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