Tony's Week--Day Six

Sunday was our last full day in NYC. We headed over to Radio City Music Hall around 11:00 to watch a little of the comings and goings at the Tony Award rehearsal. We were too hungry to last long, so we went in pursuit of a bagel and some coffee. In true CultureBuddies style, before long we found ourselves sitting on the outside patio of a nice French restaurant, Brasserie Ruhlmann, looking out at Rockefeller Plaza and drinking Cape Codders. While we were waiting for our food, the heavens opened up and it started pouring. Luckily, the patio had a cover that just barely protected us. Other customers that weren't so lucky crowded in to keep dry, and it became quite cozy and fun as we all watched the rain. The food was delicious (albeit a little pricey, but hey, you're dead a long time!) and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. So much for the bagel and coffee! By the time we were ready to leave, the sun was back out so we never even got wet.

Sunday afternoon we saw A Catered Affair, the new Harvey Fierstein musical starring Faith Prince and Tom Wolcott. It's about the conflict within a working class family when the mother decides that her daughter's plan for a simple town-hall wedding is not enough and starts planning "a catered affair." The plot was quite heart-wrenching and a little sad at times, but it was a touching family story. We were thrilled to see the legendary Faith Prince, who is back on stage after a eight year hiatus. The sets were great, and the acting and singing was spot-on, but overall the show was a little too understated. Or maybe we were hitting the wall, as it was our eighth play of the week! It's tough for a show like this to compete with the larger, more up-beat musicals currently playing, and without any significant Tony nominations to boost sales, I imagine it won't be playing too much longer.

Then it was time for the third annual Tony party in our hotel room with the boys, Casey and Ben. (They call us "The Mamas" and think we are totally insane, but they love us!) We have developed a fierce competition to predict the most winners in all the Tony categories, and (annoyingly) Casey always seems to win and loves to gloat about it. This year, Ben had really done his homework and was determined to win. Ann and I were very proud of ourselves that we had seen every play that had any nominations except for Grease and The Little Mermaid (which are a little too mainstream for us) and Thurgood (which we couldn't squeeze into our schedule). Not bad for two ladies from New Hampshire!

We enjoyed munchies, beer, pizza, and yummy cupcakes Ben brought as we watched the show and groaned and/or cheered over our predictions. We were so happy to see In The Heights win so many awards--we've felt invested in this show since we saw it Off Broadway last year and then again when it opened on Broadway. We agreed with most of the winners, although I loved Kelli O'Hara's performance so much that I voted for her even though I knew Patti LuPone would win. I got the boys laughing doing imitations of Patti singing/yelling songs from other musicals, and it was an overall silly, but fun night. It's so nice to be able to watch the show with other theatre fanatics. Unfortunately, that damn Casey won the pool again and gets to wear the huge I'm A Winner medal for another year. Poor Ben missed by two points, and Ann and I tied for third place (sounds better than losers).

Monday was going home day which is always sad, but we were pretty pooped out. Our next short trip is at the end of July to see an Encore production of Damn Yankees with Sean Hayes (Will and Grace), Jane Krakowski (30 Rock), and the hunky Broadway star, Cheyenne Jackson. We're also going to see our pal, Jonathan Groff (formerly of Spring Awakening) star in Shakespeare in the Park's production of Hair. I'm sure we'll manage to squeeze in another show before long . .

It was a really wonderful week--one for the record books!

Tony's Week- Day Five

Saturday was a whirlwind of a day for the CultureBuddies. We saw two very different plays. The matinee was Cry Baby, the new musical based on the John Waters movie starring Johnny Depp. We went with Leslie's adorable niece, Sarah, a student at UVA who is interning at Vogue for the summer. We had great seats, 5th row orchestra, and we all had a good time. The show is in the 'bad boy meets and falls in love with the good girl' genre which has been done so many times--Hairspray, Grease, etc.--but what made this show a cut above the rest was the excellent choreography. The male dance numbers were great, especially one with the 'bad boys' who were unjustly sent to prison dancing with license plates on their shoes. Very clever and well done. The music is very good, as well. It was a fun show, but I don't expect it to have a long run.

