Saturday, October 20, 2007

There are Dakotans in the House!!

My cousins Debbie and Jill arrived yesterday and have really taken the city by storm....literally. For the past week, it has been raining in SD; however it has been gorgeous in nyc. When they showed up yesterday around noon, the clouds moved in. By the time we were ready to eat at an outside table at the White Horse, the rain came. It was pouring when we wanted to go Central Park, so we hailed a cab. I dropped them off at Herald's Square to do some shopping while I traveled up to the Women's Project for another rehearsal of I Want What You Have.

I love the movement that these actors bring to this piece. It really has a sense of dance. I also adore the three actors. Each of them are so different - not just in physicality (Indian, African-American and Caucasian) but in training and technique. I am not sure that I am cut out to be a stage manager...however, I do now appreciate them more.

Later that night, we tried doing to the TKTS "thang" to get Jill and Deb tickets to a Broadway show. I remembered that there is a little info store next to McDonalds, so I ran over there to check out their coupon opportunities. I managed to snag them 2 tickets to The Color Purple for a pretty reasonable price.

I went with John von Sotten from satellite radio for my third night of Roundabout Theatre. We saw Claire Daines, Jefferson Mays and Boyd Gains in Pygmalion. I do not know if I have ever seen Shaw's straight show of the - later - famous musical My Fair Lady. I was amazed at how verbatim it was - without the obvious segues and inserted music.

There are only two settings in Pygmalion - Higgins' office and Mother Higgins' living room. The lighting design was weak which really makes a difference for acoustics. If the audience cannot see their lips move - especially with British accents - it has trouble understanding. It got better after the initial scene. The acting was solid...solid....solid.

I would love to do this play, but I found myself wanting the tunes as well. I always said that My Fair Lady should be performed with a meal at intermission; it is just too long. I have changed my mind....the songs are bonus tracks to a wonderfully timeless play.

After the play, I met up with Deb and Jill. We were going grab a bit of food, but Debbie's legs were giving out as her shoes were not supportive. So, we opted to go home and splurge on the Chex party mix that she brought along....I was happy as a clam.

Today, Jill won Drowsy Chaperone lottery tickets, so she and her mom went to the matinee (when you win lottery, you can buy up to 2 tickets for $25 \each). I went and ran about 7 miles in Central Park. A group of young women were selling copies signed on a gorgeous children's book. I am such a sucker for children's books. They were students from King's College, who were selling this book by a former professor of their's, in order to raise money for a project where they mentor to high school students. Of course, I wanted to not only support this endeavour, I wanted to know more. We decided that they should talk and - maybe - team up with my college students. They wanted $25 for the book, but I only had $10. So, I gave it to them with my phone number. One of the girls - Laura - said that she would meet me some day soon with the book and more information about their college and mission, so we could start the collaboration. Love it!

Together with Deb and Jill, we tried - to no avail - to win the Wicked lottery. Instead, they caught a performance at the Laugh Factory. I went home to check on the cats, the baseball game and take a shower.

We had a wonderful meal at Burrito Loco with the world's most attentive waiters. We also have enough food so that we should not have to eat out tomorrow. We took a stroll through the debauchery of Christopher Street on a Saturday night, before perching on my fire escape for some people watching. So far, three people have peed within 50 yards, and there was a Durango across the street that housed activity so steamy that they had to wait about 10 minutes for the windows to defrost before they could drive away. As it approaches the 3 am hour, Jill and I are still holding out for some illicit activities in which to report....I'll let you all know tomorrow.

No comments: