Vacation round-up
Still jet vacation-lagged and so sleepy. The emotional upheaval on Monday of the robbery certainly didn't help, but at least that's all done now. I still feel like I could sleep for a couple of days, and that's after sleeping 12 hours on Monday night! Sheesh. But my good friend Diet Coke shall get me through the day. That and writing up my vacation post!
Had such a wonderful time last week in NYC with fenwic and bliss_. Got to catch up with many awesome friends as well: susanderavish, nutmeg3, nicole_anell, dianora2, trjeannette, liz_w and wordsalone. So wonderful to see you all!
Saw seven Broadway shows, only one of which I was disappointed in. The others were fantastic.
Book of Mormon
So hilarious and entertaining, and will surely win the Tony in June. It was a skillful mix of irreverent humour and old-fashioned musical, with tap dancing and production numbers and great music. Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells were fantastic, as was the whole cast. The staging and costumes were super fun -- especially Jesus' light-up robe. :D The show wasn't mean-spirited towards Mormons, but did point out the stuff in Mormonism that makes no sense. I loved it when the Angel Moroni was telling Joseph Smith not to show the golden tablets to anyone: "Just write it all down on regular paper." Heeeeeeeee.
I imagine the show isn't to everyone's tastes (there are jokes about raping babies and fucking frogs, for example), but SDV and I were laughing our asses off. Also at our performance were Leo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Kate Hudson, Michelle Williams and Busy Phillips. Clearly the hot ticket in town! They haven't even released any promo footage, just a handful of stills. Huge buzz and curiosity for this show, especially since they're keeping the footage under wraps. Can't wait to see which number they do at the Tonys.
Jerusalem
This play has earned raves on both sides of the pond, but in the immortal words of the older lady sitting behind us, "Are you waiting for something to happen, too?" That question was posed to me during the first intermission, and at the second intermission I was like, Still waiting! It was monologue after monologue after monologue, and I couldn't have possibly cared less about the characters, particularly the lead. Mark Rylance is a powerful actor -- no scenery left unchewed -- but the whole "noble savage" bullshit leaves me entirely cold. He was a douchebag drug dealing freeloader, and I'd have been signing the petition to have him evicted!
It was just so boring. I liked the performers (especially John Gallagher, who was the reason we were seeing it), but the play itself was a world of meh. And three hours worth of it! The rave reviews baffle me. It was interesting to see it, and I was thinking maybe it's just that I'm such a fan of musicals that I didn't like it, but we saw two other straight plays that I loved. This just wasn't a good play, IMO. Most of the audience leapt to their feet at the end, and we were left rather puzzled by this reaction. But to each their own, of course.
Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
I'd already seen this twice in Toronto, and I loved it again on Broadway. Same cast, and Tony Sheldon, Will Swenson and Nick Adams are just fantastic. It's such a colourful, fun show. Nothing groundbreaking, but such a good time. I think you'd have to be cold and dead inside not to enjoy it. Fun and familiar music, energetic performances, and I love the costumes so much.
We chatted with fellow Canadian C. David Johnson (of Street Legal fame) at stage door and he told us the Canadian election results. Needless to say a Conservative majority was NOT what we were expecting to hear! But at least the NDP are the official opposition for the first time. That's something. We talked politics for a bit and he said to say hi to everyone at home. He's a doll. :)
I told Tony Sheldon I was rooting for him for a Tony nom, and he said, "Oh, bless you." He was such a lovely man. Will Swenson was nice as always, but soooo tired and seemed to be fighting a cold. I felt for him. Nick Adams was just...swooon. Those eyes! He's just beautiful. We talked for a bit and he was really sweet. I mentioned that I'd been to the first preview in Toronto and he was like, OMG I hope we're better now. Heeee. He also thanked me for coming to see the show again, since I suppose most people only see a show once. I was thinking, You have no idea, Nick. More than once is nothing for me! Heh.
How to Succeed...