When we came out of the theatre, it was absolutely pouring, complete with thunder and lightning. We tried to get a cab for Sarah, but that was just insane. Leslie bought her an umbrella and off she went to the subway a couple blocks away. We waited around awhile, but there were no signs it was going to stop anytime soon. We decided to make a run for it to the hotel which was only three blocks down. When we got to the hotel, we were completely soaked--even our underwear was wet! Laughing, of course, we got in the elevator. A woman looked at us and say, "You guys are all wet . . ." as if she was letting us in on something we didn't know! Of course, this made us laugh even more.

At night, we went to see a show that has gotten great reviews, Boeing Boeing. We were both a little worried that it might turn out to be a lame comedy, but we couldn't have been more wrong. It was hilarious and a nearly perfect farce. The cast was the kind that only can be seen on Broadway- absolutely four star: Brad Whitford (Josh from West Wing) as the ex-pat living in Paris juggling romances with three airline stewardesses, Mark Rylance (a first rate Shakespearean actor) as an American dropping in on his friend for the first time in 20 years, and the three stewardesses- brilliantly played by Gina Gershon, Mary McCormack and Kathryn Hahn. The cast is rounded out with Christine Baranski playing the French maid. They are all wonderfully funny with the kind of impecable timing that a farce, with all the opening and closing of doors,requires. We basically howled for two and a half hours. Mark Rylance was especially hilarious as the visitor who is in shock by the chaos in the apartment--his deadpan expression is just priceless. He won the Tony for Best Actor Sunday night, and he really deserved it. See it if you get a chance while this great cast is still in the show. I can't imagine anyone who wouldn't enjoy it.

We ended our busy day being treated to a nice meal by my son, Adam, and his date Val. Seeing Adam is a ritual for the CultureBuddies, and we always enjoy hearing about his life in the city and all of his entrepreneurial ventures. Of course, we stayed up way too late Saturday night/Sunday morning. It's tough falling asleep after seeing a show as hilarious as Boeing Boeing.

Tony's Week- Day Four

At a certain age, birthdays become just another day. But yesterday was not like that. My birthday was a total, award winning, festival of a day. CB Leslie feted me virtually nonstop. I woke up to presents, balloons, streamers, coffee, and a day long celebration. My brothers and sisters, husband, coworkers, and darling daughter called me pretty much all day, and I really and truly FELT THE LOVE!! Thanks everyone, but especially thanks to CB Leslie who made the day so memorable.

Last night we saw the revival of South Pacific at Lincoln Center. The reviews have been over the top, but I still wasn't ready for the grandeur and perfection of the production. We had great seats in the mezzanine overlooking the huge stage. There is no more perfect location for a big production than Lincoln Center. Where else can you have a 30 piece orchestra, a multilayered gorgeous set with army trucks, a combat plane, and Bali Hai in the distance? We were mesmerized from the moment the overture began, and I watched the show with a lump in my throat. My heart was really bursting! I've have never loved a show more. The performances were perfect. Kelli O'Hara and Paola Szot are a dream couple, and they are so incredibly talented. They are just divine in these roles--Kelli sings and dances like it is the most natural and effortless thing in the world. She has a wonderful stage presence and was born to play Nellie. When Paola sang "Some Enchanted Evening", it was one of those moments that can only be experienced on Broadway- so perfect that time stands still. Leslie kept saying she was swooning . . . The show is sold out for the rest of the summer but PLEASE, if you possible can, take in this show while Kelli and Paola are playing the leads. It is a revival that will join the Broadway history books, and the chance to see the great Opera star Paola Szot make his Broadway debut is one that any true musical lover shouldn't miss. Check out this video for more proof that he is amazing.

