The end of a great week . . .

(Leslie) Our busy Sunday ended with American Idiot, a new rock musical based on the Green Day album starring Jon Gallagher, Jr.--a talented young actor/singer we've been following since he was in Spring Awakening four years ago. Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day caused quite a buzz in the audience as did Paula Abdul (man is she tiny, and prettier than I thought . . .). The production was 90 minutes of non-stop music, interesting choreography, and incredible multi-media effects. We loved it! Jon Gallagher, Jr. was terrific, as were the other leads, especially Rebecca Naomi Jones in a star-making performance.

Monday we laid low and caught a performance of The Screwtape Letters, a provocative and funny adaptation of the C.S. Lewis novel about spiritual warfare from a demon’s point of view. The play follows the scheming a high level demon uses to entice a human toward damnation. Set in an office in hell, Screwtape (a wonderful performance by Max McLean) dictates letters to his reptilian servant, Toadpipe, that are sent to a young tempter-in-training. Together, they plot to capture the soul of an unwitting human through daily temptations. It was a really interesting night of theatre that capped off a great week in New York City.

A Busy Sunday in the City!

(Leslie) We left our hotel room yesterday at 9:30am and didn't get back until almost midnight . . a long day, but a fun one! We had brunch at Casey and Ben's new apartment in Long Island City, and we were both consumed with jealousy (and happiness for our boys) at the great spot they have landed in. It's a beautiful one-bedroom corner apartment on the 22nd floor with views of midtown Manhattan on one side and the river on the other. It's an amazing spot, and we enjoyed the yummy food and the terrific company.

We headed to Brooklyn to hang out and to see the afternoon performance of August Strindberg's The Creditors at the BAM--it was actually the last performance of a really well reviewed run. It was one of the best shows I've seen in our four years of immersing ourselves in NY theater. The three actors were nothing short of perfect and the play itself is incredible--it kept us on the edge of our seats from the start to the finish 90 minutes later.

The play slowly reveals the emotional and psychological relationships between a sickly young husband who adores his new wife, his much older wife, and a mysterious stranger who is not really a stranger at all. The climax of the play is so intense that when the stage lights went down, Ann and I realized we had both been holding our breath for quite awhile! We were so happy that we got a chance to see this production--there's talk that it might transfer to Broadway where I'm sure it will be a big hit. More coming from Ann on the rest of our day . . .

NYC - Day 4 - Saturday

(Ann) Saturday was a busy day with two shows--one on Broadway and one in Union Square--and lots of walking and people-watching to do. The city is very crowded on Saturday and after only 4 days in the city, we feel like natives and wonder why all these tourists are crowding the streets of 'our' city!

We saw the matinee of Promises, Promises starring Sean Hayes and Kristen Chenowith. This show, based on the Jack Lemmon movie The Apartment, takes place during the carefree, sexist, cigarette-filled days of the 60's. The show is campy and fun and makes the most of its talented cast. Burt Bacharach's music is great, and Sean Hayes is adorable and funny as the lowly office worker who shares his apartment key with higher ups in the hopes of getting a promotion. He sings and dances with great skill and brings some fun physical comedy to the role. Kristen Chenowith plays his love interest (the Shirley MacLaine role in the movie), and she can sing like no one else. Saying that she has a great set of pipes is an understatement. The show's choreography is very creative, and the ensembles does a great job. The highlight of the show is a hilarious scene of Sean Hayes' character drunkenly picking up an equally drunk woman in a seedy bar. Katie Finneran is a blast in this role, and she definitely deserves her Tony nomination for Best Supporting Actress! Leslie and I had a great time at this good old-fashioned musical with some wonderful songs, awesome choreography, and many laughs. We recommend it!

After the show we took the subway to Union Square for some people-watching and relaxing before our evening show. We are great fans of John Douglas Thompson who we saw last season in Emperor Jones and whose career we follow closely. He and Diane Wiest are starring in the play The Forest at the Classic Stage Company on 13th Street. The play, written by

Alexander Ostrovsky in the mid-1800's, is an interesting Russian satire of a money-grubbing Russian aristocrat, played by Weiss, and a wandering tragedian actor (who also happens to be her nephew), played by Thompson, who exposes her hypocrisy. It had some good laughs and Thompson and Weiss got a chance to really show off their acting chops in such a small space. We waited to see John after the show and were greeted by this charming man as old friends. We walked to the subway with him and wished him luck during the upcoming awards season. He has already won the Obie (Off-Broadway's equivalent of a Tony) and is nominated for Best Performance by an Actor by the Drama Desk (which will be held next week). He is in some awesome company including Jude Law, Liev Shreiber, and Christopher Walken. We wish this fabulous actor the best of luck, and we look forward to seeing him this summer when he plays Richard III in the Berkshires.

NYC-Day Three . . .