OMG I LOVED THIS SHOW SO MUCH. Ended up seeing it three times last week, and I'd love to see it again. The staging and costumes were so colourful and fun, and the show was an old-fashioned singin' and dancin' extravaganza. I expected Daniel Radcliffe to be capable and decent enough, but he far exceeded my expectations. He has a lovely singing voice that is stronger than I thought it would be based on the clips. "I Believe" and "Rosemary" stand out especially. His comedic timing is excellent, and he just gave a terrific performance. He really should have gotten a Tony nom!
John Larroquette was funny as always, and I loved Rose Hemingway as Rosemary. It was a treat seeing Michael Park (aka Jack Snyder on ATWT) singing and dancing, and he had a nice-sized featured role as Bratt, the HR director. He got to sing a song ("A Secretary is Not a Toy") and that man can high kick! Good times. I never got to see Mary Faber in AI, so it was nice to see her in this. She had some great numbers and was very funny.
But my favourite cast member other than Dan was definitely Christopher J. Hanke as Bud. He really, really deserved the featured actor Tony nom. (The guy from Mormon who got it was great and all, but I didn't really remember him off hand.) Christopher was so funny and charming, and I loved him. He played Bill's intern on Big Love this season, so I'll have to go back and take a look because I didn't recognize him at all with his blond hair and glasses.
I enjoyed the show a lot the first time (despite getting a migraine during it and having to take a shit ton of Advil and Tylenol), but I loved it all the more after seeing it again and being more familiar with the music. "Brotherhood of Man" is such a showstopper. Love it!
(rehearsal, obviously)
War Horse
Spectacular.
I was blown away by this show. The puppets were amazing, and I say that as someone who is not a puppet person. The horses were so lifelike, and the puppeteers were just phenomenal. Seth Numrich was fantastic in the lead role of Albert, and of course we enjoyed seeing Matt Doyle in one of the secondary roles as Albert's douchey cousin. He was excellent as always. Really interesting to see him playing a jerk, although your heart breaks for him after he goes to war.
All the actors were superb; Peter Hermann (a total "hey, it's that guy!") stands out a lot for me as a sympathetic German. I also really, really loved the music. It's not a musical, but parts of the score are sung, and it was just gorgeous.
This show was three hours, and it went by in a blink. I was enraptured and moved to tears several times. Can't say enough good things about it!
No one really stage doors at Lincoln Center (at least not on this night), so we had a nice visit with Matt afterwards. Always a pleasure to talk to him. Poor Seth looked like he was sleepwalking as he left, and I can't imagine doing two shows of such an intense play in one day. We told him he was great and he thanked us. Looking forward to seeing him and Matt in Private Romeo more than ever. :)
Catch Me If You Can
OMG LOVED IT. Saw it twice. Really fun, old-fashioned singin' and dancin', which I am very much a fan of, in case you didn't pick up on that before. This is The Aaron Tveit Show, and as a huge Tveit fan, I enjoyed the hell out of it. He's just so effing pretty. The show itself isn't as strong as How to Succeed (I'm just comparing them because they're so similar and I saw both back to back), but Aaron and Norbert Butz are stars. Also, Aaron sounds so much better in person than in the YT clip.
Sat front row centre the second time, and since there's no pit (the orch is on stage, big band style) it is extremely close. If the lead hadn't been an actor I adore it likely would have been a bit too close even for me (I always like to be close to the stage), but it was an amazing perspective, especially since I love Aaron. His showstopper in act two, "Goodbye," was just off the charts. Amazing. Tears streaming down his face during the last third of the song while he belted from the tips of his toes to the rafters. How he can cry and sing like that at the same time is beyond me! And then for the last note of the song, he was standing right over us (literally a foot away) with the spots on him. It was blinding and we could only see his silhouette and hear his incredible voice, and it was one of the most memorable moments I've experienced at the theatre. Breathtaking.
Norbert was amazing as well, and I liked the whole cast. Tom Wopat was great as the boozy dad, and Kerry Butler's role as the love interest was small, but she was terrific. I wanted to punch the guy next to us in front row who was lazily flipping through his Playbill, apparently bored, while Kerry Butler belted "Fly, Fly Away" two feet away. I mean, Jesus Christ, show some respect. Even if you are bored, just daydream!