We ended the day with drinks and a lovely dessert at Pigalli's and fell asleep at 3:30 still talking about the show. It was a perfect birthday. Thank you Leslie, thank you Kelli O'Hara, and thank you Paola Szot. Who knew turning 57 could be so much fun??

Tony's Week--Day Three

Another great day in the city yesterday. Had a lazy morning, and started to head up to Bryant Park to hang out, but it was so hot that we detoured to a movie theatre (six floors, 24 movies, $12 matinee . . . only in NYC!) to see The Visitor. What a great movie . . . Pitch-perfect acting, moving storyline, heart-breaking and heart-warming scenes--if it's playing in your area, go see it! On our way down the escalator, we caught site of a huge indoor arcade, Dave&Busters, and just had to go in. We hit the "Deal or No Deal" video game first, and after some big wins, Ann headed over to play Skee Ball. Apparently, she's a Skee Ball fanatic--who knew? We blew through our $10 card in no time, and then debated how to spend our hard-earned 380 points in the tacky store. We settled on a headband with a light up spinning top on it. I'm sure it will be the hit of our Tony party on Sunday night.

Last night's show was Les Liasons Dangerous at one of the Roundabout Theatres. From the minute the curtain opened to the final bows, almost three hours later, we were mesmerized by the sexual tension and the intense struggle for power between the leads, Laura Linney (we totally understand why she is such a theatre legend) and Ben Daniels (an actor well-know in England who is making his Broadway debut and has been nominated for a Tony Award). Both were in total command of their roles, and the sets and the costumes were the quality you can only see on Broadway. We loved it! Only one minor celebrity sighting--Austin Scarlet, from Project Runway, Season 1 on Bravo sat two seats over from me.

After the play, I took Ann out for a birthday dinner at Maria Pia's, a great Italian restaurant in Hell's Kitchen (her birthday is today, but we were at the restaurant at midnight). Our yummy dinner was capped off by eight waiters singing Happy Birthday and a piece of Tiaramisu with a candle in it. As I said, another great day in the city.

Tony's Week- Day Two, Part One

From Ann:
Yesterday started with a yummy FREE breakfast (compliments of our Hilton credit card) at Pigalli's. I love that the staff knows us and Jose - our favorite waiter- treats us royally. We went from there to MOMA for a little shopping before our matinee.

Seeing two shows in one day is the CB norm on a Wednesday. Some people are amazed that we can see so many shows in so little time, but it is ABSOLUTELY not an issue for the girls! We wanted to attend the Wednesday night performance of Hamlet in Central Park, but getting tickets was a whole new experience for us, and, since we were seeing a matinee, standing in the line was a problem. Our pal Casey gave us lots of advise about the best way to get tickets, and we both registered early in the morning on their Public Theater's new virtual line. When we checked after 1:00, I had been awarded two tickets! Getting the tickets online was great because otherwise we would have had to stand in the standby ticket line for a couple of hours before the show hoping people wouldn't show it. Wonderful things seem to happen to us in this city . . .

We saw Gypsy thanks to Danny Fleckman's generosity and HE GETS A HUGE CB THANK YOU!! The seats were absolutely perfect--in the mezzanine and a perfect viewing spot for this great revival of a legendary Broadway show. We had seen the show last July in the Encore series, and the cast has remained intact for the move to Broadway. Patti LuPone plays Mama Rose, and she is something to behold. She is like watching a tornado up close. S he belts out the tunes with every ounce of energy she possesses- there is nothing subtle about Patti! She brings down the house, and I just love watching and listening to her. Boyd Gaines plays Herbie, and the show stopper, in my view, is Laura Beneti who plays Gypsy Rose Lee. She is transformed from the girl, Louise, to the elegant stripper Gypsy in an amazingly convincing way and she is breathtakingly beautiful. Plus she has a phenomenal voice. This is a show for anyone who loves an old time Broadway show with the great tunes and a full orchestra. It's a real treat and a wonderful revival.

