Governor's Island

I had Monday off due to Memorial Day, so I decided to take a ferry over

and spend a sun drenched afternoon on Governor's Island! 

 

Sunday in the Park (with no George)

On Sunday, I woke up and traveled to St. Patrick's for mass. The priest was really funny and the cathedral is just so beautiful, so I'll probably be heading back there again! Afterwards, I decided to spend the day exploring Central Park. I walked a great deal and probably didn't even see half of it! (Church is at 51st, after zigzagging back and forth for hours, I went to check what street I was on and it was 96th--then I had to walk all the way back across the park to catch a subway!) I did make it to the fountain that I was looking for and got to watch an acrobatics show there while I ate my picnic lunch! When I finally got back home, I noticed that our street was having a street fair, so even though my feet were really tired, I walked all the way up and down the fair! (Sadly, this was the first day I forgot to wear my mileage counter, but I have no doubt that it was at least 10 miles!)

Squish It All In

My daddy often says that when we visit cities we do more in one day than a normal tourist does in a week. This Saturday was definitely one of those days. First, my roommate and I went to the Pier to see all the ships and booths that were here for Fleet week (best booth was Wicked- I got a lip balm, and when I opened it, it was green and sparkly! Nice promo item!).

We then headed to Time Square and went by Condé Nast (where my roomie is interning), Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick's (where we saw a bride walk down the aisle!), and Bryant Park. Having some time, we decided to try lotto for Wicked. Ha! There were over 200 people there easily, and they only drew for 13 tickets. Obviously, we did not win. On my list of shows to see was a play called Arcadia, so I asked her if it was ok if we went by the bo to ask about their student ticket policies (it was just two streets down). I asked the man what if they had student tickets. He said "Yes." I asked when you can get them. He said "Until 8." What? Do you mean I can get a student discount rush ticket right now at 6:40 on a Saturday? "Yes." Cool! We went ahead and got tickets, and they turned out to be in the first row of the balcony, slightly stage right. Due to the small size of the theatre, we were very close to the stage, probably the closest I've ever been to the stage (not counting stage seats for SA).

The show was very smart. I'm glad I studied it before seeing it, otherwise I feel I would've been lost. The stage door was different from others in the past. There was no line- just a bunch of people standing around. You had to make sure you grabbed someone coming out or else they got lost in the mix (I missed Thomasina, but got pretty much everyone else). I really wanted to get Raúl Esparza (tick, tick...BOOM!) and Billy Crudup (Big Fish). Raúl came out and went straight to his car; I felt sad, but then he turned and said "Don't worry! I'm just putting my bag in the car!" YAY! So, I got a hug and photo with Raúl. We were wondering if Billy Crudup would come out, but he did, and I got to snag a photo with him too! Talk about a successful stage door! Oh, and add a Broadway show and stage door to the list of all the tourist things we did today!

Heaven on Broadway

Due to Memorial Day, this was considered a holiday weekend, which means that I can leave work early. Given that this may be my only week day to have the chance to be there early, I decided I'd try for standing room only tickets for Book of Mormon. Not knowing exactly where to go, I wandered into the box office. One lady at the counter wanted to buy a seat and the man informed her that they were sold out until September, except for premium seats that cost $399 each. She said ok and bought one! Can you believe it? The show is sold out (it performs at 102.4% capacity according to its last week gross report), but you can score a last minute seat for $400 (and that's from the bo, I've heard scalper reports of up to $900)!  So, given the chance to see the show for only $27, who wouldn't act a little crazy? I had heard through various chat boards, that all the tickets are gone by 2. Now, they don't sell the tickets until 1 hour before curtain. Given that this was Friday, the curtain was at 8, so the tickets went on sale at 7. Then how are they gone by 2? Simple: a giant line forms. Why is the line giant? I understand that it's a hit that people want to see, but there are only 28 SRO tickets (and some people buy 2- which is the limit in the SRO line). So, if there are more than 14 (given that they are each buying 2) or 28 (given that they are each buying one) people in line, you should NOT get in line cause you won't get a ticket. Lucky for me, I got there at 1:20 and was third in line. I was going to see the show! (Granted I'd have to wait in line for almost 6 hours, but that's ok!) The second person in line realized that he wanted to be in the cancellation line and moved, and then the first person in line moved to the third place  position to join with friends (so they wouldn't cut), making me the first person in line! Mommy and Daddy kept texting me that I was crazy and wondered what would I do if I didn't get tickets. Here's the deal. I'm now first. If I don't get a ticket, then none of the 50+ people in line behind will get a ticket! (Again, I don't know why you'd join the line if there were more than 28 people in it, but it's their time lost.) Around 5:30, they came out to do the lotto for tickets. (I was asked a hundred times if I was in line for lotto- and lottos don't have lines! Then I'd have to explain that I was in the SRO line and what that was. I'd also get asked about their free show promotion, as well as their current scheduling. I was like a free spokesperson for them for 6 hours!) The table for entry was on the other side of the marquee, and I would've had to weed my way through 200+ people to get there and back, so while some people left the SRO line to join in the lotto, I, not wanting to give up my sure fire spot, stayed put. Finally, 7 pm got here, the window opened, and the man asked how many I wanted. Ahh! I walked away from the Eugene O'Neill with a ticket in hand. Funny side note: this will be the first time I've been in the same Broadway house, but for a different show. Last time I was at the Eugene O'Neill, I sat onstage for Spring Awakening. This time, I'll be standing in the back- the very opposite. Does that mean this evens out to mid-orchestra for both? Just kidding! Not having much time, I went around the block to Ray's Pizza to grab a quick dinner before the show.