(Leslie) On Friday, I initiated a new Culture Buddies event--the after breakfast nap . . . why didn't I think of that before? I was roused from bed by a surprise call from my ex-brother-in-law, Danny (from Houston), who was in the city on business. After I introduced Ann to Danny, she headed up towards Lincoln Center, and Danny and I had a nice time catching up over lunch. It was more than great to see him.

I met Ann at our favorite movie theatre in the city near Lincoln Center and we saw a great movie that was opening that day called Looking for Eric. The story centers on Eric Bishop, a middle-aged British postal worker whose life is a mess. After he reaches the breaking point, his former teammate, Eric Cantona, the real-life former star of the Manchester United soccer team, begins to appear to him at random times. This Eric becomes his confidant, his advisor, and, in a sense, his savior. We loved this movie, especially the scenes between Eric and his real-life "mates". We recommend that you catch this movie when it comes your way.

Our play on Friday night was the new revival of August Wilson's Fences, starring Denzel Washington and Viola Davis (Doubt). We recently saw this play at the Huntington Theatre in Boston, and this production shares the same director (and what looked to be the same set . . .). Ann had just finished a close reading of the play, so she especially looked forward to seeing this production. It was a thrill to see Denzel Washington on stage, and his portrayal of the lead character, Troy, brings out aspects of the character we had not considered before. It was Viola Davis, however, who stole the show . . . she is simply amazing in the role of Rose, Troy's long-suffering wife. Overall, though, we didn't feel the emotional punch this play should produce--perhaps largely due to a number of times where many in the audience responded with laughter and hoots and hollers to situations and lines of dialogue that can also be interpreted as pretty tragic. It was interesting, though, to try to see parts of this play in such a different way.

NYC--Day Two!

(Leslie) On Thursday, Ann decided to take it easy for the day and I went up to the Metropolitan Museum. So many great special exhibits to check out . . . "Picasso at the Met", "American Women"--a retrospective of women's fashion from 1890-1940 with some amazingly beautiful dresses, and "Big Bambu"--an ongoing installation of a huge bamboo structure on the roof that will eventually be 100 feet long and 50 feet high. I wasn't able to walk the structure because I didn't have the right shoes on, but will do so another time before it leaves in October when it will be closer to completion. What I loved the most, however, was an exhibit featuring "The Mourners"--40 or so alabaster figures that were carved between 1442-1446 for the tomb of John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy, and his wife. Each of the statuettes is about sixteen inches high and completely distinct and lifelike. Together they form a funeral procession in two rows that is simply stunning. I spent a lot of time studying each individual figure and was quite blown away by the beauty and intricacy of each.

Thursday night we went to see Ricky Gervais at Madison Square Garden. It was a blast--75 minutes of stand up from a very funny, very talented comedian. We had great seats, and it was really something to be in a theatre with 6,000 laughing people! Ann's son, Adam, met us for dinner afterwards and we finally called it a night around midnight. Another great day in the city!

The Culture Buddies Hit NYC!!

(Ann) We left Nashua bright and early and got to NYC with less than 15 minutes to spare before the start of our Wednesday matinee. We raced to the theater and made it right before the curtain went up on an amazing revival of The Glass Menagerie starring Judith Ivey as the controlling, once-grand Southern Belle Amanda Wingfield. She plays the role to perfection with all of her Southern charm masking a woman terrified about the future of her and her daughter. Her son Tom is played by Patch Darragh with more sensitivity and subtle allusions to his likely homosexuality than other productions we have seen. The play is done in a fresh and honest way, and it is a four star revival of this American classic. Judith Ivy certainly deserved her Tony nomination, as did the play for best Dramatic Revival.

After the play, we checked into our hotel and ate dinner next door at Pigalli's before heading off to see the revival of La Cage aux Folles around the corner. This revival stars Kelsey Grammer as the club owner, Georges, and the classically trained British actor Douglas Hodge as his transvestite boyfriend, Albin. This production is a must see. The music and dancing are great, but the biggest thrill are the performances by Grammer and Hodge. You can feel the love between these characters, and that transforms this show from a campy show into a love story. The performance by Hodge as Albin is amazing in its complexity. He goes from thowing a hissy-fit as a transvestite diva to being a caring mother to Georges' son without missing a beat. We loved this show, and so did rest of the audience who cheered on and on after the final curtain call.

May in the City

We have a busy trip to NYC planned for next week. Here is our itinerary and our reviews will follow:

Wednesday: Glass Menagerie and La Cage aux Folles
Thursday: Ricky Gervais at Madison Square Garden
Friday: Fences with Denzel!!
Saturday: Promises, Promises and The Forest (off Broadway)
Sunday: Creditors at BAM and American Idiot
Monday: The Screwtape Letters
Tuesday: Greyhound bus back to reality!