After the show we took a 30 minute rest and then headed uptown to Central Park. More from Leslie in Part Two . . .

Tony's Week--Day Two, Part Two

From Leslie:
So we hopped in a cab to go to Central Park to pick up our free tickets to see Hamlet at Shakespeare in the Park. It was smooth sailing picking up our tickets (thanks to lucking out in the "virtual line"), grabbing a couple sandwiches and sitting in Central Park before the show. The people-watching was primo--almost as good as going to a show . . . While we were waiting to go in, Ann was chatting with a woman in line who told her that she had been trying to get tickets in the "virtual line" since the play started previews on May 27, and she had been completely unsuccessful, so she had finally carved out the time to stand on line, etc. We felt even luckier then!

It was a beautiful, clear night, and the Delacourt open-air theatre is a wonderful place to see a production. The large open stage was covered with subtle layers of granite backed by a large metal structure that allowed actors to move back and forth above the stage--it also opened and closed for dramatic entrances such as when the troupe of actors for the play within the play arrived with colorful flags and oversized "Bread & Circus" type puppets. The focal point on the stage was an eternal flame meant to represent the presence of King Hamlet's ghost. I took a picture of the set to post, but was quickly repremanded by a staff member who told me it was illegal to take pictures, and he stayed to watch to make sure I deleted it from my camera!

Hamlet is always a great play to see on stage, and, although this was not the best performance of it I have seen, it was completely enjoyable and a real thrill to see it in this kind of setting. Michael Stuhlbarg, a young actor with lots of experience doing Shakespeare, played Hamlet--his interpretation was to play him a little over the top from the start, with very high highs and low lows. He also seemed to be going for comedy whenever he could which worked at some points, but not so much at others. Sam Waterston (of Law & Order fame) was wonderful as the wind-bag Polonius, Andre Braugher (from The Wire) was really strong as Claudius, and Lauren Ambrose (of Six Feet Under) was a lovely and innocent Ophelia whose fall into madness was heart-breaking. The rest of the cast was solid, but not outstanding. All in all, an enjoyable evening for the CB's.

We grabbed a cab back toward our hotel, and went from agreeing to go right to bed to having a drink and a bite to eat in about one minute flat! We went to Thaylia's, a bar next to our hotel, had a few Cosmos, and had fun observing the Wed. night crowd. After we got back to our room, we were too keyed up to get to sleep until about 1:30am. We're pretty old to be staying up that late, but it's hard to call it a day when you're in NYC. More tomorrow!

Tony's Week--Day One, Part One

From Leslie:

Arrived in the very hot and humid city around noon (coming from a family gathering in NJ), checked into our room at the Hilton Garden Inn/Times Square (we're going big, using points for a nicer hotel for the week), and headed out for a walk. Who do I walk by as I turn the first corner but Lin-Manual Miranda, the brains and the star power behind In The Heights, and such a talented young man. Didn't have time to say anything to him, but I did make eye contact and give him a CultureBuddy nod (our credo--acknowledge, don't fawn).

Turned out to be just the first of many star sightings on our first day here. After Ann arrived around 3:00, we had a quick nap, a yummy dinner at Pigalli's (the best scallop dish ever), and headed out to see The Country Girl, starring Morgan Freeman, Francis McDormand, and Peter Gallagher. We had great seats--first row mezzanine--and were excited enough when Michael Emerson, the guy who plays the creepy Ben Linus on Lost, sat down next to me along with his lovely wife, Carrie Preston. As a confirmed addict of Lost since its very first episode, I was blown away and slightly weirded out by his presence next to me--especially when I heard his voice. He's definitely better looking in person, and does not look even close to his age of 53. When I had to cut in front of him at intermission, I told him not to do anything evil to me, and he laughed. I said that I thought he was going to secretly turn out to be a force for good, and thanked him for the pleasure of a great season of Lost. I also offered him $1 million if he told me anything about next season's Lost, but he said he knew nothing. That was it for acknowledging him, after that any chatter was about shows we had seen, etc. He lives in NYC when he's not filming in Hawaii, and has starred in many Broadway shows. Hopefully, we'll be able to see him on stage someday.

