An art project, "The Two and Only," etc.

So, I've been pretty busy lately between class and work and homework, though I do have some new things to report.

On Monday at midnight, I went to get the new Scissor Sisters album, Ta-Dah at Virgin Megastore with Austin, which, I'm pleased to say, is wonderful. I'll probably return to the subject of Ta-Dah and Elton John's newest CD, The Captain and the Kid in an upcoming post, as I'd like to highlight these two new discs that I love so much.

Yesterday was just an all-around busy day with not a whole lot to report besides for the fact that I saw Laura Bennett from Project Runway on the street with her husband and three of her children. The episode tonight was almost unbearably nerve-wracking, but I'm glad that the four finalists will each get to show collections at Fashion Week (well, they already have technically, since Fashion Week is over, but I'm glad that was the result).

Today, I saw a funny group of theatre performers in Washington Square Park between my classes. At first I thought they were a fundamentalist religious theatre group, because there was a pretty beefy moralistic speech, but I soon realized it was an adaptation of Faust. They were a very slapstick, crazy bunch scurrying about and playing with zany little noisemakers. I'm not sure many other parkgoers knew what to make of them either, but it was interesting to see them (pictured at left).

After class today, I decided to be bold and get together a craft project for my dorm room. The sorest visual part of our room is this crazy light fixture in the common room that looks like it belongs in a prison. My creative vision being as spectacular as it is, I constructed a foam board sconce, and Austin and I created tissue paper "stained glass" collages to put in the panes. It looks wonderful and adds a new feel to the room:

Between beginning the new light fixture and finishing it, I went with Austin to see Jay Johnson: The Two and Only on Broadway (he's the ventriloquist from Soap). I got the tickets for free by signing up at Roundabout, and I was very apprehensive about going. The man simply looks crazy on the poster, and ventriloquism isn't exactly on the top of my list of most entertaining subjects for a one-man show on Broadway. Anyway, it ended up being quite good and even touching at some moments, especially when he took a more serious tone and reminisced about his early days and his experiences with his mentor. It was very funny and also very shticky, but a lot of the jokes managed to be very funny. It seemed like something my dad would've gone berserk over. Overall, an entertaining night at the theatre.

Until next time...

Broadway Flea Market, interesting article, etc.

Today was the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Broadway Flea Market on W. 44th Street. Broadway Cares is an excellent organization. I did a day of volunteering for them last year and hope to do so again in the spring. I went to the flea market last year and returned again this year. They sell mostly a bunch of old Broadway junk at really cheap prices ($1-2) in addition to some more expensive memorabilia, a silent auction, and celebrity appearances. I saw Anthony Rapp on 45th Street walking to the celebrity entrance, which was cool, because I also saw him at least year's flea market. I picked up a few things:

1. A Mario Cantone Laugh Whore poster ($1).
2. A patriotic Ragtime T-shirt ($2).
3. A Martin Guerre coffee mug and Miss Saigon button ($1 for both).
4. A free Blue Man Group poster.
AND 5. A free Drowsy Chaperone frisbee.

Susan Watts, my drum teacher's daughter, is playing in Washington Square Park today, but I'm not sure I'm in the mood to leave my room again quite so soon.

Last night Austin and I went back to Yaffa, which is fast becoming my favorite place. We tried to get some other people to join us, but they were being shut-ins. Perhaps another time.

Today there was a very interesting article called "What if It's (Sort of) a Boy and (Sort of) a Girl?" in The New York Times by Elizabeth Weil about intersex people. It can be found here. After going to the first meeting of T-Party, the transgender social group at NYU, mostly just to support David Bussard and Lauren Lydiard in their attempt to bridge the gap between different communities at NYU -- though I did enjoy "constructing my gender" out of construction and tissue papers--, I'm growing more and more interested in gender and sexuality issues, and this article really addressed some interesting questions about gender assignment surgery. I'm mostly ignorant to the issues, but I enjoyed Transamerica and read about the plight of Brandon Teena. I can't imagine the confusion that some intersex people must go through, but I have to say that I see Cheryl Chase's side of the argument much more sympathetically -- that a psychological sex may be a wise thing to bestow upon a child for his or her early psychological stability, but that gender assignment surgery, especially if jeapordizing the sexual sensitivity of a child, should be left alone until that individual can decide for him- or herself. We as a nation have such problems with things that aren't "normal." It's a very sad situation, but it's listening and having compassion that will affect change.