Everyone was delightful at stage door. Most people just get their Playbill signed and don't actually say anything, which I always find odd. Even if you just say it was a great show/performance, say something. I told Aaron I could listen to him sing the phone book (trufax) and he laughed and thanked me. Lord, he is so pretty and talented and I will simply have to see everything he does from now until the end of time. Norbert wasn't really talking at SD because he was on vocal rest, but he broke it to thank us after we told him how great he was, and how he was hilarious one minute and heartbreaking the next. He was lovely. I really think Aaron deserved a Tony nom, too, but Norbert's performance was terrific.
The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures
I really enjoyed this. Tony Kushner's formula is generally a combination of funny, sad, gay and political, and that was certainly the case here. Brilliantly acted by all, it's a sprawling family drama centred around a patriarch who wants to kill himself. I didn't always relate to his character, or see the big appeal of Stephen Spinella's Pill (I thought the two men in love with him could do better, frankly!), and at three hours and forty minutes, a few scenes could be trimmed. But these are quibbles -- when the lights went down on the final scene, I wanted more. I cared about these people and what happened to them.
So great to see Michael Esper in a different role after American Idiot. He was heartbreaking, and also looks damn good in his underwear. I'm just saying. We saw him at Shoe Mania in Union Square earlier in the week, and I talked to him for a minute. Such a sweetheart and has a killer smile. I really hope the new Giant musical happens with Esper (and Matt Doyle!).
Also would love to see Steven Pasquale (Rescue Me) in that musical, as he was absolutely fantastic in iHomo. Made us all sob. He was wheeling his bike through the lobby as we left (bless the Public Theatre -- no security for stage door there!), and we told him how great he was. He was lovely.
Molly Price's role was small, but she was amazing, as always. The whole cast was stellar. There was a great sequence there two groups of characters were fighting at the same time, and it was so real. I think Kushner really captures well the way people talk and interact. Sure, there are some soapbox moments, but for the most part it flowed really naturally. So many funny moments, along with sad ones. The ending was ambiguous, and of course I imagine it was happy for everyone, since that's how I roll.
Whew! It was quite a week of theatre. I was in heaven. Speaking of which...
Obama
Okay, okay, we didn't actually meet Obama, but we saw him go into the fire station by our hotel (it's the one that suffered the most loss of life -- 15 people) for lunch before going to Ground Zero. There were snipers on the roofs, and it was a neat experience to see the kind of security involved.
Rob Lowe
Rob Lowe did a book signing at Barnes and Noble, and he was simply lovely. I told him how funny he is on Parks and Recreation, and he grinned, looked genuinely pleased, and said, "That's so nice to hear!" I had the feeling most people ahead of us in line were complimenting him on St. Elmo's Fire. :| He is surprisingly wee in real life. Very slim -- he has a big head compared to the rest of him.
Matt Bomer
White Collar was kind enough to film right around the corner from our hotel (they put up informative notices in the neighbourhood), and we walked over a few times throughout the day. It was raining and they were filming an interior. After seeing H2$ in the afternoon, we went back over just to check, and lo and behold, Matt Bomer was walking to transport. We said sorry for bothering him, but we love WC, etc. He was super gracious and sweet, and extended his hand and introduced himself. He's taller than we expected (about 5'11, I think?) His hand was very soft and he has a firm handshake. He said Tim was still inside (we'll get you next time, Dekay!), and we chatted a bit about the new season, and when we said we were from Toronto he said he loves Toronto, etc. He was so very, very lovely.
And good LORD, is he freaking gorgeous. So beautiful. He was wearing his glasses (swoooon!) and was in street clothes: dark, skinny jeans, sneakers, and a zip-up athletic jacket. We joked that Neal's going casual in S3. We did a walk and talk down the street to the transport van, and then said goodbye. He was seriously so sweet and nice. Love!
Eric Sheffer Stevens
One day we went to Central Park to ride the carousel (one of my fave things to do in NYC!), and walked by the ballfields, where the Broadway Softball League was in action. Saw various actors we enjoy (hi, Gerard Canonico!), and then realized Eric Sheffer Stevens was playing. We chatted with him after the game, and he was just delightful. Very friendly and sweet. I really hope he does some more theatre in the near future, as I'd love to see him onstage.
