New York, New York
We left Sacramento right about midnight as scheduled. The flight was uneventful, but having the televisions is a great thing. We got to JFK by about 7:50 a.m, but had to sit there until almost 8:20 before we got a gate. The terminal we came into looked new or at least remodeled. I quickly got my bag and was in a cab by 8:50. Not much traffic so I got to Carman at 114 by about 9:30. The cost $58 including toll and tip.
At Carman there was a bit of a glitch. They did not have me on any of the lists, but with a quick call to Rebecca, it was all taken care of and I am in room 1001A. I got settled in and talked with Crystal about her computer and theatre tickets and then I was off on the 1 to seek my fortune in Times Square.
I first tried Billy Elliott, but nothing was available on either today or Wednesday. Then I went to the Palace Theatre to see what was available for West Side Story and I go some partially restricted view seats for $61.50 each. Next I decided I would pay full price for Hair at the Hirshfeld and got fourth row center for $120. I then went over the Europa Cafe and a delicious Turkey and Brie and asparagus pannini.
By now it was still well before noon, so I decided to go over to Tiffany's to see if I could find Kate something for graduation.
I won't reveal if I was successful. Tune in later. I should also report that I had left my umbrella at the dorm and so it was pretty crazy whn it started raining. Of course I was too cheap to buy a new umbrella.
I leisurely walked back to the Hirschfeld Theatre and got there by 1:30 for Hair. The seats were amazing.
Having moved indoors to Broadway from the Delacorte Theater in Central Park — where last summer they lighted up the night skies, howled at the moon and had ticket seekers lining up at dawn — the young cast members of Diane Paulus’s thrilling revival of “Hair” show no signs of becoming domesticated. On the contrary, they’re tearing down the house. And any theatergoer with a pulse will find it hard to resist their invitation to join the demolition crew. This emotionally rich revival of “The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical” from 1967 delivers what Broadway otherwise hasn’t felt this season: the intense, unadulterated joy and anguish of that bi-polar state called youth. — Ben Brantley
The nudity was interesting and the plot was sketchy at best, but it was exuberant and full of energy. I love going up on stage during the encore.
After the show I worked my way over the The 42nd Street station and got back to Columbia by a little after 5. I got in contact with Crystal. She had reformatted her computer, but at least it was working. I took a quick nap and we were heading down to meet Crystal's former student Tiffany for dinner and then she was going to go to WWS with us. We found her at 9th and 50th. This area is theoretically the northern reaches of Hell's Kitchen.
The Amazing Tiffany and Crystal and Beans and Rice.
The show was at the Palace Theatre where we say Legally Blond last year. The show was great, not necessarily amazing. The original Jerome Robbins coreography is something as is the music.
The other fun part is that the Amazing Tiffany had played Maria in a college production so she had much to say about the direction and performances. We all thought that it lacked energy and that Maris was not particularly strong. We loved Anita eventhough she was not Karen Olvio, the Tony winner. :(
The teenage hoodlums who maraud through Arthur Laurents’s startlingly sweet new revival of “West Side Story” seem like really nice kids. Youth has always been the engine of this epochal musical from 1957, created by one of the most talented teams in showbiz history: Mr. Laurents (book), Leonard Bernstein (score), Stephen Sondheim (lyrics) and Jerome Robbins (director and choreographer). But usually it’s the scary, adrenaline-stoked energy of youth that sets the tone and rhythms of the show. In this production, which lovingly replicates Mr. Robbins’s balletic choreography, what prevails is a tenderhearted awareness of the naked vulnerability of being young and trapped in an urban jungle. Half a century ago middle-class adult theatergoers were shocked and appalled by the brutality of the ethnic gang warfare of “West Side Story.” This time audiences — the grown-ups, anyway — are more likely to respond with feelings of parental protectiveness. — Ben Brantley
After the show we stopped at the little store, Morton Williams, near Columbia and I bought some drinks and Wheat Thins. Back at Carmen I puttered a bit, attempted to make the bed (love not having a fitted sheet) and then went to bed.
Other than the rain, all in all a pretty good day. :)
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