MANILA, Philippines?Ahhh, I?m back from my travels ? but only for a week, as I?ll have to be on a plane again soon, heading to London to start work on the ?Les Misrables 25th Anniversary Concert.? I can?t wait to get started. Way too exciting!
Over the last few weeks, though, I spent my time traveling, first to California, next to New York, then finally to Hawaii. Safe to say, my body doesn?t really know where it is right now.
I already wrote about my stay in California. Time to update the crazy travel log.
I arrived in New York on August 31. I needed to get there early enough to take care of a couple of things, my UK visa being at the top of my to-do list. For the first couple of days, I stayed with one of my best friends. Then I moved to a hotel across from Central Park (which is never a bad thing).
Between work-related commitments and seeing friends and family, I had time to take in only two Broadway shows: ?American Idiot? (which features the music of Green Day) and ?A Little Night Music,? now starring Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch.
?American Idiot?
I was taken on a ?gay date? by friend (and ?Allegiance? composer and lyricist) Jay Kuo to dinner at 44 & X (beautiful restaurant, beautiful food) and to ?Idiot,? playing at the St. James Theater on West 44th Street. We were joined by another couple of friends, Scott Hart (co-owner of 44 & X) and Blair Shepard, Jay?s incredibly ?beautiful-does-not-even-begin-to-describe-him? roommate.
Everyone seemed to be on a ?low carb? diet (my husband and I are actually on a variation of one, and I?m proud that I was able to stay on it during my trip?for the most part, anyway). I remember vegetables and lots of fish. After dinner, we all walked two blocks to the St. James.
Quite honestly, I had no idea what to expect. I did see the Broadway cast perform on the Grammy?s, but performances out of context aren?t always an accurate representation of a show. I cleared my head, settled in my seat, and wondered exactly what it was I would see.
As the curtain rose, I saw the set: Lots of television monitors that would, throughout the show, display images that were directly related to the live action taking place on stage.
The opening number had everyone facing the TVs, flashing images of what?s going on today: The sensationalized news, idiotic TV shows, and whatever else might be perceived as the stuff that ?dumbs down? America. It follows the story of three young men, each following a different path through a year in their lives. One becomes an unwed father, and remains in his hometown; another goes through the revolving door of drugs and sex; and the last enlists in the military. At the end of the day they converge at their starting point.
It took me a while to get into it, but it did leave me curious enough. Perhaps on my next trip to New York, I?ll take it in again.
?Night Music?
I had already seen ?A Little Night Music? before, when Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury were in the cast, but when I?d heard that Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch, two of Stephen Sondheim?s most gifted interpreters (Ms Peters had been in ?Sunday in the Park with George? and ?Into the Woods,? and Ms Stritch in ?Company?). I asked my manager to make sure I had seats. This was one show (and two stars) that I was not willing to miss. I had never seen either of them live on stage, so this was something I was so excited to see.
Dear Lord, what a beautiful experience it was. Ms Peters infused so much heart into her interpretation of Desiree, and that heart threaded through the entire company. ?Send in the Clowns? was heartbreaking, her interpretation, one of regret and lost love.
Her chemistry with her leading man Alexander Hanson (as the dashingly handsome Fredrik Egerman, who makes gray hair look incredibly sexy) could be felt to the very back rows of the theater. It isn?t often that I enjoy a sexualized older couple in a show, and this pair was far more incendiary than many younger pairings I?ve seen in other musicals.
As for Ms Stritch, her many lapses in dialogue aside, was a biting presence as Madame Armfeldt. She lent many moments of humor (that had nothing to do with her forgetting a line here and there ? kudos to the cast for being so present and aware) as well as moments of sadness. Her every exit is punctuated by a naughty knowing smile, which sent the audience into fits of laughter. All that said, I did miss Angela Lansbury?s Madame Armfeldt.
Excellence
I left the theater that night exhilarated, my heart racing and my pulse just as rapid. It?s always inspiring and awesome to see the masters at work. I believe that every artist aspires to leave such an impression on an audience, and seeing some of the best in the flesh doing just that only serves to invigorate our passion and push us to reach the heights of excellence. To Bernadette Peters, thank you for such a wonderful night. It is one I will never, ever forget.