"The Guys," etc.

Yesterday was my first day working at the Roundabout for their entire work day (from 10 AM to 8 PM). I like this job a lot better than my last one (as far as the job itself is concerned), because more often than not there's something useful to do, whereas I thought I was slightly wasted at The American College, which was fine for my wallet but left me feeling a bit unsatisfied.

I had dinner with Emma after work, which, as anything involving Emma always is, was wonderful. We went to Moon House, where I'd previously gone with Jon & crew. I'm in love with the broccoli there as served with their amazing sauce (is it soy? is it teriyaki?).

Then after dinner I hung out with Austin for a while, and we checked out the very wonderful Yaffa Cafe on 8th Street between 1st Avenue and Avenue A. The place had me at hello, and I really want to go back early enough to be able to sit out on the back patio.

Today, I got tickets for Emma and I to see Wrecks, a new one-man play written and directed by Neil LaBute and starring Ed Harris. After that, I went shopping for a bit with Austin and was viciously tempted by a wonderful (and rather expensive) Marc Jacobs leather jacket that touched my soul at a special place.

Then I went to see The Guys at the Flea Theatre downtown on White Street off of Broadway (just slightly below Canal Street). One of the perks of working at the Roundabout Theatre Company is that there are relatively frequent opportunities to see free theatre if you sign up on a list in the mail room, so I got the ticket that way. The play was about a female journalist and a male fire chief after September 11, 2001, and her attempt to help him write the eulogies of men in his company who had been lost that day. It was done in reading form, the actors with scripts in front of them, but they seemed not to rely on them heavily, and, to some extent, the use of the book was worked into the proceedings. I thought that, for the most part, the play was just so-so. It's not particularly well thought out, but it's more poignant when you look at it from the perspective of its origins.

Shortly after 9/11 the Flea Theatre saw financial and artistic ruin as the downtown area faced the devastation of 9/11. The theatre commissioned the play, and it was a big success. The play is a frank reaction to that time rather than something with the perspective of history, but it ultimately works, especially since the play is presented in that context, as a commemoration of the fifth anniversary of the attacks.

Seven more guitars, a long day.

So, today was a long day.

I had class at 8 AM, 9:30, and 11 followed by work from 2-6 and Seven Guitars from 8-11 with my August Wilson class. The show was good for a second time, but I was really tired and having a hard time giving the play my absolute fullest attention.

After work and before the show, I discovered a new bookstore that I should've known about before, The Drama Book Shop on W. 40th Street a block away from the Roundabout's office on W. 39th. They have almost ever playscript imaginable, so I got The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh, The Sisters Rosensweig by Wendy Wasserstein, and Suddenly Last Summer by Tennessee Williams, which is the second play of the Roundabout's season. I was slightly shocked to learn that the plot of the play is a woman plotting for the lobotomy of her dead son's girlfriend.

While I was at the bookstore, ironically enough, a woman was asking for Bent, so I took the opportunity to shill for the play and tell her how good it is.

Also, unrelatedly, I went shopping briefly yesterday and got a new hat at a cool hat store on my block called Village Scandal, a new pair of plain black chucks from Classickicks, and a pair of Marc Jacobs red corduroy pants (a steal for $20) at Ina Men. I wore all of the new items with my cashmere sweater and got tons of compliments today, which made me feel really good about myself.

I also got my ticket for Mary Poppins on Wednesday, November 1 at 8 PM.

Wow, this has been quite the random post. Hopefully I'll have something more interesting to say next time I write.

"Bent" by Martin Sherman

The outer fence at Dachau, a concentration camp outside of Munich, Germany. (Photo by Richard Patterson)

So, when I went shopping for some used books a few weeks back, I picked up a copy of the play Bent by Martin Sherman on a whim for $2 and read it quickly that night. I was struck by the play's depiction of humanity and love in the face of the atrocities committed against those persecuted during the holocaust, and, within the context of the play, homosexuals.

