26.25.
-The average amount of days between performances seen is approximately 10 (considering the period between Two Gentlemen of Verona and The Drowsy Chaperone).
-20/27 performances were of shows that opened during this season.

Anyway, it's not time yet for me to have a "top 10" list or Tony nomination/award predictions, but those will be forthcoming. For now, I just wanted to tally up the shows I've seen so far this year.

Next season is already looking exciting, with revivals planned of A Chorus Line, Company, and The Wiz, as well as a new David Hare play opening with Julianne Moore.

"Friends With Money," a weekend at home, pondering life

Well, on Thursday night, I set out with my Regal movie passes and went to see "Friends With Money," a nice movie with Jennifer Aniston, Catherine Keener, Joan Cusack, and Frances McDormand. It was a very dialogue-driven movie, but it was also very satisfying. I'm becoming quite the fan of Catherine Keener's work. I look forward to what she does next. I also love Jennifer Aniston, especially in this and The Good Girl (we'll forget about Along Came Polly).

Anyway, after the movie, I was feeling particularly contemplative. Whenever I see a movie or a show alone, I always get a little pang saying that I should have a man. Sometimes it's subtle. Sometimes I just shrug it off and remind myself that I like having a lot of "me time," which I really do. The fact is that, "me time" considered, I still spend far too much time alone.

I decided to go for a walk, so I just headed uptown without a destination in mind, just observing little things as I went along -- a conversation or two, the faces of some people in a store window, etc. Walks are one of the greatest comforts I have -- they get you out of your room and remind you that you're not alone, and that the city is full of people, strangers or not. Anyway, I eventually made it up to 50th Street, where I stopped in a Starbucks to get an iced green tea and a snickerdoodle and just sit for a bit, which is a nice feeling. I listened to some people near me talking about their business trip too, which was kind of fun. Then I headed back downtown, getting home around 1. I have to say it was a really nice walk overall, and it served to clear my head. One of the things I'm going to miss so much about New York when I'm spending the summer at home will be being able to set out on a journey at any time of the day or night.

I went home on Friday afternoon and spent some time with my friends Friday night, which was fun as usual. Christina, Richard, and I fooled Ashley with the game of Snaps, which was extraordinarily amazing. The sad thing is that we ended up telling her how it's done, so then we had no one else to fool.

On Saturday I had Easter lunch with my parents, uncle, and grandparents at this weird family restaurant where they played really tinny computerish renditions of nostalgic music in the background. Afterwards, we went back go my grandparents' new house and talked, and my grandmother told me I should marry Christina. Oh, if only she knew.

After lunch, my parents and I went to Bryn Mawr, where we saw Thank You For Smoking. It was my second time seeing it, and I fell asleep during parts, but I really like that movie. After the movie, I hung out with Christina, Richard, and Ashley at Christina's house. We talked about this book that they had called The Guide to Getting it On, which was fun. I think it's funny how much people talk about sex and how little of it most of them actually get. I think there's some statistic where men think of sex every ten seconds or something. Anyway, it was a pretty interesting book. Besides for being slightly gross, it also had some interesting (historical) tidbits in it.

After I got home, I started watching Good Night, and Good Luck, which I finished watching tonight. I quite liked that movie, despite the fact that I thought it could've been better and that it had a really abrubpt ending that kind of detracted from the rest of the film. The only of the Best Picture nominees I haven't seen now is Munich.

Today, I had lunch with my parents at Bertucci's before heading back to New York. I left Philadelphia around 5 and got in around 8ish. I pretty much laid low and watched Before Sunset, which I bought at Hollywood Video before coming back to NYC. It's one of my favorite movies, the sequel to Before Sunrise (I much prefer Sunset though both are great).

Anyway, I'm just going to miss New York so much this summer. Blah.

Sickness continues

So, I'm still sick. After my two classes today, I had a meeting with my advisor, which went fine. I'm going to go declare my Dramatic Literature major soon so I can take some more of those classes. I really wanted to take a really limited course on August Wilson next year, but it turns out it conflicts with my German class -- blah. One cool thing is that there's apparently a Musical Theatre lecture course now, so I'm definitely going to be taking that next semester. We also talked a little about studying abroad, which I definitely want to do. The program for Berlin sounded kind of weird, so it makes me want to consider London even more, but she also said that London is a bit more expensive somehow because of the exchange rate, which doesn't seem to make much sense to me, considering the tuition is supposed to roll over, but she wasn't very clear about it.

Anyway, I also went back to work today with the help of some Ricola cough drops, which I love (lemon mint -- very good!). The shift was shorter today, because the parent records were somehow messed up, so we ended up going home around 8.

