Tuesday, July 10th
Tommy and I are back at home, road trip done. I still have the rest of the week off so we're catching up on various small domesticities. Various appointments, some trips to the cinema, cleaning the house, meeting the contractor, haircuts, that sort of thing. The cats are happy to see us back and have been leaping all over us; well, leaping is probably too strong a word - let's just say they're less imperious thatn usual.The last piece of the trip was a success. After overnights in Indianapolis and Cleveland, we arrived in Manhattan and checked into the Best Western President Times Square where we spent four nights in a roon roughly the size and shape of a walk in refrigerator. Fortunately, we were usually out and about. Had a number of very good meals. (A find was Iguana, a Mexican place on 54th between 7th and 8th), did our usual shopping at such places as Colony, Patelson's and Drama Books. Had time to see four shows during our stay:
Deuce - Terence McNally's latest isn't much of a play but with Angela Lansbury and Marian Seldes holding forth in what amounts to a two character effort, it was worth it. Angie is 81 and Marian is 78 and they're doing 8 shows a week. A meditation on aging and career and public adulation, it's supposedly about retired tennis pros having their swan song but it is much more about two fabulous actresses heading into their twilight years.
A Chorus Line - Basically an exact recreation of the original production with a new cast. It's faithful to Michael Bennett, enthusiastically performed, but just doesn't work the way you want it to as it's playing to a 2007 audience rather than a 1977 audience. Society has changed but there's been no reinterpretation of the piece to take that into account. It's more like watching an old movie than a dynamic work of art.
110 in the Shade - First chance to see Audra McDonald on the NY stage. She's great as is John Cullum and I really liked the material and wonder why it isn't revived much more often as it's quite well constructed as a show with a lot of good material in it. Done with a simple, but evocative set on the Studio 54 thrust. It's a show I could see being done locally quite easily.
Spring Awakening - This season's critical darling. I liked it, Tommy liked it a bit more than I did. The messages are great. An enthusiastic and talented young cast. Jonathan Groff's naked bottom. It has a lot to recommend it but it didn't catch me the way I thought it should. I think maybe it's the music - very 2000s Destiny's child type arrangements. The melodic lines just didn't speak to me. Maybe I'm getting old.
We zipped back home from NYC in a couple of days and last night, I went into the hospital for a long overdue sleep study. As expected, I have severe sleep apnea (it's due to the configuration of my chin and throat and not the usual type - genetics, it'll get you every time. I get to sleep all dolled up with a CPAP machine for the indefinite future. I am not at all excited about this development but I will give it a try if it will give me more energy.
posted by Andy @ 3:06 PM
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