Sherman's play focuses on Max, a lothario of Berlin who, through a quick series of events finds himself imprisoned at Dachau, his lover dead, left to forge a life in a place where life does not exist. Reading it is just a beautifully painful experience.

I visited Dachau when I went abroad to Europe with my German class for ten days three summers ago and was struck by the sheer enormity of the place, the blank slates of foundations where barracks once stood. Walking over the crunching gravel on a gray day that seemed as if it would never let up is something I won't forget. The final image of the play struck me as I looked back on some of the pictures I took that day, including the one above.

I suggest anyone read the play, and the movie is also worthwhile. The pink triangles are often forgotten but should not be.

Ruben Santiago-Hudson, "The Captain and the Kid"

First, I wanted to say that the photo of the Brooklyn Bridge in the post below is not mine. It comes from AllPosters.com, and, though I tried to give credit to the photographer, none was listed.

Anyway, a few interesting things have been going on.

First of all, last night at midnight David and I went to purchase the brand new Elton John album at Virgin Megastore called The Captain and the Kid. It's a great CD and totally worth a serious listen. Elton has definitely made a return to form with Songs From the West Coast and this CD (and also, to a lesser extent, Peachtree Road). My favorite song is "Old 67," a bluesy song of remembrance, though all of them are great.

Also, last night at midnight I got an email from my August Wilson class professors that the director of the current Signature Theatre production of Seven Guitars, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, would be visiting our class today. Granted, there are times when I wonder just what it is that distinguishes NYU from other institutions of higher learning, but it's days like today, when a Tony Award-winning actor/director is standing a few feet away from you reading lines from Wilson plays and recounting stories of their collaborations, that remind me just how great NYU and its connections are. It was an excellent class, and I think he's going to come back again at some point to talk to us again, which is very exciting.

Overall, it was a nice day. At work, I also found out that I'll probably be able to continue to work at Roundabout through the spring semester, so yay! It's a really fun job, and I think that means I'll get to see all eight Roundabout productions this year!

Lately.

Lately,
Back from the Brooklyn Bridge
Central Park and "Same Situation"
Rufus, Joni, Billy, Lonely
And busy too
Shish kebab and "Both Sides Now"
"Alone Together" hits me like a brick, how true
Quartet to three till five A.M.
Something sticks and something missing like a middle name
Liraz, he said. Leora, I reply.

Marc Jacobs Day

So, today was long. I had two classes (Musical Theatre and August Wilson) and then worked for three hours.

Afterwards, however, I went with my roommate Austin to a really neat consignment store a block away on E. 7th Street between 1st and 2nd Avenues called Tokio 7. I was lured there by the possibility of a Marc Jacobs leather jacket for $175 and ended up with a different Marc Jacobs corduroy coat and a Marc Jacobs cashmere sweater. Anyway, I've never been so enamored by clothes than I have been this year, between finding Ina Men and Tokio 7. Plus, my love for Marc Jacobs is neverending. Yes, oftentimes I pick out a piece based on the fact that it's Marc Jacobs, but other times, something will catch my eye, and sure enough my pal MJ is on the label.

Anyway, today was also his runway show at Olympus Fashion Week, which has been going on in New York. He's the only designer cool enough to decide that, as a response to the critics calling his last collection dour, he would create a runway replicating a sunny outdoors scene featuring throat lozenges as faux water:

(click on the picture for a larger image)

After shopping briefly, I went hung out at Jon's room with Cara, Christian, Simon, Clover, Remy Kurs, and assorted others. It was quite fun. I'm really glad I've been so social lately. I'm hoping tomorrow's Project Runway will be good and I'm also excited for Friday, when some of us are going shopping and then Cara is making dinner for us. Yay!

"La Boheme"

So, today I woke up relatively late and went to see La Boheme at New York City Opera with Christina and Richard. I was quite excited to see my first opera, but I ended up not liking it quite as much as I had expected. Especially after having just seen Seven Guitars, it just didn't hold up at all dramatically. The characterization within the plot is paper thin and a lot of the discourse seems pretty repetitive. It wasn't bad, and the third act was particularly interesting, but I think I just prefer straight plays and musicals.