The Bedford Diaries was on the WB tonight, which is a new show set at a fictional college called Bedford (it's shot at Barnard, where Christina goes to school). It's a pretty good show, and it has Audra McDonald, who's a really amazing Broadway performer. It's about a class exploring sex at the college and the various repercussions of the class on the university's faculty and students.

I'm going home this weekend, which I'm only half looking forward to. On one hand, I don't ever really dislike going home. It's always pretty pleasant -- it's just that it's so close to summer now that I feel like I should be making the most of my time in New York, and I didn't really think about that when I agreed to come home. Anyway, I'm sure it'll be fine and dandy. I do really want to see my grandparents again.

As far as theatre goes, I'm considering seeing some more plays before going home for the summer, so I'm not totally clueless as far as plays go at the Tonys. I'm considering Well, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, The History Boys, Three Days of Rain, and Tarzan (a musical, obviously). History Boys looks like it's going to make a big splash here, so I'd really like to see what the fuss is about. All of those shows have really great deals on student rush tickets too except for Three Days of Rain, for which I'd try doing standing room for. Anyway, how many of these shows I see really depends on my schedule and budget. There's a chance I may get a little money for Easter too, though I probably ought to save a little something for the beginning of summer before I get a job.

Anyway, I'm beginning to rant, so I should probably go.

"The Drowsy Chaperone," sickness

On Saturday, I went to see The Drowsy Chaperone on Broadway at the Marquis Theatre. I was definitely expecting the show to be one of the best of the season, and it lived up to my expectations. It's the only musical this season to open with absolutely no source material -- the musical was actually written as a wedding gift for the star of the show, Bob Martin, who also helped to write the book of the show.

It was a generally delightful show. The premise of the show is that a man who loves musical theatre recounts for the audience the plot of his favorite 1920s musical, The Drowsy Chaperone, which is essentially a wacky wedding hijinx. Bob Martin was great as "Man in Chair," and Sutton Foster (of Thoroughly Modern Millie and The Little Women on Broadway) was also absolutely amazing as the bride, Janet Van De Graaff -- particularly with her showstopping number, "Show Off."

Anyway, if I had to choose a winner for Best Musical from what I've seen this season, this would probably be it, though I also very much enjoyed The Color Purple. It's a great tongue-in-cheek show that places musical theatre on a pedestal and pokes fun with reverence.

I had originally intended to do standing room for Three Days of Rain with Julia Roberts on Sunday, but I woke up feeling quite sick, a feeling that's lasted through today. Anyway, I'm feeling slightly better, and I'm predicting I'll be back to work tomorrow (I called out tonight). I'm just feeling generally unpleasant. Send good wishes my way.

Very boring day, Washington Square Park was pretty

Well, I have to say that today was perhaps one of the most boring days ever. I woke up late (3) after having stayed up till 5 doing absolutely nothing useful, and I ate lunch at Weinstein.

After that, I took a little walk around the East Village until around 8 to scope out the area where I'll be living next year, which was nice.

After I got back, I sat around bored for a while in my room and then decided I'd go get some food, which ended up being a bad plan, since Upstein is closed on Friday nights so the Jewish people can have Shabbat.

Anyway, I ended up sitting around in Washington Square Park for quite a while until it started getting more and more chilly. It was a really pretty night, and my favorite guy from the fall and his guitar guy were playing a lot of good songs -- "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" and many others.

"The Wedding Singer"

So, essentially, I'm attempting to see every non-jukebox musical that opens this season on Broadway (which leaves out Hot Feet, Jersey Boys, and Ring of Fire). The Pajama Game and Tarzan may also be missed, considering they're such hot tickets. Since NYU's Ticket Central had $34 orchestra seats for The Wedding Singer, I skeptically picked one up and last week. I haven't seen the movie, so I had no idea what I was getting myself into. The verdict: damn fun.

Anyway, the show was certainly not "high art" or written by one of the saviors of musical theatre (a la Adam Guettel, Jason Robert Brown, William Finn, Michael John LaChiusa), but it was pure 80s big hair, Mr. T fun. The show pretty much blasts a long train of faux 80s pop songs at you for 2 1/2 hours, and they're pretty much all enjoyable. Certainly, when the show's over, you can't quite pick out one melody to hum on the way out of the theatre, because they all kind of blend together into one Culture Club/Cyndi Lauper song, but it definitely makes for an entertaining night of theatre.

The acting was all first rate. Stephen Lynch was really charismatic as Robbie Hart, the Adam Sandler role in the film. In the Drew Barrymore role, Laura Benanti (who I saw in 2003's Nine with Antonio Banderas) was fun but slightly stiff. She certainly has the vocal chops, and her recurring tune, "Right on Time" is one of the most catchy, but (and this is mostly the fault of the writing), she is overshadowed by the moments given to the characters of Linda and Holly, who also compete for Robbie's attention, given splasy, showy numbers that can't really compete with the earnestness that Benanti exudes. Benanti is best in her number "Come Out of the Dumpster" with Stephen Lynch (pictured at left), which is quite cute. Considering the performance I saw was a preview, any or all of these things could improve with time, but those were my observations.