Ann is going is going to fill in the rest of the evening in Day One, Part 2!

Tony's Week- Day One, Part Two

From Ann:

Tuesday night we saw The Country Girl with the mega cast of Morgan Freeman, Frances McDormand, and Peter Gallagher. The theater was amazingly empty especially when you consider that Mike Nichols directed it. The reviews weren't great but it seemed like something the CB's needed to see since several of the actors are on our 'must see before they die' list. The play was interesting but not riveting. There was a lack of chemistry between Frances and Morgan that made the whole story line of the alcoholic actor and his wife a little less than involving for this CB. Chemistry is essential to the story and it just wasn't there. Although it was wonderful to see these actors plying their trade and I am thrilled whenever big stars come to Broadway, it may have not been the best choice for a play or maybe the casting was just off. Sometimes regardless of the caliber of the talent, if the actors don't work well together, it just doesn't work. The marriage is the focal point of the play and, without great chemistry, it seemed like a flat story to me.

Usually the CB's take the Greyhound to Boston from South Station but this time - because I was travelling alone (Leslie came to the city from NJ) - I decided to take the new Bolt Bus and was very favorably impressed. The bus was brand new and the price was only $15. It wasn't crowded. The bus driver was very nice and didn't go through all those rules that the Greyhound drivers do. The driver actually seemed to enjoy his job! The drop off point was on 34th and 8th which isn't quite as convenient as the Port Authority but -all in all -it is a great way to get to the city and the price can't be beat.

The universe seemed to be sending many celebrities into our path on day one. Not only did we see the cast of The Country Girl, but we saw Brad Whitford (Josh from West Wing) eating dinner at Pigalli's, Ben from Lost (his real name is Michael Emerson but he will always be Ben to me), the former host of Biggest Loser, Carolyn R., an ancient Celeste Holm, and one of the cast members of Spring Awakening. It was incredibly hot and humid in the city, and the CB's actually fell asleep by midnight. BUT this is only day one, and we will be sure not to repeat that early night! A busy Wednesday is on tap for the CultureBuddies- two plays, Gypsy and a CB first- Hamlet in Central Park.

She Loves Me at the Huntington in Boston--Go See It!

You know you're at a great play when you start to look forward to seeing it again. The CB's experienced such a show this weekend when we saw the musical She Loves Me playing through June 15th at the Huntington Theatre in Boston. Based on the Hungarian play, Parfumerie, which inspired the 1940 film The Shop Around the Corner and Nora Ephron's 1998 remake You've Got Mail, the show focuses on Georg and Amalia, two feuding shop clerks who fall into a letter writing romance, each unaware that his/her pen pal works within arm's reach.

Brooks Ashmanskas, as Georg, is perfectly cast--he has a teddy-bear Nathan Lane quality to him that is completely charming. When he breaks into dance and song, his comical physicality balanced by his innocent earnestness makes it hard to take your eyes off him. As Amalia, Kate Baldwin, is also perfect. She is in complete control of her beautiful soprano voice, and she also manages to balance a "modern" working woman's strength with great comedic timing and a sweet sense of vulnerability. The supporting cast is just as strong, the music is memorable, the live orchestra is great (and it's fun to see them on stage, above all the action), the costumes are gorgeous, the choreography is innovative, and the sets are perfect.

All in all, She Loves Me is a Broadway-worthy musical, and we were happy to read that after the Boston run, it will be transfering to the Williamstown Theatre Festival from June 27-July 12. We can't wait that long, though--we're going to see it again on Wednesday night! We urge you to do the same if you live in the Boston area or if you are within reach of the Williamstown Theatre Festival.