I got my tickets to see The Coast of Utopia at Lincoln Center Theatre this morning. It's a three-part epic (consisting of Voyage, Shipwreck, and Salvage) by Tom Stoppard that requires an audience member to purchase three tickets in order to take in the entire experience. Thanks to their StudenTix program, of which I'm a member, this was actually affordable. Additionally, I got tickets for all three parts in the orchestra of the Vivien Beaumont Theatre. The three parts are playing in repertory, so I decided to spread out the dates I chose rather than seeing them on a "marathon" day, which includes 8 hours of theatre spread out with 2.5 hour breaks between.

I don't know a whole lot about the show, but it's written by Tom Stoppard, directed by Jack O'Brien, and starring Tony nominee Billy Crudup (Broadway's The Pillowman and movies Almost Famous, Big Fish, Stage Beauty), Tony-winner Richard Easton, Tony-winner Jennifer Ehle (BBC's Pride and Prejudice, Possession, Wilde), Josh Hamilton, Tony nominee David Harbour, Jason Butler Harner, Ethan Hawke (Before Sunrise and Before Sunset), Amy Irving, Tony-winner Brian F. O'Byrne, and Martha Plimpton. I'm excited.

That's all for now. The school week begins again.

"Seven Guitars"

Roslyn Ruff as Vera and Lance Reddick as Floyd Barton in Seven Guitars.

FLOYD: I see where I was wrong. I told you that. It seemed like she believed in me more.

VERA: You supposed to believe in yourself.

FLOYD: A man that believe in himself still need a woman that believe in him. You can't make life happen without a woman.

VERA: I wanted that for you. Floyd. I want to know where you was bruised at. So I could be a woman for you. So I could touch you there. So I could spread myself all over you and know that I was a woman. That I could give a man only those things a woman has to give. And he could be satisfied. How much woman do you think it make you feel to know you can't satisfy a man?

FLOYD: It ain't about being satisfied.

VERA: So he could say, "Yes, Vera a woman." That's what you say, but you never believed it. You never showed me all those places where you were a man. You went to Pearl Brown and you showed her. I don't know what she did or didn't do, but I looked up and you was back here after I had given you up. After I had walked through an empty house for a year and a half looking for you. After I would lay myself out on that bed and search my body for your fingerprints. "He touched me here. Floyd touched me here and he touched me here and he touched me here and he kissed me here and he gave me here and he took me here and he ain't here he ain't here he ain't here quit looking for him cause he ain't here he's there! there! there! there!

FLOYD: Come on. Vera...don't do this.

VERA: He's there. In Chicago with another woman, and all I have is a little bit of nothing, a little bit of touching, a little bit of myself left. It ain't even here no more, what you looking for. What you remember. It ain't even here no more."

~

I went to see Seven Guitars tonight at the Peter Norton Space of Signature Theatre Company. It was absolutely amazing. It just reminded me what theatre is supposed to be and how theatre is supposed to grab you.

~

EDIT: There's a really wonderful analysis and review of the play by Michael Feingold up at The Village Voice here. He really hit the nail on the head as to Roslyn Ruff's portrayal of Vera:

"Reddick's Floyd starts stiffly, seeming ill at ease with the language and the place, but quickly improves; his last scenes are powerful. He must be much aided by the warmth emanating from Ruff's Vera, a gem of a performance by an actress who has to rank as a major discovery. The sight of her beautiful round face, laden with sadness for what might have been, is the main memory I'll take away from this production."

Moon House, "Rocky Horror," Sabon, etc.

So, yesterday I went with my newfound friend Jon Levine and a group of his friends (Simon, Christian, Ben, Cara, Clover, and others) to a nice little Chinese restaurant in Chinatown called Moon House that has "over rice" entrees priced between $3 and $5 that are very big and also very good. There's also a nice ice cream shop next door, so I got lychee ice cream.