So, what is my review of the show? Well, while I did enjoy it, it is seriously over-hyped. That doesn't mean it's bad. It just means I can't believe that anyone would pay $400-900 for it. We do have to give it credit-it is an original musical that is both funny and heart warming, and to achieve that is quite rare these days. The facial expressions and choreography take top prize in this show. The sets were fine, though not as interesting as Spider-Man's. Mormon's music was very cute though (much better than Spider-Man's in every way: rhymes, rhythms, lyrics, etc.), and you could tell that Robert Lopez from Avenue Q had a hand in writing them. I particularly liked Elder Price's dream of Orlando (including his plea to go there that sounded curiously like "Tomorrow" from Annie: Orlando! Orlando! I love you, Orlando!). The ensemble Elders from Uganda take the prize for best quick change. They were singing about how when Mormons get bad feelings they just "Turn it Off." They all clapped their hands and the whole stage went dim, and then clapped and the lights came back on. I liked the effect of mimicking a clapper by itself (9 to 5 did a similar gag during its finale), but then they did it a second time. This time, when the lights came back on, the boys were all sporting pink, glittery tuxes and wowed with a tap number. I also enjoyed the Mormons' discussion of the worst things they've ever done which causes them to have a "Spooky Mormon Hell Dream." I laughed the hardest for the guy who said something like "My dad once had a maple donut... and I ate it." (My dad loves maple donuts. Lucky for me, I never stole one (cause they're nasty), so I didn't have a spooky hell dream.) During the final bows, we couldn't see anymore cause everyone else stood up, but a few audience members rushed past me. How rude. Then the girl standing next to me punched me in the arm and said "I think that was George Lucas!" As I exited the theatre, I saw a limo pulling away, and when I got out to the stage door, one stage door guard said to another, "Ah man, Andrew asked me to stop George if I could and have him come back stage, but I missed him!" So, take that as you will. Maybe it was George Lucas, maybe not. I think it probably was. Oh! Definitely there was Bobby Moynihan from SNL (known for playing Snooki). (According to BOM's twitter, the night before they had Tony Hawk, Kate Walsh, Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban, Hugh Jackman, & Lucy Liu in their audience.)

Ok! Stage door time! This was a rare first for me, but I actually had a pen with me this time! Maybe it was because of that, but I got pretty much every actor in the show to sign my playbill. A lady and her daughter (from Jacksonville, FL no less) who were in line next to me did not have a pen, so I let them borrow mine, and they, in turn, took some photos for me with the cast members. The cast members were very cheerful and nice. After everyone left, I went to take a picture of the stage door itself, and the stage door guard noticed and offered to take one with me in it! So even their stage door guards were super nice!  I guess it's just the Mormon spirit!

Day 2: Tour of Campus

Today, I got to take a tour of the Lincoln Center campus. We got to go in all of the venues, but, unfortunately, the Metropolitan Opera House would only let us visit their lobby (which was so elegant that I really want to go inside to see the house!). The American Ballet is renting the theatre for a while and performances start soon, so I guess they were in the house doing work. That didn't stop us at the Koch Theatre though! We went in and the New York City Ballet was having a tech / dress rehearsal. They were just about to start, so our guide let us stay a bit to watch the whole dance--it was very cool! I always love seeing how theatre works and shows come together! 

New Kid in the Square

 

Today, I started my job as Marketing Intern at the 

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts!

Pretty exciting, no? 

Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man

What show this season had the most drama? Hint: It is not a play, and its drama wasn't even a part of the script. In fact, it wasn't even in the show; it just surrounded it and kept Broadway followers engaged for months. I am talking, of course, about Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. I recently had the opportunity to take in the 2.0 version of this show, complete with new book and new direction. The story pretty much follows the 1st film exactly. Yes, there is some other silliness thrown in, but no converted movie to musical follows its film 100%. Let's start with the best part: the sets. Wow. Can you say anything else? This show was visually stunning. The pop out school, the inked lined drawings, the moving movie screens, the bridges, the subway, the how-did-that-work aerial view of the street-- it was all just, well, stunning--hands down, the best sets I have ever seen. Now, let's talk tricks. Other critics have said that Spider-Man flying over the audience each time gets dull, because it uses the same flying track. Major disagree. It's cool every time he does it. Zipping over the heads of audience members with perfectly timed lights following his every move, what's not to love? The Green Goblin is the major villain now, and he is actually a pretty funny part. His interaction with the audience was priceless and his scene when he got stuck on hold while calling in his threat to the city was was the funniest scene in the show. "Bouncing Off the Walls," an acrobatic scene right when Peter discovers his power, was my favorite musical number. Filled with his new skills, Peter is literally bouncing and flipping and running around the walls before taking to the streets to show off his new found swinging and flipping abilities. Their timing was a little off though. One Spider-Man would be on his last one or two back handsprings across the stage, while the next had already started his aerial trick, causing you to have more than one Spider-Man on the stage. I did also spy a stage hand or two who were assisting with the safety clamps and landings on perches. No big deal. Also, I cannot figure out how their "webs" to catch the bad guys worked. It looked like a whole bunch of ribbons thrown in their faces, but it came out much nicer than them just throwing it without it looking like there was a device. Oh well. While, overall I did love the show, it was peppered with a few "What the hell?!?!" moments. You know what I mean right? They'd be doing something very cool and totally appropriate for a musical that costs a figure that is now over $70 million, and then they'd do something that'd make you think "What the hell?!?!" Examples? The bobbled-headed villains, the wrestling a blow up dummy match, and the creepy "I'll pull you towards me and we'll awkwardly rotate around each other in slow-mo for an uncomfortably long time" scene between Peter and Arachne, just to name a few. That rotating air scene, by the way, takes place during the song "Turn Off the Dark," so while it felt like a completely pointless song with an unnecessary character, it will more than likely stay due to it being the title song. Damn.

Stage door time! I went to get my Playbill signed and got the main bully, Aunt May / teacher, Arachne, and, drum-roll please, Spider-Man! As always, the actors were very nice and extremely thankful. I don't know how the critics will react to the new 2.0 version, but I certainly enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone who asked.

Movin' On Up

to New York City that is! This weekend, Daddy came with me to help move me into my place in NYC. Flights were fine--on time and everything (which is great! Daddy was super delayed when he went back). We took a taxi to my place and got settled. My room is larger than I thought it would be, and, for some reason, it has two showers. I guess we each get our own bathroom (well, sort of... there are two bathrooms with each their own shower and sink, but only one has a potty)! For dinner on Saturday, we went to Ellen's Stardust Dinner. A touristy spot, I know. But it's so much fun! (Ellen's is the home of singing waiters. After one song, a boy got up to plead for tips. He said, "We all want to work somewhere else. Guess where?" and the table next to us screamed "APPLEBEES!" He didn't seem to think it was funny, but then asked if they knew if they were hiring.). Our waiter finally got up to sing and was fantastic (he sang "Rolling in the Deep"). He took prize for best song of the night (as voted by me), and the waitress who sang "Tomorrow" gets second (close were the boys who while singing backup for a girl broke the curtain off the wall and a stern looking man had to come out and fix it).

Sunday, I wanted to wake up early and go rush a show (You have to get in lines early, way before the bo opens), but Daddy wasn't for that. When he finally got up at 11, I asked if we could go by a Spider-Man while we were walking just in case (to see how many people were there). When we got to the Foxwoods Theatre, there was a line, but not much of one. Since the bo opens at 12 and it was 11:20, we decided we'd wait to see if we could get tickets. After waiting 40 min, the line starts moving and people start coming out with tickets. We were getting so close... and I really wanted one! Finally, we get to the lady, ask for rush tickets, and she hands them to us. We got tickets to Spider-Man! What?!?! Did we really just get tickets to a sold-out show for only $30? Rushing is super awesome! After we put our tickets safely away, we head over to explore the Lincoln Center. It was cold, grey, and misty out, so our photos didn't turn out the best, but we took them any way! I also found where I am supposed to go Monday morning. After looking around the complex, we headed back to Times Square and ate at Famous Daves before our show (it was a 3:00 curtain). After the show (calm down! I didn't forget to review it, I just feel Spider-Man deserves its own post), we went to Max Brenner's for dinner, a healthy, nutritious dinner of chocolate marshmallow pizza. Yum! Then, I had to say goodbye to Daddy (after we stocked up on groceries, bien sûr), so I guess we'll see if I can handle my first day in NYC by myself! (This isn't a really good cliff hanger though, considering I lag in posting and today is actually Wednesday!)