I think that's it. We also saw some sights and did some shopping -- and eating, of course. It was a fantastic trip with fantastic friends. Good, good times.
Had such a wonderful time last week in NYC with fenwic and bliss_. Got to catch up with many awesome friends as well: susanderavish, nutmeg3, nicole_anell, dianora2, trjeannette, liz_w and wordsalone. So wonderful to see you all!
Saw seven Broadway shows, only one of which I was disappointed in. The others were fantastic.
Book of Mormon
So hilarious and entertaining, and will surely win the Tony in June. It was a skillful mix of irreverent humour and old-fashioned musical, with tap dancing and production numbers and great music. Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells were fantastic, as was the whole cast. The staging and costumes were super fun -- especially Jesus' light-up robe. :D The show wasn't mean-spirited towards Mormons, but did point out the stuff in Mormonism that makes no sense. I loved it when the Angel Moroni was telling Joseph Smith not to show the golden tablets to anyone: "Just write it all down on regular paper." Heeeeeeeee.
I imagine the show isn't to everyone's tastes (there are jokes about raping babies and fucking frogs, for example), but SDV and I were laughing our asses off. Also at our performance were Leo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Kate Hudson, Michelle Williams and Busy Phillips. Clearly the hot ticket in town! They haven't even released any promo footage, just a handful of stills. Huge buzz and curiosity for this show, especially since they're keeping the footage under wraps. Can't wait to see which number they do at the Tonys.
Jerusalem
This play has earned raves on both sides of the pond, but in the immortal words of the older lady sitting behind us, "Are you waiting for something to happen, too?" That question was posed to me during the first intermission, and at the second intermission I was like, Still waiting! It was monologue after monologue after monologue, and I couldn't have possibly cared less about the characters, particularly the lead. Mark Rylance is a powerful actor -- no scenery left unchewed -- but the whole "noble savage" bullshit leaves me entirely cold. He was a douchebag drug dealing freeloader, and I'd have been signing the petition to have him evicted!
It was just so boring. I liked the performers (especially John Gallagher, who was the reason we were seeing it), but the play itself was a world of meh. And three hours worth of it! The rave reviews baffle me. It was interesting to see it, and I was thinking maybe it's just that I'm such a fan of musicals that I didn't like it, but we saw two other straight plays that I loved. This just wasn't a good play, IMO. Most of the audience leapt to their feet at the end, and we were left rather puzzled by this reaction. But to each their own, of course.
Click to viewPriscilla, Queen of the Desert
I'd already seen this twice in Toronto, and I loved it again on Broadway. Same cast, and Tony Sheldon, Will Swenson and Nick Adams are just fantastic. It's such a colourful, fun show. Nothing groundbreaking, but such a good time. I think you'd have to be cold and dead inside not to enjoy it. Fun and familiar music, energetic performances, and I love the costumes so much.
We chatted with fellow Canadian C. David Johnson (of Street Legal fame) at stage door and he told us the Canadian election results. Needless to say a Conservative majority was NOT what we were expecting to hear! But at least the NDP are the official opposition for the first time. That's something. We talked politics for a bit and he said to say hi to everyone at home. He's a doll. :)
I told Tony Sheldon I was rooting for him for a Tony nom, and he said, "Oh, bless you." He was such a lovely man. Will Swenson was nice as always, but soooo tired and seemed to be fighting a cold. I felt for him. Nick Adams was just...swooon. Those eyes! He's just beautiful. We talked for a bit and he was really sweet. I mentioned that I'd been to the first preview in Toronto and he was like, OMG I hope we're better now. Heeee. He also thanked me for coming to see the show again, since I suppose most people only see a show once. I was thinking, You have no idea, Nick. More than once is nothing for me! Heh.
How to Succeed...
OMG I LOVED THIS SHOW SO MUCH. Ended up seeing it three times last week, and I'd love to see it again. The staging and costumes were so colourful and fun, and the show was an old-fashioned singin' and dancin' extravaganza. I expected Daniel Radcliffe to be capable and decent enough, but he far exceeded my expectations. He has a lovely singing voice that is stronger than I thought it would be based on the clips. "I Believe" and "Rosemary" stand out especially. His comedic timing is excellent, and he just gave a terrific performance. He really should have gotten a Tony nom!