After the restaurant, Jon and I went to see the "live cast" showing of Rocky Horror Picture Show at IFC Center, which (when it had a different name), was where these types of midnight showings of the movie started 31 years ago. At these showings, they show the movie and then have live actors acting out the proceedings in front of the stage and throughout the theatre. It was an interesting experience to see once, but it's definitely not something I'd want to do over and over again. The problem for me is that I actually enjoy the film, and it's annoying for me when people add their own alternate lines. Some comments were funny or disgusting and interesting, but others were just annoying. There was also too much preshow entertainment from the emcees. Rocky Horror "virgins" are supposed to go up on stage and play "fake an orgasm" before the movie, and Jon and I had banded together in not participating, but it was terrible enough just to watch them have to go through that humiliation. Anyway, it was fun overall (though also weird).

Today, I went shopping a little bit and bought some soap at this Israeli soap store called Sabon. David had been raving about the place to me since Sam works there and had introduced the soaps to him, so I figured I'd go in, and I think I've also fallen in love with the soaps there. The first thing they do when you come in is ask if it's your first time there and then lead you back to the sinks where you can try out their body scrubs. I tried out lavender apple (which was amazing) and then bought a bar of lemon mint olive oil soap and grass glycerine soap, both of which smell nice. Afterwards I got a little "sauce dish" at Crate and Barrel for $2.50 which I'm utilizing as a soap dish.

Grass soap from Sabon (SabonNYC.com)

Tonight, I'm going to a Thai restaurant called Olieng and seeing Seven Guitars by August Wilson at the Signature Theatre with Emma, Christina, and Richard. I'm quite excited and will most definitely post about that soon.

** Once again, I'd like to remind anyone who reads this that comments are welcome from anyone reading, and you don't have to be a Blogger user to comment (you used to).

Plenty is going on! Second day of classes, Kate Bornstein, first day of work

So, for my second day of classes, I had Foundations of Journalism and Natural Science I: Einstein's Universe. Journalism totally freaked me out, because the teacher, Brooke Kroeger, seems very strict. She gave us assigned seats based on our sections and then went into giivng a very stern lecture about her stringent expectations and grading policies. It seems like an interesting enough class, but I just hope that I'm able to survive the writing assignments and all.


Einstein's Universe seems like a good class overall. I managed to actually be interested in what Professor Adler was talking about during the first class. Plus, he's a very funny guy with a very amusing dry wit. It's not exactly the class that appeals to me most, but I'm sure that it'll be fine overall. Ally did recommend it to me, and I generally just her judgment of classes.

Kate Bornstein

After my second day of classes, I went to an LGBT Welcome Back event that the LGBT Center was holding. I generally don't go to a lot of gay events (the last thing being Rainbow Knitting last year and the David Smith excursion to the Guggenheim). Anyway, David suggested I go, and it ended up being a lot of fun. There was this radical, polyamorous, transsexual, etc., etc. person named Kate Bornstein, who was extremely interesting. Though I didn't necessarily agree with everything she said, she was a great motivational speaker, and she has a lot of positivity to put out into a world that can seem so cold at time to outsiders.

TONY TONY TONY TONY

Today was my first day of work at the Roundabout Theatre Company as a finance intern. I saw real live Tony Awards today on the artistic director's shelves!! It was magical. For most of the day, I sorted through some old files of invoices, and it was fine. As an extra special perk, I also get a free pair of tickets to each of the productions that open during my time as an intern and the privilege to attend the opening night parties! That is really cool. Plus, the job seems generally nice. The office is pleasant, and the people all seem friendly.

In other news, I got my ticket for the New York City Center Encores production of Follies, which has a brilliant score by Stephen Sondheim full of glorious pastiche and character songs. For a good amount of time it was my favorite Sondheim score, though a good number of his scores assume that position at some point or another. Victoria Clark will be starring as Sally, which is extremely exciting, and though the rest of the cast and crew have yet to be announced, I'm sure it will be an evening to remember. Plus, my ticket, though it's not very close to the stage (rear gallery center first row), was only $25.

First day of class

So, today was the first day of classes. I had my two theatre classes today, Musical Theatre and Great Playwrights: August Wilson, so I wasn't really too nervous. Both of them seem great, with enthusiastic teachers and very interesting subject matter. One of my textbooks for Musical Theatre class is actually called Our Musicals, Ourselves, which sounds like just about the cheesiest title for a book ever.

