RENT

What better way to close out the New York chapter of my culture blog than with the tale of my most recent visit to the Nederlander Theater. Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal have been back in the roles of Mark and Roger for the past six weeks (and their run has just been extended through October); I was lucky to get to see the show a few weeks ago with Jamie, Meghan, and Parisa. The two of them really brought a vibrancy to the show I hadn't experienced in years. Given that they created these roles, they play them so naturally and it was really a joy to see it. Sorely missed was Jesse L. Martin, or really any decent Collins for that matter. The Collins was so distant from Angel that it hurt what is typically the most intimate and beautiful of the Rent relationships.

The audience was phenomenal. It was clearly filled with fans who knew when to moo, when clap along, and when to cheer. When each of Mark and Roger came on stage, the audience erupted in applause that sounded like teenage girls at a boy band concert. Parisa joined in like the true fan she is.

After having loved Rent for so many years, I don't think I'll forget this amazing performance of it.

River to River: Paul Taylor Dance

I can't pass up an opportunity to see the Paul Taylor Dance Company. Last night they had a free performance at Battery Park as part of the River to River festival. They performed Polaris, De Suenos, and Company B. I liked the set of pieces less than the previous three performances I've seen, but the dancing was of course fantastic. Company B was a great closer (though I'm still partial to Piazzola - which I'll hopefully be back in March to see).

After the show I got to go to the dancers' after party with Eran and Parisa. It was fun to see everyone up close after having seen them dance a few times! Yay.

Curtains

On my last day in New York, Meghan, Larry, and I went to see Curtains. It was a fun show and a great way to spend this last day. It's a fairly classic musical with light hearted music and a murder mystery plot. It was slightly self serving (Larry strongly disliked the song Show People which was essentially a pat-on-the-back song about "show people"). The dancing was fun and I thought David Hyde Pierce did a great job. I've only ever seen one or two episodes of Frasier, so I can't say whether he played his Frasier character or not. Not my favorite show, but an enjoyable experience nonetheless.

All I Ever Needed...

I saw A Chorus Line for the third time since the revival opened on Broadway last fall. It's such a fun show. I went with Michelle, Eran, and Parisa. It was fun to get the dancers' perspectives on it afterwards. Parisa noted that she really felt a connection with Bebe's comment "I have a headache" as a really real part of the audition process. I am not sure any show has a finale quite like A Chorus Line's. The dancing and costumes and shiny are such a spectacular way to end a show.

Paul Taylor at Lincoln Out of Doors

I got to practice my dance runs tonight after seeing Esplanade! Eran performed with Paul Taylor Dance at an outdoor stage next to the Met Opera this evening. Tonight's lineup: Book of Beasts, Lines of Loss, and Esplanade. They were all excellent. I liked Lines of Loss a lot: it portrayed all different kinds of loss - loss of a loved one, loss of sanity, loss of sight/old age, a fight with a friend/lover (perhaps more I forget). I might go back for Piazzolla tomorrow night!

Sunnyside Up

Leah was in town and we went with Lance to see Katie with her improv group Sunnyside Up. They do an educational-type show where they teach the audience about a particular fear: our show, The Number 13. Leah and I both enjoyed the piece about prime numbers best!

Gypsy Rose Lee

Starring Patti LuPone. I nearly didn't go as a result, but glad I am I did. Rose is the perfect part for her, whereas I didn't enjoy her in Sweeney Todd last year much. It was so good to see a classic musical. Given that I hadn't seen it in years, I was surprised by just how many of the songs and lyrics I knew all the way through. Also, I'd only seen children's productions, I think, and the second act must've been quite shortened in those, as Louise's career as a stripper is pretty complete.

The highlight: Tulsa's "All I Need is the Girl"

Grey Gardens

What a crazy pair of women the Edie Bouvier Beales were! Lance and I had partial view box seats (though the audience saw us well enough - Lance had three friends come find him!) to catch a performance just a week before the show closed. I was a little nervous about it because I got so bored during the Tonys performance that I fast forwarded through it. Turns out, the song was way better in context. Christine Ebersole was excellent.

The two acts are quite different. The first a little more musical comedy, the second just crazy. I'm so curious to see the documentary on which it's based, as these women (at least the daughter) was seriously nuts.

The music was enjoyable during the show, though none of it has stuck with me. Overall, a good show. Opens in London next season!

Hoofers

Savion Glover is amazing. Enough said.

Just a Spoonful of Sugar

Mary Poppins was slightly disappointing. The acting was good to fantastic; I would go see Gavin Lee in any show any time. The original songs were fun and the costumes were pretty. The new songs ranged from terrible to okay, but the new plot lines were pretty awful. Mrs. Banks, the once awesome suffragette had turned former actress, prohibited from the stage by her cruel husband. She longed for love and to return to the stage. She did, of course, find both by the end of the show. I'm not sure why it was thought that this would be an improvement; perhaps kids are ignorant of the fact women once lacked the right to vote?