John Larroquette was funny as always, and I loved Rose Hemingway as Rosemary. It was a treat seeing Michael Park (aka Jack Snyder on ATWT) singing and dancing, and he had a nice-sized featured role as Bratt, the HR director. He got to sing a song ("A Secretary is Not a Toy") and that man can high kick! Good times. I never got to see Mary Faber in AI, so it was nice to see her in this. She had some great numbers and was very funny.
But my favourite cast member other than Dan was definitely Christopher J. Hanke as Bud. He really, really deserved the featured actor Tony nom. (The guy from Mormon who got it was great and all, but I didn't really remember him off hand.) Christopher was so funny and charming, and I loved him. He played Bill's intern on Big Love this season, so I'll have to go back and take a look because I didn't recognize him at all with his blond hair and glasses.
I enjoyed the show a lot the first time (despite getting a migraine during it and having to take a shit ton of Advil and Tylenol), but I loved it all the more after seeing it again and being more familiar with the music. "Brotherhood of Man" is such a showstopper. Love it!
(rehearsal, obviously)
War Horse
Spectacular.
I was blown away by this show. The puppets were amazing, and I say that as someone who is not a puppet person. The horses were so lifelike, and the puppeteers were just phenomenal. Seth Numrich was fantastic in the lead role of Albert, and of course we enjoyed seeing Matt Doyle in one of the secondary roles as Albert's douchey cousin. He was excellent as always. Really interesting to see him playing a jerk, although your heart breaks for him after he goes to war.
All the actors were superb; Peter Hermann (a total "hey, it's that guy!") stands out a lot for me as a sympathetic German. I also really, really loved the music. It's not a musical, but parts of the score are sung, and it was just gorgeous.
This show was three hours, and it went by in a blink. I was enraptured and moved to tears several times. Can't say enough good things about it!
No one really stage doors at Lincoln Center (at least not on this night), so we had a nice visit with Matt afterwards. Always a pleasure to talk to him. Poor Seth looked like he was sleepwalking as he left, and I can't imagine doing two shows of such an intense play in one day. We told him he was great and he thanked us. Looking forward to seeing him and Matt in Private Romeo more than ever. :)
Catch Me If You Can
OMG LOVED IT. Saw it twice. Really fun, old-fashioned singin' and dancin', which I am very much a fan of, in case you didn't pick up on that before. This is The Aaron Tveit Show, and as a huge Tveit fan, I enjoyed the hell out of it. He's just so effing pretty. The show itself isn't as strong as How to Succeed (I'm just comparing them because they're so similar and I saw both back to back), but Aaron and Norbert Butz are stars. Also, Aaron sounds so much better in person than in the YT clip.
Sat front row centre the second time, and since there's no pit (the orch is on stage, big band style) it is extremely close. If the lead hadn't been an actor I adore it likely would have been a bit too close even for me (I always like to be close to the stage), but it was an amazing perspective, especially since I love Aaron. His showstopper in act two, "Goodbye," was just off the charts. Amazing. Tears streaming down his face during the last third of the song while he belted from the tips of his toes to the rafters. How he can cry and sing like that at the same time is beyond me! And then for the last note of the song, he was standing right over us (literally a foot away) with the spots on him. It was blinding and we could only see his silhouette and hear his incredible voice, and it was one of the most memorable moments I've experienced at the theatre. Breathtaking.
Norbert was amazing as well, and I liked the whole cast. Tom Wopat was great as the boozy dad, and Kerry Butler's role as the love interest was small, but she was terrific. I wanted to punch the guy next to us in front row who was lazily flipping through his Playbill, apparently bored, while Kerry Butler belted "Fly, Fly Away" two feet away. I mean, Jesus Christ, show some respect. Even if you are bored, just daydream!
Everyone was delightful at stage door. Most people just get their Playbill signed and don't actually say anything, which I always find odd. Even if you just say it was a great show/performance, say something. I told Aaron I could listen to him sing the phone book (trufax) and he laughed and thanked me. Lord, he is so pretty and talented and I will simply have to see everything he does from now until the end of time. Norbert wasn't really talking at SD because he was on vocal rest, but he broke it to thank us after we told him how great he was, and how he was hilarious one minute and heartbreaking the next. He was lovely. I really think Aaron deserved a Tony nom, too, but Norbert's performance was terrific.
The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures
I really enjoyed this. Tony Kushner's formula is generally a combination of funny, sad, gay and political, and that was certainly the case here. Brilliantly acted by all, it's a sprawling family drama centred around a patriarch who wants to kill himself. I didn't always relate to his character, or see the big appeal of Stephen Spinella's Pill (I thought the two men in love with him could do better, frankly!), and at three hours and forty minutes, a few scenes could be trimmed. But these are quibbles -- when the lights went down on the final scene, I wanted more. I cared about these people and what happened to them.
So great to see Michael Esper in a different role after American Idiot. He was heartbreaking, and also looks damn good in his underwear. I'm just saying. We saw him at Shoe Mania in Union Square earlier in the week, and I talked to him for a minute. Such a sweetheart and has a killer smile. I really hope the new Giant musical happens with Esper (and Matt Doyle!).
Also would love to see Steven Pasquale (Rescue Me) in that musical, as he was absolutely fantastic in iHomo. Made us all sob. He was wheeling his bike through the lobby as we left (bless the Public Theatre -- no security for stage door there!), and we told him how great he was. He was lovely.
Molly Price's role was small, but she was amazing, as always. The whole cast was stellar. There was a great sequence there two groups of characters were fighting at the same time, and it was so real. I think Kushner really captures well the way people talk and interact. Sure, there are some soapbox moments, but for the most part it flowed really naturally. So many funny moments, along with sad ones. The ending was ambiguous, and of course I imagine it was happy for everyone, since that's how I roll.
Whew! It was quite a week of theatre. I was in heaven. Speaking of which...
Obama
Okay, okay, we didn't actually meet Obama, but we saw him go into the fire station by our hotel (it's the one that suffered the most loss of life -- 15 people) for lunch before going to Ground Zero. There were snipers on the roofs, and it was a neat experience to see the kind of security involved.
Rob Lowe
Rob Lowe did a book signing at Barnes and Noble, and he was simply lovely. I told him how funny he is on Parks and Recreation, and he grinned, looked genuinely pleased, and said, "That's so nice to hear!" I had the feeling most people ahead of us in line were complimenting him on St. Elmo's Fire. :| He is surprisingly wee in real life. Very slim -- he has a big head compared to the rest of him.
Matt Bomer
White Collar was kind enough to film right around the corner from our hotel (they put up informative notices in the neighbourhood), and we walked over a few times throughout the day. It was raining and they were filming an interior. After seeing H2$ in the afternoon, we went back over just to check, and lo and behold, Matt Bomer was walking to transport. We said sorry for bothering him, but we love WC, etc. He was super gracious and sweet, and extended his hand and introduced himself. He's taller than we expected (about 5'11, I think?) His hand was very soft and he has a firm handshake. He said Tim was still inside (we'll get you next time, Dekay!), and we chatted a bit about the new season, and when we said we were from Toronto he said he loves Toronto, etc. He was so very, very lovely.
And good LORD, is he freaking gorgeous. So beautiful. He was wearing his glasses (swoooon!) and was in street clothes: dark, skinny jeans, sneakers, and a zip-up athletic jacket. We joked that Neal's going casual in S3. We did a walk and talk down the street to the transport van, and then said goodbye. He was seriously so sweet and nice. Love!
Eric Sheffer Stevens
One day we went to Central Park to ride the carousel (one of my fave things to do in NYC!), and walked by the ballfields, where the Broadway Softball League was in action. Saw various actors we enjoy (hi, Gerard Canonico!), and then realized Eric Sheffer Stevens was playing. We chatted with him after the game, and he was just delightful. Very friendly and sweet. I really hope he does some more theatre in the near future, as I'd love to see him onstage.
I think that's it. We also saw some sights and did some shopping -- and eating, of course. It was a fantastic trip with fantastic friends. Good, good times.