Rita Gardner as Rosie, Robbie's grandmother, and Kevin Cahoon as George (a character modeled after Boy George) provide excellent comic relief, particularly as George sings a Culture Club-style prayer at a bar mitzvah gig and as the two team up for a rap number at Rosie's 50th Anniversary bash.

Several moments proved to be slightly misguided. At the top of Act Two, the song "All About the Green" was just kind of dull. Surely a more interesting song could've been written about the importance of money in society. Another odd moment was where impersonators of Ronald Reagan, Cyndi Lauper, Billy Idol, and Mr. T team up to help Robbie get Julia.

The design elements of the show were colorful and fun, and I particularly liked the sets for rural New Jersey. They had a nice feel to them, and the sets were able to place the story in a sort of heightened realism. The costumes were pure 80s and fun, complemented by full-on 80s hairdos as well.

Overall, I think the musical proved successful. It was extremely comedic, and I enjoyed it more than Hairspray (a relatively comparable musical) simply for entertainent value. Despite my love of more thought-provoking shows, I was able to let myself go and have a fun night at The Wedding Singer.

"Company" coming to Broadway in the fall

So, this past October, Sweeney Todd made a splash on Broadway as directed by minimalist director John Doyle, who reinvented the show by having all of the actors double as onstage musicians. Easily one of the most original productions of this year, what could come along to top it -- or at least match it?

Company!! Having debuted on Broadway in 1970 and gone on to win the Best Musical Tony in the year of its opening, Company is coming back to Broadway with direction by Doyle. This production is currently playing in Cincinnati and received great reviews. Considering Sweeney will probably still be on Broadway in the fall, this will make for two experimental Doyle-Sondheim shows running at the same time, and, frankly, I hope they keep on coming. Raul Esparza (tick, tick...BOOM!, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Taboo, Rocky Horror Show) will play Bobby, the bachelor in a group of married friends. What seems most intriguing is how the instrumentation will portray the couples as playing together. From what I've heard, Bobby doesn't play music until the end, when, as he sings "Being Alive," he realizes that he must learn to engage, a concept that seems similar to the moments of connection in Sweeney that I just loved. Ahh, I can't wait!!


(Left: Raul Esparza and company in Company at Cincinatti's Playhouse in the Park; Above: Al Hirschfeld's drawing of the original Broadway cast of Company, led by Dean Jones)

DVDs, room selection

So, today and yesterday were pretty hectic days for me. I had quite a few classes, and, yesterday I had to go to Seventh Street to make my room selection for next year.

Anyway, the dorm is really close to St. Mark's Place, which is pretty cool, as there are a lot of nifty little places to eat and shop there. I really like the feel of the East Village -- it's really eclectic and interesting to walk around. My dorm building only has two floors for students who aren't working for housing, so I'm in room 207A -- a two bedroom suite with two people per bedroom. I have no idea who my roommate is yet, but I saw the two guys who picked the other bedroom in my suite, and they didn't seem too wild. Hopefully everything will be fine. As a gay guy I sort of worry, just because I don't want some crazy bigot or scary jock/frat guy as a roommate, but those people are pretty rare at NYU anyway, so I really don't have much to worry about.

Today, I went a little crazy and bought both Liza with a "Z" and Brokeback Mountain on DVD, both of which I watched today. Particularly because of Liza's glittery rainbow packaging, I have to say today was probably one of the "gayest" days in my DVD-purchasing history. Liza with a "Z" is quite spectacular, and Liza herself is one of the most interesting (though certainly odd) personalities alive today. The feature on the DVD is her 55-minute concert for television filmed in front of a live audience at the Lyceum Theatre on Broadway by legendary director/choreographer Bob Fosse (Cabaret on film, Chicago on stage). Despite Liza's descent into tabloid territory, the DVD shows why Liza gets the attention that she still does -- she's a star. As for Brokeback, it just gets me every time. I can see a little bit of myself in those characters, and it's just one of the saddest films because it hits so close to home for me.

Anyway, I also had work tonight and last night, which went pretty well. Casey put me on my usual lybunts last night, knowing how horribly I did on parents my first night, but I ended up doing quite well with parents tonight when Mike set me up in them. Parents are getting slightly easier for me to call as I become a little less awkward. I'm surprised by how willing parents are to contribute even more money than they have to pay for tuition.