Overall, I'm glad I saw it. I'd been greatly looking forward to it and Grandma enjoyed it immensely. If for nothing else, Bert dancing upside down across the stage was pretty cool.

Full Force Dance Theatre - Time on Our Hands

I went with Evan, Eran, and Howard on June 15. This was the dance company Eran danced with in college. It was neat to see her roots. There were some pretty interesting pieces. The one that stands out was a solo piece where the dancer had a pile of dirt and danced amongst it, spreading it and making cool patterns on the ground with it. Some of the dirt was on a white square of paper (or so it looked) though most found it's way to the floor. Needless to say, the intermission followed this piece.

The final piece involved a live bassist and though not a dancer, participated in the piece through movement as well as music.

Playing Catch Up

I have not been keeping track well. I'll do my best to play some catch up now. Here's a list to keep track, in case I fail to finish before falling asleep.

Full Force Dance Theatre at the Joyce Soho - June 15
Mary Poppins - June 26
Savion Glover at the Joyce - July 12
Grey Gardens - July 18
Gypsy at City Center - July 26
Sunnyside Up at Upright Citizens Brigade - July 30
Paul Taylor Dance Company at Lincoln Center Out of Doors - August 3

Talk Radio.

I didn't get a chance to watch the Tonys tonight, but I'm very excited to watch them on DVR later this week. I think they're kind of pointless, since 4 of about 5 musicals that open on Broadway each year are nominated for best musical (that doesn't include revivals). It's a little self-serving. (I mean, Hairspray won best musical in 2004.)

However, I did learn today that not every play is included, and that there's a reason why. Today's Broadway adventure: Talk Radio. Can you imagine what it's about? Yep, talk radio. The play certainly pulled off talk radio very well. It reminded me that there's a reason I don't listen to talk radio.

Growing up, I was subjected to a lot of Rush Limbaugh and Laura Schlesinger. Really weak, helpless people call in and say dumb, passive things, with the occasional diatribe. In response, Rush and Dr. Laura thrash and belittle the caller. That's exactly what the callers and Barry Champlain did today, and it was somewhat painful. Barry was played by Liev Schreiber, who was fantastic. The other characters were undeveloped and uninteresting, as was what little plot existed. Each other character gave a single monologue in monologue tone (I can't think of a better way to describe it, but you might get what I mean).

So in short: Liev Schreiber very good. Play: not very good.

Giants vs. Mets

Do baseball games count in my cultural study of New York? I am unhappy to report that the Giants played terribly tonight and lost at Shea Stadium. It was worth the subway ride out there to stick up for the good guys, Barry included. The fans booed Barry from the moment Aurilia struck out and chanted "juice... juice..." while he batted. Other than that, the Mets fans were mostly well behaved. Greg did get the guys who threw a crumpled wrapper covered with ketchup at him thrown out. That was fun.

Frost/Nixon

You can tell I'm a bit behind here... Two weeks ago, I saw a non-musical (Andrew was proud of me) that has a Tony nomination for best play. Frost/Nixon is about David Frost's interview sessions with Nixon. The guy who played Nixon, Frang Lagella, was very good. I haven't seen much Nixon footage, but he seemed very convincing. Also, given that the play was about a set of interviews, it was very captivating. The use of the televisions in the set were really cool. It also helped see Lagella's detailed facial expressions from the mezzanine.

Kushal found information online that says that the events were contrived for theatrical effect. Though that's somewhat disappointing, I didn't go for a history lesson, so I'll get over it.

110 in the Shade

I went to see 110 in the Shade a few weeks ago. It's a musical revival starring Andra MacDonald, who is nominated for a Tony in the best actress in a musical category. She deserves it. The show itself was nominated for best revival of a musical, but I must say that A Chorus Line or Company needs to win that one.

My original major complaint was the lyrics. The music was pretty good, but the lyrics were dull. They weren't poetic, they didn't flow, and they were bland. I originally liked how spontaneous the end was, when (I hate to spoil it for you) both men suddenly want Lizzie. Didn't see that coming! After talking to Alexander, however, he pointed out that one should have known File had come around to liking Lizzie. It shouldn't have come from nowhere. Agreed.

I did like the brothers. They both did a great job. The lighting was cool. And the rain was fun. Overall, I liked the end, but could have done without most of the beginning and middle.

Spring Awakening

Cute boys, fun music, and discontent. That's a quick summary of Spring Awakening. Aussie Rob and I got tickets at tkts today for the matinee. I liked the songs, but didn't always follow how they fit into the story, other than the general frustration they conveyed. This show breaks boundaries, featuring on-stage sex, abortion, and suicide. I'm not sure that the sexual display is necessary for making the point. I often find such episodes a cheap way to reach an audience (i.e. Murakami's Norwegian Wood).