After class, I took advantage of the fact that it was only 1:45 and walked around aimlessly for several hours (mostly in drizzling rain). I went to H&M, Bloomingdale's (downtown), Marc Jacobs, and Marc by Marc Jacobs, but my goal was really just to look at clothes, not to buy, and I didn't get anything. At Bloomingdale's, though, I did see my very first Viktor & Rolf clothes in person. Their clothes are so absolutely gorgeous, but they're also a lot more expensive than I had expected. I'm currently obsessed with both Marc Jacobs and Viktor & Rolf, because they both have such accessible and neatly put-together clothes. I really can't wait until V&R's line for H&M comes out in November. Marc by Marc Jacobs is a nice line, because the clothes are a bit more expensive than most, but they're not altogether unaffordable if one wanted a few splurge pieces. I think I'm going to have to camp out or something in order to snag some of the clothes. Perhaps the rush will be slightly less cutthroat for men than for women.

Anyway, I blather on. Tomorrow is the second day of class, featuring Foundations of Journalism and Natural Science I: Einstein's Universe.

Antidote, the new fragrance for men by Viktor and Rolf: I'm so astounded by this cologne from the sample card I got at Saks. The ad campaign and the signature song "Ode to Antidote" by Rufus Wainwright only contribute to my pining.

"Little Miss Sunshine," "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," "Akeelah and the Bee"

So, I've seen two movies, one in theatres and one on DVD, and one Broadway show lately.

I saw Little Miss Sunshine two nights ago. It was a good movie, while I felt it didn't quite live up to the "indie smash" hype I'd been hearing. Abigail Breslin, Toni Collette (um, hello, she's the best), and Greg Kinnear were standouts for me. The talent portion of the Little Miss Sunshine pageant was easily the highlight of the movie. I wouldn't necessarily recommend people see it in theatres (at least at NYC prices), but it's definitely at least worth renting.

Tonight I watched Akeelah and the Bee on DVD from Netflix after seeing The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee on Broadway. After four failed attempts at the lottery for ...Spelling Bee, I was finally able to buy a rush ticket (they just added a rush option for students to supplement the lottery). While it was definitely a good show (few Broadway shows aren't at least good), it was good in a "Aw, how cute that those adults are acting like kids" way. The serious moments where characterization was featured were the best for me, and the creative definitions for many of the words were great. The added aspect of incorporating audience participation also made the show much more interesting.

As for Akeelah, it was a really great movie. I was afraid it would be overly "kiddie" or saccharine, but it was just a nice feel-good movie. Laurence Fishburne was great, as was the girl who played Akeelah. Some aspects of the movie were a bit silly (naming cochampions in the bee, having "pulchritude" as the winning word -- oh, please, how easy is that?), but it was a nice movie for highlighting what can happen when one has the drive and the proper attitude in life.

All in all, a good couple of days for shows/movies.

Internship, MoMA

So, today was a fun one. I walked around a bit in the morning before heading to midtown in the afternoon for Target Free Night at the Museum of Modern Art, which was fun. I saw Starry Night by Van Gogh as well as some neat Cezanne, Klimt, Warhol, and Dali paintings. I almost bought a big reproduction of Icarus by Matisse for my wall, but I refrained at least for now. My wall is looking very bare, and I'm definitely going to have to fix that soon.

I was also thinking this morning about the fact that it's been two weeks and one day since my interview with Roundabout Theatre Company and that I should probably have heard from them by today. I was getting ready to call them just to follow up and see what the deal was when I got a call from Frank, whom I interviewed with, on my way to lunch saying I had the position. Yay! It should be great. I don't know how much I'm being paid yet, but I'll be working only about 14 hours a week, always before 6PM, which leaves my nights free for homework, theatre, and other outings. I also have no work on Saturday or Sunday.

I'm working in the finance department, which isn't exactly my expertise, but I've done similar work at my last job, where I had to deal with some of the incoming invoices. I think it's mostly clerical, but I'm just very excited to be working anywhere that's associated with Broadway theatre. Even the offices I'm working in are amazing looking.

Anyway, I'm just elated today! It doesn't even matter that I tried the lottery for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee today for the third time and lost.