New York Theater Trip: February 29 (Happy Leap Day!)

It's Friday morning in NYC, another cold but sunny day. Since our last update, we've been busy girls. Wednesday afternoon we split up--Ann went to August: Osage County for the second time and loved it even more. She saw three different actors than when we saw it in Feb, and enjoyed the contrast in performances. I went to Lion King, which was visually stunning, but a little too Disney over the top for me. The best part was watching the faces of the totally enraptured kids in the audience. During intermission, I went outside for some fresh air and there were lots of photographers, cops, etc. in the alley. I was about to ask someone what was up when the photographers started shouting "Mariah"--sure enough, it was Mariah Carey on her way in to TRL (Total Request Live for you old foggies)! I'm not a big fan, but I have to say she is stunningly gorgeous in person.

Wednesday night we saw an amazing production of the musical Sunday in the Park With George. It was a really intriguing look at the intense inner life of an artist who found it hard to fit into the "real" world of commercial art and personal relationships. The young director used technology in the coolest ways to capture the slow process Seurat went through to build his famous painting. The two lead actors came over from the successful British run of the play and were amazing. I found it very touching, and it was the first musical I have actually cried at--maybe because I was thinking of my two artist genius children. Ann, once again, supplied the Kleenex. NYT Review

Yesterday we slept in and hit our favorite restaurant for breakfast, Pigale, which is right next door to our hotel. We actually have a favorite waiter there, Jose, and we always try to sit in his station. He treats us very well, and usually slips in free coffee. The best part is that without me asking, he brings a small pitcher of chocolate milk for my coffee. It's cool that in this huge city that everyone thinks of as so impersonal, we have a waiter who greets us with a kiss and asks us what shows "the ladies" are seeing this time around.

We spent most of the day at the Met and still only saw about 1/3 of what was is the museum. Favorites for Ann--the John Singer Sargent paintings and the whole room of Van Gogh paintings. Favorites for me--the incredibly extensive special exhibit on Courbet and a whole wing focusing on Expressionist paintings. Tired, but happy, we made our way back to the hotel for a late afternoon nap.

Last night we saw the Inge play, Come Back Little Sheba, starring S. Epatha Merkerson of "Law & Order" fame. We agreed that it was an old-time theatre experience--no bells and whistles, just talented actors interpreting a classic American story of a disappointing marriage that has been worn down by bad decisions, alcoholism, and day to day life. Once again, I cried; once again, Ann supplied the Kleenex. Afterwards we went to Carmins for a yummy Italian dinner (eating dinner at 11:00 is weird, but necessary sometimes), and came back to our room to crash. NYT Review

So, today is another day and who knows what's in store for the Culture Buddies--Ann will be reporting in next!