So tomorrow night is The Wedding Singer on Broadway with Stephen Lynch and Laura Benanti. I'm not really all that excited, as I haven't seen but a few minutes of the movie and don't know what to expect. Hopefully I'll be pleasantly surprised. I'll make sure, as always, to post my reactions here.

Correction

I stand corrected. My roommate David has informed me that the yellow flowering plants throughout my Central Park pictures are forsythia rather than chrysanthemum.

Central Park is beautiful, summer is around the corner

Well, the final weeks of school are upon me. Summer approaches, and I have mixed feelings. On the one hand I miss my friends and parents and will be glad to get some time with them, but on the other hand, I love New York, and I've loved this year away from home so much that it's going to be difficult to go back for a full 3 1/2 months just because of missing New York. I feel like last year I was a slightly more angry, less agreeable person, and being away from some of the more overbearing aspects of being home has really made me a better person by letting me view the world more objectively. Hopefully I'll be able to keep my positivity alive during the summer. I really hope I get a nice job that pays well.

Anyway, today I went to Central Park for a really lovely walk. I walked the full length of the park, making stops at Bethesda fountain, where rowboats were in use and my duck friends were mostly gone, and the conservatory garden that Christina and I discovered on one of our walks. It was a really beautiful day, with many of the trees in bloom and chrysanthemums popping with bursts of bright yellow.

After my walk, I had a nice talk with my mom, got some dinner, and then watched Desperate Housewives, which was quite intriguing this week!

Here are some unusually clear pictures I took today:

People enjoying the beautiful weather in Central Park. This shot vaguely reminded me of Sunday on the Island of La Grand Jatte by Seurat.

People atop large rocks as seen through chrysanthemums.


















The skyline as seen over Jackie Onassis Reservoir, a really pretty place to walk.








A saxaphonist under a footbridge -- how very like a painting.

















A beautiful little statue amid the flowering treas of the Conservatory, which Christina and I discovered on one of our walks together.

Boats in Central Park!

I really like the flowers juxtaposed against the iron gate -- don't shoot me for being that pretentious.

My friend, the duck. This time, I saw ducks up near Central Park North, because boats had forced them out of the Bethesda Fountain area. Bah!

"The Threepenny Opera," Roy visits, dinner

So, last night I saw The Threepenny Opera, which was one of the productions I was anticipating most this season. The show has Alan Cumming, Cyndi Lauper, Nellie McKay, Ana Gasteyer, and Jim Dale in its cast, all of whom were very good. The show was quite bizarre, featuring drag queens, minimalist settings with neon signs announcing settings and supertitles adding to the traditional Brechtian "alienation effect," by which the audience is always to be made aware that it is watching actors on stage performing a play. This is further carried out by having the cast put on their costumes and apply their makeup onstage at the beginning of the show and by removing the curtain call altogether. Another neat aspect of the show was that it was done in Studio 54, and the grungy feel of the theatre made it feel kind of sight-specific (sort of like Rent in the Nederlander).

All of this really intrigued me, so I had a great time, but I could tell that most people were perplexed or bored. All of the actors were particularly good, particularly Alan Cumming as Macheath ("Mack the Knife") and Ana Gasteyer, who had a great comic sense.

To give a little background, The Threepenny Opera began as Die Dreigroschenoper in German and was translated numerous times. It's written by Kurt Weill (music) and Bertolt Brecht (lyrics and book). Despite the fact that the title suggests it's an opera, it's really about 2/3 dialogue and 1/3 music.

The premise of the show is sort of simple. Macheath, a murderer, marries Polly Peachum. He loves both Polly and Lucy (played in this prouction by a man). The Peachums attempt to get Macheath, who is in with the police, arrested, and, after some effort finally succeed. As he's about to hang, there's a wild deus ex machina, and Macheath is released. Essentially, the moral is that life is one big deus ex machina and that "life's a bitch/and then you die" (according to the Donmar Warehouse translation performed in London). This production featured a new translation by character actor Wallace Shawn (the voice of Rex in Toy Story) that was amped up with some extra profanities (delivered flawlessly by Ana Gasteyer and others). Overall the show was great fun, and I met Alan Cumming and Cyndi Lauper afterwards and talked to some older gay men who were also at the stage door about some various theatre things.

After the show, Roy Zuniga stayed at my dorm so he could suprprise his girlfriend, Zaina, in the morning. Both of them are friends of mine from high school who were in my gym class.

Today was mostly slow. I lounged around most of the day and then went out to dinner. I got tilapia and pound cake; both were really good. I'd never had tilapia before and was very pleasantly surprised.

That's all for now. I'm thinking of going to Central Park tomorrow, and Wednesday (which is kind of far off now) is The Wedding Singer on Broadway.