On the subway ride home, Rob and I discussed how the play, which is set in 1890s Germany, relates to life in the US today. The show intertwines the two places and times, perhaps reminding us of the importance of education and access to safe and legal medical treatment.

Check out a video of Bitch of Living.

Twelfth Night

I made my third trek to Brooklyn in 24 hours on Sunday to see Twelfth Night performed at BAM by the Propeller Shakespeare Company. It was an all-male, British company and perhaps the best Shakespeare I've ever seen. It was a little different - lots of instruments and modern suits, but really good. The all male thing was done very well. There are only three women in the play and one cross-dresses as male for the whole play. The guy who played a woman playing a guy was very convincing. If I hadn't seen the last performance, I would be sure to catch them doing Taming of the Shrew as well.

The BAM Harvey theater was really cool. Purposefully rough around the edges, it is definitely not a Broadway theater.

The NYC

It's worth mentioning here that Friday was Lance's last episode of his weekly improvised teen drama, The NYC. I was a regular supporter last year when it was on Wednesday nights at the Gene Frankel Underground. Since then I've gone less frequently, but I always enjoy the latest midtown adventure of Taylor, Me, Dex, Hillary, and the rest of the gang. I'll miss going, but they performed weekly for more than 2 years and so it's time for new things.

Bakunin, Belinsky, Herzen

A week and a half ago, Andrew and I went to the final part of the Coast of Utopia - Salvage. It's a Stoppard trilogy that was originally performed in London as a 9-hour marathon. We spread the three parts over a few months, but regardless, I left Salvage with a great sense of accomplishment. It's a very deep non-drama following a number of Russian philosophers, focusing on Bakunin, Belinksy, and Herzen, through their philosophical lives. The biggest action was a shipwreck (for which the second play is named) killing Herzen's son Kolya. The plays were filled with monologues and diatribes of gargantuan proportion. Hard to follow, but interesting when I did. I understood the last one best because I read the synopsis beforehand (which covered more material than the play itself).

Don't I Feel Happy

Make that: I don't feel happy. Tonight Evan and I went to see his friend Nathaniel in a play called Serenading Louie by Lanford Wilson. Depressing is a good word to describe it. The director's notes say "They [the characters] become like the play. Disjointed, incoherent, broken, and gloriously unfixable." I think that's a great summary. I enjoyed it; I think it was well done (though a little tedious); and I wouldn't wish the characters' experiences on anyone.

Dance: 10

Judy accompanied me to another Paul Taylor Dance Company performance. Tonight we saw Piece Period, Banquet of Vultures, and Piazzolla Caldera. Piazzolla was captivating. I leaned over to Judy as the lights went down at what I thought was the end of the piece and said "I really don't want it to end!" On cue, the lights came back up and dancers Richard and Francisco performed a beautiful duet. The entire dance: gorgeous, and hot. Keeping this short, I won't go on about Piece Period and Banquet of Vultures, but I will say that the six Paul Taylor dances have all been incredibly varied and each one enjoyable in a different way. Thanks for a great show, Eran!

A Cultural Explosion

I realize that in living in New York I am seeing more plays and other great cultural performances that are worth documenting. We'll start with what I've done the past two weeks:

Sunday, February 25, Company on Broadway with Kushal. After an amazing 20 minute bus+subway trip from my apartment to the theater, the Box Office guy sold us front row tickets at student prices. The show itself was excellent. I liked the music much more than I expected and found the story compelling.

Wednesday, March 7, Paul Taylor Dance Company at NY City Center, featuring Eran. I saw Dante Variations, Sunset, and Esplanade. My favorite was Esplanade, but enjoyed all three. I'm going back on Tuesday to see three more dances.

Friday, March 9, Youngblood's Thicker Than Water, six one-act plays, two of which starred Lance. The two Lance were in happened to be my favorites, but most of them were enjoyable.

Other things I've seen since arriving in New York a year ago:
Sweeney Todd
Les Miserables (London)
Guys and Dolls (London)
Hairspray
Avenue Q
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
History Boys
Rent
A Chorus Line (twice)
Jersey Boys (SF)
Company
Magic Flute (The Met)
Beethoven's Ninth (Boston Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall)
Tribute to Toscanini (Avery Fisher Hall)
Coast of Utopia: Voyage (Lincoln Center)
Coast of Utopia: Shipwreck (Lincoln Center)
Midsummer Night's Dream (Theater By The Blind)
My Father's Jewish, My Mother's Italian, and I'm in Therapy (off-Broadway